This has been somewhat of a crazy time preparing for the trip. It's unusual for eMi to have an actual build project, which means a lot of designs have had to be completed beforehand, construction supplies and materials found in country, and generally a lot of work in a short amount of time. To make things more complicated we've temporarily lost our project leader, Rex. His mom passed away on Tuesday night and he has had to completely reschedule his travel plans around the funeral. Even though the death was expected, it's obviously still hard on him especially while there is so much to do. I've been trying to fill in for him as best I can, because I want him to be able to focus on his family and be able to process things over the next few days. This means the rest of the team will be flying out to Thailand, getting transported to the work site, and starting construction of the earthbag and hypar roof project without our leader. Seeing as Rex is the designated expert on earthbag construction, he has assigned me the task of researching and learning as much as I can to lead in that area until he arrives. This should be interesting.
God has certainly done some amazing things as far as bringing much needed help and pulling things together at the last minute. I have no doubt that He will work some miracles during this trip to provide for us and for the ministry we are serving. My hope is that our team will be an encouragement to the Free Burma Rangers and give them increased motivation for the work they do in medical support for the IDPs and refugees of Burma. These members of the FBR are on the front lines of a war zone, risking their lives to help these outcasts. They have given up lives of comfort and safety to share God's love with the hopeless. I'm guessing they could use some encouragement. I'm also excited about the potential impact that this building technology could have for people there and around the world.
This week a team of volunteer engineers with eMi participated in a training exercise with TSC Global, a secular organization that developed of the hypar roof. We learned techniques to construct a roof system very similar to what we will be building in Thailand. This was a huge advantage and we feel much more prepared for the project. Also one of those last minute acts of God I was talking about is that Steve, one of the top guys from TSC, recently decided to join us on the trip to help with the roof system. He is a believer and he will be a great help to us in the field. So thank God for that.
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| Members of TSC explain procedures for mixing latex and concrete |
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| Getting the right shape with mesh strips in tension over roof frame |
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| Applying the latex/concrete mix to the hypar membrane |
Over the next three weeks I'm not sure how much I'll be in contact, especially at our remote location (which has no address). The trip includes about a 14 hour flight to Seoul, South Korea and a flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand. From there we will drive to Mae Sariang near the Burma border where our prototype build site is. So it's going to be quite a bit of traveling (about 33 hours total), and with the 11 hour time change it will be pretty exhausting. After the first week and a half we should be done with the construction training. During this time the team will also be gathering information and developing designs for the medical school to be built in Burma. At the conclusion we will present preliminary designs and results to the ministry.
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| This is Monkey, who will be our guide in Mae Sariang |
The last week Rex and I along with the other intern, Seth, will attend an appropriate technology, community development, and sustainable agriculture conference in Chiang Mai. This will give us a chance to show people from all over the world what the team has accomplished and to promote eMi. Seth, the team architect Bill, and I will spend our last day in South Korea networking and exploring, then on October 8 we'll finally return home, God willing.
Please pray for us as a team, that we would bond well and get things off to a good start without our leader. Even though things are hectic and I feel a little unprepared with all the uncertainties, I have a great feeling about the trip. I think God is going to do some really awesome things in the hearts of the volunteers, the Free Burma Rangers, and myself. Again, I can't thank everyone enough for the support I have back home and everywhere else, it really keeps me going. Thailand, here I come...
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