Epiphany in Ephesus or Why I made "SMOKE SCREEN"

I started life in a two room shack as the daughter of a sharecropper on a cotton field located on the Mississippi River Delta in Blytheville, Arkansas. I had come a long way from picking and chopping cotton to walking through the ancient city of Ephesus. The travel brochure said Ephesus was one of the best preserved ancient sites in the world.

My husband, David, and I were on an Ottoman Empire Cruise. We had docked in the port of Kusadasi, Turkey. I sat down on one of the huge stone boulders and gazed out over the ancient ruins. My eyes traveled to the Great Theatre, with a seating capacity for 25,000 people. I became aware of a strong emotional reaction. I felt God was speaking to me.

I could hear our guide explaining how this was once a major city that was founded in the 11th century by Ionian Greeks. As it's harbor silted it declined. It was finally abandoned in the 14th century. His voice faded and I thought about how temporary all things are. I know I am a child of the universe and I have been given many talents and the experience of age. Does God have a plan for me? And if so, what is it?

The group started to move on. My thoughts returned to the present and followed the guide as we made our way down a wide dusty path. He continued speaking in his soft Greek accent. It was the home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the famous temple to the goddess Artemis - i.e. Diana. It was also an important center of early Christianity. St Paul established a Christian congregation in Ephesus in the 1st century AD.

I suddenly was aware that I had the power to change people's lives. When we returned to our ship I led my husband to a quiet area and told him that I was going to make a movie. He nodded, knowing from past experience that once I decided to do something nothing could dissuade me.

I would produce my screenplay "SMOKE SCREEN". I began to plan how I would go about this major project. First I needed an Executive Producer. That person was my husband. He accepted the position with some hesitation but, as the project developed, so did his commitment to the project. With his help, that of my co-writer Todd Nelson, an eager young crew and a talented group of actors, "SMOKE SCREEN", the film, was created.