Australia, 9th - 16th March 1998

Vassula had visited Australia once before to introduce the TLIG messages there. This does not mean, however, that exactly the same thing is going to happen again. Quite on the contrary. Vassula's second visit to Australia is so rich in events and in acquaintainceship that this report relates mainly new facts relevant to the TLIG messages and to their diffusion.

Upon their arrival in the Sydney in the afternoon on 9th March, Vassula and her travel companion were received in the airport by two outstanding Sydney corespondents, an Armenian young couple, Avo and Suzy Vardanian. Now they are living in Australia, serving the Armenian Apostolic Church as much as they serve the cause of the TLIG messages. It was also they who accompanied Vassula throughout her second visit in Australia. Moreover, it was through them that Vassula could deliver Jesus' messages to a large number of Armenian Christians in her Sydney meeting, after a personal and fruitful conversation between her and an Armenian Primate in Australia, Archbishop Aghan Baliozian.

Sydney, 10th March 1998

Recovered from her jetlag, Vassula had two important appointments on the day after her arrival : in the morning, an interview with ABC, a Radio programme in Australia ; in the evening, an appointment with an Armenian Primate.

The interview with ABC took place in Vassula's room in a hotel. She was interviewed by a lady called Rigel, and the interview would be broadcast only several days later, probably after Vassula had come back to Switzerland.

In regard to the appointment with an Armenian Primate whom Avo and Suzy know very well, through their mediation, both Vassula and the Armenian Archbishop had heard of each other. Consequently, though it was the first time they met personally, Vassula could easily take up a most important message which is directed particularly to Church leaders and develop it freely: unity between Catholic and Orthodox Church which implies the unity among the Orthodox Church leaders all over the world, what unity Jesus expects, namely a unity based on humility and love in the heart, how to materialise this unity, i.e. by the unifying the date of Easter. Being so sincere and so open, Archbishop Baliozian acknowledged what Vassula said about Jesus' suffering and desires in matter of ecumenism. Both of them had similar experience by which they knew well enough that much is still lacking in order to make unity between the Catholic and the Orthodox just a bit easier... Had this first appointment of Vassula with an Armenian Archbishop not been inspired and blessed by the Lord, it would not have finished at almost 10 p.m. and ended up with very touching gestures loaded with symbolism : both Vassula and her travel companion were offered a typical yet different Armenian crucifix by Archbishop Baliozian. In addition to that, very fatherly yet respectfully, Archbishop Baliozian shook hands with his two visitors who came from far away, one Catholic and one Greek Orthodox. As to Vassula, before leaving the host's house, she gave very naturally a tender kiss to Mrs. Baliozian, the mother of the Archbishop who accompanied her son right from the beginning till the end of the conversation, although Mrs. Baliozian speaks no other languages except Armenian, Arabic and French. It is certainly unrealistic to expect the Armenian Primate to read and to promote the TLIG messages like Avo and Suzy have been doing so far within Armenian circle. Nevertheless, it is not unlikely that he will promote unity first among the colleagues of his own Church , according to the way taught by Jesus. Since the unity that Jesus wants and loves to see realised is above all a unity of heart which will not come from man, nor through man's endless discussions, but only from the Holy Spirit, through the fervent prayers of His disciples.

Sydney, 11th March 1998

Taking into account the fact that Vassula is Greek by birth and that the biggest overseas Greek community is in Melbourne, Teresa D'Lima, another active TLIG helper in Sydney, had had talked about Vassula to an acquaintance of her professional circle, Mr. George Hagisvassilis a senior journalist of a local Greek-Australian bilingual newspaper « O KOSMOS »(in English, « The World »), a newspaper which is printed twice a week, with some 30,000 readers. Actually Mr. Hagisvassilis had already wrote and published an article on Vassula in his newspaper, informing the readers about when and what Vassula had to say. Being Greek himself and interested in the TLIG messages, Mr. Hagisvassilis would like to meet Vassula personally. She was brought to Mr. Hagisvassilis' office in the morning on the same day of her conference. He received Vassula in his office at 10 a.m.. Since they talked to each other, privately, so that nothing could be reported directly here. What is worth being underlined is the fact that the same newspaper provides its news items to an other even bigger Greek newspaper in Melbourne called « O NEOKOSMOS » (in English « The New World »). In other terms, whatever is published in Mr. Hagisvassilis' newspaper will also be read by the Greek people surely in Melbourne, but also all over Australia or in other countries in the South Pacific. And among the subscribers, there are also Greek priests and Patriarchs..., so that the urgency of unity and ecumenism according to the TLIG messages will become known to them, too. May the Lord be thanked for this unexpected means which allowed the TLIG messages to be diffused on a much larger scale.

In the evening of the same day, a concert hall with a capacity of 800 people was made available for Vassula's conference which started at 8 p.m. The hall was almost full. Upon seeing this, Vassula asked the audience how many of them came to listen to her messages for the first time : nearly half of the visitors. According to Avo and Suzy, many of the news visitors are Armenian Australians. As usual, Vassula gave a presentation of various subjects like praying without ceasing, intimacy with God, the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Spirit, Mary Mother of God, but stressing particularly on unity, on ecumenism. As usual, she found an attentive audience. After she had finished, several Armenian Christians who, needless to say, belong to the Armenian Orthodox Church, wanted to talk to her because they were very eager to know more about Vassula's mission, where the TLIG messages could be found...

Sydney, 12th March 1998

One more time, thanks to Teresa D'Lima's who knows some important people working in the mass-media, Vassula could appear in « The Midday Show », a very popular TV programme of Channel 9, one of the leading Australian TV companies. The Midday Show invites all types of people including visionaries. Since « the Midday Show » is broadcast live, no special rehearsal was required from Vassula. She was just to be interviewed by the show-hostess, Kerri-Ann. Vassula was told simply to be ready for some standard questions which she would have to answer within 5 minutes, before the camera. That was not much to report on the questions asked by the show-hostess, by rather on the fact that Vassula could handle the questions in such a way that her answers fitted perfectly into a show of entertainment : clearly, to-the-point, and, above all, naturally. At the end of the 5-minute interview, Vassula was asked to give a blessing to all the Australian sick people through the camera. Very confidently, she said a prayer of blessing and made a sign of cross with her crucifix before the camera, believing that Jesus might work marvels through this precious moment where thousands and thousands of people could have been watching her, in Australia, in Papua New Guinea and in New Zealand. And since Vassula's interview on the TV, Avo and Suzy's mobile phone did not stop ringing. People were just impatient to know what is all about with the TLIG messages.

Before leaving Sydney, Vassula was invited by Avo to his house more than once. Of course, a couple of Avo's close friends came to meet and hear Vassula. One of them should be absolutely mentioned here. Here name is Catherine. Seeing her for the first time, one could hardly tell that she used to be a prostitute and drug-addict before she got converted by the TLIG messages five years ago, since she looks so fresh, so cheerful. Now, she speaks nothing but about God's love and works only for Jesus in the red-light district where she used to make her living, bringing to her colleagues the TLIG message books, as well as brochures to passers-by on the streets, to invite them to come to Vassula's only single one conference in Sydney... One of her ardent wish is to write a book about her conversion, hoping that it may encourage many, many Australian young people who, like her, could finally lead a new true life in God. May Jesus bless Catherine and hear her prayer!

Melbourne, 13th - 14th March 1998

Hardly had Vassula discovered what surprises God had prepared for her in Sydney, it was already time to set off for Melbourne. Vassula accompanied by her three companions took the plane early in the afternoon and flew to Melbourne where Vassula was to speak on the same day, in the evening. Vassula's stay in Melbourne was the shortest of all, yet not less fruitful : arrival in the afternoon, meeting in the evening and departure at noon on the following day.

Three ladies, among them Catherine, the youngest one who, like Vassula, was also born Greek and remain Greek Orthodox, came to the airport to meet their four guests from Sydney. Indeed, time was too short to know more about the volunteers sent by the Lord to help His messenger. And one can always take for granted that people who welcome Vassula and pick her up in the airport are fervent promoters of the TILG messages, regardless of their origin or age.

The Melbourne meeting was hold in a school hall of a Xavier College, a big school run by the Jesuit Fathers. Fr. Frank Maher, a Jesuit priest in his 70's, was the key person of that evening because without him and his supporting Vassula opening in his publications, the Melbourne meeting would not have been possible. He first celebrated a mass at 6.30 p.m., then opened the meeting with an introductory speech in which he referred himself to the position of other theologians (Fr. M. O'Carroll, Fr. R. Laurentin) and church leaders (Mons. Franic, Card. Ratzinger) in respect to Vassula's case. Some 500 people attended the meeting, of all age and, needless to say, of different nationalities : many Greeks and Poles, a good number of Italians, Indians.... And, of course, many English-speaking Australians, too. In order to help her listeners, especially the new ones, to find the right key to understand the TLIG messages books, at the end of her speech, Vassula showed them a few books which they should start with : « Daniel, My Angel », « Gifts of the Holy Spirit », the 1st volume of TLIG messages, plus « The Two Witnesses ». This is something new and helpful which Vassula decided to integrate in her conference. On the next day, she was told in the airport that many people wanted to have a copy of those books that she had recommended in her meeting.

Hobart/Tasmania Island, 14th - 15th March 1998

Hobart, the capital of the island state of Tasmania, was the last and the farthest place in the South where Vassula was invited. Vassula and her three companions arrived at the airport shortly before 1 p.m. Again, they were welcomed and picked up by Derek and Bridget Stone, who are the TLIG correspondents there. Immediately, all of them were brought into a hotel so that they could rest a bit before the meeting started in the evening, in a university hall.

Unlike other two big cities, Sydney and Melbourne, Hobart looks culturally speaking very British. Christians of different denominations can be found their : Catholics, Anglicans, Protestants..., and even Greek Orthodox. Before her conference, Vassula was invited by her local organisers to have a cup of tea, to see what had been done for the conference, what still needed to be done so that the TLIG messages could be spread more expediently. It was very important and helpful to have Avo and Suzy's presence all the time because they can always provide information regarding the TLIG message books.

The meeting was scheduled at 7.30 p.m. Two persons introduced Vassula, Avo and a Salesian (Don Bosco) priest who is a Maltese, Fr. Bob. Being aware that many Protestants were listening to her, Vassula gave more space to subjects like «Intimacy with God », « Mary, Mother of God », « The Rosary and its importance », «Ecumenism and Unity of Christians Churches », « The Holy Spirit », without omitting, needless to say, the story of her own conversion, « unceasing prayer », and what « The end of times » actually means. She concluded her Australian mission by giving in Jesus' name a blessing on the some 200 visitors who came to listen her, most of them for the first time.

The next day was Sunday. It was time again for Vassula to leave, to come back home. In the morning, all TLIG friends, Catholics, Greek and Armenian Orthodox went to attend the Holy Mass in the St. Mary's Cathedral. Though the young parish priest of the St. Mary's Cathedral, Fr. Brian Nichols, could not come to Vassula's meeting, he was very open to the TLIG messages. Upon seeing her, Fr. Brian welcomed her very cordially. After mass, all TLIG helpers were invited by to lunch by a Polish lady, Anna, at her home : time for sharing working and spiritual experience, but also time for Vassula to answer practical questions and to thank everyone, as well as to be thanked by everybody. Cheerful and confident, they parted from each other immediately after lunch. Vassula returned home on the 17th March.