Namibe

We arrived in Namibe within a couple of hours leaving Lubango.

Namibe is on the west coast of Angola and very flat compared to the places we had been up to this point. It is mostly desert and dry river beds creating shallow gorges, some of which have been irrigated for farmland. As we drive into town we can see the ocean and a haze has settled over everything.

Robert uses a facebook message to guide us the last few kilometers to the Killough’s home.

David and Fiona Killough and Dan and Rachel Hoyme arrived in Namibe in the spring as missionaries with Overland Missions. They work with tribes in the bush, specifically the Mucubal Tribe. When we arrived Fiona was furiously baking in the kitchen to prepare food for David and Dan to take with them for a trip out to the bush.

We spent a wonderful evening talking with Fiona and David about their previous work in Africa and experience moving to Angola. They have two children close to my own children’s ages, 2 and 4. Fiona had decorated their walls with her girls’ art work and family pictures.

From the inside of their house, I would have thought I was in the states. But a quick look out the window, seeing the huge land cruisers and armed guards against the sandy, flat backdrop, brought me back to the reality that I was in Africa...in the desert.

The Hoyme Family joined us for dinner and the kids played.

Again, I was struck with admiration for the choices these families have made in the name of Jesus.

 

Steves

After a fantastic dinner we followed Uncle Steve back to his house outside the city. Uncle Steve has lived in Angola as an opthamologist doing cataract surgeries all over the country for the last 30 years or so.

He is a 78 year old bachelor who watches old westerns, crime dramas and Three’s Company. He also does all his own cleaning, makes his own bread every day and lives without running water, filling up buckets for baths and dish washing.

Uncle Steve travels two weeks out of the month restoring sight to the blind. He told stories of how soldiers tried to drive him out of Lubango during the war, but he refused to leave and continued to travel into town, having to cross over dead bodies to get to work at the hospital. He is one hard-core Canadian.

The next day, we went to the CEML (Evangelical Medical Center of Lubango) where Uncle Steve works as well as another medical missionary, Dr. Steve Foster.

Dr. Steve, as he is called, had offered to put Teague’s leg in a walking cast, since the clinic in Huambo (6 hours away) did not have the resources or expertise to perform such a task. As we talked with Dr. Steve, he too told war stories of refusing to leave his patients at the hospital, even at gun point. The military tried to take over the CEML and Dr. Steve and Uncle Steve held their ground.

Again, I had to pause with amazement at the unbelievable hardship these men had volunteered to live through. Not only had they volunteered to provide healthcare to people in a country with little and sometimes no infrastructure, but they did it for years in the middle of a war zone--coming face to face with decisions of self-preservation or perseverance in the name of Jesus.

What may be even more amazing is the sheer and boundless joy that emanates from their presence. Both Steves were constantly telling jokes and silly stories. Both Steves showed me a glimpse of the heart of God.

 

Road Trip: Huambo to Lubango

After a couple of days of rest in Huambo we set out to find the ancient rock paintings at Tchitudu Hulu. This would turn out to be the most epic road trip of my life (and I’ve been on plenty of road trips)! Teague and Robert were busily preparing for the journey ahead. Teague made us “Bier Rocks” which consisted of ground beef, cabbage, onion, salt and pepper wrapped in a ball of dough. Biruk made us cookies. Robert replaced the brake pads and balanced the tires on the Land Cruiser. We packed up and set out at 8am September 6th.

For the most part the 6 hour drive to Lubango was paved. But there were crater-like potholes that would appear out of nowhere. Robert, being the experienced pothole-dodger didn’t seem to be bothered. As we drove out of Huambo, which sits at an elevation of 6,000 feet, the landscape changed from dust with huge monoliths jutting straight out of the ground to dust with various bushes and Dr. Suess-esque trees called Baobab Trees.

We passed giant boulders piled up or sprinkled around and hills shaped like volcanos. For hours the only signs of civilization were mud or stick huts, the occasional vendor selling a sack of charcoal or eggs and the tiny boy herding his cattle or goats across the road at any given moment.

Our first tourist stop was Pula Lukwa, a fancy resort/restaurant in Lubango complete with a mini safari. We got to see several wild animals including zebras, a crocodile, guinea fowl and Oryx.

I imagined I would see a few wild animals out in the wild--but in our entire road trip I did not. Robert explained that the decades of war had either driven out or extinguished all the animals that used to live in Angola.

Next he took us to see a breathtaking overlook called Tunda Vala. I say breathtaking because I am terrified of heights. It was beautiful, but VERY high. My palms are sweating just remembering the views and watching the boys fearlessly look over the edge.

There were fascinating purplish pink rocks there, like I had never seen. Later I would encounter an artist shop using these pink rocks for his sculptures.

After the Tunda Vala Robert took us to Cristo Rei--another very high overlook. Then we headed back to Pula Lukwa for dinner. This is when we met our host for the next two nights, a medical missionary, Dr. Steve Collins, who everyone calls “Uncle Steve.”

 

Home in Huambo

My first night at the Meyers consisted of absorption of my new atmosphere and attempting to power through the 6 hour forward time jump. Robert had picked me up from the airport in Luanda (Angola’s capital) and we flew together to their hometown, Huambo. Normally they drive this distance, which would take 7-8 hours. But now the roads are so deteriorated it takes about 11-12 hours and much more wear on the vehicle.

We drove in the Meyers’ Land Cruiser from the airport to their house on mostly paved-ish roads, passing tiny motorcycles (motos) and women walking effortlessly with giant containers on their heads and babies strapped to their backs.

Within 25 minutes we were turning on a dirt road with enormous ridges and potholes.

Sprinkled along the side of the road were mud huts. Some had tin roofs secured with rocks. Others just had walls.

Eventually we arrived to a burgundy metal gate on a sandy cement wall.

A grinning man came out to open the gate. This is Manuel, the Meyers’ guard. He was so excited to see Robert and immediately greeted us in Portuguese.

Biruk and Efesson, the Meyers’ sons, as well as their two dogs, Navi and Diogo, also came out to greet us. I opened the door to the Land Cruiser and instantly understood how Teague had injured her ankle hopping down the 18” drop.

As I took in my surroundings, I was overwhelmed with the amount of work it has been for their family to be here. Robert built their house. This would be an accomplishment in the states to be sure. But here, where even plywood is in short supply and power is only as dependable as your generator, this is truly amazing. Biruk, the youngest Meyer, gave me the grand tour. He loved showing me all the trees Teague had planted, like Papaya, Avacado, Lemon, Mango and Banana.

He showed me the well his dad dug that was feeding their water silo. He showed me their two generators and their battery system. He showed me how they filtered their drinking water and turned on a pump to have showers (an upgrade, as of this year, from the bucket baths they were taking before).

All this was very normal for Biruk--a part of everyday life. Even to the point he didn’t realize some things to point out, like the mosquito nets around all the beds.

That evening, after a yummy meal of soup and homemade bread, we played Forbidden Island and watched I Love Lucy.

When I finally closed my mosquito net to go to sleep, listening to roosters crowing and dogs barking, my emotions mixed together. Thoughts of how very cushy and spoiled my life is mixed with feelings of admiration for the way Biruk and Efesson are growing up to live simply and with gratitude.