Two Teams Advance LARTC Construction
Rod and Sherry Boyd

We hosted two construction teams from Washington State, one the first week of October and the other the first week of November. The primary focus of the two groups would be to lay the outside wall block on the second floor of the housing building. Just days before the first team arrived, we completed the roof, staircase and balcony platform for the air conditioner compressors. This allowed both groups access and a dry, secure place to work. Between teams our crew finished the block and roof over the stairwell.

Pastor NiK Baumgart and former missionary associates Randy and Lynne Forsyth directed the team of 12 from the Grove Church (Marysville). This team has become experienced in construction because of four consecutive trips to Panama to help with construction of school facilities. The team returned for a second trip this year to help with LARTC construction. The team quickly found their rythym and when finished had over 50% of the perimeter wall up with both the lower and upper bond beams poured, and even started block work above the upper bond beam. The team took one morning off to help with the Action Bible distribution at the December 24th Good Shepherd School.

Executive Pastor Larry Murrell led a team of 12 from Eastridge Church (Issaquah). One of the team members was a part of the 2007 trip to Panama when Eastridge worked on the Las Mananitas and Jehova
Jireh Good Shepherd Schools. Those two schools represent 15% of the nearly 10,000 children and youth in the Panama Schools. The team picked up where the Grove Church team left off. When finished, they closed in an additional 40% and laid five courses above the upper bond beam, ready for the last bond beam. The team took one morning off to visit the two chapels at the Getsemani Good Shepherd School and to help with distribution of the Action Bible.  Some of the ladies jumped in to help Sherry wrap LACC Christmas presents.

We’re grateful for the work of these two teams who helped us to see that with two more teams we can finish all of the block work on the upper floor of the housing building! Please pray with us that God will continue send teams and funds for this worthy project. So far, we have two teams scheduled for 2018. Our goal for 2018 is to begin construction of the 5,700 sq ft Phase Three Atrium that will connect buildings one and two, as well as complete the 13 guestrooms on the upper floor of the housing building. As funds permit we will also build a new street entrance, recondition the gravel road and parking, continue the perimter security wall and build the retention wall on the back side of the property.

BY THE END OF 2018, WE HOPE TO HAVE LARTC FUNCTIONALLY COMPLETE thanks to friends like you!