Sri Lanka Update

Monday, May 13:  I wanted to give an update on the situation here in Sri Lanka. Upon arrival we found things in Colombo normal and without much extra security visible. There are no Europeans here at present, in the hotel or on the beach, otherwise everyone else seems normal. However, many are fearful of future problems and not sending their kids to school, etc. Some fear seems reasonable but some fear seems to be from lack of experience or preparation for terrorism. The Easter bombing is the first major event like this, not connected with the long war, now over. 

The church was quite full for the first time since the bombings and all the pastors attended the meeting today. However, only 4 ladies came and we found out that two bombs were discovered near the neighborhood where many of them live. No doubt fear kept them away. In spite of all this it appears a real openness has come, especially among Buddhists toward Christianity due to the loving response to the bombings from the Christian community, led by the Catholics.

As usual, some politicians are trying to make some headway using the situation to try to make laws discriminating against Non-Catholic Christians and Muslims, somehow lumping them together. On the other hand, Evangelicals are now being recognized for the first time as a legitimate religious group, having also had one church bombed on Easter. Reports are coming in, even among our pastors, of Buddhists and Catholics, and perhaps even some Muslims coming to Christ since the bombings. 

This afternoon a new development came as it appears 3 Senegalese men in military uniforms attacked a mosque in a rural area, were arrested by police and then surrounded by a crowd who forced them to be released. Later it appears a riot between Senegalese and Muslims ensued. Nothing like that is happening in Colombo. All of this is sketchy at present. I will keep you apprised of any new developments as soon as possible.

Al

Kenya Training

Sunday, May 12:  We had a long and grueling, but uneventful trip to Malindi, Kenya for the first leg of our training trip. The people there are so warm and welcoming that it is a pleasure working with them. Most are quite poor with many lacking electricity or running water. They live quite austere lives but seem quite content. The education level is generally low, so they struggled some with the workshop, one of our most difficult ones. But they made gradual progress as we worked through many passages. Through it all they remained happy and engaged. They definitely have a vision to pass the training on, having set up 5 different locations. The leader, a bishop, has grown so much since we lasted trained here 6 years ago. He is humble, engaged and enthusiastic about what he is learning. He was not engaged previously so it is a real joy to see him as he is now. 

Edie had an interesting time with the ladies. Her translator was difficult, not really knowing how to translate. Edie had to ask her to pass on what she said for almost every sentence. She also had a tendency to fall asleep, which hinders translation a bit. At other times she decided to teach, but through it all Edie patiently proceeded, and the women made great progress. We gave them all bibles since many had none or had ones that were falling apart. We actually bought them at a Muslim shop since it was cheapest. Go figure… 

We will return one more time in October to graduate the class. It will be bittersweet to finish there.

We travelled on to Sri Lanka last Friday. We were a bit concerned about the situation here since the Easter bombings, but things seem very calm and normal, other than there are no European tourists around. I am so encouraged by this group and their grasp of what we are trying to teach them. I preached this morning in our coordinator’s church. Afterward his wife said she had seen his preaching change and now she knew why. She said he preaches just like you do. What she meant is that he works his way through a passage of scripture, teaching and explaining it verse by verse.

We start the book of Habakkuk today and I am looking forward to seeing how well they do. 

Al

Home, Safe & Sound

We are home, safe and sound. Our time in the sensitive country went very smoothly. At our meetings we were instructed to not leave the apartment in groups greater than 3 so as to not raise attention. We were all instructed about what to do if we got a knock at the door, but none came. The group is a very responsive eager group. One couple said after the first day while they were praying that night, they began to weep for joy over what they were learning. I think that is a first for me and a welcome encouragement. I slept very poorly the whole week due to a very hot room even with the door to our balcony left open all night (we could not control the heat), but it was a small cost for such a rewarding training. Thanks for your prayers for us.

The group is making plans to spread the training to other cities; they are already training about 50 in their city. This will help because we might not be able to visit these other cities and eventually, we might be kicked out altogether. They were also excited to get our book, Pathways Bible Study Method, in digital form in their language. Some are using it to train in their churches and others will do so soon. We plan to put it on our website for download to any wanting it. It teaches our tools but not our preaching help.

Now, much work to do in our next two months here in the US to plan for our next trip in May. Pray for quick jet lag recovery.

Al