Stephen Sorrell

We are currently selling or packing most of our household items. The move from the house we are presently living in into a travel trailer will require extreme downsizing. Thank God our true treasures are well protected and secure in another country.

We saw hundreds scurry after gospel tracts as if they were $100.00 bills!

After describing our trip to Sri Lanka and reliving so many moments in the country God has placed our hearts, it seems insignificant to discuss leaving a job, selling all of our stuff, stepping down from my position as Pastor's Assistant at Joel Baptist Church, changing our first blown out tire on the travel trailer, trying to sell our car, trying to buy a computer, etc...

In the months of May and June, God allowed us to be in 30 different churches and 46 services. Praise His glorious Name!!!! … We have no sad reports or negative tales. God is meeting our needs through His precious people … Life in the travel trailer is wonderful. The children are having the time of their lives….

Four months of deputation and we are now at 19.2%. Praise the Lord!!! … (we) surveyed the wondrous works of our God when He miraculously uprighted our van and trailer as it was about to capsize on Interstate 85 between Greenville and Anderson SC … Attended 40 different services at 26 more churches during July and August. Praise the Lord!!!

We are now at 33.7%. Praise God! Praise God!... We praise Him for allowing us to be in 25 churches in the last two months

I am thrilled, humbled, amazed and elated to report that as of Dec 31, 2000 we are at 51.6%. Praise God!!! Praise God!!! FIFTY-ONE POINT SIX PERCENT!!!! HAAALLLLEEEELLLLUUUUJJJAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

The greatest thing that has happened on deputation occurred just last night. Elliot got gloriously, miraculously, Holy Ghost BORN AGAIN!!!!... God has also raised our support level to 61%. All praise to Him!!!

Aren’t we serving a wonderful GOD? Praise His marvelous name!!!!! After one year of deputation, we can now report the following:

The war in Sri Lanka continues. I read a report just last week of one of the deadliest battles they have had in years.

…WE ARE NOW AT 95%!

If you see a big airplane flying overhead on October 20 headed for Sri Lanka, be sure to look extra close. You will probably see me running around on the wings shouting Glory to the Lamb!!!

The closer we get to the white fields of Sri Lanka, the more satan squirms and desperately looks for ways to hinder and discourage. (By the way, if any of you are on speaking terms with that old dragon, tell him that I said he is a liar!!!)

• 1. A doctor in Louisiana told me that I had suffered a heart attack and I needed to see a specialist immediately. After further tests, a heart specialist in Columbia, SC said that all that was nonsense and I was healthy as a horse.
• 2. Jill and I were told by doctors in South Carolina that Abigail (our youngest daughter) had a possible infection in her hip that “if left untreated, could have dire consequences.” After surgery, the hip was found to be simply inflamed and Abigail is fine.
• 3. There was a major bombing at the airport in Sri Lanka that destroyed 11 airplanes.

It is such a privilege and honor to be here in the land where our God has chosen for us to labor… Only last week, I was riding through an area of Colombo and noticed that a side street was blocked off and that a large number of soldiers were in the area. We heard on the radio a few minutes later that a suicide bomber had killed two people and seriously injured four on that side street at 2:00p.m. I rode through the area at 2:30.

Our Father also provided for us a wonderful language tutor… Allix, Nicholas, Elliot, Elisabeth and Abigail wrote a Christmas play and performed it on Dec. 21. We invited several people to come and were thrilled when 10 visitors came (1 muslim, 3 buddhists, 1 hindu, 2 catholics and 3 Christians).

A catholic priest visited the parents of three children, two of whom were saved at the services in Chilaw. As a result of the visit, the children have been forbidden to attend future services, and one seven year old boy was told his legs would be broken if he came. Last Sunday though, these same children watched and sang along from their huts as our Sunday School class commenced about 75 feet away… Because of this war, the north has been closed to all visitors. Even other Sri Lankans have not been allowed there. The roads to that part of the country have been filled with mines, and there have been regular bombing raids… Forty-five days after our arrival here, Sri Lanka had a general election. There was much violence; many died, and curfews were imposed. When the curfew was lifted, there was a new government in power and a ceasefire was called between the Government forces and the Tamil Tigers in the North. For over two months now, that ceasefire continues. Just two weeks ago, the roads to the Northern part of the country were cleared and for the first time in twenty years, it is now legal for people to travel in and out as often as they like.

One young lady, Cecelia, was saved in April. She is 15 and has been in a convent since she first started school preparing to be a nun. Her dad, a lost catholic, dedicated her to the Lord to be a nun when she was a baby. The convent where she lives and studies is on the other side of the island. She came to her home for the April school break and her sister, Helen, brought her to our services. She attended two or three services, then one evening, she came to the foot of the cross and met the One who died for her. HALLELUJAH!!! What a thrill it was to watch as the Lord Jesus Christ reached down and pulled her out of religion and placed her on the solid Rock!!!!!

On April 27, Cecelia along with 5 others were Baptized into the Mission of Joel Baptist Church. Her dad told me that he could not explain the change in her life since she was saved. He said that he has been around “Christians” all his life, but he had never seen anything like this. She is studying her Bible all the time and praying; he is amazed. (If you are still in your seat, now’s the time to put your seat belt on!) Her life has changed so dramatically, he says that she will no longer fit in at the convent. He told me that “they would not understand why she reads her Bible all the time, and things could become very confusing for her there.” He has decided to take her out of the convent and he has asked us to tell him where she should be educated. PRAISE-A-LUJAH!!! We are praying that God will allow us to educate her for His glory.

Just within the last two months God has:

• Healed Jill from a deadly disease (dengue).
• Allowed us to see many souls saved (including Cecelia Boscoe’s mom and dad. The young lady I mentioned in the last Prayer Letter who was preparing to be a catholic nun.)
• Allowed me to preach 12 messages in the Tamil language.
• Conducted our first Revival meeting, saving two and using Nicholas to preach each night in the Tamil Language.
• Started an Independent Baptist Bible College.
• Started an Ind. Baptist Christian School.

Given us our last Sunday service in Chilaw. (The national Pastor there, Brother Walter Perera, continues to lift high the Blood-stained banner at the Harbour Light Baptist Mission…)

We also sent out a special prayer request over e-mail for our daughter, Elisabeth. She had contracted Dengue fever. She spent 5 days in the hospital, but because of your prayers and the intervention of our Lord, she is now fully recovered. All Praise to Jesus!!!!

The Mission here has a Bible College with 12 faithful students. Please pray for God’s protection and wisdom as we complete our second semester. Of all the ministries of the Mission here, this is the one that satan has fought the hardest.

We praise God for the Church He is starting in Colombo. In our first service on Dec 23, 2001, I preached to Jill and our 5 children. (Praise God for a big family!!!) Since that time, we have had services with over 60 attending. All praise to the wonderful Lamb of God!!!

We are beginning to see God prepare the ground in these war-torn areas. We are preparing to make our 4th trip to Trincomalee, a village where much of the fighting had occurred. We are planning our 5th trip to the same area on March 25.

Some buddhist employees at the orphanage where we have been sowing seed became angered after a message that Nicholas recently preached. He preached with compassion and Holy Unction that each person must choose the Lord Jesus and no other if they are to have their sins forgiven and receive eternal life. The children (ages 6-18) received the message well, but the adults convinced the leadership there not to allow us to come back. We praise our Lord for the 7 months He kept that door open.

In August, Joel Baptist Mission will be having its second Missions Jubilee. The week following the Jubilee, we are planning a one-week Children’s Bible School beside the hindu temple down the road from our house. (Actually it is between the hindu temple and the muslim mosque.)

God carefully escorted us through a completely uninhabited jungle and what we later discovered were mine fields north of Trinco. Our intent that day was to “spy out the land” and hand out a few Gospel Tracts. When we were within 1 kilometer of being forced to turn back, (due to fuel consumption and the lack of gas stations in the jungle) we came upon a clearing and found around 200 people standing and anticipating someone’s arrival. This was a complete surprise to us. It was as if someone had sent word ahead and gathered the people together for an important, mandatory meeting. Every person received a Gospel tract and God allowed me to stand on the concrete floor of a house that no longer existed because of the war and proclaim the Gospel message. Before leaving, we learned that banking officials were expected to arrive any moment to give loans for the planting of rice paddies. This was the reason the people thought they had come. God had another plan praise to His Glorious name!!!! (When we left, the banking officials had still not arrived.)… We also want to praise the Lord for giving Jill much Grace and encouragement as her family gathered in Danville, VA to bury her Grandfather, E.F. Walton. Mr. Walton and his wife June were graciously provided by the Lord Jesus to be Jill’s earthly parents from the time she was a young girl. We received reports that the Gospel was clearly presented at the funeral.

The Joel Baptist Bible Institute of Sri Lanka graduated eight students on October 11.

During the end of December, a very popular buddhist monk in Sri Lanka who was outspoken against Christians, died suddenly (I am not sure of the details). The buddhists have accused the Christians of killing him. As a result, there have been riots and an increase of persecution against people who claim to be Christians. All “religious visas” have been withdrawn and all Churches that are not licensed by the government have been ordered to close by January 12, 2004. Of course the Joel Baptist Mission is not licensed (to be licensed the catholic church must first approve).

We praise the Lord for four wonderful months to share with His children here in the USA all the wonderful things He has done and continues to do in Sri Lanka. We now possess 7 tickets back to Sri Lanka departing from Charlotte, NC on May 3 GLOOOOORY!!!!

One of the young men doing the teaching while we were away, Brother Nishantha, had been in a very serious accident about a month ago. We visited him in the hospital our second day back where he was recuperating from having the lower portion of his left arm amputated.

We are surrounded by Muslims to the North, Catholics to the east and west and Hindus to the south. I shared this with a friend who told me of an incident in WWII. An Army Captain and his men were completely surrounded by the enemy. He said, “Men, we are completely surrounded by the enemy. Don’t let a one of them escape!!!”  Halleluyar!!!!

We also praise Him for physical protection. Two weeks ago, we killed a small two-foot snake in our yard. Two days later, momma showed up. She was a six to eight footer about as big around as a coffee mug. We tried to stone it to death but it eventually escaped. (The problem with killing a snake that big is you have to get so close to it. If we had a rifle or a shotgun or a hand grenade or a cruise missile it would be a lot simpler.)

Vehicles on roads we have traveled have been washed away. Bridges we have crossed with our van have been washed away. Entire villages where we have handed out tracts have been washed away. Homes where we once sat and shared the Word of God have been washed away. The waters have swept through houses where we have held meetings and preached the Glorious Gospel. Yet, in all of this, our God has kept us and sheltered us from all harm. Oh Hallelujah! Oh, Blessed be the name of the Lord!!!

God is opening many doors for us through this catastrophe. Through your prayers and gifts, God has allowed us to give food to the hungry and shelter to those in need, and He has opened doors for the furtherance of the Gospel. Already we are hearing people say “I didn’t know people like you existed.” These comments give us the perfect opportunity to point them to the One who pulled us out of the dung heap – to the only One who is worthy of praise. Oh Hallelujah!! Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

The Lord has also allowed us to preach the Glorious Gospel in one of the most militant muslim villages in the country (a small village close to Batticaloa). Our Lord has granted us protection, peace and security as we go through military checkpoint after checkpoint to reach this village where He has opened a door for us to sow seed. There have been assassinations, grenades, protests and other perilous activity on the streets of this town and the towns we go through to get there, but our God has provided safety for each trip.

p.s. After church this morning, our men’s Sunday School teacher, Brother Anton beat a 7 foot snake to death with a water hose. We are praying that God would call him to preach soon. Amen!! Amen!! Amen!!

We have seen God’s hand work mightily since our last letter. The tsunami opened many doors for us to labor for our blessed Lord. The primary place the Lord led us to work was a muslim village on the Eastern side of the island. This village is about a six hour drive from our home. As our Lord and Saviour did more and more for the people in this village through the gifts and prayers of His people, the muslim leaders became very concerned. Our God, the True and Living God, the God beside whom there is no other was making their god look very bad. The Lord Jesus has been tenderly and graciously providing for the needs of the people there, while the people have seen no help come from their religious leaders and religious organizations. People there have told us that “everyone in the village is talking about Jesus.” Because of this, the muslim leaders wanted us out of their area. We were told that we were mentioned in the religious services at the mosque and in these services the people were told that we must be stopped.

“Jesus gave, we took. What would you do?” - This was the response from several muslim ladies when they were interrogated in the mosque about what we were doing in their village.

“You save money, you can bring chocolates now, no?” - Two ladies working for immigration said this to Sister Jill and me after informing us that the cost of our six month visas that we mentioned in our last Prayer Letter was no longer an average of $405.00 each, but had been mysteriously and suddenly reduced to $100.00 each – a savings of $2,135.00. (Did I hear somebody say HALLELUYAR!?!?) A few days later, we brought the chocolates.

After the meeting, Rasak was confronted by the muslim leaders in his village for saying “Amen” in our service. He told them that he accepts Jesus as God just like every other God. Of course, that is not saving faith but he would not back down from what he thought at that time was the truth.

Now, we are having weekly meetings at two locations within 100 meters of his village. These meetings have seen opposition. The Tamil Tigers have had people there to confirm reports of our “converting hindus”. One man was beaten as a result of these reports. Also, muslim leaders have forbidden the attendance of their people with threat of death. Rasak has attended every meeting along with 15 to 30 others.

Two weeks ago the message was concluded by asking are you willing to leave your religion and your sin and fully trust Jesus. Rasak was in the back of the crowd nodding his head with a joyful expression and tear-filled eyes. Last week, I asked Rasak if he was now fully trusting Jesus. He said, “If I wasn’t, would I be attending these meetings?” He wants to be Baptized and plans to do that at our home next month. HALLELUYARRR!!! Please pray for BROTHER Rasak.

The road leading to Rasak’s village is becoming more and more saturated with military activities. Snipers or people throwing hand grenades are killing soldiers every day. Each morning, soldiers comb the shoulders of the road for land mines that may have been placed during the night. We pray that the Lord Jesus would continue to give us safe passage into that area. Thank you for praying.

Last week we had Vacation Bible School in our home village. The school was well attended with between 40 and 50 children each day.

Our dear Brother Muhad was counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus and the Kingdom of God. On October 22, he was in a barber’s chair in the muslim village where he lives and saw in the mirror a masked man coming behind him with a sword raised to strike. Brother Muhad raised his hand, stopped several blows and attempted to run for his life. The man continued to strike as he ran. The only other person in this village of around 50,000 people who is Born Again is Brother Rasak (from our September Prayer Letter). Brother Rasak happened to be coming down the street at the same time of the attack and saw Brother Muhad running from the masked man. Brother Muhad stumbled and fell.

Handbills regarding the conversion of Brother Muhad, Brother Rasak and six others (some of whom we do not know) are now posted in the streets of their village. The bill also mentions my name specifically and our family generally for “forcing” people to convert to Christianity. It was reported to us yesterday that hired assassins with amnesty from the police are now patrolling the streets in the village there.

• Nicholas has answered the call to come to Sri Lanka as a missionary. He plans to start deputation next month.
• We baptized 4 in the village by the muslim area on the East Coast.
• We baptized 2 in our home village on the West Coast.
• Brother Muhad has recuperated well from his injuries. Though in constant danger, he remains in his home village.
• The Lord arranged for me to meet privately with Ralph, the man who attempted to murder Brother Muhad. He was very hardened and very troubled, but he heard one more time about Jesus.
• In November, the mission in our home village commissioned Brother Sathese to carry the Gospel to the East coast. Brother Sathese was saved and called to preach four years ago.
• Two men in the Mission in our village have begun teaching. Brother Aruna and Brother Frankie are both being used of the Lord to teach the people.
• Our day school graduated three.
• The 10 students in our Bible College finished their third semester.
• The Lord provided a small hut for us to have service in on the East coast when it rains. The hut had been broken down by the tsunami, but Brother Areadas made the needed repairs. We all prefer having service on mats under the coconut trees, but we are currently in the rainy season.
• We received our first offering in that palm hut. The Church members there who can find work will make about 2 dollars a day, carry that to the market, buy enough food to feed the family three meals then do the same thing the next day. Brother Suresh and Sister Prya had been saving money in their Bible to give to the Lord. She testified how thrilled she was to hear that they could give to God through the Church. The people gave the equivalent of $3.42. (Only two of the 19 in attendance have jobs.)

In the midst of this ongoing work of God, our Lord has ordained that we take a furlough starting in February. Sister Jill has been experiencing severe headaches that center in her neck. We went to the hospital in Colombo and Jill underwent an MRI. The MRI shows a tumor in her spinal cord about an inch long very close to her brain stem. She is already experiencing problems because of the tumor. Doctors in the US say the tumor must be removed immediately.

The thing that is growing inside her spinal cord is a fluid-filled cyst. The Doctors are not sure if it is malignant, but think it probably is not. A biopsy will be done at the time of surgery.

At this point the malignancy of the cyst seems relatively unimportant. Its growth has squeezed out 94% of the spinal cord. One Doctor said that if the same cyst were placed in a healthy patient, it would cause immediate paralysis, but it has been growing so slowly over the years that Jill's body has made accommodations. (Isn't it amazing how God's hand has framed us?) At this point, the damage is not nearly as bad as it could be, but both Doctors feel certain that it will continue to grow. If there is no surgery, it will eventually completely paralyze and most likely kill her.

Sister Jill’s surgery went very well. All the problems she was experiencing before the surgery (except for me, of course) have disappeared. There is one new problem that seems to be a result of the surgery. Her left foot is numb. The Neurosurgeon feels this may or may not go away.

Since we left Sri Lanka on Feb 7, the war there has seriously escalated. According to news reports, “Some 200 people have been killed in the past month, the bloodiest period since a 2002 truce took effect between Tamil Tiger rebels and the government.” (AFP May 4, 2006) Much of this fighting occurs in the areas around the Church on the east coast where Brother Sathese pastors. He told us last week that he has heard nearby explosions. We read almost daily news reports of mines and grenades in his area and other parts of the country.

Sister Jill had another MRI two days ago. Yesterday the Neurosurgeon looked at the pictures and said everything was beautiful. (Of course, I already knew that. “Thou art beautiful O, my love…” The Song of Songs 6:4 AMEN!!!!) But what the Doctor meant was that the surgery was a wonderful success, PRAISE THE LORD!!! At this point we need to get MRIs each year as a precaution. Jill still has the numbness in her left foot and may have that the rest of her life.

We praise God for you and appreciate your prayers as we prepare to go back to Sri Lanka on September 6. HALLELUYARRRR!!!!!!

Brother Muhad and his wife along with 25 Church members met us at the airport on September 8. The trip from the USA was very smooth except for one small problem. The Sri Lankan government was extraditing a prisoner from London back to Sri Lanka on our flight. When we began to load the airplane, he was screaming and kicking – threatening physical harm to everyone around. A 10-hour flight from London to Sri Lanka with the Maniac of Gadara did not seem safe for our little traveling flock, so… we took the next flight.

On November 7 at about 7:00 p.m., nine masked gunmen came to Mr. Abi’s house and began firing. Mr Abi, his two daughters and his wife were not shot but eight others were. All eight went to the hospital. The last we heard five were in critical condition.

For many years, Mr. Abi has been the leader of a muslim sect in an all-muslim village in Sri Lanka. He has had a school in this village where he has taught English. It is not uncommon for him to have 500 or 600 students each week. About 18 months ago, Mr. Abi heard that our frequent trips to his village had put our lives in danger. He chose to warn us about international terrorists who were trying to kill us. That meeting with Mr. Abi 18 months ago was our first. Since then, he has met with us secretly many times. We have had private Bible studies. He has made the 11-hour bus ride to attend church services in our home on at least 10 occasions. When we left Sri Lanka for Sister Jill’s surgery in February 2006, Mr. Abi came to our home to see us off. He told us at that time “I believe everything you have told me (about Jesus) but I have not experienced it yet.”

On October 5th, the men of the Church in our home village made a trip to the Church on the outskirts of Mr. Abi’s village to build a house for the Pastor there. On October 7th we left Mr. Abi’s village around 11:00 a.m. We did not see Mr. Abi on that visit, but on the afternoon of our departure, muslim extremists entered Mr. Abi’s house and ransacked it. They had heard that he was speaking about Jesus and the Bible in his English classes. The next day more muslim extremists came to Mr. Abi’s house. They saw his Bible we had given him a year ago and were infuriated. They set fire to his house completely destroying it. They also beat several of his students dragging one by the neck into the muslim temple to receive his beating.

(Chikungunya – the term is Swahili for “that which bends up”. It is a disease you get from mosquitoes. It starts with debilitating pain in the joints similar to severe arthritis or gout pain. High fever also comes at the onset of the illness. By day two of the fever, vomiting comes. By day three, there is itching all over the body. The itching is like thousands of ants crawling under the skin. The fever, itching and nausea clear up after five or six days, then the body is so weakened by fighting the illness that two weeks of bed rest is needed. The joint pain can last for several months.)

Everyone in our family has had Chikungunya within the last two months except me.

…On the way to the service, Sister Jill - with throbbing pain in her ankles from the Chikungunya and a numb left foot from the Spinal tumor, and having just gotten out of the van from a hard, 8 hour trip - had to cross a creek on a 12-foot bridge. Normally not a problem, but the bridge was a coconut log about 10 inches in diameter. She made it across – Hallelujah!!!

When we arrived at the service site (a small hut with palm branch siding and a tin roof), Brother Suresh had not arrived. His wife informed us that all the men of the village had been required by the Tamil Tigers to attend a meeting. She said all the men had to attend or they would be beaten.

In February, we had two nights of special services in the Church in our home village. The Lord Jesus sent over 300 people to see a dramatic depiction of the Cain and Abel story from the Bible. After the drama we preached the Gospel.

We took another trip to the Eastern part of the island where most of the activity surrounding the war here is taking place. We had a special service with the Church there. Praise God for the good fellowship we had with God’s little flock! We heard many bombs.

As a result of the war over 100,000 refugees have left their homes and are living in temporary shelters. The Lord led us to a refugee camp not far from the war zone last week and opened the door for us to preach the Gospel.

At the end of November, Mr Abi came to our house again. He was still “on the run” and in fear for his life. He shared with me a poem he had written after attending Church. He states in the poem that he had been a hungry sheep looking for a Good Shepherd. He tried many things, then finally found the Good Shepherd. He said that he would begin serving Jesus in January 2007.

But we did notice some Sri Lankan Campmeeting numerology that we can report.

One (1) represents:

• The number of preachers who preached their first message (That’s right, Brother Muhad – HALLELUJAH!!!!!).
• The number of former hindu “snake-dancers” in attendance. FORMER amen! Now a blood-washed Child of God!
• The number of visits from police investigating accusations that we were harboring tamil tiger terrorists.
• The number of incidents in which a missionary, his wife and 3 Church members were miraculously saved from a collision with a train (less than 1 second).

Two (2) represents:

• The number of Bible College classes completed

Three (3) represents:

• The number of hell-bound sinners who were gloriously born again.

Four (4) represents:

• The number of baptisms
• The number of Sri Lankan Preachers in attendance who have been saved and educated in the work here throughout the years

Five (5) represents:

• The number of holes dug behind our house for Rebecca (2 years of age) to use the bathroom. She has never (intentionally) used the bathroom under a roof. (see Deut 23:13 for details)

Six (6) represents:

• The number of Elephants seen while transporting church members in the East to the Campmeeting

48 represents:

• The number of bombs heard while transporting church members in the East to the Campmeeting.

1278 represents:

• The number of times the Lord of Lords and King of Kings was praised and magnified during the week

1,287,000,000 represents

• The number of times the Lord of Lords and King of Kings should have been praised and magnified during the week.

Greetings in the most Precious, Lovely, Holy, Wonderful Name above all Names…The Name of our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST which is blessed forever and ever!!!!

We have a little different news to share with you this month. Some of you are on our e-mail update list and already know our circumstances, but for those who have not heard from us since the last prayer letter, we will start at the beginning.

The Lord had blessed us with one of the best meetings we had ever had in Sri Lanka during the first week of July. People were saved and baptized and added to both churches. Two weeks after this meeting, on July 19, Stephen was riding his bicycle and crossing a main road in our village. A motorcycle going at a high rate of speed struck him. Nick and I took him to the hospital in Colombo (about a 2 hour drive) and he spent the night there. He had landed on the back of his head, resulting in a contusion of the left frontal lobe and a subdural hematoma in the front of his head. He had lost a lot of blood and much of the skin on the back of his skull. He has no memory of the accident and only sketchy memories of the week afterward.

Consulting with a neurosurgeon in Colombo, it was my understanding that the subdural hematoma was a slow bleed between the brain and the skull and could possibly continue to build for a couple of weeks. At that time, it would require that holes be drilled in his head to release the pressure. After much prayer and consultation with our children, our Pastor, and Maranatha Baptist Mission, we began to make plans to get him to the USA. The medical facilities in Sri Lanka are EXTREMELY incapable of dealing with such a serious illness. Stephen, the children and I left Sri Lanka one week later and came home.

When we wrote our last Prayer Letter, we had planned to stay in the USA until the end of November. About a week after mailing the letter, we went to the airport to change our departure date from Sep 20 to the end of November as we had planned. The folks at the Delta Airlines desk said “No problem, we can change your departure date for only $1,800.00.” We told them we would get back with them.

Jill and I left the ticket counter and began our walk back to the parking garage. I was talking to the Lord. (I’m pretty sure she was too.) My conversation was something like this. “You know Father, the one place in this world where I know that You want us to be is Sri Lanka. They are wantin’ us to give them $1,800.00 so we can stay away from Sri Lanka for two more months. I got my punkin’ busted and had to leave for a while, but the Doctor says I am doing well and won’t die from it and can recover 100% if I take it easy for a while (of course, Lord, You knew that all along – Glory! Hallelujah!! Amen and Amen!!!). So anyway Father I was thinkin’, can I take it easier sitting here in a lazy boy with my Bible on my lap wondering what is going on in Sri Lanka, or can I take it easier in Sri Lanka, eatin’ with my hands, goin’ barefoot to Church, passin’ elephants on the road, wonderin’ if the sound in the distance is thunder or exploding bombs, teachin’ Bible College, takin’ language classes, fightin’ mosquitoes, killin’ snakes and preachin’.”

At that point I heard from heaven. I can’t tell you exactly what God said, but it was something like this, “You better get back over there son, there’s a snake waitin’ for ya.” (Glory to God!!!! Hallelujah!!!

Jill and I are praising our great Savior, the Lord of the harvest, The Mighty God! We are now at 66%! Hallelujah to the Lamb!

You may have heard about the bombings in Sri Lanka on Resurrection morning. All of our Brothers and Sisters we know there are safe. Many of the targets that were hit were targets that we have regularly frequented. In fact, one of the hotels that was bombed was the very place we stayed last March when we went to Sri Lanka for the Church’s commissioning service. Also, at least one of the terrorists came from a Muslim village where we have labored extensively.

It appears that the attack was against Christianity worldwide. Sri Lanka is simply an easy target for such things. Ole slewfoot is striking out against the Light wherever he can “having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Rev 12:12). Let me just pause right there and say Praise God! Hallelujah! Even so come Lord Jesus!!!!!!!

Our friend, Bavan, informed me that there were a few cobras in our neighborhood along with some other snakes of various and sundry sizes and degrees of deadliness. He told me it would probably be good not to walk in the grass in our yard after dark. Neither Jill nor I have had any problem strictly adhering to both the spirit and the letter of his advice.

Fruit bats with 4-to-5-foot wing spans fly over the house in the evenings. Usually between 10 and 200 of them. Creepy.

It is “big spider” season. Anything larger than a lid on a baby-food jar is “big”. These we kill. Normal or small spiders we usually leave alone. It is just easier to let them live because when you kill them, you must clean the area thoroughly or the ants will come and then you have that to deal with.

The geckos (Geico insurance lizard) we also leave alone for 2 reasons: first they eat mosquitoes; also, they are kind of big and well… enough said about that.

Rizvi – Rizvi is my friend. He is a Muslim who begs on the main street of Colombo every day. Normally, he sits on the street beside a small shade tree. High winds came last week, and the tree was blown down, so now he sits in the sun. The second day I saw him, he had a kitten lying beside him that was obviously injured. He said it was hit by a car. The kitten lasted 2 days. I have given Rizvi scripture. I have prayed with him. I greet him daily and give him 100 rupees (about 25¢) each day. One day, I told him about my wife’s excellent cooking and brought him a sample. Today a vendor selling king coconuts passed by while I was talking to Rizvi. I bought two coconuts, and Rizvi and I drank them while the traffic and the people passed by. Lord willing, I will see Rizvi tomorrow.

In our last prayer letter, I mentioned my friend Rizvi, a Muslim beggar I see daily. Rizvi was born again about 3 weeks ago!!! I still see him daily and share the Bible with him on the streets of Colombo. At times, others gather around to hear. Rizvi was especially fond of the message regarding the rich man and Lazarus. With the biggest smile, he said, “That’s me!”