Engineering your world!

I am finally doing what I came to do, that is engineering!

The past two weeks have felt like an actual internship. I am actually working on a project down in Costa Rica, its a ministry camp. So my project leader hands me a stack of 11x17 Autocad drawings with red marks all over them and tells me to fix the drawings. So I've been staring at a computer, editing computer drawings of a camp somewhere down in Latin America. Its been a good learning experience because my skills at Autocad are somewhat lacking.

But today, my project leader said Costa Rica was finished enough and I could start working on my own project, China! Just a recap, in July I was in China for about 2 weeks working on the second phase of a greenhouse project. I was part of the structural team and now back in the states, I'm making all the changes to the drawings for the different truss members and back wall design. I'm helping my project leader organize files and write the project report. Truly an intern! Its a lot easier to work on my own project because I have a better perspective on the whole thing and I enjoy it.

The other interns and I have also been taking advantage of our last few weeks in beautiful Colorado. Last Friday, some of the staff members took us rock climbing in the Garden of the Gods (we go frequently), but this time I got to do some lead climbing!
On a rock face, many times there are pins every six to ten feet embedded in the rock. The first person must climb to each pin hooking in their rope as they go, meaning between pins you are only 'tied' to the lowest pin. That person then connects the rope to the top so the rest of the people can climb, that's called top rope.

The next morning, one of my roommates, Hannah, my mentor from work, Laura, and I hiked up the back of Pikes Peak, the most famous fourteener (14,000 ft) in Colorado. Its about a six mile hike up and took us a little less than five hours. At the top we were expecting a grand view of Colorado Springs, but nope, the top was covered in a cloud resulting in twenty foot visibility. It was actually pretty cool, like out of Princess Bride or something.

I love Colorado! (Yes mother, I am coming home. I promise) But I'll be back.....

So we just have a week left and then back home for one more year of school. We are all packing our days with outdoor adventures and just hanging out with one another. I'll miss the family I've made here and we all continue to miss Phill. But no more with closing comments, I still have a week! Rock climbing! Hiking! Frisbee Golf! Oh, yeah and work!

Love you all!

Lianne

Inspired...

This email was sent two weeks ago.
~~~~~
Have you ever been so inspired that no form of communication could or should capture that moment?Have you ever been so full of hope that it eludes all reality?Or so much pain that it just dang hurts?

Sometimes, no all the time, it amazes me how much we cannot see reality, the way life really is, the way that God created it. I was up camping in Wyoming last week in the Grand Teton Mts. Never have I felt like seeing the world so clearly, The mountains are spectacular, the sky so blue and the water so clear. Yet in this life, we can only see a fuzzy picture diluted by our ideas and opinions. Imagine reality, a picture clearer than the mountain air...real God stuff. Why, our minds would explode with clarity! That's what I long for, because I'm tired of blurry vision from emotional tears. And yet thats what makes us, as God's creation so beautiful. He takes our blurry mess and gives us Grace to correct our vision and give us clarity, to see it His way. For how else do we find rest on deaths bed? How else do the living find peace to live on and forward? How else do we live for abandonment for the Love of Christ, that logically makes now sense at all?For who knows the thoughts of God? "'For my thoughts are not you thoughts, neither are you ways my ways', declares the Lord" ~Isaiah 55:8But with Grace we can grasp a tiny corner of His plan and take part in that wonderful life dance. "He who forms the mountains, creates, the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn into darkness, and treads the high places of the earth - the Lord God Almighty is His name" ~ Amos 4:13

And slowly does He reveal them....

The memorial service for my grandfather was held on July 8, 2007 at our church. At 4 o'clock the last of the seats were being taken, at 4:05 twenty people still stood in the foyer. Sisters of blood and brothers and sisters in Christ, children, grandchildren and those his smile had adopted along the way, nieces, nephews, mentors, and those who had been mentored, friends, accquantances, strangers to him personally but knew one of us and his impact on us. And as a dear friend of ours read from Philippians, the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, came into the little sanctuary and it became a place of reflection and celebration. Our former and current pastor spoke, both reflecting on the mentoring received from my grandfather and how he lived ready. Ready to give, serve, and love. Hymns were sung and his life story read. I read a poem and my uncle spoke and it was over. And I understood the meaning of closure...now only the long hard haul to change and accept the change. But boy, did we have a party. The reception was held directly afterwards with fasba, a Canadian light meal of cold meats, buns, desserts, coffee and don't forget the sugar cubes. The mood was warm, inviting and talkative. A great time for a great man.

Thank you all so much for your support and love.

I love you gramps and can't wait to see you.

The Grand Tetons

The excitement is upon us! From July 5-8, eMi is celebrating 25 years of ministry by holding conference in beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Being the international office for eMi, we have been scurrying in preparation for this event. Packets are being put together, schedules worked out, and camping equipment is being packed. I’ve been putting binders together and working on AutoCad finishing a Costa Rica project for my project leader. The weekend consists of workshops on topics such as disaster relief, working in third work countries, and support raising. Staff from the Guatemala, Uganda, India, and Canada office will be there.
Us interns are actually leaving a week a head of time to go camping and hiking. We’re all really excited to see bears and wander around the Grand Tetons (supposedly the most beautiful place in the world).
I’ll be leaving early because the celebration for my grandpa is on the 8th. I can’t wait to see all the people that his life has touched and see the relatives once again. It will be a time of reflecting, sorrow yet celebration!
Now, I’m off to go bouldaring (rock climbing ‘around’ the rocks without rope) at Red Rock. Hopefully it doesn’t rain : )

The staff and other interns here have been an amazing support as I’m not with my family right now. God couldn’t have provided a better family away from family, thanks!

And yet the most comfort has come from the Comforter, Himself.

“You will cry out for help, and He will say
‘Here am I’ “
~Isaiah 58:9

Oh what a day this has been to live!

Love Always,

Lianne

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5

These are the email updates that I have been sending over the past week. There are not enough words to express all my thanks to all of you!

Prayer
6/21/07
Those words are so hard to hear when things around us just don't make any sense at all. But yet at the same time, its all the comfort in the world. How wonderful to know that we don't have to make sense of things, we don't have to know it all, or have it all together.

And right now that person is me. There has not been another time when things just seemed really out of order. I mean even Phill's death (fellow intern) seemed to fit into the plan.

My grandfather, as many of you know, was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a certain type of lung cancer last Febuary. He went through many sessions of chemotherapy and this past week he went in for a scan to see how the chemo was working.
It has progressed to his brain and liver and is shutting down his organs. His days are even more numbered by the doctors but only God knows.

Please be in prayer for my family as they are hurting deeply. We need to remember the peace found in Christ but its easier said than done.

I will be going home Friday and staying until, well I'm not sure.

I thank God for all of your blessed support not only throughout this summer but throughout my life as well. Thank you.

I love you all!

Lianne

Dancing
6/22/07

Seeing His face is my ultimate desire...we're suppose to dream big but that's about as big as it gets. I arrived home about noon on Friday. I had been forewarned about my grandfathers condition and only God could prepare my heart the way He did. I was the last one of the family to arrive and went upstairs in their house to talk to him. He responded with a hand squeeze and an eye flutter when I told him Shorty (my nickname) was finally home. About seven thirty that night, those around his bed noticed his breathing becoming more shallow. Everyone gathered around and we started to sing. We began with What a Friend We Have In Jesus. No one in church will conduct that song, he is the only one allowed to lead it. As we reached the second verse, he went to be with that Friend. For some reason I am not writing through tears. There is just too much hope...I just can't help smiling. I can just see him now, leading that choir of angels in Hymn #275. Sure there's a little stubbornness involved, but death is just too close now, making heaven just too real! Yes it does hurt, too much that I have not acknowledged it. It will come in its own time and so will tears of healing. But such a great love that he has shown me can only be passed on. Thank you for your prayers.

Love
Lianne


Wonderful
6/24/07

Before I even open anyone's email I need to ask forgiveness.

The hymn we sang for my grandfather as he took his last breaths was Wonderful Grace of Jesus. (I think gramps loved me enough he'll forgive me this time)

Love always

Lianne

ps It was hymn number 198 (in the new hymnals)

A place of wonder

Did you know that dog tastes pretty good if you just eat it like chicken and don’t think about it? (I’m sorry Toby, I love you and would never eat you.)

Phase II Project Greenhouse
The assignment: A self sustaining greenhouse that can function through a harsh winter with no external heat.
Time: One Week on site, two months in home work
Team: Civil/Structural Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Agricultural Engineers, Architects, and Documentarist in the making.
Ages: 17 to the wonderful age of wisdom…
Place: On a farm in Northern C*hina, in the beautiful middle of everywhere

Phase I of this project began last fall with a preliminary work project trip. The team’s week was spent scoping out local materials, building practices, and greenhouse methods. Research was done on thermal mass and other ways to store heat from the sun. Back in the US, a rough idea of a greenhouse kit was put together and pieces were ordered for two greenhouses. The farmer then built and used them over the winter.

Phase II of the greenhouse project was to collect data, layout the as-built, and make changes. This included installing a sweet solar fan (which I lugged from the States and got a few raised eyebrows), collecting temperature readings, and installing ground insulation. As part of the structural team, I drew up the greenhouse layout on AutoCad, plan and elevation. Then the professional engineer and I took apart the design and are still in the process of making it better. The back wall will now be made using adobe, the truss structure is under construction, and the plastic cover is to be changed.

On the farm, we took measurements and pictures, lots of them. The awesome godly family we stayed with is from the states. They produce a lot of their own products, including milk and eggs, so if we weren’t working we were eating. :)

I learned many lessons and my eyes and heart were opened in many ways. The best was seeing engineering, Dad, and a culture that’s so much a part of me come together. It was real and tangible, I have the drawings to prove it! Never would I have thought Dad would put that dream together, but then again, in eternity perspective, I seem to dream too little. This is big and I finally understand what is meant to call upon Him for a country, wow what a job! But Dad is infinite, how dare I doubt him!

I shall forever have a picture of our last night together as a team in that place of wonder. On the wood floor was an outline in string of the country where the greenhouses will go someday. The lights were dimmed and we sang as we lit the candles and placed them in key cities around the country. The farmer’s little girls tried to sit as still as possible, understanding the solemnity of the night. Then, as a team, we stepped inside the string marked boundaries and lifted the people up to Him.

I don’t believe doing such things makes change but heart felt love does. And as we stood there together, I knew Dad’s power and learned to dream……big.

The Feather

family (Dan-n-ar's-hugs) noun:

1) Parents and their children

2) A group of like things

3) A group of individuals derived from a common stock

4) Eight engineering college students after a week of eMi Orientation, see also Love



I didn't know what to expect when I walked into Danna Judish's house that Sunday afternoon of Orientation week. The other interns were from the east coast or Texas and the new staff member was from Oregon. Orientation week is when the new interns and staff for that semester get to know each other and learn how eMi works. We played ultimate frisbee, rock climbed in the Garden of the Gods, did team building activities, went hiking at Glen Eyrie, and volunteered at a soup kitchen. We learned what our personalities are and how we work together. There were presentations about prayer, missions, God's heart, poverty, project trips, and eMi's history. Homemade dinner was served at a different staff member's house every night, mmmmmh! From 8 in the morning til 11 at night we were all together.

The project trips were not scheduled to start until June 1 but the Lebanon trip was an exception. With out breaks of violence, the trip was on the edge of being cancelled. Suddenly it was moved a week ahead of schedule, and Irwin, the intern for the group left that Thursday. The hole he left caused us to realize how close we had become in that past week. Please pray for him, as he is in Jordan awaiting to enter Lebanon.

That Friday, the intern for next fall and the new staff member, both had also gone through orientation with us, left to return home. Our number came down to six.

That weekend, the six of us had a good time hanging out with the other interns staying from the spring semester and some of the staff. We relaxed and rested our weary bodies from the busy week.

How would we know that Sunday night would be our last night of all of us together? How would I know that sitting in church next to Phill would be the last I ever saw him? Who could have known that a blind spot was created by the street signs for the left turn lane, so he never saw the car coming before too late?

God did.

and why He did I can only glimpse bits and pieces.

Phill was making a u-turn after missing his turn to join the guys at Subway after church Sunday night. He had rode seperately on his motorcycle, the one he promised to give me a ride on. He never saw the car coming and the impact snapped his neck and back. He entered the gates of Heaven instantly.



Its amazing how God prepares us and our hearts before we even suspect anything coming. The girls and I had actually driven by the accident and did not realize it was him, but we saw the car and motorcycle, the body was gone by then. When we got home I recieved a call from one of the other guys saying Phill had been in an accident and to pray. The three of us girls live in a house and we prayed together each night before going to bed. After I got the news and without hesitation or spoken words, we huddled on the living room floor and began praying together.

I asked God that He had protected Phill's body and that he would walk out of the hospital, unscathed. I prayed that everyone was safe and unharmed and that Phill was just waiting to be released. Phill had so much going for him, his project trip to Liberia was coming up and we were going to get our offices that Tuesday in the eMi office. He was right in God's will and nothing would happen otherwise, right?

I got the call from Kyle about ten minutes later,

"He's gone"



Silence.



"A man with something and God is just as well as a man with nothing and God."





Phill did walk out of that hospital that night....right into the arms of God.

~~~~~~~

I sat next to Phill that night at church and thought nothing of it. The sermon was on love and how relationships with other people is the second command from the Big Guy Himself. Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. The pastor talked about how we formed those relationships is to be genuine inside and out.

"Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart" Proverbs 26:23

It doesn't matter how much of a mask we put on, if we are an cruddy earthenware or an evil heart, God still knows. To build relationships we have to be true on the inside and out. With all our flaws, weakness, and imperfections. Also with all that God is within us.

As I sat there, I was thinking of Phill for some reason. I felt that he was the kind of guy you could trust because he didn't hide anything, he was himself from his split goatee, to his feathered hat, to his love for Christ. He was confident in his walk and odd in his dress and we all loved him. I got to thinking that this was the kind of person I wanted to be, true to all and honest especially to God. Thats not an easy task to be honest with yourself and God, let alone others.

Thank you Phill for showing me that honesty and love. I miss you and can't wait to see you.

love always,

Lianne

Dusting off the suitcases...

Finals are long over and summer is getting ready for full swing! My suitcases are sitting here waiting to be filled and my car is back in one piece ready to go. The day to Colorado draws near, yet sometimes it still feels like two years ago, praying and waiting.

My teach-ability is what I'm working on right now. I've got to be open to what I'm allowed to see and how God wants me to see it. "Faith is the hand of the heart that receives salvation" ~R.M. Edgar
The first daunting step in a relationship with Christ is to hold out a hand, an open one. The next is to continue reaching out everyday after that and live what God is giving us! So here goes!

Thankfulness is a gift that I do not always come by but through out raising support and getting the word out, God has given me more than enough reason. Thank you so much for your support most of all in prayer, my spiritual family means more than the world to me. And thank you so much for your financial support, the response was overwhelming and I still sit stunned at it all.

Not much for engineering notes. The canoe still sits, awaiting its fate. Oh and did you see all that runoff from those storms last weekend? And all the flooding? Engineering at work :)

Well, we left in one piece and came back in three...

Hello! Its has been quite the weekend, we just got back from Lawrence, KS where the ASCE conference was held. We took down both the steel bridge and the concrete canoe. The steel bridge team did amazing, I got to be on the construction team putting it together for the judges. For their first year, Chad and the team did an awesome job in designing and putting it together. They didn't place but went home with lots of ideas for next year.
The canoe on the other hand didn't fare so well.
We finished it Wednesday morning with a final coat of Kiewit yellow paint and spray painted the university name and UNDERGROUND, which was the name of the canoe becasue Kiewit Underground sponsored us, on the side. We loaded it up on a flat bed trailer and took off about 9:00 pm that night. On the way down, the canoe slid too far off of its supports and snapped the end four feet off and cracked it in the middle. My baby is now in three pieces. But we gave our presentation on Thursday that hightlighted the main components of the whole process, set up our display on Friday and brought out one piece, and on Saturday raced Kansas State's canoe from last year. It rained on Thur and Fri but was the most perfect day for a canoe race on Sat, the girls and I are burnt well!
We talked to all the other teams, professors, and judges and have come home with a much better idea of how to build a concrete canoe.
The whole trip was an experience for me from driving the fourteen passenger van to leadership to the canoe to talking with other schools to feeling like country gone to town at KU. All the other schools were open to give advice and explain how they built theirs. My favorite thing about the trip was that after two days of intense design competition, race day was cool to see the application and fun of all the work. I felt like I was back at Creighton doing the rowing team, yelling, sweating, and a good time!

Now its headlong into finals with Colorado being the light at the end of the tunnel!

Concrete Canoe

Well, the competition is approaching faster and faster. We took the canoe out of the mold last Monday and have been working on it all week. Heres just a quick photo update!

Pulling the form

Sparks go flying as Chuck grinds down the edges and the metal chairs.

There she is, all patched up!

China Update

I had a chance to talk with my project manager today for the greenhouses in China. And here is what he told me. We are working for a ministry called Alpha Relief, www.alpharelief.org. They do work mostly in China and North Korea. Their physical focus is food through humanitarian aid and passing out Bibles. We will be working on prototype self sustaining greehouses that will hopefully be built next summer in North Korea.
I leave the US on June 1 and fly to Bejing. From there we go to a city called Yanji and then drive north where Mongolia, Russia, and China meet. I haven't found the exact spot on the map yet. The greenhouses are on a 1000 acre farm so close to the border that you can see Russia across the way. Three greenhouse are already built, two standard ones and one dome. We'll be there to collect data and come up with a cost estimate for each greenhouse.
After a week on the farm, we'll be going back to Bejing for a little tourist action. I've seen the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, but I'm so excited for the Great Wall! What an amazing structural feat! We'll be back in the US June 12.
The team is made up of 9 people, me being the only intern. The others are professionals including mechanical, structural, agricultural, computer engineers and an architect. Its neat how we're all going to come together to work on one project.

Although I don't know if I'm more excited to work on the project or finally have some China Chinese food! Watch out egg tarts and duck!

Bread of Life

Guess what? I recieved my overseas trip and I'm going to China!!! God is awesome in answering prayer. My dad is from Hong Kong and so China is part of who and I and who I want to be. I'll be working on greenhouses that produce food for people in North Korea because, well, you can't minister to dead people! As Jesus did with the woman at the well, we must start with earthly things and move to spiritual. I'm so excited to see how physical food can lead to the discovery of the bread of life, as to never hunger again!! Check out the projects website at http://emiusa.org/china.html . There's not much detail but I'll keep you updated!

Much love and very excited...

Lianne

It is poured....

Jesus said, "It is finished"...but we are far from finished. Yet we finally have an actual CONCRETE canoe!!!! The team and I spent all day in the structures lab at school playing around with the reinforcement and the soupy concrete (ooops that one was my fault). Finally after an hour and a half and some pizza, we were able to work the concrete up the sides of the form and around the wire mesh. VERY exciting because we now have concrete proof, haha. The next goal is to remove it from the form without cracking it in about 14 days...yeah we'll see about that. So, I did a quick calculation, we used 6 cubic feet of concrete and that comes to a whopping 528 lbs even using a lightweight concrete. By faith did Peter walk on water and by faith and a little patching we will float concrete!

Here is the styrofoam form, painted with gray latex paint (to prevent the concrete from sticking) and lined with a wire mesh as reinforcment.

I'm pouring in the first bucket of concrete...here goes!

We worked the concrete up the walls of the form and eventually it stuck to the mesh and stayed. The little squares, called chairs, are 1/4" pieces of wood to hold the wire mesh up.

Woohoo! Concrete canoe!

Canoe Pictures

We're creating the mold out of styrofoam blocks using my wonderful invented cardboard templates.
Here I'm using a sander to form the inside of the mold...yeah a bit messy.
And there she is...the mold anyways.

Concrete Canoe

This week has been busy, crazy, and amazing! I've been working on the concrete canoe all week trying to come up with a concrete mixture so that we can pour on Monday. The concrete canoe is a competition held by the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers), a group of professionals. I am the secretary of UNO's student chapter so I'm involved in some projects. For this competition we must design a canoe and concrete mixture, then present a paper and actually race the canoe. The competition for our region is in Lawrence, KS at KU from April 26-28. To get a better idea visit concretecanoe.org and I put up some pictures to get an idea.
It sounds a bit crazy but God lined up everything this week, I got free lightweight aggregate from a company in Missouri (delivered yesterday!), booked good hotel rooms for the trip, and got to see my 'adopted' family for a can of paint!

So raising support has been awesome, thank you everyone! I get more and more excited everyday. I sent in my overseas trip preferences, so I should know where I'm going within the next week or so. Thank you for your prayers, they are the most important always...

In Him,

Lianne

Start the Music...

Hello! Welcome to my blog for the summer of '07 with an internship at engineering Ministries international. I'll be posting hopefully weekly updates once I'm there and daily ones when I'm overseas. Below is my support letter to let you know what exactly I'll be up to!

Dear All,

From the church balcony, I have watched Pastor Don preach, friends be baptized, married, and given up to be with the Lord. The view from the balcony has offered a wide horizon of the great dance that we partake in as people in Christ. But now it is my turn, to step down from the balcony and into the dance.
As most of you know, I am Lianne Lau, a junior in Civil Engineering at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Civil engineering is the process of designing the everyday world. Think wastewater treatment, building structures, traffic lights, skyscraper, dams, and bridges.
God has opened a door for my passion and I received an internship with Engineering Ministries International (eMi) in Colorado Springs for this summer! eMi is a non-profit organization that does free design work in third-world countries while sharing the love and gospel of Christ. Their work helps ministries such as Compassion Int’l and Habitat for Humanity designing dorms, hospitals, water systems, or even greenhouses. The international office is in Colorado Springs but they also have offices in Guatemala, India, Uganda, and Canada. In the Colorado office, I will be working with AutoCAD laying out water distribution systems, drawing structural details, or writing up cost estimates. The interns are involved in daily prayer, Bible studies, and a mentorship program. I will also be part of a project/missions trip overseas. There, work varies from helping on a survey crew to researching local materials. I encourage you to check us out at www.emiusa.org.
Each intern is responsible for raising support and covering costs associated with their participation in eMi. This allows eMi to reach countries who cannot afford design work. The cost is broken down into three parts. Tuition covering eMi’s cost of running the intern program, travel expenses for project trip overseas, and room and board. I will be staying with a family associated with eMi. The total cost comes to a rough estimate of $4000-5000.
Yet raising support is not the only goal for this experience. Goals in life are about expanding the horizons and seeing new perspectives. I wish to seek some spiritual shelter, to grow within the Christian environment. Along with that I seek mentorship and fellowship with people I can relate to on a spiritual and professional level. What excites me the most is that Christian, female, and engineer, belong in the same sentence at eMi! God works in ways beyond our understanding, and through networking I want to find out what else He is up to whether it’s in other intern’s lives or overseas. My engineering related goal is to keep my eyes open for a career path. I am contemplating specializing in structures, water resources, or fluid mechanics. I know God has many things in store and my eyes are open for whatever else may come!
The most important thing I ask for are prayer warriors, not only for my heart but for those around me as well. Please pray in the way that you know me and know God, for He works differently for all of us! I am also asking for financial help. If you can and wish to make a donation, I ask you to first know exactly what you are giving for! Check out the website, ask/email me questions (hongkonglizard@yahoo.com), and pray for guidance. Donations can be made out to eMi and are tax deductible. If you are donating, please return the response card by May 1 or do it online at https://secure.emiusa.org/donate.html.
I will be sending out bi-monthly emails to anyone who would like to receive one or visit me at http://lifedance-lianne.blogspot.com.
CS Lewis contemplates the meaning of the universe and all of creation by describing God’s plan as the Great Dance. I thank you so much for supporting me as we all make our way in the plan, dancing in time to His music!
In Christ,
Lianne