Nearly a decade ago, I began a journey—from a marriage, from a career editing a New York-based women’s magazine, and from what had been all the familiar trappings of life—that has taken me to 42 countries, 8 war zones, 5 natural disasters, and countless humanitarian crises. As the spokesperson and field photographer for Portland-based Mercy Corps, I often have been among the first aid workers on the scene, be it war or an earthquake. The conditions, emotions, and actions can be...