This Is Ngangula

6 days and 7 nights spent in a village. A place that now feels like home. Actually, it felt like home after only being there for a few hours. They told us it would and they were right. The name of this village is Ngangula (the "n" is silent, pronounced "gone-gu-la"). 

We were well taken care of by Uncle Hyrance and the village Aunties. Uncle Hyrance owns and lives on the property with his family where the mission station is built. He was our village dad, spending time with us as much as he could, doing ministry with us, making sure we had everything we needed. The village Aunties were Hyrances wife and a couple other women from the area who so graciously cooked for us, offered to wash some of our clothes, prepared our showers and insisted we use them, and did whatever they could to bless us. 

In Ngangula, we lived in mud huts. Simplified homes that consist of brick walls, concrete floors, a steel roof, and 2 sets of bunk beds. We strung a little solar powered light through a hole in the roof, that was our only light source at night and is less powerful than the flashlight on your phone. We lived with lizards crawling on the walls, beetles everywhere, and spiders every once in a while. To go to the bathroom, there are two options: walk to the pit latrines across the field (Google it) or find a nice spot in the dirt, behind a tree, or in the grass. Seriously, this is real life, people. 

Our showers were surprisingly way nicer than I had expected. My expectation (based on info from a teammate who went a few years ago) was to get 1 shower all week that consisted of 3 bowls of warm water. I was down for that, this is Africa. Instead, our showers were as pictured here. A grass hut built on rockface stone with an open top. Where you see the scaffolding type structure to the side is where they would put a large bin on top with a hole cut in it. The aunties would boil water and mix it with colder well water until it was a good, warm temperature. A pipe with a shower head attached was then stuck into another hole in the bin and there you have it. Let me tell you, showering at night and being able to look up at the stars was the most peaceful thing ever!

Here in Ngangula, there is dirt everywhere. And I mean everywhere. It never goes away. You walk in it, you sit in it, it covers your feet and stays under your nails for weeks. Despite showering nearly everyday, nobody would know because we were covered in dirt again shortly after. And it's the best thing ever.

We walked anywhere that was within a reasonable distance. We were constantly surrounded by kids who should have been in school but escaped/skipped to come find us. Kids that just wanted to play, and others who were curious bystanders, content with watching intently from a distance. We saw and got to know many of the same people day in and day out. We ate the same thing everyday, yet it never got old. Everyday looked the same, yet oh so different. Everything is done by hand - cooking, laundry, building, harvesting. There was no rush to be anywhere at a certain time. There was no pressure.

In my opinion, village life is the way life should be. Living is different when it's simple, as simple as it can be. Take away the electricity, running water, busy streets, full agendas, and constant noise and you'll find something so much sweeter. You'll find a place that feels like home. You'll find a place where the people are connected and you are too. You'll find a place where you begin to see God in everything.

You see, in the middle of nowhere, God is there. In the middle of nowhere, yes, there is darkness. But, in the middle of nowhere, miracles are happening. In the middle of nowhere, there is a way of life that you won't understand until you live it. There's something about this village in the middle of nowhere, because it somehow feels like the center of it all. Maybe it's the way that life slows down. Maybe it's the intentionality of everything that is done. Maybe it's the way that the Holy Spirit moves powerfully. In the middle of nowhere, in the quiet, in the simplicity, that's where the good stuff is found. If you ever happen to go there, trust me, you will not find what you are looking for. Instead, you'll find something so much greater.

This is Ngangula.