Hiiiiii, friends! It’s time for one of my favorite types of posts – sharing a little bit more about our passion to help children around the world by giving back through photography. You may or may not know that we donate 20% to children globally – meaning each wedding or portrait session you book is directly impacting lives.
My husband and I actually met in the Philippines where I was living after graduating from the College of William and Mary. I moved to Baguio City after finishing my Bachelor’s degree to work at an orphanage there and attend seminary (I had worked there the summer before my senior year of college as a summer missionary and absolutely fell in love with the kids at the orphanage). We knew even when we were dating that we both had a heart for serving and helping children – we did outreach ministries to children living in the local dumpster community and served regularly together at the orphanage there.
After getting married, we continued to look for ways to serve and even considered if we would one day open an orphanage. In that time of serving and figuring out our future, we visited several orphanages throughout Asia. The Good Samaritan Agricultural Mission was one that absolutely grabbed our hearts during our visit. Their vision for self-sustainability and true way of living as a family is SO special. Each child there is truly loved, and we were so excited when they launched a sponsorship program.
They recently sent out a newsletter about Amir, one of their forever children that we sponsor. When we first met Amir, we absolutely loved his contagious smile. While communication with him was very difficult, Zeko enjoyed spending time with him walking the farm while we were there. Zeko (my husband) has a special way of communicating love and warmth just through his presence, and I think he and Amir were somewhat kindred spirits!
We have been sponsoring Amir since our trip; and it has been really amazing to see pictures of how our gifts have been able to provide birthday parties, Christmas gifts and ongoing monthly support. As our business has grown, we are in conversation with them to sponsor more children and help in greater ways. It is SO exciting to be able to impact lives, and it truly would not be possible without each of our clients who trust us with their wedding and portrait photography. We love to be giving back through photography!
How can you help?!
- Book a photo session. Each session you book is giving 20% to children around the world.
- Share. Share our passion and tell others about great organizations like Good Samaritan so they can get involved. You can follow their Facebook and sign up for their email list also!
- Donate directly. Give to this amazing organization. As someone who has personally visited and stayed there in India, I guarantee every dollar you donate will be used to impact lives.
