Sri Lanka

"There hasn’t been a bombing in 4 days….. things are pretty calm."

One of the first comments I hear on arriving into Colombo, Sri Lanka. I quickly noticed armed men scattered every hundred yards or so on many of the main roads with machine guns in hand. Checkpoints are scattered throughout the city to monitor what or who is coming in and out. Hand to hand combat continues only a hundred miles of where I sleep tonight and in the morning the news will report the 110 casualties that took place. I see the damaged intersection where the last bus blew up, and as a government bus is stopped next to us at a red light, I pray that this one won’t be the next. I hear stories of missing relief workers and persecuted Christians, people beaten for what they believe and killed for lack of conformity to the country’s Buddhist philosophy. Tamil Hindus vs. Sri Lankan Buddhists, and everyone else is effected by this civil war.
I never expected any this going into Sri Lanka for my visa getaway. But soon I understood that for this missionary family I was staying with, it was normal, a way of life that they have grown accustomed to over the past few years. It all seemed unrealistic as I took this in, but it was and has been very real to this family, and every other that serves in a war torn or persecuted country. My heart has always gone out to the persecuted church, but never have I experienced what it means to be a member of one. I definitely have a desire to work more with such churches now that I have seen that it can be such chaos and a struggle at times.

I really put into perspective the limited freedom I have in Mumbai, and the freedom I have in the U.S. The persecuted church faces much opposition for holding a single outreach or building project and in some cases regular church meetings. I have certain freedoms here in Mumbai people wish they had elsewhere, even more within the U.S. This trip really encouraged me to intercede more for the persecuted church, and to exercise the freedom I do have within ministry in India and the U.S.
Let us check our surroundings, may we not wait until there are soldiers on our streets or the day when our faith is illegal to decide and do something, we have our freedom now… let us use it.