Ram Village

There’s a village that we visit every so often called the Ram Village…named that because after taking a medical team there (before I got here), the village gave them a ram to show their appreciation. They are SO generous and hospitable and we have tried to maintain a relationship with them…especially because it is also a Sunny village. Maybe someday we will be able to tell them stories from God’s Word in Sunny or it would be really amazing if personnel could even be stationed there someday.

So, in order to continue our relationship with the Ram Village, we went out there Thursday afternoon and spent the night. Here are a few tidbits from our travels:

The last time we went there, there was a large group of us and they fed us a REALLY nice lunch. We wanted to show our appreciation to them so on our way out there we stopped at the market and picked up some noodles, mangoes, and a couple of (live) chickens. I was driving so I stayed with the truck and all of our stuff that was in the back. It was pretty hilarious to see Abby walking up out of the market carrying a rooster and a hen upside down by their tied-together feet. We had brought a cardboard box to transport them in. Most people just sling them over the handlebars of their motorbikes, but we didn’t really have that option.

We headed toward the Ram Village and when we pulled off the paved road we tried to put the truck in 4WD because the sand gets pretty deep driving out there. Well the gear shift was bogged and wouldn’t budge so we had to stay in 2WD. It was one wild ride. You can’t stop in sand or you’ll get stuck and most of the time the faster you’re moving the less chance you have of getting stuck. Of course this also means that the truck is a little more difficult to control because you’re just flying along, trying to stay on the tracks, avoid rocks that could very easily pop a tire, and keep the thorn tree contact to a scrape and not a full-blown plowing over. And then all of a sudden the sand ends and turns into giant rocks, but you’re still going pretty fast and so you’re just bumping all over the place. So we were fishtailing all the way through the desert. I’m not gonna lie, it’s actually pretty fun, but there were more than a couple of times that we were worried the chickens were gonna fly out, or get knocked out, or even die. So when we got to the village, Sarah ran around back to look in the box. Abby and I asked if they were still alive and Sarah said, “Yeah they’re alive…and one even laid an egg!” Abby thought she was joking. I thought she was being serious, but was still shocked to look in the box and see 2 live chickens and an egg. I’m pretty sure my driving has never had that effect before.

We then found the “second mayor,” I’ll call him Bach, and greeted him. We continued making our way through the village greeting the appropriate people and sitting on their mats with them. We ended up having lunch at Bach’s home. I can’t even tell you how generous and hospitable these people are. They don’t have much, but they always offer you their very best. When you are their guest your comfort, safety, and needs are their highest priority. We spent the entire day with Bach’s family, occasionally venturing out with him to greet others.

Not knowing exactly what they would want to do with us, we had brought our tents and everything for sleeping. Bach’s family ended up setting out a piece of foam and a fuzzy blanket on the ground in their inner porch for us to sleep on. Again, they offered us their very best. So even though we’re used to sleeping in our tents where we are protected from all of Africa’s favorite night creatures, we couldn’t turn down our host’s generous offering.

WELL, the night creatures were in rare form that night. We walked in and I spotted a decent-sized spider on the wall above where our heads would be. After Abby and I stared him down for a good 10 minutes, Sarah came in and tried to smush him…he was quick, though, so he escaped, but off of the porch nonetheless. Then we went to the bathroom a few huts over and came back to one of the giant scorpion spider monsters ON OUR BED! Sarah killed it, but I knew it would be a long night after that. We lay down and I heard something crawling so I shined my flashlight and it was a beetle. I’m not particularly scared of beetles or anything, but I don’t want it crawling on my face while I’m sleeping, you know? So I smashed the heck out of that with my flip-flop. We laid back down and about 2 minutes later I heard something crawling on the wall by our heads. I shined my light and it was a giant cockroach. So I smashed the heck out of that with my flip-flop, too. All 3 of us were pretty on-edge at this point. Once, Sarah’s foot accidentally touched mine and I about came out of my skin. I finally laid back down and even fell asleep for a little while, but was mostly awake for the rest of the night. And we discussed it the next morning and we’re all pretty sure that there was a bat hanging out in the little wall opening about 4 feet from our heads.

We woke up and had breakfast with Bach’s family. As usual, they offered their very best. Later in the morning, during tea, an English-speaking man had come by to visit. Through him, Bach told us that other people come to the village, but they have business to take care of or specific things to talk about and then leave. He said that we came even though we can’t talk very much…that we came just to be with them…and that was good. He knew through our broken Sunny and nonverbal behavior that we just want to show them that we care for them. Worth the spider-filled, sleep-deprived night? Absolutely.