Outracing The Sea, Orphans in His Care

washington times ^ | Thursday, December 30, 2004 | John Lancaster

[ovrtaxt]

NAVALADY, Sri Lanka, Dec. 29 -- Two hundred yards from the beach, in the orphanage he had built, Dayalan Sanders lounged in his bed early Sunday morning. He was thinking, he said, about the sermon he was due to deliver in the chapel in half an hour. A few yards away, most of the 28 children under his care were still in their rooms, grooming themselves for services.

[ovrtaxt]

Not only was water cascading over the lagoon side of the peninsula but it was pouring in directly from the mouth of the estuary about two miles away. Sanders feared the converging currents would swamp the small craft. At that point, Sanders said, he recalled a line from the Book of Isaiah: "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall raise up a standard against it."

He raised his hand in the direction of the flood and shouted, "I command you in the name of Jesus -- stop!" The water then seemed to "stall, momentarily," he said. "I thought at the time I was imagining things."

Spiritual authority. That's right!!

[ovrtaxt]

Hate to register with the Lamestream Media? Try bugmenot.com for an authorization name and password to view the source page for this story.

[1066AD]

Email foreign@washpost.com Attn: John Lancaster

Great piece from WaPo for a change.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Sanders was so exhausted by his duties as host, he said, that he went to bed early on Saturday night. He also forgot to check, as he usually does, on whether the outboard motor had been removed from the orphanage launch, as it was supposed to be each night as a precaution against theft.

It proved to be the luckiest mistake he ever made.

There is no such thing as luck or mere coincidence. Praise to the Lord for saving His children!

[ovrtaxt]

I'm surprised that this story wasn't posted before. It originally ran in the Detroit News, and FR is prohibited from publishing anything from them. I had a hard time finding it elsewhere. I had to search for the author's name.

I think the reference to Jesus freaked out the MSM sissies. It seems the story is being avoided.

[ovrtaxt]

Here's the original story. Hard to find, and you can't post it to FR.

With Little Warning, Director Saves 28 Orphans from Tsunami

[VOA]

I'll sanitize my thoughts and simply say that is one heck of a tale.

[bearsgirl90]

He raised his hand in the direction of the flood and shouted, "I command you in the name of Jesus -- stop!" The water then seemed to "stall, momentarily," he said. "I thought at the time I was imagining things."

The "Name" above every name!!! What an amazing story of the power of our Lord.

[EternalVigilance]

Psalm 91
Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust."
3Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14"Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation."

[aposiopetic]

Amen!

[VOA]

bump

[1066AD]

FYI, I contacted WaPo and today received this swift response: "Mr. Sander's sister Ms. Diyana Sanders is receiving funds for the orphanage. For information on how to donate to the orphanage you may call 301 279 2947. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. Sincerely,"

[milagro]

Anyone see the phone interview with this man on CNN just now--he was INCREDIBLE! He said he commanded the wall of water to stop "in the name of Jesus" and it did for a brief moment--long enough for them to get the motor started on the boat and escape death. The guy on CNN tried to cut him off--but Mr. Sanders would not let him!

[ovrtaxt]

Cool! This story seems to have a life of it's own, even though they try to stop it.

[ovrtaxt]

Thanks for the info. Amazing-- I suppose journalists are humans after all.

[VOA]

The ophanage director was the interview today on the radio show "Focus On The Family";
I heard it on KKLA 99.5 FM here in Los Angeles.

Interested parties can find local stations and broadcast times at:
http://www.family.org

If you don't have a local station and/or it's already been broadcast in your area, the show
will rebroadcast today on KKLA at 11:30AM and 10:00PM PACIFIC Time and is on the web at:
http://www.kkla.com

[VOA]

bump; post 16 might be of interest

[VOA]

another bump for publicity (interview information in post 16)

[bearsgirl90]

Thanks for the "heads up". I can't hear this story enough!

[1066AD]

Thanks, reminded me that I received a follow-up frim WaPo a couple of days ago & meant to post it:

Dear Mr. xxx
Thank you so much for contacting the Washington Post regarding John Lancaster's story on the tsunami-ravaged orphanage in Sri Lanka. The Post has now published another story on the subject, which I have included below. This second story focuses on the orphanage director's sister,
Diyana, who lives here in the United States. All the information I have on how to reach those involved with the orphanage is below.

If you decide you want to help other children, including those orphaned by this devastating natural disaster, you might consider contacting InterAction (202-667-8227 or www.interaction.org), a non-profit organization that serves as something of a clearinghouse for charitible and
aid organizations; someone there might be able to direct you toward other efforts aimed at helping kids whose lives have been turned upside down by the tsunami.

With very best wishes for a safe and happy new year,
Emily Messner
News Aide
Washington Post Foreign Desk

Dalayan Sanders, founder/director of the orphanage, can be reached by e-mail at:
sanders@sltnet.lk
or
gideonss@sltnet.lk

Understandably, his e-mail access might be spotty.
____

The Sanders family's fundraiser: 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday (1/8) at Grace United Methodist Church in Gaithersburg. Checks can be made to Samaritan Home Relief; send to any Chevy Chase Bank or P.O. Box 83608, Gaithersburg,
Md. 20883. 301-279-2947; www.samaritanchildrenshome.org

For some context on this fundraiser, please read the story below ("Sister Provides Her Own Tsunami Aid"), which appeared in yesterday's Metro section.

____

Sister Provides Her Own Tsunami Aid; Md. Woman Seeking Orphanage Funds Is Voice of Comfort to Callers

Published 1/6/2005, page B01
By Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer

Diyana Sanders has encountered something unexpected as she raises money for her brother's destroyed orphanage in Sri Lanka. Beyond collecting hundreds of checks from generous people in the Washington region, she has become a therapist of sorts for many who are reeling from the horror of the tsunami's destruction.

Since her brother's story of near-impossible survival with 28 orphans became public last week, Sanders's home phone in Gaithersburg has rarely been silent. Some of the benevolent strangers cry in sympathy. Others want to connect with her about feelings of anguish and despair.

"It's been overwhelming and, at the same time, it has been a
wonderful experience," said Sanders, 40, a native Sri Lankan who moved to Gaithersburg in 1985. "All the people who have been calling have been warm, nice people, and at times I felt like I was comforting them."

Her brother Dayalan Sanders and his wife, Kohila, survived the tsunami by grabbing the orphans as the storm approached and leaping onto a boat. They held on and prayed as the boat repeatedly was hurtled 20 feet into the air, then slammed back down. They watched as their orphanage on the country's eastern coast was swallowed by water.

At first, Diyana Sanders didn't know whether her brother was alive. When she learned he was safe, she decided to raise as much money as she could to help him.

She has collected about $70,000, mostly from private donations. She has a fundraiser planned for Saturday at Grace United Methodist Church in Gaithersburg, where she is hoping to collect more of the estimated $400,000 it will cost to rebuild the orphanage. All donations will go directly to the project, she said.

The tsunami, which left about 140,000 people dead, has sparked an outpouring of charity, with donations reaching $3.5 billion worldwide yesterday. A Washington law firm, Howrey Simon Arnold & White, announced yesterday that it plans to donate $1 million to relief efforts.

For Sanders's fundraiser, the staff at Fields Road Elementary School in Gaithersburg, where Sanders is a guidance counselor, is providing the food and holding a raffle. Sanders is grateful for the help, because she and her family are hustling just to keep up with the phone calls.

The first day the story went public, Sanders's husband, Niranjan Gunaratnam, who works from home, did not have a moment to work, or eat.

"I got home at 5 p.m., and my husband was sitting there with his lunch," Sanders said. "He had been taking so many calls, [he] hadn't been able to get a spoon in his mouth."

Sanders said her experience as a guidance counselor definitely has helped in the past week.

"People see this on TV and their heart goes out to this part of the world," Sanders said. "When they call here, they find a connection with someone from that part of the world. It helps in their healing because they feel helpless."

The fundraising also has been cathartic for her family, including her mother, Kamalan Sanders, 77, who lives with them, she said.

"It is nice for her to hear people saying nice things about her son, making her talk about her country," Sanders said. "Our whole family has one focus."

Dayalan Sanders, 50, who is a U.S. citizen, was living in
Gaithersburg in 1995 when he decided to go home to Sri Lanka to start an orphanage. He scraped together enough money to begin the project and relied on donations to keep it going. A week and half ago, he saw it all wash away.

After the tsunami, he took his family and the orphans to a
neighboring community, where they sleep on the floors of several homes.
About 75 percent of the families in Navalady, the village surrounding the orphanage, did not survive, Dayalan Sanders told his sister. He desperately is looking for a home to rent for his family and the children, Gunaratnam said.

Gunaratnam said he believes so many people have responded to his family's plea for help because they are uncertain how large organizations might use their money.

"Here, the whole thing is managed by our family," he said. "It's personal."