South Africa
I took these photos on a trip to South Africa in 2013. I’m posting them now, not only because it was a wonderful trip, but also because it was on this trip that I first met a group of friends from Nashville, TN, which would eventually lead to the contacts I made to move, settle, and live here in Tennessee.
These photos are from a period when I was the head photographer at a church called Bethel in Redding, CA. The church regularly sent out teams around the world to work with communities we had relationship with. This particular trip was to meet with Pastor Surprise Sithole of Iris Ministries in Nelspruit, South Africa and help him serve the communities in the surrounding area.
While some of this trip was spent on practical things like delivering supplies to remote locations, a lot of the trip was relational as we spent time with the communities that Surprise worked with, listening to their needs, talking and praying with them. Although we had the blessing of Pastor Sithole, beyond his introduction, we had to build trust as we built fresh relationships with those we met.
You’ll also see the camaraderie amongst our team, which is one of my favourite things to experience. As a group of friends and acquaintances spend 3 weeks together under oftentimes challenging circumstances, it’s fertile soil to grow in as the weariness of travel and the pressure of tight quarters mix with the spirit of adventure and the joy that comes from becoming a blessing.
That is what you will see reflected in these photographs. Relationship, trust, and prayer.
