Hey everyone,
Well it's that time again. Blogging time. Sorry for such the long gap between posts. But enough with apologies; let's get down to business.
Weekend fun...
Two weekends ago was eMi family camp. The purpose of the camp was for eMi staff and their families to get to know each other on a more personal level. While the staff members and their spouses (we'll call them the adults) were busy talking about grown up things, the eMi interns (myself included) had the privilege of enjoying the finer things in life with the kids of the staff members, such as playing kickball and making tie dye t-shirts. Ahh...it was fun to be a kid again. One highlight of family camp was reading Bible stories to the kids before they went to sleep. It reminded me of when my parents would read the Bible to me when I was that age, and the impact that it made in my life. Those were some of my favorite memories. People may say not to bother teaching a child about God because they're too young to understand. I beg to differ. To quote Pastor Tedd Tripp: "Our children must know God!" What a great responsibility and privilege it is to properly shape a child's view of who God is.
Last weekend, with our 90-day tourist visas quickly approaching day 90 in Costa Rica, we (eMi interns) decided to make the most of our situation and take a trip to Bocas del Toro, Panama! Needless to say, Van Halen's "Panama" (Pa-nah-ma-ha!) was the theme song of the bus trip (to the dismay of everyone else on the bus, haha).
Here's a few photos from Bocas:
No man's land (Costa Rica-Panama border)
Yes. We saw dolphins.
(No. This is not a postcard. But it was taken by Ben "Big Guns" Gunden)
Snorkeling at Red Frog Beach (carefully avoiding jellyfish)
Surfing at Wizard Beach
Drinking oatmeal in a juice box (muy intersante...)
The view from our hostel in Bocas
The gang (minus Ben, but plus a cool Swiss) assuming the "chill" position.
What's been going on in the office...
Recently, I have had a part (although a small part) in putting together a structural template for the future eMi trips to Haiti in response to the earthquake earlier this year. The idea of creating a design template (specifically architecture and structural) is to have a group of architects and engineers come in to Haiti and be able to produce a complete set of construction documents in a week, which the ministry/organization that we are serving can use to begin immediate construction. The template is a streamlined design specifically created for Haiti and the vast amount of reconstruction that is needed there.
Speaking of Haiti...
We are missing a great couple here in the Costa Rican office. Josh Ayers, our staff Construction Manager and Disaster Response Coordinator, got offered the opportunity to work in Haiti on a transitional housing project in coordination with Food for the Hungry. Josh will be overseeing the construction of temporary houses being built for those who have been displaced by the earthquake. Thus, Josh and his wife, Alli, will be spending the next three months in Port au Prince. Alli is a physical therapist and she will most likely be working at a hospital helping rehabilitate those injured from the earthquake. The Ayers have had amazing servants hearts through the whole process. Please pray that God would continue to give them the strength to be servants during their time in Haiti and that they would not lose hope amidst a country of hopelessness.
Speaking aun mas (even more) of Haiti...
I have recently been given the opportunity to serve the people of Haiti myself. I will be traveling with eMi staff and volunteers to Mirebalais, Haiti to work with Global Vision Citadel. Global Vision Citadel runs an orphanage that has had an influx of IDPs (internally displaced people) as a result of the earthquake of Jan. 12. The orphanage is proving to be inadequate in serving all of the internally displaced people. Our project trip will be addressing this problem. The project trip will be June 5-13. Please pray for our team: that we would work well together, that we would not face obstacles, that we would strive for the best possible solution, and that we would give God the glory He so greatly deserves.
Final thoughts...
Although the earthquake of Jan. 12 in Port au Prince was a devastating event to a country that was already devastated, God's redeeming hand is already at work. Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has seen an overwhelming response of people and organizations willing to serve. Through this, I am reminded of how good God is during the difficult times; how He uses life-shattering events to capture the hearts of His people; how He cares so much more about our souls than our comforts in this world.
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:19-24
Pray that Haiti would hope in Him.
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PRAYER REQUESTS (the rundown from above)
- Josh and Alli Ayers in Haiti (transition, stamina, hope)
- My project trip to Haiti June 5-13
- All summer project trips in the eMi-AL office (one in Guatemala, one in Honduras, and another one in Haiti)
- The people of Haiti
