Dear friends,
The month of August is the peak of the so-called dog days of summer. Our schools are not in session and our teachers are enjoying their holiday. However, even in this slow season, we have been busy with successful projects.
The first one was the Robotics Training Center. Its story illustrates the vibe and spirit of our school. By January 2020, the proposal was ready and by February we had registered several pledges for its financing. Then COVID-19 broke out and the promised sources of finance dried up. However, our teachers did not give up. They made some adjustments and even with a very limited budget ($8,000) they completed the first phase. Now two labs plus one office are ready! Starting this September, our students will have a space where they can enjoy robotics and computer science classes. Of course, there is a lot of work ahead, equip these premises with all the necessary robotic units, accessories, plotters, etc., but the seed has been planted and is ready to grow. Our plan is to develop this space into a regional center for innovation in computer science and robotics.
The second project the summer school. Because of COVID-19, our students had to be schooled online from March 2020 and only returned to classrooms for the closing week of the school year. To compensate for the shortage of social interaction, we organized one week of Summer school for 45 elementary students. The theme was “Water means Life.” Children learned why water is so unique and why we must keep it clean. Lessons were supplemented by field trips, craft projects, and a play about sailors. The week ended with a water show with lots of competitions and games. Water means earthly life but the water of baptism means eternal life, and this was also the good news many kids learned during that week.
The third project was social. A Roma slum in Eastern Slovakia flooded in July. With our congregation in Martin, we provided a van full of clothing, hygiene materials, and kitchen utensils. Boris, one of the locals who spreads the gospel there, coordinated this project at their end. Sadly, another flood hit them last week. We delivered another batch of material help, joining the locals in bringing both the gospel message and Christian help to the needy. Here, the best news is that we are learning to think of and be there for others.
As for our building projects progress, one couple decided to donate $23,000 to the Visual Arts Studio. Praise God! We dearly appreciate this help and will do our best to finish the studio ASAP. About the same amount (out of a total of $75,200) is needed to complete our Music Studio. The indoor sport facilities, budgeted at $240,500, remain our biggest investment challenge for this year. We ask you to prayerfully consider donating to this project. Let us join forces and get it done together!
Dear friends, we are ready to start the 2020/2021 school year. Again, every chair is taken, serving over 700 students (exact number in next update). With your help, we will bring the Good News to them and their parents through high quality Christian education. May the Lord our God grant all of us another great year in His school, learning to love Him with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Yours,
Adrian Kacian, Director of Development Bohdan Hroboň, president of CCE
