britian...to be continued

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Galatians 2:20-21

It seems that for the next year I am looking at coming back to the UK to continue assisting the eMi UK office in getting off the ground!!?! I have been blessed with an opportunity to work part time for an architect in London (the same architect that went on our project trip to India with me).  This would pay for my living expenses so that i could then work part time as an eMi volunteer! I would be helping the intern program to get off the ground, continuing to help with drafting, and putting together reports for more project trips like the one I just returned from!

I am super excited about this prospect and would love for your continued support in prayer and finances for this upcoming year.  It's a little bit scary stepping out in this way, but I'm praying that God will continue to give me the faith to do so!  There is so much to be done and it's quite exciting that I am able and qualified to help do it :)  I need to raise financial support for my plane flight to and from the UK and for visa costs, which comes to about $2,000. If you would be interested in helping me financially, please e-mail me at chricar1@iit.edu

a BORN resource and training center

Jai Masiki!

(Praise the Lord!)

 I have returned from Patna, India in the state of Bihar with joy and a renewed since of passion and privilege to serve our Lord, Jesus Christ.

My previous post Namaste explains about the area of India where our project trip lead me to as well as the background of the ministry of BORN. If you haven't read that, I suggest reading it through before reading the rest of this post. It may reduce your confusion. :)

 First and foremost, to those who have been praying and to those who gave towards my internship, thank you so much for your support! Our team spent two weeks in India designing a master plan and numerous buildings, during which everyone stayed safe and healthy thanks to your prayers! And in a couple of months time, the ministry will have plans for a campus headquarters that will assist them in their vision to continue reaching the millions of people living in Bihar who do not know Jesus.



With this enormous growth and even larger aspirations, the BORN ministry is in need of a campus of buildings to sustain the movement’s growth, station their headquarters for the church plants, train their pastors and leaders, hold large conferences, and give back to their community. This is where eMi stepped in to help. A team of seven of us from the eMi UK office travelled to Patna, India in order to design the buildings. Mike Woods (UK staff), the eMi project team leader; Martin Evans (UK staff), head architect; Richard Fryer (UK), structural engineer, Erin Curtis (Ohio), civil engineer; two architect interns, Miriam Wallace (Australia) and myself; and an interior design intern, Michele Shetler (Indiana), made up the project team.

The first week and a half of the trip was spent in Patna, learning and getting to know the director and pastors of the BORN ministry. We were exposed first hand to the poverty and backwardness of living that affected the majority of people in Bihar. But regardless of the poverty, the hopeless state of the caste system, and the quest for enlightenment through idol worship, there was also beauty and God to be found in that place. We came to know many of the BORN pastors well, and it was astounding to witness their passion for Christ and for spreading His good news. We spent our time in Patna mostly determining the best design solutions for the large, rural, and oddly shaped five acre plot of land they had purchased and want to build on. Including an administration building, guest housing, a teaching building, student housing, staff housing, and a large multi-purpose hall, the design task was a large one. But God brought together a team with talents to fit the need perfectly.

Master Plan

The ministry decided that they wanted architecture for the buildings that would make a statement for BORN and ultimately for Christ. So even though the ministry is still completely relying on God for the funds for the building construction costs, they decided to go with a design we came up with that features the cluster of buildings fitting under one large, concrete canopy roof. The roof acts not only as a strong defining element of architecture, but also helps passively cool the buildings by increasing air flow between the building top and roof bottom which draws the warm air from the buildings up and out, reducing the amount of energy and money needed for air conditioning. In the hot climate of Bihar, this would be a very useful and sustainable method of cooling.

I mainly helped design the Staff Housing (shown above) as well as the Administration Building

The buildings were all designed around a large green, as a cloister so as to give them a space for large conferences and gatherings, as well as a space that ties the entire site together and provides a nice area for outdoor prayer and reading. We integrated a brick detail into some of the buildings to also tie them together and provide more architectural interest. By the end of our time there, jali was a word we could repeat in our sleep! Jali is traditional brick work but with the bricks placed in a way which appears more decorative but also lets air flow through little openings which again assist in the passive cooling of the buildings. The designs were done in brick and concrete construction so as to keep consistent with the typical materials and construction methods used around the area. In the end, we feel that we came up with the best design that would function just as the BORN ministry needs it to now and in the future, providing an architecture that would be pleasing to be in and experience, as well as keeping in mind environmental and sustainable building techniques, materials and low cost.

sketch of the entrance to the campus

sketch of the Administration Building reception area

The team spent many hours and put lots of hard work into coming up with the best design for this ministry, however, we were also able to experience a little of the culture of Patna. We attended a village church service, a baptism, an evening of vacation bible school for village children, a ride across the river Ganges, and a bit of driving around and site-seeing. God is certainly moving in the state of Bihar through the BORN ministry and it was a privilege to be able to be a part of the movement.
 I found it amazing that being around Christians from halfway across the world, living in a completely different culture than my own, I still felt the family bond that we shared through our faith. The welcome, acceptance, and shared responsibility were things that we could instantly relate to each other through. But what struck me the most while I was there working for and amongst these pastors was how much passion they had for Christ and for their lifestyle. They had all completely dedicated their lives to serving Jesus and to spreading his word throughout the state of Bihar. For some this meant being disowned and cut off from their Hindu or Muslim families. They had to leave their homes, move their families to strange villages, and they worked seemingly night and day! But despite all of this hardship, they were the most joyful and loving group of people I think I have ever met. It's a simple truth, but one that is so easy to forget in the busy, consumer-driven world of the west.

Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
Luke 6:22-24


What a privilege it is to be excluded and insulted because of our allegiance to Christ- and not just a privilege, but a JOY. We have the love and the provision of our creator, what else could we possibly need?

sketch of a prayer nook looking toward the teaching building

sketch of the cloister green looking towards the multi-purpose hall on the right and the teaching block on the left

For the last few days of our two week project trip, we were able to travel to eMi’s office in Mussoorie, India. The scenery, with beautiful mountains and fresh cool air, stood in stark contrast to the poverty we had just witnessed in Patna. In Mussoorie, we were able to present our designs for BORN and receive feedback from professionals who have had years of experience designing within India. It was a wonderful way to finish our time in India.

India Pictures are posted on Picasa!

http://picasaweb.google.com/carissa.emi/India