It has been a long journey although it is only 11 months now after tsunami hit our country.

We are in our sunset years now and through all these past years we have gone through every emotion,
every decision or choice we had to make to be where we are today. It is only His grace that has sustained us through this pilgrimage.

All the days we pass, as in the Bible is  "  ..we spend our years as a tale that is told.." Yet form all these years
2005 has been the year that speaks volumes in our life's story.

Tsunami has taught us many unending lessons. Many of you have been where we have been, if you have worked amongst the affected people. I wish to share with you just a few real stories, that has made a difference in our lives.

We met this young Christian woman in the East at the beginning of the tsunami. She had lost all her three
children. She was beating heart and wailing. Many were the unanswered questions. As we all gathered around her, a pastor from our team prayed, beating of heart stopped and suddenly her tears of sorrow changed to tears of hope. She then explained to us that she asked the Lord where her children were, and she had the assurance that they were with Him.! This gave her hope and also a sense of joy in the midst of great pain and sorrow. She had Hope of seeing her children again.

More recent, one morning,a mother of four children walked into our office which is in our home. We were speechless, as we listened. Her husband and she are the sole survivors. The sea had engulfed all her four children. 18 year old daughter, 17 year old son and two daughters 8 years and 2 1/2.She had not even seen their bodies and in her mind they were still alive. She was suicidal and in a very depressed state of mind. She has been going from temple to temple, church to church looking for answers. We prayed that she will find hope just as the mother in the East did. We thank God we were able to assist them in other areas, but that was only material, a house, a land what could this mean to them now... it is an empty mansion without their children..
Finally let me tell you another different story...

Last week we were in Galle at one of our distribution programmes. We gave furniture to the houses we have built through our donors. A young girl in school uniform came up to the stage and sang a song she had composed for her father.... I just couldn't help but cry. She sang of her father in the drug rehabilitation centre.
She said in her song that  "although you should be really Budun (the Budha) you are our greatest enemy.... she went on to say how he behaved and how he abused her mother and even the children and how can I study father..."

I think the whole village were moved to tears. When you hear these things, we cannot even count our blessings.

Anotherone sang song written by a boy in the Drug rehabilitation Centre... the words were  "...Mother, please forgive me. I have made mistakes in my life, and I have been trapped and tricked. Mother please forgive and please come just once to visit me, I want to see your face....."

Let me end with just one more. A young couple from Batticaloa lost their two children 2 1/2 and 6 month infant. Both of them decided to take poison and which they did on baby's first birthday. Dad bid goodbye, but mum survived and she is a wreck today.

Our lives will never be the same with the kind of work we are involved in. We appreciate everything in life and also content with life whether we have or not. The Lord really has shown us areas where we needed to  straighten up.  We  love our family more and want to spend so much more quality time with them and our grandchildren. These are real treasures gifted to us by God alone. We love our extended families and friends more and we are so excited about the relationships we have with everyone. This means we love you more and we will always want to know how you are, so that we can talk to the Lord about it. We value our friendships
with you so much more and none of them are accidents.

A friend of ours told us today, that our lives are like a Bank Account. we give out of our resources until it is exhausted, but we can continue only when we make deposits. This has shown us that we need to spend time with the Lord and studying His Word. The most important is that we receive from our local church good teaching so that we are able to deposit what we learn. We will have plenty to give every day and not be empty.
If we are always the teachers or leaders, we will soon be empty. Praise God we have this Bible study in our home where we have an excellent teacher who is able to help us see the Word in a new light and with revelation knowledge. More and more of this is needed if we are to be used of Him. Fellowship with other
Christians has helped us to see our own weaknesses and also receive much needed encouragement and prayer to be a witness and a testimony for His glory. The local church is an area we have neglected, and as I write this there is so much more we have yet to learn and put ourselves in proper perspective. We are eternaly thankful to the Lord for blessings He has bestowed upon us, clothing,food, a roof above our heads and much much more.

Our ministry is only a channel used by God as He makes the deposits when we walk in obedience and follow His commands., in .."seek ye first the kingdom of God, and it's righteousness and everything else will be added unto you..."

Here's what, if at anytime the Lord speaks to you anything about us, please feel free to tell us, we'll be listening. The other lesson he has taught us is humility and that we need to accept things that cannot be changed. Why wait for a tsunami to give out your best to the people, do it now.