Latest News from Sri Lanka

http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/10/27/opinion/3.asp
Check out this link - the daily mirror is a non-government sponsored newspaper.

Please note too that in the last 2 months there have been price increases on gas and bread - most people use gas for cooking and many low income families buy bread for an evening meal.
Today it has been announced that there has been an increase in milk powder- a 400gram packet has gone from RS195 to Rs 275! (approx 87p to £1.22). Again those Sri Lankans who do not have access to fridges, who live in areas where electricity supplies are infrequent and the poorest of the poor are the ones who lose out.

Please keep Sri Lanka in your prayers.

Prayer Request

This is Fr Chandran Crispus & myself at Diocesan Council.

Fr Chandran is the parish priest of St Andrews Batticaloa, on the East coast in an area of intense fighting between government and LTTE forces. His parish church is in a high security area and he has helped to set up an IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp in the church grounds.

They are in constant need of donations of milk powder, toiletries, ladies underwear, exercise books & pens, sugar, tea, cooking oil, gas and linen.

Please pray for the parish of St Andrew's, Fr Chandran and the people who are having to live in temporary accommodation.

NB- There are instances of LTTE and other members of armed groups entering homes after the curfew hours and literally taking everything, money, jewellery, foodstuffs, clothing and telling the family to leave with a few canned items the clothes on their backs.

These people are literally praying every night that Jesus will be the only person to enter their house that evening.

Diocesan Council 122nd Annual Session

Just spent 3 days at the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Colombo which includes all Diocesan clergy and then depending on electoral roll numbers, 'x' number of parish lay representatives.

As well as the ordinary business of electing Standing Committee members, Auditors and Trustess, there were a number of resolutions to be debated. One of these resolutions made the national news see: http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/10/20/front/06.asp

Council opened with a tradtional dance by pupils of CMS Ladies College who combined both Tamil classical dance & costumes and Sinhala classical dance & costumes to produce a deeply moving and symbolic presentation of the uniting of the two cultures.

The Bishop's address was well received by council and there was general agreement that the Church needs to be standing alongside and in the midst of the pain and suffering being experienced by all peoples.

I took the opportunity to also take part in a debate concerning a resolution asking council to request the Bishop to take adequate measures for a programe of research and study among the clergy and laity, leading to dialogue between men and women to take their rightful place in the family, church and society. I have to admit it was a bit scary standing before some many people!

As well as the sessions in council we also had morning prayers, Holy Communion each day and a Bible study - 12 separate groups in 3 langauges. I was invited by the Bishop to faciliate and lead a Bible Study and was a bit stunned in the second day to discover him joining my group! (Gulp!) Most Bibke studies in Sri Lanka are led by clergy with little input by the participants - however the Bishop is keen to encourage a dialogical approach to be used throughout the Diocese. I must have done my job well as the Bishop publicly commended me at council!

In case you are wondering there is simultaneous translation availiable at all times, council documents are printed in all 3 langauges and the ballot papers too are availiable in all 3 languages.

It was great to meet some many people at council and hearing their stories. Special mention should be made about those who had come from LTTE governed areas. To travel out of the area they need to obtain special visas and many clergy were unsure if they would be allowed to attend the council.

Also to draw to your attention, the LTTE are now forcibly conscripting one member of a household- usually a teenage child, so many are going into hiding. There are various 'safe houses', but children are at high risk. It is very difficult to get them out of LTTE areas and the problem is once they come into government controlled areas they are forced to 'surrender' and taken into police custody...

Prayer Requests

Last week I heard the news that a clergy widow had been brutally stabbed and murdered in her own home. I think her name was Tilka Mendez. She was found alone in her home and no-one is sure why she was killed -was she a particular target? Was it a burglary that went wrong? Had she managed to get on someones 'wrong side'? Please pray for her family and friends.

At the moment the Diocesan council is taking place so please pray for wisdom and patience as the council gets to grips with various resolutions and issues facing the Anglican communion.

Pray for Adrian & Phil from CMS as they continue to find out a bit more about the island and protect them as they travel onwards to Bangladesh on Monday 22nd October.

Pray for me as I get to grips with Singhala classes.

Pray for the parish - for our Harvest Thanksgiving service & Sale on November 4th. We really need people to pull together to raise funds for the rebuilding of the Mission House.

Aw isn't she cute!

Not me the baby!!!

This is Namaya Daniella Abeyratne born on October 5th 2007.

Her mum and dad are extremely proud of their little girl - their first!

Please pray for baby and parents.

Baptism: TBA

Dinner at the Bishop's House

A chance to dress up!

From left to right:

Phil (CMS), Revd Becky, Robbie (Bishop's friend), Bishop Duleep, Geeta, Adrian (CMS), (Robbie's wife), Archdeacon Christhanta & wife, Fr Jayasinga, Mrs Nesiah & Adam Green.

Housewarming!

Well my house doesn't need warming really! Sunday Oct 14th I invited both Adrian & Phil CMS visitors plus my wardens to come round to my flat for lunch.

Here are the ladies from left to right: Dakshini (Vicar's warden), Cela, Mani, Revd Becky, Marlene (hiding), Ianthe.

Visit by CMS Staff!

The CMS regional manager for South Asia, Adrian Watkins shown on the far right and CMS church fund-raiser Phil Evans tucking into their desserts! Also shown is myself and Lanka Nesiah - the Bishop of Colombo's PA and the man who can get anything done!

Prayer Space -Request

Next door to my church there is a Police station which within its compound also has a Detention Centre for those international persons who do not have valid visas or no papers or passports. Every month a few of the congregation go to the Detention Centre to give breakfast to the people there and to offer advice and support. One of my parishoners also works as an advocate taking individual cases on and visiting relatives, getting papers and legal documents and going that extra mile all the time - paying out of her own pocket travel expenses and legal fees.
She is in her 70s!


Please pray for Ramo (Ramini) and her 16year old son- Denver.
Ramo is from Jaffna, her husband is also a Sri Lankan Tamil. She was taken into police custody 7 months ago and arrived at this detention centre 1 month ago. She was born in Sri Lanka and went to India at the age of 19 illegally on a boat from Jaffna. After spending time in a refugee camp she came back to Sri Lanka this time via a plane and has spent the last 15 years in SL.
The Sri Lankan authorities want to deport her as she has no identity of her birth as a Sri Lankan and no National Identity Card.

Pray for Sinthadurai the fisherman who went to India as an refugee from Jaffna in the 1980s. Granted permission to stay in India, but whilst out fishing he accidentally strayed into Sri Lankan waters and was arrested by the Sri Lankan military. He has been into police custody for over 3 years. He has a wife and 5 children.

Please pray too for the men and women who for various reasons are unable to get back to their home countries to be with family and friends.

Can you teach?

One of the major shortages the schools face here is a lack of teachers who have a good working knowledge of English. On reaching a certain grade children are allowed to choose what language to be educated in and many opt for English.

The Diocese desparately needs more teachers for its Church Schools. If you have a teaching qualification or know someone who is perhaps looking for something for a sabbatical please, please get in touch.

The Diocese can't offer a full wage, but will give you full board and lodging.

Please pray for those who may be considering doing some overseas work.

Let me know if you require any further information.

God bless,

Becky

Guest Book

Hi this message is for those who might like to sign my virtual guestbook - just leave your name in the comments box at the bottom of this post!

It's like being at the zoo!

Waiting outside church this afternoon waiting to be taken to the local hospital to visit one of my parishoners. A 4ft long igauna exploded out of the bushes and ran up the wall of the church. I'm not sure who was the more afraid! I nearly beat it up the wall! It stopped to look at me and then disappeared into the guttering at the top.... 20ft in less than 10 seconds!

Prayer Space

• Please pray for the country of Sri Lanka as the conflict continues to escalate and more people are becoming displaced.

• Please pray for St Andrew's church in Batticaloa as they can no longer have services in their building due to security restrictions. Pray for all churches whose congregations are under continual threat from bombings and landmines.

• Please pray for the Diocesan Council to take place from 18th Oct to 21st Oct.

• Please pray for the visit of Adrian Watkins, CMS Regional Manager for South Asia. (13th-22nd Oct).

St Ippolyts Link Church

July 2007

A photo of myself and the Vicar the Revd Ann Pollington standing next to the pulpit at St Ippolyts Church.

This church is famous as a place where the knights on their horses came to receive a blessing before they set off for the Crusades!

St Christopher's Link Church

June 2007

Revd Becky & Revd Dave Thompson in the sanctury at St Christopher's.

CMS Link Churches

I am a Mission Partner for the Church Mission Society.

Here are some of the churches who are currently fundraising and offering prayer support towards my ministry here in Sri Lanka.

Many thanks to:

St John Baptist Broughton with St Martin's & St Peter's Chapel's Fulwood. (Blackburn Diocese)

St Christopher's, Ashton, Preston. (Blackburn Diocese)

St Andrew's, Ashton, Preston. (Blackburn Diocese)

St Ippolyts, St Mary the Virgin Great Wymondley, St Mary the Virgin Little Wymondley.

(St Alban's Diocese).

St Mary the Virgin, Ashwell. (Diocese of St Albans)

Artist in residence: Celebrating the Ordination of Women as Priests in the Church of Ceylon

September 2007

Here are a few pics of a well known Sri Lankan artist putting together a large mural on the walls of the Lady Chapel in the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour in Colombo.

The artist is in fact a Buddhist, although educated at an Anglican school: Trinity College, Kandy.

The mural is to celebrate the first year anniversary of the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Diocese of Colombo.

Bishop Duleep and the Church Wardens

Friday 3rd August Breakfast at the Bishop's House post-licensing.

Please note that I have been on Sri Lankan soil for less than 24 hours!


Lefthand pic:

Is that why Bishops wear pectoral crosses?



Righthand pic:
From left to right back row:


People's Warden Mr Chris Dassenaike


People's Warden: Mr Rohan Peris


People's Warden: Mr Mohan Aluwihare


Parish Secretary: Mr Tissa Perera


Archdeacon of Colombo:Ven C.B. Mendis


Vicar's Warden: Mrs Dakshini Paranavitana





Front row: Revd Becky Hollis, Bishop Duleep & Bishop Duleep's grand-daughter.

10 Things I love about Sri Lanka

1. The craziness of the traffic: cows wandering along the road, tri-shaws taking short-cuts and swerving around other vehicles, being stuck in a traffic jam behind an elephant.
2. Every day is a sunny day.
3. Ceylon tea & cake.
4. Being only a 30 min car journey from the seaside.
5. Being only a 45 min flight from the Maldives.
6. Wonderful fresh fruit: pineapple, mango, plantain, mangosteen, rambuttan, limes, oranges and coconuts.
7. The faithfulness and committment of the Christian community.
8. Watching the fireflies at night.
9. Bank holidays every month.
10. Knowing that whatever situation occurs, someone will always try to help you.

God bless the country of Sri Lanka, her people and those who visit this place.

Pet Peeves

Ok, can someone please tell me why God created mosquitos and cockroaches? Oh and those tiny little ants that seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to uncovered foodstuffs.

Sri Lankan bureaucracy......waiting around is an art form and so is the endless queueing....
Example: Pastry shop. Want to purchase some cakes. Stand in queue...take order for cakes...given chitty....queue at till....pay at till....take receipt.....queue at another counter...receive cakes....handover receipt.....

Q. Why did the snake cross the road?
A. To give Becky a fright!

When I say snake, I mean a 5ft long mean looking fellow who with a surprising turn of speed side-slips across the road into the undergrowth. Someone suggested I ran over them - not in an 800cc Maruti car thank you very much!

Pedestrians who walk in front of your vehicle without looking! Being a predominantly Buddhist country I suspect most people just assume if they are run over they will be reborn.

Photo Christ Church

The front of Christ Church, Mirihana on Old Kottawa Rd.

Consecrated 7th April 1890

Consecration of New Building on 7th April 1991.

August 2007

Arriving at Colombo's international airport I was met by a driver from Colombo Diocese who was to take me to temporary accommodation - St Margaret's Convent in the Polwatte district of Colombo city. As we made the hour long journey through the busy streets, I realised how much at home I felt already! Glancing out of the windows I took in the potholed roads, the dusty streets, the businesses with their faded signs, the tri-shaws weaving erratically through the traffic, the gaudily decorated buses and the people going about their daily lives and thought 'Yes Lord, we've made the right decision'.

Having visited the country 6 months previously, I noticed too that there had been an increase in security and checkpoints. Vehicles of all kinds are routinely stopped by armed police and everyone has to carry their ID at all times.

Arriving at the convent I was greeted by the Sister in charge, Sr Chandrani and given some refreshments and shown my room. I was surprised by how pleasant it was- a lovely first floor dwelling with a en-suite, cold water of course and a bed, desk, chair and wardrobe. My home for 4 weeks.

At this point I was handed a letter saying I had to be at the Cathedral at 7.30am the next day for my licensing! Less than 24 hours later I was the new curate at Mirihana Church!

It's worth noting that the convent is in a high security zone as the Prime Ministers Residence Temple Trees is just around the corner. This meant a curfew at 10pm with no vehicles allowed on the roads at this time. It also meant that during a recent protest by university students - tear gas used by the police drifted into the nearby streets - yours truly of course got a face full!

With meals provided by the convent staff I felt very much at home and included by the community. Sadly the sisters number just 4 in the house in Colombo and vocations are on the decline. Despite their hectic work schedules - the convent runs a children's home, an elder's home (residential care home), a hostel for working girls (in this case young women from villages who work in the city), an ecclesiastical sewing business and also make communion hosts, they continue to participate in the monastic offices and finally also offer accommodation to clergy and lay people who are ill, stressed or on retreat.

With my accommodation in Polwatte, I faced a bit of a commute to my church in Mirihana, near Nugegoda. On a Sunday morning with minimum traffic and a souped up tri-shaw we made the usual 30 minute journey in 10 minutes!

Mirihana is a small town, the church being next door to one of the biggest police stations on the island! There is just the one main Sunday morning service at 8am, with an additional evening praise and worship service every 2nd Sunday.

Trad Anglican is the order of the day right down to the use of the English hymnal and tea and biscuits after the service. (Although on the first Sunday of the month we have 'kiribath' - milk rice and sour plantains (small bananas) with either sugar (for children & Revd Becky) or seemi-sambol, a poignant mix of dried maldive fish, shredded coconut, garlic and dried red chillie. HOT!)

Infact all Sri Lankan cuisine seems to contain varying amounts of chilli; in omelettes, bread, rice, potatoes, sausages to name a few. Don't just think its for lunch or dinner - most Sri Lankans also enjoy a bit of curry for breakfast too.

But my taste buds and stomach seem to be coping well and have adjusted to the new food regime- the convent staff were very kind and also omitted some of their hotter ingredients from my food!

My congregation are a nice mix of peoples, all Sri Lankans with a good range of ages - although it seems to be the older age group that has the highest representation.

The Acting Vicar is Fr Dusantha Rodrigo who has the most wonderful sense of humour and is a pleasure to work with. He is also the Vicar of St Michael's Polwatte, a very busy parish and his role in Mirihana is to be responsible for the adminstration and finances. I get to be in charge of the liturgical life of the parish and the pastoral work which suits me fine!

At the moment key issues are for me settling down and learning how to navigate around the city.

Beginnings

Welcome to Revd Becky's Blogspot...

Well where to start?
If you are reading this you probably know that I am currently working for the Anglican Church of Ceylon in Sri Lanka. I was ordained as a deacon in 2003 at Blackburn Cathedral and priested a year later.

After completing my 4 year curacy in the Parish of St John Baptist Broughton with St Martin's & St Peter's chapels Fulwood, I realised that God was calling me to some kind of ministry overseas.

Making a very long story short, the Church Mission Society (CMS) agreed to take me on as a Mission Partner. I was licensed as the assistant curate at Christ Church, Mirihana on the 3rd August 2007 in the chapel at the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour in the Diocese of Colombo by Bishop Duleep de Chickera.

If you would like to receive my quarterly mailing and/or would like to me to be your link Mission Partner to your church please contact the CMS fundraising department by either writing to: CMS PO Box 1799, Oxford, OX4 9B or Tel: 01865 787400 asking for the Links Department or e-mail: info@cms-uk.org with Becky Hollis Mission Partner Sri Lanka as your subject.

Please keep the Parish of Mirihana, the Diocese of Colombo and the country of Sri Lanka in your prayers.