Missionary photo contest 2017: Honorable mentions
Throughout December, pictures from SEND workers around the world fill our inboxes. We vote and deliberate, but mostly we enjoy seeing what our missionaries see as they engage the unreached and share the love of Christ in far-away places. It’s finally time to show you some of the amazing images from SEND’s annual photo contest. We’ll reveal 2017’s big winners next week, but first we want to honor these eight wonderful runners up — some sweet, some silly, some scenic.
‘Teaching Her Own,’ by Gary Meade, Taiwan
Gary and his wife, Mabel, serve in Taiwan, where they are starting a church among the Hakka people. There are 4 million Hakka in Taiwan, but only about 0.6 percent of them are Christians. The Meades been on the field for 21 years.
“We were visiting this Hakka man with other church members. As we were chatting with each other, the Hakka woman in the photo noticed a practice writing book on the table with Scriptures in it. The old man told us that one of his grandchildren gave him the book. The woman was going over the lessons and asked him to read it out loud. A Hakka teaching another Hakka how to read Scriptures!”
‘The Scenic Route,’ by Brandon Fischer, Alaska
Brandon, his wife, Beth, and their children have lived for 3.5 years in Huslia, Alaska. They serve as church planters in the bush village, which has a population under 300.
“It was just a morning run to the dump, and on the way home I took the scenic route. This was the 10:58 a.m. sunrise on November 27. The trees were freshly frosted during the night. This place also overlooks a pond that my oldest daughter and I have hunted ducks on.”
‘Neighborly,’ by Michaela Eipperle, Ukraine
Michaela grew up in Ukraine, where her family has been living for 15 years. The family’s main ministry emphasis is missions mobilization. Her dad, Kyle, also teaches in Bible colleges. She took this photo right outside their Kyiv apartment.
“I had headed out to take some photos of the snow. Walking back to my apartment, I noticed some great composition for a final photo. I snapped this image and headed to the intercom, punched in the code and waited for one of my family members to buzz me in. Looking behind me, I noticed that the neighbor whom I had candidly taken a photo of was behind me. His smile said it all, and he offered to let me in with his key.”
‘Up Top’ by Julie Cox, East Asia
‘Oodles of Poodles,’ by Carol Suzuki, Japan
Carol has served in Japan since 1995. She teaches English to Japanese and Korean moms, and she also mentors and disciples Japanese women. Her husband, Paul, is SEND Japan’s area director. They have three children, one in college and two in high school.
“It was a beautiful fall day and our family was sitting in the courtyard of an Italian restaurant, waiting for our wood-fired pizzas to appear. In a land where bicycles are ubiquitous and squeezing into cramped spaces is a given, this adorable picture of five poodles waiting for their owner grabbed everyone’s attention.”
‘I’ve Been Waiting So Long,’ by Leah Schwartz, Ukraine
Leah has served in Odessa, Ukraine, since 2009. She attends Hope for the People Church, where she directs an English club outreach. She serves on the board of directors for Choose Life, a ministry to pregnant women and those who have had abortions, and works in the ministry’s pregnancy care center. And she facilitates training for women and leads Bible studies.
“My church had its annual baptism on the banks of the Black Sea in Odessa on September 3. There were nine people baptized, from teenagers to this babushka (grandmother). We hold the baptism at the beach as beachgoers look on. It’s always amazing to me how public it is, especially after so many years where everything related to the church was done in secret. This babushka was standing with all the others, despite her difficulty walking because of swollen legs. I don’t really know her, but she walks slowly to church every Sunday. The waves were pretty rough that day, so she walked out with these other two men who were also baptized. It always brings tears to my eyes that no matter our age, we can turn to Christ. As she walked out of the water, she was beaming. Later, I congratulated her and asked her about her reaction. She said, ‘I’ve been waiting so long for this.'”
‘Here to Learn,’ by Joel Lowen, Japan
Joel and his wife, Elaine, have served as church planters in Japan for 32 years. This photo was taken at Watari Bible Christ Church in Northeast Japan.
“One way we engage local people in order to share Jesus is through the appeal of ourselves as native English speakers. We connect with young families in our community by helping their kids learn conversational English, which is seen as useful in their education and communication skills. We also tell these kids Bible stories during the last five minutes of the class. Even though Elaine and I don’t see ourselves as teachers or even good with kids, we were challenged by our pastor to serve the community in this manner. Gradually the class has grown larger, and at present we have 10 kids attending each week. At our recent Christmas Candlelight Worship, one of the kids and her grandmother attended.”
‘After the Celebration,’ by John Edwards in Japan
John’s main ministry is directing the Tohoku D House, a discipleship-focused missions exploration program. He and his wife, Susan, also serve at Tsubamesawa Church. They have been in Japan since 1993 and in Sendai since 2013 — they moved there about two years after the earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of the country.
“The Aoba Festival, held annually in May, is full of dancing groups performing the Suzume (Sparrow), a celebration dance said to have been created by stonemasons after they completed the walls supporting Aoba Castle. At the festival, I noticed these young men pulling a taiko (traditional Japanese drum), probably after having completed the parade route. I took two photos of these guys — in the first they are looking down and seem very tired, but as they got closer, they noticed me and smiled.”
Additional Posts
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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