Lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh! (Part
3)
Charles E. Wigg
The Sea And The Waves Roaring: These words accurately describe
what actually happened in the terrible disaster that recently took place. I have
listened to reports on the radio, where people have testified of the terrible
noise made by the waves caused by the undersea earthquake. I have also heard
people who have survived the disaster telling of their experience, and so many
have told that though they were saved from destruction, yet they did not know
how they could possibly have been saved, or by what means they were saved! We
who are believers see in this the evidence of the merciful intervention of the
hand of our great Almighty God. “One is taken, and the other left”! There are
also many testimonies to the fact that because believers were gathered to
remember the Lord Jesus, they were spared the horrible consequences that befell
those that were on the beach. Also large numbers of nominal Christians were
destroyed while attending Mass, which was held in huge buildings near the sea.
There have been some remarkable deliverances as is outlined in emails received,
as follows:
"You will
be surprised to know that although thousands of people have lost their
lives and possessions, and left in desolate, it has pleased our great
God to protect the lives of His loved ones in our fellowship
throughout Tamil Nadu in an astonishing way.
As
mentioned supra, I visited the tip of the Indian Peninsula, Kanyakumari (Cape
Comorin) on 4th January 2005 along with the local evangelist Mr.E.Ravikumar of
Nagercoil. As almost all the believers in our fellowship in Kanyakumari Assembly
are from fishermen community with Roman Catholic background, they have already
paid a great price for their faith. On their profession of faith on the Lord,
most of them had to be driven out of their houses rented out to them in the
coastal villages owned by the R. C. parish at the time of their obeying the Lord
in waters of baptism. These brethren now dwell near the seashore – some in
rented houses and some in their own houses. Except one or two, all others are
working as labourers in fishing boats owned by others. Some sisters being
breadwinners of the family make their livelihood by selling fish and small toys
on the shore. Hence there is not much material loss for them. Those who own
boats, nets and catamarans are very few. You will be also pleased to hear that
two of our brethren who own catamarans and nets have found them safely placed on
the main land by the first tsunami wave, on their return from the worship
meeting. For the material loss sustained by the other few brethren, the
Government, which is globally getting help from other countries and
philanthropists, has undertaken to recoup the loss. Moreover, as all the
believers were in the high land worshipping the Lord in the main land in
Y.M.C.A.campus at Kanyakumari at the time when tsunami hit Kanyakumari, all of
them have been kept safe. I personally witnessed the scene of a sister’s house
at Kootappalli, a coastal village about 15 KMs away from Kanyakumari, where the
waves had come up to the edge of the walls of her house and then subsided,
whereas they have smashed against a few houses and several catamarans and nets
by the side of her house and completely damaged them. Another brother’s house in
that village was seen engulfed with seawater but subsided without doing any
damage to the house. At that time these dear ones have been at the feet of the
Lord worshipping Him in Kanyakumari 15 kms away from their homes How great is
the faithfulness of our blessed Lord!
In Chennai
(Madras) area also, the tsunami waves have destroyed many houses and possessions
of the people causing death to a few. But as far as our brethren are concerned,
out of the l0 cases reported, none has lost his/her life but only lost their
houses and household articles. One brother (item 20) had a thatched shed
on the seashore to stack his old gunny bags kept for sales, and this shed has
been completely washed away along with those stacked gunny bags. But as he is
living away from that place, his house was not damaged. Houses of two brethren
(items 23 and 29) have been completely destroyed and for others there was only
the loss of their personal belongings.
As most of
them except one or two, are all belonging to fishermen community, they do not
know any other trade except fishing. But according to them, as the sea has not
yet come to the normal level they cannot also now make their livelihood by
fishing. As none of them has lost his/her dwelling places, they do not also stay
in the camps run by the Government.
Apart from
these two areas viz., Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) and Chennai (Madras) areas in
Tamil Nadu, our brethren have not at all been involved in the tragedy. In
Natapattinam area, the coastal village called Vailankanni had the largest number
of people killed by the tsunami waves. This is a R.C. pilgrimage centre where
millions of people from all over the world would gather to attend the yearly
festival in the R.C.Shrine during the first week of September and on other days
also, R. C. pilgrims would be found in large numbers at this shrine. The area
has been badly damaged killing several thousands of pilgrims and tourists. We
the Assembly brethren in Tamil Nadu with the leadership of the nearby Tiruvarur
Assembly used to go over there during their yearly festival days for evangelism.
It is a pity, in this tsunami tragedy, majority of the people who were killed
throughout Tamil Nadu are Roman Catholics.
In Chennai
(Madras) area also, the tsunami waves have destroyed many houses and possessions
of the people causing death to a few. But as far as our brethren are concerned,
out of the l0 cases reported, none has lost his/her life but only lost their
houses and household articles. One brother (item 20) had a thatched shed
on the sea shore to stack his old gunny bags kept for sales, and this shed has
been completely washed away along with those stacked gunny bags. But as he is
living away from that place, his house was not damaged. Houses of two brethren
(items 23 and 29) have been completely destroyed and for others there was only
the loss of their personal belongings. - D. RAJAHSINGH
SIMON".
(This
brother is a fulltime worker, & an Assembly Elder, a faithful man whom I
have known for many years. Chas. E. Wigg.) [To be
concluded]
--
[Reproduced by
permission of the author]