Service Project

Every Project Week has to do some community service. I had arranged with Max a few months ago to do something for the Papuan community, and we had agreed that the kids could buy some cement, and put a floor into the new school the village had been building. We donated $250 to buy 30 bags of cement. The kids first had to load the cement bags onto the boats to bring to the village. All kids, including the girls, helped wheel the bags down the pier to the boats.

When we arrived at the village (about an hour boat ride), the entire village was on the beach singing psalms for us (they are Christian) when we arrived. They were lined up on the beach with the eldest in front, and the youngest at the back. They presented us with colored palm hats they had made for us in the weeks before we arrived.

It was very touching to see how happy they were to receive something as simple as a new cement floor for their school. The kids all mixed cement, and spread it onto the dirt floor, and 6 hours later, the school had a new floor. It was a very successful service project.