Home safe

It took over 2000 miles and around 80 gallons of gas to get me back to Bartow. I made it safely and don't even have any crazy stories to tell about it, which is a good thing.

Here are some more pictures of the 5 of us interns:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39707068@N04/sets/72157622013896078/

Thanks again so much for your prayers and support.
I learned a ton about engineering and design this summer. God was also continuing to teach me what it means to be a godly man and helping me to trust Him with bigger things.

I miss the other 4 interns who I grew so close to, but I'm glad to be here with my family. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with friends at school, going to class again, and being involved with Campus Crusade.

I still don't know what God has in store for the rest of my life, and I think after this summer I'm a little more comfortable not knowing. It's as if He's just showing me the next door ahead of me and not showing me where I'll be years from now. My heart was touched this summer and I'll never be the same.

It's almost over

Tomorrow is my last day in the office. I have a lot to do in preparation for driving home. I got my oil changed and picked up some books on CD. Listening to audio books will help me stay alert mentally on the long trip home. I still need to pick up some snacks for the trip, do laundry, pack everything, and do some other cleaning and errands. Pray that I can fit it all in.
I will leave this Saturday, hopefully around 5AM. I'll be driving to Little Rock where I'll sleep on the couch of a friend of EMI. Sunday will be another 14 hour day of driving back to Gainesville. Then I'll be back in Bartow to visit with my family from Monday through Friday. Pray that I'll drive safely and be alert.
We've been working steadily on designing the primary school and women's center in Sudan. We won't finish the project, but we'll have it mostly done by tomorrow. We still need some structural design and we need to compile the report.
It's going to be tough to leave this place and all the people, but I am looking forward to seeing old friends and going back to school.

A close call

I was almost T-boned by a van while driving to work this morning. I had Jake and Christal in the car with me. I saw the van coming and was able to swerve and avoid being hit. Thankfully, there was no one in the lane beside me.
The funny thing is that I was listening to a CD at the time by Tenth Avenue North. The lyrics of the song that was playing at that exact moment were "My hands are holding you".
God protected us this morning and made sure that we knew He was holding us in His hands.
The next song on the CD has the lyrics "You say let it go". The song isn't about letting go of anger or a grudge, but it still reminded me that there's no reason to be angry or get in a bad mood about what had just happened.
God really has a sense of humor.

Just under two weeks left

The summer has passed by rather quickly. I'm looking forward to returning home, but at the same time I wish I could stay here longer. I think I'm really going to miss the other interns, but I'm looking forward to connecting with my friends back home at church and at UF.
I had a great weekend last week. I took some days off and made it a long one. I hiked Grays and Torreys Peaks last Friday morning. Then I spent the rest of the weekend hanging out at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Campus Crusade holds summer classes and training for their staff on the campus. I was able to visit one of the staff guys from UF. I had a great time meeting other staff members from different campuses and other Crusade ministries. We went to the Cheyenne Rodeo too, which was quite the adventure. I also played disc golf on a real course for the first time. Check it out if you don't know what it is.

I have to decide how I'm driving back and where I'm going to stop to sleep. I also have some other decisions coming up. Next Friday the 5 interns get to share about our experience with the office during our morning testimony and devotional time. Pray that God will give me wisdom in my decisions and will help me gather my thoughts about what my time here at EMI has meant to me.

Working in the Office

I'm still working on some projects in the Middle East, doing computer drafting and edits. Hopefully we will be able to close the projects soon.
Tuesday was EMI's annual Golf Marathon fundraiser. It is the only fundraiser that EMI does each year. EMI had a course to itself for the day just outside of Colorado Springs. Golfers get sponsors and then try the exhausting task of golfing 100 holes in a day. This year EMI raised about $40,000 with about $25,000 going to the Colorado Springs office and the rest to other offices around the world. The money helps EMI with general office expenses like equipment. Praise God for how He provides mightily even in times of economic hardship.
I caddied for Jim Hall, the CEO of EMI. We had some great conversations and I tried my hand at golf for the first time. What a difficult sport! I have a newfound respect for anyone who plays a lot.
This year also marked the first intern golf outfit contest...pictures included:
I didn't win, but we had fun.
The hardest thing about working in the office is remembering that I'm not working on a project that is going to make someone somewhere wealthy, but that I'm working on a project to help the needy across the world and to advance the cause of Christ. It's a lot easier to have a good attitude about making minor changes and having to do a tenth set of drawings to get them just right when I can remember the reason I'm here. Pray that I'll have a good attitude about even the smallest task I do.
This Friday is a day off from work where everyone will get out of the office. We're having a day of prayer and reflection for EMI. I'm looking forward to that.

Pictures from Africa

I tried to add a slideshow box onto the sidebar, but it wasn't working.
Here's a link to my Flickr account

I took way more pictures, but I didn't want to overwhelm everyone. Here are some of the highlights. Enjoy!

Life in Colorado

The past week and a half have been great. I've been very busy doing computer drafting and helping edit and write reports. This past week I worked on a hospital in Sierra Leone, and a youth camp in Jordan. I did computer drafting for a 7-story structure in Egypt that will have rooms, a conference area, and training for mentally retarded people. I also worked on a project for an organization ministering to the deaf in Egypt. It's amazing that God has led engineers and architects to EMI to design these facilities for ministries for free!
This past week we did an intern scavenger hunt in downtown Colorado Springs. My team lost, but on a technicality, so I'll still claim it as a win. :) Some of us interns also went on an overnight backpacking trip to the Venable Lakes in the Sangre de Cristo Mts. It was rainy and cold but very beautiful.

Happy Father's day, dad!