LIFE IN BILAMPERGA IS NOT ALWAYS IDYLLIC, but the three days Linda and I spent there with our daughter Krista gave us a sense that village life has its benefits and blessings. After three days in the capital city of Ouagadougou, with its noise, heat, trash and crush of people and vehicles, our time in the village was a breath of fresh air in more ways than one.
The rhythm of life brought peace to your heart. The people were warm and friendly, the pace slow (I am sure the heat had something to do with that), life was gauged by the rising and setting of the sun, and everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, knew their place in village life. When the rain fell, life became quiet, except for the echoes of raindrops upon tin roofs, but when the sun once again broke through it was time for all to return to the fields to plant their millet or corn. All understood the rhythms and their place, and thus life worked well in the village of Bilamperga.
Another thing that grabbed me, was that even though Krista had been a part of the village family for a year, they still desired to be a service to her. The children were always ready to pump the well for her water, and to carry it to her home. Whenever she had a need, the people, her family, where quick to come to her aid, in fact, they would get quite upset if they were not asked to help. These people truly care for her, and as a far-away parent, that gives me a sense of peace.
I believe the local church can learn much from the people of Bilamperga. We can learn better to live within the rhythms of life around us, to “go with the flow” as it were. We can learn the importance of everyone having a job to do. We can learn the importance of carrying one another’s water, of always looking for place to serve, not for what we gain, but always for what we can give.
What’s your place in the Village?