Campus Cultivation

Hello!

Well Saturday was a work day here at UCBC and boy, did we work! It wasn't for more than three hours... But with about 110 people (Luke counted), we were able to get so much done!

From cutting down the tall grass and uncovering the basketball court to digging up plants and cutting down trees... We worked hard! But the results were well worth it... And now we have been joined by the architects so we will begin to break ground this week on the Community Center!

Take a look at some of the pictures that I’ve uploaded http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bethany.erickson/UCBCWorkProgram# . The students were surprised that I knew how to use a hoe… I don’t know what they were expecting, but I assured them that I was taught well by my mother in our garden!! Granted, this type of digging was a bit harder than just hoeing a row for corn… But digging away at the dirt and roots was good exercise. It felt good to be active and working hard on Saturday… It kind of seemed like I’d been less active than normal lately, so the work was welcomed!

Ah but the students. It was amazing to have almost 100 students here, working hard for their campus, for their university. These students know that we need to have the Community Center and classrooms in order to accept another incoming class of students next year. So even though some of us would consider it to be “back-breaking work,” they were happy to do it. It’s so good to see them grasping the vision of UCBC and the impact it has not only on themselves, but on their community.

It is so good to have our architects, Dick and Eileen here with us. It was a long journey to get them here, but we praise God that they are with us and ready to work! We are too and are excited for the future.

We were given a matching grant from an organization, which is enabling us to begin work on the Community Center. We need to still raise support in order to maximize the impact and gift of the matching grant. But we are continuously in prayer – trusting that the Lord will move people and that He will provide.

http://www.congoinitiative.org/

Please keep us, UCBC, in your prayers.

In case you’ve been reading about Goma… Let me continue to emphasize that we are safe, well, and happy here in Beni. Like I mentioned before, we have just been joined by the couple from the States. Although they had problems getting here, they did not have travel difficulties because of Goma or any issues related to Congo. The conflict is still very centralized on the areas that you are hearing about in the news. We also have been told that the news in the States makes it sound much worse than it is… Dick was kind enough to bring back a few news articles about Congo to show us how bad things sound there!! All this to say, that we are safe, in the Lord’s hands, and enjoying a sort of quiet (though never dull), life here in Beni.

Much love to you all…
Bethany