Our family went to Atlanta, Georgia for a four-day vacation. My husband
and children wanted to go to Six Flags. I had heard of Conyers from a friend
who had experienced a deeper conversion there, five years earlier. I had
just known this friend, Jeanne, for four months, and although we lived
in different areas of North Carolina, we had quickly become close through
our love of Our Lady. I had fallen into sin thirteen years ago, and I had
felt despair of ever experiencing God's love again. Jeanne helped me grow
closer to Our Lady. We smelled roses the first night we spoke to each other
at a Holy Spirit convention in Greensboro, North Carolina, in May of 1998.
That was when I first heard of Conyers. Surprisingly, I was at Conyers
only three months later.
I was alone, and it was about 6:00 PM on August 1st. I went into the
apparition room and saw the kneeler in front of the picture of the Divine
Mercy. I knelt there and prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet. As I was praying,
it felt like my heart was being ripped into two pieces inside of my body.
The next day, I came back at the same time, alone, and prayed again.
A week after I arrived home, on August 10th, I felt an invitation to
fast and pray. I began to fast on bread and water on August 11th. The fast
continued until September 19th, forty days. I ate nothing but bread and
drank nothing but water. I cooked delicious meals for our family, but desired
no food. On two occasions, I ate a little plain pasta, but it did not "feel
right, so I stopped. My family did not notice my fast, except for our nine-year
old daughter, and she was quiet about it. My suffering was a deep sense
of total abandonment by God. This began to ease one Saturday when I made
a nine-hour novena, and signed up for the prayer intentions list at Catholicity.
I then saw myself as part of the broken body of Christ, and I began to
pray very hard for others.
I joined the Militia of Immaculata on August 15,1998. I returned to
Conyers in October for the 12th, 13th and 14th. While there, I prayed that
my husband and I could go there together for our 26th Anniversary,
which was November 11th. We went to Conyers that November on the 12th,
13th, and 14th. That was our first trip together, alone, in 17 years, and
it was the best one we had ever taken. We participated in the Rosaries,
the prayer group, and the Saturday Mass. I am very grateful to Our Loving
Mother and Her Beloved Son, Our Lord and Savior, for the graces our family
has received. God Bless You.
Joan H.
March 1, 1999
Michigan