A Typical Day...

One question that I got over and over again in the USA was, "What does a typical day look like for you?" When running an orphanage, there is no "typical day", but to help answer that question, I will give you a glimpse into our lives yesterday. :)

The morning starts at 7am as we all pull ourselves out of bed. Our kids usually get up before 6, but everyone is still recovering from jet lag, and I'm not complaining! Our mornings are the usual rush of breakfast (cereal or oatmeal), teeth brushing, throwing on school uniforms, fixing hair, finding shoes, etc. before Blu, Caedmon, & Cambree head out the door at 7:40am. They walk down to the school and Blu drops them off and then continues on to the shelter for the morning devotion.

I stay behind with Cason and do my Bible study (No Other Gods by Kelly Minter). I then hurriedly clean my house before my house cleaner comes. (If you know my personality, this will not surprise you!) I feel her job is to remove dirt, not to make my beds or pick up my kids toys! Lois arrives at 8:15am, followed by Justin, our yard worker. Lois works until lunch and Justin works all day. We have a great garden of lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, etc., but yesterday he spent most of the day slashing (mowing by hand) outside to keep the snakes away from our house! Yesterday was also laundry day so I pile everything up on our porch and Sarister and Joyce arrive at 8:30am to begin hand washing our clothes (they finish at 1:30).

Now that my friends are settled into their jobs, I sit down and realize that it is February 1st - I have to write the prayer newsletter!!! So I sit down and spend about an hour doing that.

While this is going on, Laurie is at her house finishing up the recording of the January receipts so that she can turn the financial books over to me. Wes is at the orphan house building screens so that they can keep their windows open at night while keeping mosquitoes out. Debbie is spending her day in the New Day store, learning Tonga, visiting with customers, and seeing how Cecilia keeps books. Diana is observing in the schoolroom from 8-10am, and Carolyn is observing from 10-12am.

Meanwhile, Blu is walking around the land collecting registration cards (identification cards) for our workers because we have to start paying retirement for them. He brings them to me and I fill out what I can on the retirement forms. We then load up into the car with all the forms and go and ask each of these workers details about their spouses, children, beneficiaries, and have them sign. We also take a big box of old clothes and shoes over to the store to sell for dirt cheap - most of them are gone by lunch!

It's back home for me, while Blu takes Cason to the orphan house to play with Axer. Blu helps Wes with screens until lunch, and Laurie brings over the receipts, so I get busy entering them into Quickbooks. I first have to find the exchange rate for that certain day, convert the kwacha into dollars, and then enter them in. Whew!

The kids are home from school at 12:30, and we have a quick lunch of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. They're off to play and Cason is down for a nap. Blu rests for about 30 minutes and heads off to build screens. I now take all of the January receipts and glue them to typing paper for our record books. At 2pm, Caedmon & Cambree are back to school for an hour, and the house is quiet again.

Laurie spends her afternoon walking down to talk to Margaret and Michelle and organizing the many boxes Wes has brought from the container in Lusaka. She usually would have a new believers' Bible study with Michelle on Wednesday afternoons, but it was cancelled yesterday. Debbie is still in the shop, and she discovers that one of our chickens has laid an egg, which made her happy :) Diana & Carolyn are working in their house on the student assessment they will give each of the kids next week, and they wait for Hildah & Abby to show up for a meeting at 3:30.

I am also waiting for a visitor at my house - Pastor Maxwell's wife, Priscilla. While I wait I clean out the boxes in my guest room (mostly clothes for our orphans) and organize things into plastic tubs and footlockers. I also periodically check on the laundry hanging outside and fold clothes that are dry. Before I know it, it is 4:30 and time for my daily call to my mom. We talk for 5 minutes and I go and visit Carolyn & Diana. Still waiting for Abby & Hildah! Debbie is cooking supper for them tonight, so they continue to wait. Abby & Hildah finally show up to meet with Carolyn & Diana at 5.

I start supper as I realize Priscilla isn't coming when she finally shows up at 5:15pm! AAHh!! Staff Bible study is tonight and I have to get supper going! Luckily, Priscilla is a close friend so I am comfortable with continuing cooking while she sits and we visit. I give her all of the gifts we brought her from America and she stays about 20 minutes. It is now almost 6pm and it is getting dark. The generator should click on in 30 minutes, but it is already almost dark outside and the wind is blowing. Supper is ready (chicken & rice) so we eat quickly as Bible study starts at 7pm. But at 6:30 the storm has blown in and thunder, lightning, and strong winds have hit. I run outside to grab the rest of the wet clothes on the line, and I run over to the ladies' house to tell them we have cancelled Bible study. I call Wes & Laurie and they tell us that 1/4 of their fence has blown down! We have some tree branches in our yard.

After sitting in the dark for awhile, Blu heads down to Mulenga's house to turn on the generator at 7. We heat a little water for the kids to take a lukewarm bath and get them in bed by 8pm. Crazy night!

When the kids are in bed, Blu & I take showers (cold, but it feels good!) and play 2 games of Bananagrams. We then head to bed, where we usually watch an episode of 24 but tonight we are too tired. Wes & Laurie call at 9 looking for their house keys but soon find them. Everyone is sound asleep by 10pm, and we are ready to start another day at New Day.....