Shannon Holden Photography

“While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps.” – from a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Today is my daughter’s 4th birthday. I tucked her into bed tonight, kissing her soft curls and her tender cheeks as we said our prayers together. Each night, she thanks God for this day, for her family and friends. She asks Him to help her great-grandmother get better and to help her “have a wonderful sleep.” And each night, He does. She sleeps deeply in a warm, cozy bed, surrounded by beloved animals and dolls. Her parents are just across the hall, after all. She dreams about princesses and ponies. She doesn’t worry about bedbugs or the boogey man. She doesn’t have to. In her four tender years, she has never known true fear. Thank God.

But she has a sister on the other side of the world who probably worries every night about those things and more. Because those things are all too real in her world. Insects. Intruders. No warm, cozy bed … she sleeps on a cold, dirt or concrete floor. At 14 years old, she only recently got a blanket … quite possibly her first EVER. Mosquitoes invade as the sun sets, biting after dark and spreading their deadly malaria. And sadly, there are evils greater than malaria that may also creep in at night, and too many nights she probably sleeps alone with her young siblings while her parents are away for work. I don’t know what Fostina dreams about. I would probably be sad to know.

I ran into some of my Wiphan friends last week at a school event and they told me about this project coming up, called Operation Silent Night. I was so excited to hear about this and couldn’t wait to be a part of it. Then Andrea asked me if she could use some of the photographs from my recent trip, which of course meant the world to me. Now I can imagine some of these sweet faces I met in Zambia sleeping in peace. (If you haven’t already discovered Andrea’s blog, you must check it out. She is an amazing writer with an incredible heart. She tells the story of Operation Silent Night much more eloquently and in more detail than I can. You can watch the slideshow she created below.)

Operation Silent Night – Wiphan Care Ministries from Wiphan Care Ministries on Vimeo.

Please consider being one of the angels who delivers a peaceful, silent night to one of these children. For less than I spent today on ballet clothes for my daughter’s dance class, I can buy a foam mattress, sheets, a reed mat, a mosquito net, and a chain and lock for a child ’s door. Please visit Wiphan’s site to donate. I’ve seen these children, been in their homes. Words cannot express what a gift this will be for them.

Thank you, and much love,
Shannon

Hello out there! I can’t believe August is not only here, but almost over. I have thoroughly enjoyed the last few weeks of summer with my family and I’m so excited about the Holiday Portrait Season kicking into gear. I’ve been back at work shooting for the last few weeks as well, so I have some sessions I am anxious to share on the blog! On the topic of Holiday Portraits, now is the time to plan your child’s and family’s sessions! I only have a couple of spots left in September, and a handful for October. My weekend session spots are currently full until November. It’s going to be a busy, fun Fall! I can hardly wait!

The first beautiful boy to whom I want to introduce you is Trett. A little while back, a dear client of mine called me to buy a gift certificate for her friends. She told me some of their story, in which they welcomed their first child, a son. In the moments that most of us are reveling in the joy and anticipation of our child’s birth, they were facing some really frightening news and predictions. Trett’s first year has been a difficult journey as they coped with many health challenges and developmental delays. But from the moment I met them, their love for their child outshone all of that. Trett is one amazing little boy, and he is loved, respected, and cherished beyond measure. I am so thankful for clients like these, incredible people who remind me of what really matters in life.

Trett, it was an honor to meet you, sweet boy, and a blessing to spend time with your Mommy and Daddy, and to see the love they have for you. It is clear to see how much joy you bring to their lives.

Much love,
Shannon

Last night, I fell into a peaceful sleep in my husband’s arms and dreamed of Africa. This morning I awoke to a soft light filtering through the curtains in my bedroom. I was cozy in my soft, warm bed as I heard my children waking in their rooms, my son jumping out of bed early to play with the legos he got for his birthday last week. My daughter had a princess costume over her nightgown and a plastic tiara on her head as she sang in front of the mirror. Later, as I took our new puppy, Charlie, for his morning walk, my stomach growled. The question quickly on my mind was what I should have for breakfast, not when or IF I would eat today. After a bowl of cheerios, I filled the dishwasher, wiped the countertops, and checked email and Facebook on my phone. A basic American morning.

Certainly my perspective on all of that will change tomorrow, for tomorrow I will land in Africa. I will meet people and see lives that will no doubt awaken me to realities I can’t truly comprehend in the essentially spoiled American life I lead. I will glimpse a vision of life without 500 thread count sheets, iPhones, and pantries full of food. Indeed, those luxuries are beyond the comprehension of the people I will meet, who are waking this morning in a mud hut, without a husband’s strong arms around them to make them feel safe, without breakfast to fill their children’s bellies, without any of these things I take for granted. With 8 other people who will surely soon become my very dear friends, I am traveling to this country simply because God has called me there. I am leaving my husband and children back here, which sends ripples of anxiety through my heart every time I think about it. But God has called me. I have no idea what He has in store, but I know it will be incredible. Perspective altering. Life changing.

Many, many years ago, God put a camera in my hand and invited me to see the world as He sees it. Up until now, it has been the love between parent and child, the strength within a delicate flower, the grace of a sunrise, the peace of the ocean at twilight, the miracle of a newborn baby. I imagine I will see all of those things again on this new journey … love, strength, grace, peace, miracles … but now through a new lens. The filter of affluence I see through today will disappear. I pray that God guides my camera in the days ahead, that every frame is His vision, and that every image reflects His glory. I pray that he uses my camera to open my eyes.

I hope to have internet access in Zambia, and thus I hope to be able to update my blog along the way. I thank you for your love and prayers and ask that you keep our team in your prayers for safe travels, for unity in our purpose, and ultimately for all of us to humbly seek God’s will in our days there. Please pray for our families here, as many of us will be apart from our children and loved ones for the first time on a trip of this length. Most of all, please pray for the widows and orphans we will meet, that God will continue to work in their lives, through us and through all those who work with this ministry, to bring them provision and hope.

Much love,
Shannon

PS … You can read my earlier posts about this trip here and here.

Please note: I will not have access to voice mail at all while I am gone. Someone here will be checking my email, but most matters will have to wait until I return in a couple of weeks. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Africa. Just the word imparts a different feeling to my heart than it did a year ago. A year ago, the word meant safaris and wild animals. It meant dry, barren deserts. It meant a beautiful movie with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. It meant a continent I never thought I’d see, or be compelled to see.

Today, it makes my heart beat faster, because a part of my heart seems to have been carried there. It means precious women and children whose faces I see in my sleep, people who need our help. It means a little girl named Fostina and a little boy named Makoka whom I’ve never met, but whom I pray for every day. Whom I love. It means God’s love and hope. Africa is no longer just a distant continent to me. It’s real.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you have probably seen my past posts here and here about Wiphan. Wiphan Care Ministries is an organization to which God has been leading me for quite some time. Our sponsor child Fostina attends their school in Zambia. When we made the decision in March to sponsor Fostina, as we clicked the last button to sign up as her sponsors and entered our credit card info for the monthly payment, I knew right away that I needed, wanted to do more. A few days later I woke up in the middle of the night, and heard that almost audible voice in my head saying, “You should go to Africa.”

Excuse me? ME?? Go to Africa? If you know me at all, you probably know that I do not travel well, and especially apart from my family. The idea of getting on a plane to go anywhere fills me with anxiety. I even get nervous driving on the highways in Atlanta!! So for ME to get on a plane to go to another CONTINENT … ALONE???? Um ……

But that pull, that inner voice urging me to go, was persistent. I couldn’t ignore it. So I talked to my sweet friend Andrea, who is one of Wiphan’s board members, and I was shaking as I told her that I thought I was being called to Africa. I said to her, “Is this how it was for you, when you first started getting involved with Africa and the people there? Because I can’t get Africa off my mind. I am eating, sleeping, breathing … Africa.” She said, “That is EXACTLY how I felt. It’s called…THE CALL OF THE LORD! When it’s from the Lord..you can’t get it off your mind… you can’t get it off your heart. It’s also called a miracle because there is nothing in us that could do this.”

That same week, our pastor, Andy Stanley at North Point Community Church, wrapped up a sermon series called “White Flag”. The series was about how we run from God, and this sermon in particular carried the message that surrendering to God’s purpose for our own lives isn’t enough … that we must also surrender ourselves to God’s purpose for the world. I listened to every word, feeling once again like the message was personally delivered directly to me. Andy said, “Have you ever said to your Heavenly Father, ‘God, I surrender to your purposes in the world. Just as I’m available to be good, just as I’m available to be obedient, I am available to be an extension … wherever you send me in the world … of your grace, your compassion, and your abounding love to anyone my life intersects.’”

At the end as we stood to leave, my husband turned to me and said, “I guess you are going to Africa.” On the way home from church, a friend texted me and said, “I guess you are going to Africa.”

And then … I got cold feet. I got distracted by daily life battles, by financial fears, by a hectic schedule with my kids and work, and I let it (or made it?) slip from my mind. But it didn’t go away long. When I confessed my fears and hesitation to my church group, I said, “I just can’t understand why God would even want me to go to Africa. Who am I anyway? How can I serve any purpose? I’m no one important.” And Randy said in reply, “You are important enough that God sent his son to die on a cross for you, and so you are important enough for any work he wants you do.”

So on July 8, I will board a plane for Africa. In God’s perfect way, a spot opened up on a Wiphan trip to Ndola, Zambia with a team from my children’s school. I’ll be traveling with fellow parents, high school students, and my children’s PE teacher. There we will be loving on the children and widows, while our teacher and students put on a sports camp for the children, and we work in other ways to support their school in Zambia and all that Wiphan does there. It seems I might also have the opportunity to serve Wiphan through my photography, to capture some images of the widows and orphans there that Wiphan might use to further tell their story here. Above all, we will help the women and children know that they are forever loved and cherished by God.

As July quickly approaches, I am turning to my family, friends, and even strangers for support. Will you pray for me and our team? Will you pray for safe travels and protection for us, and for our families here at home? Will you pray that God provides for the cost of our travels, and continues to provide for the daily needs of the widows and orphans there? Will you pray that everything we do there, and every story and image we bring back here, will glorify God and lead to something that improves the lives of the women and children we will support?

As with any mission trip, we will also be relying on financial donations to help with the cost (approximately $4200 per person) of the trip. Any of you who might be inclined and able to support this mission financially, I will appreciate your donations more than I can express. Donations are fully tax-deductible. Just go to Wiphan’s Donations page here, click the drop down box to choose “trips”, and please put my name on the Memo line. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for any amount you are able to give … even $10 will help!

Thank you for your prayers and support. I am so blessed by this opportunity to be a part of what God is doing around the world, and I am excited to share my experiences here at home when I return.

Much love,
Shannon

“Everyone needs compassion, a love that’s never failing; Let mercy fall on me. Everyone needs forgiveness, the kindness of a saviour, the Hope of nations…. So take me as you find me, all my fears and failures, and fill my life again. I give my life to follow everything I believe in; now I surrender.” ~Reuben Morgan and Ben Fielding, Hillsong Australia

Images and graphics used with permission.