star of the week: Anne-Marie van Winckel

Here's the haps with our friends:
Liliane is going completely strong; reading night and day, giddy about her baptism every time we see her. Only thing is, we don't know when that will happen. We’re waiting on the softened heart of her opposing daughter. That’s not getting her down, though. We are planning like it'll happen any day and praying like mad.

Anne-Marie set her own baptismal date for 14 December, which happens to be her birthday. She’s got all the fine details worked out. She knows the gospel inside and out so we feel a bit useless when we go to teach the lessons. More supervising than teaching, really. I wish all investigators were member referrals. :) This woman has a heart of gold and is completely set on doing everything asked of her and then some. She gets the ABCD (above, beyond call of duty) award.

Fernand is a new friend whom we found in a park in Hoboken. He meandered over to us, his 70+ year old legs clad in a vintage suit, and when we approached him and told him we talk to people about religion, he looked around the leafy path and motioned to a bench. We sat there for 80 minutes teaching about the restoration. Our follow up appointment was brilliant - he has read dozens of pages from the Book of Mormon and received an answer to his prayer that it's true. He’s currently on holiday with his wife but we are expecting a terrific appointment on Wednesday.

Willy is from the Congo and Zuster Holbein and I met him as he was walking down the street op Linkeroever (very far from where he lives). We had a brief interaction in Dutch in which we explained that we share the Book of Mormon. He expressed interest in a French copy and we set up an appointment to deliver it. That and several more appointments fell through but Zuster Van Wauwe, our ward missionary and friend loves her brothers and sisters from her native Congo and encouraged us to keep trying. She accompanied us to our first lesson where we learned that Willy does not speak nor understand Dutch. Confusion and awe followed because we truly carried on a whole conversation with him that first day and we were speaking Dutch. Well, he has read through Alma in the Book of Mormon after several appointments and asked to be baptized into the church he's been looking for all his life. A sweet experience.

Nico is just one more miracle that will have to wait until Monday when I can give his conversion justice. But in the meantime, attend and enjoy church and I love you all.

veel liefs,
Zuster Fritz