“Connie!!” came Suher’s response as he raced to my side. “Are you OK?!”

Flat on my back, wet mossy slime seeping through my T-shirt’s back, I stayed put. I was mentally assessing any injuries, broken bones, cuts and scrapes I might have. Despite being in great physical condition, nearing age 60, one can never be too careful when it comes to falling down.

I had been racing about our cement outer grounds, checking up on preparations for a 2-day meeting to be held here, when I slipped. Our continuous rainy nights have left our inside campus area covered in green moss. I hadn’t realized just how slippery moss can be until the moment my feet went flying out from under me and I came crashing downward.

Yes, I survived, but it made me realize how very dangerous this was for the next day’s meeting.

We were to have numerous older people gathering to discuss matters concerning church service in the country. One small step on any one of those surfaces and someone might not be as lucky as I.

Also in my mind were the children. When classes begin in 2 weeks, we can’t be having our young students running about in such an environment and expect someone not to get hurt.

Thank goodness for my staff. Within an hour, a lawn roll had been ordered with delivery later that afternoon. We laid that down in a hurry, for a tidy sum of $103. One disaster averted.

Killer Coconut Trees

Next on our safety list came those destructive coconut trees. We’d had tree-trimming take place several months ago without thinking of the coconut trees.

The recent downpours in the evenings are now sending coconuts crashing to the ground. Not only has this resulted in destroying a section of the classroom building, this likewise poses a hazard for anyone walking under them. A coconut can kill. If ours, being so high up in the air, landed on anyone’s head, a life would be ended or a substantial injury sustained.

Today, office manager Khamxay called our tree crew to remove the two which have already damaged the Center to a repair tune of $54.

Tree removal? $108, which we’ve scheduled for next Wednesday.

More Upbeat Improvements for our New School Year: Tables and Cabinet!

Last term gained us quite a notable boost in notoriety. The summer break has now had parents calling, asking when we’ll be opening, when they can sign up for courses and if we’ll be adding more classes to our slim schedule from last term.

As you recall, due to only 1 teacher being present (myself), we could only offer classes that didn’t overlap so I could take over the teaching schedule. We have a newbie coming soon, Shaloom from Pakistan, who will be joining me as a young volunteer through the Global Mission Fellows program. That will allow more classes with more classroom space needed.

With that in mind, it was time to go shopping for tables and cabinet storage space.

Four days ago, Khamxay and I hopped on board my midnight blue Honda Scoopy, drove 40 minutes across town to a Chinese importer’s office furniture warehouse and spent over an hour scouting out what might be available for the Center.

In the end, we ordered 12 top quality foldable tables and 1 bookcase for textbook storage. Those arrived today, for a total of $732. Assembly was included and the delivery guys hustled those into the rooms I designated for our new classes.

Added to this display was my own personally purchased home item, a bookcase.  The arrival of my things from China, including hundreds of books and boxes of overseas’ donated school supplies, have left me somewhat as a loss where to put them.

 I spotted what I needed at the furniture warehouse.  My purchase was therefore the second stop for the delivery men:  My apartment, where it took about 1 hour for them to assemble my buy.

 I can’t wait to get busy this weekend emptying boxes, organizing and putting away my treasured teaching materials from years past.  Since I didn’t pack these things myself, I’m wondering what exciting treasures I’ll find that I’d forgotten about.

In Closing:  Thank You, Supporters, for your thoughts and giving spirits

As you can see from the above, the dent in our special bank account, filled with supporters’ generous donations,  has been substantial: Over  $1,100 in a matter of a few weeks. Included in that amount has been events such as birthdays, welcoming visitors, lunches out as a team, and celebrations for successes achieved.  The Laos staff work hard, often going home late at night where family responsibilities await them.  Many have church worship duties to attend to (opening prayers, announcements, giving the message, communion) not to mention Saturday church commitments of organizational meetings or attending praise team practices. There is no day-off.

 For those of you who have been spreading the word about my monetary asks for the Center’s needs and also giving yourself, I can’t tell you how much this has meant to me personally.  Having the immediate funds to attend to matters that keep the staff, the students and myself not only physically safe, but extremely happy, makes us feel loved, appreciated and so very blessed.

And the new furnishings!  What a joy!  I now find myself eagerly walking into classrooms that now have sturdy tables, those which don’t wobble or have a leg that collapses out from under them due to screws which quickly come lose.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have given my new placement this extra boost of renewed energy.  Your thoughts and continuous giving spirits continue to make life here special, unique and meaningful.

From Connie in Laos