A Week of (Intense) Spritual Growth

NOTE: Orientation pictures are here and there's a video
(as soon as I can get it onto youtube).
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EMI began orientation in Colorado Springs on January 13.

Suffice it to say that this was an intense week: I, along with the other interns this semester, underwent an intensive training on team-building, cross-cultural customs and communication styles, people groups, history of missions, elements of good design, personality profiles, and prayer.

Team building activities included such things as rock-climbing, team games involving communication skills and handicaps, trust walks, and intimate small-group bible study.

Cross-cultural training involved everything from discussing movie clips, personal narratives, and invented scenarios to insight into stumbling points and sensitivity awareness, to playing games designed to enhance observational and conflict-resolution skills to enacting mock character interactions and even diplomacy meetings.

People groups lessons were sometimes presentations, sometimes integrated into games, but always aimed to show different standards of work and social activity and interaction among various cultures and areas of the world.

The lessons on the history of missions involved presentations on scriptural calls and mandates for service to God, major movements in missions history, and even how God has worked on his own (without missionary help).

Lessons on elements of good design practices reinforced the concept of serving the ones who call upon us, and forced us to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions to needs and problems.

Near the end of the week, a personality profile test and discussion helped each intern to uncover some of their strengths and weaknesses, as well as leadership and interaction styles. In showing how each of us was likely to behave in a certain setting, it better prepared us for adapting ourselves to work best in a diverse group with varying skills and needs.

Lastly, worship and prayer played an important role in individual and team development, unity, and strength. Communal worship demonstrated unified commitment to our one Lord and Savior. One-to-one prayer following bible studies built up stronger servants, and a multi-hour team prayer session at the end of the week confirmed and commissioned every member through petition to and revelation from God.

Indeed, this was a powerful week in discovering the things within ourselves and drawing close to God. It will stand as one of the major growing times of my life.