Stretched

Stretched.  If one word could describe life right now that's it.  It's a place where my fear and faith meet and I'm forced to trust God for everything.  I feel like Helen Parr aka Elastigirl from one of my favorite movies The Incredibles.  Check out this link.  Elastigirl

I can so relate to Elastigirl's tension of balancing her mission and her family.  The reality is they are one in the same not opposing forces in our lives.  The challenge of being a mom is realizing that the goal of life is not balance and perfection but excellence and grace.  I certainly have no illusions of being some sort of super hero missionary mom.  There are bills to pay, dentists appointments, practice schedules, grocery menus and the list goes on and on, yet one thing remains that keeps me anchored, "God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful." -1 Thessalinians 5:24

Thank you for praying for Scott in the Philippines serving those communities still recovering from the devastating effects of Typhoon Haiyan. He returns home this week and will continue to mobilize additional teams of disaster relief engineers.  We also seek prayer as I head to Cambodia with an EMI design team. We will be serving a ministry- TransformAsia- and masterplan the largest Christian university in the country. While the engineers and architects are doing the technical design I will have opportunity to serve the logistical needs of the team as well as minister to girls (ages 12-17) who have been rescued out of sex trafficking through a Women's Center run by the ministry.  This trip is very much stretching me as I trust God to take care of my family and empower me to be on mission for Him.

Beauty from Ashes

     As the Disaster Response Director for Engineering Ministries International; Scott is involved with monitoring disasters around the world and being ready to quickly respond by mobilizing a team of  trained engineers.  Little did we know that on June 11, 2013, Scott would be actively engaged with disaster response in our own community.  On that unforgettable day just a few miles and minutes from our home a wildfire raged out of control in Black Forest and destroyed over 500 homes and 13000 acres.  Our church, First Baptist of Black Forest, was immediately thrust into disaster response and ministry.  As a church staff member, Scott, along with the rest of the staff worked tirelessly to ensure our church and community members were accounted for.  Not only were we responding to the needs of our church, we were also responding to the needs of our eMi staff as Scott's boss' home was in danger and his family had to find a place for evacuation.  While we were relocating his boss' family , Scott received a call from his brother in Black Forest that he needed to evacuate.  So Scott's brother and family  moved in with us for a few days. 

    

     After the firestorm ravaged Black Forest the impact on our church is huge with over 20 families completely losing their homes and many more displaced due to property and smoke damage.  Scott's boss' home was miraculously saved though heroic firefighting efforts after having caught on fire; however they sustained severe smoke damage and will be displaced for several months.  Through these tragic circumstances we have witnessed God's grace and seen beauty emerge from the ashes. Scott had the privilege of accompanying 2 families back to their lots with nothing but ash left of their homes.  The reality of walking with people who have lost everything "yet have lost nothing" as one family shared is truly humbling.  Please pray for us and our community as the recovery efforts will be a long term process.  We praise God for the many ways the local body of Christ has reached out to engage hurting people by meeting real physical and spiritual needs.  Thank you for your partnership with TeamPeck enabling us to respond to disasters both at home and abroad. 

"to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." 

-Isaiah 61:3

Building the Kingdom

I have just returned from Haiti where Josh Ayers, our Latin America office Disaster Response Coordinator, and I co-led a stellar group of EMI volunteers – a surveyor and three Civil Engineers.  In 27 years of leadership I have never led a more professional and spiritually mature team of men and women.  Our mission was Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).  Our client ministry was World Concern-Haiti.  We assessed the effects of river-erosion, coastal-erosion, and stormwater flooding and provided multiple technical options to mitigate the effects that these hazards are having on two communities in NW Haiti.  We developed recommendations with WC local engineers, who demonstrated the professional competence to design the solutions community leaders adopt.  As we departed, WC country director, Pierre said, “You have built the Kingdom here”.  Never before have I received such a compliment.  So honored am I to serve with Engineering Ministries International.

In this season of fiscal austerity, DRR is even more important due to its tenfold return on investment compared to Disaster Response.  DRR activities include prevention, mitigation, and preparation; sustainable DRR depends on community empowerment.  With our ministry partner Food for the Hungry, EMI developed this helpful DRR formula:  Risk = (Hazard x Vulnerability) / Coping Capacity; thus risk reduction requires the combination of technical interventions (10%) to reduce vulnerability and social interventions (90%) to increase community resiliency to the effects of their most likely hazards.  

Diving In

March marks one year since Scott was appointed as the Disaster Response Director for Engineering Ministries International (EMI); and what a year it has been!  Most of you are aware of the many transitions our family experienced:

• 20 years of marriage
• Derek's graduation from high school
• Scott's retirement from the army after 27 years

We are so thankful for God's faithfulness during this time.  Scott has started working at EMI part-time and continues to follow up with opportunities in building our prayer and financial support team.  He hopes to be fully funded and working full-time by April.  Recently, we surpassed the 60% mark of our support goal and are trusting God and His timing for our remaining needs.  We value your prayers for open doors and are grateful for your partnership with us.

Scott is diving in with his role as the Disaster Response Director.  He is mobilizing a technical team of engineers for a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) project, in partnership with World Concern a collaboration with several communities in North-West Haiti to identify disaster vulnerabilities and community assets solutions to mitigate significant risks of coastal, river and storm-water erosion.  While statistics are scarce on the number of lives that can be saved with adequate prevention and mitigation efforts, it is estimated that every dollar spent on DRR saves $5-$10 in economic losses from disasters. 

Jennifer's role at EMI continues to grow as she meets the needs of our staff around the globe through administrative support. She also serves on the women's leadership team at our church and leads an evening Bible study.  As missions pastor Scott will help prepare and send a team to Alaska in June.  He is also taking a seminary course in missionolgy. The kids are in the full swing of college and high school life.  We still have 3 teenagers at home but in March we'll be down to 2 teens as Sarah will turn 20! 

Life continues to fly by at lightening pace and through it all we recognize how good God is and how much we appreciate our family and friends; we couldn't do this without you. 

Grace and Peace from EMI Colorado Springs,  TeamPeck



TeamPeck in Peru

Great things to report- God is good. 

• We played and loved on the children and staff of New Life Children's Home. 
• We went to the nearby town where a church was planted six months ago and met the Peruvian pastor and his wife. 
• The team all had the opportunity to pass out Gospel tracts and invite children and their families to a Bible club at the church. 
• Yolanda and Scott's dad, Ken, prayed for a crippled woman and led her to the Lord! 
• We hiked through 900 year old Incan ruins. 
• Scott is a wonderful, godly leader. 
• God is good- enjoy the pictures in the link below.  

FBCBF Team Peru 2012

https://picasaweb.google.com/teampeck/TeamPeru2012?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Legacy

Would you be satisfied if your epitaph read:  “Joe was devoted husband, loving father, and excellent professional”?  Respectable yes, but I have to admit this wouldn't be enough for me.  You, Joe, and I were designed to be so much more.

I believe destiny is a unique calling based on ones spiritual gifts, natural talents, acquired skills, and vision to use them to glorify God and serve other people.  It is one’s preordained future that is revealed by God to man over the course of his life.  Most often, ones inner realizable purpose for life is an exercise of deliberate and incremental discovery-learning.  A calling is distinct, a description of WHAT one does. 

When asked to describe themselves, most men answer, “I am a professional X.”  A man’s identity is tied to WHAT they do.  WHAT, however, is much less important than WHO one is or HOW one lives.  WHO we are has more to do with WHOSE we are.  As for me, I am foremost an adopted son of the God of all creation, made so by the sacrifice of His son, Jesus.  Being a husband, father, son, brother, friend, co-worker, neighbor, and American are secondary.  Yet, of lesser importance than WHO, is HOW I live – with honor toward people and professional excellence.  WHAT, then, is of third importance.  WHO, HOW, and WHAT – in that order of precedence.  Destiny is the God-weaving of these parts according to His design.  The whole being greater than the sum of its parts.  The three in concert, in-tune with the Conductor, is the masterpiece of His design. 

What would be enough for me?  “Scott was an instrument, fashioned by and in-tune with God, and a pleasant contributor in His orchestra.”  Given this high goal, excuse me while I go practice…

Behind the Scenes

Here's a great reminder of why eMi exists from one of the ministries eMi serves in Africa.

"It really is amazing to me that a group like eMi exists – providing high level expertise at their own cost to help African church and mission ministries with critical infrastructure issues.  Ministries like AIC Kijabe Hospital, where we currently serve, and Mukinge Hospital ECZ in Zambia where we previously were based, could never afford the engineering and architectural consultations that a group like eMi provides.   Having that level of high level expertise is one of the key pieces of the puzzle needed for us in the African church as we provide vibrant gospel ministry.  Many thanks to you and all the team who give back the gifts you have been given to provide this incredibly valuable support for the kingdom of Christ around the world!"  

Stephen Letchford, MD FACP FAAP

Medical Director

This is especially meaningful to me as an administrative support member.  In many organizations, including churches and other Christian non profits, administration is often viewed as a necessary evil.  However, I have come to learn by experience that administration is sacred.  It is one of the spiritual gifts that Paul lists in 1 Cor. 12:28.  It is the detailed and behind the scenes work that enables God's kingdom work in our churches locally and to the ends of the earth.  I take great joy in testimonies like these from our ministry partners that we are enabling the spread of the Gospel around the world.  I am also thankful for behind the scenes people who are obedient in their giving.  They may never have the opportunity to go or to be involved in direct ministry but they are faithful through their generosity and their giving bears much fruit.