Help from North Carolina

(This is the story of the first work team that came to Suriname from North Carolina. Later in the same month a second team from North Carolina arrived. This second group of men were from the Charlotte First and Midway Wesleyan churches. Their story is told in the Feature Story.)

Men from North Carolina came on March 7, 2000 to help us build our new Bible School building. Ten men came representing the Calvary Wesleyan Church in Elkin, North Carolina. They were led by Rev. Jesse Garmon.

These men dug trenches deep into the clay to set the footers for the building. The trenches were dug by hand. It was exhausting work. And, after the morning rains fell, the ground was even heavier.

The men kept asking themselves why the footers had to be dug so deep. Footers are set deep into the clay so the building won't float away during the rainy season. It would have been so much easier to have cut the trenches with a backhoe. But many of the tools common in America aren't as readily available in a developing country like Suriname.

We are thankful for the contribution the Elkin team made toward the Bible School. The men worked hard, and it was a delight to have them with us. They traveled a long way to work alongside Surinamers. There is a stable foundation under our Bible School today, in part, because of these men from North Carolina.