Welcome to Colorful Colorado

After a long journey from the land shaped like a hand, I was able to settle in a bit in Colorado Springs.  I had just enough time to explore part of the city and move things into my new home - an apartment with my two intern housemates, Jay and Stephen.  The roller coaster-like roads have taken some getting used to, and I first noticed the effects of the elevation change (we're at about 6000-7000 ft) when all my containers of liquids exploded after opening.  But I must say the scenery here is much more interesting than the midwest.

Home sweet home for the next 4 months

Exploring the park right by our apartment

Last week was eMi intern orientation, a physically tiring but spiritually energizing experience.  All 28 interns serving in different eMi offices around the world met together here in Colorado Springs at a retreat center for eight days.  Our schedule was packed from about 7:30am to 9:00pm almost every day.  Staff from eMi gave presentations and discussions for technical and cultural training.  We studied the Bible with regards to missions and God's call for us as Christian engineers and architects.  Although at times it was somewhat of an information overload, we were given time to process our thoughts and spend time alone with God.  

The backyard of the retreat center

There were some really valuable lessons that helped me realize how God has designed me different than the rest of the body of Christ.  Some of these were finding our individual strengths, personality type, and spiritual gifts.  I realized there is so much that goes into reaching people of a different culture with the Gospel.  The training has helped me better understand how culture in different parts of the world plays a huge role in how we communicate the love of God to people.  We are always reminded to avoid the natural reaction of thinking that all unfamiliar cultural differences are bad - many are just different than what Westerners are used to.  

While we learned many things, we also had time to enjoy the great outdoors with some hiking and outdoor games.  It was nice to get some fresh air, even though there doesn't seem to be quite as much of it to breathe up here.  Even just a week after meeting all the interns, we became like family.  We shared our testimonies, studied the Word together, and prayed for each other.

Climbing rocks with new friends

Having to say goodbye to most of them was a little sad as they traveled to their offices in India, Uganda, Costa Rica, and Egypt.  But I am very excited about the group of nine of us serving here in the Colorado Springs office.  It's going to be a blast as we grow together and share experiences from our different project trips.  God continues to bless me and I am extremely grateful to be here.