Tsunami

August 1, 2005

130 Homes Reconstructed!

I just returned from Sri Lanka where I had a phenomenal visit.We have been able to rebuild 130 homes in some of the tsunami devastated areas.I was surprised to find that there has been little rebuilding, in spite of the millions that have been pledged to Sri Lanka.Much of the reconstruction is tied up in bureaucratic red tape.The rebuilding to this point has been to provide temporary housing in the form of tents and wooden structures.Thank God we have no red tape to deal with!The homes we are constructing are concrete block on slabs and are far better than the homes which were destroyed.We have also purchased 100 fishing nets, sewing machines and tools for families who lost everything in the disaster.

Leadership Team

One of the things that helped us to be successful in this project is the leadership team from the church Beverly and I planted four years ago.Peter Herft, one of our pastors, has taken over the responsibility of overseeing the home rebuilding project.He has the task extremely well organized and requires the people we are helping to prove ownership of their land and to bring a letter from the local police stating that they have no criminal record or case pending against them.We have tried to help families that have the greatest need but with the overwhelming devastation in the south, it is difficult to pick and choose.Our team has been literally mobbed by desperate people in need of help.

Buddhist & Moslem Families Assisted

Some of the locals have been astonished that Christians are willing to help Buddhist and Moslem families rebuild their homes.There has been a serious problem with persecution in the southern region.Churches have been attacked and pastors beaten.In the area where we are working, persecution has been intense.Since the rebuilding process began, our pastors have been approached by Sri Lankan Buddhist who have apologized to them for the way they treated Christians in the past.Though religious persecution continues to this day in Sri Lanka, the Lord is using the work we, and others, are doing to bring healing and reconciliation.

Meeting with Parliament Members

I had the opportunity to meet with two influential Parliament members.One was the Speaker of the House, who is third in line to the Prime Minister.They were both grateful for the $140,000 we have directed to home reconstruction.An anti-conversion bill is going to the floor of the Parliament sometime in the near future and if passed, it could seriously hamper the advance of the Gospel in Sri Lanka.It was timely for me to be able to encourage the Speaker in the values of personal religious freedom and the right to worship without hindrance.

April 22, 2005

We have now entered the first phase of rebuilding in two of the most affected areas of the south-west coast and have begun construction on 20 homes.We have moved a bit more slowly than I would have liked but it's been necessary to insure that the homes we rebuild are not located on encroached land and that we build with a quality standard.By following the government recommendations and working closely with national and local officials we have been able to avoid controversy and we now have an efficient system in place.Peter Herft, our staff pastor who is overseeing the building project meets weekly with people who have lost their homes, most of them Buddhist, and interviews them as potential candidates for the rebuilding project.He is prioritizing those who have the greatest need and those who can produce documentation on their property.

It's costing us more than I anticipated, about $1,500 per home, but we are building solid slab homes with concrete block construction.So far we have 20 foundations poured.Peter is personally overseeing the construction and the sub-contracting of the work to insure quality construction.I am allocating $100,000 toward home reconstruction which will allow us to build about 60 homes.I'm hoping to eventually build 100 houses.

February 17, 2005

Dishan and the men in the church have been going down regularly now to the tsunami zone to help rebuild homes and minister to the people who have lost family members and friends.We are beginning the reconstruction of homes and have hired a builder out of our congregation for the next three months to oversee the construction of the homes we are rebuilding.One of our staff pastors, Peter Herft, isoverseeing the distribution of the funds and making sure that every dollar is spent wisely.

We Purchased tents to help with the immediate need for shelter.People are still living in temporary structures but the rebuilding process has begun and slowly, things are beginning to improve.The Lord has opened doors for Pastor Dishan to meet with three key parliament members.The resources we have been able to give to the needy has opened tremendous doors of influence with national leaders.

We have targeted an area along the south-west coast where the destruction was the most widespread.Many of the families living along this coastal area are poor and make their living from fishing.Because their homes were built within a few hundred yards of the beach many of them lost everything they owned and in some cases entire families were lost.

One lady came to our church asking for help and saying that she lost her parents and her children.She was the only one left.I was so encouraged that our congregation members were able to minister to her as well as help her financially.

The area we have targeted was an area where, last year, serious persecution took place.Led by a group of radical Buddhist monks, churches were burned, pastors attacked, threatened and intimidated.The entire island was on edge and in the month of January and February of 2004 our church met under government provided armed guard.As our pastors and church leaders have gone into the tsunami zone with aid they have been approached by Buddhist villagers who have apologized for the way they have been treating the Christians in their area.As we have moved in the compassion of Christ and "turned the other cheek", reconciliation is beginning to take place.I believe this is one of the most opportunistic times for peace that Sri Lanka has seen in this entire generation.

January 20, 2005

I have been amazed and encouraged by the response we have received from churches and individuals who have been touched by the need in Sri Lanka.As of today, over $95,000 has been given through us for the rebuilding effort.Thanks!

January 14, 2005

The rebuilding task is beginning.Teams from the church have gone down with supplies, food, water, blankets, plastic chairs, tables, tarps and clothes.We are targeting three villages that have been hit the hardest and are looking into the possibility ofactually rebuilding a school.For certain, we will be rebuilding homes.

There has been a bit of a delay in our rebuilding effort in this area, since we need government permission to move forward.It appears that the national government is as interested as we are in moving quickly and I expect that the permission and direction will come from them within the next two weeks.Inthe meantime we are organizing building supplies and manpower so that we can begin reconstruction immediately after permission has been granted.

January 7, 2005

Help has been pouring in and as of today I have received over $63,000 to send to Sri Lanka.I sent $10,000 Monday, January 3 and will send the remainder, which is coming in this week, this coming Monday.I will be wiring funds every week to avoid any delays in the resources being available.Pastor Dishan is back from his first trip down to the south area and he emailed me the following.

Pastor Rick
It was one of the worst things I ever seen in my life that I witnessed on Monday.It is difficult to explain but one thing is certain, though the disaster was very big the same big opportunity is now in the hands of the church to show who we are.We had some tremendous response as we did the project.Pastor I really feel this is the greatest opportunity the church has ever received in this nation and I have been speaking to our teams and also to the church about it.We have planned as mentioned to do something beyond our imagination and there is a tremendous peace that is within me.

Dishan

December 30, 2004 - 6:30 PM

I was able to reach Dishan tonight.Their communication networks are overloaded so it's been tough to get through.He has organized 40 men in the church to go down south and see what they can do to help.Some of them are leaving early morning January 3rd.They have had difficulty getting communications out of the entire southern region.Some of our church members have family in the south and very few of them have received word from their relatives.He said the entire country is in a state of shock.

They will take an inland route to reach the worst area since the coastal road has been destroyed.Once they have been able to assess the need they will organize teams to return on rotation and do what they can to help.We will be purchasing tents to help with immediate housing and building materials to help reconstruct.

The information we have now is a bit sketchy but we do have the manpower organized to make a significant difference.They will send a more detailed report and analysis when they return from their trip.

December 30, 2004 - 1 AM

In May of 2001, Beverly and I planted a church in Colombo, Sri Lanka.That congregation has now grown to 400 adult members and is a strong, steadily growing work.We are located on the East side of Colombo city and well away from the devastation of the Tsunami.Our members, however, have friends and family members who were in the areas of destruction.I am mobilizing our congregation leaders to assist us in the relief effort.I have been working in Sri Lanka for ten years and have developed an extensive network of relationships with pastors in the affected areas.In the past two years, we have planted 18 churches in Sri Lanka and some of those works along the south coast have been affected.

Colombo Church

Our church in Colombo has a solid staff of five full-time workers, all supported through the income generated from the congregation.We have appointed our administrative pastor, Peter Herft, who is an English speaking Sri Lankan national, to the task of supervising the distribution of the relief funds we are receiving.As of December 30th we have received $12,000 designated to the relief effort and I will be wiring these funds to Colombo within the next few days.We are sending 100% of the funds received directly to the needy families.

The areas most affected are the costal areas of the south and the coastal areas of the northeast.Since most of my direct connections are in the south I am focusing on this area.There has been a somewhat effective Sri Lankan effort that has helped to met some of the immediate needs of clothing, blankets, water, food and waterproof material for temporary structures.

The majority of the people who live along the coast are poor and many of them make a sustenance living by fishing.Their average income ranges from $50 to $100 per month.Many live in crude structures and crowded, unsanitary conditions.Those living further inland tend to fair better but they too, are in need of assistance.

My observation has been that much of the relief effort is going to the immediate needs of food and water.I am focusing on the effort of helping those who are the poorest of the poor to rebuild.We are purchasing building materials in Colombo and delivering the materials by truck to the southern coast.Rather than give money directly to the families we are giving building materials.Most of these families are capable of rebuilding their homes themselves.In those rare cases where there is no man to handle the rebuilding, our church members will be providing the labor.

Thanks for all you are doing to help us serve in a time of desperate need.

Rick