Bludgeoned by an ax at the hands of her husband, Solomon, Chandrakanthi lay on the floor bleeding. She screamed,
“Help me, please help me!”
It was almost an hour before anyone came to her aid. Blood gushed from the deep cut in her head, covering most of the floor in the bedroom.
This is not a short story or the beginning of a novel. It is a truly horrific, yet very real, event that took place in Puwakpitiya, Avissawela, Sri Lanka.
But above all, it is a story of victory and God’s amazing healing.
Puwakpitiya is situated about 160 kilometers northeast of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. Lying 138 feet above sea level, this is a quiet community.
Compassion’s Child Survival Program (CSP) started here almost a year ago and Chandrakanthi was a regular attendee. She and her youngest daughter, now 1 1/2 years old, have greatly benefited from the CSP program.
Chandrakanthi, her husband Solomon and their four children, lived with his father, Vennan, under the same roof. The house belongs to Vennan.
On that fateful night, Vennan had gone to a family function. In the early hours of the morning, he received the news that Chandrakanthi had been taken to the hospital.
“I rushed home and as I got there I met Solomon. When I asked what had happened, he said she had fallen and hurt herself so she was taken to the hospital.
“I knew that was a lie as soon as he said it.”
Yes, it was a lie. The reason Chandrakanthi had to be admitted to hospital that night was Solomon himself.
During an argument, Solomon had attacked her in a drunken rage and repeatedly hit her with an ax, crushing one side of her head.
The Child Survival Program manager shared,
“Chandrakanthi was found with blood all around her. It was when the house was being cleaned that it was realized how much she had bled.
“Under the bed was a large pool of blood. The floors had been almost completely covered with blood.”
At the hospital, Chandrakanthi lay almost lifeless in a coma that lasted more than three months. Doctors in Colombo gave up on her and sent her back to Puwakpitiya.
In Puwakpitiya she was placed in the intensive care unit. She couldn’t move. Lying flat with a sheet up to her shoulders, she looked like a lifeless body. As Chandrakanthi slowly recovered, she was able to hear and see but unable to speak or move her limbs. She would just shed tears.
When her children came to visit her, she would cry silent tears. When Vennan visited, all he could do was cry as he held her hand.
Chandrakanthi’s eldest son had witnessed his mother’s vicious attack. Each time the child visited her, he just held his mother’s hand. Now nearly a teenager, he still doesn’t speak about that day.
Through the Child Survival Program, extra nutrition packs were provided to Vennan as he cared for the children on his own. Mothers from the CSP joined hands in prayer.
Compassion’s ministry stepped in to provide additional medical help and pay the medical bills. For a humble family living in a small hut, the cost of Chandrakanthi’s extensive medical care was far too much to bear on their own.
As Chandrakanthi lay in her hospital bed, many people were on their knees in prayer for her. Prayer chains were created not just in Sri Lanka, but throughout the Compassion ministry family. Many people in many countries prayed for her.
Churches and youth fellowships in Sri Lanka cried for Chandrakanthi and God heard each prayer. He saw each tear. Chandrakanthi began to improve. Limbs started to move. Words started to form. The healing had begun.
It has been eight months since the attack. Today, Chandrakanthi sits outside her grandmother’s house smiling, laughing and calling out to us as we come to visit her. Tears fill our eyes and our hearts are warmed as we see before us God’s amazing work. Chandrakanthi, healed!
Chandrakanthi recently went for a routine checkup in Colombo. Her sister reported,
“When the doctors saw her, jaws dropped. They couldn’t believe it was her. They couldn’t talk for some time after seeing her. They were stunned.”
Chandrakanthi’s family is Buddhist. But as we met them this day, her father and her sister had this to say:
“We didn’t think she would be healed like this or even live. We cannot believe it. It is unimaginable. We know so many people have prayed for her. Maybe that is what healed her.”
Her children visit her almost every day. But her youngest child doesn’t recognize her and breaks out in tears each time her mother calls out to her.
Chandrakanthi’s speech is still developing, but it is not hard to understand her. Her mind is alert to sounds and words that are spoken to her. She communicates with those around her. Her left hand and leg are still a little numb and she hasn’t regained full control of them.
The Child Survival Program is working to obtain a walker for Chandrakanthi to enable her to get around the house more easily.
A family member tells us,
“Before, she couldn’t even walk. But today, look at her. You know, she came and sat outside on her own after grandma gave her a bath. She held the wall for support but she came here alone.”
Her father-in-law, Vennan, still continues to care for the children in any way he can and our ministry supports his sacrificial commitment.
“I will do all I can for these children as long as I have to look after them. It was God who made Chandrakanthi well.
“Nothing is impossible for Him. God knows that I cannot continue doing this. He will heal her completely. Only He can do it. He can do what men fail at. Nothing is impossible for Him.”
Chandrakanthi is truly a living testament to God’s amazing power and an answer to prayer. Her road to recovery has not ended, but she and her family have the faith that she will be fully healed. Her own father and sister, though they do not believe in God, know and have seen His power working in their family.
Chandrakanthi’s mother, who works in Dubai, has made it back to Sri Lanka for a short stay to see her daughter.She has also recently accepted Jesus as her Savior.
“Thank you, and thank you to the church for saving my daughter. If not for you, if not for this program, if not for this church, my daughter would be dead.”
Chandrakanthi’s sister is Buddhist. During one of her visits, she stated,
“No other organization or even a religious institution would have been able to help my sister. Your God must be special.”