Ave and her best friend Katie lived for many years as nuns in a convent in Nimbschen. But one day Ave, Katie, and several other nuns decided they must flee the convent for the city of Wittenberg so that they could worship the Lord in a way pleasing to him.
Even after Ave married the pharmacist Barcilius Axt and Katie married the famous reformer Martin Luther and Ave moved away from Wittenberg for her husband’s work, the two women wrote each other many letters and remained close friends, “sisters in the Lord.â€
Now almost three decades later, Ave has received a letter that Katie has died. Determined to share her friend’s faith, Ave begins to relay her memories of Katie and share the letters she has kept for all these years.
The Lord gave Katie many joys as a wife and mother, but he was also pleased to send her and her family many trials of faith. And so Ave desires that we learn what Katie came to learn over her fifty-three years: trust in the Lord. He strengthens the hearts of all who hope in him (Psalm 31:24).