More from Ghana

We have been so busy that it has been difficult to get to the internet café to post. The last time we went we were able to see some pictures of Zoe that my parents posted. She is so cute and is having a great time in DC.

On Sunday I got to preach at a Baptist Student Union at the university here and then again at Faith Baptist Church near where we are staying. Later that day we surprised the congregation by taking family portraits for them. It has been great to see everyone come out in their Sunday best and then be so happy to see themselves in the pictures when they receive them. They all gather around as they are being printed and compare them with each other, laughing and talking excitedly. I am sure this is the first time some of them have ever seen themselves. They are so proud of their families and all say that they will hang their picture up in a special place in their homes.

Yesterday we went to the market where residents of Tamale do their grocery shopping. It was amazing. You can get anything from dried fish for soup to flour for baking. You can even buy a cow’s head if that is the type of soup you prefer. I’ll stick with chicken noodle, sans the head please. I was not able to get any photos in the market because people here do not care for being photographed in public if they do not know what the use of picture is. I think there have been some embarrassing pictures of the less desirable, third world aspects of culture here that have been printed in magazines in other parts of the world.

There has been another couple here from Georgia with the God’s Story Project. It is so strange; these people originally are from Louisville and are here introducing a movie that summarizes the bible in the people’s language in 78 minutes. We got some great long exposure pictures of the people at a church watching this movie last night. It is cool to look at these pictures and see people who are probably coming to their first understanding of the story of redemption. A projector and screen was put up with a loud speaker so that it was like going to a drive-in. It was large enough to draw the attention of people from the surrounding village, including many Muslims. When we were setting up the equipment, the prayers were coming over the loud speaker in a near by Mosque. The video started and drowned out the prayers. I thought this would cause danger for us, but there were many Muslim men who watched the movie and seemed very interested in the story portrayed.

The movie is put together so well that if these people are able to understand what they have seen they will have more of a concise understanding of the Bible than many Americans! It is a great project that is seeking to put the movie into every language in Ghana—that is more than 60 languages. It takes 3 months and $3500 to complete a translation. Compared to a Bible translation this is a fraction of the time and money involved in a product that even the illiterate can understand.

The people from the project have been very appreciative of the pictures we took of the viewing because they have not been able to capture the events since they happen at night. Because the shutter on the camera was open for 15 seconds to get the shot, the pictures look like it is dusk when in reality it was pitch black outside (notice the stars). Once again God has been able to use our ability and equipment to support the work he is doing here in ways that we could not have orchestrated on our own.

Bob and Bonnie and the rest of the staff from Seed Ministry have been amazing. Elizabeth and I prepared Don and Zenda for our accommodations, giving them ideas of the primitive arrangements that they might expect to find in Africa. This information was all based on previous mission trips that we have experienced and stories we have heard because we honestly did not know what to expect when we got here.

We arrived to find air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms and laundry service that includes ironing (I have never had my boxers ironed!). Bonnie and her ladies cook the best food in Ghana (and much of the US for that matter). You would not believe it, but we have been eating biscuits and gravy, eggs, and, pancakes for breakfast. Lunch and dinner is chicken or an open-faced roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy and vegetables. It is great food!

Aside from being a little tired at weird times, we experience hunger at the normal times that we would be eating at home since there is a four-hour difference in time here. This happens particularly at night just before we go to bed. Elizabeth and I have stocked up on cookies and Fanta, so every night we enjoy what we call Fourth Meal before bed.

Hopefully it is clear that we have had a great time and great success with the photographs. From here we start the sight-seeing portion of our trip. We leave tomorrow to see the natural sights from here back to Accra in the south. Tomorrow we see a famous waterfall and then we head south to the rainforest and nature preserve. Our hope is to get good prints that we will be able to sell to support future projects.

Elizabeth and Zenda both are not feeling well. They both have flu-like symptoms. Please pray for them to feel better before our long journey south. Also be praying for our safety on the roads as we travel. Thank you for all your support and prayers thus far. We are looking forward to sharing all our stories with you when we return.

First from Ghana

This has been our first opportunity to post anything on the blog We made it here safely and finished our third day of family photo shoots. We have been received warmly by all the villagers and each one, from the youngest to the eldest, seem to be so gracious and constantly amazed to see themselves printed in such clarity for the first time in their life and not even all that, but also within mere minutes after having the photographer snap their picture. We photograph each of the families and then the organization we are partnering with takes the opportunity to counsel with every family, sharing the gospel with them.

Our equipment has worked great with little incident. We have encountered a little interference when using the two wireless transmitters together, but we think it may be fueled by the cell signals that are broadcast into the villages. It is amazing to be in the middle of the most remote African village you have ever seen and hear a cell phone ring!

The people here are beautiful and the children are amazing. Elizabeth has had a ball teaching them games and entertaining them with her terrible language skills. At first they are afraid of her pale skin and yellow hair, but after a while they warm up as you can see.


The chiefs of the villages each give gifts on behalf of the village in appreciation for the photographs. It is humbling to receive eggs, peanuts, and yams knowing what it takes for them to produce these goods. It is hot and dry in the north where we are for most of the year, so the villagers farm during very short growing seasons. However, this year the unusually heavy rains have already cost these farmers one crop. Here is the Chief from today’s village.


I have the opportunity to preach twice on Sunday, once in a Christian club in the university and then again at one of the churches. This will be a great time for me to share some of what God has been teaching me this year about the nature of discipleship. I have watched many Americans fall asleep to the tune of my speaking, so we’ll see if this enchanting effect works with Ghanaians!

Don and Zenda have had a great time with the people and the animals! Zenda gave a day’s worth of hand massages to the women today.


And this morning Don checked Bob and Bonnie’s dog Rebel for fleas. He didn’t find any. I guess you can take the Vet out of the Clinic, but you can’t take the Clinic out of the Vet!


Thank you everyone for checking up on us. We will upload bigger pictures when we return. The internet connection here is slow. Please continue to pray for our safety and the success of our work here. Mom and Dad love on Zoe for us. We will talk to you soon.

Only a few days...

There are only a few days left before we leave for Africa for our first trip in the 100 Words of Hope Project. There has been a lot of work go into this trip and we are excited to finally be at the point of actually doing what it is that we have3 prepared for so long for. As a rule, I try to refrain from having expectations for things like this apart from expecting things to go as I have planned. However, we do expect to come away from this trip with renewed insights into the role of photography in generating hope for families affected by AIDS as well as other opportunities for creative people to connect their work with global need.

Since shooting at Adventure, we have been approach by other people with ideas for using their own giftedness to shed light into places darkened by poverty and sickness. It is great to see the effect this project has on those around us, helping others rethink about ways they can give back through their own gifts and talents. It will be exciting to chase down some of these ideas with the perspective that comes with having taken pictures of 2500 people in Africa!

I got a call today from my friend Troy who is a student at Milligan College. He called to ask if it was ok for him to distribute some flyers he had made that promoted 1000 Words of Hope on campus this week for a missions emphasis going on there. I am amazed and overwhelmingly grateful for this support. I talked with Elizabeth in the car after I hung up the phone about the impact of displays of support like Troy's. It means so much to have someone step out and support this work with the resources at hand. Thinkgs like this help to confirm and reassure us that our work and preparation is more than a crazy idea we dreamt up on our own.

Another friend of mine, Andy, has a band in St. Louis. He was on an internet radio station tonight promoting upcoming gigs and a recording that is in the works. He has been on me to listen to a song that he wrote about our project, and they played it live tonight. It was cool again to feel the support of good friends getting behind this project.

We are so thankful to all who are keeping up with us by checking out our blog. We intend to update the blog while in Africa. So there will be more to read while we are away. Please be praying for our safety and that all our equipment makes it there and works for the shoots. Pray for us personally as we endure a long two weeks far away from our daughter Zoe. We miss her already and we are not even separated! Finally pray that God will prepare the hearts of potential donors that we will contact once we return so that this project can continue beyond this trip.

We have tossed out the goal of photographing 10,000 peopel over 4 trips in 2008. For this to happen we will rely all the more to the spiritual, moral, and financial support of others. We are so thankful so the support we have received thus far and we are excited to see how God will work through pictures we will be taking on this trip and those to come in 2008.

How in the world can two weeks pass by so quickly? Well, next Saturday we will be headed for DC to get Zoe settled into a routine with her grandparents, Matt's mom and dad or perhaps better known as Nona and Pappy to the little one. Sorry to repeat myself as I am sure that anyone that has talked to me in the last month probably has heard something like, "Please pray for me. I am quite anxious about leaving Zoe for two weeks." And seriously, please be praying for me regarding this. While, I am extremely confident about leaving her with Matt's parents and grandparents, who are coming all the way from Florida to spend time with our little girl and I know that they will have a ton of fun. However, it's not her that I am concerned about, but rather me missing her terribly. Plus, I just don't want her to grow too much while we were gone. It's hard too because I don't know how much I will be able to contact her while I am gone. However, I do find comfort in the fact that I know this is what I am suppose to be doing and that we will both be the better for it. I am encouraged by the fact too that with Zoe staying back here in the States means that I will be able to give my complete and undivided attention to the little ones there who so desperately need to just be played with or to receive a hug. I am looking forward to really getting to know the stories of the ones we photograph. It is my hope that they might connect the idea of being known and sought after by a person all the way from America to their little corner of the world and that maybe just maybe the God of the universe is well-aquainted with their ways as well. The idea that He knows my name, what color my eyes are, what make me bashful and what makes me smile even in the midst of my suffering and hardship. It is ideas like these that continually re-energize me.

On a less deep note there are a few things that I want to touch base on real quickly...

Tomorrow I am meeting a woman and her children at the playground for a play-date with Zoe. She got in contact with me after she heard about what we are doing and was interested because she too has a heart for Africa and ended up adopting a little Ethiopian boy named Grayson. I am really looking forward to our time together. Afterall, this passion was really lit on fire in Ethiopia in 2005 when I witnessed first hand the ugliness of this disease called HIV/AIDS and looked into the eyes of child after child with no home, no mom or dad. It will be neat to meet on common ground. I mean who else do I know that has been to Addis Abba or let alone has heard of it and doesn't just think I am talking jibber-ish?

Also, today while I was out I met a woman who kept coming up to talk to Zoe remarking how beautiful she is even though most of that time she was throwing a fit. Even under the circumstances is music to a parent's ears. I ended up telling her about what we are doing and she got so excited. After she walked away she turned and came right back mentioning that she has a bunch of baby clothes, toys and books and didn't know if there was somehow I could get them over to Africa. I don't know how yet, but nothing a little investigating won't help. Anyway, the reason I bring this interaction up is because this is a natural reaction we have found when we tell others about what we are doing. You can almost see the wheels begin to turn in their head about what they can do to make a difference too! It's been so neat to see this happen time and time again. I am sure that they think, well hey if these kids can do that then why can't I do something too? I think it's a great question. So, to make a long story shorter, we exchanged numbers and we plan to hook up when I get back and we will figure out what to do with her goods.


Well, I better turn in for the night. I think my contacts are going to dry right out of my head. I apologize for the irregular blog entries--it's one of my quirks. Sorry.