A Normal Day in 2026

A typical day for me here in Africa begins sometime between 4:00, my preferred rising time, and 5:00, when my alarm sounds.  After getting dressed, I spend about an hour in the Word and prayer.  When I’ve awakened early enough, my harp practice begins at 6:00, followed by piano practice at 6:30.  At 7:00 I leave for work, and as I drive, I eat breakfast.  A colleague at our organization gives a devotion at 7:30, and by 8:00 I’m at my desk, pictured here.

Before moving to Africa, I thought I’d never find a job that would keep my interest for more than a few years.  But eight years into the work God has called me to dedicate my life to, I’m anything but bored!  As assistant to our organization’s director and manager of my fellow administrators, I never lack challenges to keep me on my toes.  For example, in the past week, I negotiated a new policy with our literature resellers in several provinces and sent them a year’s stock; delivered hundreds of books from our storeroom to the coordinator of our nationwide network of reading clubs and directed a colleague to help improve his reporting system; cancelled bookshop invoices that were accidentally processed using the wrong account; fixed glitches in the Excel spreadsheets tracking our conference registrations and employees’ working hours; verified data for a pending legal matter; planned personnel adjustments to keep us within budget as the minimum wage rises; made sure my director had been reimbursed for expenses incurred in 2021; and participated in the composition and presentation of a song thanking our employees for their service at our national Labor Day.  At noon, I eat my lunch (supper leftovers, warmed in the microwave) while reading a few chapters of the Bible using a phone app, then return to work until 4:00 pm.  

Three days a week, I swim after work in our lap pool; on other days, I occasionally use that time to run errands or meet with people regarding non-work-related matters.  When I arrive home, I set the table for supper and give reading lessons to two neighbor toddlers.  Then I sit at my desk and tackle the next items on my to-do list for my personal projects:  the Bible Bee, women’s Bible reading clubs, father-daughter activities, this blog, birthday encouragement, Christian education, Classical music, children’s songs, a music video, my annual party for my co-workers, my annual popcorn party, and a ladies’ Bible study, plus my accounting and trip planning.  (Saturdays and Sundays allow me more time for progress on the same list.)

Our family generally eats supper between 7:00 and 7:30 pm.  For worship afterwards, I play piano as we sing a hymn; we read and comment on a chapter of Scripture; and someone prays.  Then I close out any pending work, shower, and retire around 9:00 pm – eager to awaken as early as possible to relish another day of my awesome routine!