Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, island country lying in the Indian Ocean and separated from peninsular India by the Palk Strait.
God Led Us
And we are going, in faith, to the other side – to Sri Lanka, where great need awaits.
As you have so faithfully before, we hope you’ll get in the boat with us once again. There may be storms along the way, but one thing is certain. We’ll discover greater depths of our Savior’s love and power together. And that’s worth any price we’re asked to pay.
About Sri Lanka
From Britannica.com:
Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, island country lying in the Indian Ocean and separated from peninsular India by the Palk Strait. It has a maximum length of 268 miles (432 km) and a maximum width of 139 miles (224 km).
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Proximity to the Indian subcontinent has facilitated close cultural interaction between Sri Lanka and India from ancient times. At a crossroads of maritime routes traversing the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has also been exposed to cultural influences from other Asian civilizations. Ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobane. Arabs referred to it as Serendib. Later European mapmakers called it Ceylon, a name still used occasionally for trade purposes. It officially became Sri Lanka in 1972.
The distinctive civilization of Sri Lanka, with roots that can be traced back to the 6th century BCE, is characterized by two factors: the preservation of Theravada Buddhism (the orthodox school of Buddhism having its literary traditions in the Pali language) and the development over two millennia of a sophisticated system of irrigation in the drier parts of the country. This civilization was further enriched by the influences of Hinduism and Islam.
In 1948, after nearly 150 years of British rule, Sri Lanka became an independent country, and it was admitted to the United Nations seven years later. The country is a member of the Commonwealth and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
Who God Connected Us With:
Saroja began to cry as she recounted her visit to Sri Lanka six months ago – how a mother came up to her weeping, saying she couldn’t afford to give her baby even a package of biscuits. Children are fainting in school because they’re only taking a little bit of coconut for lunch. In her old village there are about 300 people, and 15-20 families are really struggling, especially the single mothers. But even those with husbands are hurting. The husbands are only allowed to make 1,000 rupees daily, but bread costs 350 rupees and 1 kilo of flour is 450 rupees. The wives have started to look for work, too, but there are not many opportunities available.
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We asked her to prayerfully find 20 single mothers who needed help. So she began to work with Stephanie, her pastor’s wife, and together they selected 20 families in dire straits from two different churches, both overseen by Pastor Russell (Stephanie’s husband). All of the mothers are caring for their families by themselves; some have been abandoned by their husbands; some are widows, and others have husbands who are too sick to work, many of them battling cancer or heart disease.
Because of the extreme nature of these women’s circumstances, we feel it’s not only important to help them to develop sustainable projects, but to provide emergency food packets for one year, to nourish them while they work towards sustainability. A monthly budget was provided by the pastor and his wife to cover the cost of basics, including rice, fish, flour, spices, milk powder, and biscuits.
What God is doing
in Sri Lanka
Equipping single mothers with nourishment
Sustainable Farming
Because of the extreme nature of these women’s circumstances, we feel it’s not only important to help them to develop sustainable projects, but to provide emergency food packets for one year, to nourish them while they work towards sustainability. A monthly budget was provided by the pastor and his wife to cover the cost of basics, including rice, fish, flour, spices, milk powder, and biscuits.
Equipping families by sustainable projects
Microloans
Saroja and Stephanie will also be sitting with each woman and figuring out a sustainable project that would best serve their needs. A microfinance group is the best way of not only assisting these women, but making it possible for the program as a whole to be sustainable, since, when the loans are returned, they can then go towards helping others. Some women might use their loan to purchase a sewing machine; others might prefer livestock, like chickens and cows. Still others might desire a microfinance gift to help with their business of selling baked biscuits and other goodies.
Equipping mothers with biblical education
Harvestime
In addition to material needs, the mothers will be taught the Harvestime theological courses through their churches, in their own languages of Sinhala and Tamil. We want them to be nourished both in body and in spirit.
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Phone
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info@thelulutree.com