AURORA MISSIONARY ACTION – AMA

TCHUMA TCHATO PROJECT
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TFI

NEWSLETTER 02/2014/15 – 20141219_TT2014/15_NL02

Dear friends, supporters and future supporters of this Project. I choose to always speak faith.

First of all I want to thank you all that, in spite of financial problems – hard to escape from, into a more comforting reality, in short, the global crises – can still reach into depleted pockets and give. God bless you all!

As much as possible I too give, of myself and of what I have. I give of myself by coming here and being available; I give of what I have, as they say, with pleasure and with all my heart.

The trip this time was an adventure thanks to God. When trying to get the cheapest air fare, through the internet, I was somewhat enveloped in a sort of con scheme, or as it is commonly known nowadays a publicity stunt, and so I bought a very cheap one with booby traps in it. At the stopover, not only did I have to change airports but also had to check out all the luggage, take it from one airport to the other and do the check in again, with all its inconveniences.

The taxi from one place to the other was also an extra expense, increasing the overall cost for the trip. Well, even so it was still the cheapest. All done crutching along. I leave here the warning; with “tripsta.com” you may find alluring offers but, pay attention to the [little] exclamation marks which point to the said booby traps.

On the intercontinental flight they sat me with a couple from Sweden who was coming to South Africa for some holidays. I spoke with them a lot during the flight and, upon arrival to Johannesburg, they went on to Cape Town and from there they’d make their way up to the Kruger National Park, near where our mission is. We exchanged addresses and email, and I left the invitation to come visit us.

Finally I arrived at the mission, a couple days to adapt and then start working. Two weeks already gone since I arrived, time really flies…

One morning, in the midst of work, I was called to attend to a couple who was at the gate for me. Right then I wondered who that could be, since there were no appointments for that morning. It was the Swedish couple, Max and Cristina! A really unexpected pleasant surprise. With me things like these don’t normally happen this way.

They were already on their way to the Kruger, they needed to pass by a Post Office and wash their rented car which had become somewhat muddy after doing the mountain dirt roads that separate Swaziland from Barberton.

We chatted a bit, had tea and after we went to town for the Post Office and show them where they could wash the car. On the airplane I had told them about the missionary work and the Project in partnership with a local community. Invited them to visit to which they got interested and so, before continuing with the trip, we passed by the under construction church/community centre. They were touched with what they saw, how these things so basic to us westerners can be so valuable here and lift up so much the quality of life.

Max is an airplane engineer and noticed right away that the main supporting beams should be joined with bolts and nuts instead of just nails. He promised to make the bolts, washers and nuts himself and send them to us. There is also the hope that, not only them but also their friends will get motivated to participate so that we can finish this thing.

Meanwhile, the community has gotten together and they were able to at least put up the doors and one of the window frames and glass. They also built the steps to the side door as you can see on the above pictures, the Before and the Now.

The time has arrived once again for the places to shut down and people go on holidays. I trust that coming January, when work resumes, we can find help here too.

We are together.

God bless!

João Rodrigues
Clara Collazo