Looking Ahead

Fall is approaching, and as I watch the days grow cooler here in Canada, I'm reminded that they'll soon be heating up again in Mozambique as their winter comes to an end.

At Mercy Tech Mission, we've decided as a board that my next trip to Africa in 2014 will be during the month of February and the first two weeks of March - six weeks in total. Past experience tells me that it could somewhat rainy, as well as hot and humid during that time. Thankfully, I'll have our new maintenance shop to work and teach in.

One of my priorities will be to design and build the large doors for the repair bays so that we can finally bring the shop to a lock-up stage. It's hard to believe how far this project has come in just over 2 years.

Front view of the new ASAM Maintenance shop

But the primary purpose of my trip will be to continue teaching. Now that the shop has the roof on and the lighting installed, we'll be able to do some serious vehicle maintenance and repair. We'll get into projects that couldn't be done before because of a lack of space to work in.

Another focus for Mercy Tech in 2014 will be to assist at Tariro. This vocational training center is situated near Gondola and is run by Aaron and Sarah Beecher, a British missionary couple who have been working in Mozambique for many years. If all goes according to plan, I will spend some of my time at their school, looking for ways that MTM can add value to their existing mechanic's training course.

Aaron Beecher (Tariro) and Rick Cogbill (Mercy Tech Mission)

Tariro Mechanics Shop

So the planning and fund-raising begins again, and I'm reminded that even though I'm returning to a place that has become almost like a second home, that each trip is different and will provide its own challenges and rewards.

So onward we go. It's time to put some more miles on the duffle bag and a little more dust on the work boots. Time to do what we do, in the name of the One who calls us to do it.

Mozambique 2014, here we come.