As EMI Canada navigates the first few months of 2021, still in the midst of the challenges and uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re experiencing God’s provision and guidance. Like everyone else, we have examined and shifted the way we carry out long-standing practices, while our mindset has been one of 'growing forward' - choosing movement instead of stagnation and discouragement. In this way, we find ourselves moving in 'old' directions in new ways, and moving in new directions with a sense of anticipation. 

Design Projects

As international travel shut down in 2020, ‘growing forward’ in our overseas project work – the cornerstone of our mission - meant adopting new practices and more limited scopes of work to serve our ministry partners remotely. As we've worked through the technical challenges of remote work, we've been able to continue serving ministries and increase collaborative efforts with other EMI offices. Currently, we are serving the International School of Theology and Leadership in Albania; Faith Baptist Church in Uganda; MSAV School in Haiti; and continuing a needs assessment for Galmi Hospital (SIM) in Niger.

Another example of 'growing forward' is where EMI Canada is exploring opportunities to provide pre-design services for ministry partners on Canadian soil. As we continue our due diligence around this new area of service, we are excited for the new opportunities this presents for EMI Canada, Canadian ministries, and our Canadian design professional network. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as we have more news to share.

Of course, it’s our wish to resume international travel as soon as we can, to once again mobilize our design professional volunteers, and serve our ministry partners with our full scope of services onsite and in person. As COVID-19 vaccinations proceed in Canada and around the world, we are hopeful that we can resume international travel in the latter part of 2021.

Connecting and Fundraising Events

We’re also ‘growing forward’ in the ways we connect with our EMI community across Canada. With restrictions on in-person gatherings, we shifted to virtual formats for our fundraisers and connecting events. What used to be small, in-person gatherings in Calgary to share each terms’ projects became EMI Live, a virtual event now available to our EMI community across Canada and beyond. Be sure to join us for the next EMI Live on Thursday, May 18 at 7:00 PM (MDT). Click here to register today!

Last year we also introduced the first-ever Walk/Run 4 Hope and continued with a COVID-friendly version of the Ride for Refuge. Both fundraisers were successful and allowed us to engage participants from far and wide. Click here to learn about our virtual Walk/Run 4 Hope, happening throughout the month of June.

As we ‘grow forward’, we continue to take steps toward greater financial sustainability in order to maintain the excellence of our work and to broaden and increase our Kingdom impact. Please pray for us as we grow our internal capacity, seek new serving and giving partners, and rest in God's provision for all we need to carry out the work He's called us to.

Fellowship Program

Our EMI Canada civil/environmental engineering fellow, Rachel Su, has been part of our team since January 2020. She has provided invaluable assistance on design projects while taking theology and spiritual development courses, per EMI’s Fellowship curriculum. Rachel is preparing to expatriate to Cambodia later in 2021 for the second portion of her Fellowship Program. Please join us in praying for Rachel (and her soon-to-be husband, Kody) as they prepare for this exciting adventure.

Growing Forward Together

EMI Canada has grown tremendously since launching our office in 2002, through the faithful partnership of our community across Canada and beyond. To each person who has and continues to donate faithfully, volunteer on project teams, share the story of EMI with others, participate in fundraisers, and uphold us in prayer: we are deeply grateful for your partnership.

We will ‘grow forward’ together as we step into the opportunities this season brings, following God’s leading as we pursue our call to ‘design a world of hope’.