Canada Newsletter, June
How Faith and Engineering Are Shaping Tomorrow’s Church Leaders
At EMI Canada we are designing a world of hope. Every master plan and project delivered to a ministry reflects God’s redemptive work. Through our core values of Design, Discipleship, and Diversity, we’re creating spaces where communities thrive, and faith grows.
- Our commitment to Design means that EMI works within the local context to design and construct culturally-appropriate facilities that are sustainable, affordable, and transformational.
- Discipleship means that EMI develops people spiritually and professionally through intentional discipleship and mentoring.
- And Diversity means that EMI builds the Church by connecting people of diverse backgrounds, abilities and ethnicities to demonstrate our love for God, our love for the nations and the unity we share in Christ.
This month we want to highlight the role that discipleship has within our emerging leaders program area, specifically how the intern and fellowship program prepares the next generation of engineers and architects to be leaders in the Global Church.
Answering the Call to Missions
Before being accepted as an intern with EMI Cambodia in 2024, Canadian Mechanical Engineer EIT Jeremy Zittlau said he had been feeling God calling him towards missions. Like many in the EMI community, Jeremy’s desire to heed God’s call, combining his engineering skills with his passion for mission work, led him to EMI’s internship program.
“I'd never been to Asia before,” said Jeremy, “I grew up expecting that I'd live my whole life in Edmonton then God all of a sudden called me to the other side of the world.”
While language school was a challenge, Jeremy quickly settled into the Cambodia office, excited to experience a new culture and live out God’s call on his life.
Even on the other side of the world, EMI’s focus on discipleship was immediately evident.
Jeremy experienced spiritual growth as he shared his faith with his new Cambodian co-workers.
“I was able to share my faith with my co-workers in cool ways, and have deep discussions with them,” he said.
He also gained valuable practical experience, working extensively in AutoCAD and contributing to a wide range of EMI Cambodia projects.
“I got to help on two schools, two hospitals, a water treatment plant, and an aircraft hangar,” said Jeremy.
As his internship came to an end, Jeremy was faced with the question: where is God calling me next?
Jeremy spoke with his spiritual mentor about what his next steps should be. It quickly became apparent his call was still to mission work.
In January 2025, Jeremy was accepted back to Cambodia, this time as an EMI fellow. He will be travelling back to Cambodia in July 2025.
“One of the things that I like is the opportunity to raise financial support for my job.
“I believe by doing this I get to depend on, and rely more on God than I would if I just had a regular engineering job,” said Jeremy.
As his return to Cambodia nears, Jeremy is excited to be continuing his EMI discipleship journey.
“I'm really excited about the opportunity to deepen my faith,” he said, “I really love being able to talk about God in the office and have devotionals, worship and Bible studies as a part of my work week.”
Ready to Combine Your Faith and Career
Whether you’re still in school, early in your design career or simply curious about missions, EMI offers a path to combine your faith and career.
Find out how you can make this happen:
Explore EMI Internships
Learn about EMI Fellowships
Support Emerging Leaders
