A Month in the Life

I had a conversation with my uncle Prince Mathiasz (veteran missionary to Sri Lanka) earlier this week. He was still home in Canada with his daughter who just announced her engagement (congratulations Natasha & Jason!!!!) after attending General Conference and some other obligations for FMD. I always look forward to catching up with one of my greatest life-mentors.

Uncle Prince has always been an influence in my life as far back as I can remember. I still recall the days as a little boy sitting in my parents living room in Wayne, NJ listening to his mind-blowing stories from his previous term in the mission field while he was on deputation. I later served under him as an AIMer with my wife in 2002. I can honestly say that I wouldn't be where I am today in the ministry if it wasn't for his influence in my life... no where near where I am!

In my conversation with him on Sunday night he told me an amazing testimony from this year in Sri Lanka. The churches in Sri Lanka have been suffering from religious persecution for years now. It's actually a bit humorous to hear how Bro. Mathiasz deals with it! I guess after 25 years of dealing with the same attacks from hell, you learn a thing or two! A church in a small village in Sri Lanka was in process of building a church facility. The area where the believers were building was dominated by Hindus and the local Hindu leadership. It is not uncommon for the churches in these types of situations to wake up to their churches being vandalized, burned and even destroyed by these opposing groups only to have local governments turn blind eyes to the situations. Bro. Mathiasz has long learned to not put his trust in man!

The pastor of this small village church called Bro. Mathiasz very alarmed by what was happening. He informed him that the local Hindus were opposing the building progress of this new Apostolic church by building a massive new Hindu temple just a few feet from the UPC church that would dwarf the modest village building we were constructing. Rumors were already floating around the village that it was the intention to build this temple with large bells and loudspeakers to disrupt any attempts at worship services being held at the UPC church.

Bro. Mathiasz' response was very simple. Fear not! He instructed them to go on as normal having church the following Sunday. He told them to conclude their normal service by having the entire church congregation assemble outside the UPC building in-progress, directly in front of what now was a massive foot print of a large foundation for the soon to be Hindu temple. They were to sing a few songs, worship the only TRUE God and then all stretch their hands towards the foundation of the temple and rebuke it in Jesus name!

The pastor obeyed his leader's words and did exactly as he told him. Weeks later the report came in. As part of the national economic development plan of the Sri Lankan government, they had chosen 4 remote village valleys to bring power (electricity) from the central power grid. One of the four villages chosen was non other than our little village with a UPC church building program. Amazingly enough, as the plan outlined, construction required the exact land where the Hindu temple was to be constructed for a large high-tension power line tower. They marked the four corners of the to-be-built tower... they were the exact four corners of the would-be Hindu temple.

Dan Ponjican

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