Caroline: eine Journalistin, eine Fotografin, und eine Reisende- All In One

Caroline: A Journalist, a Photographer, and a Traveler- All in One.I remember the first time I met Caroline. It was in London. We had been going to the same church there, but I never actually met her at church. It was at Whittard’s Teashop and she was working behind the counter with another mutual friend of ours. And then she visited DC a year later and we ran into congressmen in front of the Capitol Hill Club and chatted one up a bit before going on a Capitol tour, and then we braved the dreadful DC heat to have her favorite: burgers!

I admire Caroline’s journalism sense of adventure, her talent with photography, and her up-and-go see the world spirit. She puts her heart in her article writing. She spent some time in Lebanon last year and fell in love with the country. And, she’s more awesome than she’ll ever let on.

You’ll see for your self how humorous and humble she is in her own voice:

Seele Magazine: You went to uni in London, what is one way you developed spiritually away from your native Germany?

Caroline: Well, moving to a different country is pretty terrifying and awesome all at the same time. For the first time in my life, I didn't really have anyone to fall back on. When things didn't turn out the way I wanted them to, it was my own responsibility to deal with it. When I moved to London, my faith was there, kind of, but it wasn't very intimate or personal - and I definitely didn't feel it could carry me through some of life's bumps.

“In a few decisive moments where I was so close to letting go, and then suddenly realised it had always been a bigger part of my life than I thought possible - I slowly began to discover, love and be stunned by a God that I never really came across in 18 years.”

So I think I've both grown up physically and spiritually but I'm still nowhere near an adult yet, haha.

SM: You're a journalist, what's one way you can use your journalism skills to live for God?

C: I really love stories and do think they have the potential to change the world - and the way we look at it. I listened to a Christmas sermon once where the pastor said something along the lines of: "We're all messed up people, caught up in something beautiful." And that's kinda how I see life, we so often forget the beauty within the wars, the divorces, the natural disasters - but I want to inspire people in a way that gives them perspective and the faith that there'll always be something, or perhaps someone, to fall back onto. Something beautiful, something that can give hope in situations that don't seem to have a way out.

But for me personally, faith also means discussing issues and allowing for doubts to be there. I want my faith to be strong enough to sustain difficult questions and cultural controversies, so I'd like to think that I don't shy away from debates in my writing - because we can always do with a new angle or a fresh perspective in order to keep moving and evolving.

SM: What's your favorite Scripture verse?

C: Ha, that'd be super cheesy. I love 1 Corinthians 13 because I love: love, and I love being in love with just about everything - and sometimes, just sometimes it's healthy to get a gentle reminder of all the things love is, and isn't. When I was 16, I wrote the verse with black permanent marker all over my mirror. That way I was always reminded that I am deeply loved already before my day had even started and before I could have done anything that made me 'worthy' or 'good enough'.

SM: How do you experience God in your photography?

C: I travel a lot for my job, and I never fail to get overwhelmed by the places I see, the people I talk to - and the fresh air I get to breathe. Whenever I feel God is far away or I've really, really messed things up, I just need to take a look at the picture of the empty lake I took in Norway last week, or grab my camera and explore the streets of Berlin. The camera always gives me the right tools to seek beauty - and God.

SM: When you hear the name Jesus what comes to mind?

C: That's a tough one. I think it'd be the words hope and forgiveness. I hate the idea that some people feel judged by the church or by Christians, because really we're all sinners, and I constantly need to remind myself that yes, I make mistakes every day, but he has died for every single one of them. And that's bloomin' incredible, I don't think (or hope) I'll ever fully comprehend that.