High definition
Sunsets, spices and shoes: discover the focus of this year’s BMS Action Teams photo competition
“God has taught me so much about himself through the people here and I know this is going to be one of the defining experiences of my life.”
In these few words, Jon Owen sums up the feelings of all those on BMS’ gap year Action Team programme.
Jon’s São Paulo group is one of nine teams that entered their best 50 photos into this year’s photo competition run by BMS/The Baptist Times, now in its fifth year.
The images were whittled down by a judging panel to the top ten you see here: stunning images that capture something of life for the teams whilst in Brazil, India, Nepal, South Africa and Thailand.
Mark Craig, BMS Director for Communications, says, “The Action Teams’ top ten photo competition is a collection of their very best story-telling images, and together they give the rest of us a window into the world these young people experienced for six months.”
1st place: Jumping for joy
Our team on the spectacular beach we stayed at over Christmas. It took a number of attempts to get this shot of all of us jumping. It sums up the joy of our team!
Picture: Hannah Hitchin, Thailand Action Team
2nd place: Street spirit
The view from my house in Guarujá. The road is not paved but just mud. I stayed in the local pastor’s small, two-bedroom house; while I had my own room, he and his family (wife and two children) shared the other bedroom!
Picture: Ben Coghlan, Brazil São Paulo 2 Action Team
3rd place: Quiet time
This is Nalo, a student who stayed with us at the Karen Baptist Convention hostel, having a quiet time with God one morning. It’s taken during our visit to her home village in the mountains.
Picture: Hannah Hitchin, Thailand Action Team
Top ten qualifier:
Floating away
A boat on the river at the beautiful Chitwan National Park, which is a World Heritage Centre located in south central Nepal.
Picture: Mairi Latham, Nepal Action Team
Top ten qualifier:
Smoke at sunset
Sunset over a brick-making factory – Kathmandu Valley’s smog owes much to these highly-polluting kilns.
Picture: Esther Elliott, Nepal Action Team
Top ten qualifier:
Game on
An Inter-Bible school sports day. Siloam, the Karen Bible school that our team taught in, reached the boys’ football final – and won!
Picture: Hannah Hitchin, Thailand Action Team
Top ten qualifier:
A heavy load
A Muslim woman carrying straw back to her house at sunset.
We spent ten days in Nepalgunj where people’s lives are so basic and simple compared to ours in the West.
Picture: Caitlin McKeown, Nepal Action Team
Top ten qualifier:
Left outside
Shoes on the doorstep of the nursery in Musikee.
It’s an old, run-down building, but a place that the kids love to come to.
Picture: Hannah Hitchin, Thailand Action Team
Top ten qualifier:
Hot spices
Spices for sale at a Kolkata market. Spices are typically heated in a pan with ghee or cooking oil before being added to a dish with strongest flavours added first and lighter spices last
Picture: Dan Porter, Kolkata 2 Action Team
Top ten qualifier:
Connecting with God
Praying on the beach at sunset. Prayer underpinned all we did during our six months in Thailand, and we joined with local people on the BMS Day of Prayer in March.
Picture: Peter Morris, Thailand Action Team
BMS runs a variety of teams programmes – find out more online at www.bmsworldmission.org/teams
08/06/2011
Back