I want people to open their hearts to care about these people that I believe God cares about, both the villagers and medical professionals. I don't know exactly what viewers will do with that, but I hope they pray for them, maybe they will support the medical mission or maybe they will join God in some other way…

TahKer, a 39-year-old Karen mother of two and staff member at Rain Tree Clinic (RTC), is a deeply spiritual person who feels at home even in places far beyond most of our comfort zones—including my own. I had the privilege of speaking with her about Karen Christmas traditions and the experiences that have shaped her faith…

Saw Moo Kler Taw was one of ten students selected for our very first class of EM Physician Associates in 2016. After finishing the five-year program at the end of 2020, he quickly went home to his district in Northern Karen State alongside two of our other graduates …

A heavily pregnant woman arrived at our frontline mobile surgical clinic on a rainy day. She was too weak to walk, so her neighbors carried her for several hours to our makeshift facility. At the age of 40, with nine previous pregnancies, her body had spent more than half of its time on earth nurturing new life…

… the gate agent announced, bringing my mind back to the painful realities of the next 48 hours. After nearly three months of traveling, Caryl and I were in our little Arkansas airport, heading back to Asia. We had traveled thousands of miles, telling the story of our Earth Mission team to anyone who would listen. We showed homemade videos from the jungle clinic, shared pictures from the front line team, and told the heartfelt stories…

Jungle Survival skills are crucial in remote areas, even though we don't need them much in modern life. Boot camp students learn these skills before joining the Earth Mission Physician Associate (PA) and Engineering Technician (E-Tech) programs. They're trained to go on 24-hour trips in the jungle with rice, lighters, and machetes using bamboo for cooking and gathering vegetables from the forest. This training is important…

It’s Holy Week. Like continents colliding, it's the colossal clash of betrayal, suffering, and death against the powers of forgiveness, love, and life. Most fully in Jesus, but to different degrees and outcomes, we see it in the lives of the disciples, Judas, and other men and women close to Jesus. Today, I am led to the inner storm happening in Peter…

"But Adonai is with me like a dreaded warrior." Jeremiah 20:11

Orcs sniffing for hobbits. A drone passes overhead, hunting over the jungle for hours. The fact that it prowls for its prey through the night means it's probably using thermal imaging. We've camouflaged our Operating Room tent with cane and our ambulances with mud …

“I grew up in a Christian family and I was raised, taught and trained to live in Christian ways. One of the greatest things I learned growing up in a Christian family is that helping and serving others is one of the most important things you MUST do, and that is what God wants you …

Mitch and I traveled to Ireland in May and had a wonderful time catching up with our friends at Christian Fellowship Church in Belfast.  This church community has supported EMA for more than 5 years sending teams out several times to build buildings and support us in many other ways.  I then traveled to the …

“T-RAD Clinic began as a single clinic project treating patients in the Kyaukkyi district of Myanmar, but it has expanded to include a variety of healthcare projects to support and implement Earth Mission Asia’s mission. As the project progresses, the emphasis is on providing people in Karen’s remote areas with high-quality healthcare. Before COVID and …

“Passion … a dangerous word in our world today where it seems passion for some little thing or next to nothing burns like a raging forest fire ending in widespread destruction. Broken politics, broken lives,  broken families, broken countries. The world would be better off without it. And yet, by some  definitions, this kind of …

“I am a student at Payap University majoring in English Communication. I was born in Dawei, Myanmar. When I was 11, my family moved to one of the Karen Refugee camps. I am currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand finishing my university studies. I begin with my childhood hobby– reading. There were few entertaining options …

Karen Revolution Day 2022 was celebrated on January 31st at Rain Tree Clinic (RTC).  Our staff and students had the day off in observance of the holiday. As a Year 1 teacher, I coordinated with our RTC on-site teacher, Naw Khu Paw, to develop a fun activity for our 13 current Year 1 students. We decided on …

Thankful to be able to see so many of you when Mitch and I traveled to the US in October and November. We had not been able to travel internationally for 2 years.  We met Gwen in person (now 15 months old) and really enjoyed seeing our other grand girls, our kids, our 4 parents …

“I am Dr Nant Htet Htet Lynn Oo. I was born in the Delta Region of Myanmar and grew up in Yangon. I am Poe Karen, however, I always get a chance to work with the Sakaw Karen community. I graduated with an M.B.B.S. degree from the Institute of Medicine (1), Yangon, in April …

For as long as I can remember, my oldest son, Judah, loved road trips. He enjoyed going to new places and spending concentrated time together. We would travel with Deanna and his younger siblings, but Judah and I started going on a few trips by ourselves. Maybe it was because his younger siblings were not …

Our students are unable to attend Year 1 of our program in Chiang Mai. Normally, the first year of our 5-year Physician Assistant training program takes place here in Northern Thailand. The social-political conflict in Myanmar is preventing our students from crossing the border rather than the current COVID-19 pandemic. We could have thrown the …

Pu Saw Kyar Htoo (70) is a Buddhist from Hsaw Ohn Htar Village, Shwe Gyin Township. After he felt tired and difficult to breathe, he was diagnosed with a Lower Respiratory Tract Infection.  He received treatment in Hsaw Hti Township Hospital for about one month. Eventually, he felt better and went back home. However, after three weeks …

Start by doing what is necessary,  then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.-Francis Assisi Much of my work is behind the scenes, making sure finance, legal, and people systems are in place. Our Chiang Mai office is the headquarters of EMA for finance, HR, and education.  Nan has been working with us …