A Typical Day for a Colony Resident at America’s Keswick
Hi. I am a Colony resident and I’ve been in the Colony of Mercy a little over a month. I would like to share with you what a typical day is like in the life of a Colony man.
My day starts at 6:15am with a wake up bell. That gives me 45 minutes to get dressed, make my bed, and straighten the room. I also use the rest room and get what ever meds I might need from the chaplain in the medicine room. After that, most of the guys gather at the dining room entrance a few minutes before 7:00 a.m. so they so they are ready to go in when the bell rings. I go straight to my table, “God's Children,”and stand there while the chaplain gives announcements. Usually he tells us important things to remember like times and locations of events we are expected to be at and any changes to the normal schedule. A volunteer is selected to recite the day's memory verse and someone prays for the meal and then we sit down to eat. That only takes 3 to 5 minutes giving me 25 minutes to eat and take the dishes to the clean up area. At about 7:30 a chaplain or guest speaker comes in to teach on the topic of the week. This week we are looking at decisions and next week the topic is faith. During that time I take notes to put in my journal and listen for anything I can apply to my life.
That’s the morning and from there I go to the maintenance shop for work assignments and a short devotion led by one of the work supervisors. At approximately 10 minutes to 9:00am I start on the work assignment and usually stay with it until it is completed or the supervisor changes it. Some of the assignments I have worked on are tree removal, trash and recyclable pick up, and landscaping. I break for lunch from 11:45am to 12:45pm. Lunch usually takes me 25 to 30 minutes and I use what’s left to chit chat or work on my memory verse. At 12:45 I go back to the job assignment and stay with it until 4:15 when work is finished for the day.
Once back at the Colony I use the 45 minutes I have left before dinner to clean up a little, read the mail, and get ready for dinner. Dinner is from 5:00 to 5:25 p.m. and that leaves me two hours to use the gym, catch up on homework or anything else I choose to do.
At 7:25pm, depending on what day it is, I either get ready for the Overcomer’s group, Text and Testimony at Chapel or the Friday night movie.
From there we go to our prayer groups at 9:00pm and end at 9:30pm. From 9:30 to 11:00pm is quiet time and can be spent any way you like as long as you stay in the Colony and keep it quiet. Well, it's 11:00pm and all lights get turned out if they are not already. Thanks for spending the day with me and may God bless you as you seek His guidance.