Hello All:
The rains continue, but so does the work on GRACE Home. The rains made the delivery of the solar panels and batteries difficult, but, after two days, they made it. Of course, if you look at the pictures of the vehicle, you will see that they came back with a lot of mud as well. As the vehicle was being unloaded the construction foreman said, "When this is done it is going to look like a small city at night." He is right! With no electricity in the surrounding area it will surely be a sight to behold. And, these children will be only a few of those growing up with electricity. I imagine we will have a few challenges teaching them to remember to turn out the lights during the daytime, but, then how is that different from the United States? :-)
As you can see from the pictures, the buildings were painted green. Not what I had asked for! At first I was shocked, but then it started to grow on me. As a dear friend said, "It looks like a happy place." And, I had asked that the roofing material be red to signify that we are covered by the blood of Christ. So, now that the walls are green, it can signify that we have life (green) because we are covered by the blood of Christ (red). The South Sudanese people are very pleased and I am, too.
The Director's House is getting the finishing touches. The windows have been put in and the electrician is finishing the wiring today. Justus is so excited not only about the house but the completion of GRACE Home. He continues to impress me with his wisdom at such a young age and his heart for children and people in general.
The latrines and bath houses are still being constructed and the guard house is almost complete. The guards, in addition to keeping the place safe and our materials on the compound, are busy clearing the area. It's difficult to keep up with in the rainy season since they slash the grass and dig up the stumps by hand. And, they have almost 10 acres to clear. They still have a lot of stumps to clear to make a safe area for the children to play.
The guards are continuing their literacy lessons and doing very well. I learned recently that many of the women around there have joined them! I just think that is so exciting that so many lives are being impacted by the presence of GRACE Home and it isn't even open yet!
Justus, Fred, and I will be interviewing Housemothers and Cooks on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Please keep this in your prayers. Pray for God to send women who love Him, love children, and want to raise these children as their own. And, pray that we have discernment in the hiring of these women. One thing that we are trying to convey to the staff is that this is not a job, but a ministry.
May God's GRACE, peace, and joy be yours,
Libby Dearing
