My School of Photography

My time in Hawaii at the School of Photography was incredible. I came away with quality friendships, memories, teaching, & experience with my camera. I am so thankful I went and feel that it was such a treat from the Lord to me. I am excited to see where He brings me with it in the future! While our website - www.benandchels.com - is still up and running, you can go to the link called "Chelsa's Photography" and see some of the work I did while I was there this January - March. Otherwise, check out this Portraits album that I designed!

Together Again in Ames

Well, I finished my School of Photography in Kona, Hawaii last week. My class worked so hard to get everything ready to display at the exhibition & it was amazing. The whole day i just couldn’t believe that i was there, & that i had finally completed the SOP 1. I love photography & i want nothing more than for it to bless God and bless people.

As some of you know, i am here in Ames, Iowa for the month of April. The long & the short of it is that right now i must to stay in the USA while we get the proper legal requirements fulfilled so that i can come back into the USA after our wedding this May. I wish you all could have been in Hawaii with us last month (Ben flew out for a week to get some paper work filled out with me) to have seen the amazing miracles that God pulled off on our behalf! Things that normally take months to do took us a week with a lot of prayer. Important places that were booked for a month got us in a day after we called. Papers that should take weeks if not months to receive came in the mail that week. Amazing. Amazing God. With every new legal challenge came another opportunity for God to take control & show us just how big He really is. I am SO thankful to all of my friends in Hawaii who really supported us as the body of Christ, not to mention all of our friends & family back home who were also lifting us up in prayers! God hears! He is SO GOOD! Not just for what He does for us, but because that is the very truth of His character, He is GOOD all the time! We felt SO humbled & in awe of His power & His grace in our lives. He is MORE than enough for every need that we will ever have.
If you do not know the realness of this awesome living God in your life, or you write Him off as though He does not exist, stop for a second. Listen. Not to your mind. Not to unbelief. Or skepticism. Or pride, or false intellectualism. But to your conscious. What is your conscience saying to you. If you ask Him if He is real, to show Himself to you, and you mean it, there is no way that He will hide. Why? Because He is GOOD. All of the time. Even in the darkest night of your life. Listen.

I had planned on being home to help with the preparations this month, however God is just totally blessing this time together & i have an amazing mom and dad who are doing a fabulous job with the wedding preps in Canada!!!
Just this past Saturday, Ben had his last Military Ball for the ROTC program at Iowa State University. It was SO special that i was able to be his date, and also to see his mom and dad. I am SO proud to be able to call this man my husband. He deserves every bit of recognition that he gets, because his desire is truly to lead by serving.

Next week we’ll be on opposite sides of the USA! I am flying to Washington state to visit some close friends of mine (the Harness’ & Boltons)...also to do the fabulous final wedding dress fitting with Linda who is making the dress!
Ben will be flying to Virginia, this is one award that he earned in the ROTC, to discuss current events with other scholarship winners from other universities.

wow. long update. still missing OH SO much. like how good looking Ben is in his army blues. (the mil ball suit...maybe i can track down a photo :) okay he is probably going to make me erase that. unless i can upload it without his help..meaning if you read this, then props to me , i figured it out!

ALOHA AGAIN!

It was an AWESOME surprise and blessing from the Lord that Ben was able to come and visit me for a week here in Kona, Hawaii while I finish up my School of Photography at the U of N. Things got pretty crazy here for a while with Ben and me tying up all the loose ends we need to in order to apply for my US permanent resident visas once we are married, and me also trying to finish up all of my photography assignments for the upcoming Exhibition. So far I'd say God is all over this, "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:6.
My friend Becca took these awesome photos of us, check out her website!

Aloha & ISU Bound

It only seems fitting that Chels and I update our website when something new has happened and so it goes without saying that something new has happened.
After the New Year Chelsa and I once again said our farewells. And even though we are apart we are both excited about the next three months of our lives. Chelsa has safely arrived in Hawaii to pursue her growing passion in photography and I flew to Iowa to finish out my last semester of school before I commission into the US Army as a Medical Service Corp Lieutenant.
I’ll leave Chelsa to update you about Hawaii… but for all of you that are enjoying winter, Hawaii is currently at a comfortable temperature of 80 F… and I’ll let you know what I am up to. In my last semester of school I am taking as few classes as possible but complimenting that with a bigger role in the Army ROTC program I am involved with at ISU. Apart from school and the Army, I recently joined a bible study that looks to challenge me in all aspects of my faith.
Even with all the things going on in my life right now May 18th just doesn’t seem to be coming fast enough.

Holiday Cheer

Right now Ben is in the middle of his exams for the end of this semester! Only one more semester to go before he graduates from Iowa State University!!! Last week I flew to Washington and stayed with the Harkness’...friends of mine (from my time in Hawaii) that feel just like family. Linda is making my wedding dress, so her and i were able to pick out patterns and fabric while i was there...we also fit in snowmobiling with Dane and Nathan and picked out their Christmas tree in the mountains!
I am home in Red Deer until this Wednesday, when i will be flying to Oklahoma City for my friend, Hannah’s, wedding. Wahoo Hannah!!!.....then home again for the holidays...Ben and Danny (Ben’s awesome brother) will connect with me in Denver on our way back to Canada and hopefully i will be able to show them a great Canadian Rocky Mountain time for a few days :) Danny will be leaving us on Christmas Eve, and Ben will stay....our first Christmas together! Apparently America doesn’t have a Boxing Day (i know, it’s too bad), So it will be a first for Ben!
We wish you all such a relaxing & festive, full of love, family, laughter, joy, peace, and especially full of Jesus Christ Christmas Season everyone!

American Thanksgiving in Colorado

I (Chelsa) was visiting Ben and his family & friends in Iowa this November. It was such a nice time to get to spend with him, while also getting to know the people in his life better. Ben is definitely blessed with a wonderful group of friends.
His family and my family (except my lovely sisters) all met up in Colorado for their Thanksgiving. A big thanks to Jocie (Ben's sister) and her husband - Gilby - for hosting all of us! There was good food, company, hikes, and even a little James Bond - Casino Royale. Can't wait to see what we do and where we are next year!

OUR STORY

Written by Lynsie Cleversey (a dear friend who was there when it all began in Australia, July 2003..)

I want to tell you a story..

Almost three years ago now a group of almost 30 friends said goodbye and parted ways. Each had their own path to follow, their own journey that God was writing for them. Two of them carried a special bond, one they acquired from the beginning of their time together. I think it began over kicking a soccer ball in the park.... which just happened to happen one day, so he said...hmm..
But this beautiful story started there. At first I think it was frustrating for both of them, as attraction seems to be, and they both tried to deny the fact that something had started inside their hearts. A feeling they would rather ignore, as it would have been easier to. Frustration, however, eventually melted away into a beautiful friendship, and as they parted ways they were happy for one another in their pursuit of God. As time passed though, that spark that was lit months before, didn't seem to go out. This confused them more. Something so beautiful was happening, but at the time, since they couldn't see what God was doing, there were days that their hearts just hurt. But from the hurt a trust was born. A trust for God that began growing so deep. The story kept going, and so did their friendship.
They stayed in touch and encouraged one another as God took them to places all over the world. Sometimes they would go months without talking, but somehow, always seemed to connect again. And it was still there, the spark that was lit. But they had determined that only their creator would bring
them together if they should be and so more time passed and more trust was learned. And then it happened. Not in a day, or in a week, but a time came when things started to change. It began to become clear that their paths were being directed together. It was truly miraculous, because they hadn't seen what God had planned all along. And that made it even more beautiful, for they had fallen in love with their God and then He had placed them with each other. It was perfect timing. And so the story would go on, for this was just the beginning. But it will be a story that is shared for years to come and it will ever be growing longer until one day... when it is taken to Heaven, and written down. And it will be said of this story, "They changed lives with their love, for Christ could be seen through their love for each other. It was from His love for them that their love was born."

Canadian ENGAGEMENT

On Friday October 20, 2006 Ben flew to Canada to propose to me. For me it was an ordinary work day, until his surprise proposal down at the Red Deer River. The next day my mom had planned a “Harvest Dinner” with all our friends and family attending .... of course it conveniently turned into an Engagement Dinner party... The whole time I didn't expect anything! I drove Ben back to the airport first thing Monday morning. It was an AWESOME weekend to remember~