Böcker utgivna av Square Tree Publishing

The muggy silence that hung outside my bedroom window that August night in 1982 was pierced by the telephone ringing. A baby call. My mother was a baby-catcher (a mid-wife) and whenever the call came, she went. Too young to stay at home by myself, I went with her although I wanted nothing to do with the business of labor and delivery. I planned to draw or sleep as Mother worked. But on that night, as storm clouds burst overhead knocking power out for miles around, nothing went as planned. "Pearl, I need you. Now," Mother called me to the birthing bedside where she carefully placed a tiny baby in my arms. "Wrap him nice and tight and hold him," she said urgently. "But Mother," I protested, "he's not...I can't...""Pray Pearl. Just pray," was all she said.I settled into a chair and stared into his perfect little face. I was captivated. The storm outside and the room around me faded away. All of a sudden, I felt myself falling, tilting, slipping sideways. Unable to stop, my only thought was, "Hold on to the baby. Hold on..." What happens next is astonishing. Pearl's journey into the heavenly realm and back again not only transforms her life but that of her family, her friends and her entire town. As you read this incredible tale, you will discover the beautiful consequences of getting a glimpse into eternity. And maybe, just maybe, your life will be transformed as well as you discover The Baby-Catcher Gate.

"Happy birthday dear Mom- Grammy, Tora, Auntie, Happy birthday to you!" The people that fill my screen - each in their own little box - sing and smile once more before disappearing, one by one. Blowing them kisses I say, "Thank you all. I love you!" As I reflect on this sixty-fifth birthday of mine, filled with the forced distances of our pandemic era, the phone rings, jarring me back into the moment. "Hello Billy," I say. "Hey, Tor." My cousin's tone is serious. His words clipped."What's going on? Everyone okay?" I ask."Yes, we're fine but... well, I was just driving by your Uncle Einar's place... I hate to tell you this, Tora, but somebody broke in. The sheriff is coming out in the morning. It's quite a mess in there. Looks like every drawer and cupboard was emptied out."Uncle Einar's home stands empty much of the year, and is the original family homestead my grandparents built in Solbakken, Minnesota, in the early 1900's after immigrating from Norway. "What? Are you kidding? Who would do that?" I spout. "You need me to come up there?" A house. A mess. A mystery. Amongst the scattered papers and photographs, intriguing questions lay unanswered in the Anderson family lineage, hidden for decades. When a stash of ancient coins is found, and a gifted stranger moves in next door, windows are opened to incredible possibilities that transcend imagination and transport Tora throughout her family's generations.

Trauma has a way of turning people into the walking dead..."I cannot tell you the exact moment that the slow progression towards the death of my innocent childhood began, but somewhere in those years between three and five, I gradually lost my voice and sense of identity. My home life was chaotic and unpredictable. Glimpses of the unspeakable, like shadows, refused to come into the light. My world was filled with those who sought to silence me.. So I just stopped speaking up.Things seemed blurred in so many ways...memories, thoughts. All I knew was to hide inside myself. My inner conscience locked all the painful hidden trauma away until much later when it came to light through my journey of discovery. I couldn't remember the details of the abuse I suffered back then, and it would take years for me to consciously deal with it, when God slowly began to reveal the truth about my sexual abuse."Amanda Helman's raw and emotionally transparent retelling of her journey through the darkness of abuse and rejection draws you into her world. The pain that left her silent and, unable to find her voice eventually shattered as the light of truth burst through and she was finally Silent No Longer.

"…My heart was pounding so loud I could feel the blood pulsing in my ears. Every nerve was on alert. Did I hear someone behind me? I rolled the garbage cans to the curb, like I did every Thursday night in this wealthy town, the only task I did unattended, a brief moment away from the watchful eyes of my captors, those I had been sold a slave to when I was just seven years old in Taiwan. Now was my chance to escape. I bolted, running as fast as I could towards the end of the street and into the car that was waiting for me. Everything I owned I left behind, except the tattered shirt and dirty pants I wore, clothes that reminded me of the life I had been living these past twenty years-a torn and ravaged existence, a victim of human trafficking..."Shari Ho's incredible story of slavery and survival to inspirational speaker will grip your soul and challenge you to speak up on behalf of the silent ones around you, those who long to say...."My Name is Also Freedom."

"Hello Mr. Tree. Do you remember me?" Shari whispered. "I was a little girl when you knew me as a slave, but I just wanted to let you know...I'm free now!" The beauty of Shari's favorite tree in its park-like surroundings was in stark contrast to this little girl who was once held as a slave. As Shari continued to speak to the tree, I tried to catch my breath as I looked up at the tree that was cut in the form of a square at the very top. Griped with a new-found sense of God's providence that completely amazed me, I realized that the name of my company Square Tree Publishing was no accident-nor the fact that Shari and I had been brought together by God's design. Sold as a slave when she was only seven years old, Shari Ho endured much physical and emotional abuse until she got free twenty years later. Little did Shari realize the media firestorm her story would ignite. She would become a beacon of hope to a whole new generation both locally and abroad when she was the focus of the CNN Freedom Report that made headlines all around the world. Her harrowing story is chronicled in the book, My Name is Also Freedom. Finding Freedom Was Just the Beginning is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of her book. This four-and half-year journey and a trip to Taiwan, includes all the backstories, miracles, and God-stories that happened along the way. There were so many, they had to be recounted-amazing stories of God's providence intersecting with sheer faith that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I pray that these God-stories not only inspire you but give you a greater level of faith for your own life. I know that is what Shari would want for you, too. "As the interpreter for our team in Taiwan, there were some things you just didn't need to interpret...like God's tangible presence in the room." - Candy Chou, Chinese Interpreter