The Thompson Family

One of the most fun parts of my job is reconnecting with friends from years gone by. I was so excited when Ms. Connie contacted me about taking some family portraits! Reconnecting with this family that I knew during my growing up days at St. Mark’s UMC was so special!! I especially remember my season as the interim youth pastor while Kevin and Carter were both in my youth group! They have grown into fine young men with families of their own, and Ms. Connie and Mr. David are proud grandparents of these three beautiful grandkids.

It has been such an honor to not only capture these memories for you, but also to pray over each of you as I edit. And it has been such a pleasure to reconnect and have some time to catch up with each of you! Many blessings, Thompson Family!

Justin and Kristy McGuffee | Parham Bridges Park | Maternity Session

Pregnancy is such a special time in a woman’s life. It is a season where she has the privilege of partnering with the Creator of all things to bring new life into this world. I am amazed by God’s perfect design that allows a woman’s body to grow and sustain new life.

Justin and Kristy are preparing to welcome their second and third baby boys into their family. That’s right, there are two bouncing baby boys in that beautiful belly! Judah and Reuben will join big brother Asher in making this a family of FIVE!

Justin and Kristy, your love for Jesus is evident in how you love one another and share His love with those around you. Your boys are so blessed to have you as mommy and daddy. As I am editing your images I have prayed for your family. I feel such great anticipation for what Papa God has planned for your family! It is not by chance that your boys are named after the patriarchs of Israel, but they will inherit a spiritual heritage and legacy to match their names. The Lord will use each of them to advance the Kingdom of Heaven in ways we can not imagine, and generations will be blessed through them.

Parenting is a crazy adventure of its own. Keep your eyes on Jesus and focus on Him, and he will lead and guide you through each and every step.

Psalm 139: 13-16

For You formed my innermost parts;
You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was being formed in secret,
And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were appointed for me,
When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].

The Holden Family | Terry, MS Family Portrait Session

This family holds a very special place in my heart. They are a HUGE part of my husband’s testimony of how he met and surrendered to Jesus.

The story begins with Ben, Mr. Gary & Mrs. Jamie’s son. Ben was the first person to invite Lee to a men’s prayer breakfast at Hillcrest Baptist Church. Lee experienced the love of Jesus and began going to church at Hillcrest where he surrendered his life to the Lord. During this season of early faith and growing in the Lord, Mrs. Jamie became what Lee calls his “church mom.” She and Mr. Garry loved him well and showed him what a godly family looks like. They are all a huge part in Lee’s spiritual foundation, and I was so honored when Mrs. Jamie contacted me about taking family portraits for them while everyone was gathered for Thanksgiving!

Three generations including Mrs. Jamie’s mom, their two grown up kids, and six grandkids made this portrait session quite an adventure! We had a lot of fun chasing the littlest of the family and trying to get them to laugh and smile for the camera.

As I have prayed for your family, the Lord reminded me of 1 Peter 4:8-9 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Mr. Gary & Mrs. Jamie, you love well and show hospitality like no other! I pray that these images are a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that I was able to freeze time and capture the memories of these precious little faces that are growing so fast. I hope these images will be a family treasure for generations to come. 

The Massingill Family | A Fall Family Session | Parham Bridges Park, Jackson, MS

I woke up Friday morning to a torrential downpour. My heart sank as I thought about the family session I had planned with this beautiful family that afternoon. Before I even got out of bed, I checked multiple weather apps. All were in agreement that the rain should move out by lunch. I emailed Allison to share my findings and give her a few options: location change to avoid mud, or reschedule for a latter date. I was overjoyed when she replied choosing to brave the weather and go with my location choice of Parham Bridges Park! The walking trails would keep everyone out of the mud, and there are enough trees for the images to look like we are lost deep in the woods, giving them the outdoors feel they wanted!

I am SO THANKFUL they trusted me! Not only was the location perfect, but the Lord parted the clouds revealing the dreamiest light streaming through the trees!! This beautiful family + the dreamiest golden hour light = I had the hardest time narrowing down over 1,000 images to my favorite 20 for the blog!! Ok, so it was impossible. I finally got it down to 33!

The love this family has for one another is evident in through their joy and laughter! And Emerson, this precious girl!! She was the star of the show!!

Matt, Allison & Emerson, I have prayed for each of you as I have edited your images. The verse the Lord has given me for your family is Psalm 126:2 “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. It was said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.'” The Lord has indeed done great things for you, and  greater is yet to come! He has such big plans for your family! May the Lord continue to fill you with JOY and LAUGHTER all the days of your life!

The Spann Family | Natchez Trace Overlook

I first met Jonathan & Ashton Spann when they came to We Will Go with a volunteer team from Pinelake Church. They were working with another We Will Go missionary and sharing about a mission trip they had recently returned from. That mission trip was to the same Middle Eastern country that I was planning to move to at that time! We connected and shared our hearts for this beautiful country and people that Jesus loves so much! That was now about six years ago and Jesus has taken all of us on crazy adventures with him!

Since then, the Lord has moved the Spann family into Midtown Jackson to share the love of Jesus! As a missionary, I am so excited to reconnect with like-hearted friends who are advancing the Kingdom in our city! And I am expectant to see how Jesus is going to use our friendship to encourage one another as we raise our littles on the mission field and live out the two greatest commandments to love God and love our neighbors on a daily basis.

Jonathan, Ashton & Sadie, the Lord sees you. He sees your heart. He sees your sacrifice. And He loves your willingness to obey no matter what. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Focus on Him! Do not take your eyes off Him to even notice the storm going on around you. He has called you out onto the water. He has called you to walk on the water with Him. As I pray for you now, I hear the chorus to the song Oceans by Hillsong United.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

His plans for your family are better than you can ever imagine!

Ophelia Elisabeth’s First Birthday

Happy Birthday Lia!! Beautiful girl, you are loved and blessed beyond measure!

Lia’s mom Jamie and I first met a few months after I moved to We Will Go Ministries in downtown Jackson. It wasn’t long before Jamie also was called to be a missionary with WWG and we became roommates for the first time. While the Lord was preparing me to move overseas, He was giving Jamie a vision of “crossing the Jordan” and taking new ground in Mid-Town Jackson. Jamie and Lia now live in a beautiful home she restored on McTyere Avenue near Milsaps College. Jamie and Lia are sharing the LIGHT of JESUS in a neighborhood that is important to the Kingdom!

Lia’s first birthday part was a sweet gathering of family and friends. Jamie incorporated many beautiful family heirlooms in the decorations and serving pieces… special ways to remember her grandmother. She even made her grandmother’s fried apple pies that have become a family birthday tradition!

Jamie, thank you for the honor of being part of Lia’s special day. We enjoyed celebrating your sweet baby girl!

The Nelson Family | A Rankin County Family Portrait Session

Do you have a friend that you KNOW the Lord put in your life? There is just that God connection that draws you together and connects you in such a special way. I am blessed to have a hand full of these “God Friends” in my life, and today I want to introduce you to one of them.

Kim and I met through a dear mutual friend shortly before I moved to Turkey in 2013. I was a missionary preparing to move to the other side of the world with a one-way ticket, a checked bag and a carry on… and Kim invited me to her home to share my story and vision with a group of ladies from Pinelake Church. These ladies loved on me, honored me, prayed for me, and supported me on my journey with Jesus in such a beautiful way!

Throughout my time overseas, this amazing group of ladies would send me care packages with notes and gifts just to let me know that I was loved and not forgotten. And when I was pregnant with Isaac they sent me a baby shower in a box from half way around the world! Kim’s prayers and encouragement in difficult times helped to keep me going when my flesh wanted to quit. This girl is a prayer warrior, and it has been an honor to be on her prayer list all these years!

Since returning to the US, it has been such a pleasure to get to know Kim’s husband Jared and their three beautiful kids Drew, Abby & Alex. Oh what JOY this family carries!!

Jared and Kim have also blessed us through their financial business,  Primerica business by helping us with with our investments, insurance, and a plan for retirement. Their faith shines brightly through not only their family life, but their business practices as well.

We are so blessed by the Nelson family, and I am honored to share these beautiful images with you!

 

Muffuletto Family | Portraits | Flowood Nature Trails

Have you ever prayed and asked Jesus to send you a friend? I have. And my friendship with Naomi Muffuletto is the blessing I received as the fruit of that very prayer and cry of my heart!! What a joy it was to photograph her amazing family surrounded by the beauty of golden hour at the Flowood Nature Trails!

Naomi and I met last fall in a Tuesday morning ladies’ Bible Study class going through the book of Revelation at Pinelake Church. During our first conversation I saw in Naomi a deep hunger to go deeper with Jesus. Over the months our friendship has grown as we have shared our hearts openly with daring vulnerability. God created us to live within open community, and I am so thankful to have this girl as part of my tribe!

Revelation 1:3 says “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” (NKJV) Naomi, dear friend, YOU are one of the biggest blessings I have received from this promise!! 

Beau & Naomi were married on May 1, 2012 in a destination wedding getaway on the island of Antiqua. Two and a half years ago the Lord blessed them with bouncing baby boy Russo who add so much joy to their family. They currently call Madison, MS not only home but also their mission field. This family loves Jesus and is always ready for an adventure!

Jamie + Lia | Highland Village

Oh how sweet it was to meet up with Jamie + Lia at Highland Village for a mini-session!

Jamie and I got to know each other when we shared a house together TWICE at We Will Go Ministries in Jackson, MS. In spring of 2011 Jamie moved to We Will Go to serve as a missionary and moved into the Peace House with me for a few months before I went to Harvest School of Missions in Mozambique, Africa. I remember loving our neighbors together on the southern-style front porch of our house, spending so much time sitting in the rocking chairs and sharing the love of Jesus with the homeless and hungry who would knock on our door at all hours of the day and night.

A year later we had the privilege of living together again in Fire House just a few blocks over. Jamie was my last housemate in America before moving overseas to the Mediterranean Region! Looking back I can see how the Lord used us as iron that sharpens iron to grow and refine us both for what He knew was in our futures.

While living at We Will Go, Jamie bought a house to restore just a few blocks away. She has continued to live out the Great Commandment of loving her neighbor as herself from her Mid-Town home where she lives with her beautiful baby girl Ophelia. If you have something to give, Jamie knows who is in need. Jesus has used her gift of networking to advance His kingdom by caring for the modern day widows and orphans in her neighborhood.

Thank you Jamie for all you do! Thank you for loving people well with the love of Christ! And thank you for the honor of capturing these images of you and your sweet Lia.