Saturday the 12th of April I will be taking part in an ‘Ultra Marathon’ in Pen Llŷn. The intention is to walk, and who knows, maybe run a bit of the 50Km (31 miles) around Pen Llŷn.
Every mile, every step indeed will be taken in order to raise money for the special Appeal of the Presbyterian Church of Wales this year, the ‘Manipur Appeal’.
Since May 2023 there has been a fierce ethnic conflict between the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo tribes in the state of Manipur in North East India. In that period thousands of homes and hundreds of villages and Churches of the Kuki-Zo Christians have been burnt down, and hundreds of them have lost their lives. Thousands and thousands of the tribe are located all over the region and the world, but especially in the neighbouring states in the North East.
As a Church here in Wales, our connection with the tribes of the North East of India goes back almost two centuries, and because of this special relationship we cannot bear to see the Christians of the Kuki-Zo, being persecuted in this way without raising a hand to help them and stand together in prayer and act with them.
On a visit to Aizawl, Mizoram in December last year, I had the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with the community of 40 families from Manipur who had displaced there. This is what Robert said, one of the young Fathers I had the chance to speak to… ‘We long to return home, but at the moment that looks quite unlikely. We are needed so much, but we continue to hold on to hope’.
I intend to walk/run the journey to collect money to see Robert and many thousands of others like him regain their dignity and be allowed to return back to their homes and communities to rebuild in safety. On behalf of Robert and thousands of others of our Brothers and Sisters in Manipur, thank you for your generosity.