Nicaragua en mi alma...

So, I am finally getting around to blogging my Nica missions trip! It's been very hard adjusting back to everyday life. Don't get me wrong, I want to be with my husband, my family, and my friends. But, I also want to be in Central America....my heart is torn. I know that this is not the last trip I will take to Nica, but I miss all the people that we worked with so much.

For me, this trip was a bit different than my 2 other Honduran ventures. In Nica, our team worked with the young people from an amazing church called, La Roca! When our two teams joined together, we were split  into the same 4 groups everyday...this allowed us to form some tight bonds! My group was the bomb! (or "la bomba"!) I so enjoyed working with them, seeing their passion and dedication for God, and hearing their stories. The whole group from La Roca served us, loved us, and accepted us like we were one of them. When we went out evangelizing in different communities, they always made sure we had first chance to talk to the people. Recently, I was talking with my new friend Linda (from La Roca) telling her that our team felt as though we received so much more than we gave. She said "we usually feel like that when we have been serving with all of our souls."

There was something different about Nica (spiritually) than in Honduras. God is definitely on the move in Honduras, but I noticed how much the Holy Spirit had been sowing into the hearts of the people we met. It's like they were ready to receive and hear what God was speaking to them at that moment. Most people are typically receptive to the Gospel in Central America, but it was on a different level in Nicaragua.

Okay, so enough writing huh? On to the pictures...

Here is our awesome team from New Hope!









Eating contests! These always draw the crowd!




Pastor James Pursiful preaching at a service at La Roca




one of my favorite images from the trip...





Mi hermanas! (in my group)



Volcan Masaya



Linda translating for Pastor Brad....*thank you for giving so much to us, Linda!!




My team mate, Michael Conway, preaching on our last night! His dream is to be a missionary in South America...this was only the beginning!



Group 1 forever!!

Bon Voyage!

hey Friends! I'll be traveling to Managua, Nicaragua today and will return on July 27th. I'm going with the young people from our church to share the love of Jesus in the capitol city and surrounding areas. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers! All emails/calls will be returned by the end of next week. Thanks for being a friend of Haley Lamb Photography!

Here's a few shots from St. Simons...yeah, I could never get tired of this place.



The Sydney Lanier Bridge from the ocean

My sister....the Bride!

I can't believe my little sister is really married! She left on her cruise-honeymoon today for the Bahamas. Such a weird feeling!

The wedding was everything she'd wanted it to be. Pink and green and zebra print and all things girly! Her and my new brother in law Keith looked so beautiful together! Back in May, I was able to convince her to do her bridal portraits in Savannah. We were already there for one of her bridal showers, so I took her down to the Bethesda Boys Home. Uh-may-zing!! Perfect light, perfect setting....beautiful bride! Congrats Caitlin and Keith--we love you!









Candice and Daniel Lanning of The Beautiful Mess did the wedding photos! I can't wait to see what they come up with...grateful for them!!

Your advice....

It seems to me that people don't really purchase photography as art for their walls. Am I wrong on that? I'm thinking on it because I really want to use my photography to benefit the greater good. Does anyone out there like to hang photography (that's not of themselves or their families) on their walls? If so, what are you most attracted to? Landscapes? Faces? Objects? Textures/Shapes? OR are there any other products that you would buy that contained art photography? notecards? coffee table book?

I'll be going to Nicaragua in July, and I'm so hoping to capture some images to sell for the benefit of a few different missional organizations. I don't want to simply photograph for what I like, but for what people would be most interested in buying.

Please comment below and let me know your thoughts on all of this! Your help is sooooo needed and appreciated!

My babe is 3!

I can't believe my sweet girl is already turning 3---that's 21 in dog years! No longer a little kid....


photo by Blue Lily Photography

I think she's had a good day. Took her to Fetch to get some baked dogs treats, to Petco, Moe's, and a few good walks here and there. A dog can change your life, friends! ;)

Here she is at around 8-9 weeks


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LILYBELLE!

I'm reading another great book...

All quotes from Pastor Dino Rizzo, www.servolution.org

SouthWestern Photojournalism Conference

Don't you love to see your dreams come true? That was happening for me over last weekend in Dallas, Texas. One of my passions is using my photography to tell the story of what God is doing all over the globe. I've had a few opportunities to do that by photographing on mission trips to Australia and Honduras as well as photographing at our local Bridge Ministry outreach. But, I want to dive deeper into this field and just wasn't sure how to go about it.

At the conference, I met some awesome people who are doing really cool things in the Earth. I was blessed to listen to industry leaders share their raw feelings, knowledge, and insight as to what God is doing in their own lives. I wasn't prepared at all for what was going to go down at this conference, but I walked away with an abundance. I hope to be able to continue attending the SWPJC and reach further into the dreams God has placed on my heart.

Snow Way!!

Monday morning here, and the beautiful snow you see in the pictures below is all gone! Us Georgians were kinda blown away friday afternoon when we were hit with out 6-8 inches of snow. We get snow flurries every once in awhile (doesn't usually stick!), but we haven't had a snow like this since I was a kid! It really was beautiful....but, I'm glad it's gone now! I'm a summer girl myself.

Packaging....

i really LOVE it. I don't feel like I have as much time/money as I want to be able to put into it, and I don't think I'm that great at it. But, I'm so drawn to it. This is a package I did for a friend's baby shower. This friend has a huge passion for the nations, so I thought it went perfectly with what's in her heart.

I'm hoping that I can package this new product that I'm working on for the biz like this! As soon as I get my act together on it, I'll be able to show it off on the blog! Stay tuned :)

Help Haiti!

We must continue to rally together for the nation of Haiti. I can't imagine what it would be like to find myself in such a disaster. If I were in that place, I would be praying desperately for the world to come to my assistance. I know that we can't help with every single need that's represented on the globe or we would be overwhelmed! But, we must give as God directs our hearts. We don't have to wonder if it's His will for us to help out...helping the hurting and the broken....that is His will. If you have been thinking about donating, I'm listing a few places that are taking contributions. If you know of others, please post them in the comments! Continue to pray pray pray hard for these beautiful people. Here's some good prayer points I heard on the radio this morning...

-rescue workers to have wisdom
-communication can be made between citizens and their family members
-people of Haiti to be protected from disease
-that rescue would be conducted orderly

Also, that God would continue to pour out miracles in that place!

http://www.worldvision.org

http://www.redcross.org/en/

www.compassion.com

*I keep hearing on twitter things like this, "WOW!!! $7 million raised through text messages for the red cross.. breaking every record. WOW! CNN says mostly young people giving!" (promise tangeman)

Also, artists/photographers out there have been selling their products and giving 100% of proceeds to the relief efforts!

www.momtog.com (raised over $3k by selling her UNposing guides!)

www.theimageisfound.com (don't know the last count, but so far has raised over $2k from the sales of their CRAZYbooth manuel)

Aaaaanddd....Toms Shoes has gotten in on the action as well! If you've been thinking about buying some Toms RIGHT NOW is the time to do it!

Here's some pictures I pulled from Boston.com "The Big Picture"