The Encouragement Foundation

Archive for the ‘Finding Opportunity’ Category

Kookaburra – Next hostel building well under way.

The weather report on the TV news every night also shows the monsoon over Timor. You can guess correctly from the extreme weather we have been having that the building of our Kookaburra is a little behind time. It was lucky we completed the foundations in November before the start of the wet season. We still hope to be ready for the first of our Australian school tours at the end of May.

Destination Dreaming       www.destinationdreaming.com.au

Please check out destination dreaming who do these fantastic life-changing tours for senior high school students.  This year we have students from Hobart’s Sacred Heart College as well as from the Scotch Oakburn College in Launceston, who toured so successfully last year. Another UNYA , United Nations Young Ambassadors group will visit again this year as well.

These tours provide a wonderful interchange between our EH students and the worldly Aussies. It is remarkable to read the emails from the tourists and the feelings and joy they express. They do then become ‘’worldly’’.

The Skyjuice Foundation and the Skyhydrant     www.skyjuice.com.au

The amazing team at the Skyjuice Foundation, besides having a successful commercial operation consulting, manufacturing and installing water treatment plants for businesses; mining operations and agriculture also have a very big heart. They happily share their water purification experience and equipment with the developing world.

Probably our greatest concern at EH as we grow bigger is the quality of the water supply. Happily, the Skyjuice Foundation has given us a Skyhydrant and once installed, our worries are over. Please read the web site of this fantastic group of people to get an understanding of the wonders and expense of this gift.

Besides purifying water to safe drinking quality at a remarkable rate, there is no maintenance or working parts to replace regularly.  The filter membrane only requires replacing every 7 to 10 years.  What a gift!!

Susanna Returns Home

Susanna Pearson is a lovely lady from Mission Beach with years of teaching experience. She just wants to help our EH children.

Susanna has been living at EH and working with our students, the high school and the Crystal University at Maliana for the last month. Susanna has also been sorting out books for our new EH library. Here is a part of the letter she sent us.

“Dear Robert an update for you. Deo, a veritable one man football team. He knows how to kick goals, kick behinds and get the job done. He is the coach, captain, mentor, trainer, cheers squad leader, ticket seller, and Number One flag waver. But there is a behind the scene, there is you and your merry band of Encourag-ees, spurring on the work across the water.

So, big thanks to you Robert and Co for making it’s possible for Deo to realize a very special dream that unfolds daily. Also, thanks to dear Gaby Shadforth from Tully, Mission Beach, whose infection was contagious and like a well oiled Encourag-ee gave me your details to learn more and become hooked. The timing is right. East Timor is cusping in all ways. Transition from Occupation to Independence is strutting its stuff and the Momentous March has begun.

There are some, most of us really whose hearts are in the place that the East Timorese seem to fill to abundance, overflowing with their unfailing optimism and smiles. There is much to be optimistic about and I plan to stick around and stay in touch. It’s all about the children”.

Susanna plans to go back to Maliana again in October this year to continue her wonderful work.

Planning the next trip to Encouragement House

August is always a good time because the weather is fine and tropical but not as hot as it gets. If you were planning a trip with us we would be delighted to have your company. If August doesn’t suit your plans we can still help with your trip.

Thank you again for your wonderful support.

Sincerely,

Robert and Jody

Robliz1@bigpond.com

Ph: 07 5493 6943 Mb: 0408 708 161

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.

~ Alexander Graham Bell

When Thomas Edison was creating the light bulb he actually found over 1800 ways to not build one. Perhaps the question is, are we seeking out opportunities from our mistakes or from things that go awry?

At one of the times in my life when I was feeling defeated washed up and as if I was the only idiot that had ever suffered a set back or in fact failed in life….my very encouraging and very successful brother came to my rescue. He was kind enough to listen to my woes…but only for a short time. He quickly shared with me that he often failed at things and felt demotivated, destroyed and hopeless… but only until he changed his attitude.

He now considers failures as nothing but learning experiences. He learns from them and quickly moves on. “I just fail my way to success” he says. I figured that if this attitude can help you build a successful Earth Moving company that employs 200 people then it is something I could learn from.

Perhaps you will be able to offer incredibly valuable encouragement to someone you know by sharing this story and photo of the new door opening and letting light in to the darkness. With 67 years of life experience I have seen new doors open and new light come into life enough times to know, it will happen for your friend if they can see that there are no failures…only learning experiences.