La Apertura De Un Nuevo Capítulo En Mi Vida

Graduation and the week in Colorado went by very quickly! The drive to Colorado was spend reading the EMI prescribed books, “Foreign to Familiar” and “Guide to Short Term Missions”, as well as re-learning Spanish verb conjugations. The books have been helpful to aide in my mental and spiritual preparedness. “Foreign to Familiar” really helped me to become more aware of the cultural differences I will face on the trip. I am re-learning how to be sensitive to the culture I am about to enter. “Guide to Short Term Missions” really caused me to stop and re-think how I view short term missions. For the longest time, I believed that long term missions was the way to truly advancing the gospel in foreign countries. However, the author stops to take a look at the life and ministry of Paul. When looking at Paul’s ministry you see that he completed many short term mission trips, and he was very influential and effective to those he ministered to. Ultimately, the book helped to remind me that I should not try to limit God’s power and ability in ANY circumstance!

Now that I am back in Texas, these next few weeks will be spent preparing for the trips. The preparation will involve every aspect of my life, mental, physical, spiritual, and relational. I will continue to work on my Spanish, which is turning out to be more challenging that I initially anticipated, as well as enjoy the remainder of the time I have here with family and friends.

It seems like we rush through life to reach all these different self-imposed goals, only to realize that we missed out on some real treasures in life. Thus, I am looking to not rush through my time before I leave, nor rush through my time there. The Lord has a purpose and will for my life, so I must be faithful to follow and obey.

Thank you to everyone that has already been supporting the upcoming trip. None of this can be possible without you!

El Cierre De Un Capítulo En Mi Vida

It is very strange sitting here in an empty room, realizing that I will be graduating today. In only a few short hours, I will walk across the stage to receive my second, and most likely my last, degree from Texas A&M. I guess after 17 years of being a student, it is about time to stop my formalized education and move on to a "real" education.

This past month has been such a blur, but I think everything is just now beginning to sink in and become real to me. School is finishing up. This past week I was able to mail out all of my support letters! Thank you to everyone who helped me with that! I could not have done it without you!!! Yesterday I was accepted to a language school in Costa Rica and booked my flight for that trip. I will be studying Spanish from June 29th through July 24th at the Instituto de Lengua Española (http://thespanishinstitute.com/). Booking the airline flights made me realize that I really am travelling to do ministry and learn a new language. It can feel overwhelming at times, but it is also exciting! All I can do is listen for how the Lord is leading me right now

Tomorrow evening I leave to go to Colorado for the week. Myself and 4o other guys will be going to prepare the Crooked Creek Young Life camp (http://sites.younglife.org/camps/CrookedCreek/default.aspx) in Fraser, Colorado for summer campers! This is the first time we have gone to Crooked Creek. For the past 4 years we worked at The Younglife Camp, Frontier Ranch, in Buena Vista, but due to A&M's later ending date it would not work out for us to go. So it is a new adventure for us all! The week is a wonderful time to work hard but also slow down and transition from the finishing of school and the beginning of the summer. I will be taking all the travel time to start working on my Spanish, reading through all the EMI information, and scheduling out everything I have to do between now and when I leave to go!

En El Principio...

Currently, I am in the midst of preparing for Finals, so this will be a very short post. From here on out I will be regularly writing out all my experiences as I traverse with the Lord on this journey to serve Him in Central America and the Caribbean. The next post will have the support letter that I am sending out to all my friends and family.

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Avery Davis and I will be finishing up my masters in civil engineering at Texas A&M in just a couple of weeks! Whoop! I am originally from San Antonio, spent five years in College Station, and this coming summer and fall I will be on an engineering mission trip in Costa Rica with an organization called Engineering Ministries International (EMI).

Support Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

My time in college is quickly coming to an end, and I would like to briefly share with you this journey I have been on and a vision of what lies ahead. It is difficult to believe that I will be graduating this May with my Master of Engineering in Water Resources. During my time at Texas A&M University, I have had the opportunity to serve in organizations on campus, on the Missions Ministry Team at church, and on a mission trip to Edinburg, Texas. I have also been blessed with professional internships that have given me both construction and engineering design experience. Looking back at these past five years, it is exciting to see how the Lord has used these experiences to shape me into the individual that I am today.

When I started my engineering degree at Texas A&M, I was looking to find a career that would allow me to live my idea of the “American Dream.” Let me note that there is nothing wrong with desiring a good, comfortable life; however, I knew in my heart that God wanted something more from me! The Lord has gifted me with a mind to comprehend engineering principles, and I desire to use this talent to serve and further His kingdom. This desire to serve became tangible when two friends of mine told me about an organization called Engineering Ministries International (EMI).

EMI preaches Christ and ministers to the poor through providing free engineering and architectural design services to Christian ministries around the world. The organization has worked on more than 700 projects in over 85 countries. Past projects include, but are not limited to, schools, churches, orphanages, and clean water systems. After much prayer and consideration, I applied for a 4 month internship with EMI. I recently was accepted to serve in their Costa Rican office for the Fall 2009 term beginning in mid-August. My heart is to take on the Church of Acts’ examples of working and serving in order to expand the Kingdom of God.

Starting with Spanish language school this summer and then the EMI mission trip in the fall, I will serve my Savior in a new way! The opportunity to minister with EMI is very humbling, because I know I cannot do this mission trip alone. It will require both prayers and financial support from my friends and family. If you would like to know how to specifically pray for me, you can check out my blog at http://AveryInCostaRica.blogspot.com/. The cost for the mission trip to Costa Rica is $7,600; so please prayerfully consider supporting me with either a one time or monthly gift contribution. Included with this letter is a letter from EMI explaining our work and my role in the ministry, as well as a response card and an envelope. Please return the response card with your gift, in the envelope before August 15th.

Thank you so much for the influence you have had in my life and for supporting me in whatever capacity you are able! Your prayers, financial support, or both, will enable me to do more than just live the “American Dream.” “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Thus, what else can be my response to God’s love than to listen to, follow, obey, and deeply love Him?

Sincerely,

Avery Davis