March 10, 2010 Dear Friends and Family of Listair Advent Training Institute, Nearly five months since our last newsletter went out. The best word to describe progress since then would be DELAY. We hoped to have the complete roof on the building before leaving for Australia in December, but a problem or two cropped up, and the Department of Forestry is delaying the issue of a milling licence, even though we've paid about A$1,000 in fees. We have the roof on the machine shop and classroom wing, which means that Alastair and I have been able to move into the small room that will house a library in the future. In fact we moved here from Aore nearly one week ago. We have put the word out that classes will resume on March 10, but some new students have arrived already. Some will stay with relatives around Santo township, and the rest will live in the temporary thatched cottage used by the building boys to date. Our funds have run out, so the accommodation houses have not yet been started, especially with no chance to mill timber for them. While disappointing, we realise that a chicken must work hard to break out of its shell, and that's about the stage our school is at right now. We two spent a couple weeks in Brisbane packing a container in January, and just last week discovered that it had already arrived, though we expected it at the end of this month. We look forward to making use of the generator, compressor, security screens, sewing machines, tools of all descriptions, including some large ones, and many more. There are filing cabinets for our school records, bibles and books, a photocopier, vices for the benches that will be built, and even some washing machines to encourage the boys in hygiene. I'm especially glad we have some mosquito nets coming too. There are a host of other lesser items as well, but all will be put to good use. With the roof incomplete, we are finding it difficult to store everything that needs to be here under lock and key. Consequently we have left quite a lot of handtools and the machine tools at Aore for the time being. Once the mill is in operation again, we'll have timber to make doors to lock the building, plus for trusses to complete the roof. At this stage we are asking that you pray with us that the milling may resume at an early date. We paid the fee in December before we left, expecting to find a nice stack of timber awaiting us when we returned in January, but it was not to be. Meanwhile we have about 20 new students already applied and folk keep ringing or stopping us in town to ask for an application form. Then there are about 17 boys who are already part way through their course, and who agreed to the suspension of classes in order for them to build the building. Some of these boys are east on Ambae Island or south on Tanna Island, building clinics. They will return a little later to continue with studies. The practical experience they are gaining on- the-job is all part of the two way benefit - they are enriched by what they learn and the communities they are helping are also blessed. We have a wish-list that includes the following items.
Just now it is raining and so our small tank for drinking water hasn't run dry. Many folk from round about come with bottles and containers to fill as they have no drinking water on hand. We pay for the water that is supplied to our property, but it is not considered good to drink. With such a large roofed area, we could easily fill one or two ten thousand litre tanks and have a good supply on hand for the drier season. Our Agriculture Course teacher will join us next year. He is currently filling his contract with the Vanuatu Agriculture College as Deputy, but we will be blessed with his expertise and dedication in the new year. He is keen to help us now with growing food for the students, but a tractor and implements would make the job a lot quicker and easier. We pay out a lot of money to transport timber from the forest to the school property, so a truck would be useful in that regard, as well as to transport students to outlying villages where they wish to share their faith and present bible studies and singing programmes. When we are able to mill timber, the accommodation houses will go up quickly, but we will need roofing iron and some fittings. We already have toilets and kitchen sinks and some doors, but there would be pipe needed for plumbing. We have the roofing iron ready for the main building, also louvers and frames and security windows. Doors are needed, but timber will be used there too. So you can see we are making some progress, even though slow. We have a small bush kitchen and time will tell whether it is sufficient to cater for the needs of all the students. Alastair has been putting in a toilet and hand basin in the main building, tiling floor and walls and is nearly finished connecting it all. Next he'll get the boys to help build a shower/toilet/laundry block outside, with running water. The boys who have built the building have roughed it a bit, but they have done it cheerfully. We want to improve things so that it is all hygienic and able to cope with the larger numbers. So we press forward, relying on ...'God, our Help in ages past, our hope for years to come our shelter from the stormy blast and our Eternal Home.' May God bless and help us each to do His Will each day, until that glad day soon to come when He will take His faithful children Home. Alastair and Jill
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