The Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) expresses gratitude to the Chinese Union Mission (CHUM) of Seventh-day Adventists for generously providing unrestricted donated funds, which are being used for the ongoing improvement of campus facilities. As a result, the last dirt road on campus, one that runs behind the Physical Plant to the Student Tower R Complex, is now paved and open for use.

“We are facing some challenges, but despite that, we are here to receive the blessing of the Lord. This is a result of the service we want to provide to all AIIAS students,” announced Dr. Jorge Montero, AIIAS vice president for Finance, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony that took place on May 17, 2023, attended by a group of AIIAS students and employees.

“I’m so thankful to the Lord because right now [following the pandemic], we have nothing. But God is like that. When you have nothing, He gives you something, as long as you’re faithful to Him,” shared Dr. Ginger Ketting-Weller, AIIAS president.

Ketting-Weller told the story of how the project was funded by the Chinese Union Mission, which allocated a portion of a large donation for AIIAS. In addition to funding the AIIAS Academy building project with US$100,000, as requested by the administration during the construction of the school, CHUM leadership provided an extra US$100,000 for “whatever the institution most needs.” It was deemed that campus improvement projects, which serve the students, should take priority. The paving of the road to Tower R had been requested by residents of that tower so they would no longer need to navigate potholes and dust.

“We are very, very grateful for people who think about AIIAS and our needs, and for the good Lord who, when we have nothing, [gives] us something. We love to see new things going in and making life easier for the people who live in our housing on campus,” concluded Ketting-Weller.

With the donation from CHUM, AIIAS has so far been able to purchase a large LED screen panel for the amphitheater and materials for the construction of the new paved road leading to Student Tower R. Further priority projects under this special funding remain to be identified.

The original version of this story was posted on the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies website.