Designing, Restoring, Rejoicing

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

It has now been nearly one week since 're-entry' into Canada. I have had a chance to catch up on sleep, visit family, and eat too much Ghanian chocolate. Now I hope to convey some of what happened during my visit to Accra. The week's post will focus on the 'who' and 'what' - who I worked for and with, and what did we work on? Next week I plan on answering the question 'where' and 'why' - giving you a closer look at Ghana through these eyes and some thoughts on what brought me and our team to this country. Meet the Team Each Engineering Ministries International (eMi) project is a partnership between a ministry and volunteer team. Our client for this trip was Dr. Edward Fynn, a Ghana raised radiologist who volunteers heavily with the Navigators of Africa. Edward's vision was to develop a 70-acre site North East of Accra into a training and retreat centre. One of the Navigators main ministry thrusts is discipleship, growing Christians th

Lane of Cedars Cedar of Lebanon. Man for scale. I write this update from the comfort of my parent's house in Canada. I am excited to share that these past ten days in Africa have been blessed, rich, and memorable. Similar to my previous trip to Myanmar, I am planning to write some lengthy posts highlighting all things both eMi and Ghana, but for now here is a quick reflection as I fight jet lag and the memories are still fresh. On Tuesday of this week, we presented our work to the ministry - the culmination of our efforts from the week in Ghana. Typically after the presentation, the eMi team will go sightseeing and 'blow off some steam'. Having native Ghanaians on our team was a real blessing in this regard as we piled into our van and got to tour the Aburi Botanical Garden - a leftover of the British occupation. Established in 1890, the gardens are home to some pretty amazing plants. It is here a term from scripture vividly came to life. The gardens

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,

After a three year hiatus, I am overjoyed to be able to share another chance to serve with Engineering Ministries International (eMi.) If you are reading this, you have either followed the link on my support letter or are still subscribed to updates for this blog. I am excited to share more of this new project in Ghana, Africa. Ever since my internship with eMi in 2014, the desire to serve again has been strong. If you are unfamiliar with eMi's project process, here's a quick primer. eMi is a multinational Christian development organization that seeks to 'design a world of hope' for the spiritually and physically poor. eMi partners with missions groups already established on the ground, helping to bring the ministry's vision to light from a technical perspective. Each eMi project team is composed of eMi staff, student interns, and professional volunteers such as engineers, architects, and surveyors. On my last eMi trip, I served as a student intern, completin