“God, if you want us to go to Chile please spell it out in black and white letters.” This was my simple prayer that I prayed as I was getting ready to go photograph a wedding. The Hillsong United song Oceans was playing on my phone and my heart was filled once again with the passion to travel, serve, love, and visit our friends in Chile. So I prayed that one simple statement. I was completely unaware of the plans God had for Casey and I that day.
We headed to Malibu to photograph a wedding for a couple we had never met before. And If I can be honest we were nervous. But, we prayed for the day, the couple and began photographing.
Liz, the bride asked me to shoot their rings on a cross that had been made for them. I had no idea God was about to answer my simple prayer. Me being me, I had to ask about the cross. Turns out their friend in Chile had made it for them. Still not realizing what was happening, I continued to ask questions. “How do you know people in Chile?” Liz then blew my mind. Her fiancé Esteban was Chilean… pause for my goose bumps… God was speaking! I think at that point she realized something was going on. Ha-ha! Not sure why this was my next question, but I knew the answer would be yes. “Do you know Gabe Phillips?” She answered, “Gabe, Mildred, Sayen, Kai, Leia, and Naia!” (All of our friends in Chile!) …Pause for your goose bumps! Now I was crying, Wedding photography 101, don’t start crying at a strangers wedding! God had actually answered my simple prayer. He continued to blow our minds all day with people at the wedding that knew the Phillips family.
The wedding was over and we were then left with the next step. Now what?? God’s very quick answer to my very simple prayer lead us to action. The problem with action is you have to act. Not so easy when you have three kids, work, bills, etc. It’s amazing how quickly we forget the small moments that are supposed to change us. It’s crazy that we can get so busy with important stuff, dumb stuff, all the stuff, and forget God’s stuff. We tried to keep our minds on that day and asked for God’s direction along the way. We finally made it to the day when we just bit the bullet and purchased the tickets. And the rest is history!
Here it is! Part 1 of our trip to Chile!!
Here is the before and after photo! We didn’t get to help build their new home but we were so excited to be able to share their story through our photos. IberoAmerican Ministries (IAM) did an amazing job with the help of a short term missions team. Click here if you would like to find out more about IberoAmerican Ministries (IAM).