Living Hope -- Even in the Darkness of Despair, There is Hope

Living Hope -- Even in the Darkness of Despair, There is Hope

Narrated by Joel Smallbone of For King & Country, Word Films Releases Documentary to DVD.

By Dan Wooding, Special to ASSIST News Service (Movie Review)

NASHVILLE, TN (ANS – June 15, 2016) -- Living Hope is a powerful story about three incredible people who chose to give up all of the creature comforts of their home and journey to South Africa to help and serve the poor and the sick.

Their actions attracted the attention of foreign dignitaries, rock musicians, and even U.S. Presidents.

Following the lives of John Thomas, Leonie Rustin, and Joey Lankford, you will see the absolutely devastating state of places in Africa and see how these people are using their skills and abilities to help serve these people with their medical needs.

According to a news release, they realize that it is God's call on their life to go to these places and help the people who are sick and dying. These people have no way out of their incredible struggle for survival, and they hope to help them with their medical skills and efforts.

Through their service, they are also able to communicate the importance of Jesus and tell them about His amazing sacrifice on the cross for their very lives.

While their main purpose is a medical effort, they are able to use this unique situation to spread the love of God to those who may have never even heard His name spoken before. In Living Hope, you will learn about their story and see how three Christians have accepted God's call in their life and are using their abilities to serve in far-off countries and make His name known.

Filmed in a visual style comparable to a National Geographic feature, Living Hope takes audiences on a cinematic journey to Cape Town, where they follow alongside a group of amazing individuals who have devoted their lives to serving the poor. Living Hope offers a seldom-seen perspective of the joy, heartache, and passion of missionaries in Africa.

Narrated by Dove Award winner Joel Smallbone of the band, For King & Country, Living Hope, which lasts for 93 minutes, features personal stories from former White House Press Secretary and FOX News host Dana Perino, and Grammy Award winning musician Michael W. Smith.

The Living Hope trailer can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAZQJoF3w50 

About the Cast/Filmmakers:

Pastor John Thomas has been the Senior Pastor at King of Kings Baptist Church since 1987 in the City of Cape Town. John has worked hard to make a stand for the poor, and is always working to serve the communities around him. He and his church are helping to make a stand for the poor. Following the example of Jesus, he is helping to serve the poor and needy in the communities surrounding him.

John is also the founder of Living Hope, an organization set up to address the issues of HIV/AIDs. It offers services ranging from Home Based Care, a Health Care Centre, support groups, Life skills training, Lay Counselling as well as job creation, agricultural training, a homeless center and addictions programs in 7 communities around the Church, employing more than 200 staff and volunteers. He is married to Avril and they have two grown up children, four grandchildren.

Leonie Rustin is a single mom and nursing assistant. Her life has undergone incredible change that could only truly be brought about by God Himself. Formerly a drug addict, she turned from her strong addictions and gave up her old life to follow God wholeheartedly. Leonie has chosen to help other in her situation and teach them what she has learned. Helping to break the shackles of prostitution in the communities around her, she shows those trapped in the sinful bondage a way out and a way to forgiveness. Helping put an end to prostitution and drug addiction, Leonie hopes to pass on what she has learned and help a new generation find forgiveness and redemption.

Joey Lankford is a businessman and father to four children. When his family was young, he moved them from the United States to Cape Town. Here, Joey and his wife help to equip men and women with occupational skills, so they can find a way out of their poverty. Joey helps people escape their homelessness and teaches them marketable skills so they can find jobs and be able to support themselves.

David Kiern and Mitchell Galin are the producers behind Living Hope with many different film and TV credits to their names. Kiern has worked on dozens of films, music videos, and documentaries. He has worked for several larger companies including Hallmark Channel, World Vision, the NFL, and Big Idea. Mitchell Galin has produced multiple films and series including Hallmark Channel’s The Shunning and Stephen King's The Stand. He uses his knowledge and skills in this film to co-produce an incredible documentary with filmmaker David Kiern. Between their combined skills and abilities, they work together a masterful documentary that tells a powerful story of service and selflessness.

About Word Films:

Word Films, a Division of Word Entertainment, strives to be a light in the darkness and offers thought provoking films that tell stories of Faith, Hope, Love, and Redemption. Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb Company, has been a leader in the faith based entertainment industry for over 60 years.

For more information, please contact: Pure Publicity, 818-753-4056, Ben@purepublicity.com .

Photo captions: 1) Joey Lankford and his family in South Africa (Word Films). 2) Pastor John Thomas. (Word Films). 3) South African being treated in the hospital. (Word Films). 4) Harvesting South African tomatoes. (Word Films). 5) Dan Wooding interviewing Desmond Tutu, the first black Archbishop of Cape Town. 

About the writer: Dan Wooding, 75, is an award-winning winning author, broadcaster and journalist born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, Alfred and Anne Wooding. He is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for nearly 53 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren, who all live in the UK. Dan is the founder and international director of the ASSIST News Service (ANS), and the author or co-author of some 45 books, the latest is Mary My Story from Bethlehem to Calvary (http://marythebook.com). Dan has a weekly radio show and two TV programs all based in Southern California. Before moving to the US, Dan was a senior reporter with two of the UK’s largest circulation newspapers and was also an interviewer for BBC Radio One in London.

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