to me, there is nothing better than Christmas time with the family…
we spent the morning with the family in dallas…
then we all headed down to austin to spend the rest of the weekend with my brother, his wife, and their kids.
it’s always chaos. but it’s always a good time to remember the things that are important in life.
a time for restructuring priorities… and with our family, there is never a dull moment!
i had the unique opportunity to photograph george w. bush just before Christmas.
his daughter, barbara, is heading up a fantastic non-profit, global health corps.
she hosted a charity event… and george and laura were nice enough to make an appearance to help raise support.
they call new orleans “the big easy”, and if you’ve ever been there, it is just that.
marriage, however, they say is not so easy.
“it’s a lot of work,” the old couples will tell you.
well, my friends Al and Leslie decided to take their vows in the shadow of bourbon street, and we all had a blast.
st. louis cathedral is a popular ceremony venue. understandably so… it’s historic and incredibly beautiful.
Joe and Erin ham it up at the rehearsal dinner.
it was great to see all of my old austin friends…
the girls got ready, and the rains came down.
this calls for champagne!
the mom’s got all dolled up and felt beautiful…
the ceremony ended, but the rain kept up. we were all praying that the levees hold…
but the rain can’t stop a good party in nola… and even though i was shooting, i had a great time too!
Al and Leslie danced the night away…
early sunday morning, i wandered the soaked streets of the french quarter looking for coffee.
i saw a weathered older couple stumbling down the sidewalk with tall boys in their hands, partially concealed by brown paper bags.
i grew an affinity for a city struggling somewhere between poverty and excess. it’s a city with real soul.
music, cuisine, and art unique to its people. drugs, alcoholism, and prostitution. good and bad… all weighed heavy on me.
i’ve said it before; i don’t share my sacred places. there are a select few places that i go multiple times a year to get away, clear my head, and recharge my batteries. big bend national park is one of those places.
wyoming is as well. and as it was, i entertained company (my brother) in october. it was a new experience. and a good one. i’d even say refreshing.
so again, a few weeks ago, it was time to share.
my girlfriend elle had a birthday coming up. i wanted to do something special for her…
“let’s go backpacking!” she said.
and so it was. big bend, here we come!
elle had a great birthday, she said. and i had more fun than i ever imagined… sharing one of these places that i thought was mine.
i think i’m beginning to like this “sharing” thing…
i went to monterrey, mexico with my church again over halloween weekend.
after our first trip a year ago, my church, providence presbyterian, decided to support a small church in the township of san nicolas. la casa de dios serves a small middle class community on the outskirts of monterrey, specializing in counceling. there is a great need in the city for biblical counceling, as many of the folks of this neighborhood have deep scars from drugs, violence, prostitution, and the many ills that life in general can bring.
so, last week, ten members of providence and i visited la casa de dios to encourage and serve.
pastor reyes has much work to accomplish here to bring the message of grace and repentance to a hurting people.
we went to dinner the first night to experience true northern mexican cuisine, a surprising far-cry from the heavy tex-mex influence we have in dallas.
after dinner, we visited the famous giant flagpole complex that sits above monterrey, to pray for the needs of the city. it’s a place for families and lovers. a romantic oasis.
the next morning we awoke early to serve the community of san nicolas by applying a few fresh coats of paint over the graffiti in their neighborhood park.
amber, crawford, michael, sam, and i decided to form a band after i shot these photos of the group… they were very band-like photos, sam said.
a stray cat took a liking to us and followed us around all day. it became our mascot for the weekend, though no one had the courage to pet it.
local kids came out to see what the gringos were up to, and quickly asked if they could help. we were excited because they seemed to really take ownership of the new look in their park.
andrew, one of the local missionaries’ sons is quite the ham. and i have to say, he has a pretty cool name…
amber loved on the kids…
while the guys wrestled with them. funny how the two sexes differ in relational styles…
some of the neighborhood teens came out to play american football. we couldn’t help but join in. they beat us.
after the football match, we held a barbeque in the park to make friends with the folks in the area. it was a great success.
on sunday, we attended la casa de dios to worship with our mexican brothers and sisters…
after church, we went downtown to sightsee and enjoy the river walk.
the closest thing we have in the states is the riverwalk in san antonio. the one in monterrey is much nicer, in my opinion.
tamales! we were treated so well by the folks at la casa de dios. they cooked fantastic meals for us every day.
monday, we finished painting and enjoyed playing around on the playground.
tuesday morning before our flight, we visited casa hogar, the local orphanage. it was a moving experience for us all to remember God’s heart for the orphans.
the sign above the door reads, “God promises to be your father,” a fitting reminder for the role of the church…
though our time in monterrey ended on a bittersweet note at casa hogar, we all left with a greater sense of urgency to help carry the burdens of our neighbors to the south, as well as our community back home in dallas.
andrew slaton | blog 
