Friday, July 13, 2012

July Updates and Pictures of Dorm Construction


Putting on the roof of the 3rd dorm. This is the last dorm to be renovated. Praise the Lord! It has been a race to complete it before the heaviest rains of the rainy season. We have been blessed with rains either on the weekend or only at night so the work could continue during the day. One afternoon, however, the workers did continue putting on sheets of zinc and nailing dispite some light showers. They wanted to finish it also! Now it has been completed so let it pour! The inside work can continue without worry of getting wet.



 

The last of the sheets of zinc being nailed on.
 












The work on Dorm 3 roof from a distance. There is still a lot of work to do, but we'll get there!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

More updates!

This is a picture of the inside quadrangle of the ‘Hostel’. An earlier picture shows the roof coming off this area. Now it is complete. 
This shows the outside roof that has been renovated. All new zinc sheets have been placed on new roof supports. Also visible are two of the three septic tanks have been hand dug.
Removing old floor rubber tile. This was quite a lesson in ingenuity! The person removing the tile places an old piece of roofing zinc on the floor and builds a fire on it. The heat loosens the glue so they can remove it easier. I have to say that when I walked into the building the first time and saw that, I was a bit mystified why all the small fires were burning on the floor!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Dorm Construction Update

 
After a long hiatus, the dormitory renovation has begun again! Praise the Lord! Thanks to all who have made contributions through donation and prayers to this project! Without your generosity, this work could not be done.
 
The second dorm, called the girl's 'Hostel', is actually where the male students have been living for the past 4 years but before the war, it was the female residence. When I first arrived in Ganta in 2007, no students lived in the 'Hostel'. Then, the second year I was here, 8 students came and said they had found 2 rooms where the ceiling didn't leak and wanted permission to live there. They wanted to be close to the classrooms, library, and the hospital where they do their practice clinical for experience. I thought they were crazy! But they were determined and they were the beginning of others who braved the conditions! We were able to get some minor improvements while waiting for the day we could renovate the whole building - things such as basic electricity, and some more dry rooms. 
 
Now, we are looking to a full face lift from top to bottom. The construction company started today taking the roof off. You see the first steps being made in the morning and then how much they accomplished by the end of the day. It is quite a lot of work done! The roof being removed is mostly the original asbestos tile! Repairs were done with zinc sheets. We pray for the workers' safety as they work in precarious positions and with dangerous materials. 
 
 
 

Monday, June 20, 2011

Easter!

 

Easter at Miller McAllister United Methodist Church included an Easter Egg Hunt in from of the church!

Dusty Road


Along the road to Monrovia in the dry season. At least I’m inside the vehicle and not in the back of the pick-up like the passengers in the truck ahead of us!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Calabash Tree and Fruit

Calabash tree with its ‘fruit’ that is dried, opened, and used as bowls.


Scorpions!

Scorpions are one of God’s creatures common along the path to my house. (One does wonder about God’s creatures, sometimes.)