Currently, large building projects are underway at three of Brunstad Christian Church’s conference centers: one at Paso Flores, in Patagonia, Argentina; one in Ozorne, Ukraine; and one in Alwaye, India.
After a hectic building phase with the indispensable efforts of professionals, volunteers from the Youth Exchange Program (YEP), and the work from local friends at work parties in the respective countries; the building projects are nearing completion.
Derek Hairston from Urbana, Ohio, USA is one of the project leaders at the conference center in Kerala, India. He reports that the work appears to be on schedule, even though there is a good deal left to do. He hopes that the main hall at the conference center will be completed during the next two months, and the work on the sidewalks, soccer fields, and playgrounds will be completed by the end of February. The official opening of the conference center is planned for the first weekend of May this year.
It’s not every day that a young man from USA has the opportunity to be a project manager for a building project in India. What made Derek choose to take on a challenge like this?
“I thought that an opportunity like this where I could be a help, get to know the friends in a different place, and repay the tremendous debt that I have to God and the Church may only come once in a life time and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity!”
Every day presents new opportunities for Derek. “Everything here is different than what I was used to at home,” he said, “and because of this you cannot rely on past experiences to solve the daily problems and situations that occur. The solution then is to be flexible and creative and willing to try new things.”
Follow along at brunstad.org: There will also be a status update on the work in Paso Flores, Argentina and Ozorne, Ukraine during the coming weeks.
Here you can get some glimpses of the building process: