At Pulpit Rock, we get to participate in the work God is doing all over the world and here in Colorado Springs by partnering, both financially and in prayer, with missionaries and organizations. You can learn more about what this looks like by visiting our Sent page.
Each month, we’ll get to share Partner Spotlights that highlight how God is at work through those we support!
Today, we get to share some exciting updates from Brittany Meloni, one of our strategic missions partners. We’ve gotten to support her in her work with Engineering Ministries International (EMI), a missions organization made up of engineers, architects, and other design professionals that provide design services for ministries around the developing world.
Brittany, you have some big life changes coming up! Will you tell us a little bit about those?
COVID, in many ways, made me sit still. In my years working for EMI, I’ve had a laser focus on my mission and consistently looked to the next project or the next group of interns without much thought to sitting with myself and asking what the Lord may have for me outside of EMI.
My 20’s were marked with missions, travel, and anything that kept me going. I loved my 20’s. But as my 30’s approached, I realized that my community was a little more transient, and I became increasingly aware of this desire for a partner I could depend on in this work. Someone that was on mission with me and we could support each other in fulfilling the Great Commission.
Last summer, I started dating someone who I met at a Bible study, and we recently got engaged! I never expected through COVID that I’d meet someone (amazing) and come to a point that I’d be ready to marry them.
Spencer is in the military, which throws a different flavor in the mix, but we are excited to be with people who may never hear or experience the love of Christ. He moved to Europe amidst our dating and will be stationed there the next 2-3 years.
So, yes, that does mean quite a bit of change for me, but thankfully EMI sees this as an opportunity and not something that would hinder our work. We are grateful that EMI’s work is so global and will allow me to not skip a beat as I move to Europe next summer.
What projects are you involved in at EMI right now that you’re excited about?
As you may know, Pulpit Rock partners with Pastor Mohammad in Tyre, Lebanon. Two summers ago, I was able to join a team as a chaperone for CSCS students. While we were there, we were able to see a new property Pastor Mohammad had purchased and, once we were back, EMI began working with Pastor Mohammad to help him develop this property.
Due to COVID, this project was delayed, but we are hopeful that it will begin in late October. I will help lead this project with EMI to serve Pastor Mohammad and the 1,000 Lighthouses Ministry! We are hopeful that this property will house many refugee children and families.
The Middle East has always been where I thought the Lord would lead me to live full time. And, as Spencer and I were dating, EMI asked me to consider joining their new Middle East Launch Team. What this means is that EMI is hoping to open an office in the Middle East in the next 3-4 years. With us being unsure of Spencer’s timeline, we may not be able to join them when the office begins, but I have joined the team in praying with them to discern location, strategy, and purpose of this new office.
I am hopeful that the purpose of this new EMI office will be to partner with refugees in the area and give practical training. This will provide them skills that could help them eventually rebuild their home countries as they desire to return home. It could also make them marketable since many fled during the middle of high school and college not finishing their education.
This is the current vision (and I am grateful the Lord has let me be a voice on this team) as we think through the next steps of making this God sized dream possible. It seems that the Lord has allowed me to be present in something that has been on my heart since my first visit to the Middle East in 2011 and it feels incredible that it’s coming to fruition!
Any other stories or highlights you want to share?
Back in February, I was able to work on EMI’s first project in the US!
This was a big step for EMI because we hold a value of “serving in our own backyards” around the world, but struggled to get the correct insurance coverage in the US to do so. We finally got it, and I ended up in Florida working on the masterplan for Selah Place – safe and rehabilitation housing for women and their children being rescued from sex trafficking.
It started when a family bought this piece of property with the vision of tiny homes/condo type housing units for these women, but had no idea how it would come to fruition with their limited finances. They met one of our volunteers in Florida and got connected to EMI, where we were able to serve them! With the money they saved on engineering and design services, they are now currently raising funds for the construction process.
This was such a highlight as I see need in America as well as overseas. We hadn’t been able to respond to natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, etc.) in the US due to this lack of insurance either. It is amazing to see a ministry not have to jump through hoops, financial burdens, and some of the red tape to get their work off the ground. EMI is excited to move forward in both these fronts in the US.
How can our Pulpit Rock family come around you to support you in what you’re doing?
The Pulpit Rock family is incredible. I have felt so connected to and supported by this community. I’d love prayer in discerning Spencer and I’s call together in ministry. We both have a desire to tell those who don’t know Christ about Him, and we see that opportunity in the military. With EMI asking me to join the Middle East launch, we also ask for prayers as we discern our part in that. We want to be where the Lord wants us.
Lastly, prayer for us while we’re learning to love each other more like Christ and the church, and for me to learn to love my new military neighbors. We are planning on getting married in December, and then Spencer deploys for 6 months in January. I’ll stay in Colorado Springs until he returns, and I’m sure I’ll need help in ways I’m not even sure about yet!
If you’d like to hear more of Brittany’s story and ways you can partner with her, reach out to us!
