Project Trip: Extras

My favorite story of the trip was one afternoon when I was surveying. Since the brush was so thick in many parts of site, they provided a team of machete-wielding “slashers” to create trails for us to walk. That was awesome in and of itself, but the best part of the day came when we were taking a break and they wanted to have a smoke. This is what ensued… I will let the video tell the tale...

Less than 5 minutes later, they gathered the ashes and put them in some dry grass and...

Afterward, Shawn and I tried to make fire the same way. We failed miserably and they just laughed and laughed at us. None of them spoke English which made communication tough, but it made our interactions all the more hilarious.

I will just leave you with a few more photos of the trip.


The region of Uganda that we visited was called West Nile. Although, they said that the West Nile virus did not originate in West Nile. Go figure.


Meat on a stick anyone? This is a common site while travelling. If you want to buy something, just pull of to the side of the road and people with most definitely swarm you as they try to get you to buy something.


A picture of me with two of the “slashers”. They were both totally ripped. You wouldn’t want to get in a fight with one of these guys, especially if they are carrying around machetes.


Shawn is surveying a typical hut on one of the properties. Notice the clothes drying on the roof. There are no such things as washing machines or dryers here.


They did not have drinkable water where we stayed so we brought along our own water filter. It took about 5 minutes to fill water bottle.


A shot of the group on the way back to the vans after getting caught in a rain storm.


To make matters worse, the rain made all the roads so muddy that the vans kept on getting stuck. Several people had to jump out at least half a dozen times to push them out of the mud.


Ok, so I said that I wouldn’t share these photos, but these are just too epic to deny you all the opportunity to see them. This is Aaron, a Safe Harbor business analyst from Chicago, killing the turkey.


This is Tim, the architect turned chicken butcher. Jones, the chef, is standing next to him helping out. How awesome is it, by the way, that the chef’s name was Jones?


Anyone need their car washed? We saw this in one of the nearby streams on the way out of town.

Project Trip: The People and the Church

I wanted to share a little bit about the people we encountered while we were in Midigo. They were some of the most hospitable, friendly people I have ever met. The compound that we stayed in was the where Dr. Juventine and his wife live with their two children. There are several other staff members that live there as well. As a result, every meal had about 25 to 30 people… and each meal was a feast! Through the course of the week, we had fresh pork, chicken, turkey, and goat. And by fresh I mean that we had a live pig in the compound in the morning and had pork for dinner. The next day we had a live goat on the compound and had goat meat for dinner. Two of our team members even got to kill the turkey and chicken one day (I will spare you the gory photos). Needless to say, it was quite the experience.

This was all very special too. We asked them how often they had meat, and they said rarely. So it was very generous of them to be feeding us the way that they did. In addition, they served us hot tea and coffee every afternoon and wonderful desserts.

[Side note: people here like to drink hot tea at all times of the day. They say that it cools them down. I don’t get it. I just sweat when I drink it, which I guess should cool you down. But I would prefer not to sweat even more than I do in the heat of the day.]

Anyway, I had such a wonderful time meeting the people there and learning more about the current ministry. It was very evident that they love Jesus and are dedicating their lives to his service. Many have made such great sacrifices to be there. Dr. Juventine and his wife (also a doctor) were very successful doctors in Kampala and had an offer for a prestigious fellowship in South Africa. They turned down the fellowship and left their big house in Kampala to be missionaries in Midigo where they live a much simpler life. What a testimony of people who have their hope in heaven and not on the things of this earth!


Dr. Juventine sitting by a tree on the compound.


Jemimah loved to come and sit on my lap while I was on my computer.


A shot with Jemimah and Jonathan, Juventine and Elizabeth’s children.


The two mozeis (literally translated as "old man") that showed us around the property. The man on the left in said to be 98 years old. He has lived in Midigo his entire life and knew where all of the property boundaries were. Sometimes they would seemingly turn randomly in the middle of a corn fields. They didn’t like their photos taken and they didn’t like to smiles. They said smiling is for fools.


The sanctuary of Calvary Chapel Midigo.


The childrens ward of the hospital.


Some of the local children after church one evening. They were supposed to be standing by me, but rushed toward the camera as soon as it was pulled out. My favorite is the one saluting in the back. Afterward, they all just had to see the photo on the camera display. There aren’t very many digital cameras in the area.


We blew up balloons and blew bubbles with the kids after church on Sunday. 

Project Trip: Meet the Team

The eMi team consisted of ten engineers and architects. Two of the staff members from the Kampala office lead the trip with four professional volunteers from the US and four interns. Here is the team on top of one of the rocks we climbed one morning.




Front Row (left to right):
Todd (mechanical engineer, volunteer from Colorado), Christina (civil engineer, volunteer from Texas), Jonathan (architect, intern from Ohio), Daniel (architect, intern from Florida)

Back Row (left to right):
Pat (project leader, civil engineer, staff member from Vancouver), Me, Tim (architect, volunteer from North Carolina), Brittany (civil engineer, intern from Washington), Janet (project co-leader, civil engineer, staff member from New York)

Very Back:
Shawn (structural engineer, volunteer from Pennsylvania)

So what exactly did we do while we were there? Well, the main goal of the week was to develop a master plan for the site and gain as much information as possible to help with the design when we back to Kampala (or the US for the case of the volunteers).

Throughout the week all of the architects (Tim, Daniel, and Jonathan) were working in close proximity with Safe Harbor to determine what types of structures would be necessary for the proposed farming and milling. The civil engineers (Christina, Brittany, and Janet) worked on the water and wastewater demands for the site. Todd, the mechanical engineer, worked through how all of the milling machines would be powered and how the site would have electricity. The structural engineers (Shawn and I) were used as surveyors for the week, mapping out both sites using GPS equipment.

On top of the eMi team, there were several others from Safe Harbor that were very important to the team. Two businessmen, Andy and Aaron, from the US came over to help analyze the business aspect of the project. Throughout the week they were doing market research to determine if the project would be even be profitable. Additional, there was a native agricultural specialist from Kampala, Francis. He took soil samples and studied the land to see which crops would be best to plant.

There is a lot more that I could talk about, but I will spare you the boring engineering details. Soon, I will post about some of the wonderful people that we got to meet while we were there.



Everyone hard at work in our make-shift office.


This was another common meeting area.


Me out in the field surveying. This is the kind of head high grass I had to tramp through all week.


Digging at hole to test soil permeability for waste water treatment… exciting right?


Getting away from the others to go through the presentation in one of the tukles. Aren’t the mosquito nets fashionable? By the way, they are called moh-skwee-toes here.

Project Trip: Safe Harbor

Hi all! I got back from my project trip a couple days ago and it was a blast. I have a lot to catch you up on (so much happened in a week and a half) so I will spend the next several days posting about various aspects of the trip. First, here is some more info on the Safe Harbor International, the ministry that we served while were there.

Safe Harbor has been such a blessing to northwestern Uganda for many years now. The hospital is the nicest around for miles. It has a maternity ward, childrens ward, and several operating rooms. The church has seen much growth in a region that is more than 95% Muslim, many of which are refugees from Sudan. A second church has even been recently planted in Arua (about three hours away). The Christian primary school provides the best education in the area. Many Muslim families are sending their children because it is so much better than the alternatives.

The main purpose of our trip was to help develop some land has been recently donated to Safe Harbor. There are two sites that are about half an hour outside Midigo. Choro is the main site where many of the staff members currently live and is 43 acres. The second site, Wogo, is a few kilometer away and has nearly 80 acres of completely undeveloped land.

The goal for the land is to develop an agricultural facility to generate revenue so that they are less dependent on supporters and can bless the community in more ways. The goal is to develop Wogo into lots of farmland to grow maize, rice, beans, and sweet potatoes. They also would like to create several fish ponds so that they can raise their own fish. Choro will then become a processing facility that will include mills to turn the maize to flour and several chicken coops for egg production. They will also use the mills to provide milling services to local farmers that would like to mill their own maize.

Currently a large percentage of the fish, eggs, and other produce is shipped all the way from Kampala (13-14 hours away). Hopefully, this will create a more sustainable ministry for years to come. Eventually, they would like to build classrooms to help train locals farmers with better farming practices.

Tomorrow, I will give you more info on all the work that we did while we were there.
In the mean time, here are a few photos of the place we stayed. Many more photos to come soon…




A view of the compound from the water tank tower.




This was our living area for the week. Each had a couple sets of bunk beds and a small shower room. They are called tukles (Lugbara for small hut).




The eMi “office” for the week.



Me on top of one of the large rock formations on the property.



A view along the road outside our compound.

A.C.T.S.

Since nothing new or exciting has really happened this week (except for designing lots of beams and columns and prepping for our project trip) I thought I would share something the Lord has been teaching me recently. Each morning during the week, the entire office gathers for a short devotion and prayer. During prayer, we lift each other up, pray for the community/local staff, and other eMi offices and project trips all over the world. I have really enjoyed this time during the week. What blessing it is to be part of a community where this happens regularly during the work day. I know that few are able to experience this at work which is one reason why I am so grateful.

This has got me thinking a lot about prayer recently. Remembering back to a couple of summers ago when I was on summer project in New Zealand with Campus Crusade, one of my friends taught me a cool way to approach prayer. Using the acronym ACTS, I go through four different aspects of prayer.

Adoration – giving praise to God for who he is.

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
Psalm 29:1-4

Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.
Revelation 4:11

I think that this is appropriate being first. Sometimes I think adoring God can easily be lost in prayer in the midst of asking for things. Taking time to stop and think about his character and all the indescribable, infinite qualities he possess can be very rewarding. This is such a great way to bring God glory.

Confession – confessing sin to God, the one who forgives, reconciles, and justifies

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 1:9-10

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Psalm 51:1-4

It is through sin that our relationship with God was first broken. God was faithful to bring us back into relationship through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for which I am so thankful (see next section). So we must confess our sin, but we must also repent and turn from our sin. I think this is important to confess and acknowledge our sin. As we begin to see the gap between God’s perfection and our mistakes, we can only fall more and more in love with Jesus for who he is and what he has done to close that gap.

Thanksgiving – giving thanks to God for what he has done.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
2 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15

This has especially hit me recently as I experience the developing world. There are so many things that I can be thankful in this life. I am so thankful for a God who has saved me and calls me into relationship with him! After seeing some of the living and working conditions in Uganda, I can’t help but be so thankful for the wonderful life. I have so much compared to so many parts of the world.

Supplication – asking God to meet your needs.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:7-11

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
James 5:17-18

God is faithful to provide everything that we need. All we need to ask for it. If it seems like hasn’t given you everything you’ve wanted, it is probably because he has a better plan and knows what is best for you. Keep on praying and asking. He likes to hear from you.

Now this is not the only way to pray. Jesus gives us an example on how to pray in Matthew 6. These are only several aspects of prayer that I think are important. I would encourage you to think about how you might use prayer regularly. Remember that our God is one that calls us to a personal relationship with him. We separated ourselves through our own sin, but he reconciled us to himself through Christ on the cross. Like any relationship, communication is key. God communicates with us by revealing himself through his Word. We can communicate with him through prayer. What an amazing thought it is that we have a god who desires relationship with us. He is not impersonal; he is not distant. He wants to hear from us and I am so grateful for that. I hope that you are too.

Anyway, those are just a few (well, more than a few at this point…) thoughts I have had recently regarding my relationship with God. I hope it has been an encouragement to you.

I will be on my project trip in Midigo starting Monday so don’t expect to see anything new in the next two weeks or so. The place we are going is in the middle of nowhere Uganda and I will have no access to the internet. I will be sure to update you all when I get back.

Uganda 3, Angola 0

Saturday night, I went to the Uganda Cranes football match against Angola. It was an incredible experience. I only wish I had brought ear plugs because it was intensely loud the entire time. I thought watching the World Cup on TV earlier this summer because of the vuvuzelas, but actually being in a crowd was a whole other story. Add in whistles and other noise makers and it’s a recipe for hearing loss. Overall it was really fun though. All the Ugandans have a lot of energy while watching the match and Uganda won which made it even more exciting.

[Oh, and if you didn’t figure it out, I went to a soccer match… they call it football here, just like the rest of the world. I wanted to clarify just in case you were confused…]

I also had a fun experience Saturday morning before the football match. One of the locals associated with eMi runs a small library/copy shop in the middle of a small neighborhood nearby. I join a couple others to read books to the little kids out on the porch of this library. Not many of them can read and most of their parents can’t either. So they were all super excited when we came to read stories to them. There were maybe 20 or 25 children gathered around. I will hopefully go again on other Saturday mornings and take some photos.

I recently updated the Project Info page so check that out when you get the chance. It is still early in my involvement in some of these projects so I will try to add more info soon. Still, check it out to see what projects eMi is working on and what ministries we are serving.


Uganda (yellow) v. Angola (red)


Fellow intern Jonathan and me at the game.


A shot outside the stadium after the game (Mandela National Stadium)


Dance party in the street after the victory.

Trips to Jinja and Masaka

I have now been Uganda for just about a week and it has been pretty hectic so far. I feel like it has been hard to get into a routine. We have taken a couple trips around Uganda already.

This past Saturday, we took a project trip to Jinja. Jinja is a town about two hours away from Kampala. There are three construction sites for which eMi will be doing the construction management. We visited all three sites as well as the staff member who lives there full time. Steve (the eMi staff member) actually lives right on the Nile River. Eating lunch right along the Nile was a pretty neat experience.

Then, this past Monday, we took the three hour trek to Masaka. There is an orphanage and school there that houses more than 100 children. The school building is in major disrepair so there is an architect from California (unaffiliated with eMi) that has partnered with the local ministry to build a new school building. They enlisted us to survey the site so that they could get started on the design. Two little boys followed us around all day long and watched us do the survey. My guess is that they don’t see muzungus (white people) very often.

There are several things that make traveling very interesting. First, there are intersections that have potholes that would absolutely destroy axels if taken at anything more than a few mph. Also, many roads will have speed bumps every couple hundred feet. As a result, travel is very stop-and-go along very dusty roads. Car sickness is almost inevitable on these kinds of trip, which isn't fun.

The past couple of days, however, things have settled down. I have been in the office all day Tuesday and Wednesday. This has really helped my ankle a lot. It has really been feeling well the past couple days. And thanks to lots and lots of water drinking, I am much more hydrated so I haven't had bloody nose in several days now. I am starting to feel more and more comfortable here. I am getting to know the area and that has helped a lot. I am also glad to get in a little bit of a routine… although we leave in less than two weeks for our project trip. More on that soon…



The Nile River in Jinja. Lake Victoria (the source of the Nile) is just over the dam in the distance


Outside Amazing Grace Christian Assembly, the local church we attended last Sunday


The survey team at the equator on the way to Masaka