We had first wanted to go to India. I think it was our association with missionaries in India that made us want to go there first. We did not know anyone in Sri Lanka, and we knew that Indonesia had a closed door policy to Christian aid groups. What we knew about Sri Lanka was Ceylon tea, Tamil rebels and land mines!

"If it is God's will it shall be!" so inspire of the long hours we spent, try as we did with our prayers and best efforts, going to India was not God's will for us. He wanted us to go, we were sure of that! after all, He confirmed this when bread for a hungry world, Richland hills church of Christ and Larry buck, got behind the relief mission with an assurance that at least $100,000 would be raised. But where did God want us to go, we asked?

As the door to India closed, God opened the big door of opportunity for us to go to Sri Lanka. Humbly we accepted His will and by His hand He led us from a road full of obstacles to a highway of smooth sailing. And so off to Sri Lanka we went 37 Filipino and 5 American volunteers in all, saying we are here because Jesus cares! We are here because Jesus would be here, too!

Our mission work brought us to the city of Ambalangoda, a relatively short 4 hour drive from Sri Lanka's capital city of Colombo. Daily, after our breakfast devotional, we would split up into 5 teams and go into 5 different refugee camps. From the city of Ambalangoda to the city of Galle, a distance of about 50 kilometers along the coast, there are perhaps over 20 refugee camps. Each camp will have 50 to 500 families, a daytime population of 400 to 2000
Tsunami refugees. Some are housed in schools, some in Buddhist temples; some camped just behind on or on top of the concrete floor where their houses used to
stand. In some places you could still smell the stench of death, and indeed there where days when they would recover a body or re-open one of the mass graves to
let the European aid workers search for Europeans! You cannot imagine the devastation! You drive for hours along the coastline and find yourself staring on both sides of the road at ruins upon ruins of what used to be brick houses. And it isn't just the houses, furniture, photographs, jewelry, appliances, cars or whatever worldly possessions that they lost. Some
have no parents, or have lost children, or a brother, an uncle and a sister---all as a result of the tsunami which brought gloom to their once idyllic lifestyle.

Our first encounter with the tsunami refugees started in a refugee camp which we later called camp love. We started setting up our medical and dental clinic and in a short while our psycho-emotional team led by dra. Tests sis on and occupational therapist Minnie latria
had a group of women interacting with them. As this developed, Bert Patricio and Johnny Jordan, with Don boo, Felix olden, and dodo same on, gathered the children around them---this was our cheer-giving group, with games, sports, stories, candies and
chicken hats.

The next day we returned to camp love, and then went to camp hope and camp faith. then we were brought to taothagama, semigama, wellagama, akurala, peraliya, dawdangama, etc. in all the more than dozen camps we worked in during the next 10 days, we did the
following:
1. Medical and dental clinics
2. Distributed food and relief goods such as slippers, mats, etc. for the camp refugees
3. psycho-emotional intervention for ladies and children
4. Games and sports for the boys
5. House to house and tent to tent medical visits
6. Donated rope making machines for women's livelihood
7. Donated nets to fishermen
8. Helped build temporary shelters
9. Provide materials for temporary refugee kitchen and latrines
10. Assisted bread for a hungry world rep Larry buck in donating boats to fishermen
11. Donated excess medical supplies to a university medical center in Galle and the peraliya refugee camp
12. volunteered doctors and dentists to work at the infirmary of the peraliya refugee camp

Our relief teams would schedule their visits to these camps and daily try to do something different and worthwhile. On our last day brethren from the dehiwala church of Christ sent a truckload of 100 relief goods (25kgs. each) which we distributed to akurala and peraliya. We also had a farewell lunch at akurala, where we prayed together with the refugees and had a short message given to them by bro. Sarath from Galle.

Let me share with you some excerpts from Larry Buck's daily journals and how he spoke about the work that God allowed us to do to bring glory to His name in Sri Lanka. Larry is the special representative of Bread for a Hungry World, and he wrote:

"Today started as a winding down day. The team from Manila is leaving tonight. Everybody is exhausted. I think they have been going on adrenalin and not realizing how tired their bodies really are. "

"It seems hard to believe, but one of our medical teams came across a village a bit inland that had 1000 kids in it. There has been only one visit from a doctor since the Tsunami. Many of the families had come from the coast and had nothing. We have two medical teams going back there today."

"We all continue to discuss how God has used each of us like pieces in a puzzle. Each and every person here has been allowed the satisfaction of knowing that the work has been like a giant puzzle and each has been a small part in making the picture. As people come to know Jesus out of this campaign, which will happen, all of us at home and here alike, will know we had the blessing of knowing we were allowed to be involved in this opportunity....in the history of this country,...has never known of any group of Christians who has come and been able to freely operate as we have. Certainly never 38 Christians down deep in the lives of these people."

"I am probably guilty of bragging on the Filipino Christians. But when you watch them, in comparison to the other aid workers, there is such a difference. A difference that others see as well. There are no smoke breaks, no cursing, they ALWAYS smile at the people with compassion; they treat all the other doctors and patients with respect. There is no intellectual arrogance by our doctors. You do witness this if you stay around these camp hospitals very long. WE pray and worship at night instead of taking part in
nightlife."

"When we were putting this together. I was concerned about whether 40 people would be the best use of the funds donated. There are some of you who gave for strictly the humanitarian relief. Two of us could have traveled here and given away all the money by ourselves. While the boats, rope machines, and what ever else we give, is good to get people back to some sort of life. The long term lasting change and repair of these lives has been most impacted because of the personal caring interaction of the Christians who came. I feel we have been good stewards of the money you sent us here with, while at the same time making changes that will last long after the boats are in the scrap yard."

In all of this I think the best reward was to be told on our first day by a man who had lost much in the tsunami---"I now believe that God is greater than Buddha!" because Jesus cares, we were sent by God to Sri lanka, and we pray that the seeds of love and caring grace that our Christian teams gave will one day bear fruit when they one day rebuild their homes and their lives. We pray that we can continue to build on this friendship and relationship we have established with them, so that as they rebuild their
lives, they will learn to rebuild it on the foundation of Jesus our Lord and Savior that will not be shaken, washed out or fall down.

With your help we would like to continue the work that was started in Sri Lanka. Before we went to Sri Lanka we did not know anything about the country, its people and the church of Christ in their country. There is much tat we can still do and share with them. As they enter into the rebuilding of their lives, we would like to work with the churches of Christ in ensuring
that as they do this, it will be in partnership with our preachers. The brethren do not realize it yet, but they will have to step up their service to God and trasform their country from a victim of tragedy tovictors in Christ.

Your financial offering of love to support these efforts is vital and needed. With your help, we plan to get involved in providing temporary housing and running this refugee housing camp. As we put up this community, we will introduce livelihood programs and cooperative efforts. It does look an awesome responsibility, but we have learned long ago that if we let God use us, He will allow us to do marvelous and amazing works together.

You can send your inquiries or send your contributions to:
MARCH for Christ
(Medical Action for Relief, Counseling and Healing)
Dollar Savings Account No. 7134601737
Prudential Bank and Trust Company
Session Road, Baguio City, Philippines

or LUIS P. CUSI
SA No. 9058254106254
Standard Chartered Bank-Banilad,Cebu, Phils.
Code: SCBL PH MM

God bless you for your love for His work. Your fellow worker and servant,

LUIS "Chito" P. CUSI
President
MARCH for Chris