Ministry is nebulous. Honestly, the most meaningful interactions that we have in any given week are not usually the result of a planned meeting. For that reason, we intentionally leave some blank space on our calendars. Some examples of how our "blank space" got filled last week? I babysat twin three-year old boys for three hours one morning so that their mother could look for a job; David (along with the boys and a few others from church) helped a woman and her small children move to our village; I took a friend's daughters to swimming lessons. And that was a slow week--having been sick and all.
Nevertheless, we do have some "regularly scheduled duties." Two weeks ago David preached in BOTH the English and the French services at our church. Last weekend I preached in French and David led worship.
Just before that service I helped to train two young women to disciple their friends.
On Monday I met with some women who are helping me to plan a women's retreat. I also did a pile of administrative tasks related to the planning of that retreat! David had his small group on Monday morning and then spent the rest of the day working on a Hermeneutics class that he is teaching at church.
Tuesday is my fullest day! I have a small group that meets on Tuesday mornings, followed by a weekly meeting with Marie, who I continue to disciple--while she continues to help me with my French! On Tuesday afternoons I go to a knitting group--which I joined to 1. Learn to knit, 2. Practice French, and 3. Make friends in the community. David is helping a guy from church learn to preach, so they have been meeting on Tuesdays. And then on Tuesday nights we all sing with a community choir.
I leave Wednesday mornings open. Of course, the market in our village is on Wednesday mornings, so I usually do a little shopping. If nothing else comes up, I use it to work on homework for our Church Planting training or to prepare for any preaching I have scheduled. Wednesday morning is study time for David, too. On Wednesday afternoons I get trained in a discipleship process. After the training I spend an hour or so with a friend who teaches English in the Junior High. If I need help with something that I am writing in French (I occasionally write articles for our church website, or book summaries, etc.) she helps me with that. If I don't have a project, we speak in English to help her prepare for an upcoming certification examination. David has just started teaching a beginning guitar class on Wednesday afternoons. Graham is helping him, and they have 7 students.
Thursday mornings are the same as Wednesday mornings--open, but used for study is nothing comes up. Thursday afternoon are reserved for time with my husband. We do ministry planning, talk about personal issues, and sometimes go out for a cup of coffee. I love Thursday afternoons!
Every other Friday, David and I are visiting different villages to begin to discover where God may call us to plant a church. We make ethnographic observations, talk to people, explore, and pray. The remaining Fridays are dedicated to housekeeping, marketing, and connecting with friends. Yes, this means I only clean house twice a month. No one in the house seems to be bothered by this but me--the joy of living with boys!
Monday through Friday we meet at the church for prayer from 7-8 in the morning and from 6 to 6:30 in the evening. This marks the official start and finish of our days.
Saturdays are our Sabbath, and we take it very seriously around here. All of us on the ministry team here in Loches work 6 days a week-but on Saturday we rest. We sleep in! We typically spend a few hours playing games together. I like to read, knit, and take walks. We watch a movie in the evening.
Hope that gives you glimpse into our week. Of course, all of it is always subject to change--according to the leading of the Lord. He gets to plan our days; we are available to Him.
Thank you friend for taking me through your week, I love hearing what you are doing. That was fun for me. I love you and miss you- more than you know!
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