New Slideshow Captures 2006

Every so often our family receives "care packages" from our RCAC church family. From cards, letters and drawings with encouraging notes to gifts of extra support during special seasons in the Christian calendar, these are welcome moments for us.

We recently received a scrap book of messages from the Junior High Fellowship group, using my mom as a courier as she and my nephew flew up for an all too short visit. Included in the package was a slideshow with music that one of the leaders, Terence, put together for us. It incorporates photos of our family this winter and a sampling of photos from all of my 2006 project trips. It's called 2006 Family/Projects Slideshow. Check it out on the right side of the blog under Web Links. (Thanks, Terence!)

Thanks Junior High Fellowship, Missions Sunday Kids and all others for your love and encouragement.

A Season Of Missions Fests

Patrick and Steve with a potential volunteer

The eMi year is divided into three project “season” cycles: January/February (Spring), May/June (Summer) and September/October (Fall). The months in-between are filled with both follow-up work on reports and drawings as well as preparations for the next project cycle. Every few cycles each staff team leader will take a break from project leading in order to get caught up on project work and have some time for shared office administration duties.

After three straight projects in 2006, Greg took the Spring Cycle (which in Calgary is something of a misnomer) off from project leading in order to complete an extensive report for Zambia and also spend time “growing” eMi Canada with participation in Missions Fests in both Vancouver and Edmonton. In Vancouver Greg had the opportunity to speak at several youth and adult seminars and although these were not strictly to promote eMi, they did give further exposure to who we are and what we do. In Edmonton Steve had an opportunity to speak directly about eMi at a special seminar session.

Steve and Greg at the eMi booth

Steve and Greg were aided at both conferences by past volunteers and interns (Olwen, Johnny, Freeman, Donald, Rui and Tommy), a present part-time staff (Patrick Cochrane) and in-coming full-time staff (Kevin Wiens). Their participation at the booth helped give Steve and Greg breaks (Saturdays were 13 hour days) and Greg the opportunity to speak at the seminars. Thanks!

We met literally hundreds of people, from those who were eager to be personally involved to many spouses, parents and friends of architects, engineers and those of other related fields. “Oh, I gotta let _____ hear about this” was an often heard phrase. Each Missions Fest we have participated in has resulted directly in the participation of new project volunteers and great connections with numerous potential ministry clients seeking our service.

We intend to continue our participation in these conferences so make a point of coming to see us the last weekend of January in Vancouver (Canada Place) and the final weekend of February in Edmonton (Shaw Conference Centre). As we gain new staff and resources we plan to expand our presence to other Missions Fests across Canada.

Family - Reflections of 2006

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”

- Philippians 4 (The Message)

A Look Back. Some years seem to fly by. For us, 2006 was so packed that January feels like both yesterday for its vividness and long ago for all that has happened in the remaining eleven months. After moving in to our home just days before Christmas of 2005, 2006 started off with a flying start as we finally unpacked into “our” home after sojourning for almost 4 years, living out of “just necessary” boxes, in 3 rental homes, and traveling 1000 km away from Vancouver. Years of uncertainty and transition finally gave way to a period of adjustment as Caitlin and Cameron settled into their new school, Julie found a part-time hospital physiotherapy job, Connor got comfortable with new friends at part-time daycare, and Greg finally jumped with both feet into project leading with eMi Canada.

Adjustments. We were thankful for some great ex-Vancouverite friends who welcomed us to Calgary, but besides getting used to the (often) bitter cold and dry air of winter, no doubt the greatest challenge was missing all of our friends and family in Vancouver. Julie’s coffee and desserts with girlfriends, Greg’s weekly Friday night hockey, fellowship and worship with our Richmond Chinese Alliance Church (RCAC) family, the kids’ being baby-sat by doting grand-parents, uncles and aunts: all were difficult casualties of our move but even during the anxious, sometimes overwhelming days of adjustment, we saw in our quieter moments of prayer and reflection, the gracious hand of God as our life in Calgary was assembled piece by piece, in a manner completely unpredictable and uncontrollable if done in our own strength and by our own efforts.

A New Church Home. From our first days in Calgary we visited and then began to settle into nearby Foothills Alliance Church. Caitlin and Cameron thoroughly enjoy the kids program and now even Connor smiles when asked “Time for Sunday school?” Julie and Greg helped out in the nursery with Connor during the spring and summer until his “graduation” to a class for two year olds (Yay!). In the fall we were invited by the senior pastor to join the church and become financially supported as Foothills Family Missionaries. What a warm welcome to the church and a blessing that was! We are now proudly members at both RCAC as well as Foothills Alliance.

eMi Recap. Project cycles for eMi follow the typical school pattern of Spring, Summer and Fall because of the integration of architecture and engineering student interns on project teams. Greg’s first team this year traveled to João Pessoa, Brazil in January to design a new residence for a YWAM ministry which houses and educates homeless street boys. It was eMi’s third trip to this site since 2000 as a continuing service to this growing ministry.

In July, Greg returned to Brazil with another team to nearby Recife to design a Camp Retreat and Orphanage for a ministry to the poor called Kid’s Place. One of many blessings during this second trip was when the team visited the YWAM base in João Pessoa; a visit where Greg hand delivered the completed Project Report and Construction Documents which his first team from January completed at home after several months of hard work.

Greg’s final project trip of the year was in October to the southern Africa country of Zambia. There his team helped a local pastor to develop a poultry business to promote stable employment, provide locally raised healthy and affordable food, as well as create a source of funding through profits for church development projects.

Check out previous posts for more project details and the Photo Gallery for lots of pictures!

A Good Year. Looking back at 2006, we can only be thankful. Our friends, family, churches and ministry partners have provided prayer and funding to uphold our family so that Greg can serve at eMi and after some financial uncertainty late in the year heading into 2007, we are thankful for new and renewed commitments from a number of people so that even though support raising and maintenance will always remain an ongoing effort, we are greatly encouraged that Greg can remain focused on applying his efforts to organize and lead teams as well as help to grow the ministry of eMi Canada. As our CEO in Colorado recently stated in a year-end report “We have had a busy and successful year. (The statistics) are not evidence that God is with us in the work of eMi. Rather, these statistics indicate the context in which eMi staff, interns and volunteers have experienced “God with us” in 2006.” I believe this statement also applies to our first full year as a family here in Calgary.


Looking Ahead. We are looking forward to a year with no thoughts of packing, moving, unpacking, or (extensive) renovations! In the spring of 2007 Greg will be at both the Vancouver and Edmonton MissionFest conferences to promote eMi Canada. At the Vancouver conference, Greg will be leading an adult seminar as well as participate as a panel member for a youth careers workshop. Projects in the works for the summer and fall include an orphanage in Haiti and a Christian & Missionary Alliance MK school in Central Asia. We’ll keep you posted!

Zambia - Food For The Body & The Soul - Report

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Ministry: Royal Poultry Company (RPC)
Place: Ndola, Zambia
Dates: October 12-25, 2006

Team: Biruk (Elect. Engineer), Chad Gamble (Civil Engineer, eMiEA), Sandra and Matt (Power Resources) , Joel (Mech. Engineering), Johnny (Environmental Engineering, eMi Intern), Emily and James (Project/Construction Management), Rod (Civil Engineering), Greg Young (Architect, eMiC)

Objective: To provide feasibility studies, critical analyses and recommendations for the chosen project site, as well as for the industrial and business components, of the Royal Poultry Company. The Royal Poultry Company will:
a) provide nutritious, affordable food for lower income famillies
b) create jobs and establish businesses with Godly, ethical practise
c) improve and expand regional, eventually national, agricultural conditions
d) direct proceeds into a fund dedicated to providing financial resources for church development throughout Zambia

Seven cities of origin. Four continents. Twenty time zones. No lost baggage. Priceless.

When looking at certain eMi teams on paper, despite numerous hours of planning and prayer, one could not be faulted for wondering how such varied individuals, most whom have never met, could possibly bond to become an effective team…in a matter of hours and in a few short days. Our team to Zambia, varying in age, background, expertise and nationality, may have appeared to fit this description, but as we often say at eMi: “God puts the team together and we have the joy of seeing how it all works out.” As our team spent more and more hours together, it became clear that our common bond was a desire to serve the Lord, serve those who minister in His name, and meet the needs of the people of Zambia: we were not there as tourists looking for a trophy experience to take home. By the end of the week there was no denying the value of each member and the work God had specifically chosen for each within the team.


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Meetings with Civic, Regional and Federal Officials

Non-Zambians are not permitted to work in Zambia unless formal partnerships are established with Zambian professionals. For RPC, this requirement would render it bankrupt before it even gets started. Therefore, Pastor Derek Mutungu, founder of RPC, set up a meeting with the Ministry of Works and Supplies to find a solution that would allow RPC to move ahead, with its limited financial resources, by enlisting the design, engineering and technical aid of eMi. The Ministry was amenable to a solution and requested that once in-country, a meeting with the eMi team was to be arranged.

Our team met with Ministry representatives both at the beginning as well as the end of our project and established a partner relationship with them: they will review all of our application and construction documents, place their Ministry name on all documents and submit everything on behalf of RPC. This will most certainly expedite our submissions and ensure smooth passage through the authoritative bodies. Throughout the week we met several other government and service providing authorities and although we were typically met with initial reticence, the stated goals of RPC and our expressed desire to respect local practice and meet or exceed local standards of environmental safety standards, won over many of the officials.


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Eight Chickens in a Little “Coupe”

We spent most of the week discussing about the growing and processing of chickens. So it seemed oddly appropriate that we found ourselves spending almost five hours like chickens in a coop as our seven men plus Pastor Mutungu, crammed into a little six seat car for the ride from the capital Lusaka to Ndola. It was a “bonding” moment to say the least as we pulled over almost every half hour to untangle ourselves and rotate the seating order. Of course we laughed about it...several days afterwards.


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What To Do When The Chosen Project Site Doesn't Work Out

We always tell our teams to expect the unexpected. Although what initially appears as a setback often results in positive steps forward, this is sometimes hard to appreciate at the time. When we walked our site and discussed our analyses from the vantage of various specialties, we concluded that although it did have many merits, the chosen site was inadequate in terrain, shape and size for what would need to be placed on it. Although RPC will be modest in facility requirements at its inception, its plans to become increasingly involved with various aspects of the industry will require a considerable amount of land. For the remainder of the week, much of what the team did would become the basis for choosing another property.

Using the extensive prior research done by Pastor Mutungu, about all aspects of RPC, the eMi team conducted several detailed analyses, from fertilizer blending to chicken processing. It also studied the machinery involved in these processes, water/waste water requirements, power requirements and land requirements for administration buildings, production facilities, support buildings, roadways and water treatment. The team also made recommendations regarding water acquisition, handling and re-introduction into the environment. Meanwhile, in the midst of all this engineering, a civil engineer from our team who is also seasoned in project and construction management was involved in a critical analysis of the business plan and how RPC is to integrate it step by step with the engineering and design of the facilities. All this research by the volunteer team will now be compiled into a detailed report to be submitted to RPC from eMi and will form the bases of future endeavors in design and engineering to move the project ahead.

More to come…

eMi is dedicated to partnering with RPC until it becomes a viable business whereby it can begin to afford to hire its own Zambian professionals. Until that time is reached, eMi will continue to provide guidance and advice through the continuing involvement of its staff and volunteers. Chad Gamble, Director of the eMi East Africa office, was invited onto this team for the expressed reason of building and maintaining a close tie between eMi, RPC and Zambian Government partners and officials. A number of individuals on this team expressed a desire to maintain their involvement with Pastor Mutungu and the work of RPC.


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It’s About So Much More Than Chickens…

Prior to the trip we made arrangements through Pastor Mutungu to connect with the Buseko Children’s Home in Ndola. Two wives of our engineers who came along on this trip spent the week caring for and playing with these children. All the children at Buseko came as orphans and have HIV/AIDS. As a team, part of our preparation for the trip involved bringing items from home to share with these children. In the middle of our work week our entire team visited Buseko (which means ‘laughter’) and spent some time playing and interacting with the kids. It must be difficult to have people like us come and go, but we hope and pray that such visits will at least represent hope and provide some love which these children may never have received if Buseko Children's Home did not exist.

…It’s All About the People

The final thought I have is in regards to the overwhelming welcome we received from the people of Zambia. Our hosts, hostesses and drivers were all volunteers who went out of their way to make us feel welcomed. Families literally opened their homes for us to stay and some ladies rose before the roosters to prepare meals before we left for our morning meetings. Both in Lusaka and Ndola we were warmly received as we felt like the brothers and sisters in Christ that we all are. Pastor Derek Mutungu became an inspiration to our team, as a person dedicated to the Lord and to a vision. He has dedicated countless hours towards making RPC a reality in order that it may be a blessing to his fellow Zambians. We did not go to Zambia to “lead” but to “come alongside”, and for that privilege and the moments that we shared, we are all thankful.

Please click on the Photo Gallery to see pictures from the trip.