Surviving The Attacks In Sri Lanka. Why Me, Lord?

The following testimony recants some of the terrifying events my family and I experienced, on Easter Sunday 21st April 2019, in Colombo,during the Sri Lankan attacks.

It was Saturday 20th April 2019, and my parents, my 3 year old son Nolan and I were booked into the Mount Lavinia hotel, Sri Lanka. But we changed the reservation at the last minute, as we couldn’t get a late check-out on Easter Sunday from the hotel.

Instead, we made a swift decision that day to spend Saturday and Easter Sunday at the Cinnamon Grand hotel, Colombo. There, we were able to have a late check-out on Easter Sunday.

Anyways, Saturday was good, as we enjoyed our connecting rooms on the 8th floor at the Cinnamon Grand. And we had a peacefully Saturday, making memories and planning which church to visit for Easter Sunday mass.

Unusually, I was very restless on Saturday night

I kept having worrying thoughts of what we should do in the event of an emergency. But then I said my night prayers and slept.

I woke up on Easter Sunday around 7.15am and had this heavy feeling. So I woke up my son and told him: “Noli, shall we have breakfast in the room?”.

To which he said: “Yes mum”, and then proceeded to play on the bed next to me. My dad woke up in his room maybe around 8am and came into Nolan’s and my room and said we should get ready for breakfast.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

I told him, “let’s get room service, since we need to get ready and go to church.” And, of all days, he agreed with me. Even my mum, who generally insists on going down for breakfast, automatically agreed to order room service.

Loud unforgettable boom sound

I placed our food order and requested it comes at 9am to the room. I washed Nolan, changed him and left him with my mum while I showered and got ready in the bathroom.

It was towards the tail end of my shower, when I hear a loud unforgettable boom sound. The shower I was in shook violently, along with the walls, and I had to hold onto the walls as they shook.

Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Immediately I knew it was a bomb explosion

Immediately, I knew in my heart it was a bomb explosion. I cleaned myself. In the middle of this, I heard my mum yelling frantically. She was running towards the toilet, screaming that gas cylinders had exploded and there’s a fire. We needed to evacuate.

While she carried Nolan in her arms, I quickly changed into my night dress and put a t-shirt on top. I grabbed the baby’s bag, my phone, and some slippers.

The four of us, with the help of a steward and 3 other staff members managed to make our way out of the room, leaving everything else behind.

We were asked to wait in another room. But dad insisted we leave. So we were brought down in the service elevator minutes after it happened and when we came down, I was informed it was indeed a bomb.

My family and I know and thank God for being the hand protecting us all and I believe we have a purpose for him saving us.

Jeremiah 15:11 The Lord said, “Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose. Surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress…”

Since The Sri Lankan Attacks

Since the attack, my father and I have been very disturbed. We experienced this as a family and survived it as a family.

We were very fortunate and blessed not to lose anyone on that terrible day when we know we could have died had we decided to go to the Taprobane restaurant at Cinnamon Grand hotel for Easter breakfast.

I have been very scared but today I read the messages from the ChristiansTT page and the prayers about fear and praising God. It was God talking directly to me.

I want to tell everyone that our God is amongst us and loves us all and saves us, even in the darkest times.