Is this Normal?

Things have settled down and the initial shock of living in Didinga has mostly worn off. Many have asked what a “normal” day looks like. As things are very rarely predictable in Sudan, my days are greatly varied, but this is sort of what my schedule has been like in the past and will continue to resemble until we start our “Formal” ministries in May:

7-8 am – Wake up to Tianne talking with her animals, the roosters cockle-doodle-doing, donkeys eeeeh aahhing or the wind blowing. I haven’t used an alarm clock in months. If that isn’t a reason enough to move to Sudan, I’m not sure what is!!!
8-9 am – Devotionals and coffee in bed
9-11am – Study and practice Didinga language, read and write papers for TIMO curriculum
11-12 pm – Didinga language lesson with Dario
12-1 pm – Lunch
1-5 pm – One or all of the following: Haul water, wash clothes/bathe (a process that usually takes about 3 hours), prep garden, spend time working and visiting with Didinga neighbors, observe at the local school…
5-6 pm - Dinner and house prayer
6-8 pm - Visit (play Uno, shoot bow and arrows, sing, dance and cuddle…) with neighbor children at the naparett (fire pit) or above our house at the overlooking grinding stones
8-10 pm – Read, journal, write letters and miss people from home
10 pm – Try to sleep…

Tuesday and the first Saturday of the month are my cooking days, which means that I spend the better portion of the morning, afternoon and early evening in the kitchen. Actually though, I really enjoy the adventure of turning Vegetable Food Protein (VFP) into things like sloppy joes, chicken fried steak and meatloaf. It’s strangely satisfying!

Thursdays, I trek up the mountain to our leaders’ house for language practice with fellow team member, Amber, and my one-on-one mentoring with our leader, David.

Fridays are spent at our leaders’ house for team meetings and movie/game night.

Sunday morning our team meets for worship and prayer.

Wednesday night is Lowerhouse's (our huts name, signifying our position at the bottom of the mountain) mandatory “Fun Night”. I was skeptical at first, but after 6 hours of Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Darcy I have changed my mind.

NOTE: With a constant stream of unexpected emergencies and unexpected guests our schedule is made to be broken. We have come to expect the unexpected: gaping and bloody wounds, unannounced visitors from sunup to sundown, unplanned hikes across mountainsides to deliver medicine and impromptu prayer meetings to combat threats of a replanted airstrip. This is our normalcy...