Gearing Up for 2012

It's kinda nice to be thinking about the warm weather in Africa when you're in the middle of a Canadian winter - but of course, that's not the main reason for the trip!

Plans for 2012 will be a little different than in 2011. For starters, I will be travelling to Mozambique at the beginning of April for a two-month stay instead of just one month. My first task will be to continue the Automotive Training Program that was started in August of last year.

Rick teaching future mechanics in Mozambique (Photo by Todd Green)

So far, we have one volunteer joining us this year, John Topham of Summerland, BC. John is an expert wood worker, and has arranged for the funding and shipping of a high-quality wood lathe to the ASAM mission base in Mozambique. Hopefully it will arrive in Africa by mid-April at the latest.


Rick Cogbill and John Topham discussing how to turn a bowl on a wood lathe (photo by Lynn Lagore)

John will be joining me in Mozambique for the month of May, where he will teach wood-working skills to some of the men at the ASAM mission base.

The other reason for returning to Mozambique is to continue the work on the Maintenance Facility. This 6-bay shop will be the focus point for our continuing automotive training, as well as providing a location for servicing all the mission vehicles and equipment.


Repair pit for future Maintenance Shop (Photo by Dwight Lagore)

At this point, we have poured the foundations and built the repair pit. The next stage is to pour the floors and then begin putting up the concrete block walls. As you can imagine, this is a large project, and we would really value your donations so that the vocational training for Mozambican young people can continue.

If you can help us with this project, please follow this link to our project page. Together, you can help Mercy Tech Mission fight poverty and change lives, one skill at a time...in Jesus' name.