The ceiling is very high -- and three layers thick!

    Today we had a large agenda -- we requested and received a large contingent of workers from the congregation, from school, and friends of Salem. The ceiling needed to be removed. A nasty, dirty, job with hands overhead for many arm-aching hours. Removing tiles and furring strips -- and then more hours of nail and screw removal. And the people on the ground, who were picking up and removing the dislodged tiles and boards and hauling them to the dumpster, had to dodge falling debris and breathe between the dust particles. The dust was very thick -- it made many of these photos hard to discern the images (and over half of the photos had to be discarded).

    And then we also cleared the patio/garden area in front of the new nursery and hauled vegetation to the dumpster. And we cleared out the back storage area (which used to be the entry to the sanctuary when the gym was originally the church) and re-opened the arch into the new youth room. Final sweeping made a long, sweaty, exhausting twelve-hour day for Glen and Mike. And over twenty-five people put in two to eight hours each. A hard day -- but we got a lot accomplished.