Our lives as commuters
Do you wonder about the practical things of life, living in Asia?
Do we bicycle along
simple paved paths on our daily commute? Or perhaps we have a mad
scramble to fit in an overcrowded subway like those pushing
to get on the bullet train in Japan?
So what’s a typical day like for us?
We’re usually up by 6:30 am for a shower. It's still quite dark
when we awaken but soon the dawn approaches. 
Breakfast follows. Usually its fresh tropical fruits and toast or
cereal, although on New Year's Day we feasted on sourdough
waffles
with peanut butter and
jam.
Our apartment is 16 floors above ground level and a half mile's walk from the bus stop.
We get in lots of steps everyday! When we are disciplined to leave the flat by 7:30 am, it only takes us 15 minutes to get to our destination bus stop. Then it’s a short walk to the office.
We have time for our personal devotions before Morning Prayers at 8:30 am, when everyone gathers for worship and intercession. We pray for our colleagues on the various fields and homesides on a rotating basis, emphasizing a different country or ministry area for each day of the month.
We are humbled by the constant focus on worship. Daily, we sing songs of praise, worship, and thankfulness to our heavenly Father, His beloved Son, and the strong comfort of His Holy Spirit. We are embolded and encouraged by the earnest prayers - prayers for the saints and for those who don't yet know our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We pray for those suffering from natural disasters, for colleagues needing visa renewals, for those facing spiritual challenges, and for those with challenges of illness or separation from loved ones. By 9:00 am, we are heading to our desks or departments.
Lunchtime is at 12:30 pm and most weeks we have the option of lunch from the dining room. Today, we brought left-overs from last night’s dinner (curried dhal and rice). Tea and coffee is available all day at the dining room, and some people take mid-morning breaks while others grab a drink mid-afternoon.
The day at the office ends around 5:00 pm and we return to our apartment by bus. The mid-day rain shower cooled things off and we decide to go for a run along the canal before dinner. Our apartment-mates (a family from Germany) is sitting down to eat at the same time so we chat about our day and our plans for the next weekend.
After cleaning up from dinner, there is time for a shower and some reading. Before bed, we pray for our partners, each on their special day.
Please continue to pray for us as we look to Him for kingdom impact in all we do and that we might sing His praises all the day long.