In 1985 it was my extraordinary privilege to spend a week in Haiti. The people I met were wonderful in their passion, kindness, and devotion. The hillsides that had not yet been stripped bare (to make charcoal) were beautiful. The poverty was staggering. (Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.) It was a life changing week.

Early Sunday morning, not long after 6 am, the air was filled with the sound of people singing. A long procession was making its way down to the beach. 17 people were baptized. I took photos from several angles. This is my favorite with boats and the island of Tortuga in the background. Not only is this is my favorite photo for April 14, it is one of my all time favorite photos. It reminds me of the whole week.

If you have been following this series, you know I am one of the staff photographers for the conference which is usually held in April. This statue was dedicated at the 2002 conference. It is a portrayal of the scripture in Isaiah chapter 2: “they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks”.

My camera was on the ground and I used a 15mm lens to capture this point of view. If you put your camera in the same spot today, the sky over the statue is now filled with tree limbs.

Both of the photos in this article ended up as magazine covers. This is my second favorite image for this date.

Links

Series: Favorite Photos by Date – all about this series

Favorite Photo, April 12 – the inside of The Temple