September Newsletter 2023

FOUNDERS corner

SinceearlyAugust,IhavebeentravelingacrosspartsoftheUSA, sharingaboutourministry,andspeakingatchurches.Iamnowin Turkeyfor10dayswhereIamspeakingataconferenceonGlobal Mission.InEarlyOctober,IwillflyfromIstanbultoWarsawPoland, whereIplantoboardatrainthatwilltakemetoKyivUkraine.Iam keentobewithourtraumahealingteamstherewhoarestruggling emotionallyandmentallyamidstthishorrificongoingwar.Theyare desperateforsomeencouragement.Oneofourteammembers spenttwodayslyinginherbathtub.Shedidn’thavetheemotional energytogetup.Eventuallyhermotherfoundher.Forourteam,I amworkingonashortseminaronworkplaceburnoutincrisisand howtoprocessPTSD.

IaskthatyouprayforprotectionforAllisonandthekids.Thisisthe longesttimeIwillhavebeenawayfromthem;almost3months. Prayalsoformysafety,especiallyasIenterUkraine,butmore importantly,pleasepraythatIwouldhavethecompassionof Christ.PrayIwouldseewhatChristsees,hearwhatHehears,touch thosehetouchesandlovethoseHeloves. -Simon

SRI LANKA

Population:23,187,516(2022)

Languages:Sinhala,Tamil,English Religions(%ofpopulation):Buddhist70.2%, Hindus12.6%,Muslims9.7%,Christian7.6%

Wewanttospendthenextfewmonthshelpingyoubetterunderstandourvision, byhighlightingthecountrieswherewework.ThefirstcountryinfocuswillbeSri Lanka.ThisisthecountrywherewefirstbegantheministryofProject114,andit remainsoursecondmosteffectivecountryprojectandthehub of360Prayer,ourintercessoryministry.

ThislittleislandnationisknownasthePearloftheIndian Oceanbecauseofitsremarkablenaturalbeauty,extraordinary biodiversity,andrarejewels.ItisalsocalledtheTearDropofIndia asitseemstodroplikeatearfromthebottomoftheIndiancontinent.

OriginallycalledCeylon,SriLankaistheworld’sleadingexporterofCinnamon spice,contributing80percentoftheworld’soutput,anditistheworld’ssecond largestexporteroftea.MarcoPolowrotethattheislandhadthebestsapphires, topaz,amethyst,andothergemsintheworld.

Despiteitsbreathtakingbeautyandnaturalresources,SriLankaanditspeoples haveenduredatumultuousandviolenthistory.Since1505,thePortuguese,the DutchandtheBritishhavefoughtoverthecountry,untilin1833theEnglish conqueredthewholeislandandestablishedBritishrule.Britainproceededto bringinTamillaborersfromsouthernIndiatoworkintea,coffee,andcoconut plantations.

Thisiswherethecountrybeganto fractureonraciallines,asthe SinhalesemajorityfelttheBritish increasinglyfavoredtheTamil minority.WhenBritishcolonialrule endedin1948,theSinhalesemajority disenfranchisedTamilplantation workers,madeSinhalathecountry’s officiallanguageandmadeBuddhism thecountry’sprimaryreligion.

politicalandeconomic mismanagementandinsecurity,with almostaquarterofSriLankan’s survivingononemealaday.

TraditionssaysthatChristianitywas broughttoSriLankabytheApostle ThomasinAD52.ChristiansinSri Lankahaveenduredsporadicand ongoingpersecution,mainlyfromthe Buddhistmajority,especiallymonks whoseeChristianityathreattotheir ownreligiousexpansion.Persecution levelhere-Moderate!

In1983theLiberationTigersofTamil Eelam(LTTE)“TamilTigers”initiateda brutalwaragainsttheSinhala majority.Officiallyendingin2009,the UNestimatesthecivilwartookmore than100,000lives.Thecountryhas neverfullyrecoveredfromthewar. Thegovernmenthasputsignificant effortsintoresettlingthosedisplaced duringtheconflict,buttheTamil minoritycontinuetocomplainof inhumanetreatment.Recentlyone youngmansaid,“Theysaythewaris over,buttheyarestilldoingwhatthey havealwaysdonetoTamils:abducting usandtorturingus.”Today,the countrycontinuestostrugglethrough

OnEasterSunday2019,coordinated terroristbombingskilledmorethan 200peopleandinjuredthousands. 168ofthosekilledwereChristians. TheexplosionsinSriLankaonthat day,wasthedeadliestviolenceinthe countrysinceitscivilwarendedmore thanadecadeago.TheEasterSunday blastsweredifferentfromthe violencethatcharacterizedthecivil war.Thatviolencewasfoughtlargely alongnationalandethniclines.For thesebombings,churcheswere amongthesitestargetedandforthe firsttime,Muslimswereresponsible.

Note: the majority of Sinhalese are Buddhist, whilst the majority of Tamils are Hindu.

BIRTHOF PROJECT114

Severalweeksafterthebombings, SimonreturnedtoSriLanka.He said,“Idon’tthinkIhaveeverseena peoplelookingsodiscouragedand defeated.Itisheart-breakingtosee thepainandhopelessnessintheir eyesandthetraumaisevidentin theirposturewhentheywalk.”

Simondiscoveredthatamonga populationofmorethan21million people,therewereonly17trained psychologistsandtherapistsinthe entirecountry.Shockedbythe scarcityoftraumarecovery resources,andthefocusofmost otherministriesonfooddistribution andotherhumanitarianneeds, Simonbeganalargeresearch projecttargetingpastors,churches, andvulnerablecommunitiestohelp thembetterunderstandthe emotionalpulseofthecountry.This projectformedthefoundationof “PlantedforPurpose,”ourtrauma healingandreconciliation workshops.

ANDNOW...

OurCountryCareCoordinatorShen,alongwithhiswifeGethse,havecontinued toexpandandmultiplytheministryofProject114acrossSriLanka.Todate,Shen andhisteamhavetakenmorethan4,000peoplethroughourtraumahealing, reconciliation,andarttherapycourses.Theyhavedevelopedachildren’scourse andanaudioversionofourresourcesintobothSinhalaandTamillanguages.

In2021,Simonputtogetherateamof intercessorstohelpwithspiritualinsight anddiscernmentforthedirectionof Project114andhealinganddeliverance forpeoplecaughtintraumaticinjury. Themostorganizedanddedicatedteam arosefromSriLanka.Thesecourageous prayerwarriorshadmanyyears’ experiencebattlingforthesouloftheir nationandforothernationsand partners.TheSriLankateam,ledby (Sandy)hasbeeninstrumentalinhelping Simondeveloptheprayerministrywhich nowhasintercessorsin10nations.

SriLankansarestrugglingto secureenoughfood,fuel,and otherlivingessentialsamidstthe worsteconomiccrisissincethe countrygainedindependencein 1948.Today,morethanaquarter ofSriLanka’s22.16millionpeople aresurvivingononemealaday.

PLEASEJOINUS TOPRAYFOR SRILANKA

Prayoutcorruptleadersfromgovernmentandprayineconomicimprovementandresiliencefor SriLankanpeople.Praythatgovernmentleaderswouldseekwiseanswersfortheeconomic collapseofthecountry

ForGodtopouroutHismercyonthepeopleofthiscountryandtoblessSriLankawiththe resourcestheyneedtohelpthecountryrecover

FortheChurchinSriLankatounderstandherroleandtoriseabovethesituationtobeabeacon ofhopetothepeopleinthesedarktimes

MaytheLordturnthistragiccrisisintoagreatopportunitytobringthegospelmessagetothe entirenation

Fortheminorityupperclassandmiddleclass(especiallybelievers),toshowmercyandpractice justicetothemajoritywhoarepoorandfeelinghopeless.

ForChristianswhostruggletoexperiencethepeaceofGodamidsthardshipandongoingpoverty

ForguidancetoChristianswhoareaskinghowbesttoexpresstheirlegitimateangeroverthe situationhere.Manydivisionsexistamongbelieversastohowtoapproachtheongoingsocial issues

Hundredsofthousandsofyoungpeoplehavelosthopeandaretryingtoleavethecountry.We needwisdomonhowtoadvisethem

PrayfortheLordtoworkintheheartofthenewpresidentofSriLankasothathewillbeagood andhonestleaderthatwillhelpbringthecountryoutofitscurrentcrisis

FromShenourCoordinator:

PraythatthroughtheProject114TraumaRecoveryPrograms,therewouldbeacomplete transformationandcompletehealingofpeopleacrossthecountry

Praywecanreachthecurrentlyunreachedborderregions

PleaseprayforGod'sprotectionoverme,mywifeandouryoungchild,fromHinduandMuslim extremistswhodon’twantussharingthehopeofChristianhealingandforgivenessinthesemore remoteareasofthecountry.

PraywecanbringloveandhopetoeverybrokenandtraumatizedlifeinSriLankathroughthese workshops.

PraiseGodmanyBuddhistsarecomingtoChristthroughtheworkshops!