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I love photographing my boys on film because the authenticity of film just screams “THEM” and there is somethin’ oh-so-beautiful about that. Something I don’t want to miss. Something I don’t mind staying awake for.
Love,
me
The Kelleys are inspirational to me. Mostly for the way they pushed straight past “Someday we want to move to Haiti” and right into “We ARE moving to Haiti.” That takes guts, that decision to GO to CHANGE to GROW. It especially takes guts when you have a child and a thriving photography business, like Shannon. I admire them so much for taking a big step into the unknown, following their dreams to help Haitians and changing the way they do life.
I asked Shannon all about her experiences in Haiti so far, and since she is a gifted photographer, I asked her to share with us some of the moments she’s documented so far in Haiti.
{a little friend we have that lives at an orphanage}
Where are you guys from and what did you do before you decided to make the move to Haiti?
We lived in Knoxville, TN before our move to Haiti. I ran a wedding photography business and my husband was a drug and alcohol counselor.
{outhouses at an orphanage and Cap Haitian, Haiti}
What was it that drew you to Haiti?
I visited Haiti first time in January 2011. Before that, I LOVED to travel. I was an MK, had 20+ countries under my belt and loved seeing new places. Then I sat on a rooftop in Haiti on that January trip and realized I was home. I am ok if
I never visit another country again. And for me, that is huge. So I think it was God that drew us here.
{at an orphanage, this is one of the 2 beds there with 50+ and a well worn door}
Describe what it was like making the decision to move to Haiti?
Hard. Scary. and lonely. But I will say this, looking back at the decision, now that we are on the other side of it, it seems silly that we ever doubted or were scared. This has been a huge lesson of learning to trust in God’s plan 100%, even when people are telling you that you are crazy!
{my favorite tree ever}
What are you hoping to accomplish in your time there?
My biggest desire, for all we do here, is love Haitians and raise them up. We want to do life with them, to have them know that we love and support them. We don’t want to give a hand out, we want to empower them. We want to do life with them.
{beach time}
What do you hope your daughter will learn from living in Haiti?
Ah.I truly think Lena was born to live in Haiti. She breaks down walls with people that we can’t. I hope that she learns that life is hard and unfair, but that God is good all the time. I hope she learns love…regardless of skin color, wealth, status. I hope she learns compassion, and that living a life for others is worth it, despite the cost. I hope she loves life.
{Lena taking a nap in our bed}
What has been your family’s biggest challenge so far in Haiti?
Truthfully, our living situation. We are currently at a guesthouse that we help run and having people in and out all the time can be taxing. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoy the people we meet so much, but we have to be really cognizant of carving out family time.
{a little one at a clinic getting help for malnourishment and kids eating at their children's home}
If you left Haiti tomorrow, what would you miss the most?
You know how you think back to vacations when your were little, or your mom cooking in the kitchen growing up? And you don’t necessarily miss the small things like the actual cookie but you miss the feel of that time and place in your life, and what those moments meant to you. And your soul longs for it. That is how I would miss Haiti, my soul would long for it.
{this lady sells nuts to make enough to eat and live on and sorting through coffee beans}
{an amazing lady who recycles for a living}
How can we support what you doing in Haiti?
We blog all our crazy adventures and the reality and hardness that life in Haiti sometimes deals us over at www.shannon-kelley.com/blog. We also rely 100% on donations to live here and would love to chat with you more if you are interested in aligning with us in our work here. Feel free to email me at shann@shannon-kelley.com
You all are such a loving supportive bunch, and you lift me up all the time… I would love it if you did the same for The Kelleys by commenting, “liking” and giving.
{all images Shannon Kelley}
7 comments
Beautiful pictures, and a beautiful story!
Do you know about this: http://www.aday.org/about? They asked me to participate with pics from Djibouti and you should totally do it.
@Krystal. Yup, the Kelleys are made of some pretty-amazing-and-yet-totally-human stuff. I love that!
@Rachel, you are right… that camera is SO WORTH IT!
Love the vision and the photos. That’s why I need to get that camera, Kristy! Thanks for sharing.
what an inspiring story. thank you for sharing! You guys are doing great work (both of your families).
absolutley inspiring – keep going!!!!!
Sometimes I reach for it even though I know I shouldn’t. I dwell in my gaping deficits. The difficulties I face… I “Eeyore it” all the way. I fight in my mind all day long to keep MY BEST SELF present. Not in the place of, “I would be more awesome IF…” (fill in the blank with just about anything). Nope, I’m trying to keep myself firmly planted in the great things about my NOW. Not in how great my life will be 2 years from now.
I am a wife, a mother and an
ARTIST.
Do I need a fancy pants logo,
or more cameras,
or an incredible Twitter following,
or to loose five pounds
in order to prove it?
Those things would be nice… but no, I do not.
“Life will be better when…” is not the best place for my heart.
What if (work with me here)...
WHAT IF…
we can live our best life in the middle of what we see
as our gaping deficits?
Simply by
CHOOSING TO.
Not in an Eeyore, “This is as good as it gets” kind of way,
but in an honest to goodness
“journey in the now” kind of way?
WHAT IF
the journey
is not about the place where
WE END UP
it’s about
being MORE TRUE
and
BUILDING
GREAT THINGS
(into our kids, our families, our work…)
along the way?
WHAT IF…
We make the
CHOICE
to
reach for what’s right in front of us instead?
…
All I know, is I’m tired of Eeyore-ing it…
and I’ve done my fair share.
Eeyore, the old grey Donkey, stood by the side of the stream, and looked at himself in the water. “Pathetic,” he said. “That’s what it is. Pathetic.” He turned and walked slowly down the stream for twenty yards, splashed across it, and walked slowly back on the other side. Then he looked at himself in the water again. “As I thought,” he said. “No better from this side. But nobody minds. Nobody cares. Pathetic, that’s what it is.”
-Winnie the Pooh
Love,
me
4 comments
@Bezalel. Amen, so true.
@Sarah. Woot-woot! Here’s to staying in the PRESENT!
Yes! I wrestle with all those things daily, too. The wants and the want-to can feel so overwhelming at times, it’s hard to just remember to be present, and live the moment we have.
{And! I love your new header! It’s lovely.}
Wow yeah, that’s a very good view to look at life from.
Our “now’s” only get better and will get better because we’re in Christ; we have much to look forward to knowing that our future is secure in Him (Jer 29:11), so we may as well enjoy the present.
Thanks a lot for sharing.
Hi, friends!
I was so excited to stumble upon these today. I’m not much of a blog stalker purely because when I visit other people’s blogs I always come away
1) wondering where my day went
and
2) feeling less than awesome about myself.
But the blog these come from, Make Under My Life, has so many great ideas for living PURPOSEFULLY… which I love (BE WARNED… YOU CAN GET LOST OVER THERE FOR A MORNING WITHOUT EVEN TRYING).
I have needed both the reminders below in the last few weeks, so currently the “breathe” wallpaper is front and center.
Happy Monday!
2 comments
Hey Kelsey, Here’s to no bad ju-ju! Thanks for stopping by 
First off, thanks for bouncing me over to Make Under My Life… what a great space! And ugh, I agree, sometimes internet-land leaves me inspired and floating about the trees while others times, I log off feeling grumpy and self-deprecating… yuck, who needs that bad ju ju? No thanks. For the record, your space as always been a nook for positive light and inspiration. Your instagram “follow” reminded me that I needed to comment… it’s been a while… life, ah.
Today I am taking a healthy dose of my own medicine. The lovely Wayfare Magazine published a post I wrote for their weekly Places We Heart column. I wrote all about the spaces that help our family stay healthy while living outside our home culture.
While I was re-reading my post on their site, I became painfully aware that I need to continue to build in time DAILY to re-visit the spaces that make me (and us as a family) better people. Yesterdays post was full of truth… my worries and my fears.
The spaces I mention over at Wayfare? Well, they’re the ones that help me SHAKE THE FEAR OFF. Here’s to shaking off the fear, FIGHTING for things like 15 minute backyard adventures… and dialing my cope-a-meter back to a healthy space.
What are the spaces that help keep you healthy and happy?
Love,
me
{You can add your #placesweheart on Twitter… and follow @wayfaremag… and @kristyjcarlson… and @longmilescoffee while you’re at it! You’ve got a lot of twittering to do!}
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by longmilescoffee
1 comment
Michelle Rayburn - I love being the mom of two boys. Some days it’s crazy, but now that they are nearly grown, I can say, it’s been fun. But once in a while, when I need a moment of peace and a little girlyness, I have to get together with friends for a dose of estrogen. And then I can go back to the boy kingdom again, with my mind refreshed and ready for more wrestling and stinky socks.