Missionaries: Brad & Alisha Crawford

UPDATE, August 10, 2008:

Hello all!

Well, it's been over 6 months that we've been in Uganda so I thought it was time I'd give a little update in an email.  I hope you all have been checking the blog (http://www.5crawfords.blogspot.com/) as I've tried to update that at least every 2 weeks. 

In some ways it feels like we've only been here 6 days, but in (most) other ways it seems more like 6 years!  So much has happened since we landed at the Entebbe airport the night of January 29th, it's hard to believe it has only been 6 months.  But first things first, we want to say thank you to you, our financial supporters.  We continue to be so humbled by the fact that many of you send in a check each month to support the work we're doing with eMi here in East Africa.  I can't tell you how much we appreciate the financial commitment so many of you have made to be a part of our mission here, and I want you to know that we are praying for financial blessing on our supporters back home especially during the current, difficult economy.  So many of you have sacrificed your hard earned money to contribute to our ministry here with eMi, and we very much appreciate it.

So I thought I would give a rundown of the impact your contributions to our ministry here with eMi have had so you can know some of the blessings you are directly responsible for!  Since eMi is a support ministry, sometimes the impact we have is not as visible as other ministries whose impact is obvious (AIDS relief, orphanages, etc).

• eMi projects:  1) design consultation for a now completed Calvary Chapel church in Entebbe, Uganda; 2) design consultation for a Seminary under construction near Entebbe, Uganda; 3) design provided for a caretaker's residence next to a new farm area that will be used to help feed a new dance school for Ugandan children (to be designed by eMi this Fall); 4) design consultation for a University expansion in Tanzania; 5) design provided for a secondary school in Iganda, Uganda; 6) design provided for expansion projects for a ministry in Central Uganda that cares for fatherless families, orphans and widows; 7) design consultation provided for a new outdoor church facility in Bambejjia, Uganda; 8) design provided for a new Christian school in Kigali, Rwanda.

• You may have read on the blog about my first foray into evangelism at the prison in Iganga, Uganda during my project trip, where over 60 inmates made a commitment for Christ (believe me, it was the message, NOT the messenger, that touched them that day!).

• Peripherals:

1. A number of eMi volunteers have come on short-term trips since I've been here.  The impact they have had on Ugandans and the impact God has on their lives during their trip often leads to lifelong changes (reference the results from my project trip!). Without people supporting eMi staff to do what they do, these individuals would not be here.
2. In mid-July, we sent home 8 interns who had been here for varying lengths, from 2 to 6 months.  As staff members, we are responsible to facilitate their spiritual and professional development during their time here.  These young engineers and architects often go on to do mission work or some other form of ministry as a result of their time with eMi.  Another 'crop' of 6 interns arrive in 3 weeks for the Fall project season.
3. Locals: your contributions currently support 3.8 full-time jobs with eMi (eMi picks up the remained 0.2 for the one person) for local Ugandans. This includes salary and benefits for these individuals. Occasionally, some of our local staff submit requests to the eMiEA office for additional assistance above and beyond their salary, either to help a sick relative, make an investment, finish schooling, or other special cases, and your money routinely assists in these matters as well.
4. Many of our common purchases for food or other items go to individuals selling items along the road.  Just living here and spending our money here is often a huge blessing to individuals.  We try to spread our purchases around so as many people benefit from it as possible.

So thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for joining us in our work here with eMi.  I am truly loving being a part of the ministry of eMi and know that we could never be a part of it without your financial support and prayers.  We do still miss home and friends and family terribly, but realize that God has us apart for this time in life for a reason and that when we do return we will treasure the time we have together even more.

Love,
us 5 Crawfords
(& now our niece Danielle, who has been a Godsend to us already and breathed a breath of fresh air into our homesickness!)

Brad Crawford staff engineer
eMi - Engineering Ministries International - East Africa
...designing a world of hope
www.emiea.org

UPDATE, June 3, 2008:
Well, I've just returned from my first project trip last week and have written a couple of entries on the blog telling all about it.  It was a great week, though not fun to be gone from Alisha and the boys.  But one highlight from the trip actually had nothing to do with engineering - on our last day I had the chance to visit a local prison with a few other members from our team.  In the prison, I had the opportunity to share a gospel message in front of about 100 prisoners, and afterwards 62 of them wrote their names on a sheet that was passed around saying they had given their lives to Christ that day! We were all pretty excited. Anyway, you can read more about that and much more from my trip on our latest blog entries at:  http://5crawfords.blogspot.com/

What We Do:
We will be working with Engineering Ministries International. Brad will serve as a structural engineer in Kampala, Uganda to help the spiritually and materially poor in this developing country. 

How You Can Help:
We are currently looking for financial partners for our living expenses, including housing, food, medical insurance, school (for our son Brodie), and transportation. Checks may be sent to Neighborhood Church, 20600 John Drive, Castro Valley, CA 94546. Write "Brad & Alisha Crawford" in the memo line.

Prayer:
Pray that we will be effective in carrying out the work God has planned for us in Uganda. Follow our journey and discover our latest prayer needs on our blog: http://5crawfords.blogspot.com.

Contact:
Contact Brad and Alisha at bradnalisha@yahoo.com. 

Affiliated with:
Engineering Ministries International, a non-denominational organization of architects, engineers, surveyors, and construction managers who donate their skills to serve the poor in developing countries around the world.