Dorm update

Some of you may recall that we announced last November that we were starting work on some new dorms. After that announcement, we continued excavating for a while, and then we met with some unexpected delays. However, we can see God’s hand at work, and we pray that we will remember the lessons He is teaching us along the way.

In the course of the delay, we ended up with completely different plans for our dormitories–plans that we believe will be more suited for this area and are simpler and less expensive to build. (You can view sketches of our new dorm plans here: Dormitory Proposal). Praise the Lord, it appears that we can build these dorms, which will house at least 224 students, within the US$80,000 amount offered by a donor. We welcome any donations toward the cost of bunk beds, which were not included in the building proposal.

We are thankful that during this time of delay the Lord led us to a local (Karen) Adventist builder who has been doing well in building better homes for teachers and volunteers. He is also teaching our “Building” vocational class, and the students are getting hands-on experience as they help the builder with some of the projects. What a blessing!

What’s next for the dorms? The girls’ site needs a bit more excavating, which may have to wait ’til the end of the rainy season, so we’re clearing the weeds and doing some minor leveling where the boys’ dorm will go. We’ve already ordered the lumber and some of the other major building materials, so it won’t be long before we’ll start seeing the buildings go up. Teachers and students–we’re all excited!