Addicting.

I'll admit that easy is appealing to me, and when I first was given my Polaroid camera, the instructions sounded complicated and slightly daunting, but I decided that I couldn't give up, and it was worth the time  and effort to learn and experiment with my new camera. I've developed a love for looking through the tiny viewfinder, adjusting the lighting, and pressing the blue button on the left side of the camera. I turn the film upside down, wait a few minutes for it to develop, and then turn it front side up to see a new, unique photograph, a moment in time captured forever. Film photography = love.

Do what God Calls You to do.

I posted the following on my Facebook page tonight:

"For anyone who's ever been told that they can't do something, don't let that stop you from doing it. There have been times in the past when I was told that I didn't have an eye for photography and that I would never be good at it, but I haven't let that stop me. In fact, it's pushed me to try harder to improve and be the best photographer I can be. Use the unfair expectations others put on you to ignite your passion for the things you love! Just go out and use your talents and abilities to do what God has called you to do."

Have you experienced a similar situation where you were told that you weren't good enough? How did you respond?

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: January 23rd

1. Sunset

Saturday's sunset was stunning! I just can't quite get over how beautiful the red and orange sky was against the stark white snow.

2. Black and White

These two friends met up at MK (missionary kid) Snow Camp this past weekend after being separated for a year and a half. Both of them grew up in Japan and it was neat to hear them speaking in Japanese to each other.

3. A Day in my Life

I spend time reading my Bible and praying every day. There's nothing more satisfying and fulfilling than talking with God.


4. Four

This pretty much sums up my amazing weekend at MK Snow Camp in Indiana. The people were great, the snow was lovely, soccer was fun, and God once again showed me just what a privilege it is to be an MK. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

5. Colourful

Becky and Jerilyn were having way too much fun playing as we were packing up the vans to leave camp. I miss it already and can't wait for next year!

Surprise!

My fellow photography guru and friend at Cedarville surprised me by giving me this sweet Polaroid 600 camera! I'm really excited to experiment with it. Doesn't it seem like Christmas when you get a new camera? It does for me. It's been years since I've shot anything with film, so this is new and exciting.

And if that wasn't exciting enough, my photojournalism class started tonight, too. There are fourteen people in the class and we skype the professor because he isn't at Cedarville University. I'd say the first class went well. We looked at some pretty neat shots and talked about our first couple of projects, which include finding a famous photo and blogging about it + taking a whole set of photos that showcase our lives. Sounds like it's gonna be a fun class!

Pixlr-o-matic & Brightly Coloured Objects.

For a while I was looking for a good quick editing program that would create effects similar to Instagram. Not too long ago I found Pixlr-o-matic as I was browsing the web. Pixlr-o-matic has a whole slew of cool effects, which I used to edit all of the photos below. I took three of these last Saturday and now there's hardly any snow on the ground. Somehow I don't think it will stay that way, though.

On Friday I'm going to Snow Camp with a bunch of MKs (missionary kids) from Cedarville and we'll be gone all weekend. There'll be students from other Christian universities there, too. I'm most looking forward to taking lots of photos and enjoying my friends' company.

What are your weekend plans?

National Geographic.

If you've ever wondered what it might be like to have a career as a National Geographic Photographer, watch this video. It tells the story of Bruce Albert Dale, a man who worked for National Geographic for thirty years and took over two thousand photos that were published in the magazine. This article shares more details about Bruce Dale and his experiences. It would be neat to have a job like this someday, although nearly impossible with a family, and I'd rather be a stay-at-home mom any day. This is nevertheless an amazing career full of opportunities.

My Testimony.

I just posted my testimony on my journal blog so now you can find out more about what growing up in Papua New Guinea was like. So, go read and comment! If you have any questions for me about anything, I'd be happy to hear and answer them. :)

Be Back Soon.

Sorry for being away for nearly a week! The semester just started yesterday and I've been furiously trying to buy and sell books, unpack, and catch up with friends. I promise I'll be back soon!

This cute little orange sign is a gift that my parents got me for Christmas which I brought back to Cedarville with me to hang up in my dorm room. In case it's hard to see, it reads, "Coffee, all the goodness of life in a cup." Who else loves coffee?

Have a blessed week as you seek to glorify Christ and make his Name known!

Scripture and a Snapshot: January 11th

The message of biblical Christianity is not "God loves me, period," as if we were the object of our own faith. The message of biblical Christianity is "God loves me so that I might make him--his ways, his salvation, his glory, and his greatness--known among all nations." Now God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around him. We are not the end of the gospel; God is. -David Platt, Radical

Recently I have been reading the book Radical by David Platt and as I read, my desire to take the gospel to people who have never heard it has grown even more. Through Platt, my eyes have been opened to see that God calls all believers to take part in taking his Word to everyone. Radical has also caused me to re-think how much wealth God has blessed me with in light of our brothers and sisters around the word who are "without clothes and daily food." I may be just a "poor college student", but I do have a bed, clothes, a dorm to live in, water, food, and a job, which puts me in the top 15 percent of the world's people for wealth, and those are just a few of the blessings God has poured out on my life.

More than twenty-six thousand children today will breathe their last breath due to starvation or a preventable disease. That.breaks.my.heart.

How can you and I sit in ignorance and happy bliss, living the American Dream, all the while failing to obey Jesus' command to take the gospel to all nations? How should we respond to the startling numbers of people around the world that are dying every day from hunger?

I think that we must first have faith that God will provide for our needs and then we must give generously. If God cares for the flowers of the field which are here today and gone tomorrow, as Matthew 6:30 says he does, then why do we have so little faith? Shouldn't we trust him to provide for everything we need? He loves to give good gifts to his children, (Luke 11:13, Matthew 7:11), and for those of us who have accepted Christ's free gift of salvation -- that means us!

Certainly God's desire for us is that we would use our wealth to bless others. This is a struggle for me, but I'm striving to give God full control. To help me get there, I've given up buying coffee for the next month and I'm going to go through my clothes and find articles I no longer wear to give away. I'm also going to set up an account to set aside money for tithing and giving to those in need.

What will you do?

This World.

Colourful, delicate and wonderous. This world that God has created from nothing. Think about that for a moment. It blows your mind, doesn't it? He created the earth and everything in it.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day. -Genesis 1:1-5

God is the awesome Creator, who loves us so much and saved us not because of righteous things we had done but because of his mercy. Only His mercy.


Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.

But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone. -Titus 3:3-8

How do you view the world around you? Do you see it as God's creation and do you have compassion and love others like Christ calls us to do? Have you thanked God for creating you and giving you a purpose beyond and above anything you could ever dream of?

If you haven't recently, take a moment now and give thanks with a grateful heart to God for everything he has created and for all of the blessings he's given to you. Afterwards, if you need to surrender your life, (maybe it's for the thousandth time, but that's not what matters...what matters is that you are choosing to surrender now) take the time to lay your life in the Lord's hands and wait for him to lead. He who promised is faithful.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. -Hebrews 10:23

I will miss you.

California.
Where the sun is always shining and the temperature gets up to 76 degrees Fahrenheit on a mild winter day.

I've loved every minute spent in this lovely state and I am sad that my family and I have to leave tomorrow. We'll miss our grandparents and other relatives. Hope to see you again soon, Cali!

A word for 2012.

Courage.
That's my word for 2012.
This year I want to be open and vulnerable to whatever Christ calls me to, no matter what the sacrifice might be. My desire is for Christ to remove all of the unreasonable fears that have been holding me back from complete surrender to his will.

Just as God commanded the Israelites to be strong and courageous many times in the Old Testament, he desires for us to be courageous and take hold of his promises. 1 Chronicles 22:13 says, "For you will be successful if you carefully obey the decrees and regulations that the LORD gave to Israel through Moses. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or lose heart!" and Deuteronomy 31:6 says, "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."


This year I will be seeking out every opportunity I can to be courageous. I want to do things in 2012 that I'm afraid to do now because I know that God is with me and he won't ever abandon me. My heart's desire for these next twelve months is to be willing to do whatever God asks of me immediately without holding back anything. May 2012 be a year of courageous growth!

Memories, Dreams, and Reflections 2011

1. Me! - picture of yourself (you don't have to show your face). What are you most proud of accomplishing in 2011

I am proud of how much my photography has improved throughout the year. I've made significant progress because I have been working on a 365 photo a day project and I took the class Intro to Photography last semester.

2. I Love You - picture of your husband, boyfriend, children, pets, etc.

I love my little brother Christopher so much! I love the rest of my family, too.

3. Still Laughing... - a moment you're still laughing about now...tell us a story.

When the movie Courageous first came out, a few of my friends and I went to see it in the theatre. Daniel, (the Korean on the far left), pretended that he didn't speak a word of English and made CJ (the guy next to him) translate for him to the lady at the ticket counter. At the end Daniel said something in English and watched as the lady made an astonished expression on her face. Lol.

4. Winter Wonderland - a picture that reflects Winter.

5. Birthday - share a birthday picture (your own or someone you love).

I wasn't with my real family for my 19th birthday, but I had good friends to celebrate with. They took me out to Olive Garden. My family called all the way from PNG right when we got to the restaurant and we were able to talk for a while. :)

6. Friends - a picture with friends (this could be your friends or your children with their friends).

Mia and Anh Thu are such great friends! They've encouraged and challenged me to grow closer to Christ and also shared with me about their home countries, Japan and Vietnam. (I'm also thankful for all of my other friends not pictured here.)

7. I Was Inspired... - could be a picture of your inspiration (person or thing), or inspired by...

God's beautiful creation! He's created so many beautiful things but we can miss out on seeing them if we aren't looking. 2011 was a year of looking for beauty in the broken.

8. Spring Fever - a picture that reflects Spring.

9. Travel or Vacation - a picture taken on vacation or on a recent travel experience...even if it was only a few miles away.

My family and I are in California celebrating Christmas and New Years with my grandparents. A couple of days ago I saw a cat in the backyard so I got my mom's attention and then we both went out to see it. I love the weather here in sunny Bakersfield and I'm not ready to go back to cold, snowy Ohio.

10. Summer Days - a picture that reflects Summer.

Playing with the hose on a brilliantly sunny afternoon in August is my idea of a wonderful summer activity.

11. A Day In My Life - a picture of a typical day in your life.

Nearly every day I spend time reading and studying the Bible. I want to grow to know Christ more, and so I read his word, which he uses to speak to his followers.

12. All Smiles - a picture that makes you smile or of smiling faces.

A few friends and I enjoyed a picnic by the lake on a pleasant October day. I can't remember what was so funny, but something someone said made Caleb smile like this. Lol.

13. Autumn Harvest - a picture that reflects Autumn/Fall.

Autumn is Cedarville is lovely. I love walking by Cedar Lake on warm, sunny days when there are still trees filled with colourful leaves.

14. Family or Home - a picture of your family or a picture that represents family/home for you.

Home is the place where you can relax and be your silly self. My brother Jon always makes me laugh.

15. Celebrate! - a picture that reflects a celebration.

In July, my cousin Greg married his high school sweetheart Lindsay in an ornate Orthodox church. I was able to attend the wedding and take photos of the beautiful ceremony.

16. Let's Do It Again... - a picture of something you'd like to do again soon.

Christopher and I need to bake more Double Chocolate Chip Cookies in 2012!

17. I Miss You - a picture of someone or something you really miss.

I really miss Ana and the rest of her family! They kindly offered to let me stay with them for about 7 weeks last summer and it was such a blessing.

18. Beautiful - a picture of someone or something you find beautiful.

My Vietnamese friend Anh Thu is seriously so beautiful on the inside and the outside!

19. Dress Up - this might be a picture from Halloween or not...but someone who is all dressed up!

Elliv is one of Cedarville's biggest annual events. It's a show put on at the beginning of May by talented students with music, dancing, and singing. A friend of mine, Amy, asked me to photograph her and a group of friends all dressed up for the event and I willingly accepted the opportunity.

20. Macro - share your favorite macro or close-up image.

My mom started teaching me how to play guitar over the summer. I want to keep learning, but school has kept me too busy. One of my goals for 2012 is to learn at least a few more chords and be able to play a few songs.

21. Holidays - a picture from the Holiday of your choice.

I never get tired of Christmas! It's definitely my favorite holiday.

22. My Favorite - share your favorite picture or memory from 2011.

Choosing a favorite memory from 2011 is impossible! There were so many wonderful things that happened this year, and one of the memories that stands out to me the most was going to the Creation Museum in Kentucky with my friends Mia, James, Caleb, and Caleb's mom, who drove us down there. We had a blast exploring the museum and taking silly photos.

23. Don't Ever Change - something you love about yourself, someone, or something that you never want to change.

I love Bethany's joy and enthusiasm for life and serving Christ. She has such a vibrant, cheerful personality and I hope that never changes.

24. Just Because...So There! - share any picture(s) that you really want to share, but doesn't fit in any other category.

25. Hopes and Dreams - share what you hope to come or dream for 2012. Feel free to share an image of your choice.

My hope for 2012 is that I will continue to develop my Christian walk through prayer and reading of the word, and I hope to lead someone to Christ. I also hope that God will reveal to me where he wants to me go after I finish college in May 2014 and that I will get a job over the summer. He's faithful, so I'm trusting him to lead.