In the early days of our PA program, we would often travel to Kyaukkyi, Myanmar. We were preparing to open the clinic, and setting the groundwork for training PAs in Kyaukkyi. It was the first time that we had traveled to this area of Myanmar and we were nervous to be under the control of the infamous Burma army…

What the doctor didn’t mention in this post was that it took this patient 4 days to get to our KMC hospital. Or that Yangon, the biggest city in Myanmar with many hospitals was only 3 hours away from the place she was injured…

A series of recent storms wrought disaster on Earth Mission’s jungle clinic campus and surrounding villages. For 12 days straight, the rugged region drank in more than 12 inches of rain every day…

It’s our favorite time of year! After a 2-month selection process, Earth Mission welcomed its 2023 student cohort. These 16 new students are joining forces with 43 current students and 25 graduates to develop high-quality …

"I headed to the In-Patient Department (IPD) to interview one of the patients. I quickly ran to the shelter of the building, because the sun was scorching hot! Slowing to a tiptoe, I noticed that patients were resting. When I found the patient…

Deep in the jungles of Myanmar, a river gently winds past a cluster of bamboo structures. Here, hidden in the shadow of a mountain range, is EMA’s Rain Tree Clinic. In the winter months, sunlight weakly filters through the treetops, making days mildly warm and nights bitterly cold. The only place where beams of light …

“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 …

EMA has a small number of students that have gone through the Engineering Tech program.   The engineering technology program is a 3-year training course.  Graduates are proficient in construction, engine repair, equipment repair, wiring and troubleshooting electrical systems, and power generation from solar and generators.  One of the things we discovered is that EMA’s …

I don’t know about you, but this third wave of Covid-19 is just the cherry on top. Is there a word for pandemic fatigue? What about, displacement, job role change, pandemic caused relational stress plus military coup? I know that I’m not alone. I’ve been hearing about the shifting job markets all over the world, …