Quick reassurance - not thinking of the head blowing off with the pressure...
But the IMS land/building question is like that for me, when there's those things that you think about from angle after angle, pray for in different ways, getting new info, getting others' opinions which moves you around another quarter ... and instead of bringing solutions rather changes the problem which means more thought, prayer, consulting ... and it goes 'round and round ...
We have great hopes, and wanted to improve from our rented situation, but we'll be lucky to get anything as good, especially before the next academic year.
First there was the long search for land ... and steps taken towards buying a lot that ended up with a price that would have used up all the funds we've received to date, leaving nothing for building. So we've been 'turning en rond' looking for affordable land that is big enough for now and for needs in 5-10 years.
Then there was the initial funding itself that seemed to go missing between the donation and the local account and is still in accounting ether, being still not in the right place. And the fact that it went from US to Canada to US for some reason and seems to have decreased on the way... I suppose it's all these recent exchange rate fluctuations. And the date of hitting our account will change the local amount we receive by up to 1 million cfa by my latest calculations.
Looking at affordable local land options - you hear something, get your hopes up, then realise it is either quite a risk or that someone got the information wrong or has changed their mind.
There's the land we were looking at buying ... no electricity but could get in a year or two, still some government paperwork to do, but expensive for the outlying location.
There's the cheaper outlying unsurveyed villages where land titles are not yet official (pay your money, hope that everyone will agree at the different stages for the paperwork at local and government level - at any stage you could loose the lot - and eventually maybe get permission to build months down the line).
There's distant land of sufficient size on main roads with access to electricity and water with paperwork done that should be cheaper but difficult to get owners to say a price, even when it's a local doing the negotiating (or price triples or more when a foreigner is involved).
There's another association that has suggested for years we go in with them and share libraries, classrooms etc .. but when we got down to it only wanted to 'rent land', basically giving you no legal rights here even as the builder either in decision making or compensation if they want to resume or sell the land later. After our refusal they look like reconsidering but now the paperwork hoops they (and us) would have to jump through for their land still makes it uncertain.
There's land already owned by SIM where the paperwork question is solved, but again far out, and costs of installing electricity to the amount we need (lights, fans, computers, occasional projecter, fridge..) would take most of the funding we've received (either by town electricity or installing solar) and needing to dig a well for water since the existing one isn't strong enough for adding us to the Fulani Bible School needs (cheap at 3 million a try..), again leaving practically nothing for building. And with the local wireless internet system being so bad except around 2am, how would we honour our commitment to the distance postgraduate missiology program we've signed?
There's architects willing to plan, and the possibility of help from a building organisation back home, but their involvement will date only from firm land details and can we then wait to start building until an overseas organisation gets geared up when rains will prevent a lot of building in 2 months or so?
Still, advancing step by step, like getting a local builder working just from sketches to give an estimate of what it would cost to build a 2 room office/class building and 4 student rooms with outside loos and showers and a small outside kitchen as Stage 1; then later add on another married (+1-2 kids) larger room and enclosing the loos, a library, section off the big room to include a private office for the director and a small group/conference room as Stage 2; and a student lounge/dining as Stage 4 with possible additional married's room (moving to a 3 year program means students will be less likely to want to leave family behind during their course). Many of these cheaper distant plots would have no rental properties anywhere near for families, let alone quality schooling for students' children.
Well, to stop all this turning, a D-date has been set. Information will be received up to 25 Feb, and a decision made 28 Feb about which option to follow. The builder's estimate will be used, along with the various electricity/water connection costs, and land costs to compare the sites available. Then we can start building before the rains come.
So far nothing stands out, but God can still work miracles in 15 days and bring along the ideal situation. And at least the tête will stop turning!
Concept only:
