Since this time, the events at Conyers, Georgia have been drawing a growing number of people who seek a deeper spiritual life. A number of pilgrims" claim to have witnessed miracles and cures at Conyers not unlike those at other well known apparition sites throughout the world. At Conyers some people experience an overpowering scent of roses, others see the light around Nancy's statue of the Madonna and Child or the sun spinning as at Fatima and Medjugorje. But the most powerful experiences are those where whole families are deeply converted. Personal lives are changed from churchless to a level of sound orthodox wisdom that might otherwise take years of study to achieve.
Nancy has been sent many friends who share in her experiences. Several people have been given confirming inner locutions by Our Lady or Our Lord. Some of these people actively assist Nancy in her ministry. As a result there is a community like atmosphere in Conyers that strikes a warm chord for the visitor. In addition, there seems to be no end to the litany of transient souls who are bursting to share their experiences on the spot. The events at Conyers are also intertwined with Nancy's confessor and spiritual advisor, Fr. Joachim Tierney O.S.C.O. at a local monastery, who greatly enjoys spending time with pilgrims. He often volunteers that, after almost two years of working with Nancy, he has absolutely no shadow of doubt about her reported visitations from Heaven.
With respect to the Church, Nancy has repeatedly stated that she will follow the directions of the local Bishop concerning her experiences. She considers fidelity and obedience to the Church to be paramount and warns others to be vigilant in this regard. The Bishop had made no public pronouncements about the reported mystical events at Conyers by the time this book went to the printers.
Many people go to Conyers seeking information to make a personal assessment about the validity of the events there. Some find Conyers similar to other apparition sites. In general, everyone gets some time with Nancy and is struck by her simple manner and overriding hope that God's love is touching your life too. She always seems grateful you came to Conyers for the sake of Jesus and His Mother.
Given Our Lady's comments to Nancy about Conyers, the number of pilgrims will be growing in the coming months and years. Subject to the local Bishop's dictates, Conyers could become an important crossroad for many people in their journey back to the Lord.
Nancy Fowler's mystical experiences seem to range from apparitions through imaginative and intellectual visions. She hears audible voices as well as receiving interior locutions. She has apparitions and visions of Our Lord and His Mother as well as the saints including St. Catherine Laboure and St. Therese of Lisieux.
For many, terms describing different types of mystical experience are new. They have been classified by St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and many other older and newer writers in The Church. Definitions differ according to writer, but below is a quick, superficial description of the terms to help people understand what Nancy is experiencing. It must be remembered that none of these mystical phenomena has anything to do with the progress of the soul in love, but if they are from God they should aid a person grow in love with the Holy Trinity and with neighbor.
APPARITIONS: The most difficult of all supernatural phenomena for the Church to come to grips with is that of apparitions. This is because it is psychologically possible for a person to conjure up in his own mind beings in their bodily state. It is difficult to distinguish between an apparition and a hallucination, so both St. Teresa and St. John mistrusted these. Most people who have apparitions talk about being touched by, or touching, real bodies.
IMAGINATIVE VISIONS: This term does not mean that the vision is a figment of the visionary's own imagination but that God somehow manages to suspend reality and, using images that make sense to that person, infuses wisdom into the soul. This type of vision is more like a 'wide awake dream' while the real world has disappeared.
INTELLECTUAL VISIONS: St. Teresa says this is a vision which is not seen at all. It seems, from what she says, to be a direct communication by God with the soul and imparts great fire, love and sweetness, and the person knows unmistakably that it comes from God.
INNER LOCUTION: This is a supernatural means of communication. It is not a sensory communication since none of the five bodily senses are involved. They are messages given in very clear words which are not formed in the mind of the person, but in the heart while the mind of the person is at rest. It is distinct from an exterior locution in which the person hears an audible voice through the ear.
Rev. Jose Alfonso Salazar M.Ss.A., a friend of Conyers, says that everything Nancy has communicated to him conforms to Catholic Christian Theism and Realism.
Mystical theology is an area of spirituality from which many people shy away because it is so controversial. However, in these days of great disbelief in God, many find it comforting to know that God is still concerned, still loving and still in control.
This book contains excerpts from a growing compendium of messages from Heaven and personal witnesses from pilgrims to Conyers. However, the amount of information collected to date is too extensive for a single publication. Future volumes are expected as sequels to this edition as the Conyers experience continues.
A number of volunteers have come forward to translate the book into a number of other languages. This fulfills a comment from Our Loving Mother some time ago that the book would be translated into many languages.
All God's children are invited to visit Conyers, particularly for the weekly Sunday afternoon prayer meetings and on the thirteenth of each month when the Blessed Mother gives a message to Her children of America.
OUR LOVING MOTHER'S CHILDREN
Summer 1991