Hot Apple Cider

Angelina Fast-Vlaar has two pieces in Hot Apple Cider. The book opens with her true story, “It Was Then That I Carried You,” in which she shares a little of what’s in her book, Seven Angels for Seven Days. Then on page 103 is the poem she wrote after she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.

After raising a family of five, Angelina Fast-Vlaar was privileged to continue her education and secure a position with Niagara College as a Psychology instructor. After her husband, Peter Fast, died in 1987 she also worked as a counsellor and grief recovery group facilitator.

She married Joe Vlaar in 1994. He also has five children and together they have 23 grandchildren! To keep up with birthdays is one of their more enjoyable challenges.

She was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 1997, but has been cancer-free since then! She set up a website to encourage cancer patients and updates that every month with some of her writing. (Check for the URL on the Home page.)

Her writing career also includes articles and poetry published in Pioneer, Mennonite Brethren Herald and Christian Courier as well as two books. The Valley of Cancer was first published in 1999 and translated into Dutch in 2004 by her cousin, Hendrik Harssema. Seven Angels for Seven Days was published in 2005.  "The Tenth Anniversary Expanded Edition" of The Valley of Cancer was published in 2008 by Word Alive Press.

Angelina is an inspirational speaker who has a passion to communicate encouragement to small or large audiences. She is flexible as to topics and chooses those that reflect the needs of her listeners. One talk, based on the story in Seven Angels for Seven Days, is: "Guideposts: When our Paths Lead through Desert Places." Drawing from her amazing story in the Australian outback, she identifies four principles which serve as guideposts on our journeys.

Angelina and Joe live in picturesque Port Dalhousie where coffee on the porch (in summer) and walks on the pier (in every season) are some of the many things they enjoy.

Angie, Hot Apple Cider came together in a rather unusual way. What made you want to have your work in it?

I thought it was a privilege to help World Vision as well as an opportunity to tell of God’s grace by means of my story and poem in Hot Apple Cider.

This book is 100% Canadian. Canadian authors, publisher, printer – everything. Is that important to you?

Yes. I think it’s a very good idea to let the “world” know that Canada has rich talent!

In her foreword for Hot Apple Cider, Janette Oke mentions that writers are often asked, “Why do you write?” How do you respond to that question?

Life is full of memorable moments and I have a passion to capture these moments. So I pen a journal entry, craft an article, or compose a poem to preserve a treasured experience.

Angie, you are very up front and personal in your books. How hard is it to bare your soul on paper knowing that not only your family and friends, but total strangers will read it?

My two books are the result of a definite “nudging” from the Spirit while I was ill with cancer. The words from Psalm 118:17 were given me on a day which I believed would be my last. “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.” The Valley of Cancer was not difficult as I was already sharing my writing with other cancer patients while going through chemo. Seven Angels for Seven Days was a huge struggle because it meant opening old journals and revisiting the place of pain.

I backed out of the “proclaiming” by deciding to write the story just for my children. When they read it they simply said, “Mom, you need to share this in order to be of help to others.” I did some more editing and when the manuscript was finally completed, I relinquished it to God with tears streaming down my face. And – I asked Larry Willard, my publisher, to be “gentle with my heart.” And he was.

What in your previous life – before your husband’s death and the cancer – prepared you to be able to write these very personal stories?

I had read personal stories of grief by authors like Catherine Marshall, Sheldon Vanauken, Paula D’Arcy, C. S. Lewis. I was impressed with their openness about personal details. Because of their willingness to be vulnerable, these authors and others became my guides when I was confronted with grief and illness. I understood then, if I ever was to share my story, it would have to be done with honesty and openness.

You talk about seven angels who helped you after your husband died suddenly in the Australian outback. Do you really feel these were angels, or are you meaning that God used people as if they were angels?

There remains a tantalizing mystery about the first “angel” – the person who came to our campsite to say he had come to look after me. He sort of miraculously appeared out of nowhere and disappeared in the same manner. We’ve searched for this person and when we believed we had found him, he simply said, “I have no recollection of that.” As for the second “angel,” we also can’t locate her, the social worker has no recollection of her, and the hospital staff can not find a record of her employment. These two, of course, may be “earthlings” as the other five are. Angels are “ministering spirits.” God sent seven strangers to surround me during the worst week in my life and their ministry was of such impact, that I took the liberty to call them angels.

I’m assuming you get feedback from a lot of people because of the nature of your books, and feedback is great for the author – you know someone is actually reading your words! But I’m wondering if you’ve learned anything from your readers that you could share with us?

I’ve learned that we all struggle, we cannot do life alone, we all need someone to walk with us, to encourage us. I’ve learned that readers feel validated in their struggles by reading of mine. I’ve learned that details in the story which I was going to omit, turned out to be the very thing someone needed to hear. I’ve learned God is control.

Aside from your own pieces, is there a particular piece or thought in the book that stood out for you?

I love Bonnie Grove’s story “The Stuckville Café.” Carol, the proprietor, is an “angel unaware” as she ministers to her customers.

A lot of people want to share their stores in order to help others. What advice do you have for someone who faces a situation similar to the one you have shared in Hot Apple Cider and wants to share it?

Just tell your story. There’s power in a story. The Holy Spirit will takes the story and use it where needed. Don’t preach or explain. Honour your readers’ intelligence. They will “get it” without you telling them what they ought to get. And remember – God can’t use what you are not willing to share.

Are you working on something else now?

Several projects are in the oven or rather on my PC. A book for my grandchildren about the Grandpa they never knew. A book of memories of shelter during WW II when I was a child in the Netherlands. A devotional book.

What is your prayer for the readers of Hot Apple Cider?

I pray that readers will be drawn to the Saviour who loves, forgives, heals, and guides.

Read Angie's article in Hot Apple Cider

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