Cumulative Building Updates

Building Update: Mar. 20, 2003

The 20th of March will go down in our memory as the day that we officially started excavations for the new church building. By 8:00 a.m., the equipment had arrived with the heavy diesel motors humming. Bystanders looked on with interest as the hungry teeth chomped mercilessly at the inviting earth.

By 11:00 a.m., a dozen truckloads of debris and dirt had already been loaded and carted off. Every ten minutes, another one was filled. If you love to watch big machinery, like we do, it was enchanting.

In the background is the Albanian telecom with part of their communications tower--a nice landmark in the downtown area. It will be easy to find our center in the future!

By quitting time, part of the illegal building in the background had disappeared. "One more day of digging, and we'll be done," the engineer said as the heavy motors fell silent. (Tomorrow's report tells just how wrong he was...)

It is encouraging to see things progressing at long last towards our long-cherished dream. There's still much to do before the Korcha evangelical church movement can properly be served by the Christian center. Please keep us in prayer as we continue operations.

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Building Update: Mar. 21, 2003

As the shadows began to fall from the neighboring telecom tower, it became obvious that ours was not a 2-day job! A lot of earth still needs to be moved, requiring perhaps another two or three days to finish the excavation.

Vestiges of the original wall of the 2-story dormitory can be seen behind the cabin of the excavator (white bricks). The hole that goes down 4-5 meters is for the foundations of a wing of the building specifically meant to interact with the public, i.e., in outreach to the community.

Off to the left of the dumptruck is the area for the new worship center. It's getting easier to imagine how the plans will fit into the historic landscape of our downtown setting, and how useful the new building will be for the ministries entrusted to this circle of churches.

We still value your prayer support as we interact with city officials and residents of the neighborhood, as well as with the personnel of the building firm. Thanks for checking in on our progress!

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Building Update: Mar. 28, 2003

Leveling the Site

The big machinery is now quiet, having finished the big hole. Two of those who have long cherished the dream of the new building (V- & N-) stand at the base of the crater, with the old 3-story building in the background. At this point the floor of the hole is being leveled with gravel and sand, soon to be covered with a shallow layer of concrete to give a better platform for building the forms for the reinforced columns and foundations.

Precarious Perch - Opportunity for Prayer

The 2-story house is perched close to the edge of the excavation, awaiting its turn to come down later in the season. This will resolve a long-term worry that it would succumb to earthquake pressures and collapse on its own.

The entire structure was severely damaged in several earthquakes over the years before coming back under our jurisdiction. The diagonal fractures reveal a structure which could easily come down in the next medium-sized quake in our earthquake-prone zone. The chipped plaster reveals the most common kinds of materials seen all over the downtown area.

Meanwhile the clinic construction awaits the demolition of this valueless and dangerous eyesore. Please keep this matter in prayer.

More than Employment ... A Grand Project!

Three of the believers are involved on the site each day, plus a number of others from outside the church. The believers do it with a sense of pride, and a feeling of participation in something that will ultimately bring a lot of blessing and joy to many families.

This is not just about employment: together we're involved in a majestic project with a grand purpose! Please continue to uphold us in prayer.

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Building Update: April 2, 2003

Pouring Concrete

Having the right equipment often makes all the difference in moving a project along. With recent investments in the infrastructure of our region, it is now possible to pour large amounts of ready-mixed concrete according to the architect's specifications.

Then it's a combination of hydraulic power fueled by powerful engines, and the hands-on touch of workers who spread out the mixture. The watchful eyes of the engineers keep everything moving along smoothly.

The next stage will involve the carpenters. They'll be setting up forms on top of the concrete in order to pour the reinforced feet of the heavy structure. Fortunately our land has a solid base, even though Korcha is in an earthquake zone. The engineers assure us that our building has been designed up to specifications.

Neighborhood Residents Share Memories

A steady stream of residents comes by to admire the progress and to reminisce about old times, when Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Jacques were still here in Korcha. "We used to come, sure!" exclaimed Skënder, pictured with sunglasses. "Why, the Korcha Evangelical Mission did more for Korcha than anybody else ever did!"

When asked if he remembered any of the old-timed believers, Skënder was quick to volunteer:

"Of course everybody remembers Koci [pronounced "Coatsy"]--Holy Koci we called him. He was persecuted because he was a believer... they threw him in jail. Such a cultured man... spent all day everyday at the library, only leaving when they would lock up at the end of the day. Spoke five or six languages. Yes, who could forget Holy Koci!"

Who indeed! May we be equally unforgettable as we leave our mark on the world!

Next time: Pictures of the carpenters at work. Sneak preview:

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Building Update: April 4, 2003

Carpenters' Forms

The base of each of the plints spreads out the weight of the building. These rest on the 10-15 cm. (4-6") of concrete poured a few days ago. Next iron will be put in, and then the next tier will be put on top, and so on, in a kind of pyramid fashion.

The men are skilled in this kind of work. They bring their tools to the site. Each one of the forms has the town hall's red bulls-eye in the center, showing that city hall has been there the previous day to mark where the columns will stand, in order for the building to withstand future seismic activity.

As shadows fall around 4:30 p.m. (even with daylight savings now in force!), work continues. Iron is coming tomorrow, and we need to be ready.

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Building Update: April 05 - 07, 2003

Columns Begin to Take Shape

In recent times, a lot of young people are fascinated by a joystick, usually for video games. This set of joysticks puts massive hydraulics into operation, directing the arm of the cement pourer up to 20 meters away.

Several hundred pounds of pre-mixed cement are forced to the top when they engage the machinery. Then it is pressure-fed and gravity directed, down to where the workmen direct it.

Besides filling the forms, which are 8 feet by 8 feet at the base (2.5m x 2.5m), a portable vibrator is inserted into the freshly poured concrete, in order to get it to settle down into the nooks and crannies for a tight mix.

Spring Cheers Everybody's Hearts

However out in the villages, everybody is hoping for a lot of rain to prepare the fields for the growing season. We can't be selfish and ask only for the weather we desire, when people's very lives depend on the soil. Maybe with this understanding, we should have been prepared for Sunday evening to cloud over...

Today's work is exhausting--six cement trucks come to fill in the bases of the plints, out of which the reinforced columns will soon sprout.

Surprise! Sunday, April 6 catches us unawares!

Waking up Monday morning, we could hardly believe our eyes! Our apple trees have been starting to bud. Flowers have opened in the flower beds. But look at what awaited us!

snowfrontporch.jpg (27230 bytes)

What does this mean for our construction? With about 50cm (20 inches) of snow, we're probably going to have to wait a few days. Meanwhile, we have plenty to do just to navigate around town and to the various ministries throughout our county. Thank you for your prayers!

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Cumulative report of all individual reports in one page

Next time: In order to always see the most recent posting, you can use the following URL: http://korcha.com/bldgupdatespb.php. Or you can see the cumulative picture of the construction project in one browser window (no need to keep hitting the mouse button!) by using this link: http://korcha.com/bldgtodatepb.php. Don't forget to hit the refresh button on your browser, or you may keep seeing last week's pictures and commentary!