Hadley Toweel was passionate about the art of photography — to the point of obsession.
Shortly after finishing high school in South Africa, Hadley’s family used the savings meant for his university education to buy the equipment he needed to become a professional photographer.
The risk paid off, and Hadley carved out a flourishing career as a photojournalist during the dismantling of apartheid. The New York Times published his photographs, including one of former South African president Nelson Mandela.
Although Hadley always believed in the existence of God, he was not a Christian and became involved in the occult shortly after leaving school.
Several events a few years later, all happening in 1983, would radically change his life and work as a photographer.
“The year started quite uneventfully. I was at a music festival in Johannesburg calling for Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. Ironically, three months later, I was injured in a bomb explosion planted by supporters of Mandela that killed 19 people and injured more than 200 others. I had almost died on two earlier occasions,” he shares. “Somehow, I knew that this was the last time God would save my life.”
Later that same year, Hadley read a New Age book asserting all religions were the same, and Jesus was one of many ways to God. This matched his belief at the time, but one claim in the book puzzled him. “The author claimed that the only people who struggled to do certain mystical practices were Christians, and the only way to overcome this ‘blockage’ was to stop mentioning the name of Jesus in prayer and stop attending a Christian Church.”
Then, a few months later, on Christmas Eve at a barbecue, God convicted Hadley of his sinful lifestyle. “Throughout my life, God had sent people across my path who shared Christ with me. The seeds sown over many years bore fruit that day.”
A year later, Hadley abandoned his dream of being a photojournalist. “Photography had been such a huge idol in my life; I thought I would have to lay it aside to serve God.” Believing instead that God was calling him into full-time ministry, Hadley completed Bible College and started an outreach and discipleship ministry in a city ghetto. Over the next ten years, to supplement his income, he started doing some photography work. Several newspapers and magazines began to publish his work, although Hadley could not imagine how God could use his skills for His purposes.
In 1994, Hadley accompanied a family from his church to Northern Ethiopia who had a heart for Bible translation, volunteering to photograph their trip. The experience moved him, and he began studying journalism and photojournalism, eventually earning a Master of Journalism from an Australian university.
Fast forward 14 years after Hadley’s trip to Ethiopia, a similar opportunity came his way. A family from his church in Australia was going to Syria to share the Gospel. Hadley volunteered to take photos to support fundraising and prayer for their trip. New connections made during the trip led Hadley to join OM 12 years later, while working as a photographer, and a volunteer prison chaplain at a maximum-security prison in Australia.
Now Hadley works as a photographer and photography coach, overseeing and supporting the network of photographers who capture the visual stories of the work done by OM workers around the world.
Recently, Hadley has been on assignment in countries across South Asia, Southeast Asia, North Africa, West Africa, and Europe.
“It is such a privilege to serve God using my skills and passions. It brings me immense joy when various OM offices use the images of our photography team for their projects,” he shares.
“A picture is worth a thousand words and sometimes more profound in depicting the God-moments in others’ lives across the world. I believe that because I was willing to give up something that I loved so much, God opened the door for me to use my skills to serve others.”
