‘Humdrum’ doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

‘Humdrum’ seasons are an ideal time for serious growth. They’re a time where seeds of steadiness can sink in to cool shadows so that, when the heat of greater demands hits, fruit is ready to break out.

We’ve experienced the ‘humdrum’ of an intense, fast-pace, fully-scheduled life before coming here. And we’ve found our groove there too. We’ll be in that season again before we know it. For now, however, ‘humdrum’ looks a bit different.

It’s quieter.

The tones are lower, the rhythm is slower, but it’s still intense. And we love it.

Right now we are seeing our very ‘behind the scenes’ life and routine as a time for serious investment in the future. And we want to maximise it. By God’s grace, we think we’re doing that.

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED 🙂

Here’s what ‘a day in the life’ looks like for the Millican family. You didn’t ask for this, but hopefully it gives you a taste of our life a bit. And perhaps this will assist you in your prayers for us. And we would thank you for your loving support in that way.

Monday-Thursday / Pondělí až čtvrtek

5:30am – Wake up, make coffee, open the blinds (even though its dark outside right now…)

5:45am – Time with the Lord. Bible reading, prayer journaling, thinking and preparing for upcoming meetings/discipleship.

• Mondays, pray for ministries in our church and supporting churches
• Tuesdays, pray for other missionaries
• Wednesdays, pray for unbelievers
• Thursday, give thanks
• Friday pray for friends and family

6:30am – Exercise.

7:15am – Kids wake up. Breakfast/Room time for kids.

8:00am – Bus to Czech lessons in Prague

• Mondays & Wednesdays, Claire goes to Czech lessons (9:00-10:30). Study Czech on 40 minute bus ride. Home by 11:30.
• Tuesdays & Thursdays, Jared goes to Czech lessons in Prague (9:00-10:30). Goes to church office afterward to meet with Marcus and Matthew. Studies Czech/sermon prep/discipleship prep/prayer. Claire also goes to the church office on Thursday mornings to hang out with other moms and kids.
• Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays – Bennett goes to school from 8:30am-12:30pm. This is a sweet time for us to take turns getting focused time with the two younger kids

8:00am – Noon – Practice basic Czech with kids/various home school activities. Play outside. Tidy the house. Walk to the park. Errands and chores.

Noon – Lunch and family time.

1:30pm-4:00pm – Naps and quiet times for the kids. Claire and Jared study Czech for two hours.

4:00pm-5:30pm – Kids ride bikes, play outside, family time, family chores.

6:00pm – Dinner.

7:00pm – Caleb goes to bed.

7:15pm – Claire, Jared, Bennett, Millie read and discuss 1-2 chapters from Genesis, and a chapter from the Narnia books (we’re currently reading ‘Prince Caspian’). Pray. This is also about the time we would try to FaceTime a friend or family member on any random day.

7:45pm – Kids in bed.

8:00-9:00pm – Tea, and practicing speaking Czech to each other/’read’ a book in Czech/review Czech homework with each other/other Czech practices.

Get ready for bed and prepare for the following day.

9:30/10:00pm – Go to sleep.

Friday & Saturday / Pátek a sobota

6:00am – Wake up.

Same morning routine up to about 9:00am. No Czech lessons on Fridays.

Fridays and Saturdays are often a family errand day, chore day, fun activity with the kids and/or friends.

Claire, on Saturdays, is practicing music with several guys and gals for the Christmas concert in December. Jared hopes to attend this on occasion as a chance to practice Czech with brothers and sisters there too.

1:30-4:00pm Study Czech (and other studies) while kids nap.

4:00pm-bed time – Same routine as other nights. No studying, however. These are our relaxing nights. Watch a movie, have a fun snack, rest.

Sunday / Neděle

5:30am – Wake up. Time with the Lord.

6:15am – Get ready for church.

7:00am – Kids wake up. Breakfast. Get everyone ready.

9:00am – Prayer service at church.

10:00am – Church gathering. This is also a time where we try to practice what little Czech we can speak so far. (Ever talked to a 2-year-old? Yeah, it’s like that…)

11:30am – Church lunch.

1:00pm – Go home. Take the day to rest.

Various Ministry Items and Miscellanea Throughout the Month

Every other Tuesday Night – Counseling Group. We host 5-6 people from the church in our home. We discuss how to grow in building each other up with God’s word. We’re currently studying through Jim Berg’s ‘Quieting a Noisy Soul’ which we would highly recommend to all church leadership and members alike.

Every other Wednesday Night – Regional Bible Studies. We host this meeting once a month. Right now we simply spend the time reviewing Sunday’s sermon and discussing how to apply it to our lives.

Every other Thursday – Jared meets with a new believing brother for discipleship. Going through ‘Partners: 1 on 1 Discipleship’ workbook by Dr. Mike Fabarez.

One Tuesday night per month – Claire practices Czech via counseling/discipleship with a sister in the church who also wants to learn English better.

Every other Sunday – Have someone over to our home after church. We’re using this as a time to build relationships, and sometimes practice our Czech.

First Saturday Morning of Each Month – Men’s and women’s groups meet separately. The Men are going through ‘Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life’ by Donald Whitney. They are also studying through 1 & 2 Timothy. About 12-15 men attend. The women are studying through ‘Opening up Proverbs’ by Jim Newheiser. (Each of these resources have been translated into Czech, of course.)

Once a Month or so – Jared will have his hair cut by a Czech brother in the church. He speaks as much English as Jared speaks Czech, so this is a really good chance to practice/be forced to practice Czech.

Every other Month, on a Friday – We have hung out twice with an unbelieving family who lives in a neighbouring city. We’ve already had gospel conversations with them. They seem like they could be good friends, and we pray God saves them in the future.

The Humdrum of Language

By no means is it a bore to think about this language constantly. It is challenging, and it is interesting, and it is even fun. But you can see from the schedule that this ‘language learning thing’ IS the humdrum. Our schedule orbits around it. Our thoughts while engaging with neighbours and new friends and clerks orbits around it. It’s monotonous, but it’s exciting. It’s rigorous and exhausting, but it’s thrilling. It’s energising, but it’s also embarrassing.

We are told, in time, it will click. It hasn’t clicked yet, but we’re still encouraged with our progress, and so is our teacher.

Until Next Time

Well, there you have it. That’s a ‘day in the life’ of the Millicans. Our beautifully humdrum life. We’re planting lots of seeds by slowing down and focusing on this ‘language is ministry’ approach. And we’re thankful that we get to.

Please take this as a chance to think of how you can pray more specifically for us, and even at specific times (we’re 9 hours ahead, remember)!

We are so thankful for you all. Thanks for hanging in there with us!