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Playwrite/Scriptwriter/Actress
Sandy Rustin Riverside Theatre’s Production of Mystic Pizza by Rhett Palmer
Pam Proctor, Special to Vero's Voice
What is your favorite famous quote from a motion picture or play and why? by Doolin Dalton What is something that you really want to accomplish in 2025? by Steve Glaser
Bishop Bela Kalumbete
and featuring megahits of the 80s and 90s by
JAN 3 & FEB 7 at 10AM & 2PM SIGN-UP!
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Niedle (Cast of Mystic Pizza)
Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, John Cougar Mellencamp, Debbie Gibson, Wilson Phillips, The Bangles, Belinda Carlisle, Rick Astley, Bryan Adams, among many others.
A Q&
P LAYWRITE/ S CRIPTWRITER/A CTRESS
Sandy Rustin
Riverside Theatre’s Production Of Mystic Pizza
RHETT PALMER:
She’s on Broadway’s Group of 50 Women to Watch List in showbiz. She’s Sandy Rustin, actress and award-winning playwright, and she wrote the adaptation of Mystic Pizza for the stage. Did I say that right?
SANDY RUSTIN:
I wrote the script for the adaptation from the screenplay so now it’s a Broadway-style musical. I wrote the script. I did the adaptation from the movie.
The funny thing is, you’re originally from Chicago where they have Chicago pizza. Now you’ve moved with your husband and children to New Jersey where they have their famous tomato pies, and you write this show which is Mystic Pizza. Pizza seems to .. are you Italian? [laughter]
continued next page
I’m not Italian, but I am a fan of pizza. I love Mystic Pizza, but as a Chicago girl, Lou Malnati’s will forever have my heart.
I saw Mystic Pizza I guess about 30 years ago. Film critic Roger Ebert had predicted watch the young stars that are in this movie because they’re all going be major stars, and all of them did become major movie stars. I know, it’s amazing. That film was sort of a pivotal moment in my growing up. It was Julia Roberts’ first film. And obviously as a teenager, I became a huge fan of hers, and continue to love her and find her an inspiring figure in entertainment today, too. Yeah, so it’s exciting to get to be a small part of this machine of Mystic Pizza.
To describe Mystic Pizza, it’s a juxtaposition of different lives and the ins and outs and breakups and make-ups and relationships. How would you describe Mystic Pizza to someone who’s not seen the motion picture? It’s really a coming-of-age story of three young women in the ‘80s who are struggling with who they are, what they want in the world, their own identity. It’s very much a rom-com, and the movie is very centered around the men in their lives. And of course, the musical adaptation also stays true to that romantic comedy spirit.
But what we’ve done is, we’ve updated it a little bit for our 2024 audience. These young girls who are coming of age, they want more than just a relationship. They’re looking for more than just approval from the men in their lives. They’re seeking something more than that.
I think Amy Holden Jones, who is the original writer of the screenplay, what she managed to do at that time was to create these really full rich female characters. And what she granted me the gift to do was to take those characters and continue to deepen them and further what these women are looking for. That’s really what the show is about. It’s about friendship and sisterhood and finding yourself as a young woman.
This was a major motion picture 30, 35 years ago? 1988, yes.
Were you even born then? I was born, but I was a kid. So, to be able to take something that existed and has been so beloved and so embraced by audiences and figure out a new medium for it, how to take those characters
and that story and present it in a new fresh way has been a real gift and something I’ve been really happy to participate in. I think that the values that are present in the musical were absolutely present in the movie. This is just a deeper exploration of what those characters could have been.
When you think of those “values,” is there anything that comes to mind? I think that there’s more space for feminist characters that are openly and outwardly interested in more than just the men in their lives. And maybe there was less space for that kind of conversation in the ‘80s, even though women still very much had these feelings. I think there’s more space for the conversation in our communities and in the arts now. I’m really happy to be able to shepherd that into the story and bring it into a 2024 sensibility.
So how do you take a motion picture, a screenplay, and alter things for stage, which is totally different than a motion picture. When you’re gifted a screenplay to adapt for the stage, you’re given characters, a plot, a tone, a style, a genre, usually a location, a time and space; you’re receiving a lot of information. And then your job is to figure out how to tell that story of those same characters, that same place, that same slice of time, how to put that onto the stage when you don’t have the ability to zoom in with a camera. When you can’t go click, click, click from scene to scene the way you can in a film, how do you share that story?
of development of a piece of theater. So absolutely, when I have a big idea and I have to get it out on the page, I’m in my office at my desk getting something out of my head, until I can breathe again.
Were you a playwright first or an actress first? So it’s funny, I have a book that I wrote for my mom on Mother’s Day when I was in sixth grade. And on the inside, there’s a little bio that I had to write about my 10- or 11-yearold self. And it says that Sandy Rustin wants to grow up to be a playwright and an actress. So I think it’s always been both for me, I’ve always loved both.
When [audiences] come to see Mystic Pizza, it’s really designed to be a night for families. It just feels like a giant dose of nostalgia.
To step into the shoes of a character and be on stage and embody somebody else for a second has always felt wonderful. But I’ve always wanted to be behind the scenes, too, crafting the story, looking at it from a more macro level.
As the writer, it’s macro. You’re looking at the whole of it, every single detail, and how do you put all those pieces into place. I like the challenge of both.
So it’s a wonderful challenge and it’s one that I really appreciate. I think as a playwright, I’m often working on two things at once, or more than two things at once. And usually I have projects going that are adaptations of existing material and also original ideas, things that I’ve come up with on my own that I’m developing separately. So I think they’re both two ways to skin the cat of telling stories, and I really love both. So it was a total joy and pleasure to get to adapt Mystic Pizza. It sounds like it’s good that you can do two things at once! There’s different stages
Well, it’s pretty amazing, because Carl Jung, the psychoanalyst, said, “If you look at your childhood, you’ll find your adulthood.” Here in sixth grade you wrote in your bio that you were an actress and a playwright. Somehow you knew. My great grandmother had a dog. When I was just learning how to walk, so I was somewhere between one and two, I guess, I held up the dog leash and used the leash as a microphone just on my own to sing. And they were like, “This girl’s gonna be on the stage.” And I was a baby. So I think it’s just something in you.
Was there somebody in your family that was an actor or actress or somebody involved in showbiz in any way, or this just came about on your own? So nobody was really involved in showbiz, but I have a very dramatic family. My dad was a pediatrician, but he was very, very funny. And so I grew up listening to comedy albums. And by the time I was seven years old, he and I had memorized Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First?” together, and we would perform that at my Girl Scout troop
holiday event or whatever it was. My dad and I sort of put that together very early.
And my mother is a children’s librarian. Books and stories, how to bring a story to life, puppet shows, she was wildly creative and filled our house with stories. And so I think I just grew up in an environment where storytelling was valued. And my interpretation of that was through the theater. So while there wasn’t performing arts necessarily in my blood, I think storytelling was very, very prominent in my youth.
Now, I mentioned that I’d written a song for a Debbie Macomber movie for Hallmark, and she was on the show just last week. Your eyes opened up and you happen to know Debbie and you actually voiced some of the audio portion for her books. For A Walk Along the Beach, yes. I’ve had a voiceover career since my early 20s in New York. And though I continue to be a playwright, I also have been voicing, especially during the pandemic when everything shut down. I have a voiceover booth in my house. So that was a terrific source of an ability to continue to work was to narrate audio
books. And so that’s how I came in touch with Debbie, by working on one of her books. What do you think about this whole thing with AI? Aren’t they illegally using people’s impressions? AI is a huge issue and something that the Screen Actors Guild, which I’m proudly a member of, has been working to address. I’m sure you’re aware there was a huge strike last year. So it’s a work in progress. I think that making sure that actors are fairly compensated for their talent and continue to be for years to come is a huge issue for people who make their living using their image and their voice to tell stories. So it continues to be a huge issue.
Mystic Pizza is coming to the Riverside Theater January 7th through the 26th. We’re very excited to have your play here. Will you be coming down at all or -- I’ll be there. I’ll be part of the rehearsal process, I’ll be there opening night. This is the launch of a long-time process in developing this show. We wrote the show and got it ready during the pandemic. In fact, our first-ever read-through of the script was over Zoom with a million different actors in little boxes on Zoom.
The Ogunquit Theater in Maine built a huge stadium sized tent in order to be able to safely present theater during the pandemic. We went there for the summer. And that’s really
where this show began.
After that production, we had an opportunity to revise, to finesse, to make it a little bit stronger even, and then La Mirada Theatre in Los Angeles gave us the opportunity to present the production there where we really were able to learn a lot. We got great reviews, audiences had the best time; it was such a total joy.
And so now this next phase of development will be this production in Vero Beach, which we’re so excited about. Our hope is that by next season we’ll take this production and put it on the road, which is really exciting.
Anything else you’d like me to ask you today? I think what audiences can expect when they come to see Mystic Pizza, it’s really designed to be a night for families. It just feels like a giant dose of nostalgia. All the music are actual hits from the 1980s, so people are up and dancing in the aisles by the end of the show. The cast is incredible, their vocals are amazing. It’s just fun, an evening of fun. That’s what Mystic Pizza is meant to be.
Sandy, thank you.
Thank you so much, Rhett.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Niedle
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WE ASKED THE CAST OF RIVERSIDE’S PRODUCTION OF MYSTIC PIZZA:
What
is your
FAVORITE QUOTE
from a motion picture or play & why?
continued next page
My favorite quote is actually from scripture, Psalm 30:5: “Joy comes in the morning.” My mother used to say it.
–CHACHI DELGADO, Swing
“I’m tired of this, Grandpa!” It’s from Holes, one of my favorite movies as a child. It just brings back that childhood nostalgia.
–KRYSTINA ALABADO, Daisy Arujo
My favorite quote is the classic: “There’s no place like home.” In all my traveling, I’ve really learned to value my time at home, my family, and the people who love me.
–ADRIANNA NEGRÓN, Swing
“I came here tonight because I realize that when you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” It’s a classic line from When Harry Met Sally. Time is limited. Don’t waste it.
–F. MICHAEL
HAYNIE, Bill
“Do or do not. There is no try.” Yoda knows best!
–ALYSSA M. SIMMONS, Aunt
Bonnie
My favorite quote is: “There’s no crying in baseball!” from A League of Their Own. I grew up playing softball with my sister. I was the pitcher; she was the catcher. We must have watched that movie a thousand times. It brings back so many great memories.
–MIA GERACHIS, Debbie
“Hakuna Matata,” from The Lion King. It’s simple and effective. Just don’t worry!
–BEN FRANKHAUSER, Tim Travers
“‘Anyone can cook, but only the fearless can be great.” It’s from Disney’s Ratatouille. I love the idea that anything can be open to anybody, but you have to be willing to break boundaries in order to be great.
–RACHEL KAE WIRTZ,
Lorna
“The past is just a story that we tell ourselves,” from Her. We often replay events from the past, and our memories are subjective.
–MICHAEL JAMES, Nick
“Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.” Bette Davis as Margo Channing in All About Eve. It takes me back to my childhood and the way the old black-and-white movies of my parents’ and grandparents’ day held me in thrall. They were magical and the actors and characters seemed larger than life. I still feel that same excitement when I watch them now and it makes me so proud to do what I do, so proud to be an actor and to be part of that magical world, hopefully, for someone else.
–JENNIFER FOUCHÉ,
Leona
“I’ll have what she’s having,” from When Harry Met Sally. It’s iconic, and with good reason. There’s just something so funny in that line— the juxtaposition of comedy with something serious.
–JAMES HINDMAN,
Charles Windsor
“Sometimes a hypocrite is nothing more than a person who is in the process of changing.” It’s from the novel Oathbringer. I think that’s something we can all relate to—being better. We’re all better versions of the person we were yesterday.
–JAKE SWAIN, Frank
“Attitude reflects leadership, Captain.” It’s my favorite quote from Remember the Titans. It’s an inspiring quote that reflects the bravery of the time.
–APRIL JOSEPHINE,
Mrs. Arujo
“Tomorrow is another day,” from Gone with the Wind. I think it’s a good reminder. It’s helpful when times are hard. Just remember that tomorrow you can start anew.
–ALAINA ANDERSON, Kat
Arujo
“I can’t afford to hate people. I haven’t got that kind of time.” It’s from Ikiru. That quote grounded me. When you don’t let anybody bother you, good energy finds you.
–VINCENT MICHAEL,
Charles Gordon Windsor, Jr.
I’d have to say it’s from the play Sunday in the Park with George: “Anything you do, let it come from you, and then it will be new.” It speaks to the creativity and originality that everyone has within us.
–ZEPHANIAH
DIVINE WAGES, George/Alfie
MIRACLE IN
MWANZA:
A New Church Movement Explodes in Tanzania
BY PAM PROCTOR :
In the December issue of Vero’s Voice
met two men, American Jon Robbins, a child of privilege from suburban Fairfield, Connecticut, and Bela Kalumbete, who was raised in poverty in the rural backwater of Bariadi, Tanzania. The two became fast friends back in 1993 at Alliance Seminary in Nyack, New York, where they were training for the Christian ministry. More than two decades later in 2018, Jon Robbins, on sabbatical from his Anglican pastorate at St. Paul’s Church in Vero Beach, tracked down his friend Bela and flew to Tanzania to reconnect.
In Tanzania, Jon discovered that Bela, who held a master’s degree and two doctorates from U.S. seminaries, was living with his wife and five children in a two-room mud-brick house with no running water. What’s more, Jon found that Bela had been serving as an itinerant seminary professor, traveling from city to city for a week at a time to teach students at five different seminaries for $100 a week.
All that changed in the summer of 2019, when Bela, through the offices of Jon, was ordained an Anglican priest by Gainesville Bishop Ron Kuykendall. What came next is the Miracle in Mwanza.
The miracle started with a phone call on WhatsApp.
“I have my eye on a piece of land in Mwanza,” Bela told Jon Robbins a few months after his ordination. “It would cost $2000. Do you think St. Paul’s could help me buy it?”
“Let me pray about it,” Jon responded.
Within days, the St. Paul’s lay leadership jumped on board, and within weeks, Bela purchased the land and moved his family to Mwanza, Tanzania’s second largest city on the Southern shores of Lake Victoria. There, with nothing but a “wing and a prayer,” he started a church, St. Paul’s Mwanza, under a mango tree.
As the congregation grew, the Mwanza meeting place – the “tabernacle” – evolved with it: first to a tarp held up by sticks, and next to structure of sticks covered by corrugated metal.
“Just as the tabernacle in the Bible was a temporary structure before the main temple was built in Jerusalem, the Mwanza tabernacle was meant to be temporary,” Jon Robbins explained.
“From the moment he began the ministry in Mwanza, Bela had a sense that St. Paul’s Mwanza was meant to be the beginning of a larger movement – what he now calls the Tanzania Missionary Church.”
2022: THE BISHOP
The miracle continued with Bela’s ordination as an Anglican bishop.
On June 26, 2022, Bishop Ron Kuykendall and two African Anglican bishops, one from Tanzania and one from South Sudan, consecrated Bela as a bishop in a traditional Anglican laying-on-ofhands ceremony. STAR TV, a privately-owned TV station, broadcast the event nationwide in Swahili and English.
Overnight, St. Paul’s Mwanza became a spiritual magnet, not just for the people of Mwanza, but for a host of Tanzanian pastors of other denominations from cities and tribes
Bishop Bela during a visit to the town of Geita, the site of one of 20 new Anglican churches being planted by priests, deacons, and deaconesses he has ordained through his Tanzania Missionary Church movement.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF JON ROBBINS AND ROBBIE WALKER
throughout the country who came to Mwanza to be mentored and trained by Bishop Bela. To accommodate his growing flock and establish a permanent base for his movement, Bishop Bela had a new vision: a “cathedral,” which would become a visible symbol of the Tanzania Missionary Church.
2023: THE CATHEDRAL
Once again, a call to Jon Robbins on WhatsApp paved the way.
“I can get a great deal on cinder blocks to build a cathedral,” Bishop Bela told Jon in January 2023. “Can you help us?”
The “deal” would cost $10,000. Again, Jon responded in prayer, and with Lenten donations
from St. Paul’s Church in Vero Beach in May 2023, Bishop Bela bought his cinder blocks.
Less than two months later, a team from Florida arrived in Mwanza to find construction well under way. Among them was Bishop Ron Kuykendall, Jon Robbins, and Robbie Walker, a St. Paul’s volunteer.
There, standing in all its glory right next to the corrugated-metal tabernacle was Bishop Bela’s “cathedral.” With its cinder-block walls, dirt floor and no roof, the cathedral still had a long way to go. But it held promise of fulfilling Bela’s vision: to provide a launching pad for a spiritual movement that would reach far beyond Mwanza.
2024: THE DEACONS & PRIESTS
As the physical walls of the St. Paul’s Mwanza cathedral were beginning to rise heavenward, the spiritual heart of the Tanzania Missionary Church was forming: pastors from across Tanzania asked Bishop Bela to ordain them to the Anglican ministry.
“Most of these men and women had been trained by Bela during his days as an itinerant seminary professor,” said Jon. “During those years as a professor, Bela felt like he was ‘wandering in the wilderness,’ not doing what he was called to do and to be. But God was using those years in the wilderness to establish bonds with students that would result in the Tanzania Missionary Church.”
So it came to pass that on the eve of Lent in February 2024, Bishop Bela ordained two women as deaconesses and 12 men as deacons, the first step toward priesthood in the Anglican tradition. To support Bela and the new deacons, Jon Robbins had flown 36 hours over and back to spend two days on the ground in Mwanza.
A few months later in July 2024, Jon, Bishop Ron, and Robbie returned to Mwanza, along with medical student Brad Mentzer, who launched an eyeglass ministry. But this time, in one short year since the group’s last visit, the cathedral had become fit for worship. The dirt floor was still there, but there was a roof over the top, and the corrugated-metal “tabernacle” next door had been expanded and shored up with cinder-block walls to house offices and the Sunday School.
With great pomp and ceremony, Bishop Bela presided in the cathedral over the ordination of 12 former deacons as priests and seven new deacons and deaconesses. That ceremony, too, was filmed by Star TV and broadcast throughout the region. A few months later, Star TV broadcast one of Bishop Bela’s sermons to the entire country in Swahili and English.
“I’ve had a front-row seat on the explosion of Bela’s ministry,” says Jon Robbins. “It’s easy to take it for granted, but what God has done in Tanzania in just a few short years is nothing short of a miracle.”
St. Paul’s Mwanza Cathedral under construction in summer 2023 with Bela (top row, second from left), his wife, Naomi (standing left), and visiting team from St. Paul’s Church, Vero Beach, and St. Andrew’s Church, Gainesville. Inset: Bela Kalumbete kneels before Bishop Ron Kuykendall at his consecration as an Anglican bishop.
Bishop Bela, Jon Robbins, and Naomi Kalumbete with newly ordained priests, deacons, and deaconesses in July 2024. Top right: Children of St. Pau’s Mwanza making Holy Spirit headbands for the ordination of priest and deacons last summer.
“In one short year since the group’s last visit, the cathedral had become fit for worship.”
Eyeglass Ministry:
‘I was blind, now I see’
Medical student Brad Mentzer, 26, a graduate of Sebastian River High School and the University of Florida, generated his own miracle in Mwanza through an eyeglass ministry he launched last summer as a member of the St. Paul’s Vero Beach mission team.
A third-year medical student at Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland, Brad first met Bela Kalumbete back in 2021, when he accompanied Jon Robbins to Tanzania.
“What’s your biggest health need?” he asked Bela.
“Eyeglasses,” Bela responded unequivocally.
“People in his community couldn’t see because of the lack of eye healthcare,” said Brad, who aspires to become a medical missionary. “That prevented them from being able to work to support their families – or to read their Bibles.”
Poring over the Internet, Brad found a portable eyeglass kit developed by GlobalVision2020. The kit, which included a simple eye-test system, along with pairs of readers, empty frames, and lenses in various prescription strengths, was exactly what he needed. With a gift of $2000 from a family friend, he ordered 550 pairs of distance glasses and 200 pairs of readers, and met up with Jon Robbins’ team in Mwanza.
“We conducted eye tests seven out of the eight days we were on the ground,” said Brad, who was assisted by Robbie Walker and Daniel Sambe, one of the newly ordained priests who acted as an interpreter. On two of those days, they traveled with Bishop Bela and Jon to the towns of Geita and Bunda to test eyes and distribute glasses.
“The eyeglasses were literally life-changing,” said Brad. He explained that many people, including several pastors, confessed that they could no longer see well enough to read their Bibles. “Now I can read it again,” they told him.
But the person he remembers most was a woman who had been legally blind for years. After testing her vision, Brad assembled a pair of distance glasses with the strongest lenses available in the kit and fitted them on her face.
“Thank you,” she said, as her eyes welled up with tears. “I can see!”
Left: Brad Mentzer, a Vero Beach resident who is now a third-year medical student in Poland, fits newly ordained priest Daniel Bangili with eyeglasses. “The eyeglasses were literally life-changing,” said Brad.
Bishop Bela’s cathedral, St. Paul’s Mwanza, equipped for worship in Summer 2024. The cathedral is the seat of Bishop Bela’s burgeoning Tanzania Missionary Church movement.
What is something that
you
really want to accomplish in 2025?
I am committed to being meticulously purposeful in all aspects of my life, spanning spiritual growth, familial relationships, friendships and vocational endeavors.
Althea Chandler
OWNER, POWELL SHOES
I plan on expanding my online coaching platforms, while continuing to grow both the Martini Network and Eating By “V”.
Veronica Kolibab
DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
NEESE ROOFING
In 2025, I plan to travel to Oregon and visit the beautiful beach, La Push.
Penny Crouch
PHLEBOTOMIST
For 2025 I plan on spreading more love and make people happy!
Teri Henry
HAIRSTYLIST YOGA FOR TERI
Two things come to mind: spending more time with my grandchildren, and volunteering more within our community.
Brian Langworthy
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT VIP AMERICA
As I get closer to retirement, I plan on becoming debt-free.
Dianne Pasqualone, LPN
I want to visit Florida‘s west coast and watch a beautiful sunset.
Gabriela Sabanilla REGISTERED DIETICIAN
To further expand our nonprofit profit as the need in the community continues to grow.
Ted Pankiewicz, Sr.
DIRECTOR, FOR THE LOVE OF PAWS
I plan on establishing a better balance in my life between my business, my kids, and my significant other.
Robin Dustman
INTERSTATE EXPRESS, INC.
Spending more time with my family in South Florida is high on my priority list. Also, I’m planning a trip to Greece celebrating my 65th birthday!
Maridalia Berrio-Morales
AMERICAN-O, ACCOUNTING, PAYROLL AND NOTARY SERVICES
I love country music and I am finally taking a trip to Nashville, Tennessee.
Pete Ferguson
GOODFELLA’S PEST MANAGEMENT
I plan on running a half marathon.
Jason L. Young
FOREVER YOUNG FINANCIAL, LLC
In 2025 I am planning a cruise to celebrate my 20th Anniversary.
Dawn Gordon Cushing, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST DRYMEDIC RESTORATION
Building up my new business, buying a home in Vero Beach, and taking a vacation to Europe.
David Zisman
OWNER, PAINTED FROG
Gabriela
BY
My Penguin Friend
RATED PG
One of my favorite films is the 2005 documentary, March of the Penguins, which illustrates how intelligent, social, and emotional penguins are. My love for the documentary is what drew me to the movie for this month, My Penguin Friend. Inspired by a true story, My Penguin Friend (August 2024) is about a lost penguin rescued from an oil spill in Ilha Grande, near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fisherman João Pereira de Souza (Jean Reno), still grieving from the loss of his young son years prior, finds the penguin, takes him home and cleans him up. His wife, Maria (Adrianna Barazza), insists he can’t keep him, but João convinces her it will only be a few days.
João continues to clean, feed, and nurse the penguin back to health. He makes him a sweater from his deceased son’s knitted hat, even though Maria opposes. When João comes home with fresh fish, the penguin runs to him like a little puppy. Who could resist? A friend’s daughter gives him a name: Dindim (Portuguese for "ice pop"). João likes the name, and it sticks.
João reluctantly leaves Dindim and returns home. Within hours, Dindim finds his way back to João’s house on the seashore. Before long, the unlikely friendship gets João talking to people again and fills the hole in João’s heart that has kept him isolated since his son’s death. Dindim steals the hearts of the other fishermen and villagers as well, not to mention Maria’s.
But, one December morning, João discovers Dindim’s footprints leading to the sea. João knows penguins’ natural instinct is to migrate and understands he’s gone. Yet, when spring arrives again, so does Dindim.
Eventually, researchers in faraway Argentina discover Dindim. They observe his unusual friendliness and tag him with a number to study him. When they hear of a video on the internet about a friendly penguin, they contact a journalist friend and ask him to find João and see if the penguin is the one they tagged.
The journalist visits João and confirms the penguin’s number. He informs João his friendship with Dindim has gone viral and convinces him his story is inspiring and worth telling. João hesitantly agrees to an interview. When journalists and camera crew arrive at his humble home, he tells the story of how Dindim comes in June and leaves in December each year.
He finally summons his fishermen friends to help find Dindim. He will have to be the persistent one now if they are going to find him—if he’s even still alive. João could not save his son. Can he save Dindim?
My Penguin Friend is a heartwarming story of love, friendship, and the healing power of animals. The scenery and music are beautiful, and it is a refreshing film with meaningful lessons. Families of all ages can enjoy this one. This film is now added to my favorite list! 5 STARS
Note: It is believed Dindim traveled 5,000 miles each year between Patagonia, Argentina and Ilha Grande to come back to stay with João for the summer for eight years straight.
STAFF PICKS
We at Vero’s Voice Magazine recently made a list of our favorite movies. Perhaps you’ll want to add a few of them to your winter watch list … along with My Penguin Friend, of course.
Kathy Bartoszewicz, Assistant: Pretty Woman, 1990
Del Bates, Movie Reviews: Miracle on 34th Street, 1947
Sandy Carlile, Creative Director: Dune, 2021
Penny Cooke, Movie Reviews: Enchanted, 2007
Doolin Dalton, Voices of Vero: The Last Samurai, 2003
Barbara Freund, Editor-in-Chief: Last of the Mohicans, 1992
Steve Glaser, Voices of Vero: Sound of Music, 1965
A few days turn into a week, then two weeks, then a month. But the time comes when Dindim must go. João takes the penguin back to his habitat, but when he attempts to leave, Dindim keeps squawking and following him. João tells him he’s “a persistent one”—the same words he spoke to his son when he insisted they go fishing together the day he drowned.
Unfortunately, the university hears about Dindim and wants to take him for research. But on the drive to the university, the mischievous Dindim escapes from his crate in the Jeep and tries to make it home.
Meanwhile, reporters and friends are waiting for Dindim to return to João’s home. When he doesn’t return as usual, everyone eventually gives up and goes home. But João continues to wait day after day.
Rhett Palmer, Publisher: It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946
George Pevarnik, Magazine Delivery: The Green Mile, 1999
Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 Paired with Delicious Steak au Poivre Lail Vineyards “Blueprint”
Some people would suggest Steak au Poivre is just the French way to say peppered steak. Well, not exactly. It is unique because of the preparation of the classic Cognac cream sauce. There are many versions of this recipe online, and as far as I am concerned, nothing is better than a prime New York strip steak. The marbling in the steak makes it tasty, juicy, and most of all tender. Basically, I crush whole black peppercorns and press into the steak on both sides. Then melt butter and olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Wait until the butter and oil turn golden brown, then lay the steak away from you in the skillet and listen to that sizzle. The searing locks in the juices. I like this steak rare. Remove the steak when it reaches your desired doneness and set aside to rest.
Take the hot pan off the heat and add Cognac, a splash of red wine, then cook a few minutes to burn off the alcohol. Add a little heavy cream and stir until completely blended. It’s easy. Just make enough to coat the steak; this is a rich sauce and should not be treated like gravy.
I have my own variation here of the classic recipe. I don’t light the Cognac in the pan to burn off the alcohol. After all, it’s Cognac! (And, I like my kitchen.) As you might expect, I can be particular with my food, so I always ask for the sauce on the side. This way I can decide how much sauce I want with every bite of steak.
I chose this recipe after I recently shared a great bottle of wine with my wife, Cyndie, on our back porch. While enjoying the Lail Vineyards “Blueprint” Cabernet Sauvignon, Cyndie asked me what I might suggest as a food pairing. The first thing that came to mind was Steak Au Poivre.
This wine is outstanding and deserves all the acclaim it’s been awarded. It is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. As the winemaker notes, “It is refined, seductive and muscular.” It’s called “Blueprint” in recognition of the owner’s highly regarded architectural achievements and is an expression of dark fruits with blackberry, blueberry, a balance of dark chocolate, spice and caramel.
One flavor profile does not dominate another, but there is an explosion of flavor on the palate. The wine is ready to enjoy today, but can be cellared to mellow and will even be better.
Wishing you a Happy New Year! Glenn
BY
Steak au Poivre
Ingredients
2 1 1/2”-thick New York strip steaks (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons whole multicolor peppercorns
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, 2 smashed, 2 thinly sliced
3 sprigs thyme
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/3 cup cognac or brandy
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
1. About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the steaks from the refrigerator. Pat dry with paper towels and season with salt. Set aside.
2. Place peppercorns in a zip-top bag, and using a rolling pin or small heavy skillet, roughly crush them. Place the crushed peppercorns in a shallow dish and press the steaks into the peppercorns to create a crust on both sides. Reserve the remaining crushed peppercorns, about 2 teaspoons.
3. Heat oil in a large cast iron over mediumhigh. Cook steaks, undisturbed, until a deep golden brown crust forms underneath, about 3 minutes. Turn over and cook on second side until golden brown, about 3 minutes. If the steaks have a fat cap, stand them on their sides with tongs and cook until browned, about 3 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add smashed garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and 1 tablespoon butter to the pan. Cook, basting steak continuously, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each steak registers 120°*, about 2 minutes. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, combine shallot, sliced garlic, remaining crushed peppercorns, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet and cook, stirring often, until shallot and garlic are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and add the cognac or brandy to pan. Set over medium heat and cook until cognac is mostly evaporated and spoon leaves streaks in skillet while stirring, 1–2 minutes. Add cream, bring to a simmer, and cook until sauce coats spoon, about 1 minute. Season with kosher salt.
7. Slice steaks against the grain and transfer to a platter. Pour any juices from cutting board back into skillet and stir into sauce. Spoon sauce generously over steak and sprinkle lightly with salt.
* Carry-over cooking: As a general rule, remove steak from the pan about 5 degrees away from targeted temperature and let it rest 10-15 minutes. The heat inside the steak will carry over for several minutes and raise the temperature a few degrees.
n today’s digital world, the internet connects us to almost everything, making our lives easier but also putting our personal information at risk. Cybersecurity might sound intimidating, but you don’t need to be an expert to protect your devices from hackers. Here are some simple tips anyone can follow to stay secure online.
1. Use Strong, Unique Passwords
One of the easiest and most effective ways to protect your online accounts is to use strong, unique passwords. A strong password is at least 12 characters long and includes a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid using personal information like your name, birthday, or the word “password.” To make it easier to manage, consider using a password manager to generate and store your passwords securely.
2.Keep Your Software Updated
Software updates are not just about getting the latest features; they often include important security patches that fix vulnerabilities hackers can exploit. Make sure your operating system, apps, and antivirus software are updated regularly. Setting your devices to update automatically is the easiest way to ensure you’re always protected with the latest security patches.
3.Be Wary of Phishing Scams
Phishing is one of the most common ways hackers trick people into giving away personal information like passwords or credit card details. These scams often come as fake emails or messages pretending to be from a trusted source, such as your bank or a popular online store. Always double-check the send-
er’s email address and avoid clicking on suspicious links. If something seems too good to be true or feels off, trust your instincts and delete the message.
4.Use Public Wi-Fi with Caution
Public Wi-Fi can be convenient, but it’s also a popular target for hackers. When you connect to a public network, avoid accessing sensitive information like online banking or shopping accounts. If you need to use public Wi-Fi, consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN encrypts your data, making it harder for anyone to intercept your information.
5.Install an Antivirus Software
Good antivirus software can help protect your devices from malware, viruses, and other online threats. Make sure your antivirus is reputable and set it to run regular scans. There are many free and paid options available that provide excellent protection without needing technical knowledge.
Conclusion
Keeping your devices secure doesn’t have to be complicated. By using strong passwords, staying aware of phishing scams, and following the tips above, you can significantly reduce your risk of being hacked. A little caution and a few simple habits can go a long way in protecting your personal information and keeping your devices safe from online threats. Rami Al-Khatib
Jesus, Set Me Free
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Pastor Warren Kelly Brother Danny Lopez
How to Get Financially Organized in 2025: A
Guide for Pre-Retirees and Retirees
by Danny Howes, EA, RFC
As a pre-retiree or retiree, staying financially organized is critical for making the most of your golden years. Whether you’re planning your retirement or are already there, financial organization can give you peace of mind and help ensure your money works for you. In this guide, we’ll explore how to get financially organized in 2025, covering steps like taking a financial inventory, optimizing tax strategies, and reviewing your overall financial health.
1. Take a Financial Inventory
Start by understanding where you stand financially. A financial inventory involves listing your:
• Assets: Include savings accounts, investments, real estate, and retirement accounts like IRAs or 401(k)s.
• Liabilities: Note any debts, including mortgages, credit cards, or personal loans.
• Income Sources: List all income streams, such as Social Security benefits, pensions, rental income, or part-time work.
• Expenses: Track your fixed and variable expenses, including housing, utilities, medical bills, and leisure activities.
Once completed, this snapshot helps you see areas where you might need to cut costs, increase savings, or reallocate funds.
2. Organize Your Documents
Create a central place to store all your important financial documents. Include:
• Tax returns (last three years minimum)
• Estate planning documents (wills, trusts, powers of attorney)
• Insurance policies (home, auto, health, and life insurance)
• Account statements for bank accounts, investments, and retirement funds
Consider using a secure digital tool or file cabinet with labeled folders to keep everything easily accessible.
3. Review Your Tax Strategy for 2025
Taxes can eat into your retirement savings, so planning ahead is essential. In 2025, consider these tax strategies:
• Maximize Retirement Contributions: If you’re still working, contribute the maximum allowable to your IRA or 401(k).
• Take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): If you’re 73 or older, ensure you withdraw your RMDs to avoid penalties.
• Consider Roth Conversions: If you expect to be in a higher tax bracket later, converting traditional IRA funds to a Roth IRA might be advantageous.
• Review Tax Credits and Deductions: Pre-retirees can benefit from deductions like HSA contributions, while retirees may qualify for the Senior Tax Credit.
4. Check Your Insurance Coverage
Having the right insurance is crucial in retirement. Review your policies to ensure you’re adequately covered without overpaying:
• Health Insurance: Evaluate your Medicare options during open enrollment. Consider whether a Medigap or Medicare Advantage plan suits your needs.
• Long-Term Care Insurance: Look into this coverage to protect against the high costs of assisted living or nursing home care.
• Home and Auto Insurance: Ensure your policies provide adequate coverage while considering discounts or bundling options.
5. Update Your Estate Plan
Your estate plan should reflect your current wishes and family dynamics. Steps include:
• Naming beneficiaries on all accounts
• Reviewing your will and any trusts
• Assigning a power of attorney for finances and healthcare
• Discussing your plans with loved ones to avoid future disputes
6. Build a Budget That Reflects Your Retirement Goals
Create a budget that aligns with your lifestyle and financial goals:
• Track Spending: Use tools or apps to monitor expenses.
• Plan for Big Purchases: Budget for travel, home renovations, or family gifts.
• Account for Inflation: Include a buffer to cover rising costs over time.
7. Schedule Regular Financial Checkups
Financial organization isn’t a oneand-done task. Commit to regular reviews:
• Quarterly Reviews: Check your investments, expenses, and progress toward goals.
• Annual Updates: Revisit your tax strategy, insurance coverage, and estate plans.
Getting financially organized in 2025 can set you up for a more comfortable and stress-free retirement. By taking these steps, you’ll have the clarity and confidence to enjoy the lifestyle you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
DANNY HOWES, EA, RFC EAST COAST TAX AND FINANCIAL PLANNING
Pursuing Prayer for America
21 Battle Cries for Our Nation
There is hope for America.
But America’s healing will only come as a result of our persistent, fervent prayers. We the People must return to God’s ways, then He will bless America (Psalm 33:12).
Inside this book are 21 prayers based on various scriptures. Jesus used the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), to fight the enemy, and we can, too. God’s Word does not return voice (Isaiah 55:11). The author’s own personal experience praying Scripture has proven powerful.
With this book, let’s join with our fellow Americans and agree in prayer for 21 days—and beyond. Together let’s ask God to “shed His grace on thee” once again. Let’s commit to pray these powerful scriptures for America for as long as it takes to heal our land.
Penny Cooke is a biblical life coach, author, podcaster, and speaker. She is the author of the award-winning books, Pursuing Prayer: Being Effective in a Busy World, and The Wake-up Prayer children’s book, and many other compilations, devotions, and articles. Penny’s passion is for believers to be empowered by God’s spirit, His Word, and prayer for the battle we call life. Receive encouragement through her blog, podcast, and books at pennycookeauthor.com.
https://www.amzn.com/B0DJ6PL1T5
Penny Cooke
A Fresh Start
BY BETH WALSH STEWART
“The old law of ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.
At the beginning of the year, you may seek a fresh start in different ways. You’ll make plans to be more disciplined. You’ll go through the closet and remove what hasn’t been worn to make room for the new. Maybe you’ll peruse your email lists and take the time to ‘unsubscribe’ to those regular notices that are no longer read.
What about cleaning out your old relationship hurts? Any plans there?
In a way, choosing to forgive an old resentment is like hitting the unsubscribe button at the bottom of an annoying email. When you unsubscribe from historic hurts, you are freed up to live in this moment where joy and peace reign.
But you don’t want to let it go, right? Don’t think I don’t understand; I get it. My hope is that you’ll reconsider and start this new year by taking a look at some of the emotional restructuring that has taken place at the hands of resentment and fear. You see, fear and resentment actually change the way you think and create an atmosphere of distrust and isolation.
Each one of us is made of three distinct natures, all rolled up in one human being. Our lives work best when all three of those natures are running smoothly. Blockages in any one of them impede your happiness.
Your physical nature is reading these words. Your spiritual nature can do the healing work necessary to forgive. Your soul nature which houses the mind, emotions, and will – well, that’s where the healing will take place.
Pain and suffering are real in relationships. Some of us avoid the feelings or the people we think created them. Some of us have honed defense mechanisms like blame to walk us out of accountability, relieving us of the need to take action. Worse, some of us have decided to keep our world small, and we’ve boxed ourselves in with the memories of that pain and rarely allow others inside. That’s a new problem in itself. We were created to connect. It’s unnatural when we don’t.
What’s going on inside of you? Are you allowing a negative memory to decide how abundant your life can be? By holding onto ill will, you are actually limiting your potential, your possibil-
ities, and your participation in the circle of life. When you run your life based on how you feel, you tap the shallowest portion of your intellectual pool and make life decisions from that vantage point. Remember, the soul portion of the human being is wonderful and deep. The soul is made up of emotions, the mind/intellect, and the will.
Forgiveness taps all parts of the soul. You feel angry or hurt, and a resentment forms. From this point, you can decide if you like how you feel.
You can ponder the choice to be angry and wallow in negativity, hoping to exact some sort of punishment, or you can see the hurt through to the end result where you’re separated and alone. In this view, you will realize that your anger hasn’t changed the perpetrator of your pain at all. Your resentment isn’t tied to their accountability in real life. That is only happening in your head.
Your real power is in forgiving. What if you chose to love them ‘although’ they hurt you? What if you enlisted your spiritual power to eradicate anger, fear, and pain and replace it with love? Your will holds the final card. What action will you take?
Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is an act of the will. The choices you make become the life you lead. Choose well. Let love trump fear.
Beth Walsh Stewart, MTh, is the Creator of BethWe, the nonprofit that was the impetus for this work. Dedicated to rescuing the stragglers lost in the shadows of the road of life, Beth is best-known for her Good Seed Podcasts, 12-Step seminars, weekly blogs, g.o.d. speaks books, and uplifting workshops. Beth lives by this motto: I have been called to help my brother find his authentic self and his God, and I best accomplish this end by sharing my pursuit of the same.
Rev’s Verses
BY PASTOR RICH IENUSO
The Lord God is Good
Psalm 65:11:
The Lord crowns
the year with His goodness...
It’s great to know that the Lord crowns each year with His goodness.
That is because the Lord is good (Nehemiah 1:7).
The Lord God is abundant in goodness (Exodus 34:6).
It’s the goodness of God that leads us to repent (Romans 2:4).
Goodness and mercy follows us all the days of our life (Psalms 23:6).
How great is His goodness (Zechariah 9:17).
May this New Year be filled with God’s goodness.
Pastor Rich Ienuso
HCome, Holy Spirit, Fill Our Hearts with Joy
BY FATHER DUFFY
ave you ever met a naysayer, one of those people who go around raining on everyone’s parade? No matter how happy and enthusiastic you may feel when you meet this kind of person, no matter how optimistic you are, the naysayer will find some reason to pop your balloon. You will leave the company of a naysayer full of confusion, downhearted, or at least dispirited.
“When we possess the Holy Spirit, our lives can never be the same.”
The Holy Spirit is the opposite of a naysayer. Whenever we are in contact with the Holy Spirit we feel buoyant, optimistic, and full of enthusiasm. The Spirit gives vitality to our lives, breathing into them a sense of inner joy and enthusiasm for the Gospel.
When we possess the Holy Spirit, which Jesus promises to His faithful followers, our lives can never be the same. The Holy Spirit brings not only virtues like peace and patience into our lives, but joy and hope as well. We cannot possess the gifts of faith, hope, and love without the Holy Spirit.
Why do we call the Gospel the good news? The answer is so simple that we often overlook it. Jesus taught us that we are the children of His Father. That’s right. We are God’s own children. We are loved by Him more than any good parent loves his or her children.
Once we understand this good news, how could we be sad? This does not mean that we are free from suffering and disappointment, and even from slipping, confusedly, on the banana peels of life. It does mean, however, that no suffering or disappointments or falling can be so great as to rob us of this inner Spirit.
May the Holy Spirit fill your heart with peace and joy this year!
A 5-year-old boy who died was alive and well again, a demoniac was delivered and saved, people were set free of fear, unforgiveness, hatred – all by the Authority of the Name of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit.
MONTHLY
First Wednesday of Each Month 11:45AM
Italian-American Civic Association
1600 25th St. • Vero Beach
Cost: $20 and includes a Delicious Lunch!
Call Steve Glaser (954) 261-0544 for info
he Patriot Church’s goal is to educate you about the truth of our country’s founding and empower you to engage in the Battle for the Heart and Soul of America. Join the Sacred Cause to Save our Republic! Tune in Wednesdays, 11:00am-12:00noon
4th Sunday in Sebastian, 50 S. Wimbrow Dr, 10:00am
5th Sunday in Vero Beach, 4425 71st St, 10:00am
Kathleen Hollop is a healing evangelist who has experienced the miracles of God today. She has made 23 trips to Africa, Venezuela, and Columbia and also several trips to Maine.
