Nov. 27 - Moving On Without the 4th Container

It has come to our attention that none of the 3 empty shipping containers we've paid for is going to be delivered.  It seems they've been sold again and are not coming.  SO, we move on and continue construction without that 4th container for the ground floor.

A wall goes up instead of the 4th container, completing the ground level of the duplex.

Lower level as seen from the bottom of the (temporary) ramp

Container would have been on the left side of this space.  Now it'll be a concrete store room.

Stairway from the lower level - storage containers and laundry (in space between containers), and the upper level - living areas



The construction workers making supports out of rebar



Nov. 19 Duplex Walls - 1 Side

While waiting (in vain) for the 4th container to arrive, it was decided to start building the walls on the one side of the duplex that has a floor poured.

Walls to one side of the duplex going up, even while the base of the 2nd side is not yet in place.

Stairs going from the containers on ground level to the 1st floor veranda of the duplex

Inside the living room, looking through the kitchen/dining room, through the 2nd side of the duplex (which isn't there yet) to the stairs leading to the door in the wall -- through that door is RFIS property.









The 2nd side of the duplex will go in the space to the right of the ramp (taken from the kitchen of the 1st side).

Looking up the ramp at the 1st side of the duplex - 2nd side still lacking 4th container for a base.

One last look before we go through the door (green door to the left) back to RFIS.  It'll be much easier to get to the duplex after these stairs are completed!

Nov. 9 First Floor Duplex Poured

We paid for the concrete and the concrete pump to deliver -- but the pump is not working, so we reverted to the old fashioned way... sort of.  At least the concrete was delivered in a truck, which is still amazing to see in Africa.  And to get the concrete up to the first floor, above the storage containers, a special reamp was constructed.

Cement truck at the base of the ramp

First floor with ramp





bottom left corner - concrete pad to go between the 3rd and (still absent) 4th containers

Base of the walls going in after the floor was poured

At this point we can put up the walls on one side of the duplex, but without the 4th shipping container to put at the base, we won't be able to go much further in a couple weeks.  Pray for that 4th container to arrive soon!

Prayers Needed

Construction on the duplex has been one obstacle after another. 
The work started at the same time as the hostel.  But lately we're blocked by
1. need for the 4th container that will make up the base of the building.
2. even without the 4th container, we can start pouring the floor.  Concrete has been ordered - and there's not much more the masons can do before the floor is poured.

Please pray with us for a container to be delivered soon
And for the concrete to be delivered soon.

Thank you!

October Hostel Tour

October 11-20 we hosted Byron Amundsen from the Covenant office in Chicago.  While he was here to discuss safety and security of our mission staff in Cameroon (having already visited Covenant missionaries in Congo and CAR), we took him on a tour of UBAC and the duplex construction.

Byron and Ron stand at the entrance gate and look over the hostels

From this spot, they can see both the CMF (Baptist) and UBAC Hostels.

UBAC Hostel left, CMF Hostel right as seen from entrance gate.

Inside through the front door, we met Dan & Karen, the hostel parents this year. 

Karen, Ron, Byron and Dan chat in the dining/living room, at the base of the stairs to the students' rooms.

A look around the living room reveals that the UBAC banner has been placed in its new home.  This is the only souvenir of the original UBAC (Ubangui Academy) in Karawa, Congo.

To the right of the couch and chairs we step out to the veranda where breakfast is served and where Aunt Karen's prayer chair resides.

Then we took Byron on a quick tour of the student dorm floors.  In the hallway between bedrooms there is a nice place for linens and laundry baskets - just outside the bathroom door.

Linens and laundrybaskets in the hallway between bedrooms on each floor.

On the bottom floor we find in the recreation room, a ping pong table and lots of laundry being ironed, folded, and placed in the numbered cubbies for hostel residents to pick up after school.

Exiting from this bottom floor, we look through the windows of the Stoker apartment.  And then see the landscaping being done outside their porch.  Can you just imagine the flowers and plants that will one day be growing here?

Stoker's apartment - porch (left), wall to RFIS property (right) landscaping in between

Duplex Construction as of October 20

Still waiting for the 4th container to arrive.  Meanwhile, the workers continue to work at preparation for the floor to be poured on the 1st level, including the veranda in front of the containers.

This week we had a visit from Byron Amundsen from the Covenant mission office in Chicago.  He got the full tour of RFIS, UBAC and the new duplex construction.

Ron and Byron look over the duplex construction

UBAC Duplex Construction Begins in September

(Aug. 2012)  3 of 4 containers making up the base of the duplex

Now that the Hostel is complete, the next part of the project is a duplex for Covenant or Free Church staff of RFIS.  The plans were also made by Mark Post at Post Associates (and member of our home church in Grand Rapids).  Ron made some modifications -- like changing it to metric measurements, and adding a lower level of 4 shipping containers for storage.  There is space between the containers for laundry, workshop, or whatever the duplex residents choose.

So in September, regardless of the fact that we didn't yet have all 4 containers which make up the lower level, construction began.  Here's what it looked like then.

(August 2012) Future site of the staff duplex (as seen from a gate in the wall to RFIS

Retaining wall behind, veranda before, floor above.  At the bottom of the picture there is space for the 4th container.

The workers are preparing the floor to be poured above the top of the containers.  They are also making shelves to go inside the storage containers. 

We are praying that the 4th container will be delivered soon   We have paid for 2 since January 2012.  Lacking those, we paid for a 3rd one which we're also waiting for.  The problem is transport.  Pray that ONE of the 3 paid for will arrive so the floor can be poured.

View of the back of the hostel (as seen from just up from the duplex.