Gary Stallings

Gary Stallings lives on a beautiful farm in Uruguay, South America where he enjoys sharing God's love and creation with children. He and his family moved to Uruguay in 2007 after starting a non-profit ministry called Fields of the Fatherless, (www.fieldsofthefatherless.org). Being inspired by a young boy named Mario from a Uruguayan orphanage, Gary took a notepad and pencil, (he's not very high tech) and wrote the story, "Mario's Golden Locket".

After seeing how the story impacted both children and adults, Gary and his wife decided to publish the book and began looking for illustrators. Then they had an "Ah ha" moment and realized that the farm was the perfect place to bring the story to life with photography. They hired their niece, Christen Byrd, a professional photographer, (www.christenbyrd.com) who flew all the way to Uruguay to shoot the book and drink some mate.

The result is a superbly photographed story with an inspiring message of healing for all ages. It has been shared in Uruguay with many children and adults and now is available in the United States through the publishing company that the Stallings formed. For more information about Mario and to see more pictures of the farm, go to www.flourishpublishinghouse.com .