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posted by James on 08/8/08

The road to Chicago from West Virginia is well traveled. It’s basically the four-lane all the way. Is there any good place to stop and take a break? This is the question Robert, Daniel and I had as we were driving back to Headquarters on Tuesday. We were pleasantly surprised that this was indeed true! Following the signs 10 miles off the highway to Hocking Hills State Park, we had no idea what was awaiting our arrival!

9 Comments » | posted in Family News, Photography

posted by James on 07/12/08

During my 4th of July celebrations, one event stood out among the rest, namely, a patriotic Photo Scavenger Hunt. As a photographer, I thoroughly enjoyed this activity. But the neat thing about it is that everyone is involved, photographically talented or not. Each team of about seven people was given several different things to act out as a team under a certain time limit. The action was then carried out, photographed, and at the end, submitted to be judged. I was amazed at all the different ideas each team came up with. The game is perfect for any type of celebration, is easy to coordinate, and inspires creativity. Here are a few shots from our team:

This picture emphasizes a comment made about the size of the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed: "I can’t believe we all fit in here!" Our team squished into the front seat of Mr. Gothard’s 1973 Oldsmobile.

In this picture, we are humorously depicting "camouflage."

Our team writing their "John Hancock’s." We quickly made the textured paper using beige colored paper, some water, and, believe it or not, crushed coffee beans.

Here, we were directed to recreate a famous work of art. Mrs. Johnson, who took the picture, had to lay flat on the ground to get just the perfect angle. This one is my favorite of them all.

In this picture, we are trying to spell the name of one of the signers. Can you guess what it says? The answer is J. Penn.

The last one here is our team with Old Glory. We were out of time, but I think it turned out pretty well for it being a quick snapshot.

So, if your looking for a fun, creative, and all-inclusive game to play at the next event you’re coordinating, I heartily recommend a Photo Scavenger Hunt!

5 Comments » | posted in Photography, Tidbits

posted by James on 07/6/08

I have celebrated the 4th of July in many different places. Over the years, I remember celebrating with friends in Manassas, Winchester and Fairfax VA, with family in Salem and Morgantown WV, and away from home in Indianapolis IN. This year, I happened to be in Hinsdale, IL.

The morning started off with, well, catching up on sleep. But of course I was ready for the day by the time the Hinsdale Parade started.

 
At noon, many of the staff gathered on the "hill" for some recreation, namely ultimate frisbee and volley ball.

In the late afternoon, we enjoyed a traditional 4th of July picnic into which much hard work and careful decorating had been invested. It was more than a picnic as we also enjoyed the outcome of the homemade dessert contest.

To conclude the afternoon, Mr. Barth gave an invigorating speech on freedom and gratefulness. Cheers went up for "Mr. Barth for president!"

The 4th of July just doesn’t seem complete without fireworks. In the evening, at a nearby park, and with camera in hand (rather, on a tripod), we enjoyed watching the amazing display of colorful fire bursting in air. Also over the years, I can remember trying to photograph fireworks. This time, I could work based on experience and was amazed at how truly simple such a complex subject can be captured.

These times of celebration are important. They help us to review what God has done in the past and be inspired to trust God in the present. I look forward to celebrating America’s birthday many more times in many more places in the future.

3 Comments » | posted in Family News, Photography

posted by James on 05/19/08

As a token of appreciation for all the hard work the staff has been doing here at HQ recently, Mr. Gothard graciously allowed for a staff outing on Friday afternoon and evening. I had been unusually busy for a few weeks and so it was really nice to take the time to relax a bit and build relationships with those I don’t get to work with as closely.

One of the locations we visited was the Lincoln Park Zoo right smack in the middle of Chicago. I let Clayton use my camera some of the time and we had  fun discussing photography while shooting live subjects.

In the evening we enjoyed the beach and breeze of Lake Michigan. Michael and I took the opportunity to photograph the sunset together. It  was refreshing to get out and do some photography again.

God blessed the trip: we handed some tracks, a few young men we met at the beach actually prayed to receive Christ, and I believe our goal of encouraging the staff was accomplished.

Isaiah 32:18 “And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;”

3 Comments » | posted in Ministry Reports, Photography

posted by James on 05/11/08

Today is a memorable day in Staddon family history. On May 11, two years ago, we were on a a family vacation (all 10 of us packed into our trusty 12 passenger van) to the Southwestern US. Today we drove from Ajo, AZ, down to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (right on the border of Mexico), and then up to Phoenix, where we spent the night at the home of some friends, the Kelley family. Below are a few of the “second best” pictures (ones we never ended up using for anything) that I pulled out of our archives.

Before leaving Ajo, I was able to get up early enough to see and shoot the sunrise. They are absolutely brilliant in the southwest! Jonathan was there too and we think he made the only sighting of a coati on the trip.

As we traveled south, the landscape looked more and more desolate as the sun rose higher in the sky . However, as seen above, the desert has a unique beauty to it, if you just get the right perspective.

I had a ton of fun taking pictures at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. However, I guess for some of us it was more miserable than memorable. A few of us were feeling pretty sick and the heat of the Arizona sun didn’t help any.

We were the only people at the park. It was very desolate. But this is one of few places in the US you can find many rare plants and animals.

One thing I remember about this day was everyone’s flexibility. We had many things planned to do at the park but for lack of time we had to cut a lot of things out. As everyone yielded their expectations, we were able to have fun in what God did allow us to do.

At the Kelley’s we had a tremendous time of fellowship (even though most of our family had never met them before.) They were very hospitable to host our whole family and they even took us for a hike up the mountain to see the city of Phoenix at night.

4 Comments » | posted in Family News, Photography