Kollupitiya, Sri Lanka – Deinah Quire has been strengthened by her work with the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) where she has been serving since August 2018, but nothing prepared her for what happened on Easter Sunday morning.
The country was hit by a wave of bombings targeting Roman Catholic churches and hotels across the country, killing nearly 200 people on Easter Sunday.
While no group has claim responsibility for the terror attack, a health official at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka said 189 people had been killed but the death toll is increasing with some eleven foreigners said to be among the dead.
Deinah was on her way to church in the same vicinity of Kollupitiya where the bombing took place, along with a friend from Zambia when the bombings began.
Daughter of Renowned Clergyman
DEINAH QUIRE
“I’m still in shock. It was totally shocking to see flames of smoke and a loud sound out exposure of bomb while on my way to Easter Service celebration at Church.”
“My Zambian army friend and eye were on our way to church this morning when we heard the blast and saw people running in panic. Quickly, the military guys came to get her and they also took me home,” Deinah said Sunday.
Her father, Bishop Samuel J. Quire, Jr., serves as pastor of Jasper Grant United Methodist, Ebenezer United Methodist Church in Monrovia and former director of the Bishop Judith Craig Children’s Village. He is also the Resident Bishop the Liberia Conference in the West Africa Central Conference of The United Methodist Church. He was elected as a clergy delegate to the 2004 and 2016 General Conferences, the 2004 West Africa Central Conference, and the 2005 All Africa Conference of Churches. He and his wife, Richlain, are blessed with several children, including Deinah.
Deinah’s mission in Trincomalee, an eastern province of Sri Lanka with the Methodist Church. The province is a picturesque city with a natural harbor, scenic beauty and historical importance, has offered her a chance to actively engage with the youth and other church youth group activities.
“The youths have not been involved actively into activities for various reasons such as lack of motivation. They are glad to have another young person who came to share experience and knowledge with them,” she says.
Deinah began her Global Mission fellowship program as part of a two-year mission service program of the United Methodist Church.
Young people she says answer God’s call to change the world through mission service. “The GMF work alongside partner communities to address critical issues such as human rights, children and youth, health, migration, gender justice, poverty, congregational development, community organizing, advocacy, and education. Develop new skills, learn from local experts, and channel your passion to help build just communities.”
The Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church helps identify and assist people who are responding to God’s call to mission and volunteer service, providing training, resources and support for the missionaries in the global context, including the United States context. There are over 300 missionaries serving in more than 60 countries as pastors, teachers, doctors, nurses, social worker, church planters, evangelists and a variety of other ways through various forms of denominational or ecumenical ministries.
Deinah serves as a Program Officer at the National Christian of Sri Lanka (one of Global Mission partner organization) mainly focusing on Peace Building and Reconciliation through the Healing of Memory Program (HoM).
The NCCSL has six departments which include: Commission for Ecumenical Relation, Commission for Justice and Peace, Commission for Mass Communication, Commission for Christian Education, Commission for Development and Commission for Children, Youth & Women.
Shortly after the bombing, Deinah was taken to one of her supervisors for the time being. “I’m still in shock,” she told FrontPageAfrica Sunday. “It was totally shocking to see flames of smoke and a loud sound out exposure of bomb while on my way to Easter Service celebration at Church.”
Saved by the Grace of God
Heading towards the same direction for church in Kollupityia, Colombo 02, where the bombing had taken place, Deinah says she owes her survival to God. “I was saved by grace of God. It was so panicking seeing the clear and present danger just little distance away from you. One bomb blasted at a Catholic church, St. Anthony Shrine and three other Hotels within Colombo.”
Deinah says she was reminded of John Wesley Covenant Prayer which states; “I am no longer my own, but yours, put me to what you will, place me with whom you will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me put to work for you or set aside for you, praised for you or criticized for you. Let me be full. Let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and fully surrender all things to your glory and service. And now o wonderful and holy God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, you are mine, and I am yours. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it also be made in heaven.”
Prior to her my mission service in Sri Lanka, Deinah worked at the Liberia Girl Guides Association as the National Program officer where she developed the skills and experienced of volunteering and serving others.
The girl guides are a non-governmental and non- for-profit NGO which provides opportunities and education for girls and young women to become responsible and valued citizens of Liberia and the World. We also engaged with other civil society organizations to advocate on gender base violence against, women, woman’s right etc. “I was moved to serve because I discovered that the program resonate with the work that I was already involved with and decided to apply. I told me family about it and they encouraged me to follow my passion and here I am today a Global Mission fellow.”
Impressed by Sri Lankans Resilience
She began her mission in August 2018, and has had the opportunity to be a part of an exposure visit in different part of Sri Lanka with the Ecumenical Network of Sri Lanka. “The journey has taken us to Mannar, Vavuniya and Vanni areas. These beautiful Islands and peninsula areas in the north of the country where greatly affected during the war civil war.”
Deinah says she has also had the opportunity to meet with people that were directly affected by the war. “We spoke to widows, mothers of disappeared children, ex- combatants, minority Tamil Muslims, and minority Tamil Speakers. Meeting and hearing them share their stories were very emotional for me. My story resonated with the people of Sri Lanka about their civil war and the impact it left behind that cannot be easily forgotten. What admired me for the past months is the resilience of the people to move ahead and built a vibrant society.”
Sri Lanka is an island located in South- East Asia with a population of 22million people and diverse religious background. Constitutionally, Sri Lanka is a circular state but with 70% of the people conforming to the Buddhist teachings and tradition thereby consider Buddhism the most protected religion. The country also has other faith like Christianity which is 10%, Hinduism 10% and Islamic faith 7%. They are two main languages spoken: Sinhala which make up 70% of the population and majority Buddhist and 30% Tamils (minority group), which also consist of 10% Hindu, 15% Christian and 7% Muslims.