When the plane landed in Johannesburg from Lilongwe in Malawi on 29 January, Vassula commented on how this had been the second arrival to South Africa in a week, as the first had only been an overnight one on arrival from Rome prior to flying out to Malawi.
Although we expected a Maronite priest to meet Vassula at the arrival hall, a dear friend and very committed priest to the TLIG messages, Fr Shaun von Lillenfeld from the church of the Good Shepherd in Soweto was there with an equally committed and loyal group of TLIG/S.A. family. These people had come together to ensure that Vassula was accommodated safely and comfortably during her stay in Johannesburg, even though the Maronite church had originally invited her to visit.
The heat and the buzz of S. Africa was such a comparison to Malawi. Fr Shaun escorted Vassula to the Cedar parks Hotel in Woodmead and later after settling in, Fr Nadim, Parish priest from the local Maronite church, Our Lady of the Cedars, arrived with a basket of fruit overflowing with fresh fruit and of 12 different varieties, a true oriental gesture and a very welcome one at that.
Arrangements were made for the following morning's programme and then Vassula was able to rest for the night, as it had been a busy day of travelling.
The following morning, Vassula had a live radio interview on the national radio 702 channel. This was broadcast through much of South Africa and despite the host of the radio show seeming extremely skeptical at first, there were very early signs from the way that he talked and the questions that he asked that he was convinced as to the authenticity of the messages. This had a strong impact, as it was later reported, on the listeners with many people calling in to find out more details about Vassula and the messages of TLIG. No sooner had Vassula finished this interview than Fr Nadim came to collect her to take her to the very nearby Maronite church where a meeting for church clergy had been scheduled. There were about 30 people gathered for this, the majority of clergy from the Catholic Church, but a few Presbyterian clergy also.
Vassula began by saying that there are many things in Scripture which we do not understand, the messages, she continued are a respelling of His Word. She went on to explain that we are living in a time of great mercy and that this is why Jesus is manifesting Himself so much. When giving a background as to the beginning of the charism, she explained how it was a priest who suggested that she keep notebooks of the messages. Vassula added, "When God speaks, the words pierce the soul". These messages have been sent to a de-Christianised society and the first time that she realised the mission she had been given, that to unite the Church, she could feel the pain inside Jesus and the insult, spittle and the recrucifying that we cause Him because of our division. She emphasised the great need for us to repent. "The Lord asks us to repent. He is asking us also to pray for the unification of the dates of Easter".
Vassula was able to share the experience of the Holy Land last year when more than 65 members of clergy from 12 different church denominations came together to pray with people from TLIG all around the world. She emphasised the need for us to pray much more for unity and that we need to be many and that humility and love are the keys to unity and not eloquence of speech. She spoke briefly on the most recent messages that she has received which are as yet not published. Jesus talks to us, through His Messenger, about the Treasures of His Sacred Heart... the treasures reserved for this time. The treasure of intimacy... to be intimate and friendly with God is to have met Him; the treasure of joy and consolation which is the presence of the Holy Spirit in us and the discovery of God in some; the treasure of the Holy Spirit, the discovery of God's kingdom, the experience of a second Pentecost which she explained in previous talks in Malawi and Swaziland, where we are invited to be an apostle of these end times.
Through True Life in God, God gives us hope through speaking with clarity. He lifts the soul and never crushes. The evil one on the other hand wants to abolish the Divinity of Christ and Vassula illustrated how we are living in the times alluded to in second book of Thessalonians chapter 2, reinforcing this with referring to Daniel 11, Mat 24 and Ezekiel 28. Referring much to Scripture in this talk to the clergy Vassula explained that we need to invoke the Holy Spirit more.
"So many souls are like a desert. With the power of the Holy Spirit, with renewal in the Spirit, we can be transfigured into the New Heavens and the new earth and He will shine like a 1000 constellations and rebuild the city of God... that is the transfiguration of our souls and then we will be doing God's Will as the Holy Spirit will possess us, everything we do will be Divine"
The talk concluded and everyone was invited to ask questions and then invited to have a light lunch together. The clergy were very impressed and there was deep interest expressed by many who intended also to come to one of the three main meetings that she was to give in the subsequent days of her visit to Jo'burg
That evening Vassula met with the Coptic Orthodox Bishop, Antonius Markos at the Coptic Church in parkview in Johannesburg. Bishop Markos expressed a deep desire for church unity, discussed several issues related to church matters with Vassula and explained a little of his homeland Egypt and how Egypt is also seen as a Holy Land in Biblical terms.
The following day, Wednesday 31 January, Vassula had been invited to speak at the Good Shepherd church in Soweto. Fr Shaun welcomed Vassula, Winnie Gracinda, Evelyn Lebono who had travelled all the way from Lesotho, and myself accompanying Vassula. At the annexe church to the Good Shepherd, many of the organising committee came together to give thanks and praise to God. We also witnessed the strong devotion to blessed Isidore, the young African boy from former Zaire, who was martyred because of his faith. Fr Shaun had also arranged that we were taken around the shack area to witness for ourselves the deprivation and poverty many of these people have to live with on a daily basis.
In huts with galvanised roofs, no proper sanitation and very little space in which to accommodate the extended family, so common in African society and culture, it was hard to imagine how these people are able to express the joy and the love that they do. That evening, when Vassula spoke to a crowd of over 1000 people who gave her a real "rainbow welcome" (as Fr Shaun described it) it was so evident that God's Holy Spirit was breathing in them. Everyone present sang "Ke tsh were Rosari" in a way so full of love and fervour for Our Lady and the Rosary, waving their individual rosaries in the air, a thousand at one time and dancing with joy at the words that they had heard spoken to them. People had come from seven different parishes in Soweto. There were also people present from Swaziland and Lesotho. Witnessing this from the platform on which Vassula delivered her talk to them, I personally found it one of the most moving experiences in my life. As Vassula suggested we get up and dance with them, the words of Our Heavenly Father seemed to ring so true at that moment, "You belong to me and you descend from me". There was such a sense of family and unity and love in that Church. This could only be the work of God's Holy Spirit! Vassula talked about most of the issues that she had in Malawi and Swaziland. She spoke briefly about the crime of abortion that our society is committing, and that how this is very wrong in God's eyes. This was reinforced by a story that she was able to share about a woman in Zambia who was going to abort her child due to an obstetric condition which is called Pre-eclampsia and can threaten the mother's life. After this woman had watched a video on TLIG and in which the issue of abortion had been addressed, she felt that she could not go through with this procedure and that she had, through grace, understood that she had to trust in God more to get her through this difficult pregnancy. Entrusting herself entirely to His Will, she delivered safely and she was well. The child's name is Vassula, and she is 4 years old now. Everyone was amazed at this and applauded and praised God in thanks and with delight. She then told everyone how these messages were the most Noble of Themes as Jesus has said this to us. This parish already had a True Life in God prayer group every Tuesday and all the evidence was there to suggest that Fr Shaun knows the messages and tries with his community, to live them.
At ten o'clock, Malcolm and Lesley Fox who had looked after Vassula and Fr Shaun so well prior to the meeting, were able to quickly direct her to the awaiting car and take Vassula back the 45 minute journey to the Cedar park Hotel in Johannesburg to end what had been a truly amazing day and one full of grace.
