Mission Minute
"Where is God in the Tsunamis? "

by Chris Nicholas

February 3, 2005

and to put my reflections in perspective, I have to tell you a little about Sri Lanka, the second worst affected country by the Tsunamis, next to Indonesia. After almost 18 years, for the first time my wife and I, and our two adult children, together as family visited Sri Lanka our homeland immediately after the death of my mother-in-law. The primary purpose of our visit, because we could not make it in time for my mother-in-law’s funeral was to unite with our families once again and participate in a memorial service for her.

Sri Lanka is a tiny tear shaped island in the Indian Ocean just south of India. It has white, wide, sunny beaches round the entire island, with an average temperature ranging from 80-100 degrees Fahrenheit, with mountains in the central part, where it is much cooler and where Tea is grown. Most Sri Lankans spend the holidays and time of recreation either on the beaches or at the mountains. The beaches have also been an attraction to foreign tourists mostly from Europe and the UK. Most Americans must have not heard about the Sri Lankan beaches because it is so far away.

For over two decades the country had been torn by civil strife, caused between the Tamil-speaking people of the North and East of the country (minorities), and the majority Sinahala-speaking population occupying the rest of the island, and who control the government of Sri Lanka. My wife happens to be a member of the majority community, while I am a Tamil from the North. It is claimed that the civil war has cost the lives of over 60,000 most of whom were Tamils. This is more than the total number of deaths in the country due to Tsunami. The Tamil areas of the North and East are now controlled by a Tamil liberation group, who call themselves the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who have lead a relentless struggle for an independent homeland for the Tamils, due to racial discrimination and persecution in the past. Although peace talks had commenced about two years ago, under a cease-fire agreement between the two groups, the situation had recently reached a stale mate and the “cease-fire” was at breaking point.

Apart from this, about a year ago a new government was elected in Sri Lanka, when the Buddhist Clergy entered direct politics by fielding a political party and gained control of the government. Since that time the island has become breeding ground for anti-Christian sentiments and it has been reported that over 300 churches have been attacked or burned. Aggressive Christian evangelicals attempting conversions by preaching in strong Buddhist communities have also been blamed for the unrest, and the government groups are considering the passing of an anti-conversion bill in parliament. Although Sri Lankans are known to be more than 90% literate, economically the approximately 17 million population is divided into the very rich minority, the comfortable middle class, and almost 50% who live close to or below poverty levels.

Thus was the situation in Sri Lanka when on that fatal day of December 26th, an eruption under the sea, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indonesia, caused a great Tsunami. It caused giant ripples in the ocean, like tidal waves to travel thousands of miles until it broke into the beach lands that were in its path. Sri Lanka’s regular public holidays are based on the lunar calendar, and the full moon day is a public holiday, observed as a religious holiday by the Buddhists. What a co-incidence that this day should also be a Sunday. It was a bright sunny morning, with clear blue skies, no signs of any storms, nor warnings of any kind, about 9:30 am when the Tsunamis hit the coast of Sri Lanka. Where was God in the Tsunamis?

The east coast of the island took the direct hit of the raging Tsunami. It swallowed the beaches and raced several miles inland, at least three miles. It showed no mercy to the holidaymakers and tourists on the beach at the peak of the morning. Beachfront hotels, the fishing villages by the beaches, Amparai and Batticaloa town districts in the East. Homes, orphanages, schools, vehicles were all under attack by the sea. What damage and destruction. People? Deaths? Where was God in the Tsunamis?

On the west coast the sea receded first and about a mile length of beach land suddenly appeared. Large fish were jumping on the beach, huge rocks that were submerged in the sea now exposed, people excitedly screaming were running towards the sea to capture the awesome sight without thinking or realizing, but alas for a moment. The sea arose in height, churned and appearing like a thick white cloud was roaring its way back towards the land. Oh! What terror my friends, when young and old took to their heels running away from the chasing wrath of the ocean. This time on the west coast the power of the waves divided like a fork, hitting hard the Southern and Northern coast of the island. According to the few survivors who watched from a distance it took about 4-6 minutes before the ocean thundered inland. It crashed through hotels, homes and villages. Men clinging on to other family members, wives, mothers holding onto children, but there was no mercy. A train full of passengers traveling along the coastland was washed away close to the southern city, Galle. Some 1,800 passengers lost their lives leaving only a hand full of survivors. The wife of an Anglican (Episcopal) minister was on that train traveling to visit their daughter and she was not among the survivors. Her husband the Reverend Eardley Mendis was on an assignment here in Chicago at that time. Where was God in the Tsunami?

There was panic in the whole island during the next few days. Telephone lines were down or jammed. People did not know what had happened. Little by little news trickled in that the Tsunamis had struck right round the island. Survivors who were inland were searching for their loved ones, dead bodies lying every where, and hundreds of bodies being washed up onto the shore, this continued for days and weeks. Rumors of a second Tsunami reaching the island kept most of the general public away from going near the beaches. The talk of contamination from dead bodies, flooded sewage, and spread of disease added to the panic.

Yes, our families met at my cousin’s for late lunch. We were all stunned as we sat around the TV assimilating the news as it trickled in slowly. By nightfall we did not know the extent of the destruction as yet. We planned with our relatives to meet the next day. We transformed my cousin’s home into a factory. While some of us helped, like in a production line, packing dry food rations and grouping them in bags, others went to grocery stores to purchase more food supplies. Then came the transporting in cars and SUVs for distribution to the shelters where the displaced and the homeless were in the affected areas. We continued this for several days and went back with the supplies that were needed most. Several homes including my cousin’s were serving as collection centers, from where we packed and transported for distribution. I am sure ours was not the only family doing this, it was happening everywhere.

Soon relief workers were on the scene, family members of victims, volunteers from neighboring villages, the Red Cross the police and the Sri Lankan army, were the first out there involved in rescue efforts. Although the capital city Colombo is located close to the west coast of the island, it had been miraculously spared. There was little damage to the homes, hotels and restaurants, which had beach frontage. It was a while before the people in the city realized the extent of the damage and destruction that had happened elsewhere. No sooner they realized this, many of them packed into vans and trucks and traveled near and far to join in the rescue efforts. Sri Lanka’s closest neighbor India had also suffered badly in its southern coastal regions. Despite this, they reacted immediately by sending Indian air force helicopters to join in the search and rescue efforts. This was immediately followed with the dispatch of medical personnel and supplies. In fact I was told that the first relief aid to reach the worst affected Eastern Coast was a team of Indian medical aid personnel. One could recognize God’s hands at work here.

There was so much to be done immediately. Injured victims had to be transported to hospitals where possible. Mobile medical clinics had to be set-up in some areas to attend to the numerous injured victims, temporary shelters for the displaced, what about the hundreds who were lying dead? By this time we could see the world coming together reaching out to help. Relief personnel from the US, Japan, Europe and the UK started to arrive with medical supplies and heavy earth moving equipment and the likes. These people were out there in the affected areas, attending to the injured and the trauma victims, putting up temporary shelters for the displaced, clearing the rubble, repairing roads and bridges and helping bury the dead. I spoke with a team of army personnel from Belgium, they were returning with heavy equipment and excavators from the southern city of Galle. One of their tasks had been in excavating and burying the thousands dead, in mass graves. They were filled with compassion and sympathy. Yes, God was there in the Tsunamis.

Here’s a list of the recent death toll, missing and the displaced.

• Indonesia: more than 108,000 dead, about 128,000 yet missing.
• Sri Lanka: more than 30,000 dead, about 10,000 yet missing, and over 1 million displaced.
• India: approximately 11,000 dead, about 6,000 yet missing.
• Thailand: more than 5,000 dead, about 3,500 yet missing
• Somalia: approximately 150 dead.

The out pouring of love from countries near and far, who were sending relief aid, food and supplies was indeed very touching. I applaud my brothers and sisters at the Presbyterian Center here in Louisville. Your immediate response and initiative in getting together and collecting relief items from Food and clothing, to hygiene items, medical supplies and school supplies, dispatched in several shipments to Sri Lanka, is indeed remarkable. I thank you most sincerely on behalf of my family and myself, and on behalf of the Sri Lankan people. I thank God for your loving and caring hearts. I thank all those involved with the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program, for the wonderful work they are doing in the collection and distribution of assistance through partner churches to the countries affected by the Tsunamis. My sincere thanks to everyone who contributed so generously to this program. Yes, God’s power is working in the Tsunamis.

When the Tsunamis hit the coast of Sri Lanka and elsewhere, it did not discriminate between gender, race, or religion. Just as people of all races and religions were involved in working together in the relief and rescue efforts immediately following the Tsunamis, it is hoped that the people of the North and East, South and West will all come together and work towards living peaceably, as friendly communities. This is a great opportunity for the Tamil and Sinhala people of Sri Lanka to find new common ground, as peace talks progress. There is renewed hope that this will succeed and there will be a lasting peace accord soon. Yes, my brothers and sisters, God is in the Tsunamis.

Some of you may have known the Rev. Rienzie Perera, an Anglican minister who is a co-chair of the Inter Religious Peace Foundation in Sri Lanka, an organization started a few years ago. I was invited to sit in, at their organizing committee meeting as they planned an inter-religious memorial service for the Tsunami dead. For the first time I witnessed at this service held at an open air auditorium in the city, the Buddhist clergy, Hindu clergy, Muslim clergy, Catholic and Protestant clergy, all seated side by side on one stage together. Religious leaders from each of these sects addressed the gathering, and it was very touching as each of them lighted candles off one single lamp source. They spoke of areas where hundreds had died and they were looking for a gravesite for mass burials in close proximities, when a Muslim priest from a Mosque had offered the back yard of the Mosque. Heavy earthmovers dug the mass grave and the dead were laid to rest side by side in the one grave. No one questioned whether he or she was a Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, or Muslim. They were all buried together. This was the first time people of different religions were buried together. Priests of different religions would visit the mass graves and carry out the different religious ceremonies, often together. There is hope for inter-religious harmony, and it is possible to co-exist with brotherly love and mutual respect. God is in the Tsunamis.

I was encouraged as I saw for the first time, the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka and the Methodist Church (primary protestant groups), who were relatively quiet during racial riots in the 1980s, now taking initiative in organizing relief work, collecting and distributing aid to the victims in the affected areas. The leadership of the established Christian denominations is particularly helpful at this time, as there is great suspicion whether the distribution of relief aid by the government would reach all the victims in a fair and just manner, due to bureaucracy, politics, discrimination, and corruption. It is hoped that the churches will be involved in negotiating with the governments to prevent corruption. Christians are a minute minority in most of the countries affected by the Tsunamis, and this is a great opportunity for the churches near and far, to work together and provide the necessary relief to the victims as true witnesses of the faith. In the aftermath of the Tsunamis, what we see is neither a battleground nor a burial ground, but fertile ground for planting of the seeds of true Christian compassion and love. There were hundreds of people in every part of the coast working self sacrificially in the relief efforts. They were expecting no reward but experiencing the joy of “doing” and “giving”. I am reminded of an incident when the famous Mother Teresa was asked by a western religious dignitary, whether she had any success stories of her ministry to share, at a public forum. She said, “what do you mean?” The dignitary said, “like a child you had saved from the slums of Calcutta, who had later become some one famous…” To which she responded, “This is a ministry of mercy, not a ministry of success. We don’t keep record of the successes”. My friends, there were many Mother Teresa’s out there working, and they are yet out there now. God is in the Tsunamis. Let’s pray that God will make this world a better place to live in, after the Tsunamis.