Parties + Projects

The above is a link to our project on Architecture for Humanity's Open Architecture Network.  I've enjoyed viewing projects on this site for years, and feel it is a wonderful step to be able to contribute to the body of work on this site, with our EMI team.

Life has changed pace a bit since coming to Delhi.  The city itself is moving quickly, that's for sure - it becomes an adventure and a challenge every time we step off the property - but our flat is right above the office, so we conveniently have a 5 pace walk to work in the morning.  This has been very nice in helping me catch up on the last 6 months of sleep I've been lacking, and I feel quite rested in the mornings.  

Besides the quieter days of working in an office setting, there are the outings, such as the small group/Bible study at a church one of the longer interns attends.  It was really nice to meet other believers my age, and they were very welcoming of us as guests - another intern made a good point that we were immediately welcomed as part of the group instead of seen as outsiders that they needed to get to know before acceptance.  We played pictionary, talked, prayed, and ate potato chips.  It was great.

I've also had the opportunity of visiting some of the staff members in their homes.  Just like in college when you live in a dorm, which indeed feels like your own place, it's still refreshing to come into a home, a real home, where people are truly living for an indefinite amount of time.  We watched the Lion King 1.5 with the children, played some Fish Bowl and telephone pictionary while eating doughnuts, enjoying each other's company.  Since I was coming directly from a fast-paced schedule of finishing school, I wasn't entirely prepared for this trip in several ways, such as learning some Hindi, researching good places to visit, learning more about the culture and history of Christianity in India, but also I wasn't anticipating how refreshing and encouraging it would be to be surrounded by "such a great cloud of witnesses." The interns themselves have all made some sort of sacrifice and step of faith to come on this challenging journey of working, living, and getting along in a very foreign land, as well as processing it all through a lens of using it to further our understanding of God's story, His plan, and our place within it.  Also, our morning Bible studies with the staff has proven edifying as well, as we sing and discuss topics to challenge us and bring us closer to the character, sacrifice, and person of Christ.

Also, Happy 4th of July!  I must admit, it's too soon for me to be missing the U.S., but others have been away much longer, so we were all happy to enjoy the festivities of the Independence Day celebration at Delhi's U.S. Embassy.  We enjoyed American cuisine, music, fireworks, and dancing on the Embassy's baseball diamond.  It was a lot of fun, and also nice to meet other ex-pats doing cool NGO and such work here, many my own age.  While I don't necessarily miss the U.S., as mentioned, I think it is partially because I have such good memories of things such as our annual 4th of July celebration and tradition at my aunt and uncle's pool, and fireworks at a park in the evening, that allow me to move forward while recalling these fond memories.  I'm also using some old photos my sister gave me as bookmarks in my current reading selection (a gift from Justin, thankyouverymuch), which bring the swimming pool days back to memory.


It is a blessing to meet and praise the Lord with my brothers and sisters in Christ here in India.

 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

    -- Ephesians 6:24

Our flat

Making dinner - usually from scratch - a team effort.

"Look contemplative." Josh at the Garden of the 5 senses. 

Yes, please!

One of the two types of flowerings at the garden... it wasn't the ideal season for such a place we discovered.

Independence Day party at the Embassy!

I liked the region-specific food choices.  Not pictured: dessert options!

I'm told the Embassy is technically American soil.  We sure feasted and danced like Americans!

I thought my lens cap was dirty, but apparently a flash at night just reveals all of the particulates in the air... hopefully the monsoon's short arrival will wash this all away.

I cannot take credit for this lovely photo, but rather it is the work of Hudson, a young son of an EMI staff couple.

Yay, America.

A special evening!