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!