Hi everyone,
It has been quite a while since I’ve posted. Sorry if anyone was sorely disappointed. Today’s post might be considered a cop-out by some, but I wanted to share it with you because it shares a bit of our heart for the gospel in Africa and because it might help you understand a bit about our future plans. What follows is an email I wrote to EMI in Colorado Springs sharing our history and aspirations for the future. I’ve taken out names and left all but one piece of the original email basically intact:
Greetings from Africa! My name is David Baca and I am currently an intern at eMi EA. I am contacting you regarding the possibility of serving a ministry called Westminster Theological College & Seminary (WTCS) through a construction management role with eMi. I believe our office director may have mentioned this to you, but I have some new questions as the reality of this opportunity comes nearer.
A brief history to bring you up to speed...I'm a BS Arch Eng, MS Eng Management; I've worked in the field at residential construction company for four summers and co-oped in the office at a medium sized design/build contractor; I've been married to Amanda for almost 3 years; we're both 25, no kids, no house. When we began pursuing overseas missions, we first investigated opportunities with the mission agency of the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), Mission to the World (MTW). After finding that MTW didn't offer any opportunities in the engineering/construction field, through the sovereignty of God we came to eMi, applied, and were accepted for a ten month internship here in East Africa (so that Amanda could teach a full year of school). In October, I went on a project trip to serve WTCS as an intern. WTCS is a school open to all students but run by the Presbyterian Church of Uganda (PCU) and committed to Reformed theology. During the project trip, it became apparent that WTCS would need full-time, on-site, construction management. While the project was being completed in the office, we continued to pray for WTCS, particularly that a project manager would volunteer. Around November/December 2006, Amanda and I began to prayerfully examine our hearts to see if this was an opportunity we should explore and came to the decision, YES! Christ calls us to serve when a need is made apparent and we were joyful to begin considering this opportunity as a new way for us to labor for the Kingdom.
So, fast forward to February 2007, when we delivered the final project reports to WTCS in mid-February. There were three WTCS representatives at the meeting:
• Emma-Dean of WTCS, Ugandan
• Dave-Dean of Graduate Studies, American, MTW missionary
• Scott-An experienced contractor from the US
In early March, Dave (with his wife Darlene) and Emma wrapped up a fundraising trip in the US that involved visiting 17 different churches. Since then, WTCS has received pledges and donations of ~$72,000 of the approximate $270,000 needed for Phase 1. They have received word from several churches that they will be giving donations, but have not received them yet. (Side note: I'm from the PCA and understand a bit about how Presbyterians work...if a group asks for money, it takes a few months for the missions committees to process and approve the proposal. I think it's a good process, unless, of course, you want the money to come in quickly!)
Now that the history is somewhat in place, I'd like to share a little about the present and ask some questions about the future. Our desire to serve God overseas, our close theological and relational connection with the ministry, my existing skills and the desire to learn new ones, together with the need for someone to fill this role at WTCS all point to God's hand being consistently involved in our lives. Amanda and I are both convicted that serving Christ through building WTCS is an excellent way to use our God-given gifts and desires to advance the Kingdom so that He receives the glory. We would be absolutely ecstatic to help fulfill the vision of Westminster. There are a few conclusions we've come to that influence the questions I have:
1. We would like to come back to Uganda at this time in our lives to help with the WTCS construction management. We've decided that serving in an eMi office as a design professional isn't a good option at this time, simply because I don't have any structural engineering design experience.
2. We would like to come back to Uganda by the end of October, at the latest, otherwise we're in an odd position with finding housing and jobs in the US, and, we miss out on the construction itself.
3. Serving at WTCS and learning from Scott is also a bit strategic in my mind. Scott has many years of building experience in the US that could really help me hone my construction skills. WTCS would thus be a good training ground for future construction projects in developing countries.
4. If we can't come back by October, we will probably stay in the US for a couple of years so that I can get my PE license out of the way, with the idea of potentially coming on staff with eMi at a later time.
The questions...
WTCS's Funding Stream: A while back I asked our office director, "How much money should WTCS have in the bank before we come back?" He responded to the effect of "95% of it, if not all." At that time, Scott was not available to work on an as-needed basis. Now that he is, WTCS won't wait until they have $270k in the bank; they'll build as the money comes in, and thus, never have "all of the money in the bank."
1. Can we be approved to come back through eMi knowing that WTCS probably won't have all of the money in the bank in October?
2. Other people's experience suggests the funding stream will "dry up" at times so it will be important to have a plan in place for when that happens...could we develop an agreement so that I am approved to do other types of work (train worship leaders, teach vocational training, teach English/writing at WTCS, mentor younger men at WTCS, etc) as needs arise?
Application Process: As mentioned above, we'd like to come back soon. I’ve learned that the application/training process is becoming significantly longer. A lengthy application/training process could adversely affect our plans, so I'm curious about what the process would be like for us. I'm in a bind, because on one hand, Amanda and I have already lived in Uganda for some time, we won't be working at eMi EA on a daily basis, and we don't want to be in the US much longer than three or four 4 months. On the other hand, saying that we want to forego the training seems too bold. Could you please describe what the application/training process would entail for us?
Personal Finances: (I took this section out just because I’m leery of posting financial information on the internet. If any of our supporters are interested in our current funding situation, by all means, please email me. There wasn’t anything too exciting, just questions about how any extra money in our support account can be used for future work at EMI or Westminster)
Well, thanks for making it all the way through this email. I hope there is enough information for you all to begin processing both the Construction Management and HR side of this situation. I imagine my email probably raised a multitude of questions in your mind, so please email them to me as they come to you. Amanda and I both desire to see the truth of the gospel advance in this continent and pray that we're able to serve WTCS through eMi.
Grace and peace,
David
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For our supporters back in the States, please pray for Amanda and I as we navigate the next few months. I'm excited and grateful for working with WTCS or getting my PE in the States, although the opportunity to work at WTCS now seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity that might help me in a third world building career.
And here's a picture of the Africa Renewal Ministries project which we just wrapped up last week:
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