Head, Heart, Hands; Photos from New Delhi, India

Honesty hour: I never saw myself as a photographer. My dad generously lets me use his camera and patiently taught me the basics, but only since I’ve been on the Race have I discovered photography to be a true passion.

Creativity requires sanity threatening work; work that evolves all the crazy dreams and ideas from my head through my heart to my hands. Creativity is how I let people feel my heart through what my hands put into the world. Creativity is the lens through which I see the world and His Kingdom.  

In every country thus far, photography has opened doors for my work to be used as marketing, to make friends, and to have fruitful conversations. The Creator of the universe instilled creativity in me and I’m only starting to understand how He wants to further His Kingdom through art. Capturing moments and telling stories has made me more alive to my senses than ever before. Photography has forced me to remove the scales from my eyes to see Kingdom all around and within; I have more photos of His faithfulness and love at work than could possibly fit in a blog.

So, here’s my story from New Delhi, India.

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Starting with my favorite picture from India, because, well, I love it. It was a divine moment only the Lord could have orchestrated.

Okay, to some sort of organization. We stayed in a hostel, Amigos India, and made the greatest of friends, listened to more Hindu music than ever before, and did sunrise yoga on the roof.

Check out some of their marketing here!

The hostel owner, Avinash, was gracious, generous, and kind. He took some of us into the city to see the India Gate.

Then, we went to the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh temple. Here, they offer meals to people around the clock, and also offer places to sleep.

With another friend from the hostel, Agustine from Argentina, I went to Hauz Khas. Clashing ancient ruins meets modern hipster district.

This temple was grandiose, and while there, we met shop owners, leather makers, and security officers.

Back at the hostel, Rayan from Lebanon, is a wildly talented artist who was kind enough to paint a masterpiece on the back of my ukulele.

OKAY, last one about the hostel (can you tell I love hostels?): remember when we celebrated Diwali? Our yoga instructor, Manish, let me borrow her kurta, and our makeup artist friend Khushi did our makeup! Here I am dressed to the nines with Eric and Agustine.

The whole city went crazy for Diwali; the streets covered in flowers and decorations, fireworks constantly going off, and platters of desserts that didn’t seem to end.

We were lucky to be in Delhi for the one of the biggest festivals of the year.

We were also crazy lucky to be able to go to Agra, the city of love. We left Delhi at 2am to spend the day at the Taj Mahal.

My teammate Becca wrote a beautiful blog comparing the love of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan creating this palace for his late wife to the Father’s unending and unconditional love for us.

It was truly a dream to see a wonder of the world!

 Then, we were back to the bustling, crowded, hot and loud city of Delhi.

Amid the chaos, the people always made it feel like home.

Even if we come from different religions and cultures.

Love transcends all of that.

Love is found in the marketplaces.

Through the back alleys and on the roof tops.

In each handmade kurta and saree. 

The intricate designs and architecture. 

In the lively greenery.

And the dusty communities.

Delhi, you’ve made my heart smile more than I ever thought possible.

After our sweet time here ended, we met up with the rest of the squad just south of the city in a post-apocalyptic, deserted town. (side note: after Diwali, the air pollution in New Delhi was equivalent of smoking 33 cigarettes per day… yikes). 

Then, we had a team change (check out us Mariposas on the left side bar!) and are off to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the month.

If you made it this far, THANK YOU for supporting and encouraging my love of photography and my eager heart to continue seeing Kingdom wherever we go. My time, talents, and treasures are, of course, secondary to my identity in the Kingdom.

Join me in prayer: Lord, thank you that you have burdened my heart for a world that needs you. Thank you that with each photograph taken, people are seen, known, and loved. The bridge between us and them is narrowed. Help spur my creativity and eyes for your Kingdom; let me bear witness to the ways you are moving. Guide me to become a person with a pure heart, unstained intentions and unconditional love for all Your people. Amen.