The first round of judging saw over 3,000 pictures from hundreds of different photographers, and I am very excited to let ya’ll know that I have been selected  as a winner of round 1!  I, along with 29 other photographers, were selected to go on to round 2 which will feature 20 of our best pictures.   You can view the complete list of winners HERE.  The judging is in a few weeks, and I have been working very hard to get my pictures ready for judgment day.  As many of you know, I absolutely love photography and my dream is to be able to do missions work for a living and use photography to support that.  All this to say, I am very excited about the opportunity to showcase some pictures.  Each of these has a dear memory attached for me, so they are more than just a cute child or pretty scenery.  God has taught me alot through my travels, and I consider it an honor to be able to capture a little bit of the beauty overseas and bring it home to everyone.  I thought I would share a couple of the pictures that are being submitted for judging.  Once everything is submitted, you can view all of the pictures HERE.  Hope you enjoy!

Wonderful Finnish friends of mine awaiting baptism in the Jordan River in Israel.

This precious girl is a Sudanese refugee in Israel.  Her parents did not make it across the border, so she remains in an orphanage in Tel Aviv.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the Good News”

Resting with a Sudanese Orphan in Israel

These orphans have been through terrible experiences.  Sometimes, even on a happy day, smiles escape them.

Another precious refugee.

The older boy is from Sudan as well.  He fled to Israel and now works to bring other Sudanese children hope.

Christians praying for the nations under the Western wall in Israel.

This precious girl has had a hard life.  Though watermelon can’t remove her pain, maybe it can bring a little joy.

Praying at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem