New Day

Father and Son









Day in the life of a surveyor on a mission trip

Got up at 6:45, breakfast (cereal) at 7:30, worship 8 to 9, team planning 9 to 10. On site surveying 10 to 2, lunch, back survey 3 to 630, dinner, testimonials - 2 of us; Patrick started. Testimonials from 7:30 to 8:30, and then 8:30 to 10:30 Pat had to work on his survey notes and bring data into computer from data recorder, massage, and prepare contour plan for Team Leader Tom and architectural team to use tomorrow.

The team and kids playing soccer. Great bonding.





















Clean-up time.

Some parts of the site are like this, and others are jungle.

The rest of the team arrives

Colossians 3:24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.









The whole team together with the ministry. This is where the "Vision" of the ministry is captured by the sharing and gathering as much information as possible. Truly an amazing time of exploring ideas and formulating a plan.

















Can you see that wierd buggy thing on the top left of the total station. Pat went nose to nose with it as he went to take a reading. EWWW!

Day 1 on site

First day of surveying and it was hot and humid. Father and son. What a great team. Am I proud. Oh Yeah!!!

Pat, Brenden and the kids. Look at all those new books.

Patrick and Brenden are on the ground

Here is Brenden with Tammy and Bill, founders and directors of Rancho Del Alfarero in Chiapas. Ready to begin surveying tomorrow morning.

The Team Bios

Patrick Cochrane - Surveyor

I'm 52 years old, married to Joan for 30 years, and still marveling at how God continues to bless us in our marriage and lives together. . We have a 24 year old
son, Brenden who is a surveyor, and a 28 year old daughter Heather who is a nurse and married Cody last November in Cuba. Our kids live in Grande Prairie. We
look forward to the next phase in our life as grand parents. For the past 32 years I've worked as an engineering technician, the last 26 with the Department of Fisheries & Oceans (Canada) working on fish habitat
restoration projects. I've had an amazing 6 year association with eMi, which continues to give me a great sense of purpose and draws me deeper into a life of faith. This trip is definitely an exciting time for me, as I'm serving
along side my son Brenden, sharing our time and skills with each other and with others in need. 1 John 3:16-18 probably best speaks most about what's on my heart…

Brenden Cochrane - Surveyor

My name is Brenden Cochrane and I work on legal surveys in the Alberta Oil Patch. I have been working
here for 1 year and I am having the time of my life. The outdoors, wild animals, and riding quads all day make
my job a blast. I have never been in a financially stable position to take a trip like this till now and I don't want to
pass up the opportunity. I am taking this trip for many reasons, but my first and foremost reason is to get closer to my dad. It seems that the farther I get from my family the more I want to be near them.

Jane Guy - Architect

I am a recent graduate of architecture school (central
CA), ending an 8 year journey of work and education. Most of my experience is in custom residential
architecture but I have also interned at large firms, working in aviation architecture. God has been faithful to direct me in His will, and He is fulfilling a desire of my
heart to use my training and skills for Him… including this trip with eMi! I look forward to meeting the team and learning from each of you.

Sam Lee - Civil Engineer Water
Wastewater

I was born in South Korea and graduated from Korea University with a Civil Engineering degree. Then I got graduate degrees from Oregon State University. Presently I’ve been living in SW Florida with my wife for eight years. I have two grown up sons; younger one is
in first year in Univ of Miami Graduate School. After working for Federal (USEPA with a private contractor company) and State (South Florida Water Management District) governments, I am now working for Lee County
in Florida as a storm water and groundwater engineer. I became a Christian when I was in college – which is several decades ago! And this is first time for me to join with EMI and I am excited as everyone else in our team.

Bryon Weber - Planner

I'm a North Carolina native, now living in Boulder, Colorado. The mountains and outdoors lured me from home to study Environmental Design at the University of Colorado, and a job offer with a local firm kept me here after graduation in 2005. I've since been working as a planner at a smaller, multi-disciplinary firm called Fletemeyer & Lee Associates, where we specialize in the design of Camp and Conference centers. It's nice to be involved in this niche, as camp experiences played a
huge role in my development growing up. I'm excited to join the team and be positioned to respond to God's call to care for orphans in distress (James 1).

George Yau - Structural
Engineer

My name is George Yau. I was born and raised in Hong Kong. After I finished my high school education in Hong Kong in the 70's, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to complete my university education in Canada. Thank you God that I came to know Him and accepted Christ as my personal Lord and savior when I was studying in Canada. I was married and have two teenage sons. They both are studying in the University of Alberta. I work in the engineering consulting industry as an structural engineer ever since I was graduated from the university. I spent 18 years working in Hog Kong and 10 years in Canada. About two years ago I came to know eMi through my wife classmate in the seminary. The Lord has put a burden in my heart to serve Him in the mission field through my profession. I joined eMi and
went to Niger, Africa to work on a SIM hospital project last fall. This Mexico orphanage project will be my second trip with eMi. I look forward to work with you as a team in Mexico.

Randy Connett - Electrical
Engineer

I am a graduate of the University of Colorado (BSEE, 1979). I have a broad background in construction, operations & maintenance, and design. I was a design engineer for a number of years, then moved into Project Management Business Development, and then into staff management. My design project background includes commercial, government, and industrial facilities ranging from high security research laboratories and military installations to Utility power plant design. I am a registered PE in 10 states, only 2 of which are currently active. I am currently a staff manager in the Power business group for CH2MHill, a worldwide employee
owned engineering and construction company. My staff performs primarily large power generation projects on a firm price, Engineer-Procure-Construct at risk basis. I have been married for 28 years to Nancy (a public
school Speech Pathologist), and have 3 believing children: Allison (27) Jordan (25) and married, and Caitlin (21).

Jonathan Moody - Civil Engineer

My name is Jonathan Moody. A graduated a little over two years ago from Purdue University. I spent the following Fall and into the Spring down in Guatemala as an EMI intern. My focus in college was Construction Engineering, but down in Guatemala I did a combination of design and construction management. I worked at the William Cornelius Vocational schools in Guatemala City for the first 1/2 of the time. I spent the second 1/2 in a village named Balcones De Palin working briefly with them on their roads, and then improvements to the water system, including the construction of a new water tank. I enjoyed the design side more than I had thought I would, so when I started looking for a job, I sought out some
design consultants. I now work for a land development company in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. We do roads, bridges and private commercial development. I still sort of enjoy the design work, but I am applying for graduate schools as I don't enjoy the commercial development work that I am doing now. I hope to find a school with a program in the appropriate application of civil engineering to the developing world.

Ryan Stokes - Civil Engineer
Intern Waste Water

I just graduated last spring from the University of Wyoming with a BS in Civil Engineering. I am originally from Casper WY, and currently am have a position with an engineering firm there. The company that I work for primarily works with groundwater management. I graduated hoping that in some way I would be able to use my degree to help people and possibly be overseas. While still at school my advisor told me about eMi and told me to look into them, so I did. Now I am interning with them here in Costa Rica. I am very blessed to have this opportunity and I am very excited to see how God is going to work in and through our project.

Andy Kragt - Civil Engineer
Intern Structures

I grew up in Redmond WA, a suburb of Seattle. I graduated from the University of Washington in June
2008 with a degree is in civil engineering and an emphasis in structures. My internship experience has been in design, working on hydroelectric projects and construction engineering working on highway/ bridge
projects with Kiewit. Julie and I got married in March of this year so we've been married 6 months. Since junior year of college I’d wanted to use my engineering degree to serve the Lord. We decided to do an internship with eMi before we got too tied down in the States. Julie and I will be living in Atenas through December.

Julie Kragt - Biologist (Intern
Wife

I graduated from the University of Washington in June 2007 with a degree in molecular and cellular biology. I am from the small town of Gig Harbor, Washington and moved to the big city of Seattle for college. That is where my husband, Andy, and I lived until we moved to Atenas, Costa Rica for four months for the EMI internship. I spent a year working in a food science and drug laboratory, but now I am going to help in the EMI office and at an orphanage. I am excited to be a part of EMI with Andy and I think I am going to help out with surveying during the project trip.

Tom Bastion Team Leader/Architect

The Lord led my wife Debbie and I, along with 3 (Maggie 12, Richard 11, Lydia 8) of our 4 children to Guatemala City about 5 1/2 years ago to work with eMi. Josh at 24, our eldest, lives and works in Montana. I practiced architecture
for 18 years prior to eMi with firms in Dallas, San Diego, and Missoula, Montana. Life as a missionary with eMi has grown our love, faith,
and dependence on our Lord Jesus through both exciting adventures and suffering. The last year has been our most difficult one as my wife was diagnosed with Menieres Disease after losing her hearing in one ear and then with migraine associated vertigo. The Lord has recently blessed us with Medication that is controlling the vertigo. This year has also been one of transition as I was given the directorship of the eMi
america latina office, the previous director going back to grad school and moving the office to Costa Rica. The Lord has proven Himself to be
faithful and sovereign over all things and we are blessed to be used by Him for the building of His Kingdom.

Patrick and Brenden are off

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3 17-18.

Greetings Family & Friends.

My son Brenden & I will be traveling to Chiapas, Mexico for 2 weeks as the team surveyors helping to develop a Master Plan for an orphanage and outreach facilities. We will be a part of a team of design professional volunteers serving with Engineering Ministries International www.emicanada.org Our team will be led by Tom Bastian from eMi's Costa Rica office. We will be helping guide the missions organization El Faro de Esperanza as to how best develop their 105 acre ranchland property to meet the needs of serving orphaned and abandoned children.

Brenden, who just turned 24, has been working for the past year as a chainman (surveyor's helper) for Midwest Surveys out of Grande Prairie, Alberta, and has found much satisfaction and challenge in this work. He approached me and asked if we could go on a trip together to carry out a survey. Of course I didn't have to think about that at all. He reminds me that his intent is to "hang" with me and share our survey skills, and not to make it sound any nobler than that...Little does he know!

What's also interesting about this trip is that after I signed up for it, I learned they were looking for help designing fish ponds for Tilapia. So I will also be able to share my skills in fish habitat restoration; albeit I have to crossover from salmonids and study up on Tilapia culture.

Please hold us in your prayers as we travel, serve, and learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ. This is a most opportune time for Brenden to be a part of a faith community. Please also pray for the security of our equipment in transit and service, as it is quite valuable and integral to completing our part of the project. And for Joan, whose love, support, and encouragement enable me to serve.

In His Service, Patrick