Sri Lanka Outreach
by Creston Martin
(Español debajo)
While in Sri Lanka, our CS DTS team had the pleasure of working with the local Christian Surfers group. Using boards donated by the CS Groundswell Aid family from Australia, our team of 7 was able to teach several different groups of kids and adults alike not only how to surf, but also how to use surfing as a tool for fellowship and ministry.
Several years ago, there was a large tsunami that hit Sri Lanka, killing many people. After that tragic event, many were scared of the power of the ocean, but when we arrived, it was so cool to see families willing to go to the beach and have fun in God's creation. I could see that many of the people were uncomfortable in the ocean, but they overcame any fears they had to partake in fellowship with each other through surfing.
My favorite part of the experience was the smiles on kids faces when they were with us. They were so excited when they finally stood on the board and were pushed along by the ocean's waves. There is no sport quite like surfing in the world and there is no God like ours, so being able to share those two unique things with the people of Sri Lanka was not only a blessing to the people there, but also to our team.
Continue to pray for those on the ground as there are two surf clubs run by local Christian Surfers. Pray that they would be able to reach out to as many kids as possible and that they would have the resources to continue their surf ministry.
Durante nuestro tiempo en Sri Lanka, nuestro equipo CS DTS tuvo el placer de trabajar con el grupo local de Christian Surfers. Usando tablas que fueron donadas por la familia CS en Australia, nuestro grupo de 7 pudo enseñar varios grupos de niños y adultos a surfear y usar el surf como una herramienta para compartir y ministrar.
Hace varios años hubo un tsunami en Sri Lanka que mato a muchas personas. Después de ese evento trágico, muchos tenían temor del poder del océano, pero cuando llegamos, fue genial ver a familias dispuestas a ir a la playa y disfrutar de la creación de Dios. Pude ver que muchos estaban incomodos en el mar pero pudieron superar sus miedos a través de compartir juntos surfeando.
Mi parte favorita de la experiencia fueron las sonrisas de los niños cuando estaban con nosotros. Estaban tan emocionados cuando finalmente se pararon sobre la tabla corriendo olas. No hay deporte como el surf en el mundo y no hay otro Dios como el nuestro, entonces poder compartir esas dos realidades únicas con la gente de Sri Lanka fue una bendición no solo para las personas sino para nosotros también.
Sigan orando por los que están en terreno en los dos clubes de surf dirigidos por surfistas cristianos. Oren que puedan alcanzar a muchos niños y que tengan los recursos para continuar su ministerio de surf.