Abigail Mason wins a joint Grace Award at the 16th Annual Movieguide® Faith & Values Awards Gala

Abigail Mason on the red carpet with Dan Wooding (Photo: Brian Nixon)

BEVERLY HILLS, CA (ANS) -- Abigail Mason has come a long way from her home in Lansing, Michigan, where her interest in "acting" started at the young age of 8.

In fact, she had done over twenty theatre productions and musicals by the time she was 14. At the age of 15, she attended a talent convention and convinced her parents it was time to visit Los Angeles.

Her LA visit proved to be the right move as since she has been on such networks such as Fox, Disney, HBO, lifetime, Comedy Central, and was cast as the 16-year old lead of "Lyddie Cottrel", in Michael Landon, Jr's, film, "Saving Sarah Cain".

Abigail rounds out her busy schedule by supporting Compassion International, sponsoring a child from the Dominican Republic. She is also in the volunteer program, Illuminate that gives underprivileged children an opportunity to express themselves through the creative arts and helps sponsor a program that provides medical support to children with AIDS in Zambia.

Now all her hard work has earned her a joint Grace Award for Television (along with Bailee Madison), at the recent 16th Annual Movieguide® Faith & Values Awards Gala, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

DVD cover of Saving Sarah Cain

"It's definitely a story about redemption and it brings a good message," she said. "I play an Amish girl and the film is about how we're orphaned and we have to move to the big city with our aunt, who is a newspaper columnist. It's the story of going from Lancaster Pennsylvania to the big city and having to deal with that and all the big changes that occur."

Abigail said that "shoot" took five weeks and I then asked if she knew it was going to be a good film.

"Yes," Abigail replied. "The minute I read the script it really resonated with me and I felt a connection to the script and the material before I even started filming. I thought it was a beautiful script. I was really blessed to be a part of it."

Was she happy at the way it had been received?

"Yes, I'm very happy it's been so well received because I think that having that message out there -- the message of redemption -- is a very powerful message and I'm glad that message is being out there."

Note: Saving Sarah Cain is the heartwarming story of a self-absorbed big city newspaper columnist who discovers that she is the legal guardian of her five Amish nieces and nephews after the death of her sister. It was produced by Michael Landon, Jr. and Brian Bird, and is based on the best-selling novel by New York Times bestselling author Beverly Lewis. Saving Sarah Cain was released to DVD on January 15th.

I would like to thank Robin Frost from transcribing this interview.

Dan Wooding, 67, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma of 44 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC. Wooding is the author of some 42 books, the latest of which is his autobiography, "From Tabloid to Truth", which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to www.fromtabloidtotruth.com. danjuma1@aol.com.