follow the growth...of beards!
so i pay tribute now to a fellow blogger and prairian on his own adventure. here is a serious shout out to
marty penner as i follow the growth...of your beard! as yours takes you to the refined societies in europe, mine is being developed on the shores of a little island obsessed with tea plantations, curry and a vicious ongoing conflict.
ode to the growths of beards...
for all of you out there that want to check out a fellow adventurer, click
here.
my tribute to the beard...
time with children workers
here are some pictures from a while back. Gabby and i were hanging out with ADT children workers because they wereback in the capital for a training series.
unwanted close up
fellows from a young adults fellowship
how we ride
i'm a recovering ice-creamholic
gabby and i
dinner with the children's department
latest sri lanka update
Many of you have seen the tiny island of Sri Lanka reappear in the international news.
In what seems like a troubling pattern of events, Sri Lanka continues its vicious cycle of ethnic violence which has begun to target innocent lives. BBC formally reports on the most recent attacks involving an attack on a civilian bus and the counterstrikes by the military near a refugee camp. For those unable to follow the links a brief description of the events follow:
Near Vavuniya (a city in the north), a civilian bus loaded with people going to the market was struck by a claymore mine early Thursday morning. The results were 64 passengers, including 15 children dead, and 94 injured. This is the worst attack on a civilian target since the signing of the ceasefire in 2002. The military was quick to respond. Ariel attacks along with artillery and rocket attacks were carried out on rebel positions in Kilinochchi (northeast) and Batticaloa (east), including strikes very near a tsunami refugee resettlement camp. Damages and injuries are considered low but are some what unknown considering communication with hospitals in the area has not been fluid
In light of all the troubles work must continue and we must press forward. The Singhalese in city where I am working, Trincomalee, have called a two day hartal (a public protest similar to a curfew that can often turn violent) for Saturday and Sunday in mourning for those who have lost their lives. This will delay my return to Trincomalee at least until Monday of next week at which point I shall assess the situation and see if it is safe for travel for the ADT staff and me.
This past week the entire ADT staff nationwide was involved in a staff retreat that took place down south at a beach resort. We worked on team building and the vision of NCEASL/ADT, which is unifying the church to transform the nation. It was a privilege to be apart of this planning and spend time with the staff from all regions as I was able to build new relationships and strengthen old ones. There are many faithful and dedicated brothers and sisters serving the Lord in Sri Lanka and it is great to be apart of it.
Some prayer requests:
-the war in Sri Lanka (although many claim there is no war and that the ceasefire remains, I see no evidence that this is being followed out therefore I will refer to the conflict in Sri Lanka not as the ‘situation’ but as the war)
-unity of the church throughout Sri Lanka
-staffing/personnel issues in the ADT Trincomalee office
-upcoming pastor conferences which my parents will facilitate (July 1-15)
-personal health (I’ve been sick this last week)
-progress in ongoing projects because we have faced many setbacks and disappointments in our activities
Thank you for your support and assistance in what the Lord is doing in this country and in my life. He is definitely using this time to teach me of His faithfulness and goodness to me through the joys and trials of my work in Sri Lanka. My blessings and prayers to you all. May you have a wonderful weekend
Enduring in Christ,
Ben
debriefing...the end of a team that use to be
the last month has been a series of escalating events. unfortunately that has left things like my blog very much neglected. and since there is a great number of subscribers to this literary piece of art...chock...i thought it was about time to put up some pix.
as of monday this week, i am officially the last member of my team remaining in sri lanka. katie, the water and sanitation engineer took off to head back to seattle, leaving me behind to pick up the pieces in her departure. haha i say this because what is left behind is an ongoing water project with us aid and is one quarter behind (three months) its target. most of this is due to the volatile situation, which has leveled out. good news is its not worse but its not getting better. there are on average two to three claymore/mine attacks a week, a couple grenades and some shooting. I think it is safe to estimate casualties on any given week to be between 10-20. enough of that though. back to being alone. :)
meredith, the lady that worked in the children's department left the middle of may. so my schedule has consisted primarily of good bye parties and the formalities that come along with it in a very personal oriented society. i've had my full of cake, pop, candies, snacks and all the other fried goodies formally known as 'short eats' that are so popular out here. you're literally forced to eat them and to not risk the chance to offend down the hatch they go. so i jumped on a scale and realized i gained 3kg in a week. i think thats a lot but i dont really care. i'm not use to kg either.
so here are some pictures of our last moments together..
team debriefing...
yes another cake
never order a chocolate butter cake...its like eating chocolate flavored butter, lets just say i didnt finish
what!? i'm just seeing if it would fit...besides i like flowers
this is doesnt belong to me, it was bought for my friends finance...just a lil to big though
