During the first
week of the
internship, I
called my father
and said, “Now I
know how you
can have so much
fun and call it a
job. I want to do
this for the rest
of my life!”
Photograph by Christopher Rogers
of their portraits, but they asked for nothing
more in return. There, in a busy courtyard
filled with people I could not talk with and
would probably never see again, I discovered
that a picture is worth a thousand words.
As I look back over the life God has
blessed me with, I can see His fingerprints
throughout, from English lessons at the
kitchen table, to internships in Oklahoma,
to mission trips, and more. Each event has
prepared me for the next one, which
prepares me for the next. I do not know
what is contained in the days ahead, but
this I know: I love writing, I love photography, I love God, and I want to serve Him.
moved my camera into action. I felt that
my ministry was greater there, just one
person in a crowd, than anywhere else.
I knew the sum total of six Chinese
words. But with camera in hand, I
wandered through the marketplace. In the
eyes of those I photographed, I saw
unspoken pain or hope or loss or beauty.
Each person had a story I would never
know—but I could tell part of it.
One day on such a marketplace adventure, I took a picture of two young girls, both
around 6 or 7 years old. Since my camera
was digital, I showed the image to them and
watched their cautious gazes turn to smiles.
Suddenly, I had been blessed with two new
friends. To my amazement, I was quickly
surrounded by men, women, and children,
all wanting me to take their pictures. I could
give them only a sincere smile and glimpses
Mandy writes with light and words from
the home base of Bonham, Texas. Home
educated from kindergarten through high
school, she is now an artist and instructor
with the Institute of Photographic Studies
( www.prizewinningphotography.org). Her
big passion is to communicate Biblical
truth with creativity and love through
writing, design, and photography, and her
favorite people in the world are American
families. create@mandynovotny.com
