This is probably somewhat random, but how do you get the depth of field you do with a point and shoot digital? I love your blog and pictures. I'm making the trek to Benin with MS next year, and I'm so excited! Your stories make me look forward to it even more.
I pray you have safe travels home and the Lord continues to show you His amazing glory! He's pretty great...I have a pretty fun story about God's sovereignty regarding your accident (even though you don't know me!)
Almost all my photos are shot with my digital SLR, a Canon 20D. I use a couple different lenses, my favourite for portraits being the 50mm f/1.8, which when wide open, gives that lovely DoF.
I'm curious about your experience with my accident?!?! Share!
Story time! I love sharing how God works to bring His glory in all things. Not only is He amazing, but He's such a cool God because He cares so much for us!
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8.28
So. Your accident from my point of view:
I've been reading your blog for a few months now. I had found it on the MS links blog, and yours is the one that I felt the most drawn to. At one point I felt like God was telling me to send you some money. I don't often get this specific request from God so I started to try to figure out how to get it to you. I looked all over your blog for your last name because the MS support the crew site had a few Allisons and I wanted to make sure it got to you. I was asking God how on earth he wanted me to send you money and then not even be able to figure out how to actually do it. I just prayed that if He really wanted me to do this then show me how...
Enter Intro to Mercy Ships class in TX. I had been looking forward to this trip for a while and so excited. I met wonderful people there including someone my age named Liz on the first day. After talking to Liz, she was telling about her trip on the ship and how she loved it and was going back next year. Throughout the week she mentioned her friend Ali from the ship. I'm thinking in my head 'surely not. What are the odds really?'
One night I walked to Liz's dorm room and she was showing her temporary roommates pictures from her trip to the ship. Not long after I walked in one of the pictures from that trip you guys made to the top of the hotel and eating dinner one of her last nights came up. I immediately recognized it because it was an exact picture that you had posted on here! I'm sure I seemed crazy because I excitedly said "I read Ali's blog!!" I wanted to ask her your last name, but I feared sounding creepy or something so I waited.
Towards the end of the week we started to learn about funding our trip on the ship and if you are going short term you have to raise your money before you go. In my head I'm trying to figure out why on earth God would want me to send money to you if you already have everything you need, but He made it clear that I still needed to do it. I finally asked Liz your last name and handed my donation to the finance lady at the end of the week. I calculated up when you would probably be getting it and prayed that it could be a blessing to you however God decided for it to be.
A few weeks later I read about your accident. I loved seeing how God provided for you guys that whole day and the days after. Then you mentioned a few days after that that you guys received all the money you needed for the car. "God's bank is big," your mom said. Then it hit me that my money should have arrived that week. I'm by all means not claiming any glory here for me. God really showed me through this what obedience to Him can bring. It didn't make sense to me on a fleshy level, but I couldn't deny that God was telling me to do something. Sometimes we don't see the outcome of our obedience, but for me this was a confirmation that He does let me hear His voice if I listen. He can pull all things together for His purpose and for His glory. As it turns out, after meeting Liz and asking your last name a couple of weeks after that I noticed that your name is at the end of every blog post! I believe God hid that from me so I could experience this chain of events. This has become a landmark "obedience to God" story for me.
I truly, truly hope you are doing well and continue to be blessed for the rest of the trip. And thanks for the camera tip. I heart depth of field!!
Excuse all the capital letters, but I absolutely love God, and I think that this is one of the coolest stories I've heard in a while.
I could not for the life of me figure out where that money had come from! I'm laughing so hard right now, knowing that you read my blog and that you know Liz and that you went to the IOC and that God pushed all these pieces of my life together at just the right time.
Are you coming to the ship any time soon, or was IMS just a getting-your-feet-wet kind of thing?
Oh man, you've made me excited about God all over again.
I wasn't sure if I should tell you who I was at first, but then God doesn't get full praise for how it all came together. It was pretty neat on my end too seeing it all fall in place. That week at the IOC brought together so much for me in my life and confirmed some things that I felt God was showing me.
I will be coming to the ship in September next year and I'll probably stay through November. I'm so incredibly excited/nervous about coming. I really want to come longer, but we'll see what happens. I try not to put God in a box because such great things can happen!