When you take the first steps on a journey of faith, the grace of God will be with you. Many miracles beyond the reach of reason will happen. Perhaps this is the true nature of a mission trip—a spiritual journey that shapes you, as a living witness to the greatness of God. This was certainly the experience of international photojournalist Shamow’el Rama Surya, when he was called to serve the glory of God, the Creator of all of heaven and earth, in West Papua.

This photobook is a humble attempt to give readers a glimpse of the extraordinary grace that was revealed to the photographer with his Leica camera during his West Papuan mission.

Sumatran-born photographer Shamow’el Rama Surya (b.1970) took up photography in 1990.

Graduated as a journalist from the Dr. Soetomo Institute in Jakarta in 1995, Shamow’el has published a photo essay book “Yang Kuat Yang Kalah” (“The Strong Ones Are The Beaten Onesin 1996. He has exhibited his works at the Nikon Image House Gallery in Kusnacht, Switzerland in 2000; at Museum der Kulturen, Basel, Swiss in 2002; at the Museum for the World Cultures, Frankfurt, Germany in 2004; at Taksu Gallery Jakarta 2004; at Richard Meyer Culture Gallery, Petitenget, Bali in 2006; and at Sogan Gallery in Singapore in 2012. Shamow’el now dedicates his life for humanitarian and religious missions.