Anil
We went for a walk on the beach and met Anil and his two daughters. He told us he was an artist and wanted us to come to and see his paintings. He took us to his house, or rather where his house used to stand, before the Tsunami. The foundation was all that was left. He and his wife had been given some property a mile and a half from the beach (consistent with the new regulations). However they have no money to build a house on their new property. So they built a makeshift house out of the rubble near to where their old house used to stand. The house is about 10 feet by 8 feet. There are holes in the roof and without a foundation, rats crawl under the walls. Surprisingly there is an electricity meter attached to an outter wall and Anil's wife graciously serves us cold drinks from a small fridge. There are about 20 "houses" like this in Anil's village and Anil's village is just one of many.
It is difficult to understand why this family would be given land but no home. Also it seems like it would be difficult for them to leave the beach - their livelihood is here. They fish in the ocean and Anil has access to tourists on the beach who might like to buy his paintings.
Anil showed us his painting of Jesus that survived the Tsunami despite the fact that their home and furnature was destroyed. I asked him how he understood God after the Tsunami. (My friend Marela was featured on the CBC responding to this question). He looked up a passage in his Sinhala bible and asked me to read this same passage in his English bible....
"Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it." (Matthew 7:24-27).
It is difficult to understand why this family would be given land but no home. Also it seems like it would be difficult for them to leave the beach - their livelihood is here. They fish in the ocean and Anil has access to tourists on the beach who might like to buy his paintings.
Anil showed us his painting of Jesus that survived the Tsunami despite the fact that their home and furnature was destroyed. I asked him how he understood God after the Tsunami. (My friend Marela was featured on the CBC responding to this question). He looked up a passage in his Sinhala bible and asked me to read this same passage in his English bible....
"Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it." (Matthew 7:24-27).
posted by ~chill~ at
9:54 AM
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