The GrandFathers

I was fascinated a few years ago at a Steven Curtis Chapman concert when Chapman introduced me to Steve Saint and the story of Steve's father, Nate. Nate Saint, along with four other American missionaries, were brutally murdered in Ecuador, on a mission trip to reach the Waodani tribe, a people with the reputation of being the most violent in the world. Nate's son, Steve, and Nate's sister, Rachel, went to live among the people who murdered Nate Saint.

Chapman not only introduced Steve Saint to the audience, but he also brought on stage one of the Waudoni people who had murdered Steve Saint's father, Nate.

The story is incredible. Murder. Forgiveness. Relationship.

What I didn't know is the rest of the story. I do now.

The GrandFathers is the story of what happened later. It is Jesse Saint's story. Jesse is Steve Saint's son; Nate Saint's grandson, a young man raised in the United States who lived in the shadow of the story of the grandfather he never knew, in the shadow of his dad's relationship with the tribe and people that he never knew.

Captured in approximately 45 minutes of video, Jesse and Steve Saint narrate most of the fast paced EthnoGraphic Media film that takes us through Jesse's journey as a teenager into the jungle and gives us glimpses into finding not one, but several grandfathers to fill the shoes of the one whose life was cut so short. Video footage includes peeks at Jesse's teenage years with his parents and sister in the jungle along with more recent footage.

The GrandFathers, the third in a series by writer/director Jim Hanon and producer Mart Green, is available for purchase for $19.95. The film is rated PG, and I suggest parents preview it before deciding whether to watch it with your children. There are brief, but violent images and descriptions that may not be suitable for children.

The story still fascinates me, that a trip to take Jesus to a remote tribe in Ecuador that seemed to end in murder in fact didn't end there at all. And it didn't end with the wives of the murdered men entering the jungle and living with the people who'd murdered their husbands. The story continues with grandchildren and is about living and relationships, God-followers, all of them.

The B&B Media Group sent me a review copy of The GrandFathers. I am not paid for reviews and am not obligated to provide a postive review.