LARTC Atrium Building Three
Construction Launches
Rod and Sherry Boyd

LARTC ATRIUM construction launched the first week of January! Once again, God miraculously provided a $50,000 offering that covers the structural expenses (foundation, columns, trusses and roofing). This third phase of construction connects the Training/Administration wing (left) with the Housing wing (right).

The Atrium is a two-story enclosed building with full glass at the front and upper-story glass at the back. The initial artist’s drawing was modified to include the glass wall in the back and to move the stairs from each side to the center. The Atrium features a bridge mezzanine that connects the second floors of the Training/Administration building with the Housing building. When finished, the 5,000+ square foot Atrium will include a lobby and reception area, large auditorium for meetings and dining, restrooms, meal staging room and storage room.  With the Atrium finished, the Latin America Resource & Training Center will be functionally complete!  Phase Four will add space to the Training/ Administration building.  Phase Five will provide staff housing.

The Bakersfield First A/G (CA) MAPS Construction Team, together with a medical outreach team, will be arriving on March 2nd to begin block work on the back left wall (Phase Four addition), single-story back wall and the row of rooms behind the back wall (from left to right… storage, restrooms and meal staging room). These are highlighted in yellow on the image to the right.  Our goal is to have the roof installed before the team arrives! And work is on schedule to meet this seven-week deadline!

Stage 1 (Weeks 1-2): The back left Atrium column is shared with the back right Phase Four addition to the Training/ Administration building. Our architect and general contractor recommended that the entire Phase Four addition foundation be built. This work included building and pouring four large column footings and anti-seismic foundation beams to connect the four footings, and then to connect each footing with its matching Training/ Administration building footing. Four concrete pedestals were built to ground level, ready for the heavy I-beam columns when phase four construction continues.

Stage 2 (Week 3-4): Four anti-seismic foundation beams were built, connecting the columns footings between the Training/Administration and Housing buildings. The backhoe operating demonstrated great skill in digging the foundation trenches between the two buildings without doing any damage to either of the existing buildings! Small footings and concrete pedestals were built for the eight columns that will support four trusses that span the distance between the Training/ Administration and Housing buildings.  Our desire is to use an open truss design for the Atrium.

Stage 3 (Week 5): Eight 6x6 inch I-beam columns have been erected on the eight footing pedestals. They will be cut to truss height. Once again, we were amazed to see the ingenuity of our general contractor to erect these columns without damaging the existing buildings.

Stage 4 (Weeks 6-7): Trusses are being built and will be erected by the end of next week. Six-inch “C” channel purlins will be welded in place and large foam-core roofing panels will be installed.

Please pray with us that all need work will be completed by March 2nd! We’ll keep you informed of Atrium construction progress, including work done by Bakersfield First. We post incremental reports to Rod's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rodaboyd. 

Of course, these are only the first stages of the Atrium construction. We are trusting God to provide what is needed for electrical and plumbing, concrete floor and tile flooring, glass windows on the front and back walls, doors, construction of the bridge/mezzanine and stairs, lighting and other special features we have planned for the Atrium.  We would be very grateful for your help!  Offerings may be given by credit-card on the the A/G secure giving website. Or, mail your check to: Assemblies of God World Missions - Project 14295 LARTC, 1445 Boonville Ave, Springfield, MO 65802.

In advance, thank you for standing with us as we raise up Christian leaders in Panama and beyond!