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!

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. 

 

 

 

Adams Hall is Completed!

The dorm is completed! Praise the Lord! Thanks to all of you who contributed to this project through your prayers, financial support, and more prayers. What a blessing is it to see Adams Hall in its new condition! This 60 year old structure has really been given a new life! When I would visit the site, the contractor and the workers would always comment on the difficulty of renovation verses the ease of new construction. They would start to do the plumbing and realize there was little left they could work with. They would start with the windows, and see that bullets from fighting during the war had damaged the window frame bending it so the windows didn't close properly. Unexpected findings made the work 'interesting' and challenging but they met these with expertise. I am also thankful for Mr. Fred Gbatu and his work team who did such a professional job and put up with all my visits, questions, 'suggestions', and input. They were a joy to work with.

And fortunately, it was completed in time for the 178th Liberian Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church which was hosted by the Gompa District on the Ganta United Methodist Mission Station. The dorm was used by the conference officials.


  Finished exterior:
 


 New bathroom in the matron's quarters:



A few finishing touches being put on the interior:



Remember the picture of the second floor bathroom? This is what the floor looks like now! We still have the wall tile to finish but we wanted to get it ready at least for the annual conference. The tile will be added later.



Looking from the living room through to one room and the matron's quarters. The stairs go up to the second floor. The contractor added a skylight that brightens up the stairwell.
 

Safe Water Is Here

Even though we haven't started the renovations on the second dorm, we did get a small grant from the Rotary Club for a well to serve two dorms and a surrounding community. What a joy for them not to worry about getting safe water. Eventually, when the dorm is renovated, there will be inside plumbing for that facility.

Work On Adams Hall Continues...

Continuing the work on Adams Hall. The interior work progresses:

 Tiling the first floor bathroom.

 

Putting up mosquito netting on the windows.

Still a lot of work to do on the second floor bathroom because of the damage to the floor.

 A painter with his son working in one of the upstairs bedrooms. The walls were all the natural wood

which is dark and, over the years, has discolored. A light colored paint will make it brighter and fresher looking.

Renovation on Adams Hall Continues!

The roof has been removed and ready for repairs.

The new roof partially completed.

Even the plumbing will be done including a supersized septic tank!

The workers in process of adding a bathroom to a room that didn’t have one.

The Construction Starts for Adams Hall: Meet the Crew

The construction on Adams Hall is being done by the West Africa Construction and Enterprise Company owned by Mr. Fred Gbatu. He is well know around Ganta and has done other work for the Ganta United Methodist Hospital. His work is meticulous and thoughtful. I thoroughly enjoy working with him and we collaborate on ideas and details.

Mr. Fred Gbatu

Some of the construction crew



Men at Work. What a wonderful mess!