I had my first international experience when I was fifteen, as a young high schooler eager to go on a mission trip with the youth at my church. I fell in love! Something about Brazil captured my heart, bringing me back year after year, and even for a semester of college. I loved the warm, energetic people, the language and culture, the beautiful landscapes and of course the food. However, Brazil suffers from much corruption, poverty and injustice. Most of our work in Brazil focused on community development and church planting in favelas or lower income areas. Remarkably, when I reflect on photographs from my time in Brazil, I see smiling, joyful people despite their circumstances. But in the background, I often see the solemn, desperate faces of reality. These expressions broke my heart, and I wanted justice for these children that face hardships every day. I chose to paint these faces because they cry out for hope, security and a future. My message is this: take heart, little ones, Jesus has overcome the world.

This collection features the faces of Brazil as well as many of the landscapes across the country, particularly from Florianopolis, Rio, Belem and parts of the Amazon region.