Pressroom

🎉 Hooray! Celebrating 10 Years of Dedication – Julius Dennis Mugonde 🎉

Today we joyfully celebrate Julius Dennis Mugonde on reaching an incredible 10-year milestone with the eMi Uganda team!

Julius currently serves as our Construction Finance Administrator, and his journey is nothing short of inspiring. He began with us as a casual laborer on this very eMi office building, a role he was clearly overqualified for, yet he embraced it with humility and a willingness to learn from those in authority.

Over the years, Julius transitioned into the Facilities Department, where he once again served with excellence and humility. When the Workshop was seeking to hire its first administrator, Julius stood out among all candidates and he has continued to excel, whether in Construction Management (CM), the Workshop, or his current permanent role in CM.

Julius’ story is a powerful reminder that experience, and education are important but it’s character, humility, and vision that truly define a person. He’s a living example of how setting your sights higher, walking in obedience, and staying grounded in service can lead to impactful growth.

Nearly 50% of Julius’ time is spent on the road, moving between sites and suppliers checking on materials, overseeing deliveries, and ensuring everything runs smoothly. He does all this with passion, integrity, and a servant’s heart. Julius handles client funds as if they were his own, always striving for the best value and highest accountability.

Julius, we see you. We honor you. We thank God for the incredible gift you are to this organization. Your hard work, honesty, and faithfulness do not go unnoticed.

Congratulations on 10 years of excellence! May God bless you today and, in the years, to come.

Written by: Claire Luggajju

We are delighted to celebrate Maggie McNeill for 20 years of faithful, steadfast service and support of EMI Uganda!

In the early years of her professional retirement, Maggie moved from California to Uganda to be near her children and grandchildren.  Little did she know at the time that her roots would go down into our soils and her heart would be enlarged toward our people and culture – Uganda became her home. Within a few short years her children and grandchildren moved away from the area, but she stayed.  And oh, how grateful we are that she did.

For 20 years Jjajja (grandma) Maggie has invested in the staff and trainees of EMI in numerous ways.  In 2015 when EMI Uganda made the leap from our city office to our new space out in Kajjansi, she championed a new trainee compound where she has served as caretaker, hospitality host, community builder and … grandma!  Since then, she has overseen the comings and goings of every single trainee, each one blessed by her wisdom, care and prayer.

We are thankful for the many lessons we have all learned from Jjajja Maggie – about crossing cultures, about living in step with the Holy Spirit, and about parenting and grandparenting – through her open-book modeling of the faithful life.

Thank you for 20 years of inspired and faithful service with EMI, Maggie!

When a mission is approaching, no matter the scale, Gerhard is someone you want on your team. While he is not usually locking shields with you to tackle the sites, details and logistics, he is the one who puts a team together selectively at camp, briefing them for their mission, then climbs the hillside to reach an elevated point and looks strategically ahead of the team. His view allows him to plan when to send back-up from camp, which person to activate, and when to step in himself for critical moments, all to ensure the mission is a success for our clients. We often are not aware of the strategic moves that happen while Gerhard is leading the charge, often only seeing the outcomes once things align and results are evident. 

Ten years ago; God led Gerhard and Trudie very clearly to spend several months with EMI in India - the testimony many of us have heard and are never tired of hearing. In that time the Lord journeyed with Gerhard by drawing him near, equipping him with hearing the Lord’s voice, and bringing conviction for what He was calling them to.

With Gerhard’s skills of leading an urban design commercial practice in Cape Town, his heart for building the Kingdom and seeing restoration in people and spaces, he played a critical role in opening the EMI South Africa office with Brad and Kendra Hansen in 2017. Since the office began official operations in 2018, Gerhard has been passionately leading the office through transitions, seasons, some lows, and many highs. 

Gerhard and Trudie (with their two Ridgebacks in tow), live impactful lives that ripple into the lives of their community and the EMI team in meaningful ways. We are deeply grateful for them, not just in who they are but through how deeply they serve the Lord and give a bold YES whenever He calls them. 

We celebrate Gerhard’s 10 years at EMI with joy and honour!