God opened her eyes and she hasn’t looked back since. As a freshman in high school, Ellery went on a mission trip to South Africa to work with AIDS orphans. It was the first time she became truly aware of how big and beautiful the world is. But she also saw deep suffering and brokenness, too. It was there, dancing and singing with a hundred little children, that God began stirring her heart toward something greater than the plans she had dreamed up for herself.
Ellery returned to Africa on several short-term missions and even spent a summer serving there in college. She attended the University of Michigan—Go Blue!—where she majored in architecture. When graduation rolled around, Ellery was searching for something that would give deeper purpose to her work in the design field, so she spent the summer of 2017 interning in EMI’s Uganda office. Her passion for building a healthier world that looks a little more like the heaven it was created to be prompted her to move to Chapel Hill, NC for graduate school. She studied urban planning, international development, and global health. God then opened the door for her to return to EMI in 2021 as a Master Planning Fellow in the South Africa (2021-2023) and USA (2023-2024) offices. After three years as a Fellow, Ellery decided to join EMI USA as Member Staff in 2024, supporting EMI's efforts around the world in her role as an urban planner and public health specialist.
Ellery has seen firsthand that design has the power to restore life, dignity, and hope, through the spaces themselves and the work of those using them. It’s a way of telling people that they are seen, valued, wanted, and loved - that they are worth planning, designing, and creating spaces for. It allows us to share the love of Jesus and tangibly meet the needs of the poor. Every year EMI’s staff and volunteers complete over 100 development projects which serve the poor and proclaim the Gospel all around the world. To keep these design services affordable for Christian ministries, EMI staff like Ellery are responsible for raising their own salaries. We are so thankful for God’s provision through the generosity of donors. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with the great things God is doing through Ellery’s ministry at EMI?
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