Sarah, Naomi, and John Family Photos

Here are some of my favorite photos from a family photo shoot that I did in late December. Aren't Naomi's eyes absolutely stunning?

Bridget and Philip Engagement Session

This past Saturday, the weather was kind to us and the sun came out from behind the clouds, as Bridget and Philip met me on the Downtown Mall for their engagement session. We had fun getting to know each other and finding new spots for some photos. Enjoy!

India Trip Part 2

Here are India photos from the rest of the week. I have to say, looking at these photos is getting me really excited at the possibility of returning at some point in the future!

The first two pictures are from a tiny church that we dedicated in a more rural community. You can't see much of the church building behind it's congregation, but that is meant to be a reminder that the people, not the building, make up the body of Christ. I took the photo of the Bible and drum from inside the church because it seems like all you need to plant a church in India are these two resources! All of the evangelists I met could play a drum, and they all loved the Word of God!

These next photos are from our gathering in a larger, more established church community. We spent all day in this village and enjoyed teaching, having fellowship with the church there, worshiping, and helping with baptisms.

On our last day in India, we got to visit an orphanage that is very special to last year's missions team, as they had the privilege a year ago of praying over the foundation of the orphanage (of course, I didn't know this until we left, so I don't have pictures of the actual space, as I spent more time capturing the beautiful faces). We got to lead services in the finished space, and it was beautiful. The landscape photo is right outside of the orphanage.

This is a photo of me with the daughter of the couple that runs the orphanage where we stayed. I had a great time playing with this lovely lady!

Here's a group shot of our team, both those who came from Charlottesville, those from Texas, and those from India!

This last photo is of me and my dear friend in India! The time I shared with her was an absolute gift!

Thanks for taking the time to check out all of the India photos. I'll be posting more on Facebook some time this week, so if you haven't done so already, make sure to become a fan of Celestial Sights Photography on Facebook so you get those updates!

India Trip Part 1

As you may know, I went to India on a missions trip with Blue Ridge Community Church from January 8-17. We had a great team, eight people split evenly - four girls and four guys. While there, we ministered to a group of people called the Yenadi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Our team had the pleasure of participating in baptisms, church dedications, a pastor's conference, and teachings in local churches. Below are a few photos from my time there!

On a side note, at the recommendation of a close friend, I didn't take my SLR camera. All of these photos were taken with my Canon Powershot S90, which I've been very please with!

The first set of photos are from the first church that I went to while in Andhra Pradesh. The sweetness of the people and their worship brought tears to my eyes, and participating in the baptism was a great joy!

These next photos are from the orphanage where are team was staying. I took them all from the balcony on the third floor, looking out over the city.

Participating in the pastor's conference was awesome. Here are photos of the pastors lining up to go into the church, the church itself, some food preparation, part of the team leading worship, and other faces from the conference.

On one of our trips out to a church, we happened upon this beautiful lake and one of the most peaceful scenes I've ever experienced. The photos from the people in this church are some of my favorite, and I LOVED the cool plates we got to eat off (that's the photo of leaves sown together).

More photos will be coming soon in a second post!