Blog — Jacqueline Horning Photography

Germantown, PA

I recently spent an afternoon at Whosoever Gospel Mission in Germantown. Some friends from Citylight Church and I offered portraits to program residents and then joined them for chapel and dinner.

I was challenged by their example to be honest, humble, and grateful. To the men of WGM I met that Sunday: thank you for spending just a few minutes with me. I'm so very glad to have met you.

Below are a few portraits and a portion of the individual's story, if you'd like to read on.

R is in culinary school and one of the head cooks at WGM. He hopes to start a career as a chef or baker. He finally broke into a smile when talking about baking: "I like to bake pies."

"My story? It's a sad one." "D" found himself homeless after losing a fire and family members. What would he want to tell his future self? "Be humble."

"B" entered the program six days before I met him. He hopes to get his feet back under him and repair relationships with his family.

"G" wanted a picture with his car. What does the car mean to you? From Beau, his photographer: "He told me about being involved with drugs and going in and out of prison. He'd had loads of cars, but they were either cars he stole or others stole for him. But not this car. He finally had the actual paperwork and everything. This car was a symbol of his life turning around."

"G" couldn't walk very far because he had been run over and both knees needed repair. He wasn't forthcoming about what was hard but had been through quite a bit. A resident in the program and photographed here with his wife.