Finishing off 2019

The boys at Christmas

It was a busy travel season at the end of 2019, so I wanted to catch you all up...

Cambodia trip (September 2019)

In late September, I traveled to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to attend our annual EMI Directors Conference. This conference is the only time the leaders of all 11 EMI offices gather each year to discuss our ministry - the mission and vision, the challenges, the successes, and everything in between. We also typically hold the conference in the host country of one of the EMI offices so we're able to get a closer look at the office and meet all the local staff and major stakeholders in the country.

The EMI Directors in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

EMI's office in Cambodia is actually setup as a business since registering a non-profit is very difficult in Cambodia and can take many years to achieve. As such, we have had to learn how to run a business in Cambodia according to all the laws governing businesses both in Cambodia as well as from the US's standpoint of operating a business overseas.

We met at a coffee shop in an upstairs conference room. It was
open to the kitchen below, so with the tile floor and concrete
walls, the noise of clanging dishes made the acoustics "fun"!

Our Cambodia office has been very successful in finding and hiring local Cambodian design professionals. After only two years in operation, they have already hired 9 Cambodian professional staff members! It was especially meaningful to hear the stories of these people, and how God had led them to EMI and what He has been doing in their lives since. Professional and spiritual discipleship is a major focus of the office.

During our time, we also got to visit the first project the office has taken all the way from concept design, through detailed design and now into construction.The new building was for a growing Cambodian church - an especially exciting project since only 2% of Cambodians consider themselves to be Christian.

On site at the church project.

Phnom Penh is cool city, with a mix of developed with under-
developed elements.

During our free day, some of us took a 30 kilometer bike ride
out of the city to a nearby temple. With the heat and humidity, only
4 of our group made it. The other two stopped and took a ride
from a tuk-tuk. It was pretty exhausting.

The directors with the Cambodia office staff.

EMI Network Conference - Chicago (October 2019)

In October, Alisha and I attended EMI's annual Network Conference, this year held outside of Chicago, IL at the campus of Judson University, a Christian college with a growing architecture program.

The Network Conference, underway.

The conference is held somewhere different each year and provides an opportunity for people to come learn more about the latest at EMI, to earn professional development credits for technical courses offered, and to get a sneak peak into some of the exciting ministry stories of how God is using EMI in all sorts of creative ways to impact the world both physically through our designs and spiritually with the gospel message of hope we bring in and through our work.

Alisha and I joined a small group of conference attendees
that arrived early to do a walking tour of the unique and
interesting history of architecture and design in Chicago.
The tour was led by a handful of reps from our Chicago
area EMI Network group!

In the increasingly complex world of doing international missions where more and more countries are closing their doors to western mission groups, EMI is often uniquely able to engage in countries and contexts where more traditional ministries are struggling to gain access. By holding these conferences, we're encouraging and challenging the constituents of EMI to see their design skills as a unique resource to the overall Kingdom effort.

Nicaragua Trip (December 2019)

In early December, Alisha and I traveled to visit our EMI office in Managua, Nicaragua. You may remember that it was only a little over a year and a half ago that we had to evacuate our ex-pat staff from Nicaragua due to the political crisis that had spiraled out of control. Fortunately, the country has rebounded quickly, and though we're told many of the issues involved in the crisis were never fully resolved, peace and stability has none the less returned to the country.

The EMI Nicaragua team gathering, as they do
each morning, to share a devotion and time of
prayer, all in Spanish. Most of the time Spanish
is the operating language spoken in the office.

Our time was spent connecting with the staff and spouses, hearing the good, the bad, and the ugly, and encouraging them on in the work God is doing through them in the lives of the people around them. We really love the people God has called to serve in this office, and are excited at the ministry that is happening both inside and outside the walls of the EMI office.

We took some of the staff out of the city on a 'canopy tour' (i.e.
zip-lining) one afternoon.

Nicaragua is beautiful! (So is the girl in yellow.)

Walking between trees - the wire-supporter bridges
were scarier than the zip-lining.

I was also able to spend some good time with the staff and office director to help talk through some of the issues facing their office and team. It is always a privilege to spend time with the people God has called to EMI, and I always leave impressed by the depth and authenticity of these people as they passionately yet humbly carry out the work God's let them to.

Behind the scenes of our Christmas card. We may be smiling
in the photo, but inside we're freezing.