Essential Business Learnings During Quarantine for COVID-19

As all Americans and the world experience this time of social distancing and quarantine, our all US-based team has learned some incredibly valuable lessons.  Hear from a few of our team members first-hand how we’ve navigated these new waters and continue to prosper, pray, bless each other and our incredible members across the United States.

Landon Lively, Supply Chain Manager - What a blessing it is to be surrounded by great people in the workplace.  At Patriot Mobile, I’m surrounded by creative, intelligent coworkers and friends to bounce ideas around and joke around with.  I sure miss them during this time.  I’m so grateful that we have the technology to be able to continue working from home, even though it has its own challenges.  To keep my spirit up, I’ve found a need to search for good things to come from this virus lockdown and I’ve found some surprising ones.

1. Meeting new neighbors. I have found that I have two beautiful new neighbors.  Absolutely wonderful.  They reside in a magnificent Burr Oak tree that grows in the backyard of the house next door.  They are Gray Hawks, formerly known as Mexican Goshawks, or Buteo plagiatus to you ornithologists out there.  According to the Audubon Society, a big ornithology website, The Gray Hawk is a stranger to my part of Texas, the Dallas area – this couple is WAY north of their normal breeding zone.  Also, the US Fish and Wildlife service lists them as a specie of special concern.  These facts make them even more interesting, and I’ve had the pleasure of watching them come and go all day from the tree opposite my home-office window.  I’ve enjoyed watching them hunt, soaring among the branches of these huge trees faster than anyone would think possible.  Yesterday, a pair of concerned blue jays tried to drive one of them off.  It was quite a show.  I never would have had the opportunity to witness something like that from my cubicle at Patriot Mobile.  I have always most clearly seen the glory of God in the natural wonders of His creation, and the presence of these Gray Hawks reminds me that He is with me.
2. Texas stopped all abortions! Far greater than “good thing” # 1 is “good thing” #2.  On Monday, March 23^rd, the Texas Attorney General’s office ordered a stop to all abortions in Texas except those that were medically necessary.  How many times have I prayed for a stop to abortion in this nation?  How many prayers have gone up to our heavenly Father for so many years to see an end to this awful practice?  He alone knows.  But now, for the first time since Row vs. Wade, abortions are grinding to a halt all over the nation because of the virus scare.  Tragically, we are losing some people to this virus and every life is precious.  But now, there will be Americans born in this country who would not have had a chance at life if not for the outbreak of Covid-19.  Isn’t it amazing the way God can bring goodness out trouble and tragedy?  Oh Lord Jesus, grant that we may learn from this and still have no more abortions when this virus outbreak ends.
3. I love my children. I’ve enjoyed some lovely time with my children, helping them do school at home.  They’ve finished their work early every day, because learning is sometimes more efficient when it’s at the child’s own pace rather than in a classroom.  I think there’s a lot of good that can come from classroom environments, but I’m thankful to have my dear children near me for more hours in the day.  Added to that is the fact that I have no commute.  So, when I close the lid of my laptop, we’re already set to enjoy an evening together.  I’m also saving a ton of money on gasoline!
4. United in prayer regardless of denomination. One day last week, I received an email informing me that large numbers of churches in my area would pray at noon for an end to Covid-19.  This was a large, interdenominational effort involving Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, and Evangelical Christians.  Participating churches all rang their bells at noon, and as I began to pray, I knew that the Body of Christ in my city was truly united for a time.  It was a beautiful thing to kneel and pray with my children in unison with so many other Christians in my city. 

Aaron Rocha, Marketing Coordinator – As an essential infrastructure business, Patriot Mobile keeps a staff of ten people in the office while the rest of our US-based staff is working remotely.  I’ve been blessed to come to the office each day as I’m healthy, my wife works out of our home and I really love what I do and the people I have the privilege of working with and call my Patriot Mobile family.  A few observations I’ve had during this unprecedented time I never thought I’d see in my lifetime:

1. Support your values and stick together, especially in a time of need.  As a Marine, I’ve loved the camaraderie that I found while in the Corps.  In my experience, that same bond exists among like-minded people, especially Conservatives.  As the roads are less busy and most are working from home, we have all been given more time.  Many have spent that time bonding with others over social media and looking for like-minded people. This is a critical year in our election.  Unfortunately, the USA is polarized with many on the left accusing Trump of this pandemic.  It’s more important than ever that we continue to support those values we hold dear and the people helping us to protect them at all costs.
2. Generosity knows no boundaries.  We experience the incredible generosity of our President and Co-Founder, Glenn Story, nearly every day in our office; however, in this critical time, the appreciation he has shown for our loyal team has been very inspiring.  Lunches brought to the office, words of extra encouragement, laughter rising above the buzz of our office and consistency that our company was founded on Biblical principles that will stand the test of time and through it all prevail.
3. Music motivates me.  I’m often working on multiple projects on any given day that have a hard deadline, require creative thinking, inspiration and a lot of changes.  Since we are following social distancing guidelines and many on our team are working remotely to sell to new members or serve our existing members across the United States, I’ll wear my headphones and jam to some Texas style blues or some Texas style metal that inspire my work. 
4. Patience.  I have grown to be a patient person over the years. There are some things out of your control and a young me could not handle that, but the me of today is much wiser. There is nothing more valuable than having the patience to let life do its thing sometimes.  This COVID pandemic is out of our control.  We are all learn at some point in our lives that we aren’t in control and through this time more than ever, the world needs to know that God has a plan for each and every one of us.

Lisa Bennett, Director of Marketing – I’ve always been proud to serve with our passionate team at Patriot Mobile, but during this time of having only a few of our executives and our shipping department to be able to send out SIMs cards and devices to our new members, I miss interacting with them face to face every day.  I’ve developed a hyper-sense of appreciation for the smallest of gestures they do to support me and our members every day.

1. Working from home isn't all it's cracked up to be. I always thought working from home would be fun, but it's way more of a challenge. As a passionate supporter of our causes, I’m always working tirelessly to ensure we are maximizing our support of 1A, 2A, Pro-Life values and our Veterans; however, I find myself having to set even stricter limits of when/how many hours I work and when I need to turn work off, otherwise, I get consumed by it.
2. I'm so grateful for technology. As an avid user of technology both professionally and personally, I think I just took it for granted in the past. How amazing is it that we can use our cell phones to communicate, host live video calls and see each other face to face during this time of social distancing.  We can also watch pretty much any TV show or movie we want from the comfort of our own couch? Being stuck inside isn't that bad.
3. Texas is a one incredible place to live. When the only place you really can go is on a walk outside, you start to realize quickly how lucky you are to live in this beautiful state. I’m surrounded by incredible neighbors and a community that have done the kindest gestures for one another: dropping off homemade muffins like you’ve never tasted before; handing out rolls of toilet paper, paper towels and napkins when they were impossible to buy; picking up prescriptions for the elderly, etc.
4. My home is a filthy place! While I clean my home often, I’ve done more deep cleaning projects than I’ve ever done before.  Have you ever vacuumed out your dryer ventilation system?  If not, you must do it!  Another 1^st for me?  Dusting my walls, no kidding!
5. Crafts I’ve planned for years are now complete! Over Spring Break just weeks before this social distancing started, I enjoyed a week of vacation on the beach with my husband and 2 teenage children on Marco Island in Florida.  Collecting shells along the shoreline while singing songs of praise as I experience all of God’s beauty and watching the sunrise with dolphins feeding in the early hours of the day is a hobby I enjoy immensely.  I’ve promised myself for years, “When I get home, I’m going to make a wreath to remind me of this peaceful and refreshing time.  Well, I finally did finished it, what do you think?

While it’s easy to see what this coronavirus has taken from us, there are also hidden blessings if we look.  We hope that all our members at Patriot Mobile stay safe, healthy, and hopeful.  May you find many unexpected blessings in whatever circumstances this crazy situation has placed you in.  May God bless you and your loved ones.  If you’ve yet to make the easy switch to join our Patriot Mobile family, now is the perfect time to start supporting your values with every call.

If you are interested in joining us to support your values, give us a call at 877-367-7524 or for those of us that need an easy number to remember 972-PATRIOT and you can always shop on-line at www.patriotmobile.com. We look forward to welcoming you to the Patriot Mobile Family!