Indonesians in general love to have their picture taken. Tim, a freelance photographer and writer from Arizona, came to Indonesia as a volunteer to record some of the tsunami relief work going on through the generosity of Southern Baptists. He soon found that children would crowd around him calling, “Mister, mister. Photo! Photo! Mister, photo!”

Several times Tim had to put the camera away just to get the children to disperse so he could later take a few pictures of a volunteers holding medical clinics or cleaning wells. Every day after shooting photos he used a photo printer at the volunteer house to make photos to take back to give out to the people. The laughter and smiles that the pictures brought were magical. 

One man burst into tears when he received a picture of his family. He said, “I lost all my family pictures when the tsunami destroyed my home. This is the first picture I have been given since the tsunami.”

In a way the pictures are almost as important as the medicine in helping the people to rebuild their lives. The photos represent a promise of future memories, and of life after the tsunami.

Pray that:

Small gestures of kindness like a new family photo will be used of God to help bring healing to the people of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia

Relationships will grow and lead to an opportunity to share about the promises of God that can give eternal hope for a new life after the tsunami.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.