Friend & Helper

Emily at Chatting at the Sky hosts a weekly post called "Tuesdays Unwrapped."  I think it is a super cute way to stay focused on the little blessings in life.  I hope to participate each week; maybe you can join too?!

Here is mine for this week:

This is Little Sojourner and our House Helper doing laundry in our courtyard this morning.

When we first moved to Africa about a year ago I really disliked the idea of having a house helper.  I have been a SAHM for the past 9 1/2 years and I really enjoy it.  I felt like having a house helper would be an infringement upon "my territory."  Little did I know how much work it was going to be to run a household here, and how learning a language and beginning the work we came to do would litterally be a full time job.  Just keeping our floors clean here is a full time job!  When people told me that it was going to be dusty and dirty here I could have never fathomed what it is really like!  Our House Helper now works for us part-time.  She cleans our floors, bathrooms, filters our water, treats our produce, cooks the dog's food, does some dishes...and this week because our washer is on the fritz she has been washing our clothes by hand.  Thank goodness!  This only leaves me with: cooking from scratch three meals a day, shopping for groceries at a bazillion different places, washing the rest of the dishes, straightening up, folding and putting away laundry etc.  Now life is a breeze.  Well, not really, but I am super thankful for her!

Not only does she help out a bunch around here we have come to think of her as our friend.  She helps me with language and is very patient with my MANY mistakes.  Little Sojourner loves her and follows her around like a shadow when Mr. Sojourner and I have our language lessons.  We are thanful for this blessing that she is to our family.  And, we hope that we are a blessing to her as well.