RFO Assignment to Sri Lanka - Mike Urwin

"Pressing on towards the goal...." (Phil 3:1)

From November 9 - 25, 2010 Regional Field Officer, Mike Urwin visited Sri Lanka. This short report is not intended to be exhaustive but rather provides 'a snapshot' of how, despite opposition God is blessing the Gideon ministry in that country.

What does the name Sri Lanka suggest to you – is it swaying palm trees, tea and spices, flamboyant cricketers, a growing centre for tourism or something else? It is all of these but much more.

Situated close to the equator amidst the azure waters of the Indian Ocean for some it is one of Asia's tropical island paradises. In 1972 The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (formally Ceylon) was formed and it now has a population of 20 million people (many of which are desperately poor). In 1983 civil war broke out between the Tamils and the Sinhalese which continued officially until 2006 (but in reality only ceased in 2008) and even now some tensions remain.

Three main languages are spoken Tamil, Sinhalese and English.
Although the Gideon ministry was formed in 1961 it initially grew slowly (mainly due to the civil unrest in the country) but in the last five years the number of camps (branches) has increased from 12 to 30!

The main religions are Buddhist 70%, Hindu 10%, Muslim 10% and Christians 10%.

Because of the recent growth the International Outreach Committee (I.O.C.) felt that two actions were necessary  a) for a Regional Field Officer (R.F.O) to visit ten of the camps in the Colombo area to carry out training, visit church leaders, speak in churches / functions, carry out distributions in schools, hospitals etc) and b) for the newly appointed  National Field Officer to carry out day to day development work.

In conjunction with the National Field Officer I made all necessary arrangements and travelled alone from Heathrow to Colombo. On arrival I found it was their coolest time of the year – just before the monsoon (around 32 degrees C plus 80% humidity!).

Travelling within the sprawling city of Colombo is slow and quite frightening- whilst most roads have tarmac on them few kerbs exist and if a driver should stray off the road he is likely to end up in a deep ditch. Cars, lorries and trishaws compete with each other - passing on either side of the vehicle in front. The consequences of coming out of a side road on to the more major road when other vehicles are already there never seems to enter motorist's thinking!

In visiting each of the ten camps it was clear that many of the members had only been recruited a short time and had little knowledge regarding how the ministry functions. Through training and taking members to distributions, visiting pastors etc I believe they are now better equipped to carry out the work in line with international policy and procedures.

I now wish to share a few highlights:
•    On Nov 12 we visited St Thomas's College and carried out a presentation of 777 Testaments to students and to my amazement when approaching one classroom we heard the students singing 'This is the day that the Lord has made'- not what you would expect back home in 'so called' Christian England - what an encouragement!
•    On another occasion I had been asked to speak at a Pastors Banquet. On entering the venue a pastor approached me and said "I received an invitation to attend this function from the local Gideons but had not replied to it. However, I tuned in to Premier Christian Radio (via the Sky satellite) on Sunday Nov 23 and happened to hear you being interviewed and telling how you were coming to Sri Lanka that very week"
•    On Nov 18 I had the privilege of visiting a drug rehabilitation centre managed by Youth for Christ. It was a dark, dismal and smelly building and once I was inside (and my eyes had adjusted to the darkness) there must have been around thirty young men there. Some were lying on scaffold boards on beds made out of scaffold poles tied together. I then had the joy of sharing the gospel with them and every one of them listened intently before receiving their personal Testament.
•    On Sunday 21 Nov I had been invited to speak at a church that had almost tripled in size during the last nine months. I, of course spoke in English which was then translated into Sinhalese and then translated again into Tamil – the service lasting around three hours. That morning eight people came to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.

Whilst there are many encouragements there is also opposition. A pastor told me that some time before he had been preaching in the open-air and a man approached him and said "if you don't leave here immediately we will be back"! He continued, and very soon a group of men returned, handed  him over to the Police who then beat him (using an iron rod) on the bottom of his feet, then his legs and upper body before hanging him upside down (so that the blood would move to his head and he would pass out!) 

Please pray for the Gideon ministry in Sri Lanka that, despite some opposition they might be faithful and continue to grow in order that many men, women and young people might come to faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Respectfully submitted.
Mike Urwin, Regional Field Officer