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You are here: Home -> Current Fields -> Papua New Guinea -> Training Centre Expansion

Training Centre Expansion

Uploaded 21 July 2008

There are more photos from the workdays at the Bible School!

June & July 2008

Wonderful things are beginning to happen at the Bible School Training Centre in Papua New Guinea. The Bible School is preparing to EXPAND! Last year we acquired an adjoining lot to our present Bible School building, and we are now beginning to prepare the land to start construction of Boarding Facilities to allow students from all over PNG to attend.

The new block of land beside the Bible School. The land at the back must be dug down about 2.5 feet to fill the hole at the front (left), which is about 3 feet deep.

As you can see from the photograph, there is a hollow in the front section of the land which is “below sealevel” so to speak, with the rear of the lot being too high. We looked into getting a bulldozer to level the block, but the price of K5500 was out of our price range. New Guinea is a country of manual labour, and so the only other alternative was to level the block... by hand! After counselling with a couple of competent advisors, they convinced me that it was in fact possible to accomplish such a feat.

And it is quite a feat... at the back, about ½ a metre (50cm, about 18 inches) of ground needs to be dug down to level it with the existing building, along a 25 metre (80 foot) front.

The men-folk getting to work digging out the area for the water tanks. This same type of thing has to be done across the whole block to level it out.

We called for a workday to work on the land, asking all churches in the Goroka region to come and lend a hand to level the ground. We started on a Saturday, and had a good turn-up of both men and women. Some of the ladies began work on cooking food to serve up at lunch, while others began clearing the overgrowth and bushes. The men began work digging out the ground behind the current Bible School building, in readiness to put water tanks in. It was a great time for all involved, with members about five churches enjoying each other’s company while working hard together for the cause of the Bible School.

Timothy came to help as well, and had a great time with his little Tonka dump truck, running dirt from the back to the front of the lot. He also had great fun in the wheelbarrow as Bro Clement gave him rides, adding to his already full wheelbarrow load!

We have continued the workdays, allocating each individual church around Goroka a day of the week to come and work at continuing to level the ground. And they have come, both young and old, to help with the cause. It is so touching to see old women there probably in their 60s, working in the hot sun digging away with a spade, doing their bit to help the Bible School.

The women-folk getting to work clearing out old roots and stumps.

People in PNG do have a desire to see the Bible School go ahead, because they know that Bible School is the way for the church in PNG to go ahead. Our General Superintendent (Bro Carver) and Bible School Vice-President (Bro Gration) have got big dreams for the Bible School, and Bro Gration is raising funds during his deputation travels for this purpose. The Bible School is still in its infancy, but we all desire to see it reach fruition as a training centre that impacts the whole nation.

We ask you to pray for the Bible School in Papua New Guinea. It really is the key to ongoing revival in the country, and for a field as large as PNG, it is important that the Bible School moves to maturity rapidly. Currently it is a single building kindly donated by the Maxwells of Gerald, Missouri. However, it needs to become a full training centre, with dormitories, boarding facilities, staff housing etc.

This is our desire; this is our vision; this is our goal. The people of PNG are wholehearted about seeing it eventuate. Please pray for the Grations as they travel the USA and raise funds for the Training Centre project. If you would like to contribute toward the Training Centre expansion, please get in touch with us or the Grations. May God bless you!

There are more photos from the workdays at the Bible School!

- Richard Carver (Jnr)


Timothy having fun, being pushed by Bro. Clement	Some of the ladies preparing lunch for all the workers

The almost-completed leveling of the land