1996-2013

I was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka on the 14th of April, 1996. Prior to my birth, however, my parents had met an American couple who had arrived in Sri Lanka to serve as Missionaries. It was this couple that established the Colombo Bible Baptist Church, where my parents were faithful members. Due to the above reasons, I have been in church all my life! It is something my parents made sure of. 

At the age of four, my parents and I were sitting in the living room of our home in Sri Lanka and looking through the windows at the pelting rain and lightening. This, combined with the fierce thunder absolutely terrified me. Not knowing what to do, I turned to my dad and asked him, "can Jesus save me from this storm?" 

My dad decided to use this opportunity to give me an answer that encompassed more than what I initially inquired about. That day, he explained my sin, and my need for a Saviour. He did not leave it there, he told me about the one who died, was buried, and rose again to be that Saviour – Jesus Christ. I followed my dad into his home-office, knelt down, and accepted the free gift of Salvation and asked Jesus to be my Saviour. The storm continued outside, but my heart and my eternal destination was settled. 

Three years later, in 2004, the Lord used my dad's role at American Express Inc. to move us to Singapore. There we met Pastor and Mrs. Ray Crocker and attended the Heritage Baptist Church. In 2009, American Express Inc. asked our family to relocate again to Sydney, Australia. Our family prayed about the decision for a month, allowing us to understand that it was God's will for us to move. 

In August of 2009, we landed in Sydney. My mum had been researching some churches, and on our first Sunday in Sydney, we visited Southland Baptist Church, pastored then by Tom Gonderman. There we were greeted by a hospitable church family, several of whom went out of their way to make us feel welcome. One in particular, was the then Youth Pastor, Hernan Hullana, who invested much of his time into me. We had found our new church home. Pastor Gonderman resigned, and Pastor Hernan took his place as the Pastor. 

It was at Southland Baptist that the Lord used the preaching, annual youth camps, and many other events to get my life in order. I understood the importance of putting God first and allowing him to mould me. 

2013-2017

Through friends in Sydney, we were introduced to the ministry of Lancaster Baptist Church and West Coast Baptist College. My dad began to serve as an Advisory Board Member of West Coast. 

In 2013, I began my final year of schooling. The pressure of choosing the degree and the career we wanted to pursue was upon us. It seemed like the 110 others in my graduating class knew what they would like to do. Everyone, but me. When I arrived back home from Youth Camp in 2013, my parents called me into their room and asked what I thought about the idea of attending Bible College for a year. 

While it was taken in somewhat of a joking manner, I responded in a commitment to pray about it. Over the next few months, the Lord had been quietly working in my heart to direct me towards Bible College. He also used some unusual circumstances to confirm it. A journalist came to school to interview the School's four Captains. His question to me was, "What do you plan on pursuing after completing your schooling?"

I said, "I will be going to the States to attend Bible College." That was an answer that shocked me. While I felt led in that direction, I did not realise I had made up my mind–neither did my friends in the room! That afternoon, as I walked into my home, I was handed a package from West Coast BC. Inside the package was a note from Dr. Mark Rasmussen about his prayers for me to attend Bible College for at least a year. I knew that the Lord had confirmed his desire for the next step of my life. 

In January of 2014, I began attending West Coast with plans to do the One Year Bible Program. I had the time of my life! During that year, I was praying much for the Lord to give me further direction. In October, Bryan Samms, a professor at West Coast at the time preached a message from Luke 4 that highlighted the purpose, passion, and place of Jesus' ministry. God used this message, and the invitation following it, to call me to the ministry, specifically to serve him in Sri Lanka. This would mean that I would continue and complete the four-year Bachelors Program at West Coast, majoring in Pastoral Theology. 

During my Senior Year at West Coast, the Lord's will for my life upon graduation was an enormous prayer request. Once again, many of my peers had already been placed and had their next step settled. While I had opportunities, I was not sure which one God would have me accept. 

2017-2018

The Lord allowed me to graduate from West Coast Baptist College in May of 2017. It was an incredible journey, and I cannot fathom what would be if I had not followed God there. Still, however, no word on my next step. In June, I prayed once again that God would show me, and as I opened my Bible and read the first few verses, the Lord confirmed it – the opportunity to head to Sri Lanka and intern under the Missionary there for six months was the one he wanted me to accept! That afternoon, I met Pastor Hernan for lunch and conversed about this next step.

In July, I got on a plane and headed to Sri Lanka. There is so much that God showed me, allowed me to experience, and helped me to learn during the internship. It was genuinely life-changing! I was able to preach about 60 times at the church, lecture approximately 60 hours at the college and institute, and see upwards of 133 professions of faith. The Lord is good, and he proved it during my internship. To read more about what the Lord did during this internship, please click here. 

Sometimes, life can seem like it is all about making decisions. During the six months of the internship, the Lord's will for next stage of my life was, once again, a big item of prayer. It was a time in which I allowed the Lord to mould my desires. It was a a time in which I met with, and received counsel from, several individuals whom I respect–my Mum, my Dad, Pastor Hernan, the Missionary I was interning under, as well as a few other individuals. While I had a couple of opportunities, my desire was to continue ministering in Sri Lanka, a direction in which all my counsel had also affirmed. I was simply waiting to understand what the Lord wanted. After several months of seeking his will, he confirmed it on the 20th of December through the Psalmists words:

"The Lord...Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel."
–Psalm 20:1-4

With this, I knew for sure that the Lord wanted me to accept the opportunities to serve him in Sri Lanka. January 9th was a Tuesday–my last day in Sri Lanka. Somewhat saddened by the thought of leaving a people and a place that I had a privilege to serve, the Lord led me to this verse:

"And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."
–Genesis 28:15

It was a much-needed, well-timed confirmation!

As you can imagine, a ministry on the mission field is unable to support me financially. I headed back to Australia for a few months to share God's call and raise some support before heading back to Sri Lanka in January of 2019.

During my internship and these few months in Sri Lanka, I understood the importance of the prayers of others–they were felt! Please be in prayer for the ministry in Sri Lanka and for me as serve God here! 

If you have any questions, please feel free to connect with me!