EMI Orientation

Here are the Costa Rica interns ( the fab 5 boy band picture)

I’m now to my final day in the United States as we closeout our week of EMI orientation. The last week here in Colorado Springs has been a really unique experience for myself (and probably for all the interns). There are about 26 other EMI interns that will be serving in various offices around the world, including: Colorado Springs, India, Uganda, Costa Rica, Canada, UK, and the Middle East. Most are in their last year of college or have recently graduated with degrees in architecture, engineering, and yes, even landscape architecture--I am one of two landscape architect interns.

The dynamics of our group are wide. We have interns from Canada, UK, and every corner of the United States. Imagine this: You’re at a large dinner table. At the table there is an Irish man, an Canadian-Asian born in South Africa, a girl from England, two girls from Louisiana and Alabama, a guy from northern California, a guy from Minnesota, and a guy from nowhere, Kansas. You can imagine how funny our conversations were during each meal. As a boy from Savannah, Georgia, I immediately set to work to correct all of their accents and cultural shortcomings. No success, yet. It has been a blast getting to know each of these people, though. Each of them has something amazing to offer, and I wish I could spend the whole next year in their company.

The orientation process has been a challenge to me. As someone described it earlier, it’s a bit like “drinking from a fire hydrant.” Every day has been packed with talks and activities that are to prepare us for the next six months. Topics included God’s workmanship, culture, personalities, strengths, poverty, spiritual gifts and EMI history. I often came into many of the lectures and group activities with strong ,cynical attitude, thinking that it was something I didn’t need to hear. Fortunately, God broke me down each time and opened my eyes to things he would have me see. It has been one of the most spiritually challenging weeks of my life, and I feel like I will need several months to process the input I received.

One of the topics for the week centered around God’s workmanship---the idea and truth the we have identity and purpose in Christ. Ephesians 2:10 says : For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. We spent a great deal of time unpacking this truth and all the evidence that points to it. After taking some strength, personality, and spiritual gifts test (which I was extremely skeptical of) we were able to recognize and confirm our uniqueness in the body of Christ. As we discussed our individual differences, we were able to see how God is clearly a master of design. He is constantly at work to use us as instruments to glorify himself and redeem all creation.

Last night was one of the highlights of the week. We sat around and heard each person’s testimony--a story of good times, bad times, heritage, and heroes. For several hours we listened to how broken lives have been redeemed by God’s grace. It is incredible to see that our Father is constantly interceeding for his children and that he is not some distant clockmaker who has left us to fend for ourselves.

Overall, it has been an amazingly encouraging week and I feel even more exicted about our team and mission. I am ready to get to Central America! Please pray for our safe travel as we leave later today for Costa Rica!