OUR VISION:  Feeling led by God and in response to Christ's Great Commission, we seek:

To be the presence of Christ to the people of Sri Lanka, who lost families, homes, livelihoods, hope in the tsunami of December 26, 2004.

To work closely with evangelical Christian churches and missionaries as we help rebuild lives, homes, communities.

To involve the entire church family as we go and as we provide financial and in-kind aid and continual prayer support.

To utilize all spiritual gifts in ministry as we build long-term relationships with the people of Sri Lanka.

OUR MISSION FIELD:  Sri Lanka, off the southern tip of India, was among the nations hardest hit by the tsunami, with 31,000 killed and perhaps a million left homeless.  Among the first aid workers to arrive were Hungarian Baptists, who went to the scene of the tourist train disaster near the village of Telwatta, on the southwest coast. This work has become a project of the Baptist World Alliance, in partnership with the Sri Lanka Baptist Association. The cooperative Baptist Fellowship transferred a missionary from Indonesia and provided funds to purchase land for a new village. Currently, 30 homes and a community center are under construction, and an additional 20 home sites are being cleared. When complete, the village will be home to 88 families - 350 people; and CBF funds are available to purchase land for a second village. The men are fishermen; they and their families were squatters who lived in huts on the beach. They lost their homes, and almost all of them lost family members. They are Buddhists; but the country also has Hindus, Muslims and Christians.

OUR MISSION:  Aida Guzman, Bobby Krager, Rick Sutton and team leader Ella Prichard left for Sri Lanka on December 27, returning home on January 9.  They helped with construction and hosted a day of activities for those who will live at the village. They stayed in the new community center water tower as they worked under the leadership of a CBF representative, Scott Hunter.
 

Donations are being accepted at FBC to be used toward the Asian Relief efforts. Simply indicate "Asian Relief" on your contribution for this particular need.

2005 Sri Lanka Team:
Ella Prichard (Team Leader), Aida Guzman,
Bobby Kraeger and Rick Sutton

Photo:  a boy stakes the family claim for a
home site at the new village under construction
at Ampegama, 8 km inland from Telwatta,
on the southwest coast.

Acehnese fishermen sort through their catch in Lampulo village, in Banda Aceh.
Last year's December 26 tsunami and
the massive Indian Ocean earthquake
that triggered it left more than
122,000 dead and nearly
114,000 missing in Aceh.
(REUTERS/Tarmizy Harva)