I have the confidence to say that I will never have another summer as glorious, sweaty, tiring and adventuresome as this one has been. The blogging will take a while and the photos can never do justice to the stories I've gotten to live and the relationships I've built, but of course I want to share with you anyway.
Donald Miller says that being able to share our stories with others is one way to prove we're still alive, that we're still kicking and screaming and living life and these three trips within two months are a true testament that I'm still living.
I started in New York City taking photos for an organization near and dear to my heart at their week long conference for high school students. I took this trip when I was fifteen, so I have such a heart for these students. The staff truly pushes them to a level where only God can be the extended hand. From homeless ministry, to individual prayer time, honestly, the trip is uncomfortable and will break you. And even though it took me years to understand, this breaking of our viewpoint from middle class eyes is so necessary growing up in the broken culture we live in.
Those who know me well know I'm in the city a couple of times a year and know how important each trip is and the time I get to spend up there. The week was completely exhausting as it always was, but this trip, like every other visit up, allows me to hang out with some of the coolest people I've ever met. Look for a post about my friends Malerie and Ryan coming up soon!
The conference had numerous awesome speakers that were brought in and those on staff also. As always, the worship was great and passion filled. The two guys were flown in from Charlotte, definitely go check them out.
Its so hard to summarize even a week, but God is moving here. I know that among the hundred or so kids at this conference, God will allow the city to change atlesat one like He did me, years ago-so changed and awestruck by this broken city to come back and be apart of the generations rising up.
An issue that arose this summer was my camera gear. About halfway through the week in Manhattan, the lens I use the most often was ruined. Not unusable, but still ruined for a professional. It didn't hinder me in too many ways, but the nasty flare did turn up in a lot of photos that I wish it hadn't. In a way, it ended up being a weird blessing. Not only do I get to now buy new gear, (yes!) but it gave me a reason to put down my camera and just...enjoy things for once. Everywhere I travel, I always have the pressure to take amazing photos and because I was hindered in this way, I finally got to sit back for some moments and simply be another human being in a story.
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