Journey: Final Thoughts

In this, my final blog post, I will try to bring together my thoughts to sum up the entire JOURNEY experience. You may remember I posted a video in my first post. Having watched it again after visiting Sri Lanka and seeing the Salvation Army's work with my own eyes the video really moves me as I now know first hand the massive difference The Salvation Army has made to so many lives – as the village elder states in the video, "The place is unrecognisable (from just after the Tsunami)". (The first of two videos showing the SA's initial response to the 2004 Tsunami can be found here if you are interested - length 10 minutes).

The video is posted again below, and shows the communities the Salvation Army works with, particularly around the Hikkaduwa region where we stayed for a number of days. Our team visited the bakery and the community centers, seeing women's and children's groups, and after talking to several of the residents in the houses built by the Salvation Army and visiting the Tsunami photo museum, we can at least empathise, even if we cannot really know, the people's experiences of the Tsunami and its aftermath. The thankfulness that so many have for the SA, and the new hope and lives that they have underlines the fantastic selfless work that the Salvation Army has been carrying out since the Tsunami. Please take a few minutes to watch the video:

In visiting 'The Haven', one of the homes run in Colombo by the Salvation Army, we were able to show the love of God to people who had experienced very little love in their lives, which was an incredible privilege. Because of this experience, and because of the examples of so many of the Salvation Army workers in Sri Lanka, I am continually motivated and challenged to show the love of God to everyone around me. There's not a day has gone by that I haven't reflected upon my experiences and tried to live more like Jesus because of it.

So in summary I am very proud to be a member of the Salvation Army after seeing their amazing work in Sri Lanka. The people working for the SA there were a real inspiration to me because of their dedication and love for God, resulting in their dedication and love for his creation, those people in need. My experiences will remain with me forever, and will help me grow as I travel along the Christian journey. A massive thank you to everyone who sponsored me, I hope that this blog has helped you appreciate some of my experiences. Finally, a huge thank you to The Salvation Army's International Development (SAID) department for helping organise and run the trip, you guys do a fantastic job. 

 

It is only fitting that the very last words to conclude this blog are taken from the Bible. John 3 v16 is the ultimate inspiration for why the Salvation Army Church cares so much for humankind:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

With a love like that, how could we not care for God's own?

If you'd like to find out more about SAID's work around the world or make a donation to one of their projects, then please visit their website here (try refreshing if page doesn't load up first time).

Day 5: The Tsunami's devastating impact, and more on the Salvation Army's continuing response

After breakfast we were once again driven by Dinuka to the nearby Tsunami photo museum at Telwatta, a dutch funded initiative to collect and display photos of the devastating event from Boxing Day 2004 and the aftermath. The museum was in a woman's house (she had separate rooms to live in) not 25 meters from the sea, and had had to be rebuilt after the Tsunami as only the foundations had remained.

The Tsunami Photo Museum (photo taken from their website)

Viewing the photos and reading the many stories was extremely moving. There were photos of the Tsunami closing in, sweeping past the houses as if they weren't there, photos of the train wreckage caused by the wave and photos of volunteers and the recently made homeless helping clear up the area in the following days. Yet the three things that stick in my mind are the stories of parents losing their children as they tried disparately to cling on to them, the photos that would never be shown on TV depicting human bodies as they were recovered, and most poignantly of all, the drawings done by children of their experiences, showing the destructiveness of the wave and the bodies as they floated along. That a child should have such images in mind to draw brought tears to my eyes. I wrote in the visitors book, but when it came to the 'comments' section, words completely failed me so I left it blank. 

Some of the messages in the museum included, 'Before 2004 we had no idea what a Tsunami was'. 'We lived because of the sea, but the sea came and took our lives away. Now, we must return to the sea to live. 'When you were born you were crying and others were smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you are smiling and others are crying.' The museum's website can be seen here, should you wish to find out more.

We drove away in silence, lost in our own thoughts. Ironically, our next stop was a glass-bottomed boat trip to the coral just off the shore, where we saw Tiger-Fish and others – the peaceful side of the sea. Dinuka had brought some crackers for the fish(!), which they absolutely loved and ate from my submerged hand! This trip did lift the mood somewhat.

 Tiger fish enjoying crackers!

We then drove to the Hikkaduwa to see the Divisional Headquarters and local corps, and Major Shelton Fernando who had been travelling with us invited us into his home for more cake and juice.

 Sam, the Major and Dinuka. It turned out the bed is the one the founder of the Salvation Army in Sri Lanka slept in - 120 years ago!

 The local corps meeting hall

 The Major and the CCD (Community Capacity Development) team

We went to the beautiful city of Galle for lunch, passing the international cricket ground there. Our restaurant was overlooking a beautiful bay. At the end, there was even a green lizard that popped in!

 Part of our view from the restaurant

The Green Lizard

We spent the afternoon at a children's club for Tsunami affected families ran by the Salvation Army in another community centre built by them. As always, we were warmly greeted, and presented with leaves and flowers by the children. We sat and watched as they had an English lesson, before we went outside and joined in with their games! These included many games that we recognised from our own childhoods such as 'Big fish, little fish', although playing them in another language was somewhat of a challenge! 

 Michelle and Sam join in one of the games

After the games the kids offered us all juice and biscuits. Then it was our turn; earlier we had popped into a shop and bought chocolate, pencils, drawing books and stickers for all the children and it was fantastic to be able to give something back to people who had taught and given us so much. The kids were delighted, and as they left one of them came and touched all our shoes as a sign of respect – very touching. There was just time for a quick bit of cricket with Dinuka and Lakmal! The minibus, which had escaped many miles on Sri Lankan roads unscathed, couldn't survive Dinuka batting however who dented the back with a firmly hit straight drive (with a tennis ball!).

 Us and the children - we had already sat through about 10 photos at this time, hence some of the bored looks!

 Salvation Army cricket bat!

We returned to Galle and spent the evening walking around the walls of the old Dutch fort watching as the Sun went down. We watched the sea waves crash against the rocks. Beautiful yet powerful. 

 Waves crash over the rocks by Old Galle Town

We went to a restaurant back in Hikkaduwa, inviting Lakmal, Dinuka and his wife along to say thank you to them. They very proudly showed us photos of their wedding, as Sri Lankans take immense pride in their families.

To finish the day, we once again discussed and prayed for the day's events; Sam read God's promises from Revelation 21, with the ultimate hope for humanity once this life passes. I'll finish with verse 4 here: 

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

The experience at the museum today really put into perspective the huge impact the Salvation Army has had on so many people's lives since the Tsunami, and how God's love has shone through them.