Page 7 - Good News May 2019 paper
P. 7

Ramesh Raju
                   ith  the  nation  of  Sri   burgeoning  backpack,  which  his explosive device outside the             the power to sustain her during
                   Lanka  still  reeling  from   appeared  to  be  weighing  him     church gates - Ramesh was killed     these  excruciating  days.  “I  love
          Wthe  devastating  bomb-             down as he sauntered through the      instantly!                           my Jesus, I love my Jesus,” she
          ings  that  ripped  through  three   courtyard  towards  the  church       Raju, who was buried on Monday,      cried,  with  tears  pouring  down
          churches  over  Easter  Weekend,     doors.                                will never know how many lives       her face.
          some  staggering  stories  of                                              he  saved  during  those  final  The  Easter  Sunday  terrorist
          heroism are beginning to emerge.     Without  delay,  Raju  rushed  moments, but the families of the            attack on churches and hotels in
          One  such  incident  occurred  towards  the  man,  demanding  to           survivors  will  forever  look  upon   Sri  Lanka  took  the  lives  of  253
          moments before a huge blast at       know  what  he  was  doing  there     his heroics with an eternal debt of   people,  according  to  the  Sri
          Zion Church in Batticaloa, when a    and why he was carrying such a        gratitude.  Though  this  is  some   Lankan Health Ministry.
          brave and quick-thinking church      large bag. Flustered, the man told    comfort  to  Chrishanthini  in  her   [Source:  Rajini  Vaidyanathan,
          member  saved  innumerable  him  the  backpack  contained  a               time  of  mourning,  she  said  that   BBC News, Faithwire, Joel News
          lives.  His  name  was  Ramesh       video  camera  and  that  he  had     her faith is the only thing that has   International 1123, 26/04/2019].
          Raju.                                come to film worshippers inside.
                                               Still  not  satisfied,  Ramesh  con-
          On  the  fateful  day  of  the  tinued  to  quiz  the  unwelcome
          bombings Ramesh's wife, Chris-       visitor  before  ordering  him  to
          hanthini, was teaching a Sunday      leave.  “My  husband  sensed
          School class, which was held just    something  was  wrong,  and
          before  the  main  Easter  Service.   informed  him  he'd  need  to  get
          Once the class had finished and      permission  first,”  Chrishanthini
          in anticipation of the church-wide   told the BBC.
          celebration, the children headed     Assured that Ramesh was taking
          outside  to  the  courtyard  for  care  of  the  situation,  Chris-
          snacks. It was at this point that    hanthini ushered the children into
          Ramesh,  a  40-year-old  building    the  main  church,  which  was
          contractor,  spotted  a  man  he     packed to rafters with some 450       This picture was taken at Zion Church in Sri Lanka during Sunday
          didn't recognize. Though puzzled     worshippers.  Moments  later,  the    School, just moments before the bombing. 22 of these children died.
          by the stranger's presence, there    ground  was  shaken  with  an         According to an unconfirmed source, moments before the blast, the
          was  something  else  that  imme-    enormous  explosion.  Realizing       Sunday School teacher asked these kids if they were ready to die for
          diately  set  off  alarm  bells  in   that his cowardly plan had been      Christ - they all raised their hands.
          Ramesh's  mind  -  the  man's  thwarted,  the  bomber  detonated
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