the streets A
S t r e e t
P h o t o g r a p h y
M a g a z i n e
issue five
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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S 4
Editor’s Letter
PERSPECTIVES Photographer Series 10
Stan Johnson
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Elitsa Ganeva
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Russell Streur
INTERSECTIONS Conversations with strangers (and sometimes friends) 38 50
56 We Can Unite The Children of the World Can a Single Person Become a Foster Parent?
Editor and Creative Director: Meredith M Howard Creative and Digital Assistant: Eva Howard Special thanks to Greg Howard and Elise Howard Front cover photo: Stan Johnson Back cover photo: Meredith M Howard Contributors: Stan Johnson, Elitsa Ganeva, Russell Streur, Anna Crumbliss, Lori Akin, Lee Radford Contact THE STREETS: info@thestreetsmag.com www.thestreetsmag.com Follow us on Instagram @thestreetsmagazine All work is copyrighted to the photographer, artist, or author. No part of this magazine may be used without permission of THE STREETS. THE STREETS
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E D I T O R ' S
L E T T E R
I am blessed to live in a fairly safe environment...and yet, I am scared a lot. I’m scared of sounding stupid. I’m scared someone will misread my true intentions. I’m scared of any situation in which I will have to think on my feet. A huge wall of fear stands between me and a lot of different social situations. I love the photograph above because you know what the word is even though the the “Y” is cut off. Your brain fills in the rest. And that is just like my fear. Most of my fear is totally unfounded. My brain is filling in (incorrectly) how someone else is going to respond to me.
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INTRODUCTION
EDITOR’S LETTER I’ve spoken before about how I started street photography because I wanted to take street style photographs like The Sartorialist and Garance Dore. I forced myself to go to the mall and wouldn’t let myself leave until I had asked two people if I could take their picture. I saw a woman working in a shoe store by herself. I really expected her to say, “No.” I couldn’t imagine why someone would say, “Yes.” But other bloggers had shown me that it was possible, so I was going to try it. My whole body was shaking as I walked in to ask her. She was so flattered that I asked. We had a really nice conversation, and I left on such a high. I was hooked. Fast forward six years to when I wanted to interview strangers on video for this Issue. Trying to get a stranger to tell you something personal on the spot on video in a coherent manner was taking street photography to a whole new level. I was terrified. But the theme of this Issue is “Running Through the Wall of Fear”, so I had to run through that wall. (You can see the result on the next page.) In the course of putting together this issue, I’ve discovered that we are all scared of different things. But most of us are scared of things that are probably not going to happen. One person told me that she was terrified she would fall out of the balcony of the Fox Theatre but was not scared that someone would break into her apartment (even after someone recently broke into her apartment while she was home). I don’t know how our brains decide which fears to create for us, but I do know that we can retrain our brains to not be so afraid. I recently heard a tip to tell yourself you are “excited” when you feel “scared”. It is simply rebranding that feeling. So, here’s to running through the wall of fear. Your best life is on the other side. – Meredith
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EDITOR’S LETTER
CLICK BELOW TO WATCH THE VIDEO
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INTRODUCTION
“The confidence comes after the courage.” – Debbie Millman Brand and Graphic Designer
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Photograph by Meredith M Howard
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PERSPECTIVES
perspectives perspectives perspectives What do you see when you walk down the street?
perspectives perspectives perspectives
stan Johnson Photographer
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PERSPECTIVES
Fashion stylist.
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THE STREETS
STAN JOHNSON
H
ow did you get into photography?
A creative on Edgewood Avenue.
Insert cliche (but true response) photography has always been a passion of mine since a young age. There is a picture floating around of me at age three with a Polaroid camera. But it wasn’t until the boom of social media starting with Facebook that I started documenting life and friends and family. Then Instagram came along and that’s when I knew photography was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
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PERSPECTIVES
STAN JOHNSON
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hat are you looking for when you take a photograph? Anything that interests me.
“Take a picture of me. I want to go to Hollywood!” THE STREETS
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STAN JOHNSON
W
hat prompted you to start your “Uncomfortable”series and why did you give it that title?
Relationship blogger.
The “Uncomfortable” was birthed through a mix of emotions I ALWAYS feel whenever I have a photoshoot or when I ask someone to take a photo. That first photo is the most uncomfortable thing EVER to me! But, then I started thinking one night, if this is uncomfortable for me, I can only imagine how the person on the other end of the camera must feel. So I decided to document that first photo/ interaction via my Instagram (@decaturstan). Throughout the series, I’ve become a lot more comfortable and have started to learn how to ease some of the anxieties for the individual who has my lens pointed in their face.
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PERSPECTIVES
STAN JOHNSON
TJ
H
ow does your personality help or hinder you in photography?
I think my personality helps my photography. I believe that me being a quiet observer (introvert), I am able to capture moments that would be typically missed. THE STREETS
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STAN JOHNSON
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hen was the last time you did something you were afraid of?
I can’t think of anything.
S
o, you think the first photo is “the most uncomfortable thing ever,” but that’s not “fear” for you?
Future celebrity talk show host.
Yeah, no fear – just that awkward uncomfortableness. I’ve realized that most people are flattered to have their photo taken.
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PERSPECTIVES
STAN JOHNSON
“I ain’t never took no picture. You going to bring a copy back to me, for real?” Follow Stan on Instagram @decaturstan, on Facebook @Decaturstan, and on his website www.visualsbystan.com THE STREETS 17
Elitsa Ganeva Photographer
W
here do you live?
For now, I’m in Sofia, Bulgaria working in a TV channel as an editor, which is really stressful. I’m about to move to the UK in search of new ideas and inspiration.
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PERSPECTIVES
ELITSA GANEVA
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ELITSA GANEVA
Y
ou titled some of these photographs “My Hometown”. Can you tell us about your hometown and what these photographs mean to you?
My hometown will always be a source of inspiration to me. Veliko Tarnovo used to be Bulgaria’s medieval capital. The town flourished between 1230 and 1241 – a period also known as the Second Golden age of Bulgarian culture.
Being born and raised in a town with such enormous spiritual and cultural heritage, where culture, literature, and art were main values for centuries, shaped me as a person and is the very root of my creativity when it comes to writing and shooting. 20
PERSPECTIVES
ELITSA GANEVA
I dedicated my time to poetry, shooting street photography and portraits while I was studying Philology and Journalism. Moody, dark, awakening, thoughtful. It’s been hundreds of hours of observation. That’s how I’ve spent my days while I was living there.
My photographs represent my soul searching and the ever-growing adoration I feel for people and their energy and presence. I love shooting the streets from the bus. That is the guilty pleasure I never want to be deprived of. THE STREETS
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ELITSA GANEVA
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ow do you create these photos (film or digital) and what was your thought process behind the photographs with shapes and colors?
I am using both digital and film as mediums of expression. For me, all that matters is to be inspired. Sometimes I find the process before you hear the “click” much more important than the result. I want to share not just a vision but the poetry of the moment. Of course, when I shoot on film, there is always that sacred moment of waiting, stillness, and silence before you can see the final result. I love that. It teaches me patience and calmness.
“"when i shoot film, there is always that sacred moment of waiting, stillness, and silence before you can see the final result.”" My last series are a new perusal of old negatives. I feel like we have a different pair of eyes in the different periods of life. Now I notice different shapes, objects, a whole new geometry, new sets of lines, which I want to add along with colors – colors seen through my new 30 year old eyes.
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PERSPECTIVES
ELITSA GANEVA
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Artwork by Elitsa Ganeva
ELITSA GANEVA
PERSPECTIVES
ELITSA GANEVA
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ow does your personality help or hinder you in your photography?
I realized that my imperfect photographs are like a magical mirror that gives me important lessons. Although a photograph speaks to me years after it was taken, some of them are giving me a clear view of my own emotions that used to make me feel empowered or weak. I am very sensitive on the subjects of self-doubt, creative ability and bold expression of the inner universe. Thoughts on these matters are often in my mind when I’m shooting.
“"I want to share not just the vision but the poetry of the moment.”"
W
hat is something you want to improve in your photography?
I started doing photography as an alternative to writing. Being impulsive and less interested in equipment is, I guess, part of my style. I would like to overcome the shyness that keeps me from talking to people I would like to photograph.
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ELITSA GANEVA
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hen was the last time you did something you were afraid of?
I’m about to quit my regular job and go abroad, making the next step together with my partner. That is something I’m a little afraid of. No wonder. We live in a society led by false values – financial stability, security, careerism. It’s sad to live a life full of regret and missed chances. Photography made me more conscious about my true self and what’s truly valuable. By doing it, I want to encourage myself and everybody else to choose freedom, self-respect, and what’s truly valuable. Recognize your talents and heart desires and go for it. The reward for it is within us.
Artwork by Elitsa Ganeva
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PERSPECTIVES
ELITSA GANEVA I’m trying to step on my own path after years of delusions and cultural fears which in Bulgaria are extremely strong – to work just anything so you can pay the rent, to feel small in the face of the social system and growing corruption, to be out of any hope and perspective.
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ELITSA GANEVA
"most of all, my generation needs to overcome the feeling of weakness that makes you feel like there is no other choice." After years under the communistic regime, most of the people here got used to the fact that no matter what they try to do someone is taking the decision for them. The responsibility of the dictator (the party/the government) totally cut off many people’s ability to be responsible for themselves and to stand for what they want. I was born a few years before the dictator Todor Zhivkov’s fall. That makes me a member of the first generation in democratic Bulgaria. I feel like we have the important role in realizing the mistakes of our past, the passive way of life of our parents, who were mostly forbidden to travel abroad if they are not members of the party. But most of all, my generation needs to overcome the feeling of weakness that makes you feel like there is no other choice.
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PERSPECTIVES
ELITSA GANEVA Of course, there are brilliant examples of young people who have new energy and ideas. It gives me hope that someday I will also find a way to make something credible in my homeland.
Follow Elitsa on her website at www.elitsaganeva.com and on Instagram @elitsa_foxe THE STREETS
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Russell Streur Photographer
Russell was one of the very first contributors to THE STREETS magazine. His photographs appeared in Issue One and THE STREETS – 2016 Collection.
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RUSSELL STREUR
Artwork by Russell Streur
How has your photography changed since Issue One?
Last summer after Issue One, I was in Boston visiting my son. We went to a couple of art museums and I took photographs of people looking at the art on the walls. Then I started to look at art – especially the color field and the hard edge painters of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s like Barnett Newman and his zip compositions, Ellsworth Kelly, Karl Benjamin. I really like their work – bright and vibrant canvases. And I started to paint a couple of years ago, and that’s the style I mostly paint – fields and colors. The more I paint, the more my photographs have taken on that style. So I went from taking pictures of people looking at art to looking at it myself and then taking photographs that reflect the way I am painting. It’s not a circle of things – more like an echo chamber. THE STREETS
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RUSSELL STREUR
What are you looking for when you take a photograph?
Artwork by Russell Streur
I’m still looking for a story to tell – some poem – and more and more paying attention to the color and abstract in the world. Karl Benjamin’s advice to painters was “fill up the space and don’t fool around.” Well, actually he said “fill up the space with pretty colors and don’t fool around.” I’m not so sure about the pretty colors part, but colors, yes, and some image to tell the story to the audience.
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PERSPECTIVES
RUSSELL STREUR
How does your personality help or hinder you in photography?
I guess I am more of an observer than a participant, and an observant personality helps with photography. At the same time, I don’t mind taking risks with how or what I photograph, so that’s a bonus, too. No time for negatives – it’s spring.
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RUSSELL STREUR
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PERSPECTIVES
RUSSELL STREUR
was the last time you did When something you were afraid of? I was in Chicago over the winter with a coworker, and she wanted to up in the Willis Tower (used to be the Sears Tower) to their observation floor where they have The Ledge, which is a series of clear-floored decks that extend over the street a thousand feet below. Heights like that I can do without, especially the terminal velocity view between your shoes and the city below. I’m not saying my knees were shaking on the edge, but I wasn’t exactly standing straight. So, the pictures were a little blurry. Go figure.
is something you want to What improve in your photography? I’d like to do people better – formal things, portraits and poses, the lighting. Oh, and keeping the frame square, you know, a straight horizon and even perspective top to bottom and side to side. I have to work on that.
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Interse Interse
In
Interse Inter Photograph by Meredith M Howard
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INTERSECTIONS
I
ec tions ections
ntersections What can you learn from a stranger?
ections rsections
Intersections
Wecan
UNITE!
I saw Anna Crumbliss walk into a meeting of street photographers with a camera hanging around her neck that looked like a vintage film camera but was completely flat. I thought it must be a brand new version of a mirrorless camera, so I walked over and asked her about it. It was her iPhone. She showed me some of the photos she had taken, and they were really good. I was reminded that it’s not the equipment that makes a photograph, it’s the photographer. As we continued talking, Anna told me that she works for a foster care agency. According to U.S. federal statistics, in 2015 there were 427,910 children in foster care. (That’s a lot of children!) It seems like such an overwhelmingly large and bureaucratic system that I would expect a social worker to be worn out and jaded. Instead, Anna was so positive and upbeat. I was intrigued. So, I asked Anna if I could interview her about her photography and her work.
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INTERSECTIONS
ANNA CRUMBLISS
How did you get into photography?
I have always liked photography – just taking pictures whenever I’m with friends or go on trips. Then I saw this interview with Norman Reddus, who plays Daryl on “The Walking Dead”. He does photography and in the interview he said, “I love being creative. Just do it because you love it. It doesn’t matter if you’re trained. Just do it because you enjoy doing it.” And I thought – “Yeah! I need to do something creative!” – because I was feeling a little overwhelmed with social work. My favorite kind of photography is street photography because I love capturing a moment that isn’t planned. The easiest way to do this is by using my iPhone instead of my 35mm camera. Using my phone allows me to casually take pictures without drawing attention to myself and to capture moments quickly before they pass.
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ANNA CRUMBLISS I went on a trip to Orlando and thought, “What can I do with my photography?” I noticed that almost everyone was wearing a fanny pack, so I started taking pictures of them. The Orlando shooting happened right after this, so I wrote a blog post about how refreshing it was to see that a group of complete strangers from different backgrounds with different beliefs could all be sporting the same silly fashion accessory together. I thought, “We can unite!” Even though this is a lighthearted way to think of inclusion and promote love, it was meaningful to me.
Shortly after that, I went to New Orleans and was just taking pictures all over the place. I thought, “This makes me so happy.”So, that’s where it all started. 40
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ANNA CRUMBLISS
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ANNA CRUMBLISS
W
hen is the last time you did something you were afraid of?
It’s funny, as I sit here and try to think of something that I’m afraid of, I’m having a hard time. My first thought is that I’m afraid of bugs and heights, but real fear isn’t something that I feel very often. I’m not afraid of what isn’t happening. I would have to say that I’m afraid of disappointing someone I care about. I want to be the best daughter, sister, cousin, friend, and coworker that I can. I realize that I’ll make mistakes and that I’m not perfect, but truly disappointing someone is scary to me. I want to live up to their expectations. I’m not really afraid of trying new things or going places because I’d hate to miss out on great experiences or people because I was afraid of what might happen.
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ANNA CRUMBLISS
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ANNA CRUMBLISS
T
ell me about your work in the foster care system. What do you do specifically?
I work for FaithBridge Foster Care. It’s a child placement agency. If there’s a child who is abused or neglected, The Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) will work through the court system and bring them into foster care. If they don’t have a foster home in their county, they will reach out to private agencies like us. I am an Area Managing Director, and I manage five Family Consultants. The Family Consultants help make sure that the child’s needs are met and guide the foster family through this fostering journey in a broken system. They make sure that the families are supported and equipped to care for the children placed in their home while advocating for the best interest of the foster child.
“When kids are reunited with their birth families. When kids are adopted. Those are the good days.”
Did you go to school for that type of work?
Yes, I got my undergraduate degree at LaGrange College in Human Services and Sociology. And then I got my Master’s in social work at Georgia State University. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to help people. I thought, “I definitely don’t want to work for DFCS.” And then I got a job at DFCS. Obviously God’s plan was for me to work in the foster care system. I quickly realized that this was the area that I was going to dedicate my life to. I worked at DFCS for two years, and it was very challenging but I learned so much about the foster care system – good and bad. I wanted to see what else was out there in this field, so I researched child placement agencies and found FaithBridge. 44
INTERSECTIONS
ANNA CRUMBLISS
W
hat are the good days at your job like?
When kids are reunited with their birth families. When kids are adopted. Those are the good days. Being a supervisor, we have a lot of meetings and a lot of planning and when you see all of the planning make the agency better – whether it’s making the budget better or making the aspect of a job more effective – those are good days. And I love my co-workers. It’s a family, and we all work together.
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ANNA CRUMBLISS
What are the biggest challenges that you face?
I would say working with the system. Each county has a different way of interpreting the policy and sometimes they don’t follow the guidelines. We work hard to partner with DFCS, but that can sometimes be difficult. The DFCS case managers’ caseloads are high and they’re under a lot of pressure. So, we do what we can to lighten their load. Ultimately, we all want positive outcomes. I think we need more programs for birth families. I was at court recently and there was this birth dad who was asking random people what was going on. He was asking them, “Am I getting my kid back at the next hearing?” And people were saying, “I don’t know. Who are you?” But he didn’t have anyone to talk to. For the kids and the foster families, we have these programs to help them through the process. But we need someone to help the birth parents or we won’t have reunification. Walking them through the process, making sure they know what their rights are and fully understanding what is happening. Because they don’t understand, so we’re setting them up to fail. Some of them really do want to try, and they don’t know what to do.
“We need someone to help the birth parents or we won’t have reunification.”
C
an you tell us a story about a child that you have helped or a story of family reunification?
There have been so many great stories of healing, reunification, and adoption through my time as a social worker. One story that has been on my heart lately is that of a teenage girl that I worked with when I worked with DFCS. She came into DFCS custody when she was 16 years old from a very bad situation at home with her mother. She had a really hard time in a group home and at school. She was so 46
INTERSECTIONS
ANNA CRUMBLISS
unhappy and down all the time about how her mother continuted to victimize her. We were able to get her placed with an aunt and uncle that cared for her and provided for her. She thrived in school, went to college, and is now an amazing young lady that I am so proud of. She can look back on her time in foster care as a learning opportunity where she gained so much strength and character. It makes my heart happy to know that she is doing so well after all these years. THE STREETS
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ANNA CRUMBLISS
What parts of your personality help you in your job?
I’m a people person, so that helps in social work in general. I always joke that I have an overly empathetic heart. I think that helps, but sometimes it’s exhausting. Sometimes I just want to help everyone. I’m pretty organized, and in case management and supervising that’s important. And you have to have a sense of humor or you won’t make it.
“There is nothing worse than saying ‘No’ to a foster child who needs a family...”
W
hat are some ways that people can help you help these families?
The biggest and most impactful way to help children in foster care is to become a foster parent. You can go directly through DFCS or through an agency like FaithBridge. I recognize that not everyone can be a foster parent, but our state and country are in desperate need of foster parents that are willing to foster children of all ages and races as well as sibling groups. There is nothing worse than having to say “No” to a foster child who needs a family or saying “Yes” to a foster child but having to split up a sibling group. Another way to help would be to support foster parents in your churches or communities. Find a local foster care ministry to see how you can volunteer. They need prayer. They need support. They need you.
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ANNA CRUMBLISS
You can find FaithBridge at www.faithbridgefostercare.org. You can follow Anna on Instagram @borrowingmoments and on her blog at www.borrowingmoments.com. THE STREETS
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CAN A
SINGLE PERSON BECOME A FOSTER
PARENT
?
My friend Lori Akin has always been someone who would do what she felt called to do even if it was difficult and scary. But she shocked me in 2013 when she decided to become a foster parent. I asked her to share some of her story with us. - Meredith Howard
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hy did you decide to become a foster parent?
Being a teacher, I have always loved children and felt that I connect with them well. I knew that I wanted to serve others in some way but was unsure how. One day when I was looking at the website of a local church, I noticed a listing for a foster care orientation. I decided to go the meeting to see if this was what I should do. After a couple of training meetings, I became confident that this is how the Lord wanted me to serve Him. 50
INTERSECTIONS
LORI AKIN
D
id you have reservations about it? Were you scared?
YES! I was scared, nervous and honestly didn’t know if I could handle it as a single mom. I have never been married nor did I have kids of my own. I was scared I wouldn’t be a good mom. And I was concerned about behavior in children that I might be ill-equipped to handle. The foster care training does a good job in helping you prepare.
“I was scared, nervous and honestly didn’t know if I could handle it as a single mom.”
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LORI AKIN
C
an you tell us about the children that you cared for?
I had an 18 month old caucasian girl who was a delight. She was my first placement. I had a 4 1/2 year old African American girl. She was a lot of fun. We spent a lot of time at the pool that summer. She cracked me up daily...so hilarious to be with. My last placement was a 2 year old Hispanic boy who came to me speaking no English. I got him in the middle of the night. That was very sad and traumatic for him. He did end up learning lots of English with me.
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LORI AKIN
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hat were some of the delights and challenges of being a foster parent?
There were many good times that I experienced in foster care. Lots of fun times at the zoo, playing in the park, bath time, reading and bed time. It was precious to see them smile and run to me when I picked them up from daycare. I worked hard to love them as I would love my own children. I loved praying and singing songs with them at night. I also worked to establish a good relationship with their families. It overwhelmed my heart when their parents would hug me and thank me for loving their child.
The challenges are probably similar to what most parents face. Bed time was often hard. I had one that would wake up in the night crying and refused to stay in his bed. AHHHHH...the lack of sleep almost did me in! It was also hard to work all day and then come home and take care of a child. Very exhausting as a single mom. Also, I felt somewhat isolated because I wasn’t able to do as much with my friends when I had a little one with me.
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LORI AKIN
D
id you get to know the families of all of the children?
Yes! That was a main focus of our foster care training. The agency that I did my training with wanted us to not only love and serve the child but to love and serve their family as well. I tried to go on the home visits with the children so I could see their family as well. I always sent pictures and things that the children had made at daycare. I would facetime with them so they could see their child thorughout the week.
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PERSPECTIVES
LORI AKIN
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hat kind of support system did you have through all of this?
I had friends who brought meals when I would get a placement. My Sunday School class threw a couple of showers for me. A lot of friends gave me clothes for the children. One family became a sweet support by taking care of the children when they were sick because I wasn’t able to stay home from work every time. This same family took care of one of the children every Sunday afternoon and evening. He LOVED this family, and I think it was a blessing to them as well as giving me a much needed break.
W
hat would you say to someone who is considering becoming a foster parent or even just supporting a foster parent?
Being a foster parent is such a blessing!!! The child blesses you and teaches you so much about yourself. It was a precious season in my life and one that I will always be grateful for. If you know any foster families, offer to build a relationship with the foster child. Spend time with the child and give the foster parents a break. Bless them with meals and any other tangible items they might need.
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the children of the world The United Nations estimates that 8 million children are living in residential care institutions worldwide. These children are at an increased risk of neglect and abuse, and the majority of them are there due to poverty. In 2011, Lee Radford founded Redeemer’s House International to help reverse this trend in Guatemala. I interviewed him to find out about his vision and work to help these vulnerable famlies. – Meredith Howard
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LEE RADFORD
W
hen did you first go to Guatemala and why did you go?
In 2008, my wife Angel and I took our son and daughter on a mission trip with our church to serve in a children’s home in Guatemala. We wanted to give our young children the opportunity to serve in a context that would really broaden their worldview and challenge them.
S
o, how did your children respond to the experience?
Our children loved the experience. As parents, we were so proud of how they engaged with the children from the home. Our children really embraced the adventure and the new culture. After the first year, they were excited to return for another week. That’s all we wanted as parents – for our kids to enjoy the experience and to want another opportunity to serve abroad.
“To be honest, I wanted to buy a new boat for our family.” As a family, we began to ask God why he allowed our family to have this week as a shared experience. Angel shared with me her belief that God took us on this adventure to prepare us to adopt a child from Guatemala. I was shocked. Adopting a child was nowhere to be found in my dreams and ambitions for our family. To be honest, I wanted to buy a new boat for our family. A boat that would replace our perfectly good boat. I was ready for an upgrade. Something bigger and faster. You can guess how all of this ended. The cost of an international adoption was the same amount I wanted to spend on a boat. After several weeks of really struggling with expanding our family, I told Angel that I was fully committed to adoption. THE STREETS
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LEE RADFORD
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LEE RADFORD We returned to the children’s home once again in June of 2009. The second trip was very different from the first. It rained day and night while we were there. A swine flu epidemic had broken out and the Guatemalan government declared that groups of more than 50 people could not gather together. All of our plans involved gathering 300 children together for Bible teaching and fun games. When we returned home, we asked God why this second experience had been so difficult. We soon began to feel that God allowed us experiences that spanned from “that was the best” to “no thank you, never again.” By August of 2009, Angel and I began to have conversations centered around a belief that God was calling us to move to Guatemala full time. He was calling us to adopt the nation, not just one child. We were really caught off guard. We had never dreamed of becoming missionaries. Never once did we say, “Hey, if we win the lottery and money is not an issue, let’s go be missionaries somewhere.”
“He was calling us to adopt the nation, not just one child.” My career in business consulting with Hewlett Packard was progressing better than I could have imagined. Every eighteen months, I was receiving a promotion with added responsibilities and compensation. When I left HP, I was a leader of the North American Retail and Supply Chain division. Angel was absolutely content as a stay-at-home mom. She had taken on the challenge of educating our children at home. We were living in her dream house in an area where we had deep roots.
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LEE RADFORD The conversation of moving to Guatemala just kept moving closer to becoming reality. Around October, we talked with our children and shared with them that we might move to Guatemala. At that time they were 10 and 8 years old. They were both excited and seemed comfortable with the adventure. That year we hosted Thanksgiving at our house for both sides of our family, and it went sort of like this – “Welcome to our home. Happy Thanksgiving. We are moving to Guatemala!” Our whole family was supportive. Several people even told us that they could see this coming.
“Happy Thanksgiving. We are moving to Guatemala!”
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hy did you start Redeemer’s House in Guatemala?
When we worked at the children’s home on our previous trips, we were surprised that only a few of the children in the home had lost both parents. Most of the children had family but were removed from their homes as a result from living in extreme poverty. There is an understandable belief that poor children will be better off in a children’s home, but there are studies that show a children’s home has a similar impact on a child that a prison has on an adult. We felt compelled to start Redeemer’s House International to provide an alternative for these families. Our vision is to strengthen families so that children can stay in their own homes.
“There are studies that show a children’s home has a similar impact on a child that a prison has on an adult.”
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hat does Redeemer’s House International do in Guatemala?
As a Christian non-profit we start with a message of hope that comes from knowing Jesus Christ. With faith as our foundation we have built a holistic set of programs that are designed to positively impact the mind, body, and soul. Our program areas include the following: Spiritual equipping Education scholarships Reading programs Creating a safe home environment Health education and services Vocational training Human and legal rights education THE STREETS 63
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ow do you connect with the families that you help? And can you tell us about someone you have helped recently?
We connect with the families we serve primarily through our local Guatemalan team members. Our staffing vision has always been to hire nationals to serve their own people groups. Today, we have a full time staff of 15 Guatemalans serving in five locations throughout the country. They identify communities where the majority of the families live below the extreme poverty level of $1.25 per day. Recently, we have worked with Bryon. He is 13 and studies at our partner school in Panajachel Guatemala. He has earned a full education scholarship from Redeemer’s House International to ensure that he has the best opportunity to study and prepare for a career. He dreams of becoming an electrical engineer or computer programmer and recently won 1st place in a regional Science Olympics. This earned him the opportunity to compete at the national level. Bryon’s story is so encouraging to us because he is the first person in his family to study past the 6th grade. There is an excellent chance that he will be able to study at university, which is something only 2% of Guatemalans are able to do. 64
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s there anything about your life or personality that you feel has helped prepare you for this type of work?
My wife and I joke that we were accidental missionaries. We had not dreamed of living internationally and serving in ministry. When we moved to Guatemala, I had been working as a Business Consultant for Hewlett-Packard. I had more than 17 years of business experience but almost no ministry experience. Consulting did prepare me in some ways for this adventure. I learned to think strategically, develop systems and processes, and ultimately take big risks. Looking back, that pressure to prepare and perform became vital. When we launched Redeemer’s House International we were taking on a social issue that most people did not even know existed. So taking the risk of starting something from nothing was only made possible because I had been fire tested in the arena of business.
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n March 8, there was a fire at an orphanage in Guatemala in which 41 girls died. What are your thoughts about this and how do you maintain hope when the need seems so overwhelmingly large? The fire at Hogar Seguro Virgen de la Asuncion orphanage was a terrible tragedy. There are many dimensions to what led up to the fire each of which point to negligence and mistreatment of the boys and girls in the home. As a crusader for alternatives to orphanages I am especially concerned about the Guatemalan government’s abilities to care for it’s own young citizens. Like so many government organizations, the orphanage was understaffed, underfunded, overcrowded, and incapable of providing essential human services. While it would be easy to lose hope in the wake of this tragedy, I maintain that our battle for orphan prevention is now more important than ever. I suspect that the initial response from international child advocates will be to construct more private homes to house children. This is the easy answer. We need to push past the easy answers and seek complete reform that puts the children of Central America first. Children’s homes should should be temporary solutions while representatives from private and public agencies place the child into a healthy long-term home.
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ow can people support you in this work or even work with you to help these children and families?
Redeemer’s House International is funded through private donations made by individuals, churches, and corporations. Our budget for 2017 is $400,000, and we anticipate that 65% will come from individuals. We welcome anyone who believes that the best place for a child to live and thrive is at home with a family –whether that family comes through birth or foster care. We offer opportunities for churches to send mission teams to help us deliver our programs throughout Guatemala. People can check us out online at www.redeemershouse.org or email us directly at hello@redeemershouse.org.
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