These are a mix of digital and film. The film is Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400 with the Canon AE-1. I wish I had taken a lot more film but I probably wouldn’t have photographed nearly as much as I did, so it is what it is. Here is a bulleted list of random thoughts (some complete, some incomplete) I associate with Haiti:

• Amazing kids.
• Spirit.
• 85MPH.
• “Blondie! God bless America! Give me a dollar!”
• Blue skies.
• SPF50.
• Attending a three hour Pentecostal Sunday church service.
• Solar panels.
• Goats.
• Mangoes.
• Motorcycles.
• Barking dogs.
• French.
• Waterfall.
• Babies.
• I held a little girl for an hour because that’s what she wanted more than anything else.
• Beans and rice.
• Mosquitos.
• 5 Days without a shower.
• Referring to things as “malarious” instead of “hilarious”.
• Aviator sunglasses.
• Teaching the kids how to play “Red Light Green Light.”
• Dance parties to Justin Bieber and Enrique Iglesias.
• No iPhone.
• Coca Cola.
• Pringles.
• Kittens.
• Smiles.
• $5 bracelets.
• Hugs.

There’s no way I could possibly tell you everything that happened while I was in Haiti. It was a wild and humbling trip and to tell you everything would take the whole day. The best way for me to describe the interaction I experienced with the people and children of Haiti is “organized chaos”. The way things operate there seem insane yet everyone knows what they have to do. And unless you go there to witness it yourself, there’s no way you could possibly grasp what that is like. So I hope these pictures are enough. At least for now. I’ve only been home a few days and I’m still thinking about everything we witnessed and experienced. Just blogging these photos has forced me into an unexpected state of mind… Until I can really put my feelings into words, I would love to hear your thoughts on the above photos. I hope people can connect to these kids, even just a tiny bit, so the lives they live everyday are not forgotten or disregarded just because they don’t live down the street from us. Thank you for all the kind words leading up to this post. I’ll be revisiting it regularly as it helps me to remember each day I was there, the sweet hands I held, and the beautiful smiles I saw…

At approximately 11:45pm last night, I was home in Seattle after an incredible ten days overseas. There are a lot of emotions stirring inside of me that I haven’t even begun to process, let alone tell you about at this moment. The question I’m dreading most right now is So how was it?! It’s a question I don’t know how to answer. Not that I won’t try eventually but in this minute, it’s just too big a question. What I can tell you is that God’s love is so big and seems, to me, best exemplified in a child that suffers incredible loss yet exudes joy in every beautiful second they have.

This shot was taken a while ago. I was just messing around. The clouds were other-worldly that day. As gloomy as this photo seems, it makes me very happy. Light, in all forms, makes me very happy.

I’m leaving for Haiti in nine days. Me and the rest of my group fly out next Friday. It hasn’t really sunk in that I’m going yet… Is that normal? I know it’s going to be a life changing experience, I just don’t know how it will change. Your encouragement and prayer in these days before I leave are hugely appreciated. Also, I woke up this morning with a bit of a scratch in my throat and I am so over getting sick. So prayers for that to resolve quickly are also appreciated.

I’ve got one more engagement shoot to share with you before I leave. Stay tuned for that tomorrow.