diff --git a/django/website/transport/data_layer_transport.py b/django/website/transport/data_layer_transport.py
index 9fffe4dd51e471d6a28988a3ab56ef02b9336cc9..645c1e360ed160f878260ef2910de2b377c18e28 100644
--- a/django/website/transport/data_layer_transport.py
+++ b/django/website/transport/data_layer_transport.py
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
-
+from data_layer.handlers import Message
 
 
 def get_messages():
-    return []
+    return Message.list()
 
 
 def store_message(message):
-    pass
+    Message.create(message)
diff --git a/django/website/transport/tests/message_tests.py b/django/website/transport/tests/message_tests.py
index 2736d298089c2c112483fe7b4436ee8a5562ef5c..6ae9fbe3fa259a98c530410ead33f1fe946f275b 100644
--- a/django/website/transport/tests/message_tests.py
+++ b/django/website/transport/tests/message_tests.py
@@ -1,29 +1,32 @@
 from __future__ import unicode_literals, absolute_import
-from datetime import datetime
 
-from django.test.testcases import SimpleTestCase
+from django.test import TestCase
+from django.utils import timezone
 
 from transport import data_layer_transport as dl
 
 
-class TransportLayerMessageTests(SimpleTestCase):
+# TODO use mock here to verify the handler methods are being called instead of
+# verifying the store behaviour
+class TransportLayerMessageTests(TestCase):
 
     def test_get_messages_exists(self):
         messages = dl.get_messages()
-        self.assertEqual(len(messages), 0)
+        self.assertEqual(len(list(messages)), 0)
 
     def test_store_messages_exists(self):
         message = dict()
         dl.store_message(message)
 
     def test_stored_messages_can_be_gotten(self):
-        now = datetime.now()
+        now = timezone.now().replace(
+            microsecond=0  # MySQL discards microseconds
+        )
         message = dict(body="Text", timestamp=now)
 
         dl.store_message(message)
-        messages = dl.get_messages()
+        messagelist = list(dl.get_messages())
+        [outmessage] = messagelist
 
-        self.assertEqual(len(messages), 1)
-        outmessage = messages[1]
         self.assertEqual(outmessage['body'], "Text")
         self.assertEqual(outmessage['timestamp'],  now)