OUR JOURNEY

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I was born in Fort Victoria in Southern Rhodesia. My parents were poor missionary farmers who had a deep love for the Lord.

Because of their radical faith in God, they were banned from the established church community. I therefore grew up with the knowledge that we were “different”. God called me into the ministry at about eight years of age during a Dutch Reformed church service.

 

My life’s journey was to take me into the foundry and engineering industry where I learned the trade of patternmaker (wood and metal patterns for engineering purposes). I did my duty as a soldier in the war and thereafter completed a two-year Bible college course. I was privileged to minister in various church organisations, including the Dutch Reformed Church, where I ministered for a period of six years.

I was involved with missionary work in Zimbabwe and Zambia, and I assisted with the building of church buildings and the development of training material for Bible schools in those two countries.
 

Later I established a foundry and engineering business, and during the farm invasions of 2002, I bought a farm and started a dairy enterprise. This opened the door for my wife and I to minister in many different farming situations and to various people living in crisis times. We did our part to feed many hungry people during the political drought of 2007/8 and we initiated leadership ministry camps

to bless and encourage many church leaders throughout Zimbabwe who were faithfully giving themselves for ministry during those difficult times.

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ONS REIS

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Ek is in Fort Victoria in Suid Rhodesië gebore. My ouers was arm sendeling boere wat ‘n diep liefde vir die Here gehad het. Hulle is as gevolg van hulle radikale geloof in God uit die gevestigde kerkgemeenskap verban. Ek het dus met die wete dat ons “anders” was, grootgeword. God het my op agtjarige ouderdom na die bediening geroep terwyl ek in ‘n Nederduits Gereformeerde kerk erediens gesit het.

My lewensreis het my na die bedryf gelei waar ek die ambag van vormmaaker geleer het (hout- en metaalpatrone vir ingenieursdoel-eindes). Ek het my weermag diensplig in die oorlog gedoen, waarna ek ‘n twee-jaar Bybelskool kursus voltooi het. Dit was my voorreg om in verskeie gemeentes van verskillende kerkorganinsasies te bedien, insluitende om vir ses jaar as predikant in die NG Kerk te bedien.

Ek was betrokke by sendingwerk in Zimbabwe en Zambië en het met die bou van kerkgeboue en die ontwikkeling van opleidingsmateriaal vir Bybelskole in daardie twee lande gehelp.

Later het ek ‘n gietery en ingenieursmaatskappy gevestig en bestuur, en gedurende die plaasbesettings in 2002 ‘n plaas gekoop en ‘n melkboerdery begin. Hierdie het vir ons ‘n deur oopgemaak om in talle verskillende boerdery situasies en aan talle mense wat krisis tye beleef het, te bedien.

Ons het ons deel gedoen om baie honger mense gedurende die politiese droogte van 2007/8 te voer en ons het leierskap bedienings-kampe gereël waartydens ons talle kerkleiers regoor Zimbabwe geseën en bedien het wat hulself in daardie moeilike tydperk getrou aan die bediening toegewy het.

GIVING ALL

 

As a farmer I was able to experience first-hand the difficulties which farmers regularly face. We were attacked in our home, had our business and farm sabotaged and experienced many other traumatic situations. Yet, God miraculously protected us and brought us through so as to be an encouragement to those who experience similar trauma.
 

Mandy was diagnosed with cancer during this time and we had to work through the trauma of this, too. However, within three months she recovered miraculously without the use of any medication.

Through all this, the most significant ministry preparation our Heavenly Father took me through, started in 2009, when the Holy Spirit began to reveal Scriptures to me concerning the heart of man.

At the time, I was ministering to the Dutch Reformed Church in Gweru and preached about the heart for six months. That was when I realised that the general teaching of “following your heart” wasn’t Scriptural and that the heart was not the source of truth – the Word is the source of truth. Our hearts must change.
 

The greatest turning point of my life happened when I understood the “circumcision of the heart”. I understood that, just as in the Old Testament custom of circumcision where a piece of skin (the Bible calls this the flesh) was cut off from the most sensitive part of the male organ, the tendencies of fleshly desires must be cut form the heart to allow it to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice.
Before this happens, the heart is referred to as a “hard heart” which is incapable of hearing the Holy Spirit’s voice. I realised that this would be a painful process, but I called out from within, “Lord, please circumcise my heart, regardless of the cost.”
My own heart needed to change, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me about my farm: “Unless you are willing to give up your farm and all that you possess, you cannot be My disciple,” (from Luke 14:34). I struggled with the enormity of that and the Lord graciously repeated this call at two other occasions. I finally surrendered and said, “Take it all, dear Lord. Nothing in this world is worth more than You.”
Subsequently, political thugs invaded my farm. This is a long story which included imprisonment on a false charge. Eventually my wife and I had to flee from Zimbabwe with only our suitcases. You can read the whole story in my book: Another farm in Africa.
 

God has given us a “new farm” – the hearts of the Afrikaans nation – in which we now sow eternal seed (the Word of God) and expect an eternal harvest. We travel throughout the country, ministering to people in any church or non-denominational groups, retirement homes, schools and any town or city that will receive us, who have suffered various types of trauma and pain. We are related to Men of the Word and Baasraak Radio broadcasting ministry, as well as this website and ministry outlets; we minister from Vanderkloof’s Dutch Reformed Church as a spiritual home for ourselves whilst maintaining our good relationship with our original United Apostolic Faith Church.

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GEE ALLES

 

As ‘n plaasboer het ek eerstehands die swaarkry beleef wat boere dikwels in die gesig staar. Ons is al in ons huis aangerand; ek is een-keer gestenig en twee keer met messe gedreig, en tog het God ons wonderbaarlik beskerm en ons deur dit gedra om vir ander wat soortgelyke trauma deurmaak, te bemoedig.

Mandy is gedurende hierdie tyd met kanker gediagnoseer en ons moes deur daardie trauma ook werk. Sy is egter binne drie maande sonder die gebruik van enige medikasie wonderbaarlik genees.

Deur dit alles het die mees betekenisvolle bedieningsvoorbereiding waardeur ons Hemelse Vader my geneem het, in 2009 begin, toe Hy aan my die Skrifgedeeltes oor die hart van die mens begin openbaar het. Ek het op daardie tyd in die NGK gemeenskap in Gweru bedien en het vir ses maande oor die hart gepreek. Daar het ek besef dat die algemene leer om “jou hart te volg” nie volgens die Skrif korrek was nie en dat die hart nie die bron van waarheid is nie – die Woord is die bron van waarheid. Ons harte moet verander.

 

Die grootste draaipunt van my lewe het plaasgevind toe ek tot insig van die “besnydenis van die hart” gekom het. Ek het verstaan dat net soos die Ou Testamentiese praktyk van besnydenis was, waar ‘n stukkie vel (wat die Bybel die vlees noem) van die mees sensitiewe deel van die manlike orgaan afgesny is, die neigings tot vleeslike begeertes uit die hart gesny moet word om dit toe te laat om aan die Heilige Gees se stem sensitief te wees. Voordat dit gebeur, word daar na die hart as ‘n “verharde hart” verwys, wat onbevoeg is om die Heilige Gees se stem te hoor. Ek het besef dat dit ‘n pynlike proses moes wees, maar het in my binneste uitgeroep, “Here, besny asseblief my hart, ongeag die prys.” 

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Kort daarna het die Here met my oor my plaas begin praat. “As jy nie gewillig is om jou plaas en al jou besittings op te gee nie, kan jy nie my dissipel wees nie.” (Lukas 14:34). Ek het met die grootheid daarvan geworstel en die Here het genadiglik hierdie roepe by twee ander geleenthede herhaal. Uiteindelik het ek oorgegee en vir Hom gesê, “Neem dit alles, Here. Niks in hierdie wêreld is meer waardevol as U nie.” Gevolglik het politiese skurke gekom om my plaas van my te neem.

Dit is ‘n lang storie wat uiteindelik gevangenisstraf op ‘n valse aanklag ingesluit het. Die uiteinde was egter dat ek en my vrou uit Zimbabwe moes vlug met net ons tasse klere. Die volle verhaal word in my boek Nog ‘n plaas in Afrika vertel.

 

God het nou vir ons ‘n “nuwe plaas” gegee – die harte van die Afrikaner volk – waarin ons ewige saad saai en ‘n ewige oes verwag.

Ons bedien regoor die land in enige kerk of nie-kerkverwante groep, ouetehuise, skole en enige dorp of stad wat ons sal ontvang. Ons is verwant aan Manne van die Woord en Baasraak Radio uitsaai bediening, sowel as hierdie webtuiste en bedieningsafsetpunte; ons bedien uit Vanderkloof se NG Kerk as ‘n geestelike tuiste vir onsself, en terselfdetyd staan ons nog steeds in goeie verhouding met ons oor-spronklike United Apostolic Faith Church.