Negombo News
The Mission
Matters
They’re
here … and that means we’re almost on our way
October 23rd saw us at the airport meeting the
travel weary Oosthuizen family as they begin their two years here picking up
where we are leaving off. The kids have settled in remarkably well despite
the first week being plagued by upset tummies and jet lag. The house is
certainly not the fairly quiet abode it used to be. With two extra adults and
four kids seven and under nothing is the same!
J There’s LOTS of happy noise of
excited play! Ken commented about 3 days after their arrival that he
narrowly missed rolling his ankle in the kitchen on a marble that mysteriously
appeared from nowhere on the floor and in doing so, almost stepped on the
Thomas the Tank express plying passengers between Fridge Station and Dining
Table station!! On Sunday 31st October a number of brethren and
sisters made the effort to travel significant distances to come and welcome
Rob, Rachelle, Rosie, Anna, Reuben and Adam, and several contacts also
attended. There was a great atmosphere and it marked another first in the
progress of the growth of the ecclesia here with a number of contacts
attending the memorial meeting for the first time. We had a fraternal lunch
after the meeting and there was lots of chatter and laughter
J. It is really rewarding to see
the friendships which have grown over the last two years and the warmth that
was extended to Rob and Rachelle and kids by both the brethren and sisters and
the contacts. Of course the children are a big hit and cope incredibly well
with lots of new faces. It’s not quite so easy for them down the street as
total strangers frequently approach them and touch them and understandably
they don’t like it. But again they seem to cope pretty well. It would drive
me nuts.
Bible Truth
Study Day – October
v
Roll call
ü
10 contacts (and/or family members of local brethren) present;
ü
5 brethren and sisters present;
ü
5 kids present (record breaking numbers!) Zenomy who was the
sole Sunday School student for so much of our time here can’t believe her
luck; she now enjoys being part of a SS of six (seven if you include 18 month
old Adam) and has one further buddy she sees at BTSD. She is a very happy and
excited little girl.
v
Topics
ü
Why DID Christ die?
ü
The First Century Church – what did it preach and practice: This
same Jesus shall come again in the same way!
ü
Death (discussion groups on our mortal, dying state and notes
and questions again taken from Rob Hyndman’s “Way of Life”)
ü
The First Century Church – the apostles’ fellowship, breaking of
bread and prayer
v
Presenters
ü
Rob undertook the presentation on “This same Jesus” and did a
top job. Those present appeared to really enjoy his presentation and found
his lovely South African accent easy to understand.
v
Comments
ü
great attendance;
ü
great participation;
ü
great feedback from participants;
ü
friendships well and truly forged and a great deal of care being
shown amongst the group. One of the newer attendees comments on both the
fellowship and the studies he enjoys at BTSD. All eight of us visited him and
his family in Kandy in the last couple of days and he again contrasted the
benefits he believes he gets from the studies and fellowship compared to (what
sounds like) a total lack of study and fellowship at the church he and his
family attend in Kandy.
v
Disappointments
ü
one family of three unable to attend due to car troubles;
ü
the day was one of the “first of our lasts” and some of our
first farewells.
Busy at the desk
The requests for literature continue to come in as a
result of the October literature offer for “Israel and the Purpose of God” and
as a result of the October advertisement offering “After Death - What?”
Both booklets are now available in Sinhala and English and we are getting a
significant number of requests for the Sinhala versions despite the booklets
so far only having been advertised in English newspapers or to English
speaking contacts. We’ve had multiple requests for five to seven copies of
the Sinhala versions of the booklets from individuals who want to give copies
to their Sinhala speaking/reading friends and family. The funds for this
Sinhala work have been substantially provided by our “sponsors” and they and
we are pleased to see that we are now entering the phase where the literature
(we have now nearly 25 booklets in print) is beginning to be disseminated and
responses are being received. We leave at a point where there is the need now
to commence a focussed Sinhala preaching programme.
Out and about
We’ve had a reasonably busy visits schedule and will
continue to do so until we leave for Oz. There are a number of contacts to
whom we have especially wanted to introduce Rob and Rachelle and the four
kiddies. We spent two nights at Mount Lavinia on the south side of Colombo
and spent an evening (dinner) with one absolutely delightful couple who are
really keen beans when it comes to learning Bible truth. We (K&D only)
visited Laurinda, a sister in her mid 70’s whose health is poor and whose
family is antagonistic to her conversion from Roman Catholicism about 17 years
ago. Laurinda displays remarkable faith but sadly we may be the last of her
brothers and sisters who are able to visit her. We ring or visit her only
between certain hours, when she knows her husband is likely to be asleep, as
she worries about the ramifications in the home of having Christadelphians
visit her. She has asked that no-one else come once we go as she is so
concerned. It’s very sad.
This week all eight of us headed to Nuwara Eliya and
caught up with Rajah and Pathma and the three boys. We also said good-bye to
Suresh and Dhileep whom we won’t see again before we head for Oz – and yes,
Dorothy cried. It’s amazing how much you can come to care for people whom you
can’t even talk with because of the language barrier. Rajah, Pathma and
Praveen came to Negombo for our last weekend and our parting was exceptionally
sad as we saw them heading off up the lane to catch their train home, knowing
that we would not see them again for some time. Yes, Dorothy cried again, but
Ken also had some tears and a lump in his throat.
Rob, Rajah and Ken travelled across to Badulla from
Nuwara Eliya on the Sunday and saw one a gentleman whom we have visited
regularly during our time here. He is an interesting fellow and Rob and Rajah
will undoubtedly continue to visit him. Badulla is a pretty long haul from NE
so Rachelle and the kids and Dorothy stayed in NE and spent time with Pathma.
From NE we took our last trip down the mountains and
given it is the last time we’ll see this wonderful scenery, unless we return
here at some stage. We saw it with new eyes and had a greater appreciation
for it again. Rob and Rachelle were very impressed with the stunning sights
(but not so impressed with the lousy drivers and lousy road conditions). We
stayed in Kandy overnight at a guest-house which is run by one of our
contacts. All together we caught up with four contacts and their families so
it was a pretty useful stop-over. Wednesday 10th had us heading
back to Negombo via the home of three blood sisters whom we have visited a
number of times over the past two years and bro Tissa and his delightful
family.
Other Stuff
Sights we’ve
seen
As always there is always something new we see. This
time the things that immediately leap to mind include a sign spotted outside a
large building in Kandy … “Department of Up Country Peasants’
Rehabilitation”. Some times our western society is so “politically
correct” it is painful but a little bit of political correctness could be a
good thing here
We also saw a three-wheeler driving along the Colombo
road at about 40 kmh with the vinyl side panels/flaps lowered across the door
openings to keep the rain out. This is not notable but, protruding from the
flaps with its tip dragging along the bitumen surface of the road, was the
tail of what must have been a fairly large animal. It looked like the tail of
a cow – a hefty thick tail with a bushy bit at the end. Ken when glancing in
the rear-vision mirror also spotted a leg poking out the far side or the
three-wheeler!
Things we’ve
read
Sadly I can’t find the actual article but a newspaper
recently reported a robbery that took place in one of Colombo’s wealthier
suburbs of a wealthy businessman’s house. The robbers (it seems they were
off-duty police) broke into the home and proceeded to ransack it. One or two
robbers stood guard outside. The businessman arrived home while the robbers
were still busy. The paper reported that the businessman collapsed outside
his home from shock. The two robbers who were “on guard” put him in their
stolen van and took him to the nearest hospital where he was admitted. They
then returned to the home address to take up their positions “on guard” while
the job was finished off!
It appears from the article that the identity of the
robbers is known but they felt sufficiently safe from the hands of the law to
have the liberty and time to take the victim to hospital.
Trinco again
We had a second trip to Trincomalle. It included a
couple of days at a comfy hotel right on the beach - simply best swimming
beach in SL - and one day spent visiting some Dutch non-government
organisation (a Christian charity similar to World Vision, called ZOA)
projects.
We caught a ferry from Trinco – quite modern and clean
and equipped with life rafts etc J
– and 45 minutes later we ended up at a place called Muttur. From there we
hopped in to some ZOA vehicles and ended up in Tamil Tiger territory and
seeing some Tamil villagers whose lifestyle was the most basic and
extraordinary that Ken had ever seen, even in India.
No services (power, education, medical, transport, roads
etc) and no economic support or whatever. These people live hand to mouth,
evidence of malnutrition seen in the colour of some of the kids’ hair, with
parents in many instances who simply drink anything they do have. Inebriated
bodies lying under trees sleeping the day away waiting for night when they
could have whatever food they could find and then heading for bed. Their
“homes” were made from thatched palm leaves and were approximately 2m/3m
square. Many of them needing “re-thatching” – there were gaping holes in the
rooves and walls. Dorothy commented that the tent the Stevo’s went camping in
at Christmas time when she was a child was two the three times the size of
these peoples “homes” – and in better condition.
There were a few schools in the area – the oldest having
been built in 1999 by ZOA. We saw a number of people walking in the
direction we had come from and the ZOA staff informed us that these people
would be heading for Muttur – the place where our ferry had docked – 20 miles
from where these people live!
This is not simply the consequence of 20 years of civil
war. The reality is, this was stuff that dates back to 30 or 40 years of
neglect and poor government. How we long for the return of Jesus, because the
answer for these poor folks (and many like them here and no doubt millions of
others in other parts of the world) doesn't lie in the tiny bit that this
Dutch organisation is providing for them.
We’ve now added a new experience to our list of “things
never done before”. We pulled over (just after we went through the Tamil
Tiger [LTTE] checkpoint) for the driver and one of the young guys to change a
tyre on ZOA’s van. This was a first for us here in SL. God has blessed us
throughout all our travels and we have only had one instance when we’ve been
by ourselves and had to pull over because of car-troubles – brakes
overheating. We’ve had no flat tyres, despite the poor condition of the roads
and the (sometimes) extremely poor condition of our car's tyres. But looking
up as we were standing by the side of the road/track and seeing a sign pinned
to the tree next to us that says (skull and crossbones drawing....) "WARNING –
LAND MINES" was also a new experience for us both! True. We've got the pic.
Needless to say we stayed on the dirt track!!
Sunday 14th
We had a lovely day on Sunday with a number of contacts
coming to the memorial meeting here in the house for either the first or
second time and staying on for lunch. Tissa and Aloka (17 year old daughter -
one of his three children) travelled three hours in both directions to be part
of the day and Rajah, Pathma and Praveen came from Nuwara Eliya. Axel and
Cynthia Jansen were also here from Perth. The day’s program started with
Sunday School at 9.30am (which Rachelle in now running) and the children were
busy singing and preparing a little presentation about David.
The memorial meeting commenced at 11.00am with about 26
people in total in attendance including 10 baptised believers. Immediately
after the meeting the children did their five minute David presentation and
enjoyed singing at top volume, swinging their slings and each firing their one
(paper) rock at Goliath – a huge image sketched out on cardboard. They each
received a Bible story book and a little packet of party toys and lollies – so
all in all they were pretty happy kids.
We all enjoyed a fraternal lunch (yep, rice and curry
followed by fruit and ice-cream and a cake brought by Vernon). Bro Vernon
gave a lovely little speech as did Nilanthi (impromptu). Nilanthi is one of
our most promising contacts whose faithfulness and desire to please God is an
amazing witness.
There were lots and lots of tears shed (by them and us)
as we said our farewells.
The day was however a witness to the need for a
worshipping community here, from youngsters to oldies. It was good, on our
final Sunday here, to see the local brethren enjoying the day and realising
that our worship together in music, and word, with little ones present and
involved as Old Testament and New Testament models clearly attest, is the
direction the existing community of believers here, must take in the days and
weeks ahead.
The last edition
Negombo News has enjoyed a two-year run, not sure how the
sales patterns have faired but certainly the profits have been non-existent!
But this is “the last edition” from us for now! (Though Rachelle advises that
she and Rob and going to have their own Negombo News – so perhaps it’s
just the same paper with different editors and a different circulation.)
There have been so many highs and lows over the last two
years it’s a bit hard to capture them all.
Highlights:
They are too numerous to provide an inclusive list but
here’s a few.
ü
Certainly Tissa’s baptism was amongst the top highlights as have
the translation days which have seen him here in the house with us for two
days a week for the last 12 months.
ü
We made some great friends, we’ve seen some funny sights, we’ve
seen some stunning scenery and wonderful animals.
ü
Friends and family visiting.
ü
The eight-week break at home between the two one-year visits.
ü
Letters, emails and phone calls from friends and family have at
times been the source or our sanity – and of course it’s great to hear and to
know what’s happening at home.
ü
The development of Bible Truth Study Day and the ongoing growth
in the numbers attending.
ü
The appreciation expressed by a number of the locals for the
Bible studies and fellowship they have enjoyed
ü
The kindness of many people including our neighbours who have
helped us settle and helped us find much needed items or services.
ü
The antics of the twins who used to live next door but are now
living further down the lane but who happily say hello when we go past and
natter to us 18 to the dozen --- in Sinhala.
ü
Some wonderful home cooked meals – rice and curry – that we’ve
enjoyed along with the company of some lovely hosts who have become good
friends.
ü
A book cabinet with a growing and significant number of Sinhala
booklets. And of course, hand in hand with that, a rapidly growing number of
requests for Sinhala publications.
ü
The arrival of the Oosthuizens – it means we’re going home soon
and it also means that they will pick up the work we’ve been involved and will
continue to nurture the spiritual growth of so many people we have worked with
and to care for the welfare of others.
ü
Cathie’s diligent two-years as web-mistress.
ü
Heaps more.
The tough times
We certainly had a few of those
L. It’s difficult to describe the
frustration and associated stress experienced when living in a culture with
such a different attitude to organisation to our western approach. It
continues to drive us bananas when empty promises are made, incredible
laziness, ineptitude, incompetence and inefficiencies are just accepted as a
way of life.
This country could be stunning and many parts of it are,
but it is filled with filth and at times it’s right under our feet and up our
nose (so to speak).
There have been times of incredible loneliness. But your
messages, calls and letters have helped to see us through.
There have been times of indescribable frustration over
some major issues and some minor issues. Many of those should NOT have
occurred. Some of these have had a severe and negative impact on the
progress of the work here and that has undoubtedly been the hardest thing with
which we’ve had to cope.
Working with people whose problems have overwhelmed
them. Despite an enormous amount of help being available to them, they do not
seem to be able to identify what they need to do to cope with their
circumstances; this has been very challenging for us personally.
Bye
But we’re not going to finish with troublesome thoughts.
We are really looking forward to coming home.
When we made the decision 18 months ago and committed
ourselves to a second year here it felt like it would never finish, we really
wondered if we’d bitten off more than we could chew. But there are no
regrets. If we’d stayed home after 12 months we would have had many regrets
and a sense of unfinished business. While there is certainly heaps and heaps
of “work in progress” that we will be leaving with Rob and Rachelle we have a
sense of achievement that we didn’t feel after our first year. We feel that
there has been significant consolidation achieved in this second year. It is
not “us” that has achieved it, it has been the combined efforts of a number of
people and of course our Heavenly Father. It IS a wonderful thing to be
co-workers with the Almighty God in His work of redeeming and saving a sinful
and dying people.
It also “feels right” to be going home now. The two
years have been very demanding emotionally, physically, spiritually. We’ve
got to the point where we feel quite tired and really don’t feel we can
constantly “give it our best” so we are quite glad to be handing the reins
over to Rob and Rachelle.
So we’re signing off now as the NN editors and by
God’s good grace we will see most of you again in the next few weeks.
A note of
thankfulness
We will always be grateful for the advice given to
Dorothy by a sister (Dorothy can’t remember who it was) who said words to the
effect “don’t worry if things don’t go according to your plans, they will
always go according to His”. We have comforted ourselves in that advice on
many, many occasions. We have been conscious on so many occasions of the
presence of the one who stands by the candlestick in this place. And it is to
him and our loving Heavenly Father, that we publicly express our thankfulness
for their loving care and guidance throughout our time. We have kept good
health throughout. We have thrived in the activities in which we’ve been
involved. We have survived the hardships and difficulties. And, as we
quoted on our last Sunday here, to some of our loved ones here who we now
leave behind, we are confident that He who has began a good work in them, will
bring that work to completion in the day of His Son (Philippians 1: 3-11).
Maranatha!
Love from Ken &
Dorothy
Negombo
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