Our Mission is to love our international neighbors as ourselves. We want to show true hospitality to our international neighbors who have come here on a temporary basis. From the day they arrive at the airport until their departure we exist to welcome and provide support for them during their time in Nashville. We will do this by educating them about American processes, connecting them to the mainstream community, caring for them physically, and providing support in day-to-day necessities.
Dan Eum is the Co-founder of Nations of Nashville and an ethnic specialist with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. He is a 2nd generation Korean-American. His parents first immigrated to the U.S. as International Students where he was born. He has lived his whole life navigating between both cultures. He did both his B.A. in Asian History and M.Ed. in Elementary Education at the University of Maryland. He also holds a M.Div. from Southern Seminary. He met his wife Heather while at Southern and they married in 2011. Their first baby was born in September of 2012. His name is Zane.
Heather Sue Eum is the Co-founder of Nations of Nashville. She grew up in Las Vegas and Springfield, Illinois. She did her B.A. at Lincoln Christian College and then completed her M.A. in Intercultural Leadership at Southern Seminary.
International Students
Nashville is often referred to as “The Athens of the South” because of the large concentration of universities in this one city. This high concentration of universities has attracted many students from around the world. They are here on F-1 visas and J-1 visas. Our goal is to assist students during those crucial first weeks upon arrival. We want to help them adjust to life in America so they can be successful students and members of the Nashville community.
International Professionals Nashville’s economy is booming. It is one of America’s most dynamic regions for business. Over 150 major companies have moved to Nashville in the past decade. In addition, to being the country music capital it is also the nation’s healthcare capital. The healthcare industry in Nashville is hot, hot, hot. Thanks to the growing healthcare sector the IT companies have also benefitted. Nashville Rankings: Named No. 1 best place to live in America (Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, 2006). Multiple times as the nation’s No. 1 hottest city for business relocations and expansions (Expansion Management, 2005, 2006, 2007). One of America’s smartest cities (CNN Money, Aug. 2006). Among the 10 best places for business and careers (Forbes, May 2006). *Source: www.nashvilleareainfo.com These top multi-national companies in the U.S. have been turning to high-skilled international workers on temporary work visas (i.e. H-1b, L-1). It appears that in the coming years the number of international temporary workers in the U.S. is bound to increase. We are here to provide services to smoothen out their transition process to America and returning to their native homes.
Question 1: Is Nations of Nashville a non-profit organization?
Answer: Yes and No. Nations of Nashville is a for-profit company, however most of our services are free or nearly free. We function like a non-profit in that our services are free, but we are funded like a for-profit.
Question 2: How do you continue to operate if your services are mainly free?
Answer: For our first three years we have been given start-up sponsorship from the Tennessee Baptist Convention. After that we will be self-supporting mainly through our bus rental program.
Question 3: Is Nations of Nashville a Christian company?
Answer: Again, yes and no. We do not brand ourselves as a “Christian company” but we founded this company and operate it based on Biblical principles. We know of no higher standard of service that we can give then to love our international neighbors as ourselves, Mark 12:31. If we treat our international friends as we would want to be treated if we were in a new country then that is the best standard. Our company is heavily dependent upon volunteers from churches who enable us to welcome internationals on a much larger scale. Most of our programs are in partnership with the wonderful volunteers from local churches.