the gruen family

As I’ve been spending time here, working on a few projects, and trying to think of better ways to build things in our context I’ve come across a new realization. Simply building better buildings for ministries in Uganda isn’t enough. Giving an orphanage a properly designed home, free from the hassles of dealing with a … Continue reading Discipleship

Recently I’ve been wrestling with this dilemma. If God is just and all powerful, why is the world unjust? If injustice can be wiped away by God when he creates the new heaven and the new earth, what is he waiting for? One of the ways I validate and build my faith is through seeing … Continue reading Justice

Why do we do missions? Why do we travel across the world to tell people about Jesus and bring them His hope and love? Besides the warm fuzzy feeling that you get, it is a biblical mandate given to us at the beginning of creation. It also comes from wanting to share the love we … Continue reading Why Missions? Why Relief Work?

Last month, Tom and I spent a week in Colorado Springs at EMI’s Orientation for new staff and interns. We flew in early one Sunday morning, enjoyed our reading and coffee (the things you can do when you don’t fly with a lap child!), and nervously/ambiguously shared with a woman sitting next to us that … Continue reading Orientation

This past February, Kelsey and I got to go on a vision trip to Uganda to see what life would be like there. We had a great experience, and our eyes were opened to what we would be able to expect raising a family in Kampala. Continue reading February Vision Trip

In August and September of last year (2017), I went on a project trip with EMI to Uganda to aid the design of the Gem Village. Below is a synopsis of my trip. Continue reading September Project Trip – Gem Village

Hello, world. Summer is about to start. There are lots of celebrations this week to end out the school year. And while that is fun, we also have to start saying goodbye in our hearts. Here’s to good closure and good goodbyes and many summer memories outside and involving water. Continue reading Start