life as a LTV

life as a long term volunteer at eMi...well crazy

For the past month I have been settling in to life in Colchester where our new eMi office is located. Colchester is an old town outside of London about 45mins by train.

  









 I am staying with Mike (eMi UK Director) and Marietta Woods and their adopted daughter, Lela, in Great Wenham.  We live in a nice old country house called The Baylies that is dated something like 100 years old and located about 10 miles outside of Colchester.

By far my favorite spot in the house: the lovely little conservatory off the kitchen facing the back garden. A perfect spot for tea times :)

My room is upstairs. Mike and Marietta lived in Uganda for a time, and thus the majority of my furnishing happens to be tribal drums! ..the shoes and ducks are my contribution.

Because we are out in the middle of no-where-ville, the extra car in the drive has been entrusted to me for the time being.  Let's just say that learning manual for the first time while attempting to remember how to maneuver round-a-bouts and drive on the wrong side of the road has been entertaining for all spectators.

Our brand new office is finally up and running after a month's worth of painting, furniture buying and assembling, fighting with internet and phone lines, and redrilling holes for shelving in 100-year-old plaster.  We plan to fit three interns, two ltvs, and director in this tiny room...don't ask me how :) Note the pink guitar in the corner above my workstation.  It's a necessary piece of equipment, I assure you.  We are now officially located in the back of the Colchester Baptist Church.

I have been attending Sunday Services at St. John's Church in Colchester.  It's a wonderful Anglican Church with a heart for serving God and following His Spirit. Lela and I are excited to continue getting more plugged in the community there!



So that's my life for now. Until our trip to Liberia in early June, I will be finishing up the project report for the India trip, writing an article for the ACDP (Association of Christian Design Professionals), helping with Intern Orientation for the summer term, and preparing for the project trip to Liberia...with a detour home for a couple of weeks to sort out my visa!

funds 3_02

Special thanks to those of you who recently sent in gifts! The cost of my flight back to the US to reapply for a visa has been covered as well as my participation on the project trip to Liberia in June! Thanks to you all, I can now commit to that orphanage project outside of Monrovia! Thank you ever so much!!!! I am so excited to be able to contribute to the design and the project team this summer :)  Praise God so much for our Christian family that crosses oceans and cultures!