A day in the life or "The tables set before me" - also a surprise!

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 feel as though I'm just reading words on a page and not the living truth of His word, nibbling as it were at the table spread before me.  I hope that God would make my greatest hunger not for physical bread but for the bread of life that he provides.


The morning routine, spiritual and physical sustenance.

Travelling to work has also been a highlight.  Despite increasingly cooler temperatures somehow I find myself on my bike heading out to the office.  It seems that each morning God decides to paint yet another variation on "Sunrise in Calgary".  I may have been a traffic hazard more often than not these past few weeks, catching glimpses of His creation waking up each day while pedaling furiously to the office.

This gives you about a 1% indication of the light show one sees each morning in Calgary


My working days have been primarily spent working on our design report and drawing set for the College.  It has been a slow but steady learning curve with AutoCAD, but I'm becoming more comfortable with the program - just yesterday I created my first linetype showing where well water will be pumped throughout the site.  Sounds boring - but to these eyes extremely satisfying.

My view from my intern desk.

There is a great balance between work and social interaction in eMi, which is best expressed in the daily devotions and prayer hour (or half hour if we are 'busy') that we share.  I have appreciated the diversity of devotions and reflections that have been expressed over the past two months.  Our conversations about faith, God, and life have become increasingly animated as the staff, interns and volunteers deepen friendships and share experience.  It is also not uncommon for someone to bring in some sort of tasty treat as well during this time (I have high hopes for Halloween upcoming!)

Sitting down for some devotions and enjoying brownies!
My days end with a bike ride home (all uphill!) and dinner with my housemates.  Tonight was omelettes supreme with croissants on the side - very filling!

I'll sign off quickly with a few prayer requests.

  • I am actively job hunting for the new year but have told the staff that if nothing comes up I would be glad to intern again this winter.  Please pray that my steps would be ones following him.
  • Engineering Ministries International Canada is hosting a big fundraiser this Saturday to close off the year.  Much of the office, project and staff costs are raised through this event, pray that we will trust in His provision and be focused solely on sharing the amazing work that God has done using eMi.
  • Lastly, I have had a few conversations with my neighbors downstairs and am hoping to have them 'over' for a meal sometime in the near future.  They liked my cookies on Thanksgiving weekend so I don't think it will take much convincing!
Thank you for your prayers and continued interest in my adventure out West.
In Christ,
Ben

P.S.  One of the volunteers from the trip made a short summary video of our time in Myanmar.  Enjoy! (that was the surprise....)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

eMi's work on Myanmar Mission College or "Designing Hope"

Image
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
Read more

Where and Why or "Final Thoughts"

Image
Time for one final post about the Ghana trip! When I was interning with eMi, it felt as though I had more time to write and reflect. Thanks for your patience while I get my act together. I would like to cover three things in this post. First, give a flavour for the people of Ghana, look a bit into the 'why' of the trip, and lastly offer some thanksgiving for all that the trip experience taught. Ghana: Africa for Beginners Close to the end of our time in Accra, Roberta told me that 'Ghana is like Africa for beginners.' In hindsight, I now understand what she was saying. I was preparing for a culture shock when arriving in Africa for the first time, but the ingredients that make that shock a 'shock' were dulled. Everyone I met in Ghana spoke English for one thing, breaking communication barriers right from the get-go. There was hardly a moment where we felt unsafe or compromised in our security. And on top of that we had air conditioning while sleeping! Th
Read more

Destination Ghana or "You are who you say you are"

Image
I am writing this quick update from the airport in Washington. My flight to Africa leaves in just a few hours. Much has happened in the three weeks since I last wrote. My time is short so I will keep this brief. I had three prayer requests in my last update and praise God all three have been answered! My Visa arrived about a week ago, opening the door for me to officially go on this trip. Secondly, I had shared some apprehensions with the increasing role I had been assigned on this trip, and the concerns about properly serving the ministry while in Accra. When sharing my trip with my co-workers, I learned that one of our senior engineers had done design in Ghana a few years ago! All of a sudden I had an unexpected hand up in having resources for the work to come! Lastly, I am concerned about team unity and for the quick meshing of our volunteer team. I have participated in two team conference calls and needless to say I am even more excited to be a part of this project! In His way,
Read more