Anna Fluer

Anna Fluer has been semi-investigating the church for about seven years now but not with real intent of listening or feeling the spirit. She has been best friends with a now returned missionary here in the Netherlands and has listened to him talk about Mormonism for all these years. Well, it finally happened, they fell in love and they would probably tie the knot but he has told her how important Temple marriage is for him and that he really does not want to get married and have a family with someone who does not have his religious beliefs and who he can not marry for eternity. She really loves him and does not want to loose him.

She has agreed to receiving the discussion from the missionaries. She really had an attitude last week while listening to us and we could tell that we were not getting through to her at all. She was totally tuned out to anything that was said. After the teaching session I caught her in the hall at church and I felt really impressed to talk to her. I finally told her that she should not join the church for the wrong reasons and that she should be totally converted before taking that big step. At one point I told her that I felt she was not really praying because she did not want to hear the answer. She admitted to me that yes that was true because she knows that when she does get confirmation she will have to do something about it. Anna Fluer has some real concerns about how her family will react and wonders whether she will be able to endure to the end. (Don't we all?)

I personally know exactly what she is going through right now. I remember not wanting to pray for an answer to whether or not we should serve this mission. It took me a long time to actually pray for the desire to go because I knew what the answer would be and then I would have to act on that. But I finally got up enough courage to ask Heavenly Father for the right answer for me, and here we are.

Would it have been easier to stay home? Of course but we would never have had all the blessings our family has received and I would honestly not trade this experience for all the world. Not only have we experienced life here in Europe and meet some terrific people, but my testimony has grown in leaps and bounds. My life will never be the same because of this mission. Spending 24/7 serving has really given me a chance to study and read more than I ever did at home and I am finally starting to understand what I am reading (not as many distractions here) it has also given me an appreciation for the life and family I have been given. Heavenly Father really does have a plan for all of us and all we have to do is listen for the spirit to tell us what that plan is for us. We are very fortunate that our family has been such a tremendous support. We can really feel the prayers that are being said for us each day and it has made being on the other side of the world a lot easier to handle for us.