A Generous Donation

A couple days ahead of my trip, I received a very generous donation from the Hutto United Methodist Church. They gave it with no strings attached and entrusted me with making the right decision. I felt honored that they would support me that way!

After eyeing up the church at Khnar Tmei and working with the pastor and my colleagues, we have made a list of things to do with the fantastic donation:

• Set up garbage and recycle bins along with a "cleanup day" to get rid of trash that has accumulated. This is an ongoing issue since people come and go and it's a heavily used space. That's a good thing, but a messy thing.
• Install new lighting in the sanctuary and the schoolroom
• Install new fans in the schoolroom
• Purchase a second water filtration jug so kids can easily get drinking water
• Repair the pews which are just about ready to crash

These are all great small projects that are sorely needed, but we are also able to do a pretty big one: Get desks and benches for the education building.

About 15-35 kids will show up for a variety of classes in the "schoolhouse" next to the church. Today everyone sits on the floor. It's uncomfortable. It's distracting. There are bugs. Frankly, I wouldn't have learned a thing if I was a kid there.

We placed the order today for the custom built desks and benches. They'll arrive next week. Yet again I kick off a project and can't be there for the results, but that's ok. It's just another reason to come back next year.