Allen Adrian has served as EMI Canada's Intern Coordinator since August 2020.
Below, we ask Allen about his role and the aspects of EMI's mission and vision that resonate most deeply with him.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your vocational background and how your journey led you to EMI Canada?
A: I am a geophysicist by training and a geoscientist by practice. I worked for a large multinational corporation for 30 years in multidisciplinary teams with engineers, so I am very comfortable in that setting and understand the technical work environment. That career gave me the opportunity to travel, live overseas, and engage cross-culturally. Toward the end of my career, God started laying on my heart an increased passion for reaching those across the globe who did not share in our hope. While starting a small consulting company after retirement, I was searching for ways that I could simultaneously be part of that mission. This journey led me to augment my leadership activity on the missions team at our church, along with part-time study at seminary. Because I had worked with Greg (EMI Canada Executive Director) on the church board and missions team in the past, when he was looking for someone to fill the intern coordinator role, he asked if we knew a way to advertise the position through our networks. When I saw the role described, I realized that it aligned with my passion. I immediately put my hand up and within weeks was learning the ropes of my new role.
Q: What about EMI's mission and vision is most compelling to you?
A: I love the phrase “designing a world of hope” because those few words encompass the scope of our mission. It is global and cross-cultural. It is holistic like the nature of God’s mission - spiritual, emotional, and physical - and we have a part to play in it using our skills to be “His hands and feet”. How we do it using the 3 D’s - design, discipleship, and diversity - is critical so that we provide appropriate, contextual design services that will enable ministries to sustainably display God’s love, mercy, hope and compassion.
Q: Can you briefly describe your role at EMI Canada, and what a typical day/week looks like for you?
A: My biggest official role is the part-time position of Intern Coordinator. Basically, that means coordinating all aspects of Canadian intern applicants or expat interns in the Canadian office; everything from initial discussions of interest to logistics of returning to their home after the term is included. This involves a bit of recruiting, interviewing, communication, onboarding, paperwork, and so on. Besides that, I have some additional roles in the office that include spiritual leadership and alumni and expat connections. Because I am part-time and I still have a couple other things happening in my life, my typical day is not typical. I almost always start with EMI team devotions but then intersperse my tasks with the rest of life working in intern coordination anytime from morning through evening.
Q: What is your vision for young design professionals who intern at EMI offices?
A: I think that there are four outcomes for successful internships: 1) Seeing interns grow spiritually through discipleship, helping them build on leadership skills they already have and helping them grow closer to Christ; 2) Giving young professionals experience both in their technical field and working in teams that are God-honoring and mission-focused, serving as God’s hands and feet; 3) Helping interns understand their future possibilities as faith-motivated design professionals; and 4) Providing opportunities to build community, grow deeper, and have fun while serving God. Hopefully, they will understand that there are no purely secular jobs out there. As people of faith, we will always bring our worldview into whatever we do, so all of life is a ministry, whether with EMI, an engineering firm, architecture firm, or construction company.
Q: Thinking back on your service thus far with EMI, what has been most rewarding for you?
A: In a general sense, I feel very blessed to be part of the journey of young professionals as I hear their stories, dreams and hopes, and get to interact with them, helping them to see how their lives, careers, and faith have great potential for bringing hope to the world. I have also felt great support and affirmation from the EMI team and see God’s hand working even through these pandemic times. There are two specific events that have been highlights for me. The first was the chance to share the gospel with an intern applicant whose cultural and religious background gave an incorrect view of Christianity, but she was actively pursuing a relationship with Jesus. Ironically, the second one is one that strikes fear into the hearts of me and others at times: fundraising. I got an incredible sense of affirmation of my call from a donor who sacrificed for my support beyond anything I could imagine.
Q: What would you say to people interested in getting involved with EMI, but are unsure about where they fit or how to get started?
A: First, look at the EMI website and explore what God is doing around the world through EMI. There are many ways to be involved. Please do not think of this as a cliché but, first, pray for us. Our goal is to assist Christian organizations with their work of spreading the gospel and we need God’s wisdom as we design, plan, and make recommendations to our partners. Another way is to give or participate in one of our fundraising events. The organizations we help are charities as well so we try to keep their costs for our services as low as we can while keeping in mind sustainability principles. If you are a design professional, there is a good chance that we have a place for your technical skills. Opportunities range from internships at the undergrad to new professional level, through fellowships with a little more experience, to volunteers who are licensed professionals, to staff positions. Right now, we are specifically looking for civil engineers!