“Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” 
                                                                       James 1:27

We will soon take care of that problem. Not by getting a transit, but by building a water level. In this manner we will use water which seeks it’s own level to help us finish leveling the Betikara property where the new home for the Lambs will be erected.  We plan on taking a large container that will hold water, connect a clear plastic hose near the bottom of that container, then fill the container with water. We will hold the end of the clear plastic hose close to the container and then mark the hose to show the level of the water in the container. By taping a yard stick to the end of the hose we will know the height of the water line from the ground.

Once this is done, we can start moving the hose around the area that needs to be leveled. By resting the bottom end of the yard stick on the ground in different areas we will know how many inches higher or lower the ground level is than the water in the container. We should then be able to add a little dirt in that area or remove a little dirt depending on what is needed to make the water in the hose match the mark that was originally put on the hose. This is not the high tech method of modern day for leveling land, but it will be very accurate if used properly.

Second, Rivo is gearing up for the construction of a storage/guard house that will be built near the main gate to the Betikara land. This house will not be very big if you compare it to the main building that will be constructed, Lord willing, starting in the month of August. The storage/guard house will be approximately 10 feet by 20 feet in size.

The ground floor will be used for storing any equipment or supplies that are needed for the upkeep of the grounds. The top floor will be where the guard will reside. By being on the top floor the guard will have a good view of what is going on around the Betikara property as well as a view of the area outside the brick wall that will be constructed in the future.  Once this small building for storage and the guard is completed we will be able to make application to Jirama (the national electric company) and get electricity brought on to the property. If all goes as planned, we will be "electrified" well before the construction of the main building is started. This should make the main construction job go much easier and quicker. Such things as welding and cutting of wood for joists, doors and windows will not have to be done by hand. Also, we might be able to find an electric cement mixer that will speed up the process of mixing cement that is usually done by hand. Just mixing and pouring the floor by hand for a building that is approximately 100 feet wide and 186 feet long is mind boggling. Several people in the states have already asked how such a project can be undertaken. In Madagascar it is an every day occurrence.

Third, the rocks on the Betikara land continue to mount in number. Presently they number more than 15,000. As we look over the area, and the amount of rock that is still left in the ground to be excavated and made into workable pieces, our hopes continue to rise. Rivo has the highest hope of all. He said that if the number of the rocks continues to grow at this rate, we will not need to build with brick at all. The entire building will be able to be made of stone.

If building totally with stone is possible, much time and work will be saved in the building process. The stones are much larger than bricks. Therefore, fewer stones will be needed, and the structure will be still be stronger than if built with bricks. Also, if built totally of stone, we will have a land mark that will be talked about for miles around. In Madagascar the only structures that are built totally of stone are the tombs for the ancestors.

The Betikara Lambs are already enjoying the benefits of the new land near Ivato. We just had our second outing at the land for the Lambs on Easter Monday. The outing was a huge success. The children (and some adults) flew kites, played soccer, fished and had a grand time pushing each other around in the seven wheel barrows that are normally used by the workers at the land.  Everyone involved in the outing was very happy, and are looking forward to the completion of the building project and the moving of the Lambs into their new dwelling.

• Please pray for Sedera and Robert as they continue to study for the big test that is coming up in the month of June.  This test is the deciding factor as to whether or not Sedera and Robert will be able to continue their education in the public school system. 
• Please pray for the safety of the workers out at the Betikara land.  Especially for the safety of the eight men that are working with the rocks.  It would be very easy for one of these men to be crushed by one of the huge pieces of rock that they are removing from the hillside. 
• Pray for the continued health of the Lambs.  We are now getting into the winter months here in Madagascar.  It is sometimes down to 40o Fahrenheit with no heat in the houses.  Many Malagasy people become sick during this time of the year. 
• Pray for the extended families of the Betikara Lambs.  Pray that they may be influenced to follow the teaching of God, because of the love they see shown daily at Betikara.

  Indiana Church of Christ 
  225 East Pike Rd. 
  Indiana, PA  15701 

“He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” 
                           Proverbs 19:17