Special Feature
Make plans to attend the National Day of Prayer Breakfast at the American Village on May 1, 2025 beginning at 8 a.m. You don’t want to miss hearing from speaker Edie Hand, an international author, filmmaker, speaker, and founder of Women of True Grit.
Pearls of Hope. “My Grandmother Alice was my first mentor and taught me the most about the pearls I write about in my work,” Hand explains sharing the metaphor of “how a speck of grit that gets inside an oyster shell has to go through irritations to form a beautiful pearl.” Hand uses this metaphor to share with women around the world that they go through irritations in life to become the person they are supposed to be. She teaches about various colors of pearls. “I have different Scriptures that go with the different colors of pearls,” Hand explains. White signifies second chances, pink signifies happiness, silver signifies wisdom, black signifies a path through grief, and more.
Hand’s Women of True Grit ministry tells the stories of women who have gone through various trials to find beauty at the end. Hand is no stranger to trials and grief. She is a four-time cancer survivor, she lost her husband to lung cancer a decade ago, and all three of her brothers died at young ages. The death of her brothers who passed away at the ages of 19, 23, and 46 is what inspired her to start, “creating hope for other women,” she shares. As she reflects on her life and ministry, she believes that her life “has been about giving a voice to young women and now women of all ages.” Hand’s latest project, Women of True Grit First Ladies, tells the inspiring stories of former Alabama First Ladies Marsha Folsom and Patsy Riley. The documentary airs on March 20 at 8 p.m. on Alabama Public Television. Hand attributes the growth of Women of True Grit as a God thing. “I love seeing how God has expanded the territory,” Hand shares. You can learn more about Women of True Grit at www.womenoftruegrit.org.
Lifeline of Prayer. Hand’s favorite Bible verses are Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalm 51:10. “I have had to walk through a lot of renewing in my spirit,” Hand reflects. Prayer is very important to her. “Prayer is an exercise of my faith. Through the years of losses, I learned to believe in something that is sight unseen.” She shares that she has often “felt the touch of unseen hands through my prayers and I have lived it.” On May 1 at the American Village, Hand will speak about her pearls of hope. She will share inspiring stories of other women to encourage everyone in attendance. “I think if people hear other stories of hope and these different colors of pearls, I hope I leave them knowing that through that pearl their life can be eternally altered by God’s redeeming love.” Tickets to the National Day of Prayer Breakfast at American Village are $30. To make required reservations, visit www.americanvillage.org/prayer-breakfast or call 205-665-3535 x 1031.
-Melissa Armstrong
