VIMAfrica

Scott Stevens cut a 16' x 24' Queen post timber frame like the one in the photo to raise money for a Mission trip to Taiama, Sierra Leone. The frame was sold in an auction.

This is the fourth year that a

team has traveled to the

Taiama Methodist Medical

Clinic in the hinterland of

Sierra Leone. The mission is

primarily medical and the

doctors and nurses treat

approximately 100 persons

per day for acute and chronic

illnesses.

In addition to the medical

mission, team members assist local schools, do construction and repair work at the clinic and church, share their faith in area churches, participate in a peanut butter nutrition project for undernourished children, teach water treatment and education and help with a food demostration plot.

Thank you to those who bid on the frame and the winner of this auction for your support in this project!

GRAND OAKS TIMBER FRAMING

FUND RAISER FOR

TAIAMA MEDICAL CLINIC

SIERRA LEONE, WEST AFRICA

December 31, 2006 - January 13, 2007

THE WINNING BID was

from Lovettsville, VA

Thanks for supporting this mission project!

Photos from trip to Taiama in January, 2007

The following photos will show the progress of the cutting of this timber frame

Bringing the timbers from the sawmill to Grand Oaks

My daughter and I volunteer at the Homplace, an 1850's farm at Land Between the Lakes. While I was there last week I cut out a couple of braces for this frame at the tool shed.

Cutting the mortises on the posts. The timbers are planed and the edges are chamfered.

This timber frame is being cut as you read this webpage. Here is one of the sides that has been trial fitted. I am leaving the lower wall girts off for the moment until I have a buyer and they can tell me where they want the door opening located.

Trial fitting Bent 1. Two more bents to go!

This post and beam joint came together so nicely, I had to take a picture of it. The pegs are temporarily put in for the trial fitting of the bent.

Bent 2 is trial fitted. It takes one day to cut the joinery for a rafter and a full day to trial fit each bent.

I was cutting the the last rafter of the 3rd bent today, 11/29/06. The other pieces of this bent are on the saw horses. I will be trial fitting this bent in a few days.

Part of the money raised from the sale of this timber frame is being used to restore the Methodist Church that was originally built in the 1950's.

Money from the sale of the timber frame was also used to purchase instruments for the choir of the church.

I took this mandolin over with me as a cross-cultural exchange of music. This is quite possibly the only mandolin in Sierra Leone. This guy was left handed. That is why it is upside down! Will bluegrass be heard anytime soon in Africa?

Jayu (above) was an interpreter for us during the trip. He is a great guy! I learned that he is attending the university in Freetown and needed some help with the costs. The money from the sale of this timber frame will be supporting him next year in his education. I was very glad to be able to help him out. It is people like Jayu that will determine the future of Sierra Leone.

The greatest benefit of this trip for my daughter and I was the group of new friends that we made!

We helped support the medical staff in their mission to provide health care and assisted with the Peanut Butter Nutrition project that provided a supplement for undernourished children. This peanut butter mix has been used in other African countries, but this was the pilot project in Sierra Leone. There are plans to promote this project in other areas of Sierra Leone, since it is a very simple mixture and can bring children up to their healthy weight in about 3 months.

My daughter was a main catalyst for me to go to Sierra Leone. She was interested in the trip and I wanted her to broaden her view of the world. Having been a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa 17 years ago, I knew this would be a great experience for her. She and her friends from church raised money and collected soccer uniforms to give to the youth in Taiama. We purchased soccer equipment for two community teams and soccer uniforms for 5 primary schools in Taiama. They played a soccer game for us and it was one of the most intensely played soccer games I have ever seen. They took a lot of pride in wearing their new uniforms!

Final shot of the raised timber frame in Virginia. Thanks to everyone who bid on this timber frame! The money raised from the sale helped support many projects!