Pudgy Fingers

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: Picture Praise, 10/25/10

This picture I took in November '09. It was the day before I was to leave for a 6 month furlough, and one of "my kids" was sitting on my lap. He was two and I just loved his pudgy fingers and thought to myself, "He'll be all grown up when I come back - no more pudgy fingers!" It made me feel melancholy about having to leave the field (Ukraine) for 6 months and missing out on so many moments in the lives of those I loved. I decided to snap his hand in my hand (discretely, while sitting in church). Then the scripture, "May the Lord richly bless you and your children," Psalm 115:14, came to my heart. Indeed! Let it be!

photographer: Tammy Swailes, Ukraine. "I am a missionary in Eastern Europe working with INSTE Bible College. I live in Ukraine, but travel and work in Hungary, Romania, Spain and France also. I love working with churches, making disciples and training leaders! I also love photography and the stories that can be told in a picture."

Spiritually Nourished

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: Picture Praise, 10/18/10

My husband and I are members of Wycliffe Bible Translators, working as Scripture Promoters in the Andes Mountains of Peru for the past 12 years. After hiking through the mountains for several days, we arrived in the picturesque village of Quitaracsa, beautifully situated in a fertile valley below the mountains. Although the Quechua people had abundant crops and healthy herds of animals, the children all showed signs of neglect and malnutrition.

Apparently the villagers were selling the best of the crops and animals in a market several days' walk away in order to make a small amount of money so they could buy staples that could not be grown in their own fields. In a like manner, these Quechua people were neglected and malnourished spiritually, for until recently, they only had access to God's Word in Spanish, a language that none of them spoke from their hearts. What a joy it was for us to have the privilege of hiking into that village with New Testaments and beautifully illustrated Bible story books in the heart language of these little boys and their families.

photographer: Rachel Yanac, Peru.

Sheltering Strength

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: Picture Praise, 10/11/10

The picture I sent in was taken at Cesky Sternberk, in the Czech Republic which is a castle which was built in 1241 near Sazava, Czech Republic. The massive walls and huge doors and gates up at the castle are amazing to me as they were constructed so long ago without the aid of modern construction tools.

photographer: Dora Becker, Czech Republic. "My husband and I, along with our five children, have lived and worked in the Czech Republic for the last 13 years. We just left our first church plant in the hands of a national pastor last January and are moving into a larger part of our work being with the Roma (gypsy) people in the Czech Republic, as well as in Slovakia, Hungary and trans-Carpathian Ukraine. This people group has a heritage of traveling which stems from the racial discrimination they suffer. Working with them brings many joys and challenges. We seek to serve them in practical ways such as finding housing, helping with heating in the winter, teaching basic health skills and we are planning on teaching them skills and loaning them tools needed to start micro-businesses so they can earn their own income, especially the young mothers who are often left alone with their children without a source of income. God is moving in the hearts of these people and drawing them to Himself in such tender ways and we are excited to join Him in what He is doing!"

Ancient Gate

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: Picture Praise, 10/04/10

We’ve been living and working in southwestern China for over four years, and the more I get to know about the dominant cultural worldview—the rhythms of life, the foundational beliefs that govern how people live out their daily lives—the more my heart breaks. In a culture where saving face is prized above all, where work takes priority over family relationships, and where people (including children) are valued primarily for their academic achievements or outward behavior and success (not for their intrinsic worth as individuals created in the image of God), people’s hearts are isolated, lonely and oppressed. We so long to see some of these “ancient doors”—closed doors within the cultural worldview, even within the church—fling wide open! To see the King of glory enter in, bringing His transforming Kingdom with Him—that is what we pray for earnestly.

photographer: R.H. "Our primary focus is to walk alongside the local registered Body of Christ and help encourage, equip and disciple leaders to better minister to their flocks and communities in the areas of biblical worldview and holistic outreach.