Getting So Close

There is a sense of EXPECTANCY in the air around the office of CEF FIJI.  We are literally at the BRINK of something great and glorious.

We fully believe that we are 100% ready for the Lord's financial provision of funds to begin construction of CEF's new national office and training center.

1. The property has been purchased and CLEARED of DEBRIS and dangerously tall TREES.
2. The BUILDING PERMITS have been approved and ISSUED.
3. The AMENDMENTS and changes to the layout of the GROUND FLOOR have been APPROVED by the city council.  They complete, what we believe, is God's design for this building.  It will provide accommodations for up to 26 people for our training courses and overseas guests.
   
4. A private engineer from Australia has freely studied the architectural plans and given his stamp of approval on the building design.  (What an incredible blessing!)
   
5. We have received 3 bids from contractors and IN OUR HEARTS have made our selection of the best CONTRACTOR with the best price.
   
6. We are READY TO SIGN the building CONTRACT, with the EXCEPTION of the needed funds for construction.
7. We are asking GOD for a CHRISTMAS MIRACLE by December 15th so as to "lock in" this price before construction costs increase on Jan 1, 2010 and to be able to sign the contract before law offices close on December 18th.
   

We need FJD $550,000.00 in our local currency which is equivalent to USD $300,000.00.   Any amount received above this would simply be the extra that God provides to purchase office equipment and furniture.

Pray with us, please, with a PRAYER of great faith.

William Carey, the great missionary to India said, "EXPECT great things from God; ATTEMPT great things for God."  With all of our heart, THIS is what we a trying to do!

"When we WORK, WE work;   when we PRAY, GOD works!"  PRAY...The Lord is already at work and we are simply asking Him to provide the funds to complete that which He has already begun!

Modifications Submitted

Modifications were submitted today (Monday, 26th Oct 2009) to the local city council for wonderful "amendments" to the original design for the basement area of the new CEF national office.  

Recent recommendations from an engineer were for us to consider building the "basement" entirely above ground.  In so doing, it will eliminate the threat of water seepage in the lower level.  By building the basement now as a ground floor, we are now planning to convert this large area into accommodations for guests as well as for students who will attend our extended training courses.  The ground floor will now house a kitchen, three "guest rooms" with shower and restroom facilities, a large storage room as well as a room for gardening tools and equipment.  

We would ask you to pray now that the scheme plan for these modifications will be quickly approved.  We continue to wait upon the Lord for His provision of the  F$600,000 (US$330,000).  Of this amount, we have approximately F$32,000 (USD$17,000) on hand.

We are living with expectancy of the miraculous!  We fully anticipate God's provision of these funds any day now. 

Growing & Using What We've Got!

We praise the Lord that our "teacher training bure" [boor-ay] is being well utilized. Located behind the CEF office, it also serves as the venue for our weekly Good News Club held on Monday afternoons for 50-60 school children.

We've recently expanded the floor space of the "bure" and have plans to extend it further to accommodate our need for a larger training area. We're praying that all of this is just "temporary" and that funds for our new office and training center will soon be supplied.

Psalm 9:10 "And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee."

Plumbing Issue Resolved

For the past 19 months, it has been necessary to filter and boil drinking water for the CEF office and to transport it from home to the office daily. This has proven to be a HUGE task for my wife who spent hours and hours filling water bottles. All of this was necessary because of badly corroded lead pipes in the building which would have caused lead poisoning had the water there been consumed.

Recently, however, we were able to install two new water filters and install a portion of new PVC pipes giving a direct access to "clean" water bypassing the corroded lead pipes. We realize that this is only a temporary measure, but it surely brings relief to all of us. We can now drink directly from the water in the office itself. Praise ye the Lord!

We were especially blessed by a young man named Salesh, a plumber, who did an outstanding, professional job for us. God bless this dear man!

The "Ball" is Now in God's Court

What a wonderful day this has been! June 3, 2009 will go down as "historical" for CEF Fiji because God gave us our BUILDING PERMIT today for our new office. This has been long in coming and how our hearts rejoice! I was thinking this morning about our "journey of faith" in this building process. We have done everything that we know to do on this side of heaven to prepare for the construction of our new CEF office and training center.

Now the "ball" rests in God's court and we wait only for the funds to come from heaven in order for construction to begin!

Therefore, as Psalm 100:4 says, we have entered "into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."

Share our joy! Rejoice with us, for indeed, this has been a wonderful answer to prayer. We are eager to see God at work in the CONSTRUCTION of this new building.

Thank you for sharing our vision for missions among the children of FIJI. There are so many here who need the Lord and we were too late to reach an 11-year old Indian boy in Suva who died yesterday after being hit by a car on his way home from school.

First Permit Issued

We are so pleased to announce that the first BUILDING PERMIT of TWO has been issued. This permit grants us permission to construct the beautifully-designed border fence around the property of the new CEF Fiji National Office and Training Center.

This is indeed a MILESTONE and we praise the Lord for bringing us this far. We are working diligently with the local authorities in hot pursuit of the actual BUILDING PERMIT for the office itself. We are getting very close and praise the Lord for two men that God has brought across our path who are working on this permit as well.

Please continue to pray for God's provision of the needed funds to build. We anticipate that the cost will be somewhere close to F$600,000 (US$330,000) and that construction will take up to six months.

We're trusting in the GOD who PROVIDES... Jehovah-jireh! Thanks for praying!

God Gives PROPERTY TITLE

After 14 months of waiting, the Property Title to CEF's new property was finally placed into our hands on Monday, January 19th. We are jubilant in that it has been a much sought-after document...one that has been missing, one that was once "lost", one that was buried under stacks of papers and files on someone's desk since April 2008 and now one that has finally been put into the hands of its owners!

This marks the crossing of one of the two remaining "hurdles" in pursuit of the Building Permit for CEF's new office and training center. Now that this document has been secured, the final step is to submit it to the local city council who should now issue the building permit within days, if all goes as planned.

Then, the FINAL "hurdle" is God's provision of the funds to build. Mind you, it's only a "hurdle" for us, but not for Him! We anxiously await His bountiful provision. Pray that God will help us to know how to assist Him in promoting The Moriah Project.