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Ministry Report From Tsunami Troubled India And Sri Lanka
February 17, 2005

By Wesley D Paul

Our ministry has kept us extremely busy, often retiring to our rooms only late at night, hence you have not heard from me during this mission.

After we landed in India we proceeded to the costal city of Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu. Our first day on the field we went to a little fishing village by the Chinna Kalapet. The village lost 15 lives, 3 children and 12 adults. The villagers were eager to tell us their stories. Among many of the stories we heard, one in particular sticks out. A 20 year old fisherman witnessed many of his neighbors being washed away by the tidal wave, he bravely sprang into action saving 2 children and a woman. While saving the lives of his neighbors he also watched his own house reduced to rubble. Standing in the middle of the rubble he related his heart-breaking story. He lost everything; the only possession he was left with was the underpants he had on his being.

One of the local pastors gathered 38 families from this village at his church to share with them some of the gifts you had sent with me. We gave each family Rupees 500 (approx $12). This would help them get a couple of week’s worth of groceries. Many of the aid agencies have already provided rice, cooking stove, untensils, etc. So our aid served to buy the other necesities for their daily food. We also found another 6 families affected by Tsunami at one of the churches I preached on Sunday. We gave them similar assistance.

Early one morning I walked the beach with several of the team members and we encountered several fishermen who were walking the beach aimlessly. After talking to them I learned that many of them had lost their fishing boats and their livelyhood. I asked if we could pray for them, having been deeply hurt by their loss, they welcomed our prayer and listened to us share the Good News. We prayed a blessing over them and asked for God’s favor upon them. Oh, how I wish I could help them with a fishing boat, our limited funds didn’t even allow us to express generosity to that extend.

The following day we drove to Nagipatnam and Valankani. This region lost over 26000 people. Pastor Vincent Lourdes, one of the leading pastors in that area took us to some of the sites affected by Tsunami. In village after village we witnessed the devastation of Tsunami. Fishing boats had been washed on to the streets, and the beaches. Many of them were broken and appeared to be beyond repair. Pastor Lourdes' church also encountered Tsunami on the fateful Sunday morning during their worship service. His wife saw the approaching body of black water and ran to tell her husband who was preaching of the impending danger. Once the church members were secure on higher ground, the tidal wave flooded the church. Outside the church bodies were floating, while some were fighting for life. Some of the church members dived into the water and saved several lives. The church today has become a center for relief assistance, over 127 familiers are being served.

Operations Shoe Box. Interestingly, Operation Shoe Box had just sent their shippment of boxes a few days later. When we were there we witnessed the church distribute the boxes to the victims of Tsunami. I thought of the boxes Ashley and her mission friends put together at our church and how useful they were at this critical time.

GA Mission Care Packs From Immanuel Baptist Church. I also had the privilege of sharing some of Jonathan and Ashley's clothings, and several care packs(Tooth Brush, paste, deodorant, comb, wash cloth, lotion, candy, soap, etc) that Debbie's GA class had put together. You should have seen the smiles and gratefullness, it was worth every bit of effort.

Survival Stories. Pastor Henry watched in great agony his family taken over by the tidal wave. Fortunately, he secured his two teenagers and put them on a concrete storage shelf on the wall. The water was rising and it was no easy task to keep himself alive by hanging on to the rafters or beams of his ceiling. His wife was swept awayby the strong tide and the whole family began to pray. God answered their prayers immediately, one of the walls broke and the water began to shift and move in his direction. Once she was in his reach he grabbed her by the hair and began to lift her to safety. and hold on to his wife. With one hand he held on to his wife and with the other clung to dear life as he himself held on to the ceiling beams. The trauma he endured is hard to explain in this letter. His hand began to burn with great pain as he hung there. It felt like his arm was going to detach. He had to stay above water and keep his wife also in safety. Again he prayed for something to releive him of this pain. At just the right time a wooden bookcase floated by, he quickly planted his feet on it and found himself bouyant. When the water subsided he, his wife and children were brought to safety. It is amazing to see how God sustained some of them during this horrific time.

I could tell many more stories like this, but my time or your patience wouldn’t allow for this.in this EOE.

In my next letter I will share more stories. India Tsunami stories in Nagipatnam and Vallankani.

Our Gospel in Cuddalore meetings went well, over 5000 attended the festival. 250 souls made a geniune commitments. Warren, Bobby, Sanjay and Pamela shared their testimonies, God used the preaching of the Word and the relief assistance to touch many lives. We were able to install two water purifiers in India. The receipents were deeply grateful for pure water.

Mission in Sri Lanka

Festival of Blessing.
We harvested over 75 souls. On the last day a young prominent Buddhist lawyer gave his heart to Christ. Many other such testimonies are coming our way.
Thank you for sending me to these troubled parts and assisting me with the relief funds.

Wesley Paul


Location: Several Cities, India