Project Leader / Structural Engineer
(719) 633-2078 ext. 110 work
Blog:/5crawfords.blogspot.com
Office
World Headquarters (Colorado Springs, USA)
Our Story
In June 2010, our family returned to the U.S. after spending the last 2 1/2 years living in Uganda and working at the eMi East Africa office. Our story of coming to eMi is pretty unique in that neither Alisha nor I had ever considered overseas missions work before. But God is creative and oftentimes unpredictable, and He can put unlikely people in unlikely places to accomplish His will regardless of what our plans are for our own lives.
We first learned of eMi in January 2006 from some friends who were moving to Colorado Springs and trying to lure us there as well. Prior to that time, we had felt drawn towards ministry dating back to college when I'd felt unsure that engineering was the path God wanted for my life. But hearing no other particular direction, I finished my degree and entered the workforce still unconvinced that my long-term plans would include engineering. When I first heard about eMi, surprisingly, I was initially not interested. I was assuming that God would one day call me out of engineering and into ministry, and on top of that, I had no interest in traveling overseas. In fact, I think I was as unlikely a candidate for overseas missions as you could find, as I very much disliked flying, am very close with my family and had no desire to leave the U.S., let alone to travel to a developing country! As a kid, I was a big Keith Green fan, and I remember him saying at one point that as Christians, we are all called to 'go', and only those called to 'stay' should be staying! Well I remember being scared to death specifically because I didn't want God to call me to be a missionary in Africa! Coupled with the fact that I was convinced God would lead me out of engineering for ministry, it was clear that eMi was not the organization for me! But Alisha and I had just recently begun to pray and fast one day per week to dedicate ourselves to discovering God's will for our lives in the coming years. Well, just two weeks into that, I sent off a seemingly innocuous email to see if there was a way I could volunteer for eMi from home since I wasn't interested in travel. One month later I was on a plane heading to Uganda for a project trip! While I was on the trip, God was speaking to Alisha that He wanted us to move there. And while I didn't feel that strong of a call at the time, I did feel very comfortable in Uganda and had the feeling that I could actually live there if that's what God wanted (I can see now that God was leading me in baby steps!). So when I returned, we discussed the possibility thoroughly, and 6 months later we traveled to Uganda together to 'scout' out the possibility of our family moving there. Over the next several months, it was a process of God stripping away our fears and lack of faith, and finally in the Spring of 2007 we decided to take the step of faith and move our family to Uganda. Of course, there was the one small detail of support-raising, which to me was a more daunting task that moving to Africa! I had never done anything like it before, and I just could not imagine being able to raise the kind of money that was required to move our family to Uganda. So a part of me was still doubting, as if I was saying, "Ok God, I'll say yes, but I really don't think it's possible to raise the money." Well, with the help of some dear friends who made us a short DVD to send out with our letter, our targeted amount was raised in just over 3 months! As I read in one of the support-raising books we read, God will always provide the resources necessary for you to accomplish the things He calls you to do. It was easy to read that, but until we actually saw Him do it in our lives, it was hard to imagine it really happening.
The two and a half years we spent in Uganda were some of the most treasured times in our lives. We made some very dear friendships, and learned a whole lot about the world and how God is working in it. We are changed people forever, much more aware of our limited understanding of God and how He is able to relate to so many different people groups, cultures and societies yet remain the same God to all. The box we had God in has been blown wide open. In some ways it was the hardest time in our life, and in other ways it was the best time of our life. We have no idea if God will ever move us back to Africa or even somewhere else, but knowing what we experienced during our time in Uganda we will no longer drag our heels when God prompts us to go!
As our time in Uganda came to a close, we felt like God was not calling us away from eMi. The work I have been fortunate enough to be a part of is of tangible importance to the needy people of the developing world. I feel humbled and honored to be a part of eMi, an organization that is not only serving the poorest of the poor but is seeking to advance the Good News of Christ's love for each of us.
So upon returning to the U.S. in June of 2010, we moved our belongings out of storage in Oregon and into a moving van headed for Colorado Springs. Both Alisha and I have spent our entire lives on the West Coast, so moving our family to Colorado was also a big endeavor. We are both excited to see what God has in store for us here with eMi in Colorado, and are open to whatever or wherever else He might lead us to in the future!
EMI Project Portfolio
9046 – Mto Moyoni (Uganda)
9071 – Abundant Life (Uganda)
9079 – SOS Ministries (Uganda)
9080 – New Creation (Rwanda)
9084 – New Hope Uganda – Musana Camps (Uganda)
9088 – Miracle House (Kenya)
9090 – Children of Destiny (Tanzania)
9095 – Word of Life (Uganda)
5521 – Samfya Bible School (Zambia)
5535 – Africa Renewal Christian College (Uganda)
5539 – CEDAN (Haiti)
5549 – Mercy Ships (Sierra Leone)
Family
Brad is the youngest of 5 siblings.
Alisha is the youngest in a family of 2.
We have 3 boys: Brodie (born in 2001), Jonah (born in 2003) & Graysen (born in 2004).
Professional Training and Experience
BS in Civil Engineering from University of California at Davis; 12 years professional experience (before coming to EMI) at firms in Oregon & California providing structural design on commercial and residential projects; obtained Civil license in 2001 in California and Oregon.
Verses to Live By
"Show me the right path to take, oh Lord, point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I will put my hope in you."Psalms 25:4-5
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to him be the glory…" Ephesians 3:20
