New Horizons

I haven't written in a while, so all of the anticipation can build up to my next exciting adventure:


I will be traveling to India after my graduation in June to work with EMI, a Christian non-profit engineering and design organization.  !!!  There is a lot I can give you for background on this up to where I am in the process.


First of all, though many designers are well-intentioned, it is difficult to find a way to use our skills for the less fortunate - moreso as a career, but often students seem to fear the seemingly inevitable - that the rich, pretentious folk we complain about now will ultimately be our clients - and our sole source of income.


I've always been one to seek out an alternative way, as exemplified with my alternative spring break trips and wonderful year off serving with Americorps in Seattle.  It has been a while since I have been able to serve, as everything lately has been thesis, thesis, thesis, so with anticipation of settling somewhere for a full-time job for a little while, I realized I needed my 'fix' of adventure to tide me over for this new chapter of life.  


I am thankful for where I am, in school, and where I will go, a respectable job to pay off loans, but there is more needed than this for broadening horizons.


So the search began.  I contacted various non-profit groups, mostly short-term Christian mission organizations and a few Christian-based firms that do design work as a ministry, the goal being to find a way to unite my academic endeavors with what has stayed and, Lord-willing, will remain a central value in my work - glorifying God through remembering the poor and underprivileged and make disciples ( James 1:27, Matthew 28:19).


EMI, Engineering Ministries International, had come and gone off my radar from a similar search several years ago.  I revisited their website, applied for a position, and kept up the search.  Multiple individuals I had spoken who are older and more experienced sent me back to EMI as the key organization aligning with my interests.  


Time passed, plans evolved, and EMI ended up having an open position available for an internship this summer in their New Delhi office - which was offered to and accepted by myself, with much joy (just ask my parents!).


Here is some information about our trip on EMI's website.


After arriving in New Delhi our team will travel to Lucknow to assist the organization TellAsia.  Here is some information about the trip from the EMI site:


Blue Haven Children's Home and School is one of the projects of Tellasia, a ministry based at Lucknow. The ministry envisions this project to be a reproducible model that combines a Christian residential community setting with high-quality education. The project will be established and operate as a fully self-sufficient home for 100 orphan and disadvantaged children, accompanied by a day school and a community health clinic. This facility is being constructed in the heavily populated north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The region is home to 35 million impoverished children. Many of these children labor in fields and factories. Some are forced into prostitution. The majority will grow up unable to read and write, and lacking meaningful skills. Without intervention, these children will remain in a life of poverty and exploitation. 

This is an exciting opportunity that I look forward in seeing how the Lord will use it to shape my future professional goals and attitude, open my eyes to poverty, and see how design can positively impact an otherwise marginalized population.

So at this point, I am still in need of a lot of funding.  If you are interested in helping support this effort, that is great!  It is possible to donate to the trip on the following page: 

Donate!

Also, I'm using my Etsy shop as a way to raise funding and let you have a little part brought back to you, as a photo I'll print and send.  Here is that site, please share with others!

Etsy : to India!

I intend to add more information, photos, pleas for support and such as time goes along.

Thank you for reading and if you're interested in supporting the trip in another way, perhaps through prayer, this is also very important and appreciated!  Just send me a message and I can include you on the e-mail list.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians.3.20-21