Hi guys-Ian Here
Had an amazing time last night with all the guys from Bellwood joining us for a meal the place was packed. I also got the one picture I was dying to get-that of a cobra. I couldn't believe it when this guy open up this basket right in ront og me and up popped this cobra-head up straight away-no warning or anything.
The students really blessed us last night as they performed some dances for us-we have it all on film-so men of the church beware cos you'll be next!!!
Its now 9:30pm and we have well settled into the Paridise Beach Hotal in Nagumbo-what luxary! What can we say its beautiful-palm trees, sea crashing on the shore just meters away. The waves are intense-the pools are warm and inviting. The sun is going down into the Indian Ocean-Bob E has had a swim and is now chilling out with a book by the pool, Bob C, Dave & Alice, Ian, and the 2 Helens are walking along the beach.
However, the drive here was long and tiring. we callled in at the elephant sanctuary to shop for leather goods , and we also visited many more as well. The road to this hotel leaves a lot to be desired and Suresh loves a challenge. We were bumped and bounced along, missing dogs, and other road users by inches.
At one stage the police tried to stop us for crossing a double white line-Suresh hurried on but the cop caught up and a fine was given.
5:40 Sun has gone down-most of us sitting by the pool discussing the day. We have to be up early for our flight home-Dave is still in the pool while a beautiful Sri Lankan girl serves him coffee 'poolside'. its tough but he's managing.
The hotel lights are coming on-the tables are laidfor dinner and still the air is warm. The hotal has hot water for showers and dry towels. We appriciate it like never before.
While Ian was getting pounded by the huge waves in the sea earlier he lost his swimming shorts-you'll have to ask the others for details!!!! I think money may have to cahnge hands though.
This is the other side of Sri Lanka but only for the rich.
God bless you all see you tomorrow-The Sri Lankan team signing off.
We may try and post some pics laster
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Tuesday 10th November
It rained so hard for the rest of yesterday that we couldn't do the building work. In fact the power cut out many times across the evening and the whole site was plunged into darkness. When we left the internet cafe we had a phone call to say that Suresh had been taken ill and needed to go to hospital. That meant that we had to go straight back to Bellwood through the monsoon.
When we got there we found Suresh had recovered somewhat but still had to see a doctor. He took some persuasion and only agreed after Dave spoke to him. He went to hospital and they changed some of his medication. He spent the night in Kandy too exhausted to come back to Bellwood. Please pray for him as he still needs healing.
The team spent the evening playing a hilarious game of Trivial Pursuit which the women's team won!!
We waited up until midnight but the drivers did not return until about 2.00pm from taking Suresh into Kandy.
Throughout the evening we had 1000's of bugs somewhat resembling flying ants only about 10 times bigger flying into the room through the ventilation between the walls and the roof. The men attempted to clear the room especially Ian, Dave and Bob C with the aid of brooms and flip flops. It made a very funny photo opportunity!
Today Ian, Dave, Sue J, both Helens and Alice have come into Kandy to shop with Mercy and Danny. This gave us the opportunity to visit Suresh at his sister-in-law's and to catch up with his medical news (see above). We've looked at a lot of shops and now we are due to go back to Bellwood with food for 28 including the team and the students and staff at Bellwood for a final farewell meal. Tomorrow we will be heading for Columbo where we are due to stay in a hotel before flying on Thursday. Hopefully we will be able to get hot showers in mud free water for a change!
The two Bobs have stayed in Bellwood with Sue C today. The two Bobs are working with the students on the new chicken shed. They will be laying the foundations in the morning and if we are able to we will build the concrete block walls this evening. That depends on the rain holding off and the concrete foundations setting well enough to take the weight. The chicken shed is on a very steep hill on a flat place with magnificent views and just below the tea bushes. This morning there were a team of three workers picking the tea ready for processing. Helen L spent some time with them learning how to pick the right leaves.
We will try and put some photos on but have been unsuccessful for a couple of days as the connections are slow and unreliable. If they don't come through it will be because we've had to leave to catch up with the shoppers.
We miss you all at home and are really looking forward to being back with you again and sharing our stories and photos. God has really blessed our time and already are hearing very encouraging reports from the pastors all over the island that we have worked with (either them or in their churches).
Blessings, Dave and Alice
When we got there we found Suresh had recovered somewhat but still had to see a doctor. He took some persuasion and only agreed after Dave spoke to him. He went to hospital and they changed some of his medication. He spent the night in Kandy too exhausted to come back to Bellwood. Please pray for him as he still needs healing.
The team spent the evening playing a hilarious game of Trivial Pursuit which the women's team won!!
We waited up until midnight but the drivers did not return until about 2.00pm from taking Suresh into Kandy.
Throughout the evening we had 1000's of bugs somewhat resembling flying ants only about 10 times bigger flying into the room through the ventilation between the walls and the roof. The men attempted to clear the room especially Ian, Dave and Bob C with the aid of brooms and flip flops. It made a very funny photo opportunity!
Today Ian, Dave, Sue J, both Helens and Alice have come into Kandy to shop with Mercy and Danny. This gave us the opportunity to visit Suresh at his sister-in-law's and to catch up with his medical news (see above). We've looked at a lot of shops and now we are due to go back to Bellwood with food for 28 including the team and the students and staff at Bellwood for a final farewell meal. Tomorrow we will be heading for Columbo where we are due to stay in a hotel before flying on Thursday. Hopefully we will be able to get hot showers in mud free water for a change!
The two Bobs have stayed in Bellwood with Sue C today. The two Bobs are working with the students on the new chicken shed. They will be laying the foundations in the morning and if we are able to we will build the concrete block walls this evening. That depends on the rain holding off and the concrete foundations setting well enough to take the weight. The chicken shed is on a very steep hill on a flat place with magnificent views and just below the tea bushes. This morning there were a team of three workers picking the tea ready for processing. Helen L spent some time with them learning how to pick the right leaves.
We will try and put some photos on but have been unsuccessful for a couple of days as the connections are slow and unreliable. If they don't come through it will be because we've had to leave to catch up with the shoppers.
We miss you all at home and are really looking forward to being back with you again and sharing our stories and photos. God has really blessed our time and already are hearing very encouraging reports from the pastors all over the island that we have worked with (either them or in their churches).
Blessings, Dave and Alice
Monday, 9 November 2009
Saturday 7th November to Monday 9th November
Hi everyone, it has been three days since we last got the opportunity to post an update, so we need to catch up!
Saturday: We left the hotel in the town where we were ministering and went to the YMCA, where we ministered to 80-100 children and mothers using songs, drama, facepainting, balloons and games. Great time of ministry to some people with very difficult lives though poverty and other things.
The people there fed us lunch and then we started the journey back to Bellwood, which was horrendous! We drove for many miles on very rough roads in torrential rain. We wore through the rubber on the tyres on one of the two vans so that the canvas was showing by the time we got home.
We stopped in Kandy for a meal on the way home and said goodbye to the second minibus driver who we were able to give Christian literature to (written of course in his own language). When you hire a minibus here it comes with its own driver!
We continued the journey to Bellwood in our own bus, crammed in with extra people and luggage. We arrived safely nonetheless.
Sunday: Helen L, Rob E and Ian went to the sister Church in a town nearby and ministered there. Helen F, the two Sues and Bob C stayed at Bellwood with Dave and Alice for the service there. Helen F gave her testimony and the team did a drama. Dave preached and the two Sureshes translated. Dave even built a head wobble into his culturally relevant jokes, which each Suresh had to translate (one into Sinhalese and the other into Tamil)
The worship at Bellwood was fantastic and the presence of the Holy Spirit was amazing. This was also the case at the other church. Bob E really connected with the congregation when he shareed his testimony, Ian preached about having a purpose, and the team prayed for many of the church members who pressed forward eagerly for a blessing.
The Monsoon rains started at the end of the service at Bellwood, and we sat in our 'prayer room' which has a large glass wall and watched the rain and lightning whilst we waited and prayed for safety for the team to come back as the roads had turned to rivers.
Suresh senior became pretty ill during the afternoon, please pray for him as he is suffering badly from stress related ill health. Dave has been ministering to him all week, and both he and Mercy have had some really powerful encounters with God during the mission, and both are improving daily. Mercy has slept all night every night for the past 8 days, something that she has not been able to manage for the past two years!
We worked out the material needs for the small building project that we will be beginning over Monday and Tuesday, and ordered or gathered the various building stuff like cement, cement blocks, ballast etc and worked on the plans for the new chicken shed. We relaxed in the afternoon whilst the rain stopped. In the evening we were presented with a Sri Lankan 'English' roast chicken dinner, once more eating our own chickens from Bellwood's farm!
Monday: The team's first half day off! We went to an elephant orphanage where elephants are rescued from areas troubled historically by civil war. One or two had lost limbs to minefields, but mostly they were rescued as babies that had lost their parents to the mines or poachers. We had a great morning at the river where 50 or so elephants washed and cooled down. After lunch we headed back to Kandy where we are now in this internet cafe. If the monsoon stops for long enough we will be setting the foundations for the cement block walls to be buiilt tomorrow. The students, it must be said are doing the heavy labour and will have moved all the material, cleared the undergrowth and dug the trench for the foundations!
God bless, Dave
Saturday: We left the hotel in the town where we were ministering and went to the YMCA, where we ministered to 80-100 children and mothers using songs, drama, facepainting, balloons and games. Great time of ministry to some people with very difficult lives though poverty and other things.
The people there fed us lunch and then we started the journey back to Bellwood, which was horrendous! We drove for many miles on very rough roads in torrential rain. We wore through the rubber on the tyres on one of the two vans so that the canvas was showing by the time we got home.
We stopped in Kandy for a meal on the way home and said goodbye to the second minibus driver who we were able to give Christian literature to (written of course in his own language). When you hire a minibus here it comes with its own driver!
We continued the journey to Bellwood in our own bus, crammed in with extra people and luggage. We arrived safely nonetheless.
Sunday: Helen L, Rob E and Ian went to the sister Church in a town nearby and ministered there. Helen F, the two Sues and Bob C stayed at Bellwood with Dave and Alice for the service there. Helen F gave her testimony and the team did a drama. Dave preached and the two Sureshes translated. Dave even built a head wobble into his culturally relevant jokes, which each Suresh had to translate (one into Sinhalese and the other into Tamil)
The worship at Bellwood was fantastic and the presence of the Holy Spirit was amazing. This was also the case at the other church. Bob E really connected with the congregation when he shareed his testimony, Ian preached about having a purpose, and the team prayed for many of the church members who pressed forward eagerly for a blessing.
The Monsoon rains started at the end of the service at Bellwood, and we sat in our 'prayer room' which has a large glass wall and watched the rain and lightning whilst we waited and prayed for safety for the team to come back as the roads had turned to rivers.
Suresh senior became pretty ill during the afternoon, please pray for him as he is suffering badly from stress related ill health. Dave has been ministering to him all week, and both he and Mercy have had some really powerful encounters with God during the mission, and both are improving daily. Mercy has slept all night every night for the past 8 days, something that she has not been able to manage for the past two years!
We worked out the material needs for the small building project that we will be beginning over Monday and Tuesday, and ordered or gathered the various building stuff like cement, cement blocks, ballast etc and worked on the plans for the new chicken shed. We relaxed in the afternoon whilst the rain stopped. In the evening we were presented with a Sri Lankan 'English' roast chicken dinner, once more eating our own chickens from Bellwood's farm!
Monday: The team's first half day off! We went to an elephant orphanage where elephants are rescued from areas troubled historically by civil war. One or two had lost limbs to minefields, but mostly they were rescued as babies that had lost their parents to the mines or poachers. We had a great morning at the river where 50 or so elephants washed and cooled down. After lunch we headed back to Kandy where we are now in this internet cafe. If the monsoon stops for long enough we will be setting the foundations for the cement block walls to be buiilt tomorrow. The students, it must be said are doing the heavy labour and will have moved all the material, cleared the undergrowth and dug the trench for the foundations!
God bless, Dave
Friday, 6 November 2009
YESTERDAY'S BLOG AND COMMENTS
Hi everyone. We removed yesterday's blog and will rewrite it again. If you left a comment please write it again. We realised that we may have been too specific about a sensitive situation here and didn't want to compromise the folk here.
Everyone up and out, hired another minibus. Much speculation about what the smell is. Rumour has it that Ian has a new aftershave. Stopped at several places to try and get some breakfast but couldn't find anywhere that did anything but Sri Lankan breakfasts so had to get biscuits. While we were there we saw a beautiful lizard looking at us from a tree.
In the middle of the jungle we were stopped by security about 3 times. We went through a formal war zone.
At hotel, the best in the town. Weather very hot and humid but rooms cool and comfortable. Lunch rice, chicken, beef and veg. At 4 in afternoon Ian, Dave, Alice, Sue J and Helen L all went to pastors meeting. It was a short minibus ride to a Methodist church. Looked quaint and English and the bricks looked like York stone and it had a proper stone floor and wooden pulpit! Dave spoke on Gideon and spoke about leadership qualities which was excellent.
There were roughly 20 men and 10 women all pastors and wives.
After Dave's teaching the team prayed with them and we had fellowship with them with food! Spicy fish sandwiches and fish rolls.
We were asked to pray for a widow of a pastor. Her circumstances left us feeling quite shattered and challenged.
It was a great day especially travelling from the height of the tea plantations right down to almost sea level through the jungle.
Everyone up and out, hired another minibus. Much speculation about what the smell is. Rumour has it that Ian has a new aftershave. Stopped at several places to try and get some breakfast but couldn't find anywhere that did anything but Sri Lankan breakfasts so had to get biscuits. While we were there we saw a beautiful lizard looking at us from a tree.
In the middle of the jungle we were stopped by security about 3 times. We went through a formal war zone.
At hotel, the best in the town. Weather very hot and humid but rooms cool and comfortable. Lunch rice, chicken, beef and veg. At 4 in afternoon Ian, Dave, Alice, Sue J and Helen L all went to pastors meeting. It was a short minibus ride to a Methodist church. Looked quaint and English and the bricks looked like York stone and it had a proper stone floor and wooden pulpit! Dave spoke on Gideon and spoke about leadership qualities which was excellent.
There were roughly 20 men and 10 women all pastors and wives.
After Dave's teaching the team prayed with them and we had fellowship with them with food! Spicy fish sandwiches and fish rolls.
We were asked to pray for a widow of a pastor. Her circumstances left us feeling quite shattered and challenged.
It was a great day especially travelling from the height of the tea plantations right down to almost sea level through the jungle.
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Roller coaster day!!
Out for breakfast at a Tamil cafe called Milanos, curry for breakfast great! with egg & halepino chillies in a roll. Fuel to go to the tea plantations for the baptisms this morning.
Three people from one family, who recently gave their lives to Christ. The water for the baptisms is held in a concrete trough in a concrete shed. We sang songs and prayed together, while everyone celebrated. Dave baptised the father, Ian did Mum and Bob E baptised the daughter. The family grow vegetable and pick tea for an income and live a very simple life, with few possessions.
We are 6,000 feet above sea level here and often find ourselves in the clouds themselves. Left and went straight to the government school, access to the school was via a muddy slope which they were still preparing as we arrived. 130 children were in attendance and were very excited to see us. We taught them a really great way of saying hello in English with actions. We had them all laughing and joining in the action songs. The 2 Bobs introduced themselves to the children, Bob E demonstrated that he wears a hearing aid and took it out to show the children. Bob C not to be out done took out his teeth!!!! Much to the amusement of the children, not to mention us. They did'nt want us to leave and neither did we.
Just down the road, outside the tea leaf weighing station, where local people tend to congregate
and the lady tea pickers collect their wages. The monsoon rain had started but this did not put them or us off from singing and sharing our stories of how God has changed our lives. They listened intently and stood there for a long time, many without shoes on their feet, including children as young as 2. Pastor Charles looks after this area and although we had to leave he will continue to work with the people of the this village. We found it difficult to believe they would stand in the rain all that time, after a hard days work. AMAZING BUT TOUCHING.
After dinner we visited Suresh juniors family home in Nuwara Eliya, they welcomed us with us tea and bananas from their garden. He was very proud of his family and we felt very privileged to visit them. Back to the hotel after a long day with another early start tomorrow.
Three people from one family, who recently gave their lives to Christ. The water for the baptisms is held in a concrete trough in a concrete shed. We sang songs and prayed together, while everyone celebrated. Dave baptised the father, Ian did Mum and Bob E baptised the daughter. The family grow vegetable and pick tea for an income and live a very simple life, with few possessions.
We are 6,000 feet above sea level here and often find ourselves in the clouds themselves. Left and went straight to the government school, access to the school was via a muddy slope which they were still preparing as we arrived. 130 children were in attendance and were very excited to see us. We taught them a really great way of saying hello in English with actions. We had them all laughing and joining in the action songs. The 2 Bobs introduced themselves to the children, Bob E demonstrated that he wears a hearing aid and took it out to show the children. Bob C not to be out done took out his teeth!!!! Much to the amusement of the children, not to mention us. They did'nt want us to leave and neither did we.
Just down the road, outside the tea leaf weighing station, where local people tend to congregate
and the lady tea pickers collect their wages. The monsoon rain had started but this did not put them or us off from singing and sharing our stories of how God has changed our lives. They listened intently and stood there for a long time, many without shoes on their feet, including children as young as 2. Pastor Charles looks after this area and although we had to leave he will continue to work with the people of the this village. We found it difficult to believe they would stand in the rain all that time, after a hard days work. AMAZING BUT TOUCHING.
After dinner we visited Suresh juniors family home in Nuwara Eliya, they welcomed us with us tea and bananas from their garden. He was very proud of his family and we felt very privileged to visit them. Back to the hotel after a long day with another early start tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
