Hannah Willems

I, Hannah Plett Willems, was the first of eight children born to Jacob and Mary Heinrichs Plett. Dad was a preacher at Springfield Church, and farmed near Lehigh, Kansas. We were all kept busy on the farm and in the church.

I married Pete Willems, a generous, good-hearted man. We had very little in material goods in our early married life, but Pet was always generous to our growing family and to others.

When the children were young, I enjoyed being at home, serving the Lord in what seemed to me very small ways. I prayed much for our girls as I ironed the ruffles on their dresses, and for our son while washing dishes. We had a lot of dishes to wash because we had a lot of company. Our table was often surrounded by friends or missionaries or visitors to the church.

As children and grandchildren moved farther away and we saw them less, God gave us the opportunity to share our Christmas dinners with guests who needed substitute parents and grandparents. Needs in other peoples’ lives can sometimes be easier to see than those in our own; yet by meeting another’s needs, our own are met.

I never thought of myself as being a notable servant of the Lord. Teaching Sunday School, working with women in the church, and practicing hospitality seem a natural thing for a woman at home to do. Paul instructed the same in I Timothy and Titus. Not till I was in heaven with the Lord did I realize I would be given tribute in a book, or featured in an article in the Christian Leader. Be faithful and let God do what He will with it.

I enjoyed reading good books, and eventually my bookshelves were well stocked. I led the Women’s Mission Society at Parkview for quite a few years. As younger women began to pick up responsibility, they came to me for ideas and guidance, and I shared my books with the younger women when they visited our home. I just wanted to be faithful and now I am thrilled to know that several women in following generations have considered me their mentor. I had no idea…