What Does Your Average Day/Week Look Like?

Every day: Grace and Josiah (do I need to describe that? Probably very similar to how it would look anywhere in the world: books, crayons, balls, puzzles, “No, we don’t lick the table,” picking up toys over and over and over…you know what I mean.)

Every day: Cook meals. Except for Tuesdays when Gil and I go out. Sometimes Fridays before youth group we also will go out and get a pizza, or mishkaki (meat) and chips at the hole-in-the-wall nearby. I also bake a couple times a week: cookies for youth group, breakfast food (banana bread, muffins, etc.) Cereal costs a small fortune here so we rarely buy it.

Wednesdays: Grocery shopping

Usually at least one other day per week is used for running errands: paying bills, tracking down social workers, etc. Sometimes this feels like a part-time job.

Monday and Thursday mornings: walk to school, teach sixth grade Bible. Esta takes care of the kids.

Tuesday mornings: teach chapel for elementary kids. My kids come with me.

Monday afternoons: our mission prayer meeting

Friday nights: Youth group

Saturdays: often go to the pool at a nearby hotel

Sundays: church and nap!

Other: Families, friends, students here for dinner…sometimes a friend of mine will come for lunch. Friday mornings I try to get Grace and Josiah to a playgroup if we don’t have other errands to run. Host students for a few days at a time when their parents are away. Host people who are visiting Tanzania. Watch students’ soccer or basketball games. Visit HOPAC’s library with Grace. Attend other HOPAC events. Tonight, in fact, my husband is doing a seminar for parents on the media’s impact on young people.

During nap time and sometimes in the evenings: organize the after-school program each term, write emails, do our financial reports for the mission each month, work on my MA classes, write prayer updates and prayer letters, blog.

Remember: I don’t do any of my own cleaning or laundry. That frees up a lot of time!