I was originally scheduled to go to El Salvador during the spring time this year, however, because of gang violence local workers with Agros decided to cancel that trip.

This news was devastating for several reason, but mostly because that meant that we wouldn’t have the opportunity to go down there for at least another six months (if not longer).  So when we arrived in the village our church hadn’t been there in over a year.  Along with the “longtime-no-see” hugs, we arrived during a milestone in the villages history.  They were finally going to get a well to water their land.  For years now each villager has been hand watering their plots of land.  The majority of the farmers are currently growing corn and sesame seeds.  To have the opportunity of easier water access will give them the ability to grow niche crops that they wouldn’t otherwise have the been able to cultivate during the dry season.

My role in this trip was actually not to take photographs, but rather film a couple of family life stories.

So stay tuned over the next couple of months for these videos.

Sometimes journeys begin long before you know you’re on one.  We may think that the plane ride is the start of it all, but it’s not.

This sojourn to El Salvador began for me on my first “missions trip” to Mexico in high school, and within that, each Mexico trip I’ve taken since then.  If I hadn’t had those experiences, I wouldn’t have understood what this journey truly meant.

Now I don’t want to discount the work organizations are doing by giving homes to needy families, while getting churches and high schoolers involved in something bigger than themselves.  But the flaw I can’t seem to stop thinking about is the relationship part of it all.  Honestly, every trip I’ve ever been on had been about beating the record for building a home the fastest, high-fiving the family, and never knowing if the work we rushed through actually stood any test of time.

Riverwest Church and Agros International partnered together 7 years ago to build a community in El Salvador for families to break through the poverty line by teaching them how to work the land, and to build for themselves an economically sustainable community through land ownership and farming.  This vision then translated into a relationship between the Church, Agros, and the Villagers.  With each visit from our Church, it’s not just about how fast we can finish a work project (because they really don’t need a bunch of gringos messing things up), but rather, it’s about sharing as a family in their trials, as well as their blessings.

Like sharks with freakin’ lasers attached to their heads, Ann & Josephine are just that awesome!

I love the Kim family. They make my heart smile each year I photograph them. This year they wanted to shoot a little at Pittock Mansion (which I’ve never been too). It was a great session!