Anna Foll
Intrigued, I told my mom, and our family began listening to it. From the very first episode, I was hooked. I loved it so much I wanted to be involved somehow. Seemingly impossible then, I had no idea what adventures were in store.
I contacted Discovery Mountain to express my interest. They responded that they wouldn’t need voice actors for 9-12 months. I accepted it and moved on. But after meeting Miss Jean (Boonstra) at Wisconsin camp meeting, she emailed saying they had an audition soon. I emailed back, disappointedly declining because I was unavailable on that date. Surprisingly, Miss Jean replied that they could audition me separately. I was thrilled about the opportunity, and the audition went smoothly.
However, I became less hopeful as time passed, until I woke from a peculiar dream one Wednesday morning. I had no recollection of it; I just knew in the dream I had gotten the part. I felt impressed that, “Today, I will find out whether or not I will get the part, and the answer will be yes.” As the day passed uneventfully, so did my memory of both the dream and the impression.
After reading an acceptance letter from Discovery Mountain the next morning, I suddenly recalled my dream. The email came late the previous night, so it actually did arrive on Wednesday. Shaking my head in amazement, I exclaimed, “Wow, God! If my calculations are correct, You’re pretty amazing!”
I had been cast to play the role of Haddie (Hadassah) Bellamy, a modern-day Esther. Fascinatingly, I found the story of Esther popping up everywhere in my life. From radio programs to songs, to memorizing Esther and Daniel for Pathfinder Bible Experience, Mordecai’s message, “for such a time as this,” was ubiquitous in my life.
Soon my mom and I boarded a plane for Loveland, Colorado, Voice of Prophecy’s Headquarters, which is Discovery Mountain’s parent ministry. As we gained altitude, my apprehensiveness also rose. Why was I, an ordinary girl, chosen to voice Haddie? What if the other actors didn’t like the idea of a newcomer? Worries clouded my mind as I gazed at the scattered clouds outside my window. Looking closer, I noticed a resplendent double-rainbow encircling the shadow of our plane, providing reassurance of God's watch care.
The recording week went amazingly well, creating lasting memories and fortifying my faith through answered prayers and unexpected surprises. As different actors befriended me, Discovery Mountain started to feel like one big family.
In 2019, Miss Jean cast Haddie in some mini episodes. Being unable to return to Loveland, I worked with Director Doug and my sister to record from my home studio. With prayer and perseverance, I became one of the first to record remotely, which became a necessity in 2020.
In 2021, I had the privilege of writing a mini episode for Discovery Mountain entitled “Adopted,” which officially aired in November 2022. Now, six years after my journey with Discovery Mountain began, I still look back in amazement at how God used an ordinary girl like me to encourage so many people’s faith, just like Esther of old. God’s not done using ordinary people to do extraordinary things “for such a time as this.”
Anna Foll is a member of the Watertown Seventh-day Adventist Church and writer for the Wakonda Wednesday blog.
