Peñas {25th Anniversary Portraits}

Oh boy, it's been a while since I posted! I've been looking forward to getting this post up! One of my TESOL team members' parents came to visit and stayed with us for two weeks. It was awesome having them! I wish that we could have had them for longer, or forever. :) But, Mr. Pena is a pastor in California, so, obviously, they had to go back. Mrs. Pena makes the most AMAZING tamales! 

Anyway, they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary while they were here, and I had the honor of doing their anniversary shoot. I don't know if I can call myself an "international photographer" now or not, but I like to think that I can. :)

The Penas were super fun to shoot! I could see that they really love each other! I hope that I get an opportunity to see them again in the future! And I hope that you enjoy looking at these pictures!

Our awesome driver: Eunice Pena

God bless!

LIVE. LOVE. LAUGH. CAPTURE IT!

~Bethany Truth

Beautiful Kinmen Island

So here are some pictures of the little island that I live on.

~From the side of the only mountain on Kinmen~

~Typical house in Jencheng, Kinmen | Just a few blocks from my dorm~

~One of the many cute Mini Coopers around~

(This looks like something from a WWII movie.)

~A beach facing Xiamen, China~

~And, well, a flower...in the sand~

~A path on the side of the mountain~

~Enjoying the Moon Festival holiday~

I hope this shows you a little of what Kinmen is like. It's so awesome! Come visit me sometime!

LIVE. LOVE. LAUGH. CAPTURE IT!
~Bethany Truth

Beautiful Faces | Essay

Everywhere I look in the world I see faces, beautiful faces. Some are wrinkled, some fresh, some pale, some dark, few joyful, many sad, few content, many searching, few healing, many hurting, few free, many bearing burdens.

And yet they are all beautiful in a mysterious way.

They all display the creativity of God. They all proclaim the condition of the heart. They all possess the capacity to exhibit the joy of Christ. Each one is a face of a human created in the likeness of the Most High God.

Why does my heart break when I am surrounded by these beautiful Asian faces?

Why has God brought me to this little island? What can I do? What has "qualified" me to have a mission here?

Nothing!

And that's the beauty of it. I'm beginning to understand what it means to live for the glory of God. I can't do anything for God, but He can work through me. I'm not qualified in the world's eyes, but God says that when I am weak, He is strong. Only He can receive the praise when the day is done and the race is won. All I can do is trust and obey.

That leaves the question, "Why am I here?"

But here I sit, surrounded by thousands of beautiful Asian faces, and I'm looking across the strait at Xiamen, China, where there are millions more.

Beautiful faces.

Faces that are searching. Faces that are hurting.

And I ask, "Why am I here?" I know the Healer. I know the Joy-Giver. I know the One who is everything we need. I know the One who breaks the chains of evil. I know Him! And He is everything they need!

Oh, to see them come to Zion with singing, where they could obtain gladness and joy, and where sorrow and sighing would flee away (Isaiah 51:11); where God would be their shield and their comfort! Oh, Abba Father, is this passion?

Beautiful faces. 

As the sun sets over China, I'm reminded of how I asked God earlier this afternoon to give me the words for this essay. He never ceases to amaze me.

Now, El-Roi, strengthen me, help me, and uphold me with your righteous right hand.

(These are pictures of my students at one of my schools.)

LIVE. LOVE. LAUGH. CAPTURE IT!

~Bethany Truth

{Taipei, Taiwan}

So much has happened since I last posted. Where do I begin?

Well, I flew out of DFW Airport at 6am on the 24th of August. I and two other English teachers

arrived at DFW a little after 3am to begin our journey to Taipei, Taiwan.

I was really excited, but too exhausted to show it.

We flew through San Fancisco and Tokyo,

and we landed in Taipei 24 hours later.

I spent a couple of days there for orientation, and then flew

to Kinmen Island, which is where I am now.

But, that post comes later. :)

~TAIPEI~

I love Taiwan so far!

I'm going to start teaching English this Monday...

Keep me in your prayers, please.

LIVE. LOVE. LAUGH. CAPTURE IT!

~Bethany Truth

Awesome Brothers Require Awesome Lighting

Last night, I had an itch to play with lighting.

I persuaded one of my brothers to model for me, but they're all clowns.

They can't resist the temptation to get in front of the camera and do something goofy or dramatic.

So, I ended up doing five sets of portraits!

Here are a few of my favorite black and white pictures from last night.

LIVE. LOVE. LAUGH. CAPTURE IT!

~Bethany Truth