THESE ARE EXCITING TIMES:
With most of the outside structural work done on the first floor, the focus now begins on the interior, getting it finished so we can move in and begin unpacking from over a year working out of living rooms and construction trailers.  As much of the work as possible is done by the school staff to keep expenses down.  Additionally, several volunteer cabinet builders came down from Neerlandia, Alberta (Canada) and offered their services for a few months. 

JANUARY through APRIL, 2004

(Above) Rev. Rudy Poettcker spray paints the chapel walls in the building.  (Upper right) Harry Lewis, volunteer teacher assistant from the U.S. paints steel beams holding up the second level cement floor (on top of corrugated steel).  (Right) Guyanese teacher and church member, Vanessa Gomes taking instruction from Rev. Poettcker on how to spray paint.  (Note:  Vanessa Gomes became a student at CLA when she was quite young and also attended the church.  She graduated from the school and later became a teacher.)

	Gregory Kandasammy, former CLA graduate, is now the grounds manager for the school.  He is caulking the windows on the first floor.
Grant vanAssen, Canadian volunteer from Neerlandia, Alberta, building library shelves for the school.	Completed library shelves await the painting of the walls for their permanent installation.
	Ben Bruekelman, Canadian volunteer from Neerlandia, Alberta, working on school cabinets for the administration area.
Nirmala & Asgar Hamid stand behind (left and center) the new school cabinets for the school secretary with Grant vanAssen on the right.
	School cabinets for administrative offices built by Ben and Grant from Canada.
Entrance to the administrative offices for the school just to the left of the waiting room area (pictured at right).	Waiting room area for the school.  Window in the back of picture is for payment of fees to the school bookkeeper.
Main hallway leading to the rest of the first floor:  left entrance is for chapel and church meeting room, straight down the hall is to the school library, to the right are doors to school offices and just before first door on right, as pictured above, is the waiting room for school visitors.
	Chapel area with Alney Gomes (sister of school teach, Vanessa Gomes) resting on plywood used in building the cabinets.
THE MAKING OF A PULPIT The original pulpit, after which this one is designed, was donated to First Presbyterian Church in 1980 when the church was known by the name Open Door Bible Church.  Rev. Donnan was the missionary and pastor at the time. The pulpit below borrowed somewhat from that design, but made a much more stable and sizeable pulpit.
David Sundar, a student with the school, sands the new pulpit made by one of our Canadian volunteers.
Rev. Poettcker (left) and Rev. Hamid (right) in work attire staining the new pulpit.	Pulpit ready for varnish finish clear varnish.
Finished pulpit in newly tiled and painted chapel ready for first service on April 18, 2004.  The front of the pulpit has the graphic below on the front of it.
THE FIRST SERVICE OF FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF PARAMARIBO HELD IN THE NEW CHAPEL FACILITIES OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY ACADEMY APRIL 18, 2004
	Rev. Asgar Hamid preaching first sermon in the new chapel of the school, which is also the meeting place for the church.
Rev. Poettcker pronounces the benediction of the first service.

To continue, click here to go to the next stage of the building process. While you are waiting for the new page, please pray for God to provide the finances needed to complete the rebuilding process.