Pastor Mohan* from the Northern Province, who was a refugee in his own country, says: "I was the pastor of a church with about 270 members. As the war intensified, we had to leave the church and our homes and flee in the clothes we were wearing. In the refugee camp, I wanted to start a Christian community with other Christians who had also fled. We didn't have a single Bible or any Christian literature. Although we received some Bibles from the Evangelical Alliance on the island, it was not enough to cover the need. Now it's been almost a year and people are returning to their homes, but unfortunately there are still many Christians without Bibles. There are many widows and families who have lost loved ones, property, family members and friends. Desperately, they are looking for comfort and counseling. At a time like this, the Bible can provide comfort and encouragement. What we need most of all are Bibles."
A war-torn country
Pastor Mohan is among the approximately 300,000 people who were displaced and sought shelter in refugee camps or with family members. Sri Lanka's bloody civil war may have ended in May 2009 when the government defeated the separatist Tamil Tigers, who had been fighting since 1983 for an independent state in the northeastern part of the island, but the war has left society deeply wounded and cost thousands of lives. Mass destruction of homes and villages has taken place and civilians have endured unspeakable suffering.
Christians in the countryside, where persecution is on the rise
Among the displaced are many Christians, including pastors and staff. They have faithfully continued to praise Jesus in the refugee camps. They have lost their homes, their churches and property and have had to flee with little more than the clothes on their backs. Just as they have great physical needs and need shelter, food, clothing and the necessities of life, they also thirst for spiritual care and the Word of God.
Increasing persecution of Christians
Sri Lanka is a predominantly Buddhist country and Protestants make up just 1 % of the population. Evangelization is subject to criticism from several sides, and this criticism results in violence and backlash against evangelical Christians. Over the past decade, acts of violence and opposition against Christians have been on the rise. Recently, there have been attempts to introduce anti-conversion laws.
Sri Lanka's 2000-year history is interwoven with Buddhism. Some Buddhists believe that Sri Lanka has been entrusted to be the custodian of the pure form of Buddhism by Buddha himself. Much of Sri Lanka is made up of villages located in predominantly Buddhist rural areas. Pastors pioneering and planting churches in these communities face unimaginable resistance and danger. One tangible challenge they face is poverty. Sri Lanka has a literacy rate of around 80 %, one of the highest in Asia, and most Sri Lankans can read and write. However, poverty is a barrier to new Christians owning the Bible and there is a high demand for the Bible in local languages, Sinhala and Tamil.
Encouragement, new strength and equipping through God's Word
* For security reasons, all names have been changed to protect the identity of the individuals.
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Testimonials from Sri Lanka
Pastor John from the Northern Province
"Last year we had to flee our home to escape the war. When my family and members of my church finally reached the refugee camps, we had none of our belongings with us, no clothes and not even the Bible. While in the camp, we all asked for Bibles when we gathered for prayer. During this time, several non-Christians were touched by the crisis and attracted to the gospel and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. There is an acute shortage of Bibles for study, reflection and pastoral care. Demand is increasing as more and more people join the Church. Even people who have been Christians for many years are without their Bible as they have lost everything they owned. Although we would love to own a Bible again, many of us cannot afford to buy one ourselves."
Pastor Saman from the Southern Province
"I work in a remote village in the south of Sri Lanka. The members of my church are very poor and live on daily wages. However, they are wonderfully devoted to God. Since we don't have our own church building, we meet in a house for Sunday services. Our biggest problem is the need for Bibles. Out of more than fifty members, only a handful have a Bible. It breaks my heart to see them thirsting for scripture, wanting to get to know the Word, but not being able to afford to buy a Bible. On Sundays, we share the few Bibles we have. We pray that one day each of us will have our own Bible."
