S2C

It’s been 12 minutes since I watched my family leave me here in Merced to go back home. As they drove away, all I can think about was the love that has been poured out towards me for the past 21 years of my life. It was the love of my family that stuck by me when I was called into the principal’s office for selling firecrackers in middle school. This same love was the one that my brothers had when they rushed me to the closest ER when I fell on my face when roller skating in an area they had already told me not to go to. This love was what made my family drop whatever they were doing, leave work, and stand by my bedside before I went into the operating room for my appendicitis. It was their love that saved me from giving up on life. It was this love that forgave me for the countless mistakes I’ve made because I deliberately disobeyed their teachings. I’ve learned hundreds of lessons the hard way and I have never dealt with them alone. I can share literally thousands of examples on how my family has loved me unconditionally, but the point of sharing this with you is to tell you that it was this love that has brought me closer to Christ. I want to say thank you to my Mom and Dad and to my Ahia and Dhia for always teaching me how to be a man of God. Thank you for showing me that there is only ONE way to live this life and that is to live for Christ in the way where to die is gain. Thank you for always keeping me in your prayers.

I pray that during this short time away, we continue to live a life that will bring glory to God. I pray that we continue to grow spiritually more mature in order to hold each other (as well as the people around us) up in Christ. I pray that God bless us with a heart to fall in love with Him; a heart that yearns to seek after him every moment we have so that the world may know, God is enough; God is all we need; God is all we desire; Jesus is my joy, my portion, my life forever and ever. Amen.

I am happy to say that I was actually able to squeeze a few photo sessions in this summer! I met Melanie over ModelURL.com to further expand the S2C’s portfolio. Her boyfriend Jojo came along to escort her (not that I’m a creeper or anything =P) during the shoot.  I later found out that Jojo has been training at a local Mix Martial Arts gym in Chatsworth and needed some photographs to give to his sponsors. I wish the best to both of them in their career path! I also would like to thank my cousins Sam and Jessica for coming along with me on both shoots; without their assistance I don’t think the photographs would have turned out as well as they did.

A month ago, I attend my cousin’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor held at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Los Alamitos. It was a bit stressful covering the event on my own without Carissa being there to take shots from the other side of the chapel, but this did not distract me from witnessing God’s grace on Patrick. As I took my shots, I could not help but hear the scout laws; that a scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. I pray that Patrick be able to exercise these traits daily not only because he is now an Eagle Scout, but because he is first a servant of our God and it is what the LORD wants from us. I pray that he continue to earnestly seek out God with all his heart. That knowledge of God is all that he desires and that he will continue to fall in love with with our heavenly Father and be filled with indescribable joy that can only come from above. I pray that Patrick be that light to the world so that God’s glory would be made known. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life; you will always be in my prayers.