Matt never had ambitions of living abroad and never had thoughts of working in missions. He was quite content to stay in Canada enjoying a bright future working for one of Canada’s leading structural engineering firms. So how did he end up living in Uganda and working at EMI?
In 2012, Matt heard about EMI through a presentation at his church. Matt had been longing for something more in his life (really this was a desire to follow God more fully) and EMI’s work and vision to mobilize design professionals to partner with Christian ministries in the developing world resonated with him. Less than a year later, he was interning at EMI UK, including the highlight of a project trip to Uganda. While Matt really enjoyed the experience, the people, the culture, and the country, the thought of returning to Uganda hadn’t crossed his mind until a colleague suggested it. Feeling God’s leading in that suggestion, he was back in Uganda within a few months, this time volunteering for a year at EMI Uganda. Before the year was up, Matt had joined EMI full time as a staff structural engineer.
Matt and his wife Ashley met in Uganda. Ashley came to Uganda for a placement with Doors Ministries for her master's in international public health. They developed a friendship as Matt volunteered at Doors Ministries. This eventually led to Matt and Ashley getting married at the end of 2015. The Lammers have settled into life in Uganda and will be here until God leads them elsewhere.