My Days (by Amanda)

I was recently asked to write about my days here in Dakar, Senegal as a mom and as a missionary. I decided it might be interesting to post my thoughts here, too.

Each day is a little different here for me. All mornings we get up a little after sunrise to start the day. I let the girls watch a prerecorded Dora or VeggieTales and drink their milk while I take a shower and then I wake up Thom. I have a lady who comes 5 mornings a week at 7:30 who cleans my floors and does my dishes and other general cleaning tasks until she leaves at 11:30. During that time I try to get lots done. I walk to get groceries and vegetables usually about twice a week and often the girls walk with me. I try to fit as much as possible in the mornings so I don't have to do it when it gets too warm. One morning a week I try to walk to the library with the girls, too.

Each day varies depending on how many guests I have at the guest house and how many I have coming. Amelie, a Senegalese lady we’ve hired, does all the cleaning and laundry there so I just have to let her know when people are coming and manage the finances and room reservations. Often people come during the night so I have them either pick up their key at my door or call me if they are unfamiliar with our guest house. At lunch each day Thom comes home and we eat together then he helps me get the twins ready for nap time. He reads a story and then the girls and I lie down for a nap. Having Thom come home at lunch time has been a wonderful blessing with his job. My job is sporadic - sometimes I have a lot to do (like today) and sometimes it takes no work at all. When we have lots of guests I end up running more errands and making sure things are in working order. For example, on Saturday morning the tub plug broke so I had to call a plumber and on Sunday morning I had to go over and switch the gas bottle for the stove because the old one had emptied. Today I went out this morning and got a bunch of cleaning supplies. It comes and goes but like all of you my life changes and there is very little routine. Sometimes we get to fit in fun things, like trips to the beach or the small zoo close by. Sometimes we have friends come over with their kids for play dates or just head to the roof of our apartment building to jump on the trampoline. Afternoons are usually a bit calmer and often we stay inside where it’s cooler and we color or the girls ‘help’ me bake something.

We definitely have a God who takes care of us daily and meets our needs whether we are busy or just hanging out at the beach.