What does the day of a missionary look like? It's definitely doesn't look like 9 to 5 at the office! No day ever looks the same. Some times we love that, and sometimes it drives us crazy. :)
Today, for instance, Cody and the kids left the apartment around 8am to walk to school. After dropping them off (he has to take them to two different schools), he took the bus over to Jesse and Tricia's apartment for our weekly prayer time. Every Monday morning, our team gathers to pray for personal and ministry needs. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, we spend time working on further developing our language skills. That could look like everything from sitting in a classroom, to studying verb conjugations, to purposefully engaging in Italian conversation for the purpose of language development. Friday mornings we have a staff meeting. And on Wednesday mornings, Cody heads downtown to work on administrative things (which is why you're more likely to get an e-mail from him on a Wednesday than any other day!).
But today, after prayer, he will meet Jesse for lunch and personal development. Then they will ride the bus downtown to hang some posters around the university area. These are posters that advertise a program we offer as English-language conversation partners. On the poster is an e-mail where students can contact us, if they're interested. Today they'll head to the part of campus where the Languages Faculty is located.
On other afternoons, Cody will meet students he knows for lunch or language exchange. In the afternoon, he will usually go to the area of a specific faculty and try to engage students in conversation that allows him to gage their spiritual interest. If they show interest, he will try to meet them again for cafe or invite them to an apertivi (pre-dinner appetizer time) we host on Thursday evenings.
Another place he goes to connect with students is a coffee shop that opened about a year ago. It's called Itit (pronounced eateat), but we call it the Italian Starbucks, since it is the only thing we've ever seen that comes close to Starbucks here. It's right in the middle of campus, and in addition to serving some more elaborate coffee drinks, it also has lots of places for students to just hang out and study (or talk).
Cody will head back to our part of town by 4:30, to pick up the kids after school. On Mondays and Wednesdays, as soon as they get back from school, Cody and Gavin leave for taekwondo. We'll eat dinner afterward, usually around 7:15. On Thursdays, he will come home for a bit, but then head back downtown for the apertivi. The kids know Thursday nights are Breakfast for Dinner, since Daddy will be gone. :) If conversation is good, he won't be home until after ten. And on Sunday evenings, he goes to a Bible study at 8pm that the pastor of our church does specifically for college students. His heart is to provide a place where non-believing students can genuinely examine the claims of Christ in the Scripture. Again, it is 10:30 or later before he gets home.
Interspersed amongst it all are also the ongoing relationships we have with non-students. Last week that was a late night Chinese dinner with Fabio and Alessia. I also try to meet Alessia at the grocery store once a week for language development and to continue learning about Italian food and culture. There are birthday parties that sprinkle the week and the conversations with have with the parents of Hannah's friends when we pick her up from playing at their homes after school, or vice versa.
Office or not, our weeks are packed. Praise God! As exhausting as it feels sometimes, we are really in a great rhythm of showing up in places where God is already at work. We're just trying to keep up and continue to be sensitive to the role He wants us to play. Thanks for joining with us and praying for it all!
