didn't really practice our faith or read the Bible. When I was 14
years old my father died and my mother was left alone to take
care of the family. I left home when I was 16. I met Marika and
we fell in love. At the age of 18 we got married. I started high
school to study business, but never finished it. I worked a couple
of years as a plumber's assistant. One year into our marriage our
first daughter was born. Then I had to do military service for a
year. Our second daughter was born when I was 20. At that time
I was working with my father-in-law, who managed a cemetery.
I helped him with maintenance, grave digging and cleaning the
tombstones, earning a good salary for a man of just 22.
Later I sold it and opened two vegetable stalls.
disco. Although we became rich, I realize now that the more
money we earned, the more problems we had in our family life.
In 1994 our private life was a mess. Marika wanted to divorce me.
I didn't want to lose her or my daughters, but I also didn't know
how to solve the problems.
ing was that people greeted Marika and me and wished us God's
blessing. One man smiled at me and it felt like he was giving me
a special welcome. I wondered how people could be so friendly
when they didn't even know me. The moment the singing started
I got goose bumps and felt so much at home. At that moment I
knew this was what I was looking for!
door of our corps when they come to the meetings.
tion of about 3,000 people, but eventu-
ally, we both knew this was not the place
we could stay. We didn't want to go back
to the Catholic Church, so we began at-
tending a Reformed Church. The pastor
gave us a real warm welcome and took
time to explain the gospel to us. We both
realized that we were living a bad life
and that we were even involved in the oc-
cult. The pastor read John 8 and in par-
ticular the words of Jesus: "Then neither
do I condemn you. Go now and leave your
life of sin." We prayed together, asking
the Lord to take our chains away. In that
moment my wife and I received forgive-
ness and a new life started.