this weekend

The past few years, when we've been able to visit the states, I've coordinated portrait weekends as fundraisers to cover expenses while we are home or to help toward the cost of plane tickets. It's always been a sweet time to connect. But this year, since my focus is helping to settle the kids into a place where I can feel comfortable leaving them here while I join Billy in Burundi - my weekends look a lot different. Madyline, Harrison and Avery are all in school during the day, so weekends are our time together and even though the weather is lovely and the leaves are perfect for a Saturday of photo shoots, I am just not in a space to be the one to take them.

In steps Lynell from Lizzie Photo. Lynell is a professional photographer here in Grand Rapids, Michigan who's signature style sparkles in her weddings and family portraits. Her photos are playful and full of life - capturing nuances of personality and whimsy. I love her work. I love seeing the joy and beauty and real life in people through her images. In fact, when my nephew, Pierce, was born in January this year and I couldn't come home from Africa to shoot new family portraits for my sister, it was Lynell that I called. (the picture in the postcard above is from that session).

Lizzie Photo has offered her giftings to us. She is willing to book out sessions this entire coming weekend on our behalf. Each 30 minute session will include either an 8x10 or three 4x6 prints of your choice and an online gallery of images you can order (at really great a-la-carte rates).

And all the session fees will come directly back into our fund to help purchase a plane ticket for me to return to Africa at the end of the month. And seriously guys, I miss Billy.

So let's join together and make a beautiful gift out of this lovely offer

- book a session
for your family
for your christmas cards
for your best friend that just got engaged
for your neighbor that had a baby last month
for your high schooler that is always covering facebook with pictures of her and her friends
for your parents who still have that portrait of themselves from 1984 hanging on their wall
for that person that has just been on your mind lately
for yourself, because you are the one always behind the camera and never in the photos


lshooks@gmail.com or 616.241.2795

who knew helping a missions family get to Africa could be so much fun?