Our First Fish Harvest (and so much more!)

God is good!  We have had a busy week!  We promised you some exciting news, and we are here to deliver on our promise!  

Santa Barbara Community Church Blesses Us with Supplies

On Monday, August 10, nine strong, smiling volunteers from Santa Barbara Community Church loaded a 40-foot shipping container with start-up supplies for the college preparatory school we are building in Gompa, Liberia. Boxes containing text books, workbooks, and reading books, science lab equipment and aprons, and art supplies were loaded up.  There were also hand tools, whiteboards and chalkboards, sports equipment, office furniture, and library furniture packed in tight.  And this is only a partial list.  

The shipping container is on its way to Liberia by boat, and will arrive in six to eight weeks.  After clearing customs in Monrovia it will be trucked to Gompa and the school property.  Our deep gratitude and thanks to Kevin Callaway at Santa Barbara Community Church, who organized and implemented this project.  And a big “thank you” to all the donor school districts, and the SBCC volunteers who muscled all those books, equipment and furniture into the shipping container.  We are grateful to God for you all!

Some of our Facebook followers in Liberia were also eager to offer up a “thank you!” to our friends at Santa Barbara Community Church. Here are some of their comments:

Let me say a very big ‘thank you’ to Santa Barbara Community Church Family for such a heart-touching donation to CLTI, and the people of Liberia in general. May the Almighty God bless your works, increase you and give you the hearts to do more.🙏🙏🙏  Arlington Ballah

We want to join you this time to really thank and appreciate the good people of Santa Barbara for their donations and kind gestures, sir!  Testimony Walker Bah

Thanks so much.  Laskey Williams

I would like to say a big thank you to the Santa Barbara Community Church for your generosity. I wish I could give you all a big hug but now please except this form of my deep appreciation. I love you all.  Byron Saye Mantor

Thanks to Santa Barbara Community Church, may Jehovah blessings be upon you.  “Augustborncuteness” Angel Addy

We Have Fish!

We had our first fish harvest on Saturday, August 15.  It was a great day with beautiful weather.  We invited the community not only to come and buy fish, but we also offered grilled or fried tilapia at a very moderate cost to introduce our neighbors to our new project.  It was a great and successful day.  Here is a report from our Project Manager, Chestin Polay:

Our first tilapia pond was built on June 6, 2019, with 111 tilapia, and harvested for the first time on Saturday, August 15, 2020.  14,455 tilapia was harvested.  We sold 10,600 fresh tilapia, 3,500 fried tilapia, 55 grilled tilapia, 50 fingerlings, and refilled the pond with 250 tilapia for the next production.  Income generated: $25,200 ($125.00 in US currency).

It’s clear to see that while we were on Covid-19 lockdown, and were not allowed to sell the fish, our tilapia were busy in the pond reproducing!  It was something of a surprise for us, and some of the fish were quite small, but it provided more fish for us, and it became a learning experience. 

GOOD NEWS—August 22 is Catfish Saturday!

This Saturday, August 22, we are inviting the community to join us as we harvest Fish Pond  #2, which is a catfish pond.  Our service team is set to provide grilled catfish, fried catfish and hot pepper soup, all at a moderate cost.  We are also expecting to have fresh catfish to sell for our neighbors to take home.

As with all new projects, we will closely evaluate all aspects of our first harvests, see where improvement can be made, and learn from the experience.  We are grateful to God for the opportunities he gives us!

Water for the Campus

Clean, potable water is an essential component for our school campus.  That means a drilled well (rather than a well that has been dug) is in our plan.  We are partnering with the charitable organization, LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL, to accomplish this goal.  This week, Living Water International visited the campus for the second time to get the lay of the land and make plans.  They will be back soon!  We are grateful to God for this partnership.

Finish Coat Plastering Has Begun

Our construction crew has begun the finish coat plastering, both inside and outside.  Have a look at the photos below to see the progress.

Friends, we rely totally on donations to fund the school project.  All donations, large or small, are needed and appreciated.  If you can make a donation, please click on the “Donate” tab below to make a safe and secure donation online, or you can mail your check to CLTI, P. O. Box 1123, Carmel, IN. 46082.

Don’t miss the photos below!