Reports from the Flooded Areas

Indonesia: The Abbalove network has sent out people into the devastated area – one that has traditionally been controlled by extremists and not open to Christian workers. My friend Hengky (representing the Indonesian emerging church at our Epicenter Roundtable in Texas, 2001) escaped the flood miraculously when he and his wife left the area the day before. They are now part of the rescue and aid effort in his country.

Sri Lanka: Youth For Christ is working alongside other teams. Brian O’Connell sent a report from Ajith Fernando which i have pasted on the next page. I have also uploaded his “Disciplines for Emergency Workers” doc for those of you serving where the action is right now.

Dear Friends:

Thought you’d find this communication and attached essay from Ajith Fernando of Youth For Christ Sri Lanka most interesting and helpful. It seems to have implications for ministry anywhere in the world.

Warmest regards for the New Year.

Brian O’Connell

REACT Enterprises: Resourcing, Evaluating, Alliance

building, Coaching and Training

[contact information deleted by Andrew Jones]

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—–Original Message—–

From: Ajith Fernando

Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 1:21 AM

Subject: Update

Dear friends,

As many of you have asked me to keep the letters coming I will send

updates whenever I feel there is something to tell. I hammered out an article in

the rush of everything. It may help the local folk to, so I am sending

this letter to my local list also. Perhaps this is how God is healing me of

the disappointment of having to cancel my writing sabbatical:)

Let me tell you about what the YFC folks are doing. It is a drop in the

bucket and many other groups are doing much larger and effective

service. YFC teams have gone to the East, the North and the South with relief

supplies and to observe and come back with a report so that we may

decide how and where we are going to be involved long-term.

EAST. I have just talked to our Mayukha Perera who went to the East with

Jeyaraj. He says the devastation is unbelievable. They went with another

staffer Pradeep to Pradeep’village which had received little help and

were able to distribute supplies. Robert Silva will take a group of

volunteers tonight to Batticaloa to help bring back a children’s home to usability.

NORTH. I just also talked with Jegaraj Fernando who with Timothy Godwin

were given permission by the Tigers to go with supplies to Mullaitivu

which is controlled by them. The death toll there alone is 9700! They are now

going with supplies to Point Pedro the Northern Tip of Sri Lanka where

we have a ministry and which has been devastated.

SOUTH. I also talked with Robert Silva who went south through World

Vision with supplies and to survey the land. Again the devastation is

unbelievable.

COLOMBO. In the meantime teams of volunteers are working with groups

like World Vision, LEADS and the Salvation Army, packing supplies,

accompanying the supplies in relief trucks, clearing up messed up elder’s homes etc.

etc.

Please excuse some incoherence in my letters. I am at the computer about

10 hours a day. So mistakes are being made. My job has been to keep in

touch with our leaders on the field by cell phone, to keep in touch with

donors and inquirers through e-mail and to drive our volunteers home at night

as most of the others who can do that have gone to the troubled areas.

By the way the Sri Lanka death toll keeps rising. Presently it is at

about 22,500 now. How sad to find out that Indonesia is almost double that.

Ajith