.outreach #1.

(Wally Nell, teaching us to use a strobe; John Vicory poses.)

It has been a wonderful week of class taught by Wally Nell. He has definitely shared with us a wealth of photographic knowledge, insight and experience. I feel like he has expanded my mind so much as to what can be done with photography, not just in regards to the pictures themselves, but also in regards to the way in which it can be used as a tool that can be used to portray ideas and issues to people.

Today begins the first day of our outreach for this portion of the trip in South Africa. Basically, for each place we go, it looks like we will be having about three weeks of lecture, and one week where we divide into smaller groups to go out and apply what we learn in lecture through our photography. For this outreach we will each be putting together a photo story consisting of eight to ten of our best photos. As a group, we will also be putting together a photo essay as a summary of the ministry we will be doing. I am in a group with two others, Naphtalie and David, who are both from Oregon.

After prayer and discussion, we feel that God has put it on our hearts to work with the homeless population here around Muizenberg. From this Friday until next Wednesday, we will have the opportunity to spend time investing in the lives of a few of the homeless people, also known as strollers who frequent a nearby park. Some of this time we will be working with Living Hope, a local church that provides daily meals and bible studies for those without food and shelter in this area of the Cape.

In addition to this, for my photo story, God has placed it on my heart to spend time documenting the lives of a couple of homeless people that I have already gotten to know a little bit before this outreach. I don’t know exactly what this will look like, but I plan on following a few of them throughout different parts of their days, seeing what it is like for them to live in this way on a daily basis. God has recently been revealing to me the beauty of these people in his eyes. Homeless people are so often misunderstood and mistreated, but when the time is taken to invest in their lives, it is easy to see why God would attach such a high value to them. One example I remember most vividly is that of one of the homeless ladies, Doreen, taking a piece of bread out of her bag to share with the birds, when she herself does not always have much to eat. I am praying and believing that God can use these pictures to accurately portray the beauty that resides in the hearts of these people, but also the difficulties that they face on a regular basis.

So, in the days to come, I would most certainly appreciate any prayers you would be willing to send my way. Some ways you can pray are:

• That God would orchestrate the people and places that he wants us to see.

• That God would give us discernment with our resources, as many people often try to ask for money, food, etc. We want to be generous, but generous in a way that will not create chaos.

• That God would grant us protection, as crime is one of the bigger issues in this country.

• That God would help us to capture pictures that portray the beauty that resides in the hearts of these people, but that also portray the difficulties that the homeless face on a daily basis.