COLUMBO, Sri Lanka (ABP) — Christian compassion is drawing new interest about the faith along the eastern coast of Sri Lanka, according to relief workers. Some people are converting to Christianity. Others are asking questions about Jesus.
Christians are showing residents of eastern Sri Lanka kindness “they never expected,” according to David Beckett, director of Sri Lanka relief work of Children's Emergency Relief International, the overseas arm of Baptist Child and Family Services, based in San Antonio, Texas.
The majority of relief workers from around the globe are Christians, Beckett noted. Workers from non-governmental relief groups such as Texas Baptist Men and CERI are caring for people in eastern Sri Lanka regardless of faith background.
That attitude differs with the one Sri Lankans have seen in the past, when European tourists spent money and left. By presenting living examples of a Christian faith, the volunteers provide a contrast to other religions in the region.
As a result, there is a surge of new believers, despite the continuous threat of persecution, especially in smaller villages, Beckett noted. Individuals in some communities are shunned for converting to Christianity. Churches have been burned. Leaders have been attacked. But Sri Lankans continue to be interested in Jesus.
Sri Lankans “see a light in a dark place,” Beckett said. “People are drawn to the light when they see something so different like that. I've heard so many times over the past months: ‘You people are not like we expected. You treat us differently than the way other people have treated us.'”
Followers of other faiths are trying to explain the outpouring of Christian compassion in a number of ways. One common notion is the United States dropped a bomb near Indonesia that created the tsunamis, and Christian Americans came to help because they felt bad about what they did.
The idea is unfounded but significant, Beckett said. “What it shows is Christian Americans have had a huge impact on this island. “So big in fact, that people are trying to find ways to explain it.”
Sujatha Rajadurai, a Sri Lankan working with CERI, reinforced Beckett's words. Believers around the world are inspiring Sri Lankan Christians to be faithful, Rajadurai said. Locals are working together to improve living conditions even as political leaders continue fighting.
“It's really exciting,” Rajadurai said. “They're coming here. They're sharing their love. It's a different kind of love. I'm thinking if they're coming again and again to share, everything would be nice for us to build up our life.”