I picked a great week to visit Thailand!  they are celebrating their new year, and part of their tradition is to throw water on people driving by (and they really enjoy getting foreigners).  Knowing that our main mode of transportation is walking or tuk tuks, which are open taxis, we knew we would probably get wet at some point.  there is a station right next to the bible school where tony foster is teaching where some people hang out to douse any passersby.  they decided to powder our faces with flour, and later got me with some kind of oil.  i did get wet once in a tuk tuk, but for the most part we were able to stay dry.

This tradition comes from the people washing the buddha idols to make sure he's clean for the new year.  it has spread from the statues to also "washing" the people.  It was really a site to see, though, when the people are washing the buddhist statues.  I am so happy that a worship the Living God, who doesn't need me to also give Him a bath.  Having been exposed to more hinduism and buddhism these past three weeks, i have seen people who are really living in darkness, worshipping idols that they have to feed, bathe, put warm clothes on in the cold season and even hide to keep him safe from evil spirits.  Pray that the eyes of these people are opened to see Jesus and to worship the God who can take care of them, not need them to take care of him.

What an amazing time we had in Sri Lanka!  The people were so wonderful and I believe I will always hold them in my heart, especially the beautiful children.  For 8 days we served in Bethlehem Church of Chilaw, a church of 2,000 with 5 branches in nearby villages.  Pastor Yogaroj Stephen, his lovely wife Roshanti and son Asher, along with a devoted leadership team, are working in about 20 villages in their area.  It was a great time to be a part of this work, this church is full of people with wonderful servant’s hearts, and full of faith that God will move in their country.

Charbel, who lead the team for ALC, ministered in the weekly meetings in the main church in Chilaw, and in two branch churches.  One branch is in a small village that is mainly Buddhist.  It started has a prayer meeting a home, and now over a hundred attendees.  Later in the week, we went to another village with a church that started only 3 months ago.  They already have 30 people attending in this town that is 90% Muslim.  It is so amazing to see people coming from all backgrounds into a relationship with Jesus.  Charbel also taught the leadership class.  One highlight of our trip was being a part of the monthly healing service. Over 800 people attended the meeting, with around 50 people there for the first time.  There was powerful ministry time, and we saw God touch people in a might way! 

Our last day in Sri Lanka was Palm Sunday.  I started the day with the children’s ministry (in a sri lankan dress!) and shared with them about trusting the Lord with all your heart.  The children of Sri Lanka are so precious!  It is really touching to see them so hungry at such a young age, and honor to be able to share with the future leaders of Sri Lanka.  Immediately after the children’s service is the main service.  Charbel gave a Palm Sunday message of how Jesus does want to be king of a people, but king over you heart.  After the message we took communion and when the service was over we said our goodbyes to the people.  It’s amazing how you can connect to people in only a week.

Sri Lanka was an amazing experience, and I am so thankful to be able to see first hand the work that God is doing in this nation.

We are getting an all around experience of Sri Lanka, seeing all sides of society.  On Monday we set out to the jungles of Sri!  It was long journey, with 10 people in one van, but incredible to see the countryside.  On thing that was too much was the shrines to Buddha.  On top of the mountains, even, they have temples, quite a difference from the crosses on top of the mountains of Lebanon.  The drive was so beautiful, and pulled over several times to see some of the wildlife, like monkeys.  We would stop in villages to eat, a got to try several local dishes, treats and fresh fruit!  We stopped and walked through the jungles a little bit.  It was a part set up for tourist, so nothing dangerous, but it was still a wonderful experience.  Our final destinations was elephants in the wild (they were trained, wild elephants are very dangerous, but they were in their natural habitation).  These animals were beautiful, and we got to stand as close as they would allow while they were eating.

On Wednesday, we took a break from the village life and headed out to the big city.  We visited the Sri Lankan Zoo and were able to see many of the animals native to this country (better to see in a cage, than to run into a leopard in the wild!).  they had animals from all over the world (including a turkey, which made me realize how far away from home I am when people would think a turkey is zoo worthy).  They had many animals from sri lanka, and it  was neat to see something there that I had seen in the wild, the giant squirrel that we  thought was monkey at first.  We had a great time, and after the zoo did some shopping in a mall, ate at pizza hut on the way home and then returned back to the city where we stay.  Sri Lanka is a beautiful country and we are having a wonderful time!

my next blog i will tell you more about the ministry here