The Way it is; The Way it Will be

...I will create a new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind. (Isaiah 65:17 NIV)

That verse describes a time that isn't here yet...but is coming.

Now if you are currently enjoying your life I imagine you might be a little bit bothered at the prospect of thinking all of this will one day be gone and something new will replace it.

You might be thinking,

"But I WANT to remember the way things are now."

"I don't want for change."

Fair enough. We need to give thanks for our life and the circumstances in which we find yourselves. Everyone is not so blessed.

The following is from Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. It describes horrors I can't even imagine.

Who Will Help the Over 100,000 Refugees?
"We fled with tens of thousands into the security zone. On one side was the ocean, on the other a lagoon. It got worse every day. So finally my wife and our five kids fled through the lagoon.

When we were in the middle they started shooting at us. Our twelve year old son was hit. In order to save the others we left him there, dying. Finally, government troops came to us through the water and saved us. Now we are here, in a refugee camp."

This is the story of just one family of many who is struggling to survive the intense battling between the Tamil Tiger rebel group and government forces in Sri Lanka. By now over 100,000 refugees have reached the camps; tens of thousands are probably still in the area of fighting.

Some have lost all they had, including their entire families. At the same time, they are torn emotionally by the 25 years of civil war and it will take many years to overcome this trauma.
It seems that the war will soon end "officially." Who will then help the far more than 100,000 internal refugees? Where should they go? Who will build them new homes? Who will help them rebuild their lives in the aftermath of such devastation?

The director of NCM Lanka is on his way to the refugee camps. The Sri Lankan government has asked him as well as a few other organizations to help. Thankfully, the work after the Tsunami and with the internal refugees in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka has laid a foundation of trust between the government and NCM. But what a challenge they are facing!

Local specially trained NCM workers will help the suffering to overcome their emotional scars through trauma counseling. They will also supply food, household kits, and tents if resources permit it. Crisis Care Kits are being compiled to provide some of the most basic comforts. All steps will be planned in such a way that they result in long-term change and allow the refugees to build the foundation for a new life. This has already worked after the catastrophes in the East of Sri Lanka where NCM International is still working effectively together with its local and international partners.

Through prayer and financial support you can be part of serving the refugees in Sri Lanka and helping them start new. Every gift, whether large or small, will be invested in the future of people who hardly see reason for hope.

Persons and churches wishing to make a donation can mark their checks “Sri Lanka Internally Displace People NCMPRLK09” and mail them to the Global Treasury Services, PO Box 843116 Kansas City, MO 64184.

Online giving is available at ncm.org