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.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sunday and Travel...
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.
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.
Monday, August 16, 2010
A weekend in Sri Lanka...
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
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
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Trincomalee Conference complete!!
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.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Trincomalee Conference...
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....
Thursday, August 12, 2010
We're off and running!
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....
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
2010 Mission Trip!
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!
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