Images of Hope

After getting involved in their Night of Hope campaign last year as an alternative to Halloween, World Vision got in touch to see if we had any photos which represent Hope. They are putting together a gallery of images representing Hope in recognition of the good news about Ethiopia's recovery from famine.

Here's what World Vision have to say:

World Vision is the world’s largest international children’s charity. This year marks the 30 year anniversary of the 1984 Ethiopian famine, the worst in living memory.  Thanks to the generosity of supporters, World Vision was able to work with local people and organisations to help turn the Antsokia Valley, which was hardest hit by drought, into what is now a lush, green oasis.

Hope of a future free from hunger has grown into a reality. Families are able to feed themselves on the crops they grow and can enjoy life once more.

However, extreme hunger remains in other parts of Africa and other families and children are in need of help. You can find out more from the campaign video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19ZsByGtobg

I replied telling them that I didn't think I had any images of 'Hope'. But it did get me thinking. Hope is such an important thing. Possibly the most important thing. Even above faith. At times when I have struggled with my faith, I have needed glimmers of hope to pull me through.

Hope is particularly special to our family. D's spiritual name is 'Hope' (and it was very nearly his actual name too - long story - perhaps one for another blogpost one day).

And so when I started looking for hope, I found it. I didn't even need to trawl through my photo albums. I found several images right here on our blog on previous blogposts. These images speak of hope to me. 

This type of fungi is called 'Amethyst Deceiver'. It is an incredible purple colour and we found it when we went on an organised fungi walk a couple of years ago. It was also one of the most difficult days I have experienced with J. And at that time, I felt there was no hope for his future. What would things be like as he grows older? What if the meltdowns become even more intense? So many thoughts went through my mind. At that point he'd tried two different schools and neither had worked out for him. We were left homeschooling him as our only choice. What would his future hold? 

Well now I can look at that picture and see hope. I see light in the darkness (J actually took that photo and it is incredible how the background has come out looking pitch black showing the hand and the fungi so clearly). I now know that boy who struggled so much for so many years has found a school where he is thriving and flourishing. We went from considering whether he would ever be able to cope with school again, to now looking at some of the best secondary schools in the country as possible options for his secondary education.   

And just like on our fungi walk where the fungi was all around us but couldn't always be seen until you looked for it, hope can be found all around, even in the darkest of places, but sometimes you need to start looking for it to find it. 

This was the next photo of 'hope' that I came across.

It might look just like a pretty beach pebble and not much else, but to me, I see hope in that picture. It tells me that things can change. That situations can change. That pebble is streaked with a different type of rock within it and the sand is made of crushed rocks, all reflecting the geography of that place. So what was once immovable solid hard rock, is now small grains of sand capable of being moved easily.

It shows me there is hope for situations that seem unchangeable. For circumstances which appear to have immoveable barriers. And just like that situation in Ethiopia that looked so hopeless in 1984, things can change. Hope can enter in and move those barriers. And that is what World Vision are doing...Bringing hope...Growing hope.

Which brings me to my next photo.

Springtime always symbolises hope to me. The first sign of warmer days. The promise of summer on its way. And these daffodils who only a month or so before were ugly brown onions below the frozen surface of the ground, are now a display of the brightest colour.

And that starfish at the top of the blogpost? Remember that famous story of the boy and the starfish? If there was ever a story of hope, it is that one. Upon finding starfish washed up on a beach for miles and miles as far as the eye can see, the boy is throwing them back into the sea so that they do not get dried out by the sun and die. A man passing by asks him why he is doing such a thing when there are so many starfish, he is hardly going to make a difference at all. As he throws the next starfish back into the sea, the boy replies, 'Made a difference to that one'. 

To find out more about World Vision's Grow Hope campaign, see here.