Trip Reports

Jump To: 2009 Trip, 2008 Trip, 2007 Trip

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2009 Trip

Affected by war and yet still serving the people. SSLVCP is supporting Pastor’s like this man.

The picture opposite shows some of the simple gifts that are always so appreciated – a lamp, games equipment, umbrella’s and Bibles.			Special needs children at a school in one of the tea plantation areas. These are poor areas and such children are often neglected – SSLVCP helps support and look after them.
Churches also help provide nursery education. With parents struggling on low incomes SSLVCP is helping ensure these children get an education.			For those who, like this man, bring care and support in the mountainous area of Nuwara Eliya, travelling can be difficult and time consuming. The motorbike will completely transform what can be achieved. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you!'

1,158 miles in 8 days!

Almost 36 hours in the van on the major journeys, travelling to Batticoloa, Akkaraipattu, Ampara, Trincomolee, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya & Ratnapura – good job diesel is only 42p a litre! We met with a variety of church leaders learning about their ministries & outreach projects. Many of these leaders are themselves living on the edge and minister to those for whom life is hard & poverty close by. We had contact with 4 churches in the tea plantations. Living conditions here are still basic. A worker 'may' earn a maximum of £48 per month. The churches run nurseries & schools. With your help we've undertaken a new commitment to nursery education in two of these areas.

A motor bike in 'Little England'

In the beautiful countryside of Nuwara Eliya (Little England) the motorbike (pictured above) will help this Pastor look after 3 congregations in his area. Travel has been a headache. The gift was a cause of great rejoicing.

SSLVCP Supported projects

SSLVCP is now supporting 5 Pastor's, a couple church planting, nursery education, a project to improve community relations & the means of transport (bikes & motorbike) for a number of Pastor's, as well as giving lamps, raincoats, mats, umbrella's & Bibles! In addition a substantial gift was left to enable the provision of food & other supplies to those who are still living in the government camps for 'Internally Displaced Persons'. Commitments are undertaken for two years.

A fabulous story! – A dramatic change!

Let me finish by telling you what I think is a fabulous story.

Last year we met a man who was working in the fields & trying to plant a church. Support was released & he bought 2 cows.

He now has a regular income & the church is growing.

When we visited there was a man in his home who he had taken into his family during the course of the year. This man had lived by scavenging food from the rubbish tips of the area & was known to many. Our Pastor befriended him, bathed him, tidied him up, gave him new clothes & took him into his house to look after him. Such has been the transformation in his life & appearance that people in the area cannot believe it is the same person! They are asking how this has happened!

Isn't that the good news of God’s love in Jesus in action?

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2008 Trip

Introduction

During this trip SSLVCP pledged support to several people, over a two year period, to spur them on in their work and ministry, as well as contributing to the work of other churches.
It was a time of renewing friendships and making new contacts. It was also a time of sharing, serving and sowing into the future.

Sharing and serving I travelled with a team of 4 people. A lot of time was spent meeting and sharing with church leaders. These are some of the people at the sharp end of working to the benefit of Sri Lanka and its communities and many have faced opposition, even persecution and physical attacks, in their work. I preached on the two Sundays, spoke at two mid-week Pastor’s conferences (and provided lunch for those who came) and met many wonderful people. We were able to further encourage some of these folk with Bibles and sports equipment, and we partly funded the expenses of an inter-church sports day.

Church Projects Many of the church leaders invest in social works and projects as well as running their churches. In Colombo there is a Training Centre where people are taught to use computers and make things with sewing machines. A feeding centre is also housed here. Pastors often share their homes with orphaned or displaced children. Near Batticoloa there is a growing complex of buildings for the care and training of youngsters sponsored by one of the churches. Near Trincomolee ‘New Life Village’ is providing houses for those who have fled the fighting or been displaced by the Tsunami. Nine houses are now built, 16 left to go. Cost per house is now approx. £3500.00

SSLVCP Commitments

We are now supporting the following for a period of two years (beginning November 2008):

A Pastor in Chilaw (north of Colombo) plus his wife, 1 child and 2 orphans			A pastoral worker for a church plant near Colombo
A Pastor and his wife (expecting their first child before Christmas!) near Batticoloa (on the East coast of the Island).		PLUS - A couple who travel from Colombo to Galle (in the South) every week to establish a new church plant. I was also able to make ‘one off’ gifts to an English couple working in trauma counselling, play and sports development and to a man I first met in 2005. A minister in the American Mission Church of Ceylon he is establishing a church and nursery school on the outskirts of Batticoloa and, with his wife and family also look after 13 orphans. AND – Mats have been bought for several churches so that people have a little more comfort when sitting on the floor!

It is a privilege and a delight to think that gifts given to SSLVCP are having such an influence!

AMPARA

A particular highlight of the trip was visiting this town where anti Christian feeling is high. Standing at the site where one Pastor was murdered last year was particularly poignant. I also met a Methodist minister who was attacked in June and was able to make a small gift to his ministry.

This dear man lives on £28 a month! He works in the fields and is establishing a church in his home. I hope to support him in the future.

This Pastor and his family have had to move home 3 times because of opposition – His wife now runs the church in their former house whilst a new congregation is built up in their current home. The commitment of these people is amazing!

Thank You!

Your support for SSLVCP is so appreciated! Support for the above people is going to cost approx. £2600.00 for the next two years. £778.40 was spent ‘in country’ this year and that includes all travel, food and accommodation, the costs of the Pastor’s conferences and the Bible and sports equipment that was given out. What you give goes such a long way in Sri Lanka and benefits so many!

For the future

We will continue to identify those Pastor’s serving the people and changing lives. I would also like to build a connection with Ampara and some of the people above as well as the things mentioned on the website to 'bring joy', 'make a difference' and 'have a lasting impact'.

Do Pray

• For peace in Sri Lanka and an end to the war.
• For an end to religious intolerance.
• For the internally displaced to be looked after and rehoused.
• For those who work in Jesus name to find favour.
• For a good use of resources and the development of SSLVCP.

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2007 Trip

Here is just a sample of the way in which SSLVCP is helping the people of Sri Lanka -

Landed Oct 5th & went straight to meet Godfrey Yogarajah who is the current President of the National Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NEASL). He approves of the aims of SSLVCP & has given his endorsement.

On the Saturday I went with the mobile clinic to 3 orphanages in the Kandy area. One of these is run by Pastor Justin (right). He faced opposition from his local community and has persevered in building a house and orphanage where 13 children are looked after. The situation is very bad in Jaffna at the moment. People are starving! Pastor Leslie Matthews has worked there for years and is struggling to get back. Many of the wealthier people in his churches have left. He knows of Pastors living on £13 a month! His wife is not well and yet they will return when they can.

I was able to rejoice in some of the improvements that have been brought to the country. How’s about this for a ‘before’ and ‘after’ –

Fantastic!

Here are other highlights –

New Life Church is building houses near Trincomalee. They bought an acre of land and the government has given another acre (an acknowledgement of a worthy project). The plan is to build 26 houses on this site to be used for people displaced by the war. It’s a great scheme and each house costs only £2,500.00. How about buying one?

Batticoloa looked the same as on my last visit but it has seen 180,000 refugees – people displaced by the war. A great work has been done and 120,000 are now rehoused, but that still leaves 60,000 living in camps like this -

I spent time with two of the Pastors we’ve met before. Both are doing such great work. Manuel is now overseeing the building of a new church and nursery in a difficult area. Kugan oversees a number of projects and is overseeing the building of a refuge centre where traumatised children will be looked after and given new opportunities; There will be training schools, a children’s cancer project and a place of rest for burnt out Pastors.

In the final few days of the trip I met other Pastors and was able to contribute to various things. Pastor Ranjith planted a church 18 months ago. 500 people came and opposed the work. Thankfully the Police allowed it to continue but they had to move buildings because of the pressures they faced. When we arrived over 20 young people were waiting for us. The girls danced. I told him he would be the envy of many a Pastor in England!

I shared in the giving of bicycles (to help the Pastor get around and youngsters get to school) and we gave sports equipment and Bibles. What we take for granted in England is received with such deep gratitude! We visited the home of a lady Buddhist monk who had become a Christian. She burst into tears when we gave her a Bible.

On the last day I shared in an ordination and welcomed a new fellowship into the New Life family

Rather amusingly I also set up a fishmongers business, for the princely sum of £18.00! A local fisherman needed to buy equipment to enable him to sell his fish in the village and nearby refugee camp. His life will be transformed by that ridiculously small amount of investment. It’s one example of why going to Sri Lanka is such a privilege and, through the partnership that exists with Pastor Sanna and the New Life network of churches, why it so easy to make such a big difference.