Smiles among the destruction

Smiles among the destruction
Originally uploaded by Kirbs.

Well I'm back after what were a couple of the most amazing weeks of my life. I didn't manage to blog while away as internet access was extremely limited, however there would have been so much to say. From day one the experiences were challenging to the core, meeting these kids who wanted to teach us how to count in Tamil, smiling for the camera as they jumped up and down on the remains of their homes. Returning with Ramanan (the manager of Samaritan's purse livelihood projects in that area) to his house for the first time since the Tsunami; speaking in a church that had been burnt down a couple of years ago by the hindu youth movement; praying for the sick and seeing healing; building a playground and watching the kids smile as they played; restoring a school from being a refugee camp; helping local fishermen land their catch of Manta Ray; swimming in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean; hearing the stories of lost loved ones; experiencing the grace of God through and with a fantastic team among wonderful people. It's going to be hard going back to normal because normal is never going to be the same again.