The Grace in Africa series is a sweeping three-part historical saga of slavery and freedom off the west coast of Africa, then to Southern plantations and finally on to Canada. Grace Winslow, the daughter of a mixed marriage between an English sea captain and an African princess, has been sheltered from the truth about the family business—the capture and trade of slaves.
I so appreciate all you faithful followers. We’ve covered some tough topics together, haven’t we? But I have consolidated my blogs to my website. Please come on over and joint the discussions there. Or start a new discussion! The address is www.kaystrom.com. See you on my blog site there!
Check out my latest posts at www.kaystrom.com/blog . And be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss my upcoming posts on writing, global issues, and everyday observations. I’ve so enjoyed having you follow Kay’s Words. Come on over and follow me on my website~
***My blog site has moved to new accomodations: my website! Please come on over. It’s so nice to have everything in one place, but I really want to have you there, too! Please stop by www.kaystrom.com and click “blog.”*** Today, just for fun, I’m throwing in a little word play: I had to [...]
“If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large.” William Wilberforce, leading the charge against the African slave trade “The Fight against human trafficking does not need interested observers. It needs passionate fanatics.” Nefarious [...]
Think all’s well in Cairo’s Tahrir Square? Hardly! A mob of hundreds of men assaulted fifty women who were holding a peaceful march to demand an end to sexual harassment. Sally Zohney, one of the organizers of the march, twittered: “After what I saw and heard today, I am furious at so many things. Why beat [...]
“I’m concerned about the persecuted church, but what I can I do?” This is the most common question I hear. Here is a good answer from Open Doors USA: Last year we supported a bill in the House called H.R. 440 which would require the Obama administration to appoint a Special Envoy [...]
Remember when President Obama and his family visited the old slave fortress off the coast of West Africa? I cannot get those images out of my mind. I, too, walked through those once filthy cells. I, too, gazed through “the door of no return” from which captives sailed for the slave markets of the New [...]
“The church in America is dying.” “People claiming to be Christians don’t care about the world” ”Carry a coin that says In God We Trust and you will face arrest” Such email messages come to my inbox every day. I used to hit delete… delete… delete. Now, more and more, I hit reply… reply… reply. [...]
Several times I have been chided about writing outside my own backyard. While I still strongly maintain that it’s important to stay activly interested in all areas of the world, I do see that there’s much I cannot know about the challenges others face. I wrote about an encounter I had with a Syrian girl [...]
Last fall, I met a young man in San Antonio who was from a Christian village in Pakistan. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a Christian village in Pakistan. He said there almost aren’t. Most Christians have left the country. For those who remain, life is hard and treacherous. Which [...]
Slavery is not a problem for the history books. It happens today, every day. Around the world and right in our own communities. I had the honor of leading a conference on Human Trafficking this past weekend along with Ruth Hill, past Director of National Awareness for Shared Hope. From my travels and writing, I talked [...]
During Divali, the Indian festival of lights, my friend and I ventured out into the Calcutta night. We weaved our way among the crowds of people singing and dancing. Treats sizzled over open fires, and bursting firecrackers kept us jumping. It wasn’t until the next morning that we heard about the explosion in a house [...]
Just over a year ago last month, Shahbaz Bhatti was assassinated. As Pakistan’s Minister of Defense of Minorities, he was the only Christian member of that country’s government. He was a man of great courage and faith who spread the truth of Christ and stood up for the rights of Christians in Pakistan. Despite death [...]
Easter Sunday was John Newton’s 264th re-birthday. On April 8, 1748, three agonizing months after a horrendous storm all but ripped apart the merchant ship Greyhound and swept all supplies overboard, the wrecked hulk drifted close to the shore off Lough Swilly, Ireland. When the good people of the village caught sight of it, they [...]
Yay! For a limited time, you can get free downloads of both The Call of Zulina, book 1 of the Grace in Africa trilogy, and The Hope of Shridula, book 2 of the Blessings in India trilogy. Such a deal! If you own a KINDLE or NOOK, you can download an EPUB version from: [...]
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our [...]
Fawzia is an Afghani woman, and an amazing one at that. Not amazing because she lost her father, a brother, and her husband in the endless conflicts that afflict her country. That’s all too common. Not even because as a newborn she was left outside to die. Many fathers and mothers in the area don’t want a [...]
Say what?? Could it be true that this billboard was actually erected in a racially diverse neighborhood in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania? I’m afraid it is true. Seems an atheist group put it up, supposedly to show how evil the Bible is. Well, the display definitely does show evil, though the accusing finger seems to point right back at the perpetrators. At the [...]
I have been so, so encouraged by all the comments I’ve received about the Grace in Africa trilogy, and now the newly releasing Blessings in India books. Thank you everyone! All this week, you will find free Amazon Kindle downloads on a couple of the books: The Call of Zulina, book 1 of [...]
I just finished reading The Zookeeper’s Wife, A War Story, by Dianne Ackerman, and I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s the story—all the more shocking because it’s true—of how a husband and wife, keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, saved hundreds of people from Nazi death camps. Most of the animals perished in attacks on [...]
India wins. Too bad. The Oxford Poverty and Human Development initiative, together with the U.N., is now using a new method to measure global poverty. Here’s what they found: Eight Indian states account for more poor people than the 26 poorest African nations put together. What does this mean? Besides Yikes!? It means a terrible [...]
A Call to Action for Modern Society Advocate Offers Tools to End Horrific Practice FROM: Ginny Grimsley National Print Campaign Manager (see below) In January, MSNBC.com posted a report of its four-month investigation into a slavery network emanating in Eastern Europe. Every year, it says, some 200,000 women and girls are smuggled out [...]
February is Black History Month. Which means it’s a great time to stir up reminisces about some of our country’s African-American greats. DID YOU KNOW THAT: In 1773, slave poet Phillis Wheatley wrote “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral,” the first published book by an African American? Nat Turner, an enslaved African-American [...]
I know, I know. Everyone wants a donation from you. Well, not everyone. This just in from International Justice Mission (IJM): Over the last year, you’ve stood with IJM in advocating for the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPRA) – the foundation of our country’s efforts to combat human trafficking and slavery around [...]
Haven’t yet gotten into the Grace in Africa trilogy? Now is your chance. Today and tomorrow, January 12 and 13, book 1–The Call of Zulina–is free on Kindle. www.amazon.com/The-Call-of-Zulina-ebook/dp/B004GHNIIE
Shortly before Christmas, President Obama declared that January 2012 would be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Thank you, Mr. President. Not a moment too soon! Did you you know there are over 27 million slaves worldwide? Sadly, it’s true. And it is in our power to help put an end to this scourge. [...]
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, [...]
Taped to my computer is the picture of a small girl in a ragged blue dress. I first saw her in a huge trash dump in India where she lives, busily searching for something her father could sell… or she could eat. I tried to talk to her, but she stared in silence with [...]
For two weeks Wardo walked, her 1-year-old daughter on her back and her 4-year-old son trudging at her side. They were fleeing Somalia’s horrible famine. They had almost reached the end of their journey when the little boy collapsed. The child didn’t even have the strength to drink, so Wardo poured the little water [...]
Breaking News Flash: I was just notified that The Triumph of Grace, book 3 in the Grace in Africa trilogy, was named in Booklist’s top 10 Inspirational Fiction books of the year. It was featured in the November 15 issue of the American Library Association’s Booklist Magazine. Cool, huh? Especially since book 2 of the [...]
