Hi and welcome to Water for the Weary.

I’ve spent most of my adult life living and working outside my home country, primarily in an out-of-the-way and economically depressed region of China.

When I first left the United States and moved to China in the 1990s, I was a young and inexperienced know-it-all who set out to “rescue” the Chinese people through English teaching. Instead, they, in a sense, saved me. Or to put it in terms of my faith, Jesus used them to refine and shape me. In the process, I’ve learned to love them, and wonder of wonders, they’ve loved me back. Or perhaps they loved me first.

In recent years, my heart has grown heavy as political and personal commentary about the people I love has become more and more negative. I am not suggesting that China is perfect. As with any country (including my own!), problems exist on a variety of levels, but beauty also shines out from the darkness. If your heart is hurting too and you’re tired of the ongoing gloom and doom about China and other people and places, then please join me here. May my stories from faraway places, whether happy, humorous, or of lessons learned, be cool water for your weary soul! (See Proverbs 25:25.)

If you’d like more information about privacy, content, readers, or how to join the conversation or share a story, see the sections below. Otherwise, happy reading!

Peace be with you,

Emery

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Privacy

In order to protect the privacy of the people who appear in my stories, all the names you see on Water for the Weary are pseudonyms, mine included. I also do not identify exact locations.

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Content

Much of the content here comes through the lens of my identity and experiences. Although I have lived in China for more than twenty years, I still do not fully grasp the culture. And never will. I am also a typically self-centered human being who has primarily lived in one unique place in China. I fact-check my impressions as much as possible, but they are still my perspectives. (I try to include references or links so that you can read and come to your own conclusions.)

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Readers

All readers are welcome here no matter your experiences, origins, or worldview. My desire is to respect the people I am writing about and also you. I laugh at myself and my experiences a lot, but if you catch me making fun of the Chinese people, you, or another group, please call out my behavior (gently please).

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Join the conversation

I would love to hear from you. Please join the conversation by commenting or asking questions on any post or page. If protecting the privacy of your friends is important to you too, feel free to comment anonymously.

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Share a story

If you’d like to share an uplifting story or lesson about your cross-cultural experiences, please get in touch, and we’ll talk about it: Contact.