The Work Begins

The main work or "big job" to do, which I am unable to do, is to pour cement ceilings on the 2nd floor.  Before, we had put in drop ceilings and had used them that way for years, but we had ongoing problems. Whenever we had a storm roll in, the ceiling tiles would get damaged, and in 2 rooms, even the metal frame was destroyed. Also, there were some rain leaks. Another problem is that it is poorly insulated so during the hot season it is unbearable on the 2nd floor. Noise also easily penetrates those ceilings. It is very difficult to hook a fan to them, because they are not solid. Finally it is dirty and you cannot clean above the tiles. The cement should solve all of these problems.
Before the building work can start, I must remove all of the old framework and ceiling tiles. That is what I will work on this weekend. We may reinstall the drop ceiling after the cement is finished.

A look above the 2nd floor.

 This is the kind of damage we get from storms and just a drop ceiling.

 A "finished" room.

List of Costs for Project

We received an estimate from Toui over the weekend. Rung translated it to English. I will try and give a run-down here.

Cement - 50,000
Wood - 15,000
Steel Rebar - 20,000
Wood Framing - 10,000
Steel Wire - 1,500
Nails - 2,000
Food for family - 20,000
Gas - 3,000
Labor - 50,000
___________________
Total - 171,500 Thai Baht

This is the cost for the cement roofs and doesn't include the bathroom and tile work.
Toui and his family will stay at the building for about 40 days.

Estimating the Building Project

Today, our good friend, Toui, came to see the work and to give us an estimate and timetable. We have known him for many years. He is a local believer. He has many of his own things going on... pineapple farm, rubber tree plantation, rice fields, He also has a family including 3 kids. The kids have a holiday for a month next year Jan./Feb.. This is when he can work for us.

Toui and his family walking with Rung

Bathe in Prayer

My first challenge is to keep praying for this school and I must ask God what to do. I must ask for His strength and provision.

A Fresh Start

Today marks the 1st day of a one year journey in drawing near to God and seeking to be led step by step all along the way. A new missionary school will begin at our base in Oct. or Nov. 2020. The amount of physical work that needs to be done is significant. Without the Lord's empowerment and provision, it will be an impossible task.

This blog will be a kind of online journal about my experience. I will show the challenges and the progress in hopes that those who visit this blog will be encouraged and inspired in their own journey to serve the Lord and to reach the unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Savior.

Here are some pictures of the current state of our building:

Above you can see some of the unfinished parts to the left, as well as a lot of garbage. The landscaping needs some serious work also.

You can see above the bare, earth area in the middle, and the classrooms at the bottom that are already finished.

Our builder, Toui, will be coming this Saturday to give an estimate of how much we need for materials and labor.
The work will include putting a cement ceiling over the right half of the building _the whole second floor). This will keep the rooms cooler, quieter, and cleaner. We have had an ongoing problem with storms damaging the current drop ceilings. Secondly, cementing the place in front. Thirdly, tiling the unfinished rooms and bathrooms. That will be phase #1. This work need to be completed early so the detail work can be done like wiring and paint.
Phase #2 will be to make the large meeting/dining area in the center of the building and a large kitchen. We hope we can finish all before October 2020.

I need to determine what I can do to prepare for this work and put the work in every weekend. We don't yet know how many students will come for the 1st school but I would like to prepare for 15 girls, 15 boys, plus staff and teachers.

 Our friends and team...