Monday morning and a quick check of the Montreal, Yarmouth, Calgary, Kelowna, Springdale and Kabul weather reports gives more reasons to be happy I am here!!

Every morning I am awakened by the &(%$#@  roosters and the sun streaming in through the screened veranda. What a way to start the day.

Sunrise on the palm tree.

From here I have 75 meters walk to the HATS Hilton breakfast nook. Germaine will make anything I want for breakfast but it is hard to beat the fruit salad bowl; Fresh mango, oranges, melon, apple and bananas. Life is good.

Breakfast bowl

Then my student arrives at 7:00AM and I tutor him in his French homework, geography and history. Today he got a lot of laughs as I tried to pronounce le mécanicien and les abeilles and a couple of others. It’s OK Ti-Luc, I am just filling in until the real teacher; Joan arrives on the next trip.

Yesterday at church we met in the primary classes but things are changing. In November I reported that the Brentview Baptist Church in Calgary, Canada has committed $15,000 CDN to build a church on property owned by HATS behind the school. The funds will be matched by monies raised by HATS. The church at a later date will include an apartment for a mission pastor. The 3 classrooms of the school that are now being used are too small. The new church facility will also be used for school morning devotions and parent /teacher interviews etc.

Site of new church circa November.

Under the watchful eyes of Luckner, the project manager and Karen, the boss lady, construction has started.

The 2 Luckners

The footings are in place; the foundation laid and is now being filled in. The re-bar will go up 2 stories and a pastor apartment will be added at a later date.

Footings and re-bar

Karen standing with some of the other church pillars!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cement mixing is done by hand

Cement footing poured and now this will be filled in with rock to provide the foundation

Loading the rocks

Unloading the rocks

The mason

~Keith