Herb Hoefer
Update
February 14, 2007
Family and Friends,
I am now in Colombo dealing with some legal matters. A non-Lutheran congregation has occupied our property here, and it is very difficult to get people evicted. The one way that works involves extra-legal ruffians, but that is not the way we want to work as Christians, of course. I meet with our attorney this afternoon and with the occupying congregation this evening. Fun! Then I go to have a devotion with people in the tsunami camps where one of our Lanka Lutheran Church pastors has set up an on-going ministry together with Lutheran Hour Ministries.
The Asia Director of LCMS World Relief, Mr.Darin Storkson, and I were together the full six days with the Lanka Lutheran Church. We've been trying to clear up past accounts so that new projects can be considered. We have a great deal of capacity building to do with these people. Most mission work is among the downtrodden, as this is our Lord's bias, but that also means there is a lot of hard work involved in both providing direct help and in developing local leadership.
Darin introduced me to a marvelous restaurant in Nuwara Eliya, where we were staying. It's one of those old British-era lodgings that has kept up the colonial tradition of propriety and excellence. It's a place you can just put yourself into local hands and let them serve you with elegance, with a beautifully presented and prepared four-course meal for $12.
I went with one of the probationers on one of his evening ministry outings. We had a prayer meeting gathering in one home and then climbed the hills to do home visits. At one visit with a sick person, an elderly relative in the home stopped us after we had prayed and were about to leave. She wanted to say a prayer for our ministry, and it was a beautiful expression of faith - by a believer not yet baptized.
I'm struck by the boldness of prayer here. There was a 16-year old boy at the prayer meeting who was retarded. The probationer boldly prayed for his healing and assured the parents that Jesus would do it. They did the same with a jobless youth and a sick person. They don't pray "if it is Thy will;" they pray with that confidence that God can do it and will.
The Lanka Lutheran Church has a fine system of training and accountability with these probationers. They are scattered all over the tea plantations in rented houses. Every Monday they return to the Centre for reports, sharing, fellowship, teaching, and discussion of experiences/problems.
There are army checkpoints all over Colombo because of the danger of Tamil Tiger terrorist attacks. I was in a 3-wheeler with the LCMS World Relief local director, Nathan, this morning, and we were stopped several times. He had been a teacher for several years, so his identity card gives that as his profession. Nathan commented that the Sinhalese people have a great respect for teachers, so he has often escaped harassment/interrogation when they see that on his card. This respect is throughout Asia, really. I think it's related to people's fond memories of teachers from their youth, people who were educated and only wanted to use their education to help others get ahead in life.
I had another cute cultural experience. Darin says that Sri Lankans give the best haircuts in all of Asia, so I had mine done. As I sat down, the barber pushed down on my shoulders and said in English "Off. Off." I couldn't understand what he meant, so I asked him to instruct me in Tamil. He then said, "Irangi," which means "Get down." I slouched in my chair as he instructed, so he could reach my head better. He then asked me what the proper English word would be for that instruction. He wanted to know for future use with English-speaking customers, I presume. I thought a bit and told him "Slip down"
Then I mused as to why he had used that English word "off.". It occurred to me that "Irangi" is the Tamil word that is used for getting off a bus! Later, when he wanted me to slouch again, he said "Slips (sic) down," and we both had a chuckle.
God bless.
Herb