CHARACTER INTERVIEW - JOANNE VAN DER HAAS

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I live in the St. Louis area with my husband and three children, but work on a contract basis with an organization in Washington, D.C. I used to work with them full-time, but wanted to stay at home with my children more. Now I only take an assignment every three months or so.

I understand that you know the elusive Lady Anne.

Yes, I do.

Can you tell us how you know her?

We’ve worked together on occasion.

And you work with...

I’m sorry, but I can't say who I work for. Even the name of the organization is top-secret.

I understand you had some concern about Lady Anne’s high profile assignments.

Extreme concerns. It put her in the public eye, which could expose her secrets and eventually lead back to our employer. Unfortunately, neither my boss nor his superiors agreed...at least at first. But when Lady Anne became a terrorist target, and others started to look for her too, my fears began to come true. Then they finally paid attention to my concerns.

But Lady Anne is scheduled to appear with King Ahmad again.

In spite of the danger, when push came to shove, they gave in because they didn’t want to offend the King.

Is there anything that can be done to keep her safe?

She has a plan, but it’s dangerous. I’m praying it will work. If it doesn’t, I don’t know what we’ll do.

I hear that you have problems of your own to deal with at home.

Yes. My husband Neil’s illness was a shock. It’s been hard, especially on top of the issues going on at work. We still don’t know which way things will go, but there has been good news along with the bad. And we’re praying that he’ll recover completely.

He’s a big NASCAR fan, isn’t he?

Huge! That’s why I couldn’t resist planning a special NASCAR weekend for him. Stuart Jackson was so kind to make all the arrangements for us. He might be rich and famous as a NASCAR champion, but he’s a very nice person and was quite generous. It was a perfect weekend for Neil, although it led to a fiasco in the end.  

Was it worth all the trouble?

Now that I look back, I’d have to say it was. As much as I hated to admit it at the time, God was in control and led events to come out for the best in spite of all the difficulties. From my perspective, it looked like He was guiding me into disaster, but it all worked out in the end.

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed, Joanne. I will join you in praying that Lady Anne's plan will work out.