6:00am – Wake up in my Eno to the sun peeking over the beautiful mountains of Malealea Valley.
6:00-7:00am – Quiet time, bathe in the Word (gotta bathe in something around here and it’s rarely water so…).
7:00-8:00am – Morning yoga and run. As I flow through different yoga poses, I love empty my mind and just allow God to fill me up with His sweet words. My favorite thing about running is getting interrupted by a bunch of smalls.
8:00-9:00am – Breakfast! Usually oatmeal or porridge. Sometimes eggs and bread!
9:00am – Meet together with the team and pray over the day’s ministry.
9:00-9:45am – Morning commute. Looks a lot different than my daily drive back in Hotlanta. These days my commute to work consists of hiking through a pasture and up the side of a mountain to a small village.
9:45am-12:30pm – Morning ministry! We go out to the villages and stop at different houses to visit with people and offer to help with anything that needs to be done around the house (sweeping, mopping, cooking, chopping firewood, picking weeds around the yard, etc.). Sometimes people need a hand, but sometimes the sweet people we meet just want to sit with us and receive encouragement from the Word. I find it so incredibly life-giving going out to these villages and nourishing souls with scripture.
12:30-1:15pm – Afternoon commute down the mountain and back through the pasture.
1:15-2:30pm – Lunch and break time! Lunch typically consists of pb&j. Break time usually consists of some light reading and a quick power nap in my Eno.
2:30-5:30pm – Afternoon ministry! Our first week, we hosted a camp for girls in the village. We had about 20 girls each day come out to dance, sing, do makeup, and I got to lead a fun yoga class with them! This week we’ve been cleaning up the preschool that our ministry runs since school starts back up next week.
6:00pm – Dinner time! Dinner is different every day. Lots of African cuisine: mixed veggies over grainy stuff like maize, stamp, rice, etc. It’s super different than any classic American dinner but really delicious! Fun fact – I’m eating it as I write this blog (maize and veggies).
7:00pm – 8:00ish – Team time. We come together to debrief the day, give feedback to each other, share testimonies, read scripture, etc. I love team time – it’s really cool to be with this amazing group of people, to discuss our experiences and perspectives, and to encourage one another and always point each other towards Christ.
8:00pm-whenever – Free time! Free time looks different all the time. It’s usually chill, we all just hang out. Watch the sunset. Sometimes Kirby leads us in some powerful worship. One night this week we went out to town and hung out with people in the bars and around town.
10:00pm – Bedtime. I’m wiped by 9:00pm, but I usually try to hang out for a bit before cocooning myself in my Eno for the night.
Life as a missionary isn’t always easy and it’s definitely not glamorous, but it’s incredibly rewarding. Each day looks a little different. Sometimes we’re exhausted, and sometimes we experience rejection. But we have a whole lot of days where we see miraculous healings and witness people turning to Jesus for the first time. These sweet days make the hard ones so worth it.
Thanks for reading! I’m praying that you be filled with the love of Christ today and every day of your life – whatever life looks like for you. Peace!
