Missionary photo contest 2020: Landscape winners

January 2021

What a year we’ve all experienced—and as our missionaries lived through it, many of them documented moments both momentous and mundane. Our SEND Missionary Photo Contest highlights these amazing images. Today’s Landscape winners took our breaths away with their beauty, and we’re all dreaming of building a tiny cabin in that field of flowers.

A forest of flowers in Siberia

First place: God’s glory glows brighter

Photo by KZ, Eurasia Expansion

Walks during COVID lockdown brought us to an amazing magical world on the edge of Ulan-Ude, Russia, that didn't last long. First, the flowers in this forest bloomed brightly for a short period of time, but second, walks into the forest were banned to protect against forest fires. Nonetheless, the views brought great refreshment and joy in the midst of living in the confines of our grey apartment during the months of lockdown. A reminder for us that in the sin-broken world, the glory of God always glows brighter and more beautiful, and that there is so much more coming in eternity! Yes Lord, a better day is coming—help us to spread the news of eternal hope!

Swans flying over a dense fall forest in Alaska

Second place: Set apart from this world

Photo by Derrick Z, former SEND Russia MK, now pursuing church planting among the Inupiat

Flight is a vital means of transportation in the bush of Alaska, to send messengers of the gospel to remote villages that need the light and hope of Jesus Christ. It was quite a blur of hectic acts to capture this scene, which transpired over the span of a few seconds. This image was shot handheld with a manual focus lens that weighs about 20lbs. It’s hard to believe I got any shots in focus at all!

This image reflects our life in Christ. We are called to be holy as he is holy, to be separate from the sinful world around us. As beautiful and vibrant as the fall colors look, the sad reality is those leaves didn’t last much longer before they died. Do we look any different from our dying world? And are we snatching souls out of that coming judgment? The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

A double rainbow in Spain

Third place: A double reminder of God’s promises

Photo by Jaime Clore, Basque Country, Spain

While on a walk along the coast with my Area Director and his wife, the rain rolled in and we sought refuge at a bus stop shelter. Once the rain passed and we began the walk back to my home, this double rainbow appeared. It has been a rough year of hard lockdowns in Spain. During the worst of it, I was only able to leave my sixth-floor apartment once in three months. This rainbow was such a reminder of the promises of God; he never leaves us or forsakes us. Christ Jesus is our refuge in these trying times and our hope of a future with him. May many more Basque people come to fully experience life, hope, and peace in Christ. Praise the Lord for he is good!

Check out these photo contest winners from past years!
2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016

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