Pouring the Second Floor Floor

wiring laid down to pour the cement on

They've been busy again, and by Thursday had the wires down, then they poured the first two classrooms on Friday(I didn't get any pictures of that) and the other two classrooms on Saturday. I was going to head over both days at 3, but then it rained so hard, so on Saturday at 5 they were literally waiting for the cement to dry so that they could finish it off. I talked with them and snapped a few photos.
They also poured cement in the doorframes to fill in the gaps between the blocks and the metal frames. 

doorframe ready to pour cement

preparing cement seems to be a constant task

smoothing the cement in this room

this is the cement they were waiting to dry.

you won't be able to take a picture like this for much longer

Roof finished

looking better

 The roof is finished and you can start to see where the classrooms will be. In just the last 2 days things have changed so much. The roof is up, the front walls of the rooms are going in, as well as windows on the second floor. Everyone was so busy at their task I took a lot of pictures today as they were all doing such different things. I missed a picture of the guys that were carrying the bricks up the stairs 3 at a time. That was one job that didn't look like it was that much fun, but necessary for progress to be made.

walls for the front of the classrooms going in

the hallway now has a wall in front, and I believe a bench

will be put in in front of the wall.

preparing for windows to be put in

putting in the windows

this guy was so cute on this little makeshift ladder

busy bees making lots of progress today

Half of the roof

starting to look like a building

So much progress has happened over the last 5 days. The last post showed the first truss up, and 5 days later, all of the trusses are up, and half of the roof as well as windows on the first floor and some more walls. Going for a visit today was so exciting to see the progress and all that they are doing. Enjoy!!!!

windows going in on the first floor

walls that have been finished near the stairwell and end of the building

walls going up on the second floor

half of the roof is up

finishing the last bit on the end

the foreman putting in the end wall on the second floor

beginning the other half of the roof

First truss

pouring beams on the second floor

 The first two pictures are from last week as they were pouring the beams and preparing the second floor. Then, after a  busy weekend of finishing students grades and testing this week, I was pleasantly surprised when I went to the building today and saw that they had started putting in the walls on the first floor and that they had put in the first truss on the second floor. Progress is being made. Will it be done by the end of January? That is left to be seen...

first truss is up :)

walls on t he first floor are being put in

first truss

side view of the building with the first truss

DARE and First Grade Testing

the DARE officer

 Today was a busy day, the DARE officer came and taught the 6th and 7th graders about avoiding drugs, and the first graders had teachers from other schools come and test their reading ability. This is also the last week of classes before testing next week. This semester seems to have flown by. The students seemed to learn a lot from the DARE officer. I learned that I never want to go to Thai prison after watching a video with them about what life in Thai prison is like. Hopefully the students will take away the same message. He had me speak for a few minutes about the DARE program to the students as I'm the only teacher at the school that has studied and graduated DARE. Thailand has taken the US DARE curriculum and adapted it a little bit and uses it in Thailand. I'm so glad to see the students here being educated about drugs and ways to say no, as drugs can be a problem in this border area.

activities

prizes

drink break

first graders testing

Work on the second floor

stairs on the opposite end finished and

pouring for the stairwell

 They have once again been working hard. The poles on the second floor are finished, and getting ready to pour the beams that will be the ceiling/roof. Steps are now in place on both ends. I took them cake one day this week, so maybe that has motivated them to work hard :) I enjoy the friendships that I've made with them over the last few months. Some people have changed in the last week or so, ones that used to be here aren't, and there are several new workers, but I still enjoy talking with them and encouraging them.

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posts going up and getting ready for the beams for the roof

sand in the front hallway ready for cement to be poured

with the height and the weight of the metal rods they are

putting them together right in place instead of preparing them

on the ground and lifting them up

Church with the Hmong

Students from the dorm singinII

I was asked to accompany some missionaries as well as some students from the dorm to go and visit a Hmong church about an hour away. We had a good time encouraging the members of the small church. They invited us for lunch in their home and had prepared a meal for us ahead of time. On the way back we stopped and visited a disabled girl and her family. They had recently found out the dad grew up a Christian, but there isn't a church near where they live now. He was very happy to hear a message and to hear the singing of the dorm students. The disabled girl enjoyed the singing as well, and even tried playing the guitar. The dad said he would love it if we could come once a month. While that isn't feasible, I think there will be more trips to visit this family in the future to encourage them.

Jit preaching at the rural church

the small church building

the beautiful view

encouraging the family of a disabled girl