March 2003 NEWSLETTER

NEW CONFERENCE CENTER CONSTRUCTION

In October 2002 Harry Rittenhouse brought a group from Ohio to begin construction of our New

Conference Center next to our Volunteer's Building. They were able to pour the footer and lay 3 layers of  blocks on top of the footer with the help of some Haitian block masons we hired.  Since then we were able to fill in the open spaces inside the footer walls with rock and sand making it ready to begin pouring the concrete floor in February.

During the first part of February we hired a Haitian man to bring us 3800 eight inch and 800 four inch cement blocks.  All of these blocks are here and stacked high and ready to be installed.  The man in the picture is our foreman, Pierre, to give you a perspective of just how many blocks we have on hand. 

Harry returned the February 16th with Maurice Smith to begin work again.  On the 19th we hired a company to deliver redi-mix concrete to pour the floor.  We also rented their cement pump which reached out and over the top of our trees to pour the cement in exactly the places we wanted it as the redi-mix trucks brought the concrete to us.
 
The floor was finished being poured in less that 4 hours with both Maurice and Harry taking turns operating the hose coming from the pump's boom.  We used over 43 cubic yards of cncrete.  It was a very impressive site as none of us here has ever seen a machine like that work before. 

We borrowed a troweling machine from David Heady, a missionary friend from up the road, and Maurice began to smooth out the floor before the pour was even finished.  Everyone is very impressed with the Good Job being done and in such a short period of time.
 
We started laying blocks in February using the same block Masons we used before under the careful direction of Maurice and Harry.We have approximately 5 courses of blocks laid with a good outline of just what all of the rooms will look like but have had to discontinue work for the time being as our American friends had to return to the  USA.

We are doing all of this by faith.  Would you like to help us with the cost of this construction???  If so, please send your designated gift to the address listed above.

In His Love,

George and Christine Braidwood