Catch Up!

I have not written since I came back to Kampala from working in Kenya.  Actually, it’s been since October 17!  There are many reasons why I have not written, not the least of which is that I was not sure what I should write about.  I had so much to process when I returned from Kenya, and it has taken me some time to reflect on my experience.

On November 11, I returned from a 6 week trip to Kenya working with the Christian Reform World Relief Committee (CRWRC) on projects designed to provide drought relief for some the people of the Pwani (Coast) region.  (See “relief & development” post from October 2 for more).  My time in Kenya was a season of intense spiritual growth.  It proved to be both very difficult and incredibly rewarding, as things from God often are. 

On a typical eMi project trip, a staff member assembles a team of design professionals to travel to a site and complete a project for the ministry.  The key word here is TEAM.  Since this was a disaster relief project, I was sent as a consultant to Kenya to help CRWRC as the lone eMi volunteer.  The plan was for me to join a volunteer retired couple representing CRWRC as International Relief Managers (IRMs) and a Kenyan national WASH (water, sanitation, & hygiene) engineer.  I was to serve in a support role, assisting the Kenyan engineer. 

Having lunch with Lee and Sue Mys, CRWRC International Relief Managers, who I lived and worked with on the project.

A few days after I arrived in Mombasa on October 3, we learned that our Kenyan WASH engineer was not able to come.  I had some water design experience in the States, but none in Africa and certainly not enough to take the lead on the project.  CRWRC began to look for a replacement immediately, but it took some time, and he was set to arrive after one month, around November 1. 

There are so many cultural distinctions that result in minor variations in planning and implementation of projects here in Africa.  It is easy to get off on the wrong foot and then very difficult to make up for it if you do.  For this reason, and because I am new to Africa, we were hesitant to make any major decisions on how to proceed with the project because we wanted to wait for the Kenyan engineer to arrive and get his expertise.  

"Helping" build the foundation for one of the new water tanks at Palakumi Primary School.

Until then, I struggled to find my place on the project.  My role was not well defined and most of the time I felt like I was tagging along, as the IRM's began their work of starting the other aspects of the project.  Thankfully, I was able to begin some work on the rainwater harvesting system design, including the foundation design for the water tanks.   Adding to the lack of work were the security issues.  There were 2 bombings by Al-Shabab in Nairobi in October and it was not safe to travel around Mombasa by myself.  I was limited to spending most of my time alone when I was not working. 

During this time, I was forced to rely on God for everything, including companionship, something I have never had to do.  I am blessed with a huge network of friends and family.  Even moving to Uganda, I made friends quickly and never went without company.  Being isolated was testing.  It taught me so much about the nature of Jesus.  He is a real person and He wants to be our best friend.  For the first time in my life, the song “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” was very real to me:

Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

I wish I could adequately explain the change that took place in me in Kenya:  the growth of my faith in Jesus and the absolute trust in the fact that He is all I need, ever!  There is so much joy that comes from serving Him.  I want everyone to have it!  It is so difficult to put into words, and I am afraid that I’m not conveying it well.  (I will just blame it on my affinity for numbers and not language!) 

So this verse pretty much sums up my time in Kenya:

Hebrews 12:11   Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

With Grace, a parent, and her child and teacher at Maktau Primary School.

So now, I am able to do this:

James 1:2   My brethren, count it all JOY when you fall into various trials.

I am so thankful for the privilege to be here working for the Lord and for His patience with me as He molds me into the person that He wants me to be.  I am a work in progress!

the Lord of the harvest

my team spent last Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday out in the field in Kilifi County, Kenya.  we visited the villages and met some the people who will benefit from the water projects we are working on.  it was three days of beautiful scenery, bumpy roads, and thirsty, hungry, grateful people. 

i had lots of time to think during the travel on these days, and during that time i thought of the verse where Jesus talked about having compassion on the crowds because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  i looked a few places in my Bible, couldn't find it, and didn't think about it much after that...
until this morning, when i read my devotion.  the scripture was Matthew 9:35-38.
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.  When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
there are so many people here in Kenya who need Jesus!  i have been especially burdened to pray for the large population of Muslims, here in Mombasa, that i have contact with every day.
now i'm going to go a totally different direction with this...
when i heard about President Obama sending troops to help Ugandans find Joseph Kony, the leader of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army, my first thought was....great! they need to find that guy, he has been wreaking havoc in east Africa for way too long.  then i thought....wait, why are we getting involved? yes, they need help finding him.  yes, he is terrible! but since coming to Africa i have learned first hand that U.S. involvement is not always best, for a number of reasons. (i could go on and on here, but i'll just leave it at that.)
then, when i read this scripture this morning, i thought....God can use anything to get more people to "pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest", why not this too!
so i started praying for the Lord to use this situation specifically to motivate others to prayer.  so next time you think of a political situation that you don't like or understand, pray! Pray that God will use it for His glory.  Pray for the afflicted people, pray for our leaders' decisions, pray for...yes...Joseph Kony.  he needs Jesus, too.

relief & development

i am in Nairobi, Kenya!  i am staying in a fabulous Mennonite guest house with an amazing garden.

on the first Sunday of the month, they hold a Hymn Sing.  everyone gathers in the little chapel.  people take turns calling out hymn numbers, the song leader plays the first note on the pitch pipe, and everyone sings. it was beautiful!  the Mennonites are known for their beautiful a cappella harmonies. and now i know why!

tomorrow i will travel to the Coast Region, to the city of Mombasa, where i will call home for the next 6 weeks.  i have been recruited to work with CRWRC (http://www.crwrc.org/pages/crwrc.cfm) to help them with drought relief projects in Kilifi and Taita Taveta.  there is a severe drought in east Africa right now affecting more than 10 million people.
here is a little from the project proposal about the partner ministry i will be working with and the drought situation in the Coast Region of Kenya ("pwani" is Swahili for "coast"):

"Pwani Christian Community Service (Anglican Church of Kenya) is a long-time partner of CRWRC in Kenya.  The partnership began in 1996 and has involved numerous development and disaster response interventions.  PCCS is the development arm of A.C.K Dioceses of Mombasa and Taita Taveta. Its corporate goal is to contribute towards holistic and sustainable livelihoods of communities in Coast Region. The organization’s strategic goal is to contribute towards equitable improved and dignified quality of life amongst communities in Coast Region.

The Coast Region is amongst the most affected by poverty, HIV/AIDS and enviromental degredation in Kenya which impacts on communities’ livelihoods, education levels and access to health services.

Located in the southeast and coastal marginal zones, Kilifi and Taita have experienced a very dry 2011 and, as a result, people are suffering heightened food insecurity. According to the latest report the near‐total failure of the short‐rains season caused extensive crop losses in the worst‐affected districts. Depleted household food stocks are combined with exceptionally high food prices, and reduced on‐farm labor opportunities has diminished the buying power of the average household.
The project seeks to fill critical short and long-term water gaps in the districts of Ganze and Mwatate while, at the same time, addressing food shortages for the moderately vulnerable households.  The project will undertake activities that meet immediate water needs in four schools and mitigate against future water shortages."

the project has three primary objectives:
1.  keep four primary schools open through the provision of emergency water supply.  we will be designing and implementing a program to truck water in to the schools.
2.  reduce hunger through cash for assets activities.  the local population will be hired to dig water pans, large reservoirs that collect rain water used for irrigated farming and livestock.
3.  mitigate against future water shortages through the expansion/rehabilitation of rain water harvesting systems and the drilling of a borehole.  we will design a gutter and water tank system for several schools to collect rainwater and drill one water well that will potentially help 11 communities.

over the last few days i have learned a lot about disaster relief and international development projects. i have seen a glimpse into the decision making process of who gets aid and how much, how projects are funded, and the way projects are implemented on the ground.  CRWRC is part of a much larger community of international aid organizations.  it has been an amazing experience and has opened my eyes to a whole world (literally!) of new information and the international aid machine.  and it's big business.

i have met people from everywhere, all with a common goal: improving the lives of other people. in this case, we will be doing that by getting water to people who need it very badly.

all of this is a very good thing.

but in all the planning, discussion, and decision making, it's easy for something to get lost: showing the love of Jesus. 

so this verse really jumped out at me when i read it yesterday morning, because i was starting to get really overwhelmed.  "...'Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.'" Luke 8:33

God always has a way of putting things in perspective for me when i get overwhelmed. so i know that as long as i keep my eyes on the Lord, and have faith that He has put me in this place for this time to do this job, i will be pleasing to Him in my obedience.
and isn't that why i'm here?

RAMBIA Project Trip

my first project!  RAMBIA is a rural health clinic in western Uganda. (read more http://www.emascanada.org/uganda_rambia.htm)  the small clinic does not have a doctor; the medical staff includes a clinical officer, a nurse, and a midwife.  there is also a director and an administrator/accountant.  

RAMBIA has partnered with a Canadian ministry, EMAS, who will help them with the funding of a much needed expansion and overall upgrading of their clinic.  eMi was called in to design the master plan. since the scope of this project is small, we will be completing it in-house (as opposed to recruiting a large team to come from the US).  we needed to meet with the staff about the master plan for the site and their vision for the expansion.  we also needed to survey the site boundary, topography and all existing structures.   i was to complete a structural assessment of the existing buildings.  


we also coordinated our trip with a team arriving from EMAS:  2 doctors, a nurse, and 2 others, who will be in country for 2 weeks treating patients at the clinic.  we would meet with them to get their input on how much additional space is needed and the configuration of the interior of the buildings.

so on wednesday morning, John Sauder, office director and architect, (read his staff bio here http://emiea.org/staffbio_sauder.shtm); Pat Aylard, civil engineer (staff bio http://emiea.org/staffbio_aylard.shtm), intern Aaron Haazon, me, and all our equipment, took off for a 5 hour matatu (taxi) ride to the Rwenzori Mountans of Uganda. 

upon arriving at the site, we were greeted by the staff of Ugandans and a bunch of very curious village children who had seen the mzungus (white people) arrive.

the clinic has two main buildings.  the smaller one one is used for an out-patient clinic.  they sometimes see between 40 and 70 patients there on tuesdays and thursdays.  many are mothers who bring their children for routine vaccinations, but others of all ages come with a variety of ailments.  they also are able to dispense medications and do some patient education.

out-patient clinic building

the building is much too small for their needs, less than 600 square feet, and they envisioned constructing an addition to the building.  after some inspection, i determined that the building was not constructed adequately.   western Uganda is an area of high seismic activity and the building will be very dangerous in the event of an earthquake.  this is not the building you want to be in during an earthquake, especially if you are sick and could not get out!  John and i determined that an addition to the building would not be feasible and that a new more earthquake resistant building would need to be constructed and this building will be used for staff housing. obviously, the ideal scenario would be to demo the building and start over, but with limited funding, you do what you can.

fortunately, the newer, larger building, used for the maternity and in-patient wards, was constructed much better.

intern Aaron surveying the site in front of the maternity/in-patient ward building

so we gathered all the data at the site and went back to the hotel in Fort Portal, the town nearby.  after dinner, we started drawing up the site survey and existing building plans and met briefly with the team from EMAS.  

after breakfast the next morning we went back out to the clinic to present our findings and site plan to the staff and board members and get a better idea about their ideas for expansion and overall vision for RAMBIA. over the next few weeks, we will continue to work on the master plan and new clinic building designs and finalize a report, which they will implement as funding allows over the next few years.  their partnership with EMAS is vital to this plan.

overall the trip went smoothly and was successful.  and i even learned something unexpected about myself!  at breakfast thursday morning, i was chatting with the nurse from EMAS.  it was her first time in Africa and she was asking me about why i had decided to come serve with eMi for a year.  i explained how i came to Uganda on a short term project trip in January and just fell in love with it.  i felt God's call to return, and here i am.  but later that day, as i thought back on our conversation, it dawned on me...i am not back in Uganda because i fell in love with it.  don't get me wrong, i do love Uganda.  but i also love North Carolina....probably a lot more than i love Africa!  

i am here because i fell in love with doing God's will.  i fell in love with hearing His call and responding.  i fell in love with being obedient to God.  and if God calls me somewhere else, i will go there.  so....yes, i love Uganda, but that's not why i'm here.  i am here because i love God!

note:  i have posted a photo album on facebook with more pictures!

introduction to Kampala

yesterday marked one week since my arrival in Kampala.  we (5 interns + me) landed last wednesday morning around 7:45 am, showed our passports, paid our visa fee ($50) and gathered our luggage...all of which arrived with us...hooray!  Phil Greene, eMi East Africa (EA) staff structural engineer and intern coordinator, collected us at the airport for the approx. 1 hour drive to our office.  after greetings with the staff, intern Katie and i were shown our apartment, not more than 200 yards down the road from the office.

the compound...my apartment is the top floor of the far building

the other building is occupied by a Korean missionary family and.....you won't believe it.....a family from Winston Salem! what a blessing to walk into my compound this week and find a 6 year old playing football (soccer) and wearing....an NC State t-shirt!  his dad, Charlie, graduated from State. they just arrived in July for a 4 year stay working with Africa Inland Mission (http://www.aimint.org/).

back to my day...so the idea was to keep us up all day wednesday so that we would get a normal sleep cycle that night, to help us adjust to the time change.  we had been traveling for 2 days and were exhausted. but they had a busy orientation day scheduled, topped off by dinner at "eMi EA grandma" Maggie's house.  (Maggie's daughter & son in law came to Uganda in '03 to start the field office and she came later to help with the kids...they moved on, but she stayed!) 

orientation continued thursday and friday with general info about life in in Kampala with eMi, walking tours around our neighborhood, cultural training,  and a walking scavenger hunt around downtown Kampala.  each night we had dinner at a staff member's home where they shared their testimonies. 

before work,  eMi EA begins each day with morning prayer here:

the staff will take turns leading a devotion.  then we share praises and prayer requests, pray, and make any announcements for the day.

saturday we took a day trip to Jinja to visit 3 projects currently under construction and managed by long term volunteer/construction manager Brice.  Jinja is a town about 2 hours from Kampala on the Nile River. 

Brice and a local worker showing us the construction of missionary housing at Good Shepard's Fold Orphanage (http://www.goodshepherdsfold.org/).  eMi encourages our ministry partners to use local labor and trades and leads Bible studies for the men daily. (see my earlier post on construction management for more)

newly completed building at the mto-moyoni youth center (http://www.mto-moyoni.org/site/) on the banks of the Nile River

Reconstructed building at Mission Link International missionary training center (http://www.missionlink.org/mlischooljinja) in downtown Jinja.  the heavy timber roof trusses and portions of the masonry walls of structure were taken apart piece by piece and rebuilt.

Sunday we went to Amazing Grace Christian Church with staff office administrator Brittany.  the church is all Ugandan and the worship was an awesome experience.  they love to sing and dance and praise the Lord!  the service started about 10:15 with more than an hour of singing and prayer and went until about 12:30. from what i understand, that is a pretty typical length for a Ugandan service.  also typical of a Ugandan service, since we were new to the church, they asked us to come up and introduce ourselves and tell where we are from.  they have a fairly large children's program (i guess there were about 50 kids there that day) and choir who blessed us with a few songs. 

later that afternoon, i took my first of many boda boda rides (see article here http://www.theeye.co.ug/bodaboda.php). a boda is a common means of public transportation in Uganda. they are everywhere.  just hop on the back of a motorcycle and off you go.  i had to go make an important purchase...my water filter....and the trick was balancing the big box on my lap between me and the driver on the way back!  all went well and i am ready for another boda ride.  i just wish i had gotten a picture, but i didn't want to look too much like a tourist!

monday and tuesday started my first full week of work at eMi EA.  we had additional training and orientation at the office and even a few hours of language training by our local staff member, Semei.  he speaks Luganda, the predominant language of the people of Kampala (and therefore Uganda).  according to one source, there are 43 languages spoken in Uganda!  

we also learned about upcoming project trips that we will be taking...it looks like i may be heading to a village on the coast of Kenya to work on a drought relief water project around the first of October. 

entrance gate at the eMi EA office compound

yesterday i began my first project:  RAMBIA health clinic near Fort Portal in western Uganda (http://www.emascanada.org/uganda_rambia.htm).  i posted some pictures on facebook and will write a complete post on our overnight visit to the Rwenzori Mountains site soon.

overall, my first week was fabulously hectic.  on many occasions throughout this week of learning about the work eMi is doing, i have been in awe that i am actually here and a part of what God is doing through eMi in East Africa.  i feel so blessed to have this opportunity to work along side other like minded design professionals.  this is going to be an amazing year...i know it will have it's challenges, but i look forward to them as i continue to learn more and more to rely on my Savior for every detail of my life! 

whirlwind tour of London

on the way to Uganda, we had a 9 hour layover in London.  Mike & Jean from the eMi UK office came to pick us up at the airport for a sightseeing adventure.  we saw the London Eye, 

Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, Parliament, 

Westminster Abbey,

the classic England phone booth,

 the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square, the mile road leading to Buckingham Palace, China Town, and a really trendy part of London called the West End (i think) where a bunch of theaters and restaurants are. a whole lot for just a few hours!

thanks Mike and Jean for an amazing trip into London!

Mike and his wife lived in Tanzania and Uganda for 5 years while Mike worked with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) as a pilot.  on the tube ride on the way back to the airport, Mike shared with me a few things he wished someone had told him at the beginning of his time in Africa.

African culture is all about relationships.  western culture puts more emphasis on productivity and efficient use of time, but in Africa, it is more about the relationships that you build while going about your daily life.  as an example, he said that if you go to buy some sugar, it would never be acceptable to just go right in, ask for the sugar, pay, and leave the store (no matter how busy you are).  instead, you go to the shop keeper and inquire about his life; especially about his family and his other relationships.  then after several minutes of conversation, you are free to ask about and purchase the sugar.

as another example, in western culture, you call your friends to schedule an appointment with them.  for me, it often would go something like this…“let me look at my calendar….oh, i am so busy, i can do lunch next month.”  But in African culture, you just “turn up” at your friends’ houses.  and when this happens, all other activity stops and you give your full attention to that relationship.  the person standing in front of you is much more important than anything else you may have been doing.

all of this makes you appreciate life moment by moment.  (Or, depending on your personality and how well you adapt, it is extremely frustrating!)  technically, i am going to Uganda to practice civil engineering with eMi.  i am going to be working to get things accomplished, designing projects that will help to make life a little better for the spiritually and physically poor in east Africa.  if i am not careful, it will be easy to get wrapped up in the projects i am working on and the many tasks to be completed.

instead of constantly being consumed with what is next on my list to get accomplished, i hope to slow down and enjoy the people and situations that God has put in front of me at this moment.  life is not about what we get accomplished.  Jesus Christ already accomplished all that ever needs to be done on the cross.  we are here to bring glory to Him, to be pleasing to Him, and to bring others to Him through our obedience.

God's workmanship

i've spent the last week with 28 college interns and 3 new staff members at eMi orientation and cultural training in Colorado Springs.  

it felt sort of like a cross between summer camp and college dorm life all over again.  these talented young interns (engineers, architects, and one graphic designer) have all committed one semester to work in offices all over the world for eMi.  not only are they working for free, but they all either raise support or pay for the internship themselves!  it has been a huge blessing to get to know them...learn all there unique stories and  where they came from, and i look forward to seeing how God uses them for His glory.

The theme for the week has been God's Workmanship.   For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10.  we are each God's unique creation and we've spent the better part of the time exploring our own personality traits, strengths, and spiritual gifts to better understand His purpose for our lives.

i leave tomorrow for Uganda with 5 of the interns in tow.  there are so many unknowns right now...from the projects i will work on, to the new culture i will experience, to what i will eat. and i feel like all those unknowns are in a big box, wrapped up with a giant bow on top.  a gift from God just waiting for me to unwrap and dig in!!

building in Uganda

below is a link to a video about construction management that eMi is doing in Uganda...

http://halleproject.com/emi-east-africa-construction-management/

the beginning

the first blog post is important. i’ve thought and prayed and thought and prayed about what it should be about.  as it turns out, i am not writing about any of the things i thought and prayed about.  that’s usually how it works… i plan and then God shows me His plan!  so here it is.

i am moving to Africa!!!

  

to Uganda, specifically.  hopefully at the end of August.  i am going to work with Engineering Ministries International for 1 year in their field office in Kampala.  eMi is a non-profit Christian organization that puts volunteer teams of architects, surveyors, and engineers together.  those teams go on short term mission trips to developing countries all over the world to design much needed facilities for other non-profit Christian ministries.  since 1982, they have worked on over 800 projects in more than 80 countries, including churches, schools, hospitals and orphanages. (see the link at the bottom for more on eMi.)

i will be serving in the role of long term volunteer civil/structural engineer.  during the year, i will travel on 3 project trips similar to the short term trip i took in January of this year (more on that later).  i will join the project leader (an eMi staff member) and other short term volunteers and be responsible for overseeing the structural and civil components of the project.  after returning to the office in Kampala, i will see the projects through to completion, helping to prepare the report to be presented to our client ministry partner.  i will also work on other design projects and in-house assignments as needed.  one of those tasks will be developing structural engineering guidelines for other volunteers to follow while working on projects in east Africa.  i will also revise and update their civil engineering guidelines.

about my trip, most people want to know:

1.    will you get paid?  no.  i am in the process of raising my own support.  i will need about $23,000 total for the year.  that includes about $6,000 in start up costs (airfare, work visa, etc.) and my living expense budget of $1400 per month (rent, food, insurance, etc.).  before i move, i will need the start-up costs and 3 month’s budget in my account, but the remainder of the monthly budget can be pledged.

2.    what about your job?  i am resigning from Bowman Design and Engineering in Shallotte, where i’ve been since June of 2007.  working there has been a huge blessing to me and i will miss it!

3.    what will you do when you get back?  i don’t know!  i am leaving that one up to God.  i could go back to Uganda, come back and work in Brunswick County, or move to… Nebraska…who knows?

in starting this blog, i want to try to describe how blessed, energized, overwhelmed (in a good way), awed, and just JOYFUL i am to have this opportunity to serve.  God is going to use me for His purposes!
my goal is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. 
at the same time, i join others in helping meet the physical needs of the poor of east Africa. 

please pray for me and eMi! 

• our recognition of God’s will for the ministry
• clear understanding of the projects and communication with our client ministry partners
• safety and health
• financial support

if you feel God leading you to join my ministry team, please follow the instructions on how to donate in the links at the bottom of the page.  if you have any questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, or just want to talk…please get in touch with me!  i would love to hear from YOU!  i hope that you will follow along with me on this adventure!