Travel Report to Sri Lanka 1999 - Joseph Vos

Day 1 - March 30 - Arrival

I traveled from Amsterdam to Frankfurt and from Frankfurt to Colombo, which is the capital of Sri Lanka. The trip took me a total of fifteen hours including a three hour stopover in Frankfurt. Thank God, they did not give me any problems with the extra luggage. I brought with me about 20 kilos of teddy-bears etc. The customs people at the Colombo airport did not look at me so I think I was very fortunate. I exchanged most of the money that I had brought with me from Holland and Israel right there at the airport. The exchange rate was about 69 Sri Lankan Rupees to the US Dollar. I got about 33 SL Rupees to the Dutch Guilder.

On the way between Colombo and Batticaloa.
Buying vegetables from a road-side shop.

It was a relatively very hot day for Colombo, about 37 degrees Celsius. Colombo reminds me much of the poor areas of East Jerusalem, but it is immensely spread out. There are not many high rise buildings and most of the buildings are in a very bad shape. There are approximately 3 million people in Colombo. Rev. Jeyanesan was waiting for me at the airport. I am impressed with his gentle and hospitable character. Rev. Jeyanesan took me from the airport in his red Mitsubishi van. We arrived at a little hospice after a very long drive through Colombo. We had agreed to spend a day in Colombo in order to purchase necessities for the home.

Rev. Jeyanesan shared with me about the work with the orphans. Except for the three orphanages, two girls' homes and one boys' home, he is also in charge of other support and education programs around Batticaloa.

  • Three Orphanages - one boys' home and two girls' homes. Children who have lost their parents, or whose parents have left them with the orphanage to care for, will receive love, food and education. They are growing up to love the Lord Jesus and learn to take their share of the workload.

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  • Several Day-Care centers where children come during the day-time and receive very nutritious food and milk with added vitamins and minerals.

  • Vocational training centers in at least three places. Here the older children receive training for helping them to find jobs after they finish studies and leave the homes.

  • Several churches and congregations

  • A widows training and support center

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    The Kiran Girls' Home - Lunch Time.
    They eat rice, vegetables and dried fish.

  • A kiosk which the widows and older orphans take care of.

    In total, Rev. Jeyanesan estimates that he influences the lives of 2000 children in and around Batticaloa.

    • The accounting boks of the Kiran Girls' Home as was also found in the other places we visited.

    He also shared with me that they completed the financial statements. I will be very interested to see them in Batticaloa.

    During our stay in Colombo we were successful in purchasing a fax for the communication channel that I would like to open up with him. He declined to purchase a computer as he does not have currently someone to operate it. I asked him to tell me what else he would like to have instead.

    He shared with me about how he had made a playground from the money I sent him some time ago and said that he has a problem with snakes hiding sometimes in the tall grass. We went out to buy a manual grass machine and an electrical grass trimmer (with a wire). We also purchased a pair of large grass scissors. We also bought slippers for the 300 children in the homes. It appears they are walking barefooted. While we waited for the packaging of all the slippers, we manage to reconfirm my flight back at an office of Air Lanka. After picking up the slippers, we picked up a Big Mac from a McDonald’s I saw. Sorry for the insensitivity for my choice, but I felt I could trust the food there better than elsewhere. I realize how careful you need to be with what you eat here. I also had a milkshake.

    The children at the Kiran Girls Home sleep on mats on the floor, where little bags are with their almost non-existent personal belongings.

    Contrary to what I had been told, we did indeed find a place where I could withdraw money from an ATM machine using my GoldMasterCard. I succeeded in withdrawing 20000 rupees at the Hong Kong Bank in Colombo.

    After a few hours of sleep, during which Rev. Jeyanesan went to an important meeting about one of the leaders who had deserted his post unexpectedly., he came to pick me up from my room. He shared with me that so often people are deserting their functions in Sri Lanka and move to Canada for a better life.

    This makes it very hard for him as it increases the workload for making an effective ministry.
    We went to have dinner in a Chinese Restaurant where the owner is a believer and does not carry alcoholic beverages. Rev. Jeyanesan shared with me more personal things about himself how he went through many traumatic experiences as a Tamil, how his parents are dead, his wife is in India to take care of their son , who is after an operation on his kidneys. His daughter is studying also in India. The last time he saw them was three months ago and he misses them very much. The trip to the mainland costs 11000 rupees which is very expensive for him. He also shared with me how once his son was kidnapped and after a long time was returned to him. Life is very difficult in Sri Lanka.

    Caretakers with two girls of the Kiran home. The girls showed me their personal belingings: clothes, soapbox and nothing else.
    I brought stuffed animals with me from children in Holland for the orphanages.

    He tried to prepare me for what I will see in the orphanage, and assured me that he would show me a few of the houses from which the children come as part of an educational support program. In his three orphanages there are three kinds of children: Children who have lost both parents, children who have lost one parent and were left behind in the orphanage and children of parents who do not want to care for their children and would otherwise have been left alone on the streets. Many a Sri Lankan will not be very concerned for the children as they see ill-fate as a result of punishment for some bad thing they did in their former life. They can always make more children, so when a child is run down in traffic, this is also not seen as a big problem. I am appalled by this attitude. I am sure that not all Sri Lankans are this way.

     

     

    Day 2 - March 31 - Visiting the Girls’ Homes.

    We started our journey to Batticaloa at 6 o’clock in the morning. The trip took us seven hours driving through the most dangerous traffic I have ever seen. When we saw an accident I was told that many people die on the roads. At least half of our journey was through country that best could be described as semi-jungle, semi-vacation village style. It was very beautiful. As we approached the east coast, the country side changed more into steppe kind, as in Africa. The soil became sandy instead of muddy. We crossed the line were no tourists are allowed (until here, we saw only about ten of them).

    These three orphans, who lost both parents, receive their first toys. The other children have still at least one parent, but they were left by their parents in this home.
    Much happiness on receiving their first toys ever.

    Rev. Jeyanesan put up a flag on the van, which gave the van immunity status by the army. It is a white flag with a blue cross. The soldiers did not stop us, only once did he have to get out and register his vehicle. Others were held up at road blocks for twenty-four hours. This is so that time-bomb devices would have time to explode We saw a van with a catholic nun and others stranded. We tried to help and I was reminded not to walk off the side of the road as land mines were sure to kill me. This is war-zone, but more is still to come.

    On our way we passed seventeen army camps who are encamped on the road itself. The road is blocked off and all traffic is detoured to a dirt road around it. In seven years they did not pave these detours so you can imagine their horrible conditi. The paved road could best be described as a paved road with lots of potholes. There are speed bumps that are so high that if you would hit one with a speed higher than 5 kph, you will surely break your vehicle. Even the heaviest semi-trailer has to slow down for them. In this area, no justice will be found, no protection, except by the flag, is received. People disappear from this area regularly, or are kidnapped. Sometimes an army convoy will pass and be blown away by a remotely controlled explosive device. The LTTE is a group that has a lot of influence in this area and the soldiers are very much afraid of them.

    The flip-flops are standard wear for most people in Sri Lanka. This is the first time most children are covering their little feet, protecting them from the searing hot sands.
    Joseph among the children of the Kiran Home.

    We are first going to a small girls' home with between 40 and 50 girls. These girls live in this place that is partially controlled by the army and partially controlled by the Tamil guerrillas. The orphanage is run by a specially trained female warden and other staff. The children have been expecting us and have been waiting with lunch until I arrive. I feel sorry for them that they had to wait for my arrival. The children say a prayer in Tamil and start to eat. They are enjoying the meal that is rich in nutritious vegetables, meat or fish and rice.

    They finish with a mix of various fruits. Most of these children have been deserted by their parents, who do not wish to care for them. I sit together with Rev. Jeyanesan and enjoy a very good (in relative terms) Sri Lankan meal with them. They enjoy spicy food. I do not particularly enjoy those. There is a very varied choice of vegetables. I am amazed at the quality of the food they receive. After the meal, the children leave one by one as they finish. They can take as much food as they want but they must completely finish the meal and clean (“polish”) their plates. You can see that the children are not only very much disciplined, they are also loved. This is a happy bunch of children. It is plain to see that a good work is going on here. After an excellent meal, we have all the children leave and start to unpack a portion of the stuffed animals I brought along. We decide to give to this home one for every child. We set them up on the table for the children to choose from. First the children who are without a father and without a mother get a turn. Then the other children are getting their presents. You should have seen their faces as they see the presents. You see this once and you will be very happy that you endangered your life to come here. It is not surprising as they have never in their life seen such beautiful toys. This you cannot experience anywhere in the Western world, such plain happiness, such satisfaction with so little. They also receive their new slippers. They were walking barefooted all the time. It is hot outside and the sand is very hot. Now their little feet are somewhat protected from this heat. Everybody in this area walks with these cheap slippers, so the children will not feel bad that they did not get more expensive sandals. Rev. Jeyanesan says: “This is the happiest day of their life.” I believe him.

    The children of the St. John's Girls Home with their new toys..

    We go look to see all the living conditions. The sub-sub-standard living conditions are obvious. No refrigerator in this hot climate means no ability to keep your food fresh. The fish they eat is dried. The one-cup-a-day of milk they receive is made from powdered milk with added vitamins and minerals. The powdered milk is of first class quality (Nestle). The “new” bathrooms are holes in the ground with a pot to keep the “stuff” from coming back. The cleaning of the toilet consists of spraying everything with lots of water. This they call a watershed toilet. The children all sleep on little straw mats on the hard concrete floor. Each child has a tiny suitcase. I ask for a volunteer to show me what is in her suitcase. Two little girls want to show me their suitcases. They have a dress, a t-shirt, shorts and another dress. They also have a little soapbox that they received from the home. I found no underwear, no socks, no towel, no toys, no pens and until today nothing to protect their little feet from the hot ground. They have no rings, no watches, no dolls, no playhouse, nothing. One girl has a little flask with a little piece of paper in it, a little branch of some plant, but nothing else. The other girl has except for clothes and a soapbox, no personal belongings. To see this is heart-rending. What girl in the west does not have a plastic ring, a fluffy this and a picture of that. You know what I mean. Yet the children look happy. I am sure that the wardens care for them well and love them.

    Rev. Niles, Joseph and Rev.Jeyanesan at the Tikva Garden.

    Children at the day care center in the Tamil Tiger held area. The children wear clothes only at the center, where they receive nutritious food and milk.

    After this, we leave for the St. John’s Girls' Home where there are between 142 children. Many of these children have nobody left in their family as the army has killed both parents. Having arrived there I am shown my room. I look at the little garden of which I have a picture of Dania and Veronica. It says on a sign Garden of Tikva (Hope) in English and Hebrew. Rev Jeyanesan suggests we sit and rest a little before we see the girls’ home. I say I would rather go and see the children. When we go around the church we are very surprised to see the girls all lined up at the side of the path, from the smallest to the largest girl. They all shout “Good Afternoon Uncle” (I think). Rev. Jeyanesan says that he did not know that they had planned this. We are both very surprised and happy that we went immediately. As we approach, two girls come with each a very big string of flowers. This is much more than I can take. I am so much overwhelmed by this that I cannot really continue to wear this, so I offer it to Rev. Jeyanesan. He gives it to one of the girls for safe-keeping. I wish I could hide somewhere now as I feel so shy. I go sit on a bench on the side.

    All the girls come to sit opposite me in a very orderly fashion. They have prepared some dances and songs for me and are determined to perform before me. They have prepared for me and Rev. Jeyanesan to sit on some honorable chairs. I decide to stay on the bench and let him sit on a chair. Later the project manager for the homes will come and use the other chair. It was very beautiful what the children had prepared for me. First two girls dance beautifully for me. Then a group of children sing and dance for me. They seemingly do it with joy. They asked me to sing for them so I taught them the Israeli song: “Yeshua, You love me" in Hebrew. After this I tell them that I have some presents for them and that it is important for them to share the presents with one another, as I do not have enough for everyone. I teach them that it is very important for them to love one another. They respond and say they will do that. I am convinced that the children are happy.

    The day-care center with one of the two wardens. She was sick, possibly Malaria.

    At the neighor's house with the other warden and Rev. Jeyanesan.

    Rev. Jeyanesan instructs two older girls to go with me to pick something up from my room (the stuffed animals). This time I am going to do it better than in the previous home. I let the fully orphaned children line up outside according to their age. Later the children will have to put them in a cupboard for the others to be able to play with them. The smallest children may keep them. The children also here are so very happy to receive the dolls. I take a picture of them and then Rev. Jeyanesan takes a picture of me with the children and with my flowers that I received from them. After this I am shown the playground with the playthings for which money had been donated. I later find that for 1000 Dutch guilders=500 US dollars five playgrounds had been made. I find it so special that with a little money you can do so much for these children. After today, thwill have to walk barefooted no longer. As I go see the home and what they (don’t) have, the sandals are brought out for them to receive. After this we go have dinner. In the evening, I see the children once more. They still say: “Good Afternoon Uncle”. Again, and again, and again, until I finally stop responding and go. They are so sweet. I feel so happy that they can be helped and happy. Determination to help these children is starting to build up within me.

    Day 3 - April 1. Into the war zone.

    Waking up, breakfast was waiting. Vasuki is in charge of preparing things for me. She is a real sweet girl (23 years) who always smiles. She and Vasinda are in charge of the St. John’s Girls’ Home and the children. They do an excellent job with a smile and lots of love. This morning Rev. Jeyanesan and I are going to visit several day care centers, at one of which the bullets will be flying while we and some children are there. We will be going with the van with the blue cross flag. Except for the red cross vehicle, this is the only vehicle allowed to cross between the Government controlled area and the Tamil Tiger controlled area. We were joined by Rev. Niles, who has been recently appointed by the Diocese in Colombo to the area where we will be going now. After a drive of about ten minutes we get to the forward line of the government troops. Rev. Jeyanesan gets out to show the permit for passing into no-man's land. We cross a bridge that is damaged by the war. Then we drive on a straight road. Nobody goes here except for a van and two busses. Also a number of people who walk or cycle their way to find work. After another five minutes, we come into the Tamil Tiger held area. Here and there parts of bridges and the road are blown away. Many children walk naked. Many houses are made of mud and branches. We first go to the day-care center. The children's playground can be seen from a distance. The children here are all clothed. When they leave, they have to leave the clothes behind otherwise they will give them to brothers and sisters expecting that they will receive new clothes in return.

    The houses are made of branches and mud.
    The house where one of the wardens lives with her family. The whole family is ill with what is assumed Malaria.
    		This is a relatively quiet area, but it is very poor. We go see the well which Rev. Jeyanesan built for the neighborhood. People come from all sides to this well to get some water. There are two wardens in charge of the children. They were also trained to keep the bookkeeping in order. I check the books and find them very satisfactory, amazed that proper accounting principles are kept even in such a difficult area. Finding the names of Dania and Veronica in the visitor’s book, I feel proud of them that they dared to come, and then I sign my name also in the book .

    Next we go to the neighbor’s “house”. They are “expanding” their house and some men are working inside. They have put up some branches as support for the walls. Then they put mud against the branches to function as walls. We go back to the van and visit another mud house. This is the place where one of the wardens of the day-care center lives. There are several children in this family. The whole family has high fever. The father went to find work anyhow. They have no money to buy medicine. The Tamil Tigers have just recently opened a little hospital, but people must pay for treatment, so few people go. Rev. Jeyanesan suspects that they all got malaria. We decide to give some money to the other warden so she can go buy medicine for the family, otherwise the family may die. Infancy death is very high in this area. Next we visit another one room hut were six people live. We find only two children. They look malnourished. The father grows Marijuana. Not willing to support a drug dealer we decide not to give any money to this family. The father would probably only buy more marijuana seeds from it. This causes a lot of suffering for his customers. We do not wish to support this kind of activity. I pity his children. One of them has worms.

    This is really their kitchen.
    Children of a drug-dealer in their "kitchen".
    Six people live here.

    Next we go to visit the local church. This is not much of a building. We meet with some neighbors who live close by. One mother with baby twins and a three year old child meets us. She is only fifteen years old. Rev. Jeyanesan explains that the children have no entertainment so they entertain themselves with marriage at a very early age. She was thirteen when she got married to a seventeen year old boy. One of the twins has just recently been operated.

    This is the congregation where Rev. Niles will be in charge.
    The day-care center which meets in the church building.

    We are going back across no-man's land. We will be visiting another day-care center in the army’s area. As we reach the day-care center, also here we see the playground from a distance. There is no fence, only fence poles. The army took down the fence. It bothered them in their war against the terrorists. As we approach the day-care center we hear shooting on our left. It is not far from us. The children are all inside the center. In spite of the fact that also the army and also the terrorists know that there are little children here, they still sometimes shoot at the building. Just a day before, a bullet went through one wall and hit the other wall, about one foot off the ground. The children were inside when it happened, but wonderfully nobody got hurt. We went outside where they showed me the playground.

    The kitchen of the day-care center and church.
    The three children and the mother(in green dress. The mother with one of the twins after an operation.
    The children got out to the playground even as the shooting was going on. I think that they thought I wanted to take a picture of them on the playground. I requested that they would be sent inside immediately, but quickly snatched a picture as some were on the swings already. I wanted to be sure they would not get hurt. I went around the building with Rev. Jeyanesan to see how we can come up with a plan to protect the building from shooting.I suggested that a flag be put up on the building to symbolize the immunity of the building. I suggested putting up a wall around the building, but the army will not allow this.
    As I took this picture of this day-care center, there was shooting on my left side.
    The two bullet holes: On the left, the bullet hole inside the day-care center. On the right, the bullet inside the concrete frame.
    The children coming out to the playground. I had them sent back immediately as there is shooting all around.
    The children coming to the day-care center after school for food and help with homework. You can see the van with the blue cross clearly.
    		 They will come to take it down immediately, just as they had done with the fence. Sometimes the soldiers come to sit under a tree next to the day-care center. Later, the terrorists plant a bomb under the tree. They hope this will blow up the soldiers. They do not care that this can kill the children. Two trees have been already cut down to avoid having soldiers sit there. One tree is still there. I suggest that it be taken down, but Rev. Jeyanesan protests that this would leave no shade anywhere. I suggest that we put up a metal shield, suspended from the roof to protect the children from stray bullets. This idea is accepted and will be explored. I request for a price estimate.(Later I was told that this is not a good idea as the soldiers will take refuge inside the building. I had not imagined such cowards.) I am told how sometimes the soldiers rape the care-takers, so in this home there are five care-takers instead of two, to provide extra support. Even in this place they have proper bookkeeping and the books look fine. I am amazed. As we are talking outside, we see a group of children come in very orderly fashion to the day-care center. The shooting is still going on, but the children seem used to it. How well-disciplined these children are.

    Next we go back to the Kiran’s Girls’ Home, where we came first. Next to the Kiran’s Girls’ Home there is also a day-care center. In all, Rev. Jeyanesan estithat 2000 children are affected one way or another by the various programs going on. The day-care center here looks much better. There are chairs, there is a blackboard and again, there is good bookkeeping. Next door is the Widow’s Empowerment Program, where widows come to receive help. One of the ways is for them to receive a loan to set up a business of some sort. They can pay their loan back in small installments according to their ability. They also have a shop, which is run by widows and older orphans.

    The day-care center next to the Kiran Girls' Home.
    The shop run by widows and orphans.

    As if I haven’t seen enough today to make my stomach go upside down, we will now go right in-between the army and the terrorists. We’ve done it before today, we’ll do it again now. This time there is no shooting, but we do see a few Tamil Tiger “freedom fighters”. We are going to a new church which is run by a woman pastor. There is a little lake that has formed around the new church. If we want to see the church, we will have to wade through the water. I am concerned of parasitic life in the water and decide not to take a chance. I’ll watch from a distance.

    We go back to the St. John’s Girls Home for lunch. In the afternoon the children of the St. John’s Girls Home receive their slippers. They are so happy. For most of them this is the first time in their entire life to have something on their feet. They have been walking always barefooted. The “Thank you, Uncle” is heard many times.

    A church surrounded by living water.

    The St. John's Boys' Home - after receiving their dolls.

    Today I sat with the wardens of the St. John’s Girls Home. I showed them several ways how they can improve the books and taught them the importance of receipts and how they are kept. I sat extensively with Rev. Jeyanesan on the subject of record keeping from all aspects. I was very positively impressed at his eagerness to comply with proper accounting standards. He is clearly an intelligent and honest person. I have received an audit report by what is called in Sri Lanka a “Chartered Accountant”. I get the impression that the standards of accounting (as I have studied extensively) are not known by the accountants in Sri Lanka. I may be wrong, but here is definitely room for improvement. This relates solely to the methods of reporting. I find the various reports to reflect a completely honest management.

    I fully endorse what goes on financially in the homes and other programs as honest. No funds whatsoever were discovered as misappropriated. I find that money is stretched as much as possible in order to meet the needs of the children. In my coming to an opinion I have used a number of standards which a Certified Public Accountant in Israel would apply. As there is an Auditor’s Report, I do not see a necessity for a complete audit. I am of the opinion that a more professional auditor should be sought as he does not seem to understand the differences between “pure cash basis” and “cash basis”. I found the reporting to reflect ignorance of the auditor in other such areas of accounting principles. I am of the opinion that the figures, except for the fixed assets, depreciation and surplus, are likely reflecting a realistic picture of the financial state of the Girls’ Home, its income, expenses and results (except for the above mentioned). Rev. Jeyanesan is paid a relatively adequate salary by the Diocese of South India, located in Colombo.
    The boys have beds but no mattresses.

    Day 4 - April 2 - Boys home.

    These are all the personal belongings of this boy. He doesn't even have a picture of his parents or a bible.
    The boys bath and laundry room.

    Today we were at the boys home. I was received heartily, yet the children were very quiet. They did not seem to be able to estimate what was going to happen. We assembled in the dining room. I spoke to them warmly, encouraging the older boys to refrain from becoming a soldier. I told them that they were going to get presents, which they will need to share with one another. We had them stand outside. There are 126 boys in this home. I had them line up from the youngest to the eldest. One by one they could choose from among all the animals that they preferred. We had a lot of fun when a child would pick a big monkey or an elephant. Some children nearly exploded from excitement, but contained themselves in good behavior.

    They are very happy with their toys. I took a picture of each orphaned child. Later I will have the homes fill in the details about each child. The children here also perform songs and dances for me. It is interesting that the song which one boy sang was a very sad song, asking God why he helps people all over the world but their people seem to be forgotten by God. Some older boys put on some disco music and perform some wild dance. Two girls who accompanied us from the Girls Home to see their brothers start to giggle. I was then shown the other buildings on the compound, such as their sleeping quarters, their kitchen, their laundry room, their chickens, etc. Like in the girls’ homes, also here there are great needs, but it seems that the boys have it somewhat better. Here they have beds without a mattress. I requested for a volunteer boy to show me the content of his bag. After removing some shirts and shorts (no underwear, no socks, no shoes), all that came out was a soap box, which he received from the home, and a small leather flip-pocket photo holder, with a Jesus picture. Except for this, there was nothing in his bag. I found no toys, no piece of paper, no drawing, no notepad, no pen, no underwear, no socks, nothing. Next, the male wardens showed me the bookkeeping. Again I am amazed how in such desperate circumstances such good bookkeeping is held.
    The boys kitchen and cooks.
    The shop run by widows and orphans.

    They also have a vocational training center here. The bigger boys are trained for various work. This is to help them after they finish their schooling to find a job. The five playgrounds were made here from materials bought from money of a donation.

    After lunch we took Vasinda with us to help with purchasing underwear for the children in the homes. Almost nobody has had underwear, including the older girls. We decided to purchase some hand towels, but they will not be enough for all the children. The quality was not very good. Until now, they have been wiping themselves with their clothes. While we wait for the underwear to be packed, we went to visit with the project manager of the homes and the vocational centers.

    After this we went to the beach. Since the beach is next to the ocean, it is very dangerous to swim there as the currents are very strong and many swimmers drown when they are dragged into open sea. Their bodies will then be found days later washed ashore 25-40 kilometers northward. The children love to come to this place, but because of the danger are not allowed to swim in the sea.

    Today is Good Friday and a service is held at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. It is a ceremony during which the last seven things Jesus said before he died were said. The children’s choir sang very beautifully. Except for “Eloi, Eloi, Lama, Samachtani” I did not understand a thing.
    Boys Home washing line and water well in background.

    Day 5 - April 3 - Bible Study.
    My bedroom where the cockroach walked all over me.

    This morning I gave a bible study to the head of Sunday School program. I explained the meaning of “The Kingdom of God” and “The Kingdom of Heaven”. Many others had come to listen in on this bible study and were very enthusiastic about what was learned that day.

    I spend a long time with the children of the home. They performed all kinds of songs and dances before me. This went on for many hours. They were standing around me, wanting to hold my hand. They found my skin very interesting. Youcan feel the hunger these poor children have for love. Some of the smallest called me “Appa” meaning “father”. After tearing myself away from them, I spent some time planning with Rev. Jeyanesan.

    We visited with Rev. Jeyanesan’s friend who is a retired banker. We had to keep it short because I did not want to be out when curfew would start. Curfew is at seven in the evening. Anyone who is out on the streets will be arrested or shot. I did not feel I could afford being caught. As we returned, we saw a lot of people racing home before curfew. Many on foot, the others on bicycle. There are almost no private vehicles here. Even the relatively rich people drive around on motorcycles. There will be army jeeps speeding by every now and then, but even they are not often seen alone. This is a place even soldiers fear. Personally, I am impressed with the cowardice of the soldiers. Stupid decisions are evident in a lot of their actions. They will clear the streets when a convoy of the army passes. This way they guarantee that if they are blown up, no Tamils are hurt. I don’t think this is their intention though. Just before the convoy came by, an officer instructed a man to leave the area. After he left, the officer obviously was delighted to be alive. He feared suicide bombers.
    Easter Sunday - Joseph on the King's seat.

    Day 6 - April 4 - Easter Sunday - My first sermon in a church.
    The Girls Home Choir.

    Rev. Jeyanesan asked me to give the Easter Sunday sermon. I felt very shy, especially when he put me on stage in the seat of honor, an elaborately decorated chair. It reminded me of a chair for a sovereign. The children sang for us. The people sang hymns in Tamil. When invited, I gave a sermon on the subject “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again”. Christ has died, allowing us not only to be forgiven but to forgive those who trespass against us. I described how the flogging took place. Christ has risen, allowing us to live forever, bringing life to those around us, doing good to those who persecute us.

    Christ will come again. Then He will judge to see whether we have done according to His will and accept us to be with Him. I encouraged the crowd that had assembled to forgive those who persecute them and to do good to them, to care for the needy and to love the unloved and the outcast. (In their culture, the orphans are considered of lowest importance). Upon completion, Rev. Jeyanesan conducted communion and presented me with one of the yellow candles to take with me to Israel. The candle still burned and the hot wax was dripping all over my hand as I managed to keep smiling. Not being a traditionalist, I yet was very impressed with the warmest welcome received.
    Joseph gives his first Easter Sermon.
    The house of the priest, everybody gets a bun after the Easter service as is the tradition.

    After the service, the traditional warm breads were given as they always do on Easter. I spent some time saying my goodbye to all the children, taking some more pictures of them.

    We left at 10 o’clock from Batticaloa for Colombo. It took eight horrible hours of driving in very dangerous traffic. I am again impressed at how many suicidal people drive here on the road. We had three near head-on collisions. At the place where no tourists are allowed to pass, our vehicle and its content were checked by a kind officer. All other vehicles must be left behind at this point, but we could continue on our journey. At one side, the people leave the bus, walk to the other side and get on another bus.

    One more picture, uncle...
    The wardens of the Girls' Home in feast garments.

    As we approached Colombo the driving became more and more hazardous. Rev. Jeyanesan showed dexterity in dodging insane drivers from killing us and has adapted well to the driving in Sri Lanka. Police sometimes stop him for driving fast, but seeing him being a priest, they let him go with a warning: “Drive carefully, father”.

    Sri Lanka is a very beautiful country and the people living there make it so horrible and ugly wherever they are. I left with mixed feelings. I came to love the children very much and the children came to love me very much. They are sorry to see me leave and I very much miss them. On the other side, I am tremendously disgusted by the conditions of life in Sri Lanka. During my stay there I encountered an extremely poisonous snake (a scratch will kill you) which we killed in joint effort. I had a three inch long cockroach walk over me from my left foot all the way up to my left shoulder. It then looked at me and ran down my back, took a pit stop there and finally walked down to the floor. It did not fit under the door, so I managed to kill it there. I felt strongly like throwing up on many occasions during my stay in Sri Lanka. Kitchens and bathrooms are generally looking disgusting. I was grossed out by the thought of having a ten inch thick, eight feet long, extremely poisonous cobra slither into my bedroom while I sleep. This animal lives in the vicinity of the home. Rev. Jeyanesan agreed this was possible and said that he was glad I had not seen the rats in his house.

    In spite of the fact that shooting and bombing was heard on occasions, this worried me much less as I could estimate the chances of being hit as quite small comparing with for instance the threat of becoming road-kill on the road between Batticaloa and Colombo. I suppose that my inability to estimate the danger of Malaria, snakes, and other natural dangers, caused me much insecurity. The relatively improved yet absolutely disgusting living conditions added to the reasons for my strong desire to leave. I do wish to emphasize that my living conditions compared with people in the surrounding areas were extremely luxurious in relation to their own living conditions. This should make one realize the extend of Rev. Jeyanesan’s efforts to make my trip comfortable inasmuch as he was able to do so. He spared no efforts in trying to make me feel at home. His own financial resources must have been taxed heavily by all his preparations for my visit and his hospitality during my visit. I took most of his time for seven days, during which he hardly could attend to his other cares. I sincerely appreciate all his hard work for me, and his efforts at making the best of it. I have decided that I wish to come back. This time I hope to be a little better prepared for what is ahead. I definitely wish to see the children again.

    We arrived in Colombo after two pit-stops and a total of eight hours travel. Again I stayed in the same hospice overnight. We left for the airport at 3:30 am. The roads this time were empty and safe to travel. At the airport we had a prayer and said our blessings to one another. We both parted expecting to see each other again in the near future. We both look forward to working together in enhancing the lives of these precious little children. May God help us.

    Five minutes before I leave for Colombo.