I am writing this from India. I am traveling with Ron Wallace of International Ministries, Sarah Kim of the Women's Missionary Society and Amy MacLachlan of The Presbyterian Record. As we visit projects, organizations and institutions, we have been warmly welcomed. We have met many friends of the PCC, both old and new. They have asked me to extend their warm greetings and deep appreciation to the members of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
As we walked the sandy beach on the shores of the Bay of Bengal near Chennai, we experienced first hand the assistance that has been given to the victims of the tsunami that devastated and uprooted families in the villages along the coast. In the village we visited, all the homes were damaged and one life was lost. When the tsunami hit, the villagers saw what was happening and they quickly moved to safer ground. They told us of the five-foot wave that first hit the shore, then described the larger waves that came an hour later, and the 30-foot wall of water that completely devastated their small fishing village.
It was almost two years ago that this natural disaster happened. Many of the villagers have now moved into their new homes, mainly provided by the Government of India. Several families are still waiting in their makeshift huts. They have been promised their new homes within the next seven months. As we walked the beach with the fishermen we were hearing words of gratitude as they proudly showed us the three fishing boats provided by The Presbyterian Church in Canada through Presbyterian World Service and Development. On the day we visited, the waters were rough and threatening, and it was not difficult to imagine the horror of December 26th, 2004.
The tsunami is a memory that you and I, and especially those personally affected, will never forget. Presbyterians in Canada responded very generously to the church's emergency appeal. To see the results of your gifts made me very proud of what we were able to do to help relieve the suffering of the victims. They welcomed us with the customs of their culture, putting paint on our faces and draping flowers around our necks.
During our visit to Chennai we also experienced some of the work of our partners with the Institute for Development Education. We visited several self-help projects where women are enjoying the freedom of managing their own small businesses, children have tutors to help them in their studies and teens are taught typing and computer skills.
Our visit to the Bhil Field in India has been an overwhelming experience as we shared in the opening of the new Christian school in Jobat and took part in the celebrations held in Amkhut with the recently acquitted Bhil prisoners. I will be sharing more in the future.
Thank you for making a difference in the lives of people who look to us for help and support. We as Presbyterians in Canada have always been there to help when the need arises and I am confident we will continue this generosity.
