Let it Rain!

Today it rained! In fact it has rained for the past several days! Thanks for all of your prayers. The ground wells are once again filling up. However, as you can see we picked the wrong day to wash sheets! This morning when Donna ask me to hang out the wash, I quickly noticed that no one else in the village had any clothes hanging on their clotheslines. They obviously got the weather report and since we can't stay up late enough(9:00PM) to get the English news we goofed again! We don't mind sleeping on soggy clean sheets if the village will once again have water. The village womens' water committee continues to work on a solution to the deep well problem and this seems to be giving everyone hope again! It looks like we won't get to use the deep well this trip, so we will continue to haul our water in hopes that it will be fixed before our return later this year! One good thing about rain water, is that you can just set your buckets out the back door and catch the water coming off the roof! Beats hauling it from the well! Life is good!

Samagama Water Committee!

In all of life it seems that if we don't learn from our mistakes, we are doomed to repeat them. When you finally get to the person that a problem effects most, you most likely can find a solution. Over the last week Donna has been meeting with the women of the village to get them to come up with a solution to the water problem. After all in this culture, the women are the ones who must haul the water, cook, wash clothes and children, and clean! So when the pump broke, it really didn't effect the men as much, other than a little nagging from their wives. Finally, the women formed a village water committee and are now working together to come up with a solution. If we've learned anything, it's to involve the people you are trying to help from the very beginning. In our culture we have a way that works, but most often it is not practical in their culture. So let them set up the system that works for them, and give them advice when asked. It's much easier to solve their problems for them, but then they become dependent upon you to solve the problem every time something goes wrong. I know this sounds familiar, but we are learning along with them and hopefully are becoming better servants in spite of our mistakes!

Sri Lankan Shoe of Choice!

Everyone in Sri Lanka owns at least one pair of flip-flops! For many this is their only pair of shoes. They literally wear them out and many retread them with pieces of rubber tire or whatever they can find. This trip, several pairs of flip-flops were donated by a local shoe store for us to give away to those in need. Sri Lankan feet are smaller, so finding feet to fit the larger sizes has been a little bit of a problem. However, I am constantly on the lookout for just the right fit and get a few strange looks when I look at their feet as they remove their shoes before entering our house. It's the custom to take off your shoes before entering anyone's home. That also means we must keep the floors clean! Sweeping the floor is one of those humbling chores I am learning, as Donna seems to be constantly handing me the broom! We seem to have a constant flow of visitor's each day, but it is a joy sharing tea and banana's with our village family and friends! They are all anxious to share with us the things that have taken place in their family and children's lives since our last visit. It is an honor and a privilege to be a small part of their lives, sharing laughter and tears, just like family!

Samagama Parade!

The children of Samagama decided to have a parade yesterday, so Donna dressed them with glasses, crowns, and balloons! Several of the kids brought their drums and horns, making a joyful noise as they paraded around the village. The parade ended in the park where all the parents had gathered, and the children performed songs and dances to the delight of all! We were especially impressed to hear the 3-5 year old Montessori kids singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," and several other English songs! There are currently 20 kids in the Montessori school in the village. Our village is indeed blessed to have the school and good teachers to help this next generation of kids! As the sun set and smiling families returned to their homes, a peaceful calm once again reminded us of the name of the village, Samagama "Peaceful Village"!

Next Generation!

Pastor Hemapala is continuing to train young men to become the leadership of tomorrow's church. Chaturanga(second from left) and Denish(far right) are currently enrolled in Bible College. All four participate in the services each Sunday and are learning under Mark and Hemapala's pastoral leadership. It is amazing to see a modern day Paul at work training the new Timothy's. Since we have been coming to Sri Lanka, Hemapala has trained and placed 3 young men in village house churches. The fields are ripe for harvest and thanks to your help and prayers God is providing the increase.

New Life

On Sunday we had the privilege of participating in the dedication of Dharshana and Sandya's 2 week old baby daughter. It is good to see these young families desiring to give their children an opportunity to grow up in a loving church that cares for their spiritual growth and maturity. After the service Dharshana and Sandya treated the church to cake, cookies, and juice and proudly presented their new daughter to the family!

Our Sri Lankan Mentor

Basil Fonseka has helped us through the years and we have been fortunate to have a man of his wisdom and knowledge guide us and advise us. He continues to help us with the many decisions we must make on a day to day basis. God has truely blessed us with a man of integrety and character, whose words and actions reflect the One he serves!

NO RAIN - WEEK #1

This has been a very hard 1st week this trip. First of all it is extremely hot and dry, which has made it very uncomfortable without A/C. We feel our age once again! Also it has been difficult adjusting to the time change. We awake every night at 3:00AM and are unable to go back to sleep. Another sign that our body clock is slowing down! Despite these inconveniences, the main problem has been the problems we have faced at the village. Immediately upon arriving we were met with a chorus of complaints over the lack of water. As you might remember, we had a deep water pump installed last year, which was to help insure the villagers there would be adequate water in the dry season. Apparently the pump broke down and the villagers tried to repair it without calling the installer, which of course negated the warranty. The cost to repair the pump is $300.00 and of course they have waited on our return hoping we will pay for the repair of their pump. We have informed them that this is now their responsibility and we can not keep bailing them out every time something bad goes wrong. Sounds a lot like raising children! We have offered to pay our share which amounts to $5.00 if you divide the cost by the number of houses. We'll see where this goes next week. Currently there is very little water in the wells, and many of the villagers are once again having to stay with other family in the area that have an adequate water supply, or they are having to walk over a mile to get water. We are staying elsewhere, which was not our plan! Please pray for much needed rain!

Arrival in Sri Lanka

After 34 hours of travel we are finally recovering from jet-lag here in Colombo. We were given traveling mercies on our long leg to Dubai from Houston, as we had a whole row and were able to alternate stretching out and catching a few winks. To all of you who have traveled international, you know the simple pleasure of being able to lie prone even with armrests and seat belts punching you in the ribs. Today we met with our friend, Basil Fonseka seeking his wisdom on handling several of the issues facing us once we arrive in Samagama tomorrow. Basil has been a great help through the years and we are blessed to have his Godly counsel. Currently he is working with CERI Kids, a Baptist non-profit out of San Antonio, that oversees the welfare of about 200 orphans, here in Sri Lanka. Most of these children were orphaned from the tsunami or the war and currently live with other family members rather than in an orphanage. He has a staff that follows these kids on a monthly basis, checking on their welfare, schooling, and developmental growth. His program currently provides food, clothing, medical, and school supplies for the children until they turn 18 at a cost of $30 per month. He was very proud to inform us that one student was just accepted into the University this year.