from Naomi Wilson When Chris saw the picture of the destruction in Sri Lanka he knew he had to help. He phoned his friend Steve Heekn in Calgary who does missionary work, stating he wanted to go with the next group to help the survivors. They left Toronto Jan. 17th with the Toronto Harvest Missionary Church; enclosed is his account of their Mission. This wasn’t the first time Chris had responded to a disaster. The ice storm of January 1998 in Eastern Ontario, Chris phoned a friend to see how they were coping. He was told their neighbour’s baby had died from asphyxiation caused by a kerosene heater. With so many people without electricity he was spurred to action. Within an hour he had rounded up 10 generators 75 chain saws and friends in Apsley to help load two trucks and drive to Inverary at 9:30 p.m. They arrived back home in time to catch 2 hrs sleep before going to work. He knew his friends in Inverary could be counted on to keep track of the borrowed equipment and make sure they were returned when their electricity was restored. Editors Note: Chris was born, and grew up in the Apsley area, and is the son of Naomi Wilson. North Kawartha is very proud of you Chris. Tsunami Relief in Sri Lanka 
by Chris Wilson After an extremely long flight and a 7 hour drive, we arrived in Trincomalee on the East Coast of Sri Lanka. Little did I know how extremely hard the days ahead would be physically, emotionally and mentally. Each day we continuously traveled, from refuge camp to refuge camp, taking supplies to meet the basic needs of the people living there. Every Day seeing the destruction caused by the Tsunami and by war, hearing stories of loved ones lost, homes and livelihoods destroyed. Despite everything that they have gone through these people take great pride in their appearance and are very happy to see us. Thanking us for even the smallest of donations. Our base camps were at Churches, the first one in Trincomalee on the east coast and the second in Batticaloa, spending most of our time in liberated Tamil Tiger Territory. This is an area that is not being helped by local government as a result of the war but it is also an area with some of the most devastation. Each day we would go to different refuge camps to meet with their leaders to find out what the immediate needs were. After a promise that they would receive these items the next day, a phone call was made back to Columbo on the west coast where a purchasing team was waiting to buy all the items needed. They were then sent to us by truck and would arrive some time in the night. Another group of people would count and allot items to go to each camp. In the early morning we would head out to distribute items to each of the camps we had visited the previous day. This was a continuous cycle in an effort to reach as many camps as possible in a short period of time. The extremely well organized group that we worked under was the Toronto Harvest Missionary Church, under the direction of Pastor Vincent Sahianathon. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the most dedicated group of people making a huge difference in a land that needs so much. T.M.H.C. is now dedicating their efforts to purchasing fishing boats and nets to assist the locals with getting back to work and being self supportive. This is a priority in the near future and anyone wishing to help financially can go onto the web site www.thmc.net or write TORONTO HARVEST MISSIONARY CHURCH, 96 BEN SHIRE DRIVE, SCARBORO, ON. MlH IM5. I would like to thank my family and friends, Peterborough Businesses, CUPE Local 504, and the City of Peterborough for supporting my mission to Sri Lanka. 
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