Orientation: Done. Let the work begin!

Whew! What a whirlwind of a week!

Pike's Peak, view from The Hideaway (our retreat center)

I just got back to my apartment after a busy but excellent week at orientation. For the last seven days, 28 interns and a few new eMi staff have been spending all of our time at a retreat center about 30 minutes north of Colorado Springs. The week had multiple elements: eMi vision casting and internship logistics, team building/outdoor activities, personality/strengths tests, culture training, and of course, spending time and getting to know one another--architects and engineers embarking on the same adventure around the world! In my strengths and personality tests I discovered (but pretty much already knew) that I am quite the extrovert, so I thrived in the midst of meeting and making new friends that have the same heart for using design and engineering to do good in the world and help those in need. Everyone got along great and I think everyone was a little sad to be leaving each other today. But at the same time, it was so exciting to see everyone off today as they go to where God has sent them for the next four months, be it India, Uganda, the UK or Costa Rica! (the two Canada interns will be here in Colorado with us for a couple more weeks)

eMi Fall 2010 interns and new staff

Tomorrow is our first official day in the office. I think this next week will bring further training-- some in the office and some out-- like perc testing and AutoCAD. I also just received and email today regarding my project trip! So tomorrow I will hopefully be skyping with the team there to get more information about what I will be working on here in the Springs before the trip. I'll let you know about it when I find out more!



Prayer requests:

-Please pray for safe travels for my friends as they head to their offices:
Uganda office: Daniel, Dan & Jonathan
India office: Nate, Katie, Mark & Cara
Costa Rica office: Bethany, Alfonso, David & Erika
UK office: Valerie, Ginnie & Deb

-A few of the project trips heading out of the Colorado office are still looking for volunteer engineers and architects to join them! Please pray that the Lord would bring these teams the people and skills they need to be as effective as possible on their project trip!

-My project is still searching for an architect or two, a civil, structural, and electrical engineer, and a surveyor. We still have a month or so for these laborers to join the team, but please pray that God will also bring the right people for this project to the team in Cairo.

-Please pray for my adjustment to life here in the Springs, and that I will continue to seek God to find comfort in times of loneliness or homesickness. This last week's constant socializing distracted me from the realization that I won't be going back to Minnesota for four months. As much as I know I will love being here, today I've felt that little pang of homesickness that is inevitable when moving away (for awhile) for the first time.


Thank you for all of your prayers!

Check out my facebook or flickr for more pictures of this week!