The birth of eMi

eMi was birthed from a desire to strategically blend the design professions and faith in Christ to expand God's kingdom.

It was the spring of 1981 on the island of Saipan when God first revealed the vision of Engineering Ministries International. The island had recently been hit by a typhoon, and the people were trying to rebuild their lives.

While on a short- term trip focused on evangelism, one of the volunteers found that his abilities as a structural engineer were in great need. A two-fold opportunity presented itself: evangelism and engineering. Helping people rebuild their lives and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ were a match that empowered outreach across the entire island. God had a plan: show design professionals how they could use their skills and share eternal hope in Christ while serving a world in need.

From the experience of one short term trip, a vision was set forth by God to involve design professionals in ministry to people in need. Design professionals (architects, engineers, draftsmen, surveyors, etc.) could benefit from the short-term experiences while providing a much-needed service. In 1982, this vision became eMi and volunteers began to participate in short term trips that focused on designing a world of hope for ministries in developing countries. Worldwide, Engineering Ministries International has worked on more than 700 development and relief projects in over 80 countries, donating over $5.4 million (56,392 hours) in services to their client partners.

In 2002, Engineering Ministries International Canada opened its doors as a one-person office to better mobilize Canadian volunteers. Since then, eMi Canada has grown to three full-time staff members, two architects and an engineer, who lead 6-9 project trips a year. eMi Canada received its charitable organization status in the Spring of 2007, and continues to empower Canadian design professionals to design a world of hope.