Bulgaria 2005

THE EMAIL ABOUT PHOTOS! Hello fellow Gypsy lovers! Only 12 more days!!!!!!!! Hi everyone, my name is Niki Crosby. I serve as Global Celebration's official 'trip photographer', and this will be my 5th trip to Bulgaria! During this summer's outreach to the Gypsies, we will post online reports and photos for all of your friends and loved ones back home to read. They will be able to follow your adventures in "Gypsy-land" online as you travel. After our safe arrival into Greece, the "in case of emergency" person that you listed for us in your paperwork will be contacted by email to let them know that: a) you've arrived safely and b) that they can follow your adventure online by following the link provided to the online trip journal [click here to check out last years journal] About a day or so after our arrival, our first trip report will be posted on a special section of the website that will be linked from the front page of our site (www.globalcelebration.com). Be sure to tell all your friends, prayer partners and supporters about it so they can look for photos of you - fresh from the field! PHOTO TIPS If you would like to bring your camera on this trip as well, let me highly encourage you to do so. You will see sights and sounds, faces and places that you've never imagined. The entire trip is full of fantastic photo opportunities! - If you are shooting digital be sure to get yourself an electrical converter so that you can recharge your camera batteries each night. (American outlet plugs wont work in Europe, but a converter will enable you to use your American appliances overseas. Radio Shack or Best Buy sells converters at a decent price.) Also, it will take about 3-4 times longer to recharge your batteries than normal when using a converter, so extra batteries are a good idea incase you dont have time, or forget, to recharge the night before. - If you are shooting film, be aware that the x-ray machines in the airports expose your film in small amounts each time that you or your luggage goes through the security checkpoints, which can result in faded or foggy looking photographs. - If anyone is shooting 120 or 220 film, (medium format cameras) it is possible to request a swipe check of your film at the security checkpoints. In order to expedite that proceedure it is best to have all of your film out of its packaging and stored in clear ziploc bags so the security guards can access and check each roll faster. Be aware though, this can take a lot of time and possibly delay the group.
PHOTO GIFTS! (this is my favorite part) Each Gypsy village that we visit we experience a supernatural bonding with. Without speaking the same language, but through the love of Jesus and the Holy Spirit a sweet friendship is created everywhere we go.
One of the absolute pleasures of enjoying these trips each year is the opportunity to return to the villages with prints to hand out of the photos that were taken the year before. Year after year, in their tiny homes and crubmling apartments, each families' photo album is slowly built up with images of their friends and families rejoicing and celebrating Jesus! As you enter homes to pray for the sick and needy you may notice photos hanging on the walls or propped up on tables showing Jesus celebrations from years before. The Gypsies treasure photos greatly, just like we do, if not more, and it is a special honor to be able to hand them tangible reminders of our love for them and memories of our time spent together.
I shoot my photos with a digital camera. But I am only one person, and I know there are many of you that will be photographing this trip as well. We encourage you to share with us digital copies of your images after you return home to the states. By the end of Sept., after everyone has submitted their photos, they will be compiled with the 2,500+ photos I take each summer into a multi disc CD or DVD set available for you to purchase.
		Last year we did this for a small fee to cover the cost of printing out photos to hand back out to the Gypsies this year. As we visit each village this summer, you will see the exuberant joy and the love of God displayed in such a simple way as we hand out over 2,500 photos to the Gypsies!!!
So - if you are a professional photographer, or a hobbiest, we encourage you to submit your shots into the mix so that everyone can enjoy all of the photos from the trip. And if you want a break from having to capture the moment, or, if you are one of those who just can't seem to tell the difference between the lens and viewer, relax and enjoy. We will capture the memories for you.
To see how we did things this past year you can visit: http://www.riverlution.net/2004photos/ If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to email me at: niki@riverlution.net Blissings! Niki Crosby http://www.technicolortiara.com