A Dozen Ways to Serve | A Calendar

When we moved to Albania I packed up all my photo equipment and wondered how much of it I'd get to use when we arrived.  I remember thinking maybe I'd take photos for other missionary families (who are always in need of a current 'prayer card photo') or maybe I would teach basic photography as an outreach. 

Of course those were just my guesses and I've really not done much of either.  

That doesn't mean my equipment has been collecting dust though.  There was the Portrait Project last year and photographing products for Village Knits, on top of documenting regular ministry events.  But lately I've been snapping the shutter outside of our village too. 

Last spring I started serving as the cover photographer for Ilira Magazine, a Christian women's magazine that also serves as an evangelism tool.  

One woman I photographed in May was an Albanian pastor's wife whom I knew of through some family connects going years back.  More recently though Ada started a foundation to serve families of children with Down Syndrome.  It's called the Jonathan Center, in honor of her nephew Jonathan.  The cover story shared the story of its inception. 

I had heard of the Jonathan Center more than a year earlier, through our connections at the maternity hospital where Ellie was born.  We were told that they were called in to counsel families who delivered a child with an unexpected diagnosis of Down Syndrome and that they were instrumental in preserving families that might otherwise have abandoned their newborns. 

It was a delight to meet the woman behind the group raising awareness for Down Syndrome in a culture where rearing a child with special needs is especially unusual, where such differences can often be perceived as shameful, and resources are difficult to come by.

In addition to counseling and support groups, the Center also provides a variety of therapies to help these children reach their developmental potential.

A few weeks ago I received a message from Ada asking if I could meet her for coffee because she wanted to ask my help with something for the center.  A short time later we grabbed a coffee before my Albanian class and she told me about their annual fundraiser, a calendar featuring images of their kids.  Unfortunately the photographer they used the prior year was unavailable so she asked if I might be able to help. I immediately agreed! 

Last weekend we met up with a dozen families served by the Jonathan Center and had a wonderful time photographing their beautiful children.  It was special to help them feel celebrated and loved!

The photos below are a handful of unedited images which will not be appearing in the calendar but represent a sample of our time altogether.

Now to work on retouching the final images for the calendar!  (What else to do on these long autumn night?) I can't wait to see the finished product!