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When the war was raging in the North we asked the Youth for Christ leader there, Suri Williams, to return to the South, where he was originally from, since it was not safe for him and his young family. He replied that he could not leave his people at that time, and he added that, besides, the safest place to be was in the center of God's will.

Arul Anketell was a brilliant young pediatrician who gave up bright prospects for a career in medicine to minister full- time with people in the health-care field. Five years later he lost everything when his house was burned down in a riot. The first time I met him after this incident, I was hoping that I could be a source of comfort and encouragement to him. I left that meeting with a distinct sense that the reverse had happened, and that I had been deeply ministered to!

So amidst the gloom that engulfs our land, with no end in sight to the war and the suffering of the people, we persevere in seeking to be faithful to God. We know that through the frustration and pain God is working out his purposes and answering the prayers that have gone up through several centuries that this beautiful island will indeed be filled with the glory of God.

Ajith Fernando, 49, is national director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka, and the author of the NIV Application Commentary: Acts (Zondervan). A graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, he was born and raised in Sri Lanka and is an active lay preacher in the Methodist church of Sri Lanka.

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November 16 1998, Vol. 42, No. 13