Behind the Scenes

Overseas mission work is supposed to be exotic and inspirational right?

Well, the type of work that engineers and architects do here at eMi is not often very glamorous or noticeable.  The fact is, the people being served by our ministry partner overseas will never know what we did.  Most people don't want to know how a building was designed, they just want to see it built.  But that's quite all right, since we are not working for recognition from others.  The important thing is that more people in need can be reached with God's love as a result of our work.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us -
yes, establish the work of our hands.

Psalm 90:17

Ever since returning from our earthbag training workshop in Thailand, I have been working on designs for a new medical clinic building for the Free Burma Rangers.  The clinic will have an operating room, ICU, X-ray imaging, and laboratory.  With its location in a remote area of the Burmese jungle, it will likely be the only medical facility for many miles.  FBR doctors and medics will be able to treat victims of attacks by the Burma army and other displaced people who are sick or injured.

Besides drawings and calculations, much of my time has involved putting together a design manual with the help of my project team members.  This includes detailed instructions, diagrams, and explanations for construction that will take place in Burma, beginning as soon as January.  It's been a very unique and interesting project from an engineering perspective - a hospital made of dirt was not covered in any of my classes at Calvin, surprisingly enough.  Keeping everything sterile requires some innovative solutions.  But the biggest challenge has been considering the fact that every building material will have to be carried to the site, a 6 day journey by foot.  This means that not only is there a huge emphasis on minimizing these materials, but also everything from doors to counters will be custom made onsite in the jungle.

Structural modeling of the HyPar roof for earthquake and wind load testing

Communication has been a huge factor for the project so far.  I've been contacting several people in Thailand on a regular basis including our volunteer architect, FBR missionary doctor, and an earthbag building expert who coincidentally lives there.  The only problem is we are never working at the same time due to the 12 hour time difference.  I've also had a lot of help from our structural engineer in Arkansas, as well as the eMi staff here in Colorado.  

There has been a lot of thought and bouncing ideas back and forth for this seemingly simple clinic building.  I really think we will have a great design for them when all is said and done.  We are pushing to get everything completed by the end of my time here in December (which is rapidly approaching), so that FBR will be able to start and finish building during the dry season in Burma.  I'm excited to have the finished design to hand over to the FBR team.

But there's still a lot more exotic and inspirational work to do before then.

The floor plan, approved by the missionary doctor and the earthbag expert

Although a little strange looking, it will get the job done

In All Things

If there's anything I've learned in the past months it's that I can never predict how God will work through any given situation.  Usually the things that God puts me through in my walk with Him don't make much sense to me - at least not until later when I look back on them.  In fact, there's a lot I don't understand about how God makes everything work together.

Here's a little bit of news for everyone that I haven't told yet:

Starting in February 2012 I will be serving in the Peace Corps for 27 months as an Environment and Water Engineer in the Water and Sanitation Program in Honduras.  If you're wondering how that happened, let's back up a little.

Beginning way back in April, when I was still a college kid, I started looking into this thing called the Peace Corps.  At first it was just some crazy idea I had to avoid getting a normal job and to experience another part of the world.  As I went through the lengthy application process I started to think that this crazy idea just might become a reality.  Several interviews and mountains of paper work later, I realized that I had a pretty good chance of being accepted.  I started to wonder what I was getting myself into.  Interestingly enough, it seemed that things were working out perfectly: they had a spot available in a Spanish speaking country (I just barely qualified with my Spanish coursework), it started shortly after my internship with eMi, and they were very eager for environmental engineers with some international experience and a history of volunteering.  Very interesting indeed...

The official letter inviting me to sign my life away for 2 years

Then one day a large packet came in the mail; a letter inside congratulated me for being invited to serve in Honduras.  This was exciting but shocking at the same time.  Of course I had been thinking about this opportunity for quite some time, but right then it hit me: I needed to make a choice to accept or decline, knowing it would significantly impact the next few years of my life (if not all of them).  Making big decisions is not my forte.  Even though I had a lot of doubt come rushing in, I couldn't lose the feeling that God had been setting things in motion.  Unfortunately God does not always make one direction an obvious choice.

One of my reservations about the program was the fact that it is a secular organization, not to mention run by the government.  Working with faith based non-profits has been a huge blessing for me.  The good news is that I know God will work through my efforts regardless of where I work.  But the hardest part is knowing that I will have to leave my family and friends for this 27 month commitment.  They have always been a huge support for me, and I really don't like the idea of being so far away from that.  After talking with different people and a whole lot of prayer, I felt God's presence in it all.  I accepted the invitation, only by faith in God's perfect plan.  He has given me so much peace now, and I have faith that no matter what happens, God will use it all for good.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Defend the Weak

So many people in Burma have been run out of their homes, having to leave all their belongings and any hope of a secure life behind.  Without food or shelter, there is no one to help them.  That's when the Free Burma Rangers along with Partners, a relief and development organization, come to give food, supplies, medical attention, and ultimately hope.  This is showing the love of Christ to the desperate, the poorest of the poor.

Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.  Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 82:3-4 

Thailand Flooding

Flooding in Thailand is worse now than it has been in over 50 years.  What we experienced right before leaving from Chiang Mai was just the beginning stages.  Over 500 people have died nationwide now.  The water may not go down for weeks yet.  If you have a minute please pray for people who are struggling through this.

Children of Burma

Not So Different
This video stirs up a lot of emotions for me after seeing firsthand the way that children in Burma are suffering.  It's no longer just another social justice issue on the other side of the world.  Being in a refugee camp and seeing their faces makes it much harder to put these children out of my mind.

Thailand Highlight #1: Co-workers with the Creator

About a week ago we had the opportunity to share about our project trip in Thailand with the rest of the Colorado Springs office.  It wasn't a time to tell about how design objectives were met or all the things we were able to get done.  This was a time to share how God was working and what He taught us during our time on the trip.  We had plenty to talk about.

For eMi project trips, and I'm sure most other trips like them, the thing that stands out the most is usually not the actual work that is accomplished.  The most impactful part is the relationships formed with people.  I definitely experienced this while we were in Thailand.  Close relationships are formed when you work with someone day in and day out.  And everywhere we went it seemed we met people who were full of life and plenty of interesting stories; people like missionaries with the Free Burma Rangers who left the comfort of their home countries to serve, guys volunteering to come help with our build project at the last minute, medics who risk their lives for others, refugees who can still be content, and travelers just passing through on an adventure.  Many of these people came to us only by God's perfect timing and according to His plan.

In our intern Bible study at the office we have been looking through Ecclesiastes and wrestling with Solomon's words of wisdom.  Some of the main themes point to the idea that the physical work we do in this world does not define us.  It does not carry the weight of God's glory.  But when we work with God, He blesses us in our labor and builds a relationship with us through that process.  It's incredible that God allows us to accomplish His purpose, to work alongside our Creator.  When you combine this with working side by side with other followers of Christ, I think it's a real picture of how God wants us to live.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.  That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.  I know that everything God does will endure forever... 

Ecclesiastes 3:11-14

These are some pictures of my co-workers in Christ.  They are people we built relationships with, bridging gaps between cultures and languages.  I loved seeing how God brought all these people together for His purpose.  God is working in the lives of of many all over the world in this way, and the experience was a huge encouragement for me to strive to continue working at building Christ-centered relationships wherever I go in life.

I took a few pictures during the trip of the build project, Chiang Mai, and Korea.