Greetings from St. John's and Grace Care Center and the field of battle.

Thank you very much for your prompt calls and actions and prayers.

Here in Sri Lanka the situation is very bad now. Daily fighting is going on between the LTTE and the Government forces. From this ongoing battle, many families have become refugees and many civilians including children are killed, and we all are very busy and engaged in providing relief supplies to the refugees and taking care of the injured.

Yesterday our team of Pastors and other workers headed by Rev. Earl P. Solomons left St. John's with 19 lorries of relief items to the Vaharai area (which is an un-cleared area) where many of the refugees from Muttur, Sampur, Kaddaparichan, Kiliveddy, Mavilaru, Verukal and the surrounding areas are displaced and sheltered.

On the 10th of this month, we went to Vaharai with the approval of Government agent of Batticaloa with relief items. We were stopped at the Mankerny military checkpoint, waited till the evening, and returned back without distributing our relief items to the affected, as we did not get the clearance to continue our mission.

This time we met the GA (Government Agent) of Batticaloa and insisted him to get the necessary clearance documents and to give us a copy of those documents. We also met the higher-ups in the defense and got the permission to transport the relief items. Also the article, which was published in the Tamil net, BBC and local radio news broadcast about turning us back with the relief items, gave some pressure to the defense and the higher-ups to consider allowing relief items, rehabilitation and humanitarian workers to the affected field. It took us two days to get the clearance.

We made all the arrangements, waited till 11:00 a.m., and preceded to Vaharai after getting the clearance. In all the checkpoints, we were stopped questioned and thoroughly checked. While checking we were asked to unload half of the items from each lorry for checking and, after checking, we had to re-load all of them. It took us about 4 hours for this formality. Our Pastors and volunteers did this exercise as there was no labour in those places and this further delayed our convoy.

At Vaharai, there are more than 8,800 refugee families being sheltered. Most of the families are afraid to stay in schools or under any buildings as most of the time Government plans are aerial bombarding the buildings in the un-cleared areas as such most of the refugees are sheltered under trees or in jungles. In past battles, refugees who were sheltered in schools and in other buildings were frequently killed in the shelling and bombing.

When we reached Vaharai people and infants came running to get something from us to eat. We were told that after 2 weeks of starving we are the first people to have reached them with relief items. We saw them cooking immediately after receiving our food packs. We saw smiles on the faces of kids and the people, which has given us satisfaction, and a sense of fulfillment with regard to our mission. This is the success of our mission and this is why our Almighty God has called us.

Today also, attacks are going on in many places of North and East. In aerial bombardments, around 63 children in an orphanage in Mullaithivu were killed; another 142 have been seriously injured. From morning -- 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. -- there was shelling from army camp, which is 4 km away from St. John's to un-cleared areas. So far, we do not know about the causalities.

17 workers working with the French NGO Action Faim including a French lady were killed in Muttur. All most all the NGO's have pulled out from the North and East.

Many people including women and children who are injured in the ongoing battle are admitted in Batticaloa teaching hospital. Today our women's guild and junior Pastors headed by Mrs. Shantha Jeyanesan went and distributed food and other necessary items to the injured in the hospital.

The Government and the other NGO's are helping the refugees in Government control areas. But the un-cleared areas are our concern. When we need further support, I will ask you.

In the meantime, please do pray for peace in our country.

With Peace and prayers.