Review Case Study 1, which is attached in the “Reading and Study” folder in
Module/Week folder, and respond to the following discussion questions:
What are the main issues in the case?
What is the rationale of each party involved?
What are possible solutions to the dilemma presented in the case?
GLST 290
CASE STUDY 1 – DB Forum 3
How Could She Do This, After All We Have Done?
“Should we submit to her wishes? We thought she was a friend! Biblically she doesn’t have any
grounds on which to stand. . . or does she?
Ministering in the Caribbean is like a dream come true. It is a delightful climate in which to live
with very pleasurable people. Joe and Mae could not be more content as they began to disciple
and have outreach with the objective of starting a new church plant. Since the couple had two
children, Mae would be somewhat limited to help Joe. That meant that she would have to home
school them, not overlooking her general household duties in addition to commitments of the
ministry. After all, the Lord had called her to this field of opportunity.
With some reluctance, both Joe and Mae came to the conclusion that they must hire a young
woman to assist in some of the chores around the house. Living in a different cultural setting
required additional tasks that were not common in their homeland. Bartering in the marketplace,
cleaning chickens and washing the dusty floor daily were only a few of jobs that necessitated
help. Some of their acquaintances suggested Ildete for the position. Mae was highly pleased
with the assistance that Ildete provided. It would have been difficult to find anyone who could
compare to her efficiency and dependability. As a national, she has done much to help with the
language and orient them to the local culture. She fitted so well with the entire family. No doubt
this was due to the fact that she had helped in the mission guest home and was familiar with the
American way of doing things.
Ildete served faithfully for about a year when the missionary couple considered giving their help
a well-earned raise. Is not a workman (woman) worthy of his (her) hire? (Matthew 10:10) She
deserved to be rewarded for her excellent service. When Joe and Mae agreed to the amount they
would pay her, they announced to Ildete the increased amount, complementing her for her work.
To their amazement, however, Ildete seemed disappointed and upset. When they inquired about
her response, she accused them of taking advantage of her. The couple was appalled that she
would make such a charge. Perhaps the young lady was not feeling well at the time. Perhaps she
misunderstood.
A few weeks passed when Joe and Mae were summoned to court. When they found out who
filed a charge against them, they could not believe it! Of all people, how could Ildete have done
such a thing? They had treated her so well. She had been like part of the family. When the
charges were announced, Joe and Mae were indicted for stealing. To them, that was absurd. They
were attempting to give her more money, not taking it from her. It just doesn’t make sense! The
court proceedings clarified the charge from a Caribbean perspective. If Ildete deserved a higher
salary, then why did the missionary couple not pay the higher amount from the beginning? It
appeared to the court as well as to Ildete that Joe and Mae had deliberately withheld the
difference between what they had paid all year and what they were now paying for her service. It
was the decision of the court and therefore Ildete would have to be paid retroactive wages of the
previous year. Did she not earn it?
GLST 290
Naturally, this brought an unexpected burden on the missionaries. It did not seem reasonable.
But the situation created another concern for them. Should they continue to use Ildete for those
household chores? Can she be trustworthy? Was she being deceptive by making the family
believe that she felt part of them?
The climate changed when Ildete came to work in the following weeks. What used to be a
comfortable work situation had become strained and cool. However, the testimony of Mae and
Joe was at stake. In fact, it might have caused ripples among the other missionaries in that field.
American culture was having a problem with the culture of that country.
Surname 1
First name, surname.
Name of Professor.
Discussion board questions.
Date, Month, Year
Discussion board questions.
A. What are the main issues in the case?
The case is about a Christian family that was in a deadlock of whether to dedicate their
services to God or consider their family more important. It also depicts the concept of
compensation whereby their house help was legally entitled to an amount of pay that she
was not being offered to her. Notably, the case also shows how people re not appreciative
because Joe and Mae tried their level best to compensate their Ildete however, she never
recognized their efforts and ended up filling a case against them.
B. What is the rationale of each party involved?
Ildete believes that she was entitled to the same amount of pay that was offered to her
after salary increment since she was doing the same job from the day she was recruited in
the family. Joe and Mae believes that they were rewarding Ildete for her good job through
salary increment which later turned to be crime. Notably, Joe and Mae also believed that
serving their God was more important than the family because they had recruited a house
help in order to handle home chores as they ministered in the Caribbean.
C. What are possible solutions to the dilemma presented in the case?
Surname 2
Ildete should withdraw the case and consider settling the problem in a peaceful manner.
She should also consider the benefit she has gained from living at Joe and Mae’s family.
On the other hand, Joe and Mae should offer a constant salary in order to avoid law suits
in future. They should also dedicate more time for their family in order to identify and
resolve challenges on real time.
