Emma - My Updates from East Asia

Class of 2016

PT/OT/Speech Therapy/Special Ed in East Asia

Track: Medical

Region: Asia - East

Sign up for my newsletter

My Letter to Future Goers

Posted on June 29, 2019

I have written and re-written this post over and over since returning to the US 5 months ago, wondering what parting words I can offer to the next wave of college graduates considering going overseas. Do I share about my struggles? The culture stress? Do I pick out any few beautiful moments as if one was more precious of a memory than another? Do I leave with some platitudes or well-worded advice? It’s funny, because after this week, my delay feels like it was necessary. To allow me to experience a little treasure that God had planned out for me. Let me share this for you, and I think you’ll... Read more

One Battle Lost

Posted on May 13, 2018

Culture stress has really been weighing me down recently; I've been finding my temper becoming much shorter and my emotions more quickly spent. Yesterday (May 13th) was a particularly grueling battle that I lost miserably, and I ended the day feeling so defeated and exhausted. I've also been struggling to hold onto some sense of quiet time with my all-sufficient Father and Lord, and have been robbing myself of the time of rest with him that, of course, I absolutely need. But this morning (the 14th), I sat down and opened up the copy of Oswald Chambers' book, My Utmost for His Highest, that... Read more

Adding Responsibilities

Posted on May 8, 2018

Recently, the foster program had a scare where a new law was passed that would send more than half of the children of the program back to the orphanages they came from. The only option was to scramble to apply for exemptions for each child individually. Thankfully, all but four of the children were approved for exemption and could remain with their foster families. The four to go back are the youngest of the program – but there is currently no definite timeline established for when they will be required to return. We are grateful for what time they do have, while praying that another solution... Read more

Redefining Strengths and Weaknesses

Posted on March 31, 2018

During my time here, I have struggled immensely with insecurity about my knowledge and ability to help care for children with disabilities. I compare myself to others from my university days that seemed to have it all put together so much more seamlessly, and wonder how much more benefit they could have brought if only they had been the ones that God sent instead of me. But he didn’t send them. He sent me. One of my mentors recently challenged me to seriously reconsider my own potential. She pointed out some of my points of insecurity, places I had shied away and tried to excuse myself from... Read more

A Work in Progress

Posted on February 28, 2018

There is a medical team in our city that partners with orphanages in the surrounding areas to run a Foster program for children with disabilities. Families from the local and international churches in the area make up the foster parents, and they do a wonderful job of displaying the love and value God has for children that the overarching culture says have no value to society. Right now, my team is working with this medical group on an event for these foster families that will offer support for the parents’ expressed needs, while also giving the children an opportunity for organized play, and... Read more