Published Sun, Oct 23, 22.
Written by Scott Chleborad.
The only thing better than putting up a building with one of our church partners is doing it all over again!
In 2018, Hillcrest Church in Sioux Falls committed to building the first classrooms for our high school students at Adams Thermal Academy Ottoro. This past weekend, Hillcrest Church again committed to helping our students by launching construction of the first housing complex for our teachers and staff in Ottoro.
During a special service on Sunday, October 16th, the entire congregation of Hillcrest filled the sanctuary from wall-to-wall in order to hear about the ways in which their lives could impact or "matter" to their community, to the world and to the Kingdom of God. Senior Pastor Doug Bartel introduced "Ottoro 2.0" by sharing a custom-printed giving catalog that identified all the ways that individual congregation members could participate in the project. The church then committed to match every gift given by the congregation. Adams Thermal Foundation President, Mike Adams, attended the service with his family and shared about why Ottoro matters in the context of Ethiopia and eternity.
One of the biggest challenges in Ottoro is the living conditions. The community lies in a mountainous area without developed roads or infrastructure. Virtually all of the buildings, including most homes, are built with mud and grass and thin corrugated steel panels. There are no stores or restaurants and most people travel on foot or horseback or catch a ride on a small motorbike. Even by Ethiopian standards, life is difficult in Ottoro. Imagine trying to hire people to come and live and work in Ottoro!
The Ottoro Staff Housing Construction Project will greatly enhance the living conditions of professional educators who commit to teaching at Adams Thermal Academy. Once completed, the facility will offer Ottoro staff their own personal sleeping rooms with closet space and comfortable beds. A common living room space will be available to all staff as well as modern bathrooms and a shared kitchen. In addition, the compound will share electricity, fresh water and internet service with the school.
We look forward to working alongside Hillcrest Church once again and we are grateful for their love of the students and families and staff that we serve in the community of Ottoro, Ethiopia. Please pray for the launch of this project, the identification of a contractor, the budget, the workers and the timeline for completion.
Thank you to the Hillcrest Church congregation and to Pastor Doug and Pastor Brian. There will be more news in the coming months!