(Faith Wire)
With the nation of Sri Lanka still reeling from the devastating bombings that ripped through a trio of churches over Easter weekend, some staggering stories of heroism are beginning to emerge.
One such incident occurred moments before a huge blast at Zion church in Batticaloa, when a brave and quick-thinking church member saved innumerable lives — his name was Ramesh Raju.
What happened?
On the fateful day of the bombings, Ramesh’s wife Chrishanthini was teaching Sunday school class, which was held just before the main Easter service.
Once the class had finished up, and in anticipation of the church-wide celebration, the children headed outside to the courtyard for snacks.
It was at this point Ramesh, a 40-year-old building contractor, spotted a man he didn’t recognize. Though puzzled by the stranger’s presence, there was something else that immediately set off alarm bells in Ramesh’s mind — the man’s burgeoning backpack, which appeared to be weighing him down as he sauntered through the courtyard towards the church doors.
Without delay, Raju rushed towards the man, demanding to know what he was doing there and why he was carrying such a large bag. Flustered, the man told him the backpack contained a video camera and that he had come to film worshippers inside. Read more