The Missionary Wives Survey, Part 3: What do they do all day?

Photo by: xedos4

Let’s step into missionary wives’ moccasins and see what a day looks like, in their own words. Enjoy!

            “I begin my day by checking our water and power situation. How that changes throughout the day determines what will or won’t get accomplished. For example, the water supply determines what and how much gets washed. And the power supply determines what and how I cook. I might be planning meatloaf for supper but, when the power goes out, it’s hamburgers. My cooker has a gas top with an electric oven. I check my email messages and my Facebook while eating my breakfast and drinking a cup of hot tea. (I’ll also drink a glass or two of water while taking my vitamins.) We have several adult children and some grandchildren, and I don’t want to miss a message they may have sent. I can spend an hour or more with this Internet connection. It works the best for catching up with family in the States. After time on the computer, I have an easy exercise routine. About 20-30 minutes stretching, to help with my neck and back issues, and 20 minutes on the elliptical to help with cardiovascular and muscle tone. I enjoy listening to Handel during this workout time. I’ve got a British version, which has a faster tempo that helps me keep a quicker pace. I use an MP3 player, with ear buds so I don’t disturb my husband in his routine. I’ve got other music loaded but use Handel most often. After my quiet time, I work on household duties. I wash the dishes, since our hot water tank only heats twice in a day, the morning time is for dishes and the evening time is for showers. Then, I work on lessons and study subjects, doing my research for the different lessons and subjects I’m preparing for. I write a blog, so I research for that. I’ve developed a woman’s curriculum for our Bible Institute, though I’m not currently teaching, I do work at revising the materials. We are having a Marriage Seminar, and I’m preparing materials for the time I’ll be speaking with the ladies. I’ll take a break around 4:00 for a cup of hot tea.  Around about 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening is when we sit down to watch a few older TV shows my husband has downloaded from the Internet. Between 6:00 and the rest of the evening, I’ll get supper ready, our biggest meal of the day and the only time I really cook. My husband has the dogs to feed, because we still cook their food. We’ll watch the shows until 9:00 or 10:00 and then go to bed.”

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“I typically start my day when my hubby brings me a cup of coffee to me in bed before he leaves to go to the church. After reading email and catching up on the news (1^st cup of coffee), I refill the cup and get my Bibles (one in each language) and my notebook to do my daily devotion time. After that time with the Lord, I do 30 minutes of exercise followed by a smoothie. Then I do laundry, grocery shopping, housecleaning, or work at my desk on accounting or grading schoolwork, depending on what needs to be done that day. Our family eats our midday meal together every day around 2:00 or 2:30. So, about 1:30 I begin preparing that. After we eat, we have family devotions and spend usually about an hour discussing a variety of topics. For example, yesterday we discussed Matthew McConnaghey’s acceptance speech at the Oscars (Does it honor and glorify God to thank Him for the opportunity to make an immoral movie?), how to reword a flyer for our church, friends who need prayer for various reasons, the kids’ choices for college, and how to choose a church when they leave home, etc. After lunch, I continue with what needs to be done (shopping, grading schoolwork, cleaning, secretarial duties for ministry or church) until time for a light dinner in the evenings. Sometimes, we watch a family movie or one of the TV series that we like. One day a week, our (child) has violin lessons at our church, so during that time, I do cleaning or whatever needs to be done at the church. We also have an English Bible study one night a week with a married couple. Once a month, we canvas an area with church fliers.”

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“My husband taught in a seminary on the other side of the city. My ministry there was cooking, shopping, and caring for the MK’s two pet dogs. It was real joy to work with the two male helpers and their sweet families. Joe* and Jim* are so well trained and such genuine Christian gentlemen, I almost got spoiled. One weekend (Joe didn’t work over the weekends), we had visitors, and since there were lots of dishes, I did them up. When Joe came into the kitchen on Monday a.m., he looked at the empty sink, paused with a troubled look on his face and said, ‘You did my dishes!’ The Lord gave me quick wisdom as I realized that he thought I had not been satisfied with his dishwashing during the week! I very quickly reassured him that he did a wonderful job, but I just thought there were too many to leave for him on Monday. He accepted my explanation, and we had many good Bible discussions while I cooked and he cleaned. I never had to worry about any dust on the floors or any furniture!”  

*Not their real names.

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Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord,

forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 
(1 Corinthians 15:58)

Did you enjoy these glimpses into missionary wives’ schedules? Stay tuned for two more posts by these fascinating women. If you missed the first two in this Missionary Wives Survey series, you can see them here and here.