Stone Church (Yakima, WA) Continues Construction
of the Latin America Resource and Training Center

Rod and Sherry Boyd

July 2-10... A mixed team of 19 men, women and youth advanced construction of the Latin America Resource and Training Center, laying perimeter block on the second floor and installing the suspended ceiling aluminum framing in the large classroom on the first floor.  The team had few experienced builders, but with the help of our Panamanian brothers, they caught on quickly to the tricks of laying block.  In the end, they laid about 40% of the second-floor perimeter wall up to bond-beam height.

A few days before the team arrived, the roof was seriously damaged by a severe tropical storm.  Thirteen roofing panels were blown off the roof; some pieces carried more than a 100 yards over the tree line.  Members of the team and church gave funds to purchase and install replacement panels.

Half of the team ministered to hundreds of children and youth at two schools, Oasis of Peace and Getsemani Good Shepherd Schools, with more than a dozen classroom visits and three chapel services. Half of the ministry team led children in making bracelets with five beads of different colors to represent the steps of salvation. The other half of the ministry team ministered to middle schoolers. The team also spent one day visiting another four other schools, visiting classrooms and handing out bracelets.

Team leader Pastor Larry Malcolm ministered the word on Sunday and Friday.  He shared his experience of being called into missions to Africa.  It was a powerful message at just the right time... a challenge to our Panamanian church to be obedient to the call to missions.

The team's construction work on the Center, ministry in our schools and Pastor Larry's timely message to two Panamanian churches, all support the mission of the Latin America Resource & Training Center to:

• Challenge and enable leaders to...

• Train and provide resources to the more than 6,000 Bible school teachers in Spanish-speaking Latin America/ Caribbean who are training a new generation of harvest workers that will be sent to the corners of our world, and

• Train and provide resources to the more than 4,000 teachers in just Central America alone, shaping children and youth in faith and ministry.

Thank you, Pastor Larry and team, for your help with construction and your ministry to children and youth!