Month: February 2012

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JBI New Classroom Building

On February 24, 2012, a small ceremony was held to mark the opening of the new JBI classroom building. The building has a teacher’s resource and conference room, two classrooms and public restrooms. JBI teachers and students gathered to witness this much anticipated event. AG Vanuatu Superintendent, Rev. Youen Atnelo, Pastor Randy Blankenship and JBI Principal, J. Gary Ellison cut the ribbon on the classroom door after a short service.

Cutting the ribbonDedicationRefreshment tableSinging

THANK YOU to Celebration Christian Center of Midland, MI for their generous offering towards the purchase of the new furniture for the building!

Teacher resource and conference roomNew classroom

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A Great Local Team

It was a tremendous boost to our construction project to have two construction teams come from the USA in 2011. New Life Church of Kokomo, Indiana, and Life Church, Fishers, Indiana, laid all the block walls and then a few months later, Lafayette First from Lafayette, Indiana, put on the trusses, roof and inside ceilings. There have been many local people who worked on the building as well. Our contractor, Ben Saul and his workman, Morres, actually worked from start to finish with me. Other local skilled construction workers came and worked during different phases of the building project. As we neared the opening date, February 24, 2012, skilled JBI grads, teachers and current students all pitched in to get things done! Here are some photos of the final days of work.

MorresContractor Ben Saul

Photos above: Morres painting and Ben installing the louvre glass windows.

Photos below: Job, 2008 JBI grad plastering & Pastor Kiel, JBI teacher. They worked hard to plaster the remaining exterior walls. Even working on scaffolding through a rainstorm!

Job Dalili, 2008 JBI gradPastor Kiel Maimai, JBI teacherPastor Peter Avock, 2007 JBI grad and tile layerJBI students helping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos above: JBI students helping around the building site and (right) Pastor Peter Avock, 2007 JBI grad, laid all the ceramic tile on the floors and in the bathrooms.

Photos below: Workers unloading cement bags and carrying in the new classroom furniture.

Classroom furniture deliveryLocal workers

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Random News

Classroom building nearing completionWith the interruption of Cyclone Jasmine last week, we obviously got a couple more days behind in our construction schedule…it didn’t help that some of the bathroom fixtures did not fit properly and we are still trying to get them replaced or refunded. The locally-made hardwood doors did not get delivered and lots of other things! The electrical lights and ceiling fans are all in though and working! We will not be able to paint the concrete walls for another 6 months – time for the lime and concrete to rest. With classes starting tomClassroomorrow at JBI we will be squeezing classes into the school dining hall and library to start off and moving into the new building as soon as possible! Official dedication will still be on the 24th while Pastor Randy is visiting with us.

Getting calls from JBI students on outer islands still waiting for cargo ships to stop and pick them up. Shipping was totally disrupted by the cyclone as it created very high seas and kept all boats in port. One JBI student, Hosea called today from Tanna where is Chapel 2012rebuilding his family’s woven house damaged by the cyclone. He will try to get a ship on Friday – not easy to leave a wife and children behind when things at home are in disarray. So pray for the students and their families.

Otherwise, the new theme banner “Grow in Grace” is hanging in the chapel and we are ready and excited to welcome students on campus for another school year!

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Cyclone Jasmine headed our way tonight!

JBI Teachers, Pastors Kiel and Philip nailing plywood over the office windowsThis is our last week to finish the new classroom building at JBI before classes begin on February 13th. Unfortunately, today was spent boarding up the campus buildings because this evening Cyclone Jasmine is bearing down on us from the west! Jasmine is currently a category 3 cyclone and our first big storm of the season. At this point, we do not know how long the storm system will be with us or prevent construction work.

Inter-island ships are in port and planes are grounded until the cyclone passes. This means that our Bible school students will have difficulty getting to Port Vila on time for classes next week. Public schools begin also on the 13th so many people are travelling this time of year. Chapel windows boarded upAfter this kind of disruption, it takes a while for small boats to resume their normal routes. Students are already calling in to say that the boat they were waiting for is not coming to pick them up.

By mid-afternoon, the winds really picked up and stores closed early. We went to get our mail at the Post Office and the postal workers had removed all the mail from the individual boxes. All over town people were buying last minute supplies and putting up storm shutters or nailing plywood over windows. All of the main JBI buildings are boarded up and all electrical items unplugged. Right now, the avocado trees on campus are loaded with unripe fruit but tomorrow most of them New classroom boarded up for cyclonewill be ruined on the ground. Last year we lost all the avocados in a cyclone and unfortunately, the trees only bear fruit once a year.

So we are praying that the damage will be minimal and after the clean-up we can get re-organized quickly and start our new school year at JBI!

UPDATE: At 11 p.m. last night, Cyclone Jasmine which had been upgraded to category 4, was headed straight east towards our island and town, when it abruptly turned and headed south! We only had light winds and rain. So we were spared any severe damage or major cleanup! Thank you for praying!