It’s so crazy how God works. I was led to put this photo essay together back in October before moving to California. The following photos are just a few of the MANY I’ve taken during my last 6 years in Houston. It was fun being able to reflect on those years while putting this together. Enjoy! 🙂
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Everyone has a story. Everyone is on an adventure filled journey through life and everyone experiences transformation in some way or another. This photo essay will capture the essence of my various encounters with the isolated objects, vibrant individuals and child like faith in Third Ward, Houston, TX.
I was born in Greenville, South Carolina and raised in Minnesota. In August 2007 at the age of 18 I moved from Plymouth, MN to Third Ward, Houston, TX. I weighed my options and decided to leave my comfort zone of the past 12 years to pursue something new and to develop my education. Arriving in this new place as a recent high school graduate I felt like a fish out of water. Though Houston had a population of 5,599,765 people I felt socially isolated and invisible. Abandoned, unloved and un-cared for as if I didn’t fit in anywhere and I had no purpose. I was a lost sheep without a clue of what I wanted to do with my life. For these reasons, I was drawn to compositions that depicted how I was feeling emotionally. I was viewing this neighborhood based off of how I felt about myself and saw myself. I was always on a search to see what interesting and random odds and ends I could find and at the same time I was on a search in trying to discover who I was. Through incidental conversations I learned that a mass of people viewed the Third Ward as a place with no hope, a place where nothing good or valuable lives and where vision doesn’t grow. At the same time, I perceived myself as being without hope or value because I was friendless in a new city. I felt I had no ideas or vision for my future
After two years of being in Houston, I was starting to grow in my relationship with Christ and learning even more about myself. I was learning and accepting that I was my own person and in fact I did matter. I was building and maintaining genuine and trustworthy relationships with those around me, no longer feeling so isolated and invisible. During this time, Christ was revealing to me that I was made in His image and that I was full of purpose. I was overflowing with joy in knowing that, “Hey, I am somebody!” He opened my eyes to the abundant community: “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.”, which had been around me the whole time. I was now seeing through His eyes that those who inhabited this neighborhood were also beautiful in His sight. They too had goals and dreams of a better life no matter their external situations.
Currently, I am in a place of learning to rejoice in who I am and walking into the purpose that is within me. I parallel this with the children who I have been working with during this last year because of the joy that they radiate. I have realized that the growth that is going to come from this community is going to come from the children we are raising up now and from those individuals with child like faith. Children are fearless and are always eager for adventure, which is where I find myself today. I am ready to walk into what God has for me. I haven’t a clue of what to expect but I am walking with child like faith, trusting Him along the way and thrilled about the possibilities.
At 25 years old living in California with a B.A in studio art and working as a receptionist I find myself without a 5 year plan and that is okay with me. At this point in my life I’ve learned to take life one day at a time with Jesus. Some may call it lazy I call it “God made me and He knows what for so why not just let go of my plans and trust him.” It’s worked so far! And it’s what has gotten me here! Here as in ready to embark on this crazy adventure called the World Race, something that only seemed to be a dream a couple of years ago is now about to be my reality!! WOW God! So…
No longer will I walk clinging to the lies that I and those around me have no purpose and that we have been placed on this earth randomly but I am walking in the truth that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
