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> Sri Lanka Civil War Relief
Report & Reflections of Crisis Relief Trip to Sri Lanka 27 April to 2 May 2011
By Pamelor Phor
Vanakam! (Hello in Tamil)
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Upon our
arrival in Colombo’s airport, we were welcomed
warmly by the local church pastor, where we took a bumpy
10 hour bus ride to a town in the north of Sri Lanka
called Vavinuya. Our bus battery exploded along the
way but thank God by some miracle we managed to reach
our destination without pushing the bus. Our first meal
was sumptuous which was cooked by our local host, with
the traditional nasi briyani, fried fish, daal, pappadum,
etc. Some of us even tried to eat Indian style –
with our bare hands! The “hotel” we stayed
in was simple, with our fellow resident friends consisting
of moths, mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, bedbugs and
even a frog in our bathroom. Heh. Nevertheless, God
granted us the grace to have a good rest each night,
as all of us were exhausted after a long day of work
at the clinics. |
| We conducted 5 mobile clinic sessions in
various places in the village, each session lasting about
3-4 hours at one go. Our one and only doctor saw about
500 patients in total. The rest of us helped out with
other tasks such as registration, crowd control, playing
with the children, packing and dispensing medicine and
praying for the sick. We encountered common illnesses
such as flu, worms in stomach, aches and pain the body,
while some had more serious diseases such as cataract,
deformed bodies, embedded bullet, tumours, etc. We prayed
for every person who came, for the Lord to heal them –
physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. 8 people
received salvation and 1 received immediate healing –
Praise Him! |
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We were supposed to enter an internally displaced people (IDP)
camp which housed the Tamils during the civil war which ended
in 2009. However, due to the volatile political situation, despite
getting the legal permit, we were stopped at the border and
had to turn back. It was disappointing for some of us, but we
trusted that God was in control and had his purposes. I had
heard stories from trippers who managed to get into the IDP
camps in previous trips, and hope to come back someday to minister
to the people in there.
| We also visited 2 local church services while we were
there – it was interesting to see how the locals
worshipped God in their own way. I’m always amazed
how people from different cultures, languages, backgrounds,
can worship God together in one spirit. Some of us shared
our testimonies. Most of the church goers were women and
children – as in most developing countries. One
church we visited was smaller than my bedroom! And it
fitted about 30 people in total. It was so suffocating
that my team leader (the doctor) nearly fainted while
preaching his message. It was humbling to see how sincere
they were in worshipping God despite their poverty and
circumstance. It was also amazing seeing both the Christian
Sinhalese and Tamils serving the Lord together, considering
that they were both enemies in the civil war. |
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We had about a day and a half to rest and
relax in Colombo – which we spent at one of the
local pastor’s church house, and driving down south
to a famous beach town called Gaal – but it was
dark and raining when we reached there =/ Nevertheless,
it was a good time with one another’s company. I’m
really thankful for getting to go on this trip with this
great bunch of people, whom I only met a few weeks before
the trip. Yet it was amazing how we all got along and
worked together like we’ve known one another for
years! Most of the trippers were younger than me surprisingly
- the average age was 28 years old which included two
50+ yrs old ple, so the median age would be around 23
years. The youngest girl was 18 years old, but she amazed
me the most with her enthusiasm and humility serving the
Lord – I wish the youth in church were all like
her. |
Each mission trip I go for affirms my calling by the Lord, though
I’m not exactly sure where He wants me to go or what He
wants me to do, but I believe that as I trust Him each step
of the way, He would show and lead me one step at a time =)
I would be raising funds for Crisis Relief Singapore by running
my 1st marathon (Adidas Sundown) on 28th May 2011. My target
is to complete 42km within 6 hours. You can support me in this
effort by contributing any amount. All contributions would go
entirely to Crisis Relief Singapore – which is a non-profit
organization. You can find out more about them on their website:
http://www.crisisrelief.org/ Your contributions would give me
greater reason and motivation to finish this marathon!
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I’m not a natural runner (in fact, I used to tell
people that I hate running), but with much discipline
and hard work, I’ve learnt the art of running. At
the same time, I learn to enjoy the process of running…
Trust me, it’s not easy. Sometimes I feel like giving
up. But what keeps me going is the thought/ sight of the
end point (rest at last!) Each time I run, I’m reminded
of how life is like a race (or rather, a marathon). Some
people say that life is a rat race. You can run, just
for the sake of running, or for a personal sense of accomplishment,
or for health reasons. For myself, I strive to run this
race of life with purpose, and to end it well! I pray
that you would do so too and I will see you at the finishing
line =) |
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great
cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer
and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured
the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand
of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition
from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Yesu Ungalai Neissi Kira! (Jesus loves you) |
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