Emma’s Blog
Mothers Can Still Dream
When my mom was eighteen—the age I am now—she met my dad. He was a carpenter, putting in a bay window in her parents’ house, and she was home from college studying for finals. On one of their first dates, he asked Mom what she wanted to be when she grew up. She told him the secret ambition that she’d never told anyone else before: she wanted to be an author. It’s been thirty years since that conversation, and her … Continue reading
Earth Day In India
Summer has begun here in southern India, which means that most days are in the high 90s or low 100s. It’s bad enough for my friend Val and the staff here at the Dean Foundation—all healthy and living in homes that have fans—but I can’t begin to imagine what it is like for our terminally ill patients. Our bedridden neighbors lie in their homes, day after day, developing puss-filled sores where their hot, damp skin makes contact with the dirt … Continue reading
Update from India!
Hello, everyone! Val and I have been having many adventures in the last few weeks. We’ve visited patients, celebrated birthdays, gotten to rest a bit, and worked hard in the office. Some of my favorite things from the past few weeks: This week I went to Dr. Grace’s nephew’s first birthday party. Jonah is so cute—if someone says “paint” to him he’ll stick out his tongue and give a half kiss/half lick that is very slobbery and adorable. I admit … Continue reading
The Trip to Delhi
Hello, all! Val and I arrived back to Chennai yesterday from a excursion to Delhi. Seven of us from the Dean Foundation drove up for an international conference on palliative care that took place on the 13th-15th (all in one van–we got to know each other really well). One night we drove until 4:00 am to get to a town large enough that we knew they would have hotels, only to find out that there was a wedding that day … Continue reading
Letter from India
Dear friends, I am writing from the Dean Foundation, the organization in India where my friend Val and are currently volunteering. We have only been here a little over a week, but we have both already learned so much. The Foundation provides hospice and palliative care to the terminally ill, both at the out-patient clinic and through periodical home visits. The staff is amazing. Dr. Nambudripad was born into the Brahman class, but he became a Christian and has since … Continue reading
thanksgiving
This Tuesday I was walking to the library to do a little bit of studying before class when I saw one of my friends running across campus over to Asbury Seminary on the other side of the street. Her backpack was bouncing up and down because she was running so fast and she was so set on where she was going that she didn’t see me. I watched her as she paused for a second to make sure no cars … Continue reading
a call to social justice
A week ago I got to hear Shane Claiborne, author The Irresistible Revolution, speak at my college. I’d heard about him before and my parents know him, but it was my first chance to meet him in person. I was thoroughly “wowed.” He is a gifted public speaker with a real heart for social justice. He doesn’t just focus on any one issue (although the environment is important to him)—he just wants to be the hands and feet of Jesus … Continue reading
being green in the cold
In the past few days the weather has gotten rather chilly here in Kentucky and I’ve been thinking about how to care for the environment when it’s cold outside. The heat hasn’t been turned on in the dorms yet, so everyone is finding creative ways to stay warm while they’re studying. My solution—thick socks, my warmest sweatshirt, and a blanket—might be a little cumbersome, but it’s also the “green” thing to do. Because I don’t have the option to turn … Continue reading
shine brightly
I just got the October 2008 issue of Shine Brightly, a magazine for young Christian girls, and a piece about my environmental work is the cover story! They have a big emphasis on missional living, which is neat–actually, the whole magazine is so cool that I almost wish I were in grade school again just so I could subscribe. Did you know that in 2003 there were only an estimated 25 Vancouver marmots left in the wild? I didn’t either until … Continue reading
“ignite your faith” magazine review
Check out the Fall 2008 edition of Campus Life’s Ignite Your Faith for some cool coverage of my environmental work — and the Jonas Brothers. There is a review of my efforts on pg. 44 and a list of ways to “go green.” Of all the images that could have been put next to the list, I have yet to figure out why there is an old-school scary hulk guy; your guess is as good as mine. Ignite Your Faith is … Continue reading
ichthus music festival
Dad and I were given the opportunity to speak at Ichthus, an annual large Christian music festival near where we live. Dad did three sessions and I did one. Dad was great, as always; I managed to short out my microphone and one of the guys from the sound booth had to answer a question for me because I didn’t know the answer. There was one really adorable little boy in my audience who kept asking the greatest questions–things like … Continue reading
having fun at VBS
Last week a friend and I were invited to speak at a vacation bible school at a large church in Lexington. The theme for the day was taking care of others by caring for the planet. There were three ages groups; I got the four-year-olds. We acted out the parable of the good Samaritan and went over some simple things they could do to be good stewards. Then we did a craft where they used their hand prints to pledge … Continue reading
catawba college
This weekend, Mom, Dad, and I went to a conference about the environment for people of faith. It was really fun and I learned a lot from the other people who came–there were a few students but most attendees were older than me, so it was neat to hear about the environmental movement from a different perspective. There was a very nice worship service that I got to participate in and I also got to talk in a few workshops. … Continue reading
finals are over!
Now that finals are over (I just finished my take-home on the theme of control in Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair and Amy Tan’s “Rules of the Game”), I now have time to add all the cool links and reviews I’ve collected over the past few weeks. This is a review done for Youth Ministry Exchange; we also got a review in the May 2008 issue of CBA Retailers and Resources which is awesome! On a totally random … Continue reading
publishers weekly
We got a review in Publishers weekly last month! It says: “Sleeth, now an Asbury College student, is a precocious advocate for environmental issues. She wrote this book when she was just 15. (And, no, she wasn’t homeschooled, if that’s what you’re wondering.) She shares her passion for Jesus and for saving the planet, in roughly that order. Although the book is clearly aimed at teen and young adult readers, Sleeth is skillful enough at sermon illustrations that her anecdotes … Continue reading
The Sleeths
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