Kidsreach

Mission Trip to Far East Russia - 29 December to 9 January

2011-01-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

Minus 39 degrees

David at Lenin Park beside an ice sculpture

Christmas Party at the Children's Centre

Students

David lecturing

Children's Ministry Centre - for Street Kids

Report Part 1.

I am now half way through the trip. I have already met so people who really amaze me. They live in such a completely different world to me and live in such incredible hardship.They have suffered in ways I cannot imagine. They are people I have never met before yet despite all that, I feel like I have known them all my life, such is the sense of friendship they have shown and deep commitment to the same things I am committed to.

Weather

Snow is right up to the window sills. It is very cold although the locals are saying that it is warm for this time of the year! Temperature seems to sit at between minus 17 and minus 27 although they tell me it can get to minus 35 degrees Celsius at night.

So far I have visited one of the Children’s Service Centre’s set up by the NZ missionary who invited me here (you can see the photo of the building covered in snow), preached in a local Baptist Church and now I am half way through the SCC – which is the real reason I am here.

SCC

There is an openness and a willingness to learn at this school that I have found quite amazing, despite the difficult language problem that inevitably we struggle with. We ended up with 27 students; mostly these are people who work with deeply troubled children.

Christmas

One of the great things about being here is I have got to celebrate Christmas three times. First at home on 25^th December. Then in Russia on 31 December (the communists tried to do away with Christmas so they celebrate New Year instead in the same way) and then on the 7 December which is when the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas. I am not sure if all these Christmas puddings are very good for me!!

State of Children

· On a sad note, the state of children here is desperate. The delegates of the school are struggling for answers. There are so many stories of children who have been affected by divorce (75 per cent of couples divorce), alcoholism (unofficial figures is that 75 per cent of the adults are alcoholics) and horrific abuse. The stories of abuse by parents and teachers on children are like I have not heard before.

· There are large numbers of children in orphanages, many of whom are not orphans but have been left by their parents and their life is not good.

· There are families who live on the streets.

· Children who have been diagnosed with mental retardation – which in many cases would not be considered to have a handicap in the West but rather they are struggling because they have been deprived of basic needs, and are prejudiced in education and employment.

· Many children in orphanages are abused and forced into crime. Many of the children who have been through the orphanage system do not live that long once they are left to their own devices. Thirty percent of them have committed suicide within a few years.

Well that is why I am here – to support those incredible workers who are trying so hard to make a difference.

Second Half Report

Well all too soon the trip is just about over. The course has finished with the delegates testifying that they had never heard anything like the teaching they have received. And it did seem to be extremely well received.

Thankfully my book: ‘Caring and Sharing’, was translated for them and has been distributed in note form – so they have that resource to go on with.

There was such a precious sense of God’s presence on the last day as God ministered to all the delegates. They shared incredible stories of gratitude for my coming. I passed on to them that without the support of those who helped me get here and who have been praying for me, it would not have been possible.

I will be glad to be home in the warm of Australia again. Temperature dropped to minus 39 degrees on Friday!

Home to a Holiday

Over the next two weeks, Therese, Maurice and I will be having a holiday when we hope to take in a beach or two!! . Jono is continuing to work and prepare for his first year at Uni.

Thanks for your continued support and prayers.

David Goodwin

Christmas Greetings from Therese and David Goodwin and Kidsreach.

2010-12-23T00:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

2010 has been an incredible year at Kidsreach – like no other. I must admit that at the start of the year I was a bit fearful of all our projects, how they would be provided for, etc. As it turned out, it was a year when we had to totally trust in God and God came through.

This year we have been blessed to have ministered in 9 different countries with over 700 leaders attending week long training schools. Many more hundreds attended one day seminars and thousands attended conferences and meetings. But that is not the end of it! As this year finishes and the new year starts, I will be in Siberia training 40 leaders who work with some very needy children.

It is a humbling experience to train and resource leaders in countries that have far far worse conditions than we do in NZ and Australia . Many of these people have become real friends.

For those who have given towards our mission effort, thank you so very much.

We are praying for you as you enjoy Christmas with your family and friends and hope you all get a holiday.

Therese and I will be away from 14-26 January.

We thank you for being a part of the Kidsreach family. We look forward to working with you again in 2011.

God bless you,

David and Therese Goodwin

Director

Ministry Opportunity in NZ

Kidsreach has a need for someone to give about 2 days a month (spread over the month – doesn't have to be in one block) to assist in our growing missions program. It would suit someone with administration and spreadsheet skills and a passion for children and missions. Please email David for more details. David. kidsreach@gmail.com

The Christmas Story

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. - Isaiah 9:6

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria .) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David , because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savoir has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.'

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about.' So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about the child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen which were just as they had been told."

Luke 2:1-17

Thanks for your Patience the Year

Some of you may not realise how we operate at Kidsreach. We do not have staff in Australia . I work from home and so if we have not always attended to your needs as efficiently as we might have, then I apologise. We do value your friendship and custom.

Mission to PNG 7-16 November 2010, New Ireland Province

2010-11-23T21:42:00.000-08:00

A church like no other

Everyone came to the meetings

Conference Meetings

Conference Delegates New Ireland 2010

Regional Children’s Ministry Conference and School of Children’s Counselling

Pastor David Goodwin Reporting

From the time of the opening meeting it is hard to describe the atmosphere of joy and expectation that there was in this place.

This was my first trip to New Ireland, a beautiful Island to the northeast of mainland Papua New Guinea. . The location is at a Uniting Church Bible College, right on the beach. In the main hall where the meetings will be held, there is no floor, only beach sand. The 150 attending will camp in tents and buildings around the campus. The only place to wash for the 9 days will be the sea water at the beach. It is extremely hot and humid here - about as hot and uncomfortable as I have ever experienced but it does not matter as you feel the atmosphere of praise, worship and expectations. There is beautiful singing (The Island people of PNG really know how to sing and harmonize). The people here have been praying for this for a long time. All the pastors and ministers of Kavieng are present to join in the opening ceremony. This is truly a multi-denominational occasion. God has The children are also here – from all the churches, welcoming us in with a magnificent joyful welcome with timbrels, singing and dance. You might even see a frog or crab or gecko making their way across the stage area.

I spoke at 16 sessions during the conference. The evenings were full on ministry times with teaching during the day. On Sunday There was a combined church service with hundreds of children all come to be prayed for. In the middle of my message I noticed how intently the children were listening. I thought this is the Spirit of God but then some started to laugh and to point at my head. A gecko had climbed up my back and onto my head and stayed there until I brushed him off.

Every child was prayed for. It was wonderful to see the children touched by God.

The School of Counseling was the second event with all the delegates staying on to learn basic principles in helping children. For many of them even learning how to listen to a child and connect with them, it was a very new experience.

Praise God for an awesome 10 days. But I was glad to get back on an air conditioned plane!

My next trip to PNG is in April 2011. This time it will be in the cool highlands.

Kidsreach Mission Appeal to Siberia

2010-11-23T21:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Kidsreach Supporter

Greetings

I have accepted an invitation to go to Siberia by a NZ missionary who serves as the Director of the Children's Rights Organisation. Here is is part of the invitaiton:

The need here is urgent, as many churches and our own organisation work with children from very disfunctional families and from orphanages where there is a great deal of child abuse officially ignored, most of the time. In consequence many of the children we deal with are seriously damaged and need special understanding and ministry but we are very ill-equipped to provide this. We need much teaching and knowledge about how to build relationships with such children and how to see them set free from the inner hurts and the consequences of abuse over many years.

There is very little available in the way of healing ministry for adults here and none at all for children, so your ministry will be foundational for most of the people coming. In addition, whereas in western societies there is a basic knowledge od things psychological and access to counselling information, that is totally lacking here and people do not know where to turn for help when they become Christians and realize that there are problems. As an indication of this, I would mention that the Russian government is only now setting up a new profession - social workers. There have never been such people in this society before! Not that that would be the answer to the many problems that exist - but at least it would be something!

In short, I would urge you to come as we have discussed, and we will trust the Lord to make it possible for as many people as possible to take part in the training programme. I also trust that you will be able to find personal sponsorship to cover your costs of travelling to and from Russia .

Date of Visit: 28 December – 8 January
Budget: Airfare cost: $3000.00
Accommodation and resources $500
Total appeal $3500

Any money raised over this amount will be used to purchase resources.

May God bless you

David Goodwin

How to Donate

New Zealand
Online or Branch deposit
Account name Kidsreach
Bank Westpac
BSB 031531
Account 0035418 02

Post
Kidsreach
POB 305
Waikanae

Australia
Online or Branch deposit
Account name Kidsreach
Bank ANZ
BSB 012874
Account 109319242

Post
Kidsreach
POB 265
North Richmond NSW 2754

For online donations, please put:'Siberia' and your surname for your reference and email us to let us know you have done this david.kidsreach@gmail.com

For postal donations and online, please include your name and address for receipting.

Germany and Finland October 2010

2010-10-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

David arrived in Germany on Tuesday after leaving Therese at Singapore who flew back to Sydney while he completes the next part of the trip, Finland and Germany.
The main task in Germany is to take part in a consultation for a new curriculum that is being written for teens in China. The impact of this will be immense so it is worth the time. It turned out to be a great time of sharing and helping them take it to the next stage.

Friday morning (15/10/10) David arrived in Finland to snow! This wasn’t expected, even by the locals so it was stop at the next shop to buy a warm jacket and a couple of jumpers.

In Finland David is taking a 5 day School of Children’s Counseling (80 delegates) after which he is taking part in various discussions with children’s ministry leaders, and doing a weekend seminar and ministry in Lahti.

In the photo you can see the delegates with some snow in the background. The location is a Bible College facility. Beautiful surrounds with a lake in the background. Couldn’t be more beautiful!

A Christian television station is talking about doing a 1.5-3 hour program with me on Friday!! Thanks for your prayers.

More Photos Indonesia

2010-10-13T01:42:00.000-07:00

Indonesia Photos

2010-10-13T01:23:00.000-07:00

David and Therese in Indonesia October 2010

2010-10-13T00:58:00.000-07:00

Travel
David and Therese flew out of Sydney first thing Saturday morning 2nd October, enjoying the great service on the new Singapore airlines A380. We will not mention how many movies David watched but it was 3!

From Singapore it was a quick trip to Surabaya, East Java and a relief when all our resources got through customs without any problem.

From there we were picked up by Pastor Lexy and his wife Lies (pronounced 'A-lis'), were at the airport to pick us up and take us on the 3 hour drive high up in the hill country. They are a lovely couple who run 'Salmat' in Batu – a beautiful children’s ministry training and resource centre high up in the mountains. People travel there from all over the country for training as well as resources.

No road rules it seemed, and people ducking in and out of the traffic begging. Three lanes of traffic, with trucks, and vans and millions of motorbikes, oh my goodness, if you are not used to it, it is best to keep the eyes closed.

The training centre at Batu is lovely. The temperature is pleasant, around 22 or 23 most of the time, much easier to live with than down in the lower parts of the country.

Very quickly we discovered that every mosque has a loud speaker! The chanting starts at 3.30 am and goes for half an hour. It is a good time to have our own worship time.

At 6am a worker arrives at the door with 2 buckets of hot water for us to have a throw-over bath, so that’s a bit different, just like camping.

The people are lovely, they are so helpful. The food is delicious, every meal is lovely, all prepared by a group of beautiful workers who seem to take delight in serving in this way. “Are we really on the Mission Field?” we are tempted to ask.

Monday to Tuesday
We had our opening ceremony Monday afternoon and the first meeting Monday night. Therese was asked to sing at the opening ceremony and will be singing every day at some of the sessions, which is great; she is going to enjoy that.

David is speaking all day every day, on various counselling subjects, which include
• Defining Pastoral Care
• Families under pressure
• Self esteem
• Working with volunteers
• Team building
• Strategies to deal with anger
• Trauma, crisis counselling
• Grief
• Forgiveness
• Connection and attachment
• Burnout
• Kids Keep Safe, helping abused kids, safety and protection policies.

In between times he has had a few counselling appointments as well.

Forty three delegates are registered for the conference plus a few staff and helpers -about 50 in total.

The delegates come from various organisations that specialise in helping children and families, as well as churches. They receive a certificate at the end of the week. Only a few speak any English so all the meetings are through interpreter. We have two interpreters who work very hard. Cecile and Deborah.

Wednesday- Thursday
Therese was asked to take devotions on Wednesday morning and spoke about the woman who broke the alabaster box and poured out the precious perfume over Jesus, and I spoke about our need to pour out our praise and worship to him for all he has done for us.

On Thursday night, David spoke what it really means to forgive. This was after the session on child abuse. We discover the delegates here have come because they desire to help others, but a lot of them are broken and wounded themselves, and as they came forward to forgive, God ministered to them in a very powerful way. There were many, many tears. We asked them to symbolically break a stick – meaning to give up the need for revenge against those that had hurt them.

After this it was camp fire time which included worship and putting their broken sticks on the fire.

Then came an amazing time of fun and celebration. Each province in Indonesia has their own traditional dances. So we sang and danced together!

We were asked to end the segment with a dance, but because we don’t dance together, it was pretty abysmal. Not a good representation of Australia or NZ I am afraid! Therese suggested at one stage that David did the Haka but that wasn’t going to happen!

We improvised and then everyone joined in with whatever it was we were doing. Watch out for the video!

Next, we all sat down around the fire, and prayed for each province represented after a spokesperson from each shared what the needs were. It was a very precious time. We finished off by worshipping the Lord. I could not believe we were where we were, the lights from the town twinkling below us, our hands raised praying for this beautiful country.

Friday
Friday morning David spoke on burnout. We had another ministry time with the delegates, and Therese shared a brief testimony with them her own experience of burnout and recovery, which was really the first time she had done it in this kind of situation, and as we prayed for those who had responded, the Holy Spirit ministered. The conference finished on Friday afternoon with everyone receiving their certificates.

Saturday
This morning, Saturday, we had a meeting for the 15 workers who more or less work full time at Sarfat. They had missed out on all the sessions because they were serving behind the scenes all week.

David spoke about the body of Christ and the gifts that God has given each one of us and asked them to make a hat out of paper and write the particular attribute on it that they felt was the most important contribution to the team. Together we then made a ‘living sculpture’ of where each attribute fitted in the picture of the ministry. Pastor Lexy said everyone was spot on with their own personal attribute and Lies said that it was wonderful for the team to realise those things for themselves and to see how each ones gift contributes to the whole ministry here. It was a wonderful time.

Then it was off to Malang and shopping, the traffic once again causing Therese emotional traumas as we witnessed the seemingly millions of drivers – mainly on motorbikes. Most of them were loaded to the max with anything and everything. One bike we saw had an enormous cage of gas cylinders! What was hard to accept was the bikes with whole families which usually included small children.

In the evening we ministered at a youth night for the children from the orphanage. These children were all rescued from trouble spots several years ago in a nearby province, some of whom saw their own parents killed. They are from between 12 and 18 years of age now. Pastor Lexy built the orphanage which is situated near the Bible College.

David started the evening with a game which ended up quite riotous. They loved it. After worship, Therese sang Amazing grace, and for the second time this trip called upon her fairly dormant guitar skills for accompaniment.

Their singing was amazing, so beautiful.

David shared with them an amazing mission’s story from his Sri Lanka experiences. Through that he shared with them that God gives to each one of his children a call to go and share the Gospel, and that God was also calling them to a mission in life. He asked them if they wanted to say ‘yes’ to Jesus to come forward. They all did, and as we moved around the kids praying for them, many kids cried as God ministered to them.

It is astounding to us the sadness’s children go through. We had relatively happy childhoods with wonderful parents and it is hard to even think about what so many children experience.

Jesus truly is the great healer, the great deliverer and the God of new beginnings. He gives beauty for ashes. The kids left tonight just full of joy

Sunday- Monday
More news to come….

Pastor's Conference and off to Ja-ela.

2010-08-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

Thursday dawned and David and Hilary headed off with some of the local team to one of the local Kandy churches for a day of speaking to and connecting with pastors from all the churches in the Kandy area. It was a day of promoting children's ministry and leadership equipping - encouraging the pastors to put their time and effort into the children of their congregations and community.

While the turnout was not as good as expected, the day went off really well and the pastors and their wives who were in attendance, were given much food for thought and encouragement to keep going with their efforts with children, as well as food for the body with a great lunch at the end.

With only one more conference to go on this trip, we packed up all the books and resources, as well as our personal luggage and waved farewell for this trip to the lovely, if not chaotic Kandy.

Ja-ela next stop.

Perehera and Elephant Adventures.

2010-08-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

A quick update about our night out on the town....and our day off in Kandy.
We caught a local bus into the Kandy city centre, much of the streets are blocked off and by the time we arrived most of the vantage points - both paid and free were completely taken. The last night is the biggest and the buddhist people believe that they will get a special blessing if they witness this last parade - so Kandy was completely full! With Asela and the local boys guiding us we walked through back lanes and around the outskirts to see if there was any places where we could see the festivities.

After walking and trying a few places, we finally found a road, way back from the middle but looking down over part of the parade. So we stopped, found something to eat and waited....and waited.... and the rain came...and went...and came....
and finally, the parade came into view - we could see the fire throwers, and people marching, but it was quite a long way away, so some of the boys went scouting and found a better place. So off we all went, wending our way through the crowds and the backstreets to very close to the middle. There was thousands of people already there, with a big screen showing the parade which is televised on the final night. But we worked our way through the crowd and got quite close to the action. With the kids on shoulders they could see over everyone but it was still hard to see over all the people.

Then the police came in numbers and started yelling for everyone to sit down, on the pavement or street...where ever they were. The problem being that people take up less room when they are standing and there was so many people crammed in that it was quite difficult to sit down. For a brief time we had front row seats, rather front row standing, and we all got see some dancers, maypole runners, drummers and brightly coloured and fairy light covered elephants. But after a couple of minutes the police were back yelling and forcing people to sit or move so we had to sit down and could no longer see very well. We decided we'd had enough excitement for one night and squeezed through all the people and back to the buses. As it turned out, the Williamses got two more chances to see the Perehera as it is performed during the next day at some of the other temples in Kandy in the morning, and then one last time in the afternoon in the city centre - which they saw while munching down on some KFC (another thing ticked off the list of things to do in Sri Lanka).

The next day we had a rest day - which we spent catching up on washing or shopping or the Williams arranged to pay a visit to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. A huge population of tame elephants who are fed, and then watered twice a day to the great delight of many tourists who come along to see it every day. While it's not possible to get too close to them most of the time, it is fun to watch them go down to a shallow river flat and wallow around in the water. There was also the opportunity for the whole family to have a ride on an elephant and Ebonie's highlight for the whole trip was when the elephant sucked up a great trunkful of water and sprayed it all over them as they sat on its back. It really was a great day for everyone, whether out and about or just taking it easy close to 'home'.

Kandy Perehera - many elephants from around Sri Lanka come to Kandy and wear their sunday best.

Bath time at the orphanage.

A chance to get up close to a baby elephant.

A study in opposites!

All Aboard!

Nuwara Eliya Conference!

2010-08-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy time over here. We left Ampara and travelled for 7 hours back to Kandy with a dinner stop in the middle. The van carrying the Australian team overheated on the steep, windy road and the bus was down to 3 out of 5 nuts on one of the wheels. Needless to say, we were praying all the way back.
We were all asleep by about 1.30 - 2.00am, and then David, Hilary and Sarah were straight back into it with preaching at three different churches in and around Kandy, being picked up from 6.45am.

After preaching and lunch with the various churches, we packed the bus once again and headed south to Nuwara Eliya...high in the tea plantation region of Sri Lanka. We discovered that it is really quite cool up there - especially compared to Trinco, Batticaloa and Ampara. We stayed in a mission house right next door to the church which was hosting the conference, a place which also provided our meals. It was lovely to have everything so close and convenient. We were also within short walking distance from the centre of town.

The conference was slow to start with people dribbling in over the first session, to about 70 people in total. We found that the mostly Tamil population were quieter and and more serious than the previous conferences - but very keen to learn and take in everything we had to say. Everything went well with all the workshops - although it seems that a few team members had caught a cold along the way and so Yan and David took things easy and it was great to be able to go back to our accomodation during the conference for a time of rest if needed.
Given the temperature and the rain which was on and off for most of the time, we took the opportunity to go shopping down in the main town for some good quality and very reasonably priced jackets and jumpers.

Shanthi finished off the conference with her Heart of God message and a time of prayer for all the delegates and we were back on the road again - Yan and Michelle making sure that we we left on time...we had to get back to Kandy as early as possible because it's the last night of the Kandy Perehera - the big Buddhist festival when the tooth relic of the Buddha comes out on the back of the biggest tusker elephant. The festival gets longer and more elaborate as the parade continues, over 20 nights, so the last night is the biggest and most chaotic for Kandy city. Roads closed, police everywhere, carnivals dotted around town, checkpoints - the Prime Minister and the President of Sri Lanka in attendance. We made it back in quick time and Sarah and the Williams family went with the boys on the local team out to see the parade. A story in its own right. But it sure is good to be back in Kandy and we have a couple of rest days before our last conference in Ja-ela.

Michelle's Workshop

Hilary's Workshop

The Nuwara Eliya Conference

The Williams Family 2010

Beautiful Sri Lankan Tea Plantations

Ampara Kids Camp a great success!

2010-08-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

Well the Ampara Kids Camp was a great success. Thank you for all your prayers, it was a bit of a worrying start. We arrived and a huge storm broke and the boys worked hard in the pouring rain to get all our equipment and bags undercover. Not good for us, but this was the first rain they have had since April. Also the power kept cutting out, due to the rain, and we were concerned that we would be running the camp without power, and possibly without water. We started praying and sent out requests for others to pray also. And it turned out so well...but rather than me talk again...here's what the team had to say...

Ebonie
Good Food - Yummy!
My favourite part was the action songs. The kids got right into it - and me too.

Micah
I really enjoyed the part where all the boys started rumbling and tickling me.

Hilary
My favourite moment was when all the boys just kept asking Micah to pray for them and also when the leaders wanted to do the same craft as the kids, and get the free sunglasses too.
Having 20 kids respond to the gospel message was a highlight.
Hearing what some of the kids had to do to get to the camp...left at 3am, walk 2 km thru the jungle to get to the main road. Then travel by public bus to the town where the camp was, and walk in from there.

Shanthi
One of the pastors who brought children to the camp, called to let us know that the kids were testifying in church the next morning about what a great time they had, and what God had done in their life. The leaders also told us that this was a very good camp for them and their children, it was balanced.

Thanuja
Worship times and craft times - I liked to see the small children painting their bags. I also thought that the main talks by Sister Dharshi, Sister Sarah and Aunty Shanthi.

Janet
Most of the Hindu people they experienced Jesus Christ at the camp, this was a good thing.

Dharshini
Talent night - talent was really on show. Great dancing. Great singing. Great drama from the Kidsreach team.
Watching the kids get into the games session.

Sarah
One of the new Kidsreach team members, quite a shy young man, got up the courage
to run a game with all the kids for the first time.
I loved praying for the local leaders who brought their kids to the camp...they are going back to difficult situations and we prayed for them. It was great to encourage them and partner with them in speaking into the lives of the children.

Michelle
The drama was very funny - The Kidsreach team.
The faces of the children at the end...it was a joy to see them so happy - it makes all the travel worthwhile.

Yan
The children started off sitting towards the back, but by the end they were sitting right up the front. Their enthusiasm grew as the camp went on.

Harsha
I really enjoyed the games times, and the worship times, we were able to make a good connection with the kids.

Daniel
Talent night was lots of fun.
Worship time and prayer times.
Boys were enjoying the games.
Last day everyone was involved in worship - I thought that was a very good day.

Chathura
He was able to pray for the non Christian kids, they asked for prayer and I prayed from my heart.

Please pray that the seeds that were sown will take root. That the good work will be sealed by the Holy Spirit. That the leaders and children will be protected and strengthened against persecution in their home villages.

Here are the photo's which often speak louder than words...

Dharshini's Talk - "Let me introduce you to my friend..."

Action Songs for everyone!

Games time was awesome!

Big Kid Yan!

There were squeals all round with the parachute games.

Each child spent a long time creating a beautiful bag to take home.

The games session was one of the highlights for the kids and us.

Micah and Ebonie had us all laughing with the Mad Professor Skit for Talent Night.

The kids got up to do songs, dances and dramas too...they were all very good.

Making photo frames was a big hit - and every child got to take home a photo with their group.

Spot the Micah!!!

The times of prayer with the kids were very special.

Shanthi gave a great talk to finish..."You are a gift of God"

Sunglasses...The gift of instant cool!

We finished with gifts for all the kids...what a great way to finish a great camp!

Some of the kids from the camp

Batticaloa Conference...

2010-08-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Well the Batticaloa conference is now finished, and it was a great time of fellowship and learning with around 110 delegates from around the region. This conference also included about a dozen leaders from the Ampara district who came along in order to receive training for the Ampara Children's camp which will be held on Friday and Saturday of this week. The conference program was almost the same as the Trinco conference, with the addition of some workshops for the Ampara leaders. Batticaloa was greatly affected by the Tsunami in 2004/05 and there is still a lot of rebuilding going on of roads and infrastructure.

We were graciously hosted by the pastors of the church where the conference was being held - Pastor Roshan and Sister Michelle, and they also allowed us to use the church every evening as a place to eat our dinner - which we bought in the local takeaway.

The first day of the conference, the Kidsreach local team found themselves hosting a children's program along side the conference program for a number of kids who turned up thinking the conference was a children's event. Despite the very short notice, they did a great job and the kids had lots of fun.

As with Trincomalee, the Games session run by Hilary was a great success and we have decided to incorporate some more games throughout the program because they are so effective at breaking down the barriers that can keep the delegates from getting involved and mixing with one another. The keynote session that Pastor David gave on how to minister to boys was met with great interest by the almost exclusively female delegates, and really highlighted the problem of being relevant to boys in our programs as it has a flow on effect for the number of men who are attending and ministering in church as adults.

All in all the conference was a success. Our initial concerns about having enough interpreters, given the primarily Tamil speaking attendance was put to rest by having a number of delegates who were able to step in and they all did a great job.

Tomorrow is a rest day - a visit to another famous beach here on the east coast, then we are travelling to the children's camp the following day...Pastor David and Asela will be splitting off to go to Colombo for a 2 day seminar for Compassion workers and Escape workers on counselling children. Thanks for your comments ... we are reading them and it's good to know that people are following us as we move around. I have added photo's to the earlier posts so go back and see some of what I have been writing about. For now...goodnight and God bless.

Sunday and Travel...

2010-08-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

Pastor David preached at Trincomalee - a message about the ways that children protect themselves and how we as the church, can play a key role in reaching out to children who are hurting and vulnerable. His message is also a chance for people in the congregation to look into their own life and receive healing for hurts they have endured. So we finished the service with a prayer and ministry time for anyone that came forward. Shanthi and the local team also ran the children's program for the morning, and we spent some time praying with them for various needs such as healing and help with school work. After packing up and realising that we really needed to hire a van to get all the luggage and bookstall to our next location, we grabbed lunch and headed off - about a six hour journey to Batticaloa.

It was long dark by the time we arrived and we grabbed a quick bite to eat at the hotel restaurant before crawling into bed...Batticaloa conference starts first thing in the morning.

A weekend in Sri Lanka...

2010-08-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

Hi to you all...a quick update before I hit the sack...

After the Trinco conference, we piled into the bus and spent a couple of hours splashing around at the local beach. The first beach I have seen in Sri Lanka with a lifesaving outpost. We stayed until it was almost dark and everyone had a great time. For at least one of the local team - it was their first trip ever to the beach.

Saturday dawned bright and hot, and we had a day to see the sights and catch up on sleep/housekeeping stuff. It was a fun day, if not a little frustrating at times.

The bus left on Friday evening with two of the local team to go and pick Yan and Michelle up from the airport - a monster journey of around 7 hours right across the middle of the country, and then the same to get back again!

This meant that for our sightseeing, we arranged a local bus for the day. Well from the very beginning, the driver was going to try to run the show. We had made plans originally, but then decided to change them to make best use of our day off. He argued with us for 10 minutes about how he was only going to drive us according to the original schedule. We finally won through, only to have another big argument with him later on in the day. It was bizarre and bit tiresome as we were paying him to drive us for the whole day. When he did eventually drive us, we made a trip up to the hot springs, which is one of the attractions of Trincomalee. After arriving there we discovered that it was probably famous more because of it's significance to the Hindu religion than for anything else. It was interesting but a little disappointing. I think that the little market stalls on the way in and out were probably more interesting. Also, the boys from the local team sang all the way there and kept us clapping and singing, which was also a highlight of the trip.

After the hot springs, we came back into Trincomalee and went to look at Fort Frederick. A very old fort built by the Dutch, and now housing a Hindu Temple and some amazing views of the whole Trincomalee town, local district and the large harbour. Given the heat and the climb to get there, we were very glad the views were so good, and made it worth the effort to get there.

We decided, after the next big argument with the bus driver, to go up to Nilaveli beach - a beautiful beach to the north of Trinco, and have a swim and wait for the rest of the team to come and find us and go swimming also, after their very long trip to the airport. The beach was full of people - a very unusual thing to see in Sri Lanka, and lots of people were swimming too...an even more unusual sight. The beach is like an Australian beach - long and deep with white sand and small to medium sized waves. Micah and Ebonie were loving catching waves and splashing around. We stayed in the water for quite some time, waiting for our original bus to arrive...all the while watching as stormclouds gathered and moved towards us.

The rain eventually came, and we all made a dash for a little shed at the back of the beach so our clothes and towels didn't get wet. Most of the boys just stayed out in the rain, playing soccer, and then getting back in the water. We all kept waiting for the rain to ease, but it just kept going, and even got heavier so that by the time the others did arrive, at around dusk, it was really bucketing down. We made a trip back to the bus with some of the clothes...a distance of about a kilometre...and found that the path and carpark were starting to flood. Meanwhile, the rain had gotten even worse and had turned into a thunderstorm. We had to grab all our stuff and stumble back to the bus, through some substantial puddles, at times minor flooding and through the driving rain. It was quite an experience...and one we won't forget in a hurry. We all stood in the bus all the way back to the hotel, because we were all sopping wet and had no dry towels or clothes to get into. But it was very good to see Yan and Michelle who had come to look at the beach but had thankfully stayed in the bus and so were still dry. We all had a great day...it was nothing like we had expected...but was a very good day nonetheless.

Tomorrow...a day of ministry in the local church...rather than three of us preaching in three different churches, we're scheduled to all go to the one church - the church that hosted the conference, and Pastor David is preaching. Shanthi and the team have been asked to run the children's program aswell as the music for the adult service.

Well that wasn't so quick...but there was a bit to tell...so for now...I sleep...but I will bring you up to date some more tomorrow...with lots of love from us all over here in Sri Lanka!

Kidsreach Team 2010

Trincomalee Conference complete!!

2010-08-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

We have completed our first conference here in Sri Lanka. There have been lots of great times with the delegates and we know that God has been at work amongst us over the last two days. We have all now had a chance to speak our various talks and workshops and it is good to get into the speaking and teaching part of the trip.
Some of the highlights...

Shanthi spoke in the final session about God's heart for us and for children and we spent time praying for each delegate and also for each member of the team. It was a time of commitment and rededication to God and to ministry with children.

Getting to know the Pastors and their three lovely daughters who made us feel so welcome and are working tirelessly in Trincomalee to serve God and their community.

The games session run by Hilary was so much fun and all the delegates got right into it - especially some of the older women and also the young men who to that point had been quiet and sitting towards the back. Passing lifesavers from mouth to mouth on toothpicks was hotly contested, as was the balloon blow lolly chew relay.

Working through interpreters has been good, which is always a blessing, and given that this is a mostly Tamil speaking area, the interpreters have come mostly from the delegates and church members, and they have done a great job.

Both Micah and Ebonie gave a small talk to the whole conference and this was also a highlight - they both spoke well and with confidence, despite Ebonie feeling sick and Micah being very nervous beforehand.

We have a day of rest and seeing the local sights, then we are preaching in and around the local area at various churches...will update more later...we will also meet up with Yan and Michelle who are arriving in Sri Lanka on Saturday morning. YAY! It will be really good to be a complete team.

Trincomalee Conference...

2010-08-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

As I write this, Ebonie is doing her first talk in front of the whole conference - she is talking about the importance of children to Jesus and how that means that children are also important for us who work with children.

She has been sick on and off since we arrived, due to the travel and heat and food changes...and even this morning before she spoke she was sick but we all prayed with her and it is a great testimony to see her up in front of everyone - she speaks very well - clearly and with confidence. It is very refreshing to hear a child speaking with such maturity and authority. Micah will get a chance to speak tomorrow, and both of them will be presenting object lessons as the conferences progress.

There are about 120 delegates at this point, a good mixture of young and older, mostly women and some men. It is also a predominantly Tamil speaking area, so much of the translation will be with people who are attending the conference. We'll write some more when this conference is done, but for now it's time to be present here....

We're off and running!

2010-08-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

Hi there to everyone who is journeying with us as we travel around Sri Lanka!

Just to bring you up to date. The Williams family - Hilary, Dharshini, Micah and Ebonie, along with Sarah arrived Sunday night/Monday morning and spent two days in Colombo visiting family, getting used to the weather and new time zone, and eating. Yes eating...lots of yummy, yummy food.

We stayed with Dharshini's Aunty and Uncle and they cooked lots of great food...like Chocolate Biscuit Pudding which we ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

On Wednesday morning we picked up Pastor David who had just flown in from Zimbabwe - it took him 29 hours to get here. We then travelled from Colombo to Kandy to meet the Kidsreach local team and visit the 'House of Hope' office.

When we got there we were greeted with a welcome song by the team...it was a wonderful way to meet them all.

We ate a quick lunch and packed the bus AND van and then finally we headed off in the late afternoon on the long trip up to Trincomalee, arriving at around 9.30pm.

Our hotel the "Raj Mahal" is very bright and clean. It was so good to get off the bus finally. Dharshini had been a pillow for Ebonie the whole drive so she had a numb bum! We grabbed a very late dinner and headed for bed quickly...the conference started first thing next morning.

More coming soon....

2010 Mission Trip!

2010-08-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

Just a very quick note to say that we are about to head over to Sri Lanka for 3 weeks of ministry and camps and connecting....watch this space!

More photos! Chillaw conference.

2009-08-22T00:31:00.000-07:00

After a long hot day there is nothing quite like a nice cuppa!

Our brief trip to the beach enjoyed by all...even our fearless leaders David and Shanthi.

This guy was dressed like a lady...except he almost lost his dress halfway through!

The fireworks really started when the Sunday school teacher's boyfriend showed up at the classroom.

This is main street in Chillaw - we went and got some umbrellas because of the heat.

Photos Finally!! - Colombo Conference

2009-08-22T00:13:00.001-07:00

Bethany running games at the Colombo Conference.

This is Toffa (Harsha) and Asela beginning the conference with a Drama about investing in the right things.

Julie running a workshop outside at the Colombo conference.

This is the team for Sri Lanka 2009
Front row from left to right - Daniel, Asela, Harsha, Krishan, Dulanjalie (Lee for short), Carol, Thanuja, and Shanthi.
Back row from left to right - Sarah, Barbara, Julie, Bethany, Andrea, David and Andrew.

21 August 2009

2009-08-22T00:11:00.000-07:00

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.

20 August 2009

2009-08-22T00:10:00.000-07:00

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 ....

19 August 2009

2009-08-22T00:09:00.000-07:00

The day dawned bright and clear...we could hear people up and about from about 4am...having showers and walking around...it didn't take long however for the showers to end as the water ran out. Everyone took it in their stride and we all had another lovely breakfast and Barbara led us in a devotion on being thankful...and there is so much that we have to be thankful for.

Despite an offer by David to have a slightly later start and get there for morning tea, we all wanted to get there early and have a wander around the local town of Chillaw. So we all got our stuff packed and on the bus and were at the conference by 9am.

David began the first session of the day...talking about reaching out to boys, while we put on the sunscreen and our hats and walked out to the main street for an explore of the local sights. Despite being quite early, it was soon apparent that the day would be a warm one. Our first stop was at a roadside stall to buy a couple of umbrellas to help mitigate the sun. At that point half the group decided that the town was a little too noisy and busy for further exploration, so they went to go and explore the quieter backstreets. Andrew, Bethany and Sarah continued on and wandered down through the streets with shops of every description, being greeted with many smiles and calls of "Good morning" as we wandered along.

By the time we got back to the church, we were all feeling a little hot and bothered...and David was just finishing his talk. There were a few less people than the day before...possibly due to the heat, but I think all were glad to have a break for morning tea before the workshops began once again.
The delegates were a little more familiar with us than yesterday, and we were able to remind them of things that had been said or done previously. It was proving hard to concentrate due to the heat, but all in all, we did quite well and after two workshop sessions, we broke for lunch.

What a feast we had for lunch, the Pastor and his team had gone all out and we felt very spoilt by the variety and the amount of food that we found on the table that had been put on just for us. Rice and chicken wings, fish and french fries, vegetables and lots of fresh fruit. It was wonderful...we all ate till we felt we would burst.

The final session was David speaking about the need to be Compassionate in children's ministry. At the conclusion of the time, we formed a prayer tunnel for all the delegates to walk through and we prayed for each delegate as they walked between us. We were then prayed for by some of the delegates...and as has always been the case - though we could not understand the words they used, it did not lessen the impact or the annointing we felt as we concluded the conference. We really felt that it was a momentous and encouraging time together. There were many hugs and well wishes at the end and photos were taken by everyone of everyone from every conceivable angle and configuration. We felt that the time at Chillaw was a real blessing to all. Despite the long trip to Kandy still ahead and as the weather changed and the rain tumbled down, we were all in high spirits as we climbed in the bus and there was lots of laughing and singing as we talked about the great things we had experienced over the past two days.

We reached Kandy well after dark, and had a low key dinner of hoppers (little bowl shaped pancakes) and chicken curry. We were all glad to finally reach the Kidsreach home town and the local team to be able to sleep at home again. We made it to our Kandy hotel, situated close to the lake in the centre of town and after very little ado, crashed for the night...a day of rest, relaxation and final preparations planned for tomorrow. The cooler climate of Kandy was very welcome after the heat of the day...and we all spent a minute or two longer in the shower to wash off the grime of another long but fulfilling day.

18 August 2009

2009-08-19T00:54:00.000-07:00

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 storytellers and 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 team had a man dressed as a lady teacher complete with clip on earrings. They were very good...and great examples of what not to do with a Sunday School class....gotta go for now but more again soon...with photos I promise!

17 August 2009

2009-08-19T00:52:00.000-07:00

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 recognised for 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.

17 August 2009

2009-08-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

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.

I shall get some photos up soon.

16 August 2009

2009-08-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

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.

15 August 2009

2009-08-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

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!

Sri Lanka Mission Trip 2009... Here we go!

2009-08-13T00:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the KidsReach blog for the latest mission trip to Sri Lanka.

Basic facts about the trip that we know so far...

We will be away from 15th August to 1st September.

The trip will include 4 Conferences, 1 Children's camp as well as a number of other speaking and ministry opportunities in churches as we go.

Conference 1 - Live Out Conference - Colombo (1 day conference for 150 leaders) 17 August
Conference 2 - Children's Ministry Leaders Conference - Puttalum. (Residential conference for 100 leaders) 18-19 August
Conference 3- Children's Ministry Leaders Conference - Kandy (2 days/150 leaders) 21-22 August
Conference 4 - Children's Ministry Leaders Conference - Badulla (2 days/150 leaders) 24-25 August
Children's Camp - National Camp for Children suffering from Abuse. 25-28 August

You can see a presentation of what is going to happen on YouTube also...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmumy-xdXt8

As the trip progresses we will keep you updated via this blog and also emails. Generally - the text of the blog will be what gets sent via email, the blog will have photos where and when we can upload them. If there is a chance we will send more personalised emails as we go, but you never can tell till you get there.

The one thing we would ask at this stage is to pray for the success of the trip. We want to impact the lives of the people in Sri Lanka, and to bring encouragement and hope to children and children's workers all across Sri Lanka.

Please pray that we would be safe and healthy as we go.

Please pray for unity as most of us will meet each other for the first time at the beginning of the trip.

Please pray for Shanthi and the local team, that they will be encouraged by our visit and spurred on to continue doing the work
that God has for them in Sri Lanka.

Please pray that God will begin and continue to do a mighty work in the lives of children and people in Sri Lanka.

That's it for now... I will post more as we go and photos as well.

Regards - The KidsReach Team 2009.

The Final Post for Mission trip 2007. (except for photos)

2007-08-12T00:18:00.000-07:00

Well - our time here is done, and it has been a most successful time. The ESCAPE camp finished this morning and the kids have had a wonderful time. The camp site is an Non-Government Organisation called Nation-Builders, and it is a bit like a nursery and conference centre rolled into one. The grounds are beautiful and the facilities, while basic, have been very comfortable. The temperature has been also quite pleasant - we've even had a bit of rain and the evenings are positively cool.

There were 34 children at this camp and then around about 20 ESCAPE staff who were their buddies for the weekend. The KidsReach team organised all the meeting times and games and activites. So for us it has been a much less intense camp - we were involved more as a support to ESCAPE and to the buddies, than the other conferences and camps. This has been good after the rather hectic pace of the past few weeks. Just to let you know what ESCAPE camp is all about - It is along the same lines as the Southern Cross Kids Camps in Australia. It is a specialist camp for children who have been affected by abuse in someway. The idea is to give them a safe and happy experience in a Christian environment and give them good childhood memories.

We were able to treat the children in many ways including some Mr Bean on the big screen which brought howls of laughter from children and adults alike. We made a visit to a local chocolate factory where everyone ate way more chocolate than was good for them and then felt sick afterwards. We had a big party on the second night and played lots of great games and it was just awesome to see kids that have been through so much to laugh and have a really great time. Some of the team thought that it wouldn't be a party without party horns so we gave every child one and then spend the rest of the camp wishing we hadn't - it was a noise that greeted us morning, noon and night! - and gave the campers great delight. ESCAPE gave each child a teddy bear on the first night and we gave each child a Foxy Dog soft toy as part of the the party night - but also to help the children to remember the Foxy cards which we gave each child after the Salvation presentation. We encouraged them all to keep reading their cards and keep living God's way.

We ran a KidsOlympics on the second day and everyone got very involved and had a great time - despite the rain at times, and in the evening we had a concert in which the kids all got up and performed songs and dramas and we all laughed and were thoroughly entertained.

Each morning we had also had a teaching/ministry time where we sang songs and played a few games, learnt a memory verse and then we gave a message. Pastor David spoke on how God created us for a purpose and not matter what He will always love us. Sarah gave a salvation message on the next day using the story of the Prodigal Son and the final message was by Shanthi who spoke on Holy Spirit. In all the times - children were responding - and the final message in particular was accompanied by a very powerful time of prayer and ministry with the children and buddies, many of whom we discovered were from Buddhist homes, so we know that the opportunity really was to the glory of God.

Today was the final excursion - as after breakfast the campers and buddies all headed to Pinnawalla Elephant Orphanage where the kids get to watch the Elephants all washing in the river and then follow them to where they feed them. It is really amazing to be so close to such massive creatures. As a final present, the kids will be given a photo album each with several photos of themselves on camp to help them to remember their time - all in aid of giving the children happy memories.

It really was a precious time, and we could notice the changes in children just in the time that they were on camp. Some of the children have been coming to camp for a number of years, and the KidsReach staff commented that they has been an incredible change in the children from when they first came.
We just can't help but thank God for all his blessings towards us on this trip. He has provided for us at each point - over and above what we imagined. There has been almost no sickness, the weather has been great, the events have all gone to plan, the team has worked together so well and we can really see that God has prepared the way for us.

Our theme of the Father's Heart and Be a World Changer have been realised in front of our very eyes. Lives have been changed and we truly believe that Sri Lanka as a nation will be impacted in big and small ways, by the work that God is doing in people's hearts.

We really thank you for your ongoing prayers for us, for your support in so many ways - whether it be by sacrificing to allow us to leave our regular lives for this time, whether it be through your financial contributions, whether it be in sending an email or text to keep us connected to our usual lives. We want to say Thank you and that you are all very much appreciated. This trip is as much testimony to your faithfulness and love than it is to what God is doing here in Sri Lanka.

There may be some final changes to this post when Pastor David gets to have a read - and I will be posting more photo's when I get a chance to set at a reliable internet connection, but apart from that, this is me - Sarah - signing out for this trip. Check back in the next couple of weeks for the final lot of photos.

Kandy Childrens Camp - WOW!

2007-08-09T00:32:00.000-07:00

Kandy Camp - This was the big event of the trip. It has been organised by Shanthi and a local team of pastors and children's workers. They had spent months preparing and praying for it. The original number of children was set at 200 - however more and more children were added and eventually when over 300 had applied, applications had to be closed. We ended up with 350 people attending - children and leaders. The first night was somewhat chaotic with children settling in and beds being organised. But the conference was an incredible time. Particular highlights were the singing times - 400 people - when everyone was there, singing at the top of their lungs. What an awesome time it was. For the evening rally - the children were all holding pom poms on sticks and it was an amazing sight. The children all participated fully in every part - the action songs, the anthem songs and the worshipful songs. There was times of prayer and free worship and we were all inspired and moved by the fervour of the children to praise God.
The craftwork for the camp was a calico bag for each camper which they decorated with paint. The children spent quite a long time designing their pictures and then painting them carefully. The artwork was really good - Ben commented that his art teacher would be very impressed and he took lots of photos to bring back. When they were dry, many of the campers were carrying them with them everywhere they went.
The KidsReach Sri Lankan team were so very impressive - this was for them a conference similar to Australia's Hillsong conference. The local team lead with passion and dedication - always giving 110%. There was not much sleep happening - but we know one thing - lives were changed!
The evening meetings were a time when the Holy Spirit moved - and we all sensed that the second night was a crucial meeting. During the day we heard of a number of unfortunate events - a young boy had a broken arm in the games time, Dhanushka was confined to bed for the day after an issue with his throat. We had a real sense that Satan was really working to disrupt what was to take place. David gave a salvation message in the evening rally. Just as he was calling children who had put up their hands in response to pray the sinners prayer - there was some sizzling noises from outside on the street and a few seconds later, with an almighty bang and a brilliant flash of light, and transformer on the street beside us blew up! The prayerful mood was instantly broken and the children were all jumping up to look. We knew immediately that this was a spiritual attack. David and the leaders called everyone to focus back to the front, and in a minute the children were again quiet and we were able to continue. About half the children put up their hands - and despite not knowing just what they were responding to - whether it was a first time commitment or rededicating their lives to Jesus. It was an awesome response and their was a definite sense as the camp proceeded that many children had been impacted by the evening.

The theme of the camp was a jointly - The Father's Heart and World Changers. In talking with many of the leaders and team - there is a sense that this is the beginning of a change for the future of Sri Lanka. That these children will indeed go onto make a huge impact of their communities and on the whole nation.

Here are some of the comments...
"Children's hearts changed. One day they will be happy about this camp - will make a big impact on Sri Lanka. Children responded that they really enjoyed the camp and were challenged to believe that they could really be worldchangers. Kids were thinking that they weren't good enough - but they have realised that God's purpose for their life is to be a world- changers." Kobi - Tamil translator - KR Sri Lanka team.

"Holy Spirit moved on the children - many children were healed - from inside hurts.
Children realised their destiny - revival will come to Sri Lanka because of these children." - Asela - Graphic Designer and Youth worker, KR team, Sri Lanka team.

"We had prayed that we wanted to see the children worship God and that in this way, the power of darkness will be broken and children will be released. There was a good balance at the camp - fun but also the word of God. Many people commented that it was so good. Prayers of the people were answered as the camp. There were no complaints for people - the food and the accomodation were good. The teamwork amongst the churches in Kandy is building. Many pastors were there. Support for KidsReach is growing in many churches. Team worked well together - each person was given a part of the program was to pray for. The children praying around the map of Sri Lanka was very powerful." Shanthi - KidsReach Director Sri Lanka.

ESCAPE camp - our smallest children's camp. I'll let you know how we go but we are all looking forward to it.

Please keep praying - this is a camp with lots of broken children and we are really looking to God to work in a miraculous way to restore them. Thank you also for you patience with the photo's - keep checking back as there will be more to come.

Rathnapura continued and on to Madampe!

2007-08-09T00:30:00.001-07:00

Well we're almost done over here and there is much to say. My last update was from Rathnapura and from there we stopped at Kandy for a day and up to Madampe. We then went straight to the big event of the trip - the Kandy Children's camp and we are now about to begin our final children's camp - the ESCAPE camp - also close to Kandy.

Rathnapura - The conference went very well. There was a very good mix of leaders present - quite a number of men and also several pastors which is always encouraging to us. We played games with them - showing that kids ministry while vitally important can be done with fun and creativity. The delegates only complaint was that they couldn't get to all the workshops. It was our first residential conference and that made a great difference to the atmosphere amongst the delegates. There was a real sense of unity. We know that many were challenged and inspired to continue to work with children and were given a fresh sense of their calling and purpose for their ministry. We stayed in a big old colonial mansion - now government run hotel. It was soon given the title of Fawlty Towers as we were never really sure when we asked for an item what would actually arrive - if at all. After the third request for a bucket to do our washing in and a sheet for the bed, Barbara and Tania both fronted up to the reception desk and refused to move until one was produced. We hung our laundry to dry on one of the porch areas and were disturbed to see what looked like some more clotheslines just off the balcony - but were in fact power lines! We ate our meals with the delegates and the food was basic but good. Overall we feel that Rathnapura was a successful conference. We have also heard that many leaders were greatly touched by Therese's theme song - "The Father's Heart" - and have been at every conference so far. Shanthi has said that delegates have commented that their heart was burning with a desire to reach out to the children in their community that don't know Jesus.

Kandy - We drove back to Kandy and unloaded the bus at around 8pm. We stopped on the way for dinner at a roadside restaurant and had a lovely dinner - buffet style. For me - some of the best local food of the trip. A good selection both fresh and hot. We finally got to Fair Havens - our guesthouse in Kandy at around 9.30pm only to find that they had allowed another guest to extend their stay and so while there was enough beds for us, there was not enough rooms. Pastor David jumped back on the bus and stayed the night with Dhanushka and his family. Fair Havens is now under new management and has been spruced up with all new internal furnishings and drapes - a very different look to previous years - much more simple, but a lovely place to stay and relax - even if only for one night. We spent the morning doing some running around and touristy shopping for gifts. Tania and Ben took the opportunity for a sleep in, and we all met up at the office for packing and emailing. Heading out to our next stop in the afternoon.

Madampe - Situated up north - further up than our first conference in Negombo, but not on the coast. We arrived in the evening and discovered that the accomodation was a single building for the entire team. One room with bunk beds - enough to sleep around 14 people, with a bathroom area with two toilets and a wash basin. It was immediately apparent that this would not be suitable for a mixed gender team, so the camp organisers moved the boys into another building and we spoke with the local AOG minister and found off site accomodation for the foreign team. I decided to stay with the ladies on site, and on the second night Ben and Tania also came and stayed onsite. The shower block was at the other end of the camp ground - a huge area covered in bungalow style buildings and many coconut trees.
This was a somewhat different type of camp as it was a joint children's camp and leaders conference - all in one. This was the national Baptist children's conference - so there was children and leaders from the whole island. The local team was responsible for the children's camp program - there were around 250 children. The foreign team was responsible for the leaders conference - which ran concurrently with the children's program, and there were about 50 leaders from the Baptist churches and then a further 20 or so from the local AOG churches. We found it a little frustrating because the program was constantly changing because it was not being organised by us - we were given set times to do our programs in. Despite that - it was a really great time. The kids had a awesome time - they got much out of ministry and teaching times and there was lots of fun and games for the rest of the time. Ben spent his time hanging out with the local boys and playing with them. Pastor David and the team also gave the Kids Keep Safe message in one of the sessions and we understand that it was received with great interest and the children were really paying attention. Some of the leaders later said that they feel it is time that these matters were addressed.

The leaders conference was a more conservative feel to other conferences - but this was the first time that many of these leaders have heard any teaching specifically on children's ministry. It was a great privilege to encourage and equip the leaders and our annointing service on the second morning was particularly special. Shanthi relayed feedback to us that many of the delegates were really encouraged to continue working and teaching children and that God had really spoken to them. It was Yan and Michelle's final camp as they were heading off to Singapore and Malaysia to attend a real estate conference and to visit family. It was sad to see them go and they had really been a positive influence within the team - both contributing so much to each of us - encouraging us and supporting us. Michelle gave her final workshop and we prayed with them and waved goodbye. We left the camp after dinner - gave out lots of glowsticks to the the kids and leaders and headed to our next stop - the big conference centre in Kandy for the Kandy Kids Camp.

Rathnapura continued and on to Madampe!

2007-08-09T00:30:00.000-07:00

Next stop Rathnapura - Gem capital of Sri Lanka.

2007-08-01T07:00:00.002-07:00

We have now moved to Rathnapura (pronounced Ratnapoora).
This area is famous within Sri Lanka for it's precious stones and gems. It is inland and so a bit warmer than at the coast where Colombo and Negombo are. This conference is a residential conference with about 120 delgates. So
we are running our usual program for the daytime but also having dinner together and then running an evening program with drama and performances from the delegates. Toffa will make an appearance in the Heart of the Father drama and this is usually a chance for the delegates to participate and contribute in their own special ways. It is a time of fun and laughter and also of deeper connection as the language barrier is less of an issue when people are singing or performing. Sri Lankans are great story tellers and performers so we are really looking forward to this evening. We will also be asking the delegates to perform the drama of the worst sunday school class and that has been picked up by the delegates in all our conferences so far. Especially the delegates from Colombo who spent quite some time practising their parts in order to receive the prize of 2000 rupees of resources from the KidsReach bookstall.

To keep you up to date - we prayed for Barbara's leg yesterday which has been OK at the beginning of each day but getting very swollen and uncomfortable by the end of the day. Last night upon arriving at Rathnapura, she was very pleased to see that her ankle was much less swollen than normal and we thank God for the improvement there and we are believing that God will keep healing her.

Will probably post more details when we get to Kandy and also hopefully some photos.

Colombo Conference Full Steam Ahead!

2007-08-01T07:00:00.001-07:00

Well we've just done the first day of the Negombo Conference. Yesterday was our shopping day.
Yan and Michelle's flight was delayed by 4hours so we planned to go shopping while Dan and Ken picked them up. We did the big shop at House of Fashion - bought lots of gifts and a few clothes for ourselves and generally spent up big...Sri Lankan style - we didn't spend over $100! We got to check out a bookshop and then grabbed some dinner before heading back to the hotel via Tuk Tuk (three-wheeler) which was a memorable experience. Yan and Michelle finally arrived and we all got an early night ready for our first big day of ministry.

Up early this morning for a quick breakfast and team talk then we jumped on the bus to get to Negombo. The traffic was thick through the heart of Colombo and we were almost out of it when we discovered one of the roads that was usually one way in our favour, was now one way in the wrong direction - so we had to back track for quite a while and got to the conference just a bit late. Time is very flexible over here so it was no problem as the delegates were still arriving also.

We launched into our first conference with the local KidsReach team running a time of singing - teaching some new songs to both the delegates and to us also. There was about 40 delegates - almost entirely women and mostly young - in their late teens and early twenties. They started off feeling a little shy and reserved but were soon fully involved - participating in the workshops and the larger group. We ate packets for lunch which is Sri Lankan takeaway - a portion of rice with several different curries to accompany it. It is all wrapped in a piece of clingwrap and the whole lot is wrapped in a piece of newspaper. We all ate some of it before our tastebuds went on strike from the chilli.

That evening we went back to our hotel, a big hotel just opposite the beach in Negombo. Some of the team had a splash in the pool and others just relaxed before going to have dinner in the hotel restaurant.

We were up for a team breakfast before having a quick walk on the beach and then heading back to the conference for the final day.

The delegates were late to arrive - not surprising given the distance that they have to travel and the inconsistency of public transport. We finally got underway - with some new faces because it was Saturday. We had a wonderful time of corporate prayer in keeping with the theme of the conference - the Father Heart of God.

After lunch the delegates put on some dramas to illustrate the worst Sunday School teacher and we all laughed together at the antics of the teachers and the students.
The winner got 2000 rupees to spend on resources from the KidsReach bookstall with 2nd and 3rd place also winning resources due to an anonymous donation.

The last lot of workshops were a mixed bag with Asela running crazy games outside, Janet running a workshop for the older leaders on leadership according to Nehemiah, and a brand new workshop being run by our youngest team member Ben, who taught the delegates about how to work with balloons - making all sorts of creations from swords, to flowers and even lambs - with object lessons attached. There was lots of laughter and balloons popping but the delegates were all having a great time and learning about how to reach children in fun new ways.

We finished the conference off with an address by Shanthi and an altar call where we prayed with the delegates and annointed them to go and do God's work with renewed confidence and vigour.

We jumped back on the bus - hot and tired but with a real sense that God had revealed Himself to the delegates and also to us. It was a great time of fellowship and encouragement for us all. As we left we promised that we would continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Negombo - they go back to tough situations - often facing resistance within their own families. But God is faithful and we believe that the delegates have a new or renewed sense of their calling to be a part of God's ministry to children.

Things are going well!

2007-08-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

Finally got to an internet connection!!

2007-07-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hooray! We made it!

Well some of us are here anyway. Barbara, Janet and Sarah left Sydney on Tuesday. We were quite a lot over the weight allowance and after juggling a few items we managed to check in our bags...with our hand luggage mostly out of sight. (and a good thing too because there was lots of it!)

The trip to Singapore was largely uneventful and we had spare seats around us which always makes for a more pleasant flight.

At Singapore we got a shuttle bus out to our stopover hotel and tried to get as much sleep as possible. The bathroom was rather revealing...for at least one of us as the photo shows. The blind was soon pulled on that window! After not enough sleep we headed back to the airport for the short trip to Colombo.

We met up with Danushka and Kenneth who braved the evil Colombo traffic to get us to our little oasis by the beach. We were surrounded on all sides by trucks and three-wheelers but we managed to come out unscathed. We thank God for Kenneth who is a wonderful driver and had devoted himself to driving overseas ministers to dangerous spots throughout Sri Lanka.

We even made it for a quick trip down to the beach to wet our feet in the Indian Ocean - crossing the railway tracks to get there just before the next load of commuters came rattling past...

How would we describe Sri Lanka so far....
Ben - Hot, beautiful, the traffic is very different to New Zealand.
Barbara - people were friendly at the airport, rundown, faded elegance, colourful, narrow streets.
Janet - changed from the last trip, beautiful, more orderly, courteous people.
Tania - variety of sights - a feast for the eyes, chaotic yet orderly.
Sarah - paradoxical - crazy and beautiful. Chaotic and relaxed.

Thank God we got here and our baggage too. We didn't get stopped coming through immigration so we didn't have to explain any of the bizarre items in our bags. Our hotel is beautiful and clean and quiet which is quite a combination for Colombo.

Our plans for Thursday were to spend the day shopping but we have had to change things around because there is a big political rally in Colombo and a 5km journey across town could take up to 4hours. So we are going to take it easy and go shopping this evening.

Friday is our first conference in Negombo. We are meeting the rest of the Sri Lankan team at the conference venue and so it will be pretty crazy meeting everyone and setting up on Friday morning...so it's a good thing to have a quiet day beforehand.

Sarah's first Blog page

2007-07-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This is the first post of the 2007 Tour of Sri Lanka.
There's not much to say - I haven't left home yet. The 2007 Odyssey has begun and over the next three weeks and more I will be posting updates as to what is happening as we travel around and photos too...

I'll give you some prayer points too because for those who are reading this back in Australia, New Zealand and anywhere else in the world, that is the most important thing. Just Keep Praying! Just Keep Praying!

It is our hope and prayer that God is glorified in all that we say and do while we are in Sri Lanka.

Talk to you all soon,

Sarah