If you would like to follow the news from the East Timor Mission, you can do so at the web site: fromtimor.com
Our newly-formed East Timor Mission have obtained a parcel of land and are working to establish a headquarters and educational centre.
We have acquired a small truck and a machine for making concrete blocks, which will ensure the livelihood of eight Timorese people. We will use the blocks in the construction of our future facilities and also to sell, in order to raise some more money for the development of each stage of the project.
Many of the stages of this project were authentic challenges that caused us to have an even more persistent attitude, in an attempt to find a solution—because the greater the challenge, the more tenacious we become in facing it!
We put a lot of work, with trial and error, into the making of moulds for the concrete blocks and reinforced concrete fence columns.
One of our projects is to install a local radio tower and station, as this is a great tool, both for the spreading of the Gospel, as well as for raising awareness and providing information in the field of health, hygiene, food and education. We already have the equipment that was purchased from donations given by some brethren in Victoria, Australia, for which we take the opportunity to convey our thanks – “thank you!”
We would like to develop an organic beekeeping and agriculture project, to teach young Timorese how to work with bees in hives, because there is no such method here.
We intend to make them aware of the great need for the preservation of the bees, as they are the most important pollinators that ensure the balance of our planet’s ecosystem, as well as well as provide a food which is an important source of essential nutrients for the much-needed maintenance of health.
We also plan to work the land with the use of organic fertilisers and pesticides that will ensure that we obtain nutritious and healthy products. In the same context, we will encourage the majority of young people to acquire a taste for cultivating the land, as unfortunately the vast majority of them have the mentality that this type of work is humiliating.
In the area of construction, we intend to train young people to acquire theoretical/practical knowledge about the structure and foundation of a house, through the installations of sanitation and electrical, and ending with the thermal construction of the roof.
In a second stage, we want to expand our vocational training so that children can learn various practical activities that will help them to develop their talents and choose their professional career.
We understand that this is one of the most important and effective ways to shape their character.
In a third stage, God willing, we would like to build an orphanage, as there are a number of abandoned children who need our love and an opportunity to know family affection and have access to the same training opportunities as children who had the privilege of being born and accepted by their family.
At this stage, we also want to set up a small clinic for natural treatments that will meet the needs of the majority of Timorese, especially in the treatment of diseases considered problematic in Timor, such as tuberculosis, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, communicable diseases, parasitic diseases, and malnutrition.
According to a survey carried out by UNICEF, in 2007, more than one in ten Timorese children suffer from malnutrition, of which one in two suffers from chronic malnutrition. Given this reality, we have prepared a systematic nutrition plan that will help many poor families to understand how to make their diet as balanced as possible, according to their material possibilities.
Your Help Needed
Please give generously to assist with the East Timor Mission.
To support this appeal, please donate through your local SDARM congregation or deposit directly:
BSB: 032-274
Account: 498391
Name: Trustee for SDARM AUC Trust
Reference: East Timor Mission
~ The East Timor Mission
