Fiji Church Building (1)
Joyce and I have been in Fiji since last Saturday. Since we crossed the dateline we are in our 4th day, 3rd day of our church building project. Our trip over was uneventful, the kind we really like. Neither of us slept well on the plane. I developed a cough that has been a consistent bother since, though it seems to be getting better.
I’ve been posting information and picture on Facebook every day. The construction of the church building is going very well. Weather, which was threatening rain, has held beautifully. The building is totally framed, roof on, siding should be complete this evening and flooring complete tomorrow.
The timber for our floor joists, walls and floors was supposed to be delivered around noon yesterday from Labasa, a town about a 3 hour drive on the other side of the island. The driver decided to take an extra job. As a result the timber didn’t get to Aisake’s house until about 7 p.m. Because we were concerned it might rain today (It did not) we had to drive the load up to the job site. If it rained, everything would have to be carried by hand. Not a pleasant thought. The men who had worked all day waited at the site to help offload the materials. Job accomplished about 10 p.m.
The 12 men who have been working were joined today by a contractor who oversees contracts for the church around the islands. He spent the day making sure everything was square and solid, especially the floor joists. If those are out of alignment the results are not pretty. Fortunately he is very familiar with working with folks who are not trained carpenters, but are hard workers.
The walls were going up at a good rate when I left the jobsite and the joists were being installed. I expect that when I return to the site on Thursday, everything will be pretty much done and they will be ready to install the louvers and window panes. We’ve decided to add those instead of leaving the upper part of the walls open to the elements. Will make worship much better, especially when it is very windy or pouring rain.
Early tomorrow morning Joyce and I will drive over to Labasa to visit the farm that is the center of our beekeeping projects. A two-day class is in progress now. I’m looking forward to watching Joyce appreciate the drive over the spine of the island. Fantastic view of rain forests and ocean. Should be another sunny day like today.
The consecration of the land and building has been moved to Saturday morning to allow more time to get things to the stage where the congregation can worship in the building on Sunday.
We are still sleeping quite well. The mosquitoes have not been too much of a problem during the evening before we go to bed. The breeze is fantastic.
I still have a persistent cough, but it seems to be getting better. Appreciate your prayers for ongoing health for the entire team, for safety for those using chainsaws, etc., and for continued excellent building weather. Also for a safe trip over and back to Labasa tomorrow. We will be at least 5 hours total on the road.
Blessings!
Ken+