Email Update:
24th & 25th Aug
Badulla ConferenceVery early start. 5am on the road to arrive for a later conference start time.
Stopped for a quick cuppa as we went in a roadside restaurant.
Drove through the country where Sri Lanka's main dam is...security is tight through there as it has been a terrorist target in the past
Breaky on the building site roof of the church. Already the temperature was starting to get rather warm.
We were given the key to a separate - western style toilet, as well as use of the Pastor's office - the Sri Lankan's have been so considerate wherever we have travelled.
The church itself seats around about 50 people, so that was the size of this conference...give or take a few.
This conference was predominately Tamil speaking, so there were some difficulties due to finding translators that could translate from English to Tamil, but we managed by cutting a few workshops and convincing some of the local people that they really could help us - even though they think that there English is not good enough. We assured them that their English is a lot better than our Tamil.
The church is set back in the jungle - the first time we have been out of a city or town for this visit. It was lovely to have lots of green around and also relative quiet. As has been the case for most of our conferences, there were lots of young people there. This area is also more traditional, so the women were dressed in mostly shalwar's or sari's and some covered their heads to pray.
There were a few changes to the program....David ran an object lesson with the pastors sitting on balloons which was lots of fun...and he also gave a keynote address on dealing with trauma, so our altar call was more for people who had suffered trauma or grief.
We had dinner at the pastor's house - they put on a wonderful feast for the whole team...around 20 of us all up...papadums, potato curry, fried rice, noodles, and then for dessert...chocolate cake and ice cream and jelly and soft drinks and ice - made with boiled water just for us. We all rolled out of there feeling very spoilt...and this was all done by the pastor's family - after catering and running the conference all day.
At the end of the conference...straight on to the bus for the long and winding trip to Hatton.
Passed lots of garages on the way because it would be likely that cars breakdown on the many steep roads that we travelled on. After a couple of hours...about halfway there, we stopped at Nuwara Eliya for a bite to eat and some tea. This part of Sri Lanka is much more Indian influenced than the south. We passed quite a few Hindu temples on the road, and at the restaraunt we were served Chai which tasted better when you poured it from cup to 'saucer' and back again. Some also went to a jumper shop and bought cheap jumpers for most of the team...up here the weather is quite a bit cooler. The KR local team played the bongo drum and sang all the way...Beth was getting into it too.
Finally reached the camp...located within a tea estate. The last part of the journey was on an unsealed road - in the pitch black. We felt like explorers discovering new lands.
The bus couldn't make it up the last hill to the camp...we all jumped out to ease the load and walked the last little bit to the camp site. Quite a new complex - with dormitory style accomodation. Tea stretching into the distance on all sides...a playground squished in amongst the tea plants. Dinner was waiting for us...and the kids and buddies were all asleep so we tiptoed around and found our bunks and headed to bed fairly quickly...because tomorrow is a big day with lots of photos, crafts, games, songs, and new friends to make. We are all really looking forward to working with kids for the first time on this trip.
23 August 2009
Off to various churches today...Andrea, Andrew and Barbara were up early for the longish drive to the outlying church which is pastored by Shanthi's sister and her husband. The rest of us were accompanying Pastor David to the Lighthouse church in Kandy which is where Shanthi attends. Carol attended another church in Kandy that she is hoping to build up a partnership with in the coming years between that church and her church.
Here is what Barbara had to say about his experience....
It was a very lively, free atmosphere, hospitable, glad to see us, and responsive to what we had to say. Andrea preached on the Jabez prayer, and Andrew gave his testimony. A member of the congregation provided lunch for us, and we knew that it was a great sacrifice for them. It was a pleasure to be there and very difficult to leave because the people were so hospitable and told us many stories of the amazing things that God is doing in their lives. One story in particular - a family that have just recently started attending church, and the husband was quite ill...unable to walk. The elders of the church visited him in his house and they prayed for him, and the next week, the man walked into church, and he was at church with us and was walking and telling us his story.
And here is what Julie said about her experience...
We waited for an early service to finish before we entered the church, so there was an unusual gathering of English speaking people out the front of the church - rather strange when you are used to always being surrounded by a language you don't understand. It was straight into it...because there was another service taking place directly after. There was a visiting worship leader/singer. It really reminded me of being at home with Maori christians - the music and general tone of the service was similar. We sang hymns predominately and the congregation was really into it. David preached with an opening reference to the sorry state of New Zealand cricket after they had been beaten by the Sri Lankan's. It was a great time of being part of the Sri Lankan church, and being one with the Christians here.
So it was a good morning for all...and a change to be attending rather than running the event. We all particularly loved the music.
At the completion of the services we all made our way back to the Kidsreach office to get changed and have a bite to eat before heading out to visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. It took about an hour to get there and we arranged for entry tickets - a different price for tourists than for locals. Which we all thought was a great arrangement and it meant that there were lots of local people there to enjoy the elephants too.
We first walked down to where they were feeding the elephants. What a great lot of elephants, all standing around on a big muddy flat. Elephants of all different sizes. Some large, some 'teenagers' and some little baby ones. We all gave our camera's a good workout and ooh'd and aah'd at the little ones. There was a very old tusker off to one side with his own shed area, and also an elephant that had lost one foot due to a landmine. It moved along with great difficulty and had a deformed back as a result.
At a signal from the keepers, and with all the tourists well back behind a fence, the elephants began their trek through the park, right down the middle of the shopping street and down to the ford to drink and splash about. Some of them 'escaped' over to the other side of the river and started pulling at the trees or scratching themselves on the high mud banks. It was lovely to be up close and personal with these giant creatures. And it was great also to be enjoying an attraction that so many locals were enjoying.
For a small amount you could go down and with the permission of the keepers, get a photo near an elephant, even touching them. Bethany went down and got to feel their rough skin and had some photo's taken. It was all very exciting. We wandered back browsing through the shops and to look at the famous 'poo paper' - a paper which is made from the elephant dung. As we reached the end of the street we heard a yell from the other end and looked up to see the elephants all coming back as a herd to the feeding area again. The keepers were leading the way and keeping the elephants from moving too far away. We all moved quickly back to the openings of the shops to watch as the elephants rumbled past us...Julie had a narrow escape as the elephants decided to cut the corner and go through the balcony of the shop where she was standing and she had to jump out of the way as it came bustling through.
As the dust settled, and the rain started to fall, we gathered to have one final excursion into a nearby spice garden. We saw all manner of different plants which grow in Sri Lanka because of the hot and wet climate. They gave us a cup of spice tea and a massage with their lovely skin products as well as demonstrating the amazing hair removal creme on Asela's arm hair.
Another full day...we headed back to Kandy...tired and happy - a very early start tomorrow...and the next conference begins in Badulla.
We decided to go out for dinner...back to one of the restaurants we had been to earlier. Andrew and Bethany ordered french fries again...we managed to communicate that we wanted a big plate of fries not lots of little plates..which took us quite a bit of doing...and they remembered that we had really liked their tomato sauce, so along with a giant size plate of chips, they brought a big bowl of tomato sauce which we greeted with a big cheer. We all headed off to bed as soon as we could so we would wake up at 4.30am for the next day's adventures. Badulla here we come!
Here is what Barbara had to say about his experience....
It was a very lively, free atmosphere, hospitable, glad to see us, and responsive to what we had to say. Andrea preached on the Jabez prayer, and Andrew gave his testimony. A member of the congregation provided lunch for us, and we knew that it was a great sacrifice for them. It was a pleasure to be there and very difficult to leave because the people were so hospitable and told us many stories of the amazing things that God is doing in their lives. One story in particular - a family that have just recently started attending church, and the husband was quite ill...unable to walk. The elders of the church visited him in his house and they prayed for him, and the next week, the man walked into church, and he was at church with us and was walking and telling us his story.
And here is what Julie said about her experience...
We waited for an early service to finish before we entered the church, so there was an unusual gathering of English speaking people out the front of the church - rather strange when you are used to always being surrounded by a language you don't understand. It was straight into it...because there was another service taking place directly after. There was a visiting worship leader/singer. It really reminded me of being at home with Maori christians - the music and general tone of the service was similar. We sang hymns predominately and the congregation was really into it. David preached with an opening reference to the sorry state of New Zealand cricket after they had been beaten by the Sri Lankan's. It was a great time of being part of the Sri Lankan church, and being one with the Christians here.
So it was a good morning for all...and a change to be attending rather than running the event. We all particularly loved the music.
At the completion of the services we all made our way back to the Kidsreach office to get changed and have a bite to eat before heading out to visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. It took about an hour to get there and we arranged for entry tickets - a different price for tourists than for locals. Which we all thought was a great arrangement and it meant that there were lots of local people there to enjoy the elephants too.
We first walked down to where they were feeding the elephants. What a great lot of elephants, all standing around on a big muddy flat. Elephants of all different sizes. Some large, some 'teenagers' and some little baby ones. We all gave our camera's a good workout and ooh'd and aah'd at the little ones. There was a very old tusker off to one side with his own shed area, and also an elephant that had lost one foot due to a landmine. It moved along with great difficulty and had a deformed back as a result.
At a signal from the keepers, and with all the tourists well back behind a fence, the elephants began their trek through the park, right down the middle of the shopping street and down to the ford to drink and splash about. Some of them 'escaped' over to the other side of the river and started pulling at the trees or scratching themselves on the high mud banks. It was lovely to be up close and personal with these giant creatures. And it was great also to be enjoying an attraction that so many locals were enjoying.
For a small amount you could go down and with the permission of the keepers, get a photo near an elephant, even touching them. Bethany went down and got to feel their rough skin and had some photo's taken. It was all very exciting. We wandered back browsing through the shops and to look at the famous 'poo paper' - a paper which is made from the elephant dung. As we reached the end of the street we heard a yell from the other end and looked up to see the elephants all coming back as a herd to the feeding area again. The keepers were leading the way and keeping the elephants from moving too far away. We all moved quickly back to the openings of the shops to watch as the elephants rumbled past us...Julie had a narrow escape as the elephants decided to cut the corner and go through the balcony of the shop where she was standing and she had to jump out of the way as it came bustling through.
As the dust settled, and the rain started to fall, we gathered to have one final excursion into a nearby spice garden. We saw all manner of different plants which grow in Sri Lanka because of the hot and wet climate. They gave us a cup of spice tea and a massage with their lovely skin products as well as demonstrating the amazing hair removal creme on Asela's arm hair.
Another full day...we headed back to Kandy...tired and happy - a very early start tomorrow...and the next conference begins in Badulla.
We decided to go out for dinner...back to one of the restaurants we had been to earlier. Andrew and Bethany ordered french fries again...we managed to communicate that we wanted a big plate of fries not lots of little plates..which took us quite a bit of doing...and they remembered that we had really liked their tomato sauce, so along with a giant size plate of chips, they brought a big bowl of tomato sauce which we greeted with a big cheer. We all headed off to bed as soon as we could so we would wake up at 4.30am for the next day's adventures. Badulla here we come!
22 August 2009
Very wet start to the day....some of us got up early to walk round the lake before breakfast. There were monkeys out playing on the powerlines, bats hanging around in many of the trees and a large, fat monitor (lizard) watching us cautiously from the edges of the lake. Day 2 of the Kandy Conference...we followed the same format as with our Chillaw conference. We discovered that the reason there was less people than expected was due to a number of other events being held at the same time in Kandy. Those that were there were really getting involved - we did some more singing and action songs, taught some icebreaker games, David asked for some feedback from yesterday and there were some testimonies about the impact of the teaching and workshops from a few of the delegates. Bethany ran her balloon stuffing game again...one team managed to fit 10 balloons up their dress...a world record!...for us anyway.
David finished the conference with his keynote address on compassion and leadership in children's ministry and we formed a prayer tunnel with all the delegates passing through as we prayed for them, they then prayed for us one on one. It was a different conference because we were speaking to both Sinhalese and Tamil. It becomes apparent that there is still much work to be done to bring these two people groups together, yet the fact that we are all united when it comes to reaching the children of Sri Lanka is surely cause for hope and renewed commitment to continually working to bring peace and stability to Sri Lanka as a whole. It is striving for unity which I think is what God is calling His people to in Sri Lanka...and as we work towards this goal, this will surely speak to the Sri Lankan people about the power and glory of our God. Bringing people together for the ongoing benefit of the children of Sri Lanka will be a greater testimony than many sermons or other works.
We said goodbye to the delegates - some we will see again tomorrow or when we return to Kandy in a week, some we may not see again. David later told us that the church elders were impressed with the teaching given and felt that many of the delegates had really been challenged by the ideas we presented. This was very encouraging to us...and we know that we are part of a journey for people and that our words will hopefully encourage them to keep going and step out into new things.
The rest of our day was pretty much as yesterday...we fluffed around for a couple of hours - we will be heading out of Kandy for about a week so we are making sure that preparations have been finalised, because who knows what we will be able to find when we leave here. Dinner was a throw together affair at House of Hope and we had a meeting about the Escape camp - making sure that all the parts of the program were taken care of.
...then back to the hotel and bed...Sunday tomorrow and church...Andrea is preaching in an outlying church - pastored by Shanthi's sister and her husband. Barbara and Andrew will accompany her. David is preaching at Shanthi's church. We are going to visit Pinnawalla Elephant Orphanage in the afternoon and we are all looking forward to our first experience with elephants...especially Bethany...let you know how we get on tomorrow.
21 August 2009Very wet start to the day....some of us got up early to walk round the lake before breakfast. There were monkeys out playing on the powerlines, bats hanging around in many of the trees and a large, fat monitor (lizard) watching us cautiously from the edges of the lake. Day 2 of the Kandy Conference...we followed the same format as with our Chillaw conference. We discovered that the reason there was less people than expected was due to a number of other events being held at the same time in Kandy. Those that were there were really getting involved - we did some more singing and action songs, taught some icebreaker games, David asked for some feedback from yesterday and there were some testimonies about the impact of the teaching and workshops from a few of the delegates. Bethany ran her balloon stuffing game again...one team managed to fit 10 balloons up their dress...a world record!...for us anyway.
David finished the conference with his keynote address on compassion and leadership in children's ministry and we formed a prayer tunnel with all the delegates passing through as we prayed for them, they then prayed for us one on one. It was a different conference because we were speaking to both Sinhalese and Tamil. It becomes apparent that there is still much work to be done to bring these two people groups together, yet the fact that we are all united when it comes to reaching the children of Sri Lanka is surely cause for hope and renewed commitment to continually working to bring peace and stability to Sri Lanka as a whole. It is striving for unity which I think is what God is calling His people to in Sri Lanka...and as we work towards this goal, this will surely speak to the Sri Lankan people about the power and glory of our God. Bringing people together for the ongoing benefit of the children of Sri Lanka will be a greater testimony than many sermons or other works.
We said goodbye to the delegates - some we will see again tomorrow or when we return to Kandy in a week, some we may not see again. David later told us that the church elders were impressed with the teaching given and felt that many of the delegates had really been challenged by the ideas we presented. This was very encouraging to us...and we know that we are part of a journey for people and that our words will hopefully encourage them to keep going and step out into new things.
The rest of our day was pretty much as yesterday...we fluffed around for a couple of hours - we will be heading out of Kandy for about a week so we are making sure that preparations have been finalised, because who knows what we will be able to find when we leave here. Dinner was a throw together affair at House of Hope and we had a meeting about the Escape camp - making sure that all the parts of the program were taken care of.
...then back to the hotel and bed...Sunday tomorrow and church...Andrea is preaching in an outlying church - pastored by Shanthi's sister and her husband. Barbara and Andrew will accompany her. David is preaching at Shanthi's church. We are going to visit Pinnawalla Elephant Orphanage in the afternoon and we are all looking forward to our first experience with elephants...especially Bethany...let you know how we get on tomorrow.
Bethany started our day off with a great devotion over breakfast about thanking God for everything. We piled on the bus for our first day of the Kandy Conference, to be held in Shanthi's church.
Kandy is traditionally slow to start and this day was no exception. Despite the people still arriving, we began with some singing led by the local team and David launched into his opening keynote talk on the importance of vision. As has been the case with the other conferences, there were lots of young people and also the largest proportion of male delegates present.
Another difference with this conference was having Sinhala and Tamil translation in the main sessions, and we also arranged for one workshop each session to be translated into Tamil. There were a number of familiar faces in the crowd for those who have been to Kandy before...but also lots of new faces which is very encouraging.
Lunch was packets - takeaway rice with a couple of different spoonfuls of some curry on the side, all wrapped in a piece of plastic and then in a piece of butcher's paper - like a packet. We also had some lovely little tubs of yoghurt and some plain cupcakes and biscuits.
We resumed after lunch with a game by Bethany and this time she chose as her 'volunteers' Shanthi and Pastor David...as well as one of the young boys who have been helping with the singing. It was very funny to see them trying to blow a piece of paper off their forehead, and had the whole place laughing.
David concluded his talk on vision...looking at the life of Moses as he led the Israelites. He asked everyone to write down the names of some of the children that they minister to, and then write down the gifts and abilities that each child has. It was a challenging message - to lead children with a view to developing the gifts that each one possesses. We also prayed for leaders of the various children's ministries that were present at the conference. It was a powerful session, giving us all a lot to think and pray about.
At the conclusion of the days teaching we decided to head off in pairs to get various tasks done. Shopping for some, finishing wrapping presents for others. Some folded the washed clothes - and most of us have now caught up on our washing..between the Kidsreach washing machine and the hotel graciously allowing us to use their washing machine, even hanging out or bringing in the clothes for us. Doesn't matter how far you travel, there are some chores which remain. It is a good feeling to get the washing sorted.
As we walked along Peradiniya Road...most of us are feeling more at home here in Kandy...for most of us Kandy has been our favourite place so far in Sri Lanka...we are getting more familiar with the town layout and also feeling like we can venture out with a little more confidence...some of the strangeness has worn off. We also like the cooler climate - makes the day to day living less of a strain - less draining. The people here are very friendly and there are lots of beautiful views - up into the mountains which surrround Kandy, and also the lake which is in the centre of town.
We all met back at Kidsreach for dinner which was purchased by Carol and Julie at the local supermarket. They took a bit longer than expected to finalise their purchases as they had few interesting encounters with the service lift...which was not providing much service and caused a small amount of merriment for the staff of the supermarket. But it's moments like these that make the trip memorable.
We got back to the hotel for an early night....it's nice to have an evening of just slopping around...Sarah and Andrew walked back from town to the hotel around the lake...a lovely end to the day. We are all looking forward to the final day of the Kandy Conference and continuing the work that God has begun here.
As you can see we are keeping busy...
Will get some more to you in the next day or so...
Love Kidsreach Team Sri Lanka!
20 August 2009
A slight sleep-in and a relatively late breakfast (8 am) started our rest day. Most slept well...although arranging for a second mattress should hopefully make tonight a better night for those who didn't.
The view from our rooms is gorgeous...lush green hills, birds busying them selves in the nearby trees - even monkeys playing on the roofs in the houses in the distance, and the sound of horns tooting down by the lake. Each room has a balcony and it makes the rooms seem a little more luxurious to have that outdoor element.
It is lovely to have a nicer hotel and a fully functioning bathroom, especially because we will be here for 4 nights. Breakfast was lovely...the usual fresh fruit and eggs on toast...made to order. We made our plans, packed our stuff and jumped on the bus to head to the Kidsreach office for the first time. We had a tour of the different rooms and facilities and also got to meet the missing members, who had not been on the tour with us so far. Samantha in the office, Wathsala who is the computer teacher and also translates Sinhala and Tamil materials. Daniel's twin brother Joseph, the caretaker - Paradeyani who is Daniel and Joseph's Dad, and also Chatura, the boy who fell from a tree and has been confined to a bed in the back of House of Hope for the last month and is in a back brace. We all prayed with him and he will start his physiotherapy after another 2 weeks in bed. As the day went on, we noticed that someone from the team kept him company in his little room at most times.
We got to work sending and checking emails, putting together the birthday presents for the final kids camp and doing piles of washing while we had access to a washing machine.
We then all bundled off to see the town, get some lunch and get some last minute shopping done - some of the birthday presents for the final kids camp needed a bit extra.
We also made a visit to Zam Gems a lovely jewellery shop very close to Kidsreach where we got shown a vast array of beautiful gems and settings. I think they were hoping that we were all going to buy lots from them, but in the end only a couple of us bought something...although their prices are generally very reasonable and the quality very good. Sri Lanka is famous for its beautiful gems which are mined in various places around the island.
We braved one of the more western style restaurants for lunch, and when we saw french fries on the menu with bread and butter, we all thought of chip sandwiches...but that proved to be a difficult concept for the waiters to grasp, and the order was eventually brought back which was french fries with little plates of garlic bread. Not quite what was expected but delicious nonetheless...especially with the accompanying homemade tomato sauce. So good in fact that we ordered seconds.
We went on to the government run 'Laksala' - a large shop with handcrafted goods at very good prices. Woven items, basketware, timber goods, brass platters and jewellery. A great place to get some traditional Sri Lankan souvenirs. From there we walked to the nearby central markets...mostly clothing and personal goods, but also a food section as well as fresh foods and meats. The smell was enough for us! As soon as we arrived at the market we got followed by a range of eager sales people, beckoning for us to come to their shop to purchase their wares - which were of a better quality and a cheaper price than all the competitors. It is an experience just to walk through there, let alone to enter into the bargaining process with the shop keepers. We did make some purchases there...but when the time came to meet the bus again, we were all very glad to escape the mayhem and constant harassment.
We stopped for some basic supplies on the way to dinner - the big shopping centre is still being finished. It is has taken 5 years to get to this point and is still mostly empty, but is the most modern looking building we have been in so far in Sri Lanka.
We went to a restaurant on the other side of the lake called History. It is a western style restaurant with a smattering of dishes from the major cooking styles around the world. Indian, Italian, Chinese, English/Western as well as Sri Lankan food. The walls are covered in very old photos and newspaper clippings from the history of Sri Lanka and browsing around while waiting for our food made for very interesting reading. As with most things, you never know quite what you will get when you order food in Sri Lanka, but it was all lovely - despite being a local take on a familiar dish, and we even managed to fit in some dessert after - mostly fresh fruit and ice cream.
Another very full day...and we all felt exhausted...ready to get straight into bed...and ready also to start our next conference....
....wonder what God has planned next.....z z z z ....
A slight sleep-in and a relatively late breakfast (8 am) started our rest day. Most slept well...although arranging for a second mattress should hopefully make tonight a better night for those who didn't.
The view from our rooms is gorgeous...lush green hills, birds busying them selves in the nearby trees - even monkeys playing on the roofs in the houses in the distance, and the sound of horns tooting down by the lake. Each room has a balcony and it makes the rooms seem a little more luxurious to have that outdoor element.
It is lovely to have a nicer hotel and a fully functioning bathroom, especially because we will be here for 4 nights. Breakfast was lovely...the usual fresh fruit and eggs on toast...made to order. We made our plans, packed our stuff and jumped on the bus to head to the Kidsreach office for the first time. We had a tour of the different rooms and facilities and also got to meet the missing members, who had not been on the tour with us so far. Samantha in the office, Wathsala who is the computer teacher and also translates Sinhala and Tamil materials. Daniel's twin brother Joseph, the caretaker - Paradeyani who is Daniel and Joseph's Dad, and also Chatura, the boy who fell from a tree and has been confined to a bed in the back of House of Hope for the last month and is in a back brace. We all prayed with him and he will start his physiotherapy after another 2 weeks in bed. As the day went on, we noticed that someone from the team kept him company in his little room at most times.
We got to work sending and checking emails, putting together the birthday presents for the final kids camp and doing piles of washing while we had access to a washing machine.
We then all bundled off to see the town, get some lunch and get some last minute shopping done - some of the birthday presents for the final kids camp needed a bit extra.
We also made a visit to Zam Gems a lovely jewellery shop very close to Kidsreach where we got shown a vast array of beautiful gems and settings. I think they were hoping that we were all going to buy lots from them, but in the end only a couple of us bought something...although their prices are generally very reasonable and the quality very good. Sri Lanka is famous for its beautiful gems which are mined in various places around the island.
We braved one of the more western style restaurants for lunch, and when we saw french fries on the menu with bread and butter, we all thought of chip sandwiches...but that proved to be a difficult concept for the waiters to grasp, and the order was eventually brought back which was french fries with little plates of garlic bread. Not quite what was expected but delicious nonetheless...especially with the accompanying homemade tomato sauce. So good in fact that we ordered seconds.
We went on to the government run 'Laksala' - a large shop with handcrafted goods at very good prices. Woven items, basketware, timber goods, brass platters and jewellery. A great place to get some traditional Sri Lankan souvenirs. From there we walked to the nearby central markets...mostly clothing and personal goods, but also a food section as well as fresh foods and meats. The smell was enough for us! As soon as we arrived at the market we got followed by a range of eager sales people, beckoning for us to come to their shop to purchase their wares - which were of a better quality and a cheaper price than all the competitors. It is an experience just to walk through there, let alone to enter into the bargaining process with the shop keepers. We did make some purchases there...but when the time came to meet the bus again, we were all very glad to escape the mayhem and constant harassment.
We stopped for some basic supplies on the way to dinner - the big shopping centre is still being finished. It is has taken 5 years to get to this point and is still mostly empty, but is the most modern looking building we have been in so far in Sri Lanka.
We went to a restaurant on the other side of the lake called History. It is a western style restaurant with a smattering of dishes from the major cooking styles around the world. Indian, Italian, Chinese, English/Western as well as Sri Lankan food. The walls are covered in very old photos and newspaper clippings from the history of Sri Lanka and browsing around while waiting for our food made for very interesting reading. As with most things, you never know quite what you will get when you order food in Sri Lanka, but it was all lovely - despite being a local take on a familiar dish, and we even managed to fit in some dessert after - mostly fresh fruit and ice cream.
Another very full day...and we all felt exhausted...ready to get straight into bed...and ready also to start our next conference....
....wonder what God has planned next.....z z z z ....
19th August 2009
At the end of yesterday's conference we finally got all packed up and
sorted out the luggage and headed up the coast to our next conference.
We arrived late - around 8pm and dinner was provided straight away. Most of
us were not very hungry and ended up heading quickly to bed.
Our accommodation is in a Catholic boarding house, it is a fairly
spartan set up but we all fell gratefully into bed...the next conference
beginning first thing next morning. There is an abundance of wildlife - ranging from frogs, squirrels, geckos, cockroaches the size of buses and mosquitos
not much smaller. We made full use of the mosquito nets, coils, and
repellant.
Breakfast rolled round, simple but yummy with lots of fresh fruit and
big fat slices of fresh white bread. Sri Lankan bread is so good! We've
already bought our own supplies of jam and vegemite to have with it.
The local team left for the conference venue first, to get everything
set up and we followed in the next trip. We are meeting in a Lighthouse
church called Bethlehem church in a town called Chillaw...about 30km south
of Puttalam.
The church slowly filled up...a good mixture of older and younger
people...probably more men than the previous conference. David began by
figuring out the oldest and the youngest serving person there in kids
ministry and awarding a prize...but making the point that we all fell
somewhere between them. His first session was to introduce the
importance of ministry to children and also a couple of well chosen stories to help people feel at home.
We felt so welcome from the very beginning...the Sri Lankan people have
such beautiful smiles. We were spoilt with a glass of cold Coke for
morning tea and a lovely rice and vegetable packet each for lunch with
plates of fresh fruit to share.
Bethany started us off again with the balloon stuffing game which was
again very funny and then David spoke about the conference theme and
issued the challenge for afterwards. We were due to have a concert and
each team was to come up with a skit that would describe how NOT to
run a Sunday School class. Sri Lankans are such good actors and storytellersand we knew that they would not let us down. The Anzac performance might not be so good...but we knew they would more than make up for it.
So with afternoon tea done, we all sat ready to be entertained...and we
didn't need to understand the language to see the humour in each skit.
We had a teacher who kept getting phonecalls from her boyfriend and who
ended up showing up with a rose in his teeth. Another one had a man dressed as a lady teacher complete with clip on earrings. They were very good...I will get photos onto the blog as soon as I can. Have to go for now...but more soon.
18th August 2009
So here we are at the end of the day...and what a day...seriously it
feels like two days in one. The Conference went very well...a full house...even more than a full house...about half an hour into the proceedings chairs were added to the stage and that is where the Aussie's and Kiwi's sat for the rest of the day.
The conference began with a presentation to David from the Combined
Pentecostal churches of Sri Lanka for his many years...more than 18
years...in the service of children's ministry in Sri Lanka. He was
given a very impressive plaque...it was wonderful to see him being recognisedfor all the work that he has put in for such a long time.
There were lots of younger people in attendance - mainly women but some
men also. They were all very keen and seemed to get a lot out of all the
various sessions. Pastor David spoke on the conference theme...INVEST!...and the local team went with a drama that David had written but they really brought to life.
The main character 'Toffa' may have been played by a different actor to previous years, but Harsha really outdid himself. It was all mild chaos in the change from morning tea to the workshops but finally we found places for everyone to gather and they proceeded. David spoke on the challenges in reaching and teaching boys. Julie's workshop was on the ministry to parents of pre-schoolers. Barbara spent some time going through some basics on how children develop and Carol looked at some creative teaching strategies for keeping kids learning. Sarah and Bethany led a group of young people on the importance of being a young leader and how to lead kids to trust in Jesus. And that was just the first session!
The second workshop time started straight away...people shuffling to their preferred topic and we launched off again...it was such a privilege to speak to so many awesome children's ministry leaders and workers. They gave us their full attention and it is our hope and prayer that they were blessed and encouraged by our various workshops.
Pastor Sujith provided an amazing lunch for us...and a little air conditioned
room to retreat to. Who would have thought that standing and talking could be so draining!? Boy was that room a welcome treat! With lunch done, Bethany ran a couple of hilarious games with the delegates, one involving men wearing dresses and stuffing balloons all over, and the second was sticking paper to your forehead and huffing and puffing to blow that sheet off. It gave us all a very good laugh...especially to see David trying to put a dress on! Also, a big thank you to the pregnant lady who donated the frocks.
http://kidsreach.blogspot.com/
17th August 2009
A quick word just as our first conference begins....early start, lovely breakfast...all onto the bus and a quick trip across town and we find ourselves at Pastor Sujith's church. Mirihana Calvary Church is in Colombo and David has been coming here for many years. Pastor Sujith has a huge heart for reaching and teaching children for Jesus.
As I write this, the beginning worship time is in progress...we are all worshipping God together. Despite the language differences, there is no barriers between us when we are all praising God together. Everyone has their part to play...The local team have worked hard all morning to set everything up - the bookstall looks great, the team from Calvary church have worked to bring all the local children's ministry people together, we have prepared our workshops, Asela has prepared all the conference materials and graphics, Thanuja and Dulangelie are leading the singing time ably accompanied by Krishan, Harsha and Daniel on the drums and guitars. Shanthi has been working tirelessly to make sure that each conference is arranged and people in the local churches are aware and able to come.
Even though we only met yesterday, we have been a team for a long time....and God is the one who is directing the whole thing. As this day begins, it is our prayer that he will bring all the planning together for the result that he has already planned. Our conference theme is "Invest". We know that God has invested in each one of the team and in each one of the delegates...and that this conference will be just one more deposit in God's big bank of what he is planning for the nation of Sri Lanka through the children.
http://kidsreach.blogspot.com/
16th August 2009
The calm before the storm? Not really...but this is the day we have to get our heads sorted and ready for what is to come.
A late start...after a pretty late finish...breakfast of fresh papaya and then eggs cooked to order with lots of toast, tea and coffee.
A trip out to a local supermarket to buy some team supplies...tea for David, Vegemite for Sarah, bubbles for Barbara, bananas for Carol and other similar essentials. The traffic is loud and constant, the weather is hot and wet.
The Sri Lankan team arrived at around lunchtime and we spent some time getting to know them and also practicing how to speak through an interpreter. Lots of laughs and fun.
We then headed out into the tumult on our bus to one of the fashion shops to pick up some bargains.
Dinner with the whole team was at a restaurant called Green Cabin - loads of different fried rice and devilled beef, chicken and seer fish. Early bed because tomorrow is an early start...breakfast at 6am and all packed and on the bus by 7am....goodbye to our hotel...they have been very accomodating and we really enjoyed our time here by the beach in Mount Lavinia.
15th August 2009
When you enter the world of the airport its like being caught in a giant washing machine...you get agitated for a long time and then at the end you're rung out and dumped unceremoniously in a heap at the other end.
Things could have gone terribly wrong when David gave his travel documents to the Australian Federal Customs agent at Sydney Airport, along with a misplaced comb...and the guy was bald! Kevin it seems is a bloke with a good sense of humour and we all had a bit of chuckle before he stamped our passports and we moved through.
Our first leg was on the Airbus A330 - the pride of the Singapore Airlines fleet and a great experience. Lots of legroom, service was great, a huge choice of entertainment options - I even started to learn basic Italian!
Singapore was a blur...we had half an hour to get from one Terminal via monorail to another and get onto the next plane...barely time to find the amenities. But who likes waiting in airports anyway?
A short hop across and we arrived in Sri Lanka...middle of the night - hot, wet and surprisingly quiet. Rendevouzed with Asela and our beautiful blue bus and spent what seemed like an eternity bouncing around trying to find our hotel...there are still road closures here due to the military checkpoints.
Finally touchdown and and quick shower before collapsing into bed at 3am ready for our first day ....late breaky, meeting the team here and a spot of shopping.
All are well...relieved to be here...trying to cope with the heat and just general strangeness of a foreign country but excited to be here and keen to get going with it all.
So for now Ayubowan!
http://kidsreach.blogspot.com
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