Designing, Restoring, Rejoicing

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) -...

One of the more common phrases that our trip leader Kevin used during our week of devotions was that the God we serve is a 'big' God. In our week of living in Myanmar I got a better understanding of how big God is. "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him" Psalm 103:11 How does one approach sharing all that went on in two weeks? Here is the plan; four posts over one week (ambitious!) - varying from the serious to fun. Sunday (today) A look at the Myanmar people and culture with a focus on the mission we partnered with for a week.  Tuesday October 7th: A focus on the work that Engineering Ministries International completed while in Myanmar.  Wednesday October 8th: A list of 'firsts' that I experienced while in Asia, and;  Saturday October 11th: Five lessons learned from being outside of NA for the first time.  Meet David and Nancy David and Nancy Biakkung with their youngest daughter Ju...