Under Roof and Ready to Proceed

Malawi BICC Headquarters - Maone

As you can see, there has been quite a lot of work that has been accomplished.  Almost all of the trusses and roofing has been set.  The team from the USA has been a huge blessing to the project.  All of the trusses are up and set, except for the gable (end) trusses.  You can see that there is some more metal sheeting to be fixed as well.  However, this still doesn't stop the church from using the building as is.  The Malawi BIC Church was able to use the building this year to house their General Conference meetings.  This has been encouraging since a large tent was not needed (which has been rented every year past).

There is still a lot of work to be completed.  The roof needs to be finished (gable trusses and steel sheeting), along with the fascia and remaining ridge caps.  The next step after this would be to add iron bars and gates in order to secure the building.  Finances are holding these things from happening.  Please continue to pray for the project, but even more for the people there and for The Kingdom to grow.  If you are able, please consider giving to the project. Click here to give to the project

Thank you for your interest.  Below you will find a few more pictures.  Many blessings to you.

Building was used for this year's national General Conference

The last truss -- Special thanks to EBIC for helping with the roof, and to those who were instrumental in the development of the Malawi BIC Church.

With progress comes excitement among the church members

The youth in friendly competition of Bible quizzing at General Conference

Trusses and Steel

These photos show the work on the roof.  Special thanks to the USA team for their assistance in getting the roof into place.  The system for lifting the trusses into place went like this:

The truss was completely built on the ground, then disassembled into four sections and then pulled up one at a time and then reassembled "in the air."    

By today it is possible most of the trusses are up and the steel roofing sheets are attached.  Wow - what a job - and we are so thankful for safety for everyone.  

The next photos should be coming soon of a closed-in building - all built for the glory of God and the equipping of God's people in Malawi.  Thanks for your interest and support.  

Til next time.  

Roof Team Plans

Hello Friends of Maone and the BIC of Malawi,

Next week a team of workers from the USA are heading to Malawi to help install the roof on the Maone Ministry Center.  This is very good news and we look forward to new photos of the completed roof.  Thanks for your on going support and please pray for protection and success.  The superstructure is fairly high off the ground and so there will be people working up at those heights.  Also for all the needed supplies to be available in a timely fashion.

Continued thanks to those of you who have donated to the project and there are still expenses to be covered to help finish the building off.  Donations can be made via the link to the right.  Just scroll down to the Maone Center listing on the BICWM website.  Thanks kindly.

Getting Ready for the Roof!

Below are some pictures of the continued progress on the Maone Ministry Center.  Reports from Malawi indicate that the walls and superstructure will soon be to the point where the roof will be ready to be installed.  Materials and supplies of course will be needed and there are plans underway to see a team from the USA come in July to help raise the roof.  Things are challenging however as the Kwacha continues to lose strength and thereby making local items rise higher and higher in cost.

Just a reminder that the BIC Church purchased a cement mixer to help with the project rather than constantly renting one which has proved to be a great addition to the effort.

Great news too, there have been no accidents on the work site given the heights the workers are working at.  It is rainy season now so the rains can affect working conditions too.

Thanks everyone for your interest and support.

Columns of Concrete November 2012

It is now just on the verge of the rainy season in Malawi. After a delay recently in funding for the project there again has been some action of late. See some of the photos to see the progress and note especially the way they are building the concrete columns at this stage of the building. There is also a great picture of a man sawing a plank - not exactly the way us North Americans envision handling a hand saw. Unfortunately we heard of recent trouble on the construction site - some timbers like those shown in the last photo used in the construction where stolen and this is always a disappointment to the BIC Church and their workers. Please pray for continued protection from thieves. As the building rises there is hope for assistance to come from a USA team to help finish the building roof. Pray for a timely visit to be arranged. Thanks for checking on the project - God bless you.

Progress is coming!

Yes it's been too long since an update but there has been a delay in getting sufficient funds to make building efforts worthwhile. Word has it that there are funds which have recently come and more expected soon. The belief is that these funds will help finalize the sub structure so that the roof can be put on. The picture attached shows a temporary set up during this past August's General Conference for the BICC in Malawi. It would be great to have the same picture next year at Conference with a finished roof. Please continue in prayer for this project and for the right connections and contributions to be made. Let it be said there is still the on-going effort in Malawi by the 45 churches to contribute to this project and take responsibility for a portion of this project.

Super Structure Beams

Work continued recently with a recent donation of funds on the upper superstructure concrete beams. Take a good look at the way in which these beams are constructed. It looks like they are well designed and made and will withstand the winds and storms of Malawi no problem. It is the goal to get ready for the roof as soon as possible but this too will depend on the funding stream. We appreciate your interest and support. As summer arrives in North America - the cooler months are moving into the Blantyre region. This will be good for the labourers as the heat will not be an issue. With the recent change in the country and a new president installed, the economics of the nation have changed too. The Kwacha has been devalued so this affects buying supplies, etc. Keep the project in your prayers. Thanks for looking in again.

Building Photo Update

The project in some April 2012 photos. Enjoy!

Steadfast Progress & Special Thanks!

The above pictures are great - showing the progress on the walls and the proximity of the ministry center to the local community. We are so thankful for the work that is being done and for the support from around the globe.

A special thanks goes out to the Global Sharing Fund team from Mennonite World Conference for recently providing a grant for the project. This Fund is available throughout the world for worthy projects within the Anabaptist community. We are trusting in the Lord Jesus to continue to move people in various places and situations to come along side the project.

Please be aware that during a recent major thunderstorm lighting affected the power transformer that supplies the Maone property. It has been taken in for repairs but no word as yet about how long it will take to get back on line. We appreciate your prayer support for the good folks in Malawi. If you would consider making a contribution it is easy to do by visiting the BIC website at http://www.bic-church.org/wm/give/partnership/malawi/ and scroll down to project 1280.

Thanks kindly for your consideration. Til next time, Blessings.

One Wall Up

Here is a recent picture of one of the center's walls completed up to the lower beam height! This is good progress for sure and thanks to the team on the ground in Malawi for this fine workmanship. Carry on friends, carry on!

2012 - Target Year!

Happy New Year to you! A brand new year has begun and this is the year that the BIC Church in Malawi has targeted to see the Maone Center completed. The hope is to have a grand opening in November of 2012. The above pictures are of the structural columns which are now finished up to the design height for the main walls. Great to see the continued progress including the laying of the brick exterior walls up to the window sill level.

May the Lord bless the work of the hands that are building this ministry center. May many offer their support as funds are needed to buy the balance of the materials. May this be the year to celebrate the opening. All the best to you as you begin this new year too and what might be in store in your lives. Thanks for your continued interest in encouraging the church in Malawi.

Columns, bricks and the Inspector!

As you can see from this week's progress photos things are moving up. First, a visit from the City Building Inspector where Mofart Louis and company got a good word about the quality of work being done and the approval to keep on building. We must say it took a couple of weeks to get a visit arranged given busy schedules, lack of fuel and transport, (BICC Malawi were even trying to arrange to transport the building inspector to the site). Work continued as the main column supports are being raised up and the brick walls in one part of the building are up to the level of the window sills. We are now awaiting the transfer of funds for the purchase of the next supplies needed. Rainy season is soon to be upon the work site so hopefully the needed supplies of sand and bricks, etc., can be sourced in a timely fashion. Thanks for your interest and support everyone. More later.... please keep those involved in your prayers in these days where the building effort begins to see people working at higher levels.

3 Courses Laid Down

Above are two photos of the recent brick work on the project and we are excited to see the first few rows of bricks being laid. 55,000 bricks are on site along with 130 bags of cement. We await an inspection from the City Building Department hopefully by end of today and then the bricklayers will start again. The heavy rains are not far off which makes everything more challenging so join us in praying that the needed materials can be sourced and delivered before those rains start. So thankful for your interest in the Maone Church Center. More later to come I am sure. Notice the walls are made of a double row of bricks - this ministry center will stand for many, many years to come. Thanks be to God!

Flag Wavers - Building Together in Faith

We have received word that there is a concerted effort underway in Malawi these days to invite the members of the 45 churches in Malawi to contribute to the giving campaign, "Building Together in Faith" for the Maone Church Center. A group of Flag Wavers, as they are called, head out to the various regional areas to encourage the locals as they give an offering on behalf of the project. Reports this week indicate enthusiastic responses. Having been there and watched as people come to the front of the church and give their offering, this is no small thing for these people to give towards this cause. 50 kgs of maize being hauled up to the platform, an offer of a plate of beans is called out or just the line up of people dancing up to give their few Kwacha. So when an offering of 15,000 comes in in cash from a service this is reason to rejoice indeed.

Why not consider being a "Flag Waver" too? Your donations will really help and be a great encouragement. You can give at http://www.bic-church.org/wm/give/partnership/malawi/ and scroll down to the Maone Church Center. Thanks and if you can't make a donation just now - offer up a prayer for the Flag Wavers in Malawi today.

Slab Floor 100 % Complete

It was great to see updated pictures recently from Project Manager Mofart Louis showing the main slab floor now complete, including the baptistry. Lots of work went into levelling the 150 mm of concrete... The platform area is done too. Good work team! The concrete is covered with sand to act as a barrier for helping with the curing process. The rebar and column boxes are being formed as you can see and soon we are hoping bricks will arrive and walls will begin to go up.

A word of thanks for any of you who have donated recently - as you can imagine - lots of funds are still needed. We are praying for generous donations to help finish the Ministry Center. If you have any questions please feel free to be in touch. Til next update, hope you are doing well.

Post Conference Report

First picture is of Bishop Disi and his wife as he addresses the Conference after being elected, second is of the Conference where people don't mind sitting of the new concrete floor, which is covered by a layer of sand to help with curing, third & fourth are scenes of the front section of the ministry center not yet finished.

Greetings from Canada. A few days after Conference Lori and I flew home after our one year term of service concluded in Malawi. It was a great time there and the climax was attending and participating in the annual meeting of the BIC Church of Malawi the first weekend of August. Over 400 people gathered on the campus for the three conference settings: Youth, Women's and the General Conference. Two big tents and one small one were erected to help provide shelter and accommodations. The Conference went very well and one of the highlights was the election of a new Bishop which turned out to be Rev. Ephraim Disi. There was great joy and celebration when his name was announced. Please pray for this time of transition and adjustment as this new leadership framework comes into play.

As to the site and the project a few of the pictures show the progress. The slab floor is nearly done and it provided a great solid base for the big top tent to be set up on for the Conference. Many bags of maize came along with the people to Conference to help support the effort. As more funds become available the floor will be completed and then the building of the walls will occur. People were glad to come to Maone to see the progress. To those who have supported the project so far, on behalf of the BIC Church in Malawi, a big thank you. We look forward to providing more reports of continued success in seeing this building raised up.

Conference Activities begin

Pictures: Top one shows Lori and I with the architect Mr Duncan Ndege, the second one is Seth Miller speaking today at the Youth Conference and the last is from the top of the hill as you approach the property. More of the finished floor area to come.

Yesterday in the rain a big top tent was set up on the new floor to get ready for the 2011 Annual Meeting activities. Today the Women's and Youth Conferences began. The concrete floor is about 80 % complete and is the base upon which the big tent is located. We are so thankful that the workers were able to complete this much - even though they ran out of cement last week since there is a shortage here in Malawi currently. This week there are estimates of over 300 people coming for Conference and so far the sun was out most of today to help make the first day a good start. Temperatures are a bit cool but we are so thankful for the sunshine.

Donations are now utilized and we are awaiting more funds so the building can continue later in August. The photos are of today's Conference action. More later as the weekend progresses.

45 % done and counting - July 25, 2011

Hello friends! Tomorrow the site will be active again and the goal is to finish the main part of the floor by Friday. It is likely that the corner office space and the platform and baptismal area will not be completed by then but at least the main floor area will be available during General Conference for the BIC Church next week. The photos show the newly poured concrete being covered with sand which is watered down regularly to help with the curing process. One challenge we have had this past week is that we ran out of cement and when Mofart Louis (our project manager) went to purchase more - guess what? All sold out! No cement to be found in the Blantyre region - and then Lafarge one of the world's largest cement making companies says they will not have any for sale until sometime in August. So now you can guess what I am going to say, can't you? Exactly - the price just went up for any remaining cement. Mofart found some (made in Pakistan of all places) but at a premium price. Our last shipment was bought at MK 2900 per bag - now it is MK 3500 - the equivalent of $22.87 USD. But we have little choice and are now buying at the new price. With the current fuel and foreign exchange shortages in Malawi - most things are going up in price. The photo above shows Mofart Louis and, if I may add, please be in prayer for his young 9 month old son, Yankho. We are seeking medical attention to further diagnose his condition. He has limited motor skills and movement. Please keep us in mind here when you are praying and if you would like to contribute please see the link on the right hand column of the blog site. Thanks so much - feel free to be in touch if you have specific questions about the project at bjbell07@mac.com.

Concrete slab underway

Monday July 11, 2011 the new mixer was fired up and the first batch of concrete came spilling out. We are very thankful and glad for the new unit which seems to be working quite well. Throughout this week many volunteers have come along to help. Most of the materials are in hand to be used to finish the slab floor. Unfortunately the prices have been going up here in Malawi due to the for-ex and fuel shortages. Cement which used to be under MK 2500 is now selling at MK 2900. Supplies are even getting low. Wire mesh went up and is in short supply. Thankfully we have much of what is needed to get the floor done. Mofart Louis is coordinating the project and does a fine job. As some of the pictures will show, everything is done by hand pretty much. The goal is to get the floor done in time for General Conference August 5-7. Thanks for your interest and support. More later - we appreciate your prayers as well for those working for safety and strength.