Sunday 3rd March - Day 9 Leviticus 14:8 - Leviticus 25:47
From Paranthan we journeyed across to Mullaitivu on the coast, and the glorious Indian Ocean just south of the Bay of Bengal.
Dipping my feet into the warm water feeling the hot sand between my toes.
Brightly coloured fishing boats as far as the eye can see.
Fish drying in the heat of the sun, curing prepared for market.
You could be forgiven for forgetting, if you ever really knew, that for many on this coastline and this village of Mullaitivu they have a new relationship with this tranquil azure sea.
It was on the morning of December 26th 2004, the earthquake that shook off the coast of Indonesia caused the worst ever recorded tsunami. This tsunami with waves in excess of 100 feet rocketed across the open sea into the only landmass directly in its path - Sri Lanka much of the east coast of this beautiful country was decimated.
By January 5th 2005 there had been recorded over 30,000 deaths and nearly 834,000 displaced people.
In the village and immediate region of Mullaitivu 3 000 people lost their lives, 2,500 injured, 1,300 missing and 24,557 displaced.
I was privileged to spend the afternoon with one family who told me of the morning, the day that life changed.
They were up and out the Sunday morning had begun as normal, fishermen were out on the sea, family members getting ready for church.
Unbenown the raging sea was thundering towards their exposed and defensless coastline.
The call went out as fishermen sensed all was not well, though who could tell....
Waves in excess of 100 feet landed and consumed all within its path; houses; sheds; shacks; boats; trees; bushes; fences; electricty poles ..... and all life....
This morning this family lost everything for as the receding water took everything with it, leaving ruin, destruction, death, disease and despair.
Four hours later the water was still knee deep.
The daughter 20yrs at the time remembers vividly the unidentifiable sea bloated bodies with sulphuric acid blisters.
Following the disaster this family and many more like them were displaced for over a year, thankfully through government funding and local endeavour a building and development
programme was instigated that work contiues the area is beginning to thrive and is opening its doors to welcome tourists once more to its beautiful coastline and beaches, and that is wonderful. Rebuilding lives, that can take a lifetime.
I suspect at the time many will have asked where was God in all of this, may be you asked the same question yourself?
So content yourselves for now with this thought, we should thank ourselves for the quick responses, generosity and creativity in facing this tragedy, for they are human traits, given by God for us to use for better or worse.
I always find the irony in the way people ask where was God at the times of tragedy, pain, loss, betrayal, on the diagnosis of some terminal disease, when knife crime grabs the headlines, and always during a tragedy, but ignore him or mock his existence in their everyday life?
Maybe the best that can come for you personally out of disaster, this or any other is to reevaluate your personal view and relationship with God. Just as did Job in chapter 42 with his final answer!
Today I invite your prayers for the (representative) family who lost everything, including a member of their family, a little boy aged only 8 years.
Gnanopragasam
Pushpathiresh
Anton Sutharsan
Vijitha
Emelda Subajini
Emelda Vinejini
Melbourne
Shehane
Anton Vinoth
From Paranthan we journeyed across to Mullaitivu on the coast, and the glorious Indian Ocean just south of the Bay of Bengal.
Dipping my feet into the warm water feeling the hot sand between my toes.
Brightly coloured fishing boats as far as the eye can see.
Fish drying in the heat of the sun, curing prepared for market.
It was on the morning of December 26th 2004, the earthquake that shook off the coast of Indonesia caused the worst ever recorded tsunami. This tsunami with waves in excess of 100 feet rocketed across the open sea into the only landmass directly in its path - Sri Lanka much of the east coast of this beautiful country was decimated.
By January 5th 2005 there had been recorded over 30,000 deaths and nearly 834,000 displaced people.
In the village and immediate region of Mullaitivu 3 000 people lost their lives, 2,500 injured, 1,300 missing and 24,557 displaced.
I was privileged to spend the afternoon with one family who told me of the morning, the day that life changed.
They were up and out the Sunday morning had begun as normal, fishermen were out on the sea, family members getting ready for church.
Unbenown the raging sea was thundering towards their exposed and defensless coastline.
The call went out as fishermen sensed all was not well, though who could tell....
Waves in excess of 100 feet landed and consumed all within its path; houses; sheds; shacks; boats; trees; bushes; fences; electricty poles ..... and all life....
This morning this family lost everything for as the receding water took everything with it, leaving ruin, destruction, death, disease and despair.
Four hours later the water was still knee deep.
The daughter 20yrs at the time remembers vividly the unidentifiable sea bloated bodies with sulphuric acid blisters.
Following the disaster this family and many more like them were displaced for over a year, thankfully through government funding and local endeavour a building and development
programme was instigated that work contiues the area is beginning to thrive and is opening its doors to welcome tourists once more to its beautiful coastline and beaches, and that is wonderful. Rebuilding lives, that can take a lifetime.
I suspect at the time many will have asked where was God in all of this, may be you asked the same question yourself?
For those left behind when the water receded, the struggle was only beginning. Dreams derailed. Best friends drowned. A sweetheart buried in debris. When the body survives, what determines if faith will?
Of course the scholarly field of theodicy is vast and imaginative. There are theories that God allows suffering to make us better people. That he allows evil so we can see just how good his blessings really are. That injustice is required as some sort of variable to balance a great mathematical equation that, somehow, atones for all the sin we’ve let into the world.
So content yourselves for now with this thought, we should thank ourselves for the quick responses, generosity and creativity in facing this tragedy, for they are human traits, given by God for us to use for better or worse.
I always find the irony in the way people ask where was God at the times of tragedy, pain, loss, betrayal, on the diagnosis of some terminal disease, when knife crime grabs the headlines, and always during a tragedy, but ignore him or mock his existence in their everyday life?
Maybe the best that can come for you personally out of disaster, this or any other is to reevaluate your personal view and relationship with God. Just as did Job in chapter 42 with his final answer!
Today I invite your prayers for the (representative) family who lost everything, including a member of their family, a little boy aged only 8 years.
Gnanopragasam
Pushpathiresh
Anton Sutharsan
Vijitha
Emelda Subajini
Emelda Vinejini
Melbourne
Shehane
Anton Vinoth
Thankyou for these reflections. Very thoughtful and I look forward to following them as you journey in relationship.
ReplyDeletePlease know your blog is much appreciated, a wonderful resource daily reflection especially during Lent . You and those you name are in my prayers.
ReplyDelete