Scripture and a Snapshot: September 7th

This verse reminds us to keep training our own bodies to become more like Christ through the Spirit's power, because we certainly don't want to be disqualified from the race for deserting God. It's not easy, and let me tell you, there are times when I just want to give up, but every time I'm at my lowest, God always sends me a reminder to deny myself and pick up my cross again each and every day.

Hall Pictures.

Doing hall pictures for Hannah's hall was a blast! I loved meeting all of the girls (you were all so sweet) and walking around campus taking photos of your beautiful faces. It was great to take a break from my busy schedule and do something I love, so thank you for giving me the opportunity. Some people hate photographing large groups of people, but I love it! After working at PVM Camp as the camp photographer for most of the summer, how could I not? I've practiced making sure everyone is aligned just right, checking for clean backgrounds, and saying 1-2-3, (or 3-2-1 in some odd cases), over and over again. It's definitely love, or I wouldn't still be in the business!

Sunflower Silliness.

Hi! I don't post very often these days because I'm busy with school, relationships, life, etc. but this is a long weekend for Labor Day, and I had a great photo shoot with my friends Sarah and Alex yesterday afternoon so I just have to share a few photos from the session with you all. :)

This was a special session because it was one of the first times for me to use my new 18-135 mm Canon lens. I decided to buy the lens after the auto focus on my 18-55 mm lens quit working. It got too much use this summer as I was the camp photographer at PVM Camp for the majority of the camp season. I definitely have to say that I'm very satisfied with this new lens - it has a great focal range. This afternoon I brought along my old film camera, which is also a Canon. A friend of my mom's offered me the camera last year and I haven't really used it much yet. It has film in it now and we took a few pictures with it yesterday. I can't wait til the roll is used up and the photos are developed! Those are just a couple of reasons why the session was special and tons of fun, too. Alex, Sarah and I couldn't help laughing as we looked through the pictures afterwards and saw our goofy expressions. It was a memorable time for sure!

PVM Summers are the BEST.

What an amazing summer it's been! God taught me a whole lot, and my faith grew, too. I wrote about some of those experiences on my other blog, Jessica's Journal, and I still have more to write. If I was to summarize what I learned this summer it would be this: God is the only One who can completely satisfy our deepest longings and desires. He created us for his own glory, that we might worship him with lives lived in surrender to his will.

I worked with a great group of people who are committed to serving Jesus with all of their hearts. They blessed me in countless ways this summer, and I can't say thank you enough. Until next summer...I love you all and miss you so much!

PVM staff wearing Minion t-shirts