The Embassy of Christ

The embassy of Christ was established after the last desperate civil war that led Former President Charles Taylor in prison. During the war in 2003, Pastor C. Blojay Ericson used to go in displaced people's camps to preach, counsel, and pray with poeple who the civilwar forced from their communities and were displaced in the Paynesville areas. Although he did not have food, clothes, and money to give to the displaced, but he could give Christ, pray and counsel those who lost their children and other family members as a result of the intensive fighting. After the war ceased in 2004, and Elections were held in 2005, Pastor Ericson still has the passion and the call of God to establish a ministry directly to the children and young people. Therefore, he established a church in the Bonjal community. A community consisting of many young people and war-affected children. After few months of service, Pastor Ericson had a touch from the Lord to open a school to meet the needs of the children whose parents do not have the money to send their children to school. The school is presently on 'Junior High' level.

When life was very tough in 2007 (when he could not provide for his family), he decided to quit the ministry, close the the church and school and find othe jobs so that he and his family would survive the hardship, but the LORD ministered to him and said, "SON, I HAVE CALLED YOU TO RAISE UP A NEW GENERATION." He was encouraged and gained hope and began to work harder.

A teemporary school building was designed and built with reeds and tarpaulin. Due to lack of money, the building took about six months to get the tarpaulin on the roof. In November, 2008, Brother Hans Sachs visited the school and extended some financial help for the volunteer teachers. Beginning May to June, 2009, Brother H., his family, and the school in Oelde sent some money for zincing, painting, plastering of the floor and other works on the school building.

The church members, students, and parents were involved in doing the work. It was amazing to have poeple working without requesting for pay. We only bought enough food stuffs for those who volunteered to work during those days.

Many parents and self-support young people are coming with lot of appeals to extend the school building in order to accomodate them. We have not accepted them because of the limitted classrooms. We hope to extend the school building soon to accomodate the most needed ones with the help of Christ. The school is a great help to the community becuase we are running it on a ministry level. As you may know, we are just from a fifteen-year civil war. There is no jobs. Things are becoming very hard daily.

The school building is now acceptable for learning, but very small to host the all of the children in this community. It cannot host all of the students (4 classrooms).

WORDS OF APPRECIATION

The volunteer teachers/support staff, students, parents, and church members extend our heartfelt gratitude to Brother H., His family, friends, and the school in Oelde for their support and love for war-affected children in Paynesvill, Liberia.

REQUESTS

Please pray with us for this Academic year for success and smooth learning. These are few urgent needs for prayers:

1. Money for a parcel of land. A parcel of land with structures on it to be bought for used for the school.

2. Scholarship or sponsorship for needed students. Children who parents do not have money to support them in school.

3. Assistance for volunteer teachers.

OTHER NEEDS FOR PRAYERS

1. Bibles, notebooks, pens, pencils, color pencils, and other school books and materials (chairs, desks, tables, etc.)

2. Used clothing and feetwear

3. Computers, manual typewriters, laptops, printers, photocopiers, scanners (to improve our learn capacity).

4. Cars, motorbikes, bycircles, power-saw or chain-saw, (for missions and agriculture works).

5. Musical instrument, generators, film project, etc.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIP IN THIS MINISTRY OF THE WAR-AFFECTED CHILDREN OF LIBERIA. LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT.

Yours in His vine your in Christ.

His Humble servant,

Pastor C. Blojay Ericson

A Self-Made Bamboo School in Monrovia

The Eamel International Resource Academy (EIRA) is a 'Junior Highschool' situated in a suburban community of Monrovia, Liberia lying in the middle between Robert's Field Airport (14 miles) and downtown Monrovia (11 miles). The School is easy to spot from the road as it sets oneself apart from other buildings due to its simple, functional building design using well treated bamboo reeds as wall panels.

With a clearly structured room layout the 56 by 20 feet long bamboo box includes 4 class rooms, 2 offices and a broad open front porch protecting the class room entries from heavy weather conditions. The class room furniture are simple wooden benches with attached tables and every class room has its own large blackboard. The roof is made by an orange tarp being supported by 4 timber purlins on each sloping side. The basic roof and general building structure consists of wooden sticks and 2x2 inch planks. The sliced bamboo reeds are attached to a wooden frame with enlarged nailheads. As enlargement collected crown caps are being used.

The school was being planned and executed by Pastor C. Blojay Ericson driven by the desperate search for teaching space for the children of the 'Embassy of Christ' Church within the ELWA community. The construction work of the bamboo-wood building lasted for 2 months in total starting in April 2008 and finishing in September 2008 but being interrupted by a shortage of money.

The project was broadly funded by students' parents and the church. The overall costs until now (pictures' date) went up to 700 USD and around another 3000 USD are needed for the completion of the building with 12 class rooms, floor finishing (sand plaster) and pupils' bathrooms.

The yearly maintainance costs are estimated to be around 200 USD per year (protective paint) for the up to date house size and go up to 450 USD for the completed version. The children who visit the school now (it looked like their are at school every day because almost all of them were there on my visits on Saturday and Sunday) helped carrying the bamboo reeds from the bush to the building site and were involved into the construction process when possible. For all other works 7 helpers were participating over the 2 months of building the school. The responsibles of the of the church community appreciate any kind of contact in the world or support to extend their existing infrastructure and general communal services in terms of education, health but also psychological and trauma treatment of kids suffering from consequences of the civil war.

Contact

Embassy of Christ

Pastor C. Blojay Ericson

Tel. [Liberia] +231-77038596

Email cbeambassador@yahoo.com

Project data sheet

Architect / Planer

Pst. C. Blojah Ericson

Project name

Eamel International Resource Academy (EIRA)

Junior Highschool

Date of construction

April - May / August - September 2008

Building purpose / layout

School with 4 classrooms, 1 Office, 1 Storage (+ small soccerfield)

Dimensions

16 x 56 feet (including front porch)

Building materials

Bamboo Reeds, Wooden Sticks (unprocessed), Timber Planks

Amount of workers

7 Persons (Kids helped on easy tasks)

Budget

~ 700 $

Maintenance costs

~ 250 $ / year (Paint)

Estimated durability

7 years