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Sri Lanka: A Story Of God's Grace

by Major David Woodbury

During my six-year appointment as Editor in Chief and Secretary for Communications in the Australia Eastern Territory, I had the privilege of visiting a number of Salvation Army territories around the world to produce a promotional video for the annual Self-Denial Appeal, through which Salvationists are given the opportunity to support the work of the international Salvation Army.

There are some places that are inspirational when you see the internationalism and vigour of our organisation. Others tug at your heartstrings when you see the appalling conditions under which many Salvationists minister. My visit to Jaffna, in northern Sri Lanka, with a production video crew was such an experience.

Years of civil war have prevented open travel to this city. The trek to the airport in Colombo through police checkpoints, gun emplacements and military personnel in abundance, was ominous. Checking in was a lengthy procedure with all our equipment, including cameras, having to be checked through as baggage. Finally we boarded a very ancient Russian ‘Ilyushin 18’ turboprop aeroplane. Everything inside the plane was old and broken, and you just prayed that the mechanics weren’t like the interior of the cabin.

Arriving in Jaffna, you feel as though you have landed in Europe at the close of World War Two, as most buildings in the city have been destroyed. It somehow seems inconceivable that sane men and women could perpetrate such a monstrous act. A sense of insecurity pervades the air.

Although there is a ceasefire, the people are uncertain whether to rebuild their city. Who knows if hostilities might resume tomorrow and all the destruction will happen again? In one of the surrounding towns we came across a shell-shocked building. Its external stairway seemed to illustrate life here in Jaffna: a stairway to nowhere.

We visited the bombed-out Anglican cathedral. Hanging from the roof inside the skeleton of the church was a crucifix. On it, the body of Christ was shattered during the bombing. This too seems symbolic of what has taken place here in Jaffna. The steel bars, on which the sculpture is formed, protruded in some grotesque representation, depicting the horror in the shattering of the body of Christ that transpires when people and nations take up arms against each other.

Amid all this hostility and desolation, The Salvation Army has maintained its ministry, often cut off from headquarters and fellow Salvationists. A good example of the spirit and courage of Salvationists in Sri Lanka can be seen in Major Kokila, who manages the Kaithady Girls’ Home in Jaffna. With courage and dedication she protected and cared for more than 30 girls in Jaffna during the height of fighting in the long civil war.

When the shelling and bombing of the home started, the major hid her girls in a concrete block house for three days while the fighting raged around them. Finally, she fled with the girls to another location where they were safe.

When she returned with the girls after the ceasefire, the buildings bore the scars of war. The home had been completely devastated and stripped. Now devoid of any furnishings, the girls sleep on straw mats on the concrete floor as there are no beds or funds to buy them.

The furniture for the whole home seemed to consist of two wooden tables, a set of wooden benches and a set of pigeonholes that hold the meagre supply of school books. There was no electricity as the generator was stolen during the fighting. Some basic reconstruction is taking place but it is obvious that the Sri Lanka Territory can never meet the costs.

Parts of the building are pockmarked with bullet holes and larger holes from artillery. Some of the buildings will need to be demolished. Two large bomb craters are in the yard behind the home. Most other Army buildings have suffered a similar fate. A team of Salvationist tradesmen could make a huge difference to this building within just a week.

When Major Kokila returned to clean up the home after the ceasefire, she had to remove the bodies of dead fighters from inside the building and skeletons from around the fence.

It’s almost impossible to convey in words the emotions I felt as I stood, looking at the devastation and this lone woman officer. I have seen great courage, love and dedication in the lives of many Salvation Army officers around the world, but this one seems to stand out.

Her love and dedication are tempered with a good dose of practicality and common sense, and you get the feeling that in this officer is a true reflection of the down-to-earth character of Jesus.

This Self-Denial assignment was my last, having received a new appointment. As I reflect back over the last six years, I am amazed at the magnificent grace of God that sustains our Army in some 109 countries. The story of Major Kokila and the Kaithady girls is a powerful testimony to that grace.

Having completed my last Self-Denial video assignment, there is a great sense of sadness, for I believe there are many more great stories about God’s grace working within our Army, just waiting to be told. There is an important field of ministry waiting in many places of our Army world for someone who has access to the necessary resources. Sadly, many of the majestic moments of God’s grace to our Army go unknown and unreported.

Major David Woodbury is now Assistant Chief Secretary in The Salvation Army’s Australia Eastern Territory

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