By Kim Zahnow
“What is your purpose? Why are you doing this?”
I have listened to Bob ask this question to others along our journey. This trip, Bob asked me why I am doing this.
We were on our way home from three weeks in Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. The vistas were magnifica.
Comments filled our social media expressing envy and wishing us a wonderful trip. I shared with Bob and Michelle that I want to do a better job with photographing the challenges of our journey because the sentiment back home seems to be we are on vacation.
The reality on this trip was we were sick with an intestinal bug, exhausted, and all our clothes were dirty. The trip had been filled with treacherous roads, extreme hikes, and moments that reminded us that we travel in US State Department Level 3 “Do Not Go” countries.
On our travels, we work daily from sunrise through sunset. When I get home, I have weeks of editing ahead of me.
So, why am I doing this? This is an important question.
My Answer
Even on our most challenging days, I have felt a peace that makes me understand I am exactly where I was created to be. Each trip I exclaim, I LOVE IT HERE! It is strange, really. From where grows the root of my love of being in areas of great risk, poverty, without clean water, or the conveniences of home?
At Finca Montefresco in Honduras.
Four young girls and a baby chicken at Finca Montefresco in Honduras.
Connecting with people is natural to me. I love to listen, encourage, and validate the people I meet. We are welcomed by the coffee farms and communities. The kindness shared makes any temporary pain disappear. These are some of the most poverty-filled places, yet they have an abundance of joy and love. Through my camera and within my heart I see their story. I want to give honor to their story.
One BIGG Island in Space connects with the producer of the coffee and the communities they impact. I am grateful to be a part of a team that goes back to the farms and continues to build relationships. We want to truly know the people along our journey. I want to photograph and be present as they are seen and heard. This is the root of my why.
In the Copan region of Honduras.
Suly Del Valle and her Aunt Lipa at the family’s coffee farm in Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
Wilito lives in a small house with her son at Raquel Giron Rosales‘ coffee farm in Honduras.
Kathya Irias of Spirit Animal Coffee in San Predro Sula, Honduras.
Lila Golilio lives in house that was a gift from the Giron family at Finca Monte Fresco in Honduras.
Rodrigo Del Valle, owner of the Del Valle Coffee farm in Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
Juan Manuel Villeda‘s dad is a cattle farmer in the Copan region of Honduras.
Raquel Giron Rosales and her niece at Finca Monte Fresco, Honduras.
