Nibuholho: It's a Gong Show

[Note: this post was written near the beginning of July.]

They say that to be a missionary you need to be flexible. But I’ve concluded that a new word needs to be invented – one that goes way beyond “flexible.”

Take this morning for example: Steve and Brittany (two volunteers) and I were supposed to be headed back to the village for work at 8:30am. Mind you, we were supposed to have returned three days ago, but plans changed (not surprising at all). But this morning when they came to pick me up in one of our ACTS pickup truck, we discovered a seriously leaking radiator and a water pump on its last leg. So we called our mechanics and asked for another truck option. We got differing opinions, but finally decided on one. So Steve went to return the broken truck. While he was away my phone rang. It was Steve asking “How important is it to have a working emergency/hand brake?” Seriously?, I thought, but I answered politely, “Yes, we need a working brake. Any other options?” After multiple phone calls, we found that none of the five trucks here could be taken! So, it looks like we’ll be working from town for at least another day. I had just closed up my house in preparation for being gone for three weeks. I had emptied my fridge, given away food, and packed all my clothes to take back to the village. [Sigh…] I guess I should now pull some food out of the freezer and bring my bags back inside. Oh, and call our colleagues in the village and tell them a second time that our arrival will be delayed. Flexibility? Somehow it just doesn’t fit anymore.

Driving one of our ACTS trucks. I love this little Toyata Hillux. I wish they sold them in North America.

These types of situations are not an anomaly in my life. Rather, I’ve come to count on them. (I’m not saying they never bother me.) I picked up a phrase from Steve and Brittany which is the most sutabile one I’ve found for describing situations like the one above. I simply say, “It’s a gong show.” Originally a TV show reference, the Urban Dictionary now defines a “gong show” as “an event marred by confusion, ineptitude and shenanigans”. Basically it’s a situation that has gone way out of control. What a perfect fit!

In trying to find a replacement word for “flexibility”, I decided its definition must be “the ability to live within a perpetual gong show.” Therefore, to live here we concluded that one must possess not just flexibility but gongability. Maybe I should start marketing the word to mission organizations.