India Bound in February

Tradition says that St. Thomas (yes, "doubting" Thomas) was the first Christian in the 1st century to sail to India to spread the Good News to the Jewish diaspora in that region.  In the late 1700's, William Carey, sometimes referred to as "the father and founder of modern missions", was very impactful in India both in missional as well as benevolent endeavours.  Today there are scattered communities of Indian Christians throughout the country and for my next project trip I will be leading a team to Patna, Bihar in northeastern India to serve two local ministries.

Rev. EA Abraham of Emmanuel Christian Fellowship Center (ECFC) and Rev. Biju Thomas of Transform India Movement (TIM) both have established programs in medical care, education, leadership training, vocational training and children's homes.  Each are operating in scattered rented facilities and both have acquired parcels of land to construct new centres for their work.  Our team will visit them in Patna to master plan and design the buildings and infrastructure (water, sanitation, power) for these new centers.

This project is being undertaken in conjunction with the eMi Southeast Asia office in India, commonly referred to as eMi2 (it was eMi's second office).  This will be one team with a set of engineers and two architects, each to take on a separate ministry.  In this way, we will serve two ministries in the time it normally takes to serve just one. The goal of our team is to complete two sets of preliminary design master plans, building designs and preliminary engineering recommendations.  The eMi2 office will complete the remainder of the work after our time at the project locations is complete.

This is my first trip into India and I'm thankful to have Ivy Coffey, an architect on staff with eMi2, participating on our team.  Ivy will provide much needed insight into the local culture and how we can function and serve in the most effective manner possible.  You can read more about the projects by visiting the links under Greg's Upcoming Projects at the top of the right side bar of this blog.

Our team will be flying into Delhi on February 11th and for the next 14 days will be travelling by planes, trains, automobiles, buses and pedicabs plus even a little trekking with our own two feet as we do the design work in Patna and afterward make a brief visit to the eMi2 office in Mussoorie (in the foothills of the Himalayas) to conduct a design review of our project with their staff.

Pray for our travel safety and good health throughout the trip.  We also desire to have open minds to learn, listening ears to understand the needs and soft hearts to come alongside our Indian brothers and sisters to serve them in a way that will be most beneficial to their work.

We also ask for prayer for our families at home who need to handle the ongoing busyness of life without those of us on the team.  Thank you to all supporters and friends who are making it possible for me to do this work.  I will update this blog as I am able in India but for sure will provide a follow-up upon our return.

Five Years at eMi Canada - An Update

Julie's Medical Mission to Haiti

Several months following the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in January, many people in Haiti who had sustained physical injuries were in desperate need of rehabilitation therapy. From June 26th to July 3rd of this year, I joined a Medical Ministry International (MMI) medical mission team to Port-au-Prince to help meet some of this need.

Those with complex fractures, amputations, spinal cord injuries and many other injuries needed therapy to regain function and mobility. In response, MMI organized their first Haiti project that focused specifically on Physical Therapy. Once there, we partnered with several other organizations, including Christian Blind Mission (CBM) and Handicap International (HI), which were already working there to fill this huge need.

Before the trip I was concerned that going to Haiti on a small team of six volunteers, of which only three were therapists, we would have limited ability to help. However, my concerns were alleviated when I was informed that we would be partnering with CBM and HI to assist them during a shortage of available physical therapists. God's timing is amazing!

CBM and HI had established several physical therapy tent clinics around the city and also had therapists working one of the private hospitals. I was privileged to have the opportunity to work at each tent clinic as well as the hospital setting.

The heat was, at times, unbearable. It was 38C in the tents and treating patient after patient in that heat was exhausting but it was a very gratifying and enriching experience. What I found most rewarding was educating the patients and teaching the Haitian Rehab Techs who, despite having minimal training, were eager to acquire as much knowledge and skills as we were able to impart to them.

God graciously taught me many things on this mission trip. He gently helped me overcome many personal fears and insecurities, by simply facing them with the belief and trust that He would be with me through them all. I have gained a much broader perspective on the plight of the poor and what is really needed to make a difference in their lives and in their future.

I now see the immense value of teaching and the lasting impact that it has in changing the plight of not only individuals, but also communities and even entire nations. God has now placed in me a desire to teach and I prayerfully look forward to where He would have me serve Him next.

Thank you for your encouragement and support. Right click here and select Open In A New Tab to see my trip video without leaving this page.

Finding Hope in Haiti

The Joy of Children. The students laughed and giggled for the photo as they played with my hair and a little boy proudly sported my sunglasses and Tilley hat. A make-shift seven class school of lightweight lumber, metal roof and tarps stood nearby where they learn their lessons. On a gravel driveway noisy and ferocious games of soccer were played. Once lessons were completed at noon they each received a hot meal, perhaps the only proper one they will have all day.

Medical and Design Assistance. The Education, Medical Assistance and Services (EMAS) team of Canadian volunteers endured suffocating heat in stale air of the concrete block building: a replacement building for the two storey church/school that collapses in January's earthquake. This well built structure shows the capability of Haitian builders. But this building is too small for either church or school and so eMi Canada was asked to plan out new, permanent facilities on the site where only the temporary school stands.

Looking Ahead and Pressing On. Our Engineering Ministries International Canada team of volunteers from Canada and the United States met with the El Shaddai Baptist Church leaders to discuss their vision for the property. It is to include a large church, a school and a health clinic where they plan to operate an ongoing medical clinic staffed by Haitian nurse practitioners and the occasional visiting medical team.

A Master Plan. Throughout the week eMi investigated site conditions for supplying of fresh water, managing sanitation and distributing power. We also explored several different schemes for the layout of the entire property. Several very productive meetings were held with the leaders of the church community to gain their feedback and further directions.

Being a Neighbour. This community of believers has worked hard to raised funds in very challenging circumstances to go toward the purchase of this property and after the earthquake, funds toward feeding and providing necessities to sustain families that had lost everything. With the help of EMAS and the assistance of eMi the church is looking forward to beginning construction on the permanent facilities soon. Aid is only lasting if those providing it are committed for the long term. eMi comes alongside for a relatively short term but since we partner with long term visionaries like EMAS, willing to tough it out for the long haul, the help keeps happening long after we are no longer in the picture.

A Model of Christ's Body. We left this model of their new facilities in Haiti and will be producing construction documents once home so that they will have materials for both fund-raising as well as construction purposes. In a country where hope seems understandably in short supply, the community of El Shaddai Baptist church is living out hope itself. Loving neighbours, working hard and leaning all the while heavily on the Lord, they know very well where their strength and hope comes from.

Project Photos. A new set of photos has been placed in my Photo Gallery and you have three options to view it. If you want to browse the set, click here. If you wish to see a Slideshow of the photos, click here. If you want to spend a little more time looking and reading the Photo Details, click here. There is also a new video on my side bar for this project trip. Thank you to all those who have given to this work through your financial support, encouragement and prayer: you have made this project a reality.