Designing, Restoring, Rejoicing

I was reminded today of how difficult endings are.  It was my last day in the Canada office and bittersweet would not begin to describe that milestone.  While I am beyond excited to go home for Christmas and to spend some much anticipated time with friends and family, I already miss my eMi family.  Here is what has transpired over my last month in Calgary. Project Completion! Just today (Tuesday December 16th) Kevin, Katey and I put the finishing touches on our report and drawing set for the ministry in Myanmar.  The past two weeks were a bit of a scramble, co-ordinating changes to drawings, making sure architectural and structural plans agree, and praying that AutoCAD (our drawing software) and Windows explorer would stop crashing.  We had some full days of work but it was extremely fun in these eyes.  I was especially happy to dive fuller into the structural side of our work, as I was able to do some preliminary work on column location and beam sizing for many of the planned bui

Hello faithful readers, I write today with much to share of the past two weeks in Calgary.  One of the unexpected benefits of writing updates on a regular basis is that it forces me to consider the variety and frequency of blessings and lessons that occur in such a short time.  I'll highlight three such experiences below. eMi Dessert Night and Silent Auction On Saturday November 1st, Engineering Ministries International hosted it's annual fall fundraiser, a silent auction dessert night!  Having the unique perspective of being 'behind the scenes' I did not realize the vast amount of organization and effort required to orchestrate such an event.  The purpose of the fundraiser was to increase awareness in Calgary about eMi and also raise necessary funds to support future project trips to Cambodia and Haiti this upcoming January. A view from the back during the main presentation of the dessert night. We transformed a large reception room at Foothills Allia

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:114 One of the lessons I am learning about writing online is that writer's block (blogger's fatigue?) can occur as easily at a keyboard as it can with a pen in hand.  As I type tonight it marks exactly one month since I arrived back from Myanmar.  That fact threw me for a loop - October has been a blur but full of joys. One question that has been occurring frequently in my conversations with family and my local church is, "What are you doing now that your trip is finished?"  Here's a little look into the day-to-day of an eMi intern, a series of tables. One of the great blessings from my time out West has been the ability to consistently start my day with a feast in God's word.  Some mornings are better than others as by His grace He reveals more of his majesty, justice and love and I 'eat' until I'm bursting with joy and praise.  Some mornings are tough; I

The morning I headed out of Canada on our trip to Myanmar, I was reminded through email of a remarkable passage in the Bible, from Psalm 139. "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." ~Psalm 139: 15-16 (NIV - emphasis mine) I am floored to think my days in Myanmar (all my days for that matter) were in God's 'book' before I first took breath.  All that I was to see and smell and learn and feel was no accident; His purpose and plan was behind it all.  In light of Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend what better time then to briefly reflect on some of the lessons (4 serious and 1 environmental) that I have learned in this season of life that the LORD ordained.  If you notice a theme through the first couple of lessons that is a good thing! (Hint: God

I'm going to have a bit of fun here - a list of all the 'first's' I can think of as a result of spending two weeks in South East Asia. flying across the Pacific taking malaria meds (the stories about strange dreams afterwards is very true) first foreign visa in my passport (Myanmar Tourist) first time in a right hand drive car (but they still drive on the right - figure that!) first time in ASIA sleeping on a plane airplane meals (surprisingly good - especially the veggie option) first coffee - I was desperate for energy! fresh mangoes rice twice a day all the time taught an English class first time hearing Buddhist meditations (daily at 4AM no less) deep fried bananas leeches, geckos and scorpions! humidity in the 40's visiting a pagoda losing my wallet in Myanmar finding my wallet in Myanmar trying hot pot! eating minnows or some small fish eating at a 'five star' hotel (the Strand Hotel in Yangon) first time being sick in an airpo

Bringing a Vision to Life In my previous post I shared about the vision that David and Nancy have for Myanmar Mission College - to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole nation through the training and sending of the people of Myanmar.  Engineering Ministries International was requested to help bring that vision to life in a very practical way through the development and design of a master plan for the college site.  My hope is to share a quick summary of what our team was able to create in our week with the people of Myanmar. Meet the Team Each eMi project team is comprised of volunteers, staff members and interns from across the world, having the common goal of using the talents and gifts given by God in assisting these ministries to achieve their vision.  Our team was comprised of 8 professionals from Canada and the States, a unique mixture of architects, planners and engineers.  Here's the team. Kevin Wiens, P.Eng (eMi Project Leader) - our wise and e