India: Disowned by family
The serenity on her face is evidence of the peace she says is now in her heart. Maya, 21, raised in a Hindu home, chose to follow the teachings of Jesus and express her decision by baptism. But, painful memories of her family’s rejection after her decision are still very close to the surface. In a [...]
Pakistan: Persecution covered by CNN
Few people know about the plight of Pakistani Christians. My photos on the persecuted community living there are on CNN’s photo blog. Vivian’s reflections on our experiences are linked on the Belief Blog. Please go to the links below and feel free to comment and share to get the word out. CNN Photo Blog CNN Belief [...]
Rwanda: Survivors Become Forgivers
Salafina, 29, a survivor of the genocide with the man that killed her family. “I am the only one that remains. They beat me and I am no longer strong. The church started teaching us to forgive each other. He asked forgiveness and I have forgiven him. I can forgive because I am a Christian. [...]
Pakistan: Brick-maker Image Overlooked
During the process of looking through our archived images of Pakistan for another grant proposal we are making, I came across this image that I had totally overlooked. I normally mark images with one, two or three stars in the editing phase. This image had none. Yet, it tells so much about the poor laborers [...]
Ethiopia: Benji Update
From Kevin Turner, SWI.org: “While we were able to keep Benji from prison, it was clearly God’s will that he go back to the refugee camp. His malaria, typhoid and severe malnutrition were treated and he was able to eat many good meals. He went back to the refugee camp, not as a refugee, but [...]
Ethiopia: Benji
Benji endured over three years in Eritrean jails, beaten and tortured to deny his Christian faith. He recently escaped, walking hundreds of kilometers to relative safety in Ethiopia. Benji told us of being locked in a suffocatingly hot metal shipping container in the middle of the desert with only two slices of bread and a [...]
Pakistan: Eyewitness to Violence
A few days before our last trip to Pakistan, we listened to our friend recount, via Skype, the horrors of two attacks on Christian colonies. More than 150 houses were destroyed. At least eight persons were killed. I only have this recording of his words because I was testing a new small recorder I planned [...]
Pakistan: Riding on Faith
(Face darkened for anonymity) Above, “J” wearing ball cap and western clothing. Several times a week, he weaves in and out of traffic on his motorcycle darting between donkey carts, and rickshaw taxis to different villages far beyond the outskirts of his city. In each place, he gathers small groups of Christian believers for Bible [...]
Pakistan: Facing a Giant
“M” (I can’t use his real name) stands dwarfed by this monolithic structure in Islamabad, the largest Mosque in Pakistan. Only 1.6% of the 170 million people living in Pakistan are Christians. As an Islamic-ruled state, discriminating laws against religious minorities are often used to persecute Christians and others. Frequently, the Pakistani government fails to [...]
Pakistan: A Different Osama
I (Vivian) didn’t get to meet 7-year-old Osama, a Muslim student at the elementary school sponsored by SWI, (Strategic World Impact) but the story the principal told us about him makes me wish that I had. It was just too bad our team left the very morning that classes resumed at a school where Muslim [...]
Pakistan: The Shooter
He looks like an ordinary Pakistani, with dark hair, eyes, and skin, but this is no ordinary man. The 25-year-old father of four small children is a hero to 70 women and children whose lives he saved with a shotgun and self-controlled smarts. He stood on his balcony for almost four hours fending off angry, [...]
Pakistan: Voyeuristic Trophy Hunter?
It is so easy to slip from being a sincere photojournalist documentarian into being a voyeuristic trophy hunter. The road to walk, the high road, is very narrow and the slope on either side is very slippery. The muddy incline on one side is called pride: Did I get the shot everyone will slap me [...]
Pakistan: Vacant Eyes
His eyes speak volumes while the horror of his experiences stifle any words to explain in a rational way why he became a victim. On August 1st, a mob of Muslims, angry over a reportedly fabricated episode of desecration of the Koran, rampaged through his Christian neighborhood looting, burning and killing. He was left with [...]
Pakistan: Multi-media
This is a multi-media piece about persecuted Christians in Pakistan, created in Final Cut Studio Motion. Click on the photo below to launch the project in Vimeo.
Pakistan: Anger and Justice; I Choose Grace
A Muslim woman refuses to open the door to a negotiator that was trying to gain possession of the house for the original Christian owner. A Muslim family had moved into the house when the original occupants had fled, fearing retribution when their two sons were imprisoned on a false 295(c) blasphemy charge. The Christian [...]
Pakistan: Passion
He walks a path that is not easy. Carrying a burning desire to share the Christian message with his fellow countrymen, he moved to the north. Despite the threats of danger from Islamic extremists, he took the risk. The passion that both captivates and enlivens him will not let him live any other way. Amidst [...]
Pakistan: You really have to want to meet!
Worshipers gather on a Sunday, knowing that only a few days before, two pastors had been killed, two churches were burned and 35 homes razed in Karachi. They worship with the power of God’s grace that overcomes the fear that tries to paralyze them. (Second photo) A church member uses a rented gun to protect [...]