A Heart Most Worthy - by Siri Mitchell

My Thoughts: 
This book was great. I liked the fact that it had several different storylines and that Mitchell could jump back and forth from one to another and still have the reader follow along. She got you so tied up in the story that you felt like you knew the charters. How many of us can forget the goings on of our close friends or family, that was how I saw these characters. I felt like I was transported into their lives. It is a great book and one that I would gladly recommend! 

Romance Abounds in this Engaging Novel

The elegance of Madame Forza's gown shop is a far cry from the downtrodden North End of Boston. Yet each day Julietta, Annamaria, and Luciana enter the world of the upper class, working on finery for the elite in society. The three beauties each long to break free of their obligations and embrace the American dream--and their chance for love. But the ways of the heart are difficult to discern at times. Julietta is drawn to the swarthy, mysterious Angelo. Annamaria has a star-crossed encounter with the grocer's son, a man from the entirely wrong family. And through no intent of her own, Luciana catches the eye of Billy Quinn, the son of Madame Forza's most important client. Their destinies intertwined, each harboring a secret from their families and each other, will they be found worthy of the love they seek?

Siri Mitchell is the author of nearly a dozen novels, among them the critically acclaimed Christy Award finalists Chateau of Echoesand The Cubicle Next Door. A graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in business, she has worked in many different levels of government. As military spouse, she has lived in places as varied as Tokyo and Paris. Siri currently lives in the DC-metro area. Visit www.sirimitchell.com

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Grandfathers produced by EGM

My thoughts:

This film was absolutely spectacular! I had heard of the missionaries that died in Ecuador growing up in the church, but it never really hit me the far reaching effects that could come from that one event so many years ago. This riveting film allows you to follow the journey of Jesse Saint and how he came to terms with the people that killed his grandfather. 

Apart from the story itself I thought the film was well done, the angles were cool, the music was amazing and it even had a bunch of extras. I really like the four video journals from the director each covering a different aspect or undercurrent of the story. These would be super helpful if you wanted to use the film as a small group study or something like that. 

Bottom line I can not say enough good stuff about this film and will be recommending it to all my friends!!! 

From Sacrifice to Reconciliation, a Young Man Discovers His Heritage in The Grandfathers

The Grandfathers showcases both the burden and benefit of the Saint family’s legacy. Jesse Saint, Steve’s oldest son and Nate’s grandson, was not raised among the tribe like his father. He struggles to find his place under the weight of the memory of a famous grandfather he never knew and a heroic father he does not fully understand. This will all change after Jesse travels to the jungles of Ecuador with his family and gradually forms a special bond with Mincaye, one of the tribesmen who took part in his grandfather’s murder. Only then will he confront his family’s past and come to terms with his own destiny. And there he will find his place in this story.

The Grandfathers chronicles the personal quest for greater connectedness and significance. It is also a moving tribute to ordinary people living extraordinary lives in extreme situations. Jim Hanon, the film’s director, states, “Forgiveness is an awe-inspiring virtue that seems to have been passed on by the Saint family and is shared by many among the Waodani tribe—both demonstrate a profound capacity for forgiveness and healthy self-healing.”

Steve Saint consulted with Jim Hanon and Mart Green, EGM’s producer,  to help bring the story of his father, Nate, to screen through the feature film End of the Spear and the companion documentary film Beyond the Gates of Splendor. These films trace events leading up to and including the deaths of these men. More than that, they show the impact these events played on the lives of both their survivors and their killers. When the widows and their children went to live among the Waodani—a tribe regarded as the most violent on earth—they became an integral part of an incredible redemptive journey.

The Grandfathers, completes a trilogy produced by EthnoGraphic Media (EGM) that includes End of the Spear and Beyond the Gates of Splendor. These first two films, also from award-winning director Jim Hanon and producer Mart Green, tell the unforgettable and inspiring story of the killing of five missionaries by a stone-age tribe deep in the Amazon jungle. The impact of this tragic event lives on today in families of these slain men as well as among those responsible for their deaths.

This inspirational film has been awarded

The Dove Foundation seal of approval.

EGM is an educational nonprofit organization exploring the critical issues of our time through film and new media. It is a community of visionary writers, artists, and filmmakers that seeks to capture true stories of compelling virtue that speak to the human condition. Visit www.EGMfilms.org.