No apologies

Hello...my name is Fredna...and I am a "photo"holic.  If I were at a meeting for camera/photo addiction anonymous, that might be my introduction.  I think I got my first Kodak Instamatic camera for Christmas in the 1960's.  The subsequent years have brought models and makes of every sort.  I can remember running to the mailbox to get double prints or regular=size photos with smaller duplicates from some mail-order company.  The anticipation grew each day until the processed film in the form of snapshots arrived.  Polaroid and Kodak instant cameras took away the wait but proved to be a lesser choice in the end.  Who knew digital would come along and make photo processing such a personal experience with the owner in the driver's seat?

   

Why do I address this topic in a blog?  Because for a number of years I have felt awkward about getting in front of the room to take the picture or always having a camera handy, hoping not to miss "the shot".  Others have even commented about Fredna and her camera.  Deep down I never really cared because I had the finished product to look at repeatedly and enjoy.  I have taken photos of my elementary-school classmates, high-school friends, family members, funerals, baby dedications, graduations, vacations, ministry functions - you name it - and I have probably taken a picture of it.                     

When we came to Africa as missionaries, I knew that a good digital camera was a must.  I have taken photos of people and places from one side of this continent to the other and many points in between.  Again, I have had others comment about Fredna and her camera, but when I am old and gray, my mind may have a hard time recollecting these events.  But with photographic images, my hope is that the memories will remain vibrant and alive.

                    

Again, why this topic?  Well, I have come to believe and realize that, in fact, my camera provides a valuable ministry tool for me.  First, it provides a point of contact for meeting and sharing with others.  Secondly, most of the nationals that we know cannot afford the cost of a camera or photo processing.  Prints that I have shared are valued and cherished by the recipients.  But most importantly by far, is the fact that in many cases, snapshots that I have taken provide the only photograph that family members have of deceased loved ones.

Sunday, a dear friend was killed in a tragic car accident.  Only three weeks ago, I had given her a photo of her family and of her youngest son.  She and her husband were so excited.  They didn't have a recent family photo.  That moment can never be captured again.  Less than two months ago, I took a photo that proved to be the last one taken of a small baby we know.  This truth repeats itself over and over.

So, yes, my name is Fredna...and I am a "photo"holic.  Tonight, I make no apologies for that.