On My Knees

Although I was raised Christian, I was not really involved in faith during my teenage years. Through a Youth for Christ evangelism campaign, I became involved in the work of Youth for Christ, although I had not yet made a personal choice. Later, I joined a Youth for Christ vacation camp in Luxembourg. And during that camp, I learned what it was to personally pray with God, I learned how to have quiet time and learned how to read the Bible.

When I returned home after two weeks, I immediately missed the experiences of this vacation camp. What I had experienced there I thought was so wonderful, it had done something to me. Coming home I said to the Lord, if this is really from you, I want this in my life. I got on my knees and invited Jesus into my heart and life. From that time on, my life changed. At Youth for Christ, I was always active in evangelism; I wanted people to know. At Youth for Christ I met my wife José, to whom I have now been married for 42 years, and together we are blessed with five daughters, who also live with the Lord, and with 9 grandchildren. From the age of 22 I became involved in youth work in the church where we were members at the time. Together we served the Lord for many years. Evangelism and missionary work were also central to this. During this period I also attended the Great Commission School of Evangelism of Agape.

Burnout

At 36, I suffered burnout with the first month being a black and heavy month. I did not understand what was happening to me and no longer understood God. The first month of this burnout I was empty, I could only sleep, had no concentration, and no desire or need for anything. It turned out that I had been predatory with my body and life, working hard and being way too busy. It became clear that I had always wanted to prove myself. During this period I was guided by good Christian counselors and in addition a lot of prayer by those around me. But it was also during this period that during counseling, I was able to experience deep touches from God's Spirit. This was amazing as I received deliverance in areas of my life. Through these experiences I longed for more of God's Spirit. I was allowed to learn who I really am I Christ and that I am loved and justified in Christ. This experience ended up enriching my life. And that is why I had a desire on my heart, to let people know, that Jesus came not only to save us for eternity, but also to live a renewed life already on this earth.

My Dreams

In my life, I have also had dreams where I saw that I was in front of groups of people, sharing things, but it was not clear what. From the age of 22, I was active in business; I held various positions. From my dream to start sharing experiences and therefore also my commercial experiences, I started for myself as a Sales trainer in 2007.

I thought this matched my dream. I had prayed God for this and in 2007 several pieces of the puzzle came together, to start this. In April 2008, I actually almost had my first assignment, but unfortunately the client dropped out. Due to various circumstances and perhaps also unrest in myself, it did not get off the ground. June 2009 I got another job as Sales Manager, but in May 2011 it stopped. From that moment on, I became unemployed and although I applied for many jobs and tried again to start my own business, it did not work out. During this period of prayer and searching, the desire for more of God's spirit grew and it became increasingly clear that God was calling me for something completely different.

Victory outreach

In 2006, I joined the Victory Outreach congregation in Amsterdam. The first time I came to Victory Outreach it was like a warm bath for me, so much love, more of God's Spirit and hospitality . After about six months my pastor asked if I wanted to preach on Father's Day. I accepted this challenge and have been speaking in my congregation ever since. From this it became clear that it is also a congregation that challenges people to use their gifts and talents. It became clear to me that this is where my dream of being in front of groups of people came true. My life was transformed and completely changed from then on. In November 2011, I went along to a conference of Victory Outreach in Cape Town South Africa. In one week I was shaken and discovered what it means, to be truly renewed and" reformed in your thinking". During the Thursday morning service, I was tremendously touched by God's Spirit, I broke for Him. I could no longer stand on my feet and for 15 minutes I could only cry, because of this deep touch. Again, something new happened in my life and God spoke to me in this moment. He said," This is what I want you to do, you are going into the country to bring the gospel." The following Saturday we had an evangelism march for Jesus. Afterwards, a brother and I met two men, with whom we struck up a conversation and we were able to explain the gospel to them. One of the men broke down, causing me to hug him, and during that moment God spoke again. As I did this, God said this to me," when I walked on earth, I did this to men, but now I want you to do it. In other words, reach out and be moved with people.

Confirmation

During a moment of quiet time in October 2011, I received a word from God. This was the calling of Ezekiel. As I read this Bible verse, I thought, this also applies to the Dutch people. In the evening during a prayer service, my pastor spoke about the same Bible verse from Ezekiel. God confirmed the word He had given me in the morning.

Although I knew by now, that I was called, it still took until August 2013 before I finally dared to take the plunge. During a prayer service at camping de Betteld, a woman said to me, "God wants you to walk in your calling." This was the moment I finally took the step to walk in my vocation.

Through prayer

The name New Life Ministries also came about through prayer. I prayed to the Lord, "Lord will you give me a name for this ministry and foundation." At first another name came to mind, but still I was not convinced. I kept praying for it and suddenly all at once the name New Life came. Eventually it became New Life Ministries because this name could be registered. It is a name that fits my vocation and life story. My desire is to bring the message of new life, which is hidden in the message of the gospel. The gospel means; glad tidings, good news.

Enormous love

What Jesus did for me on the cross, that was an act of tremendous love. There are so many people who are longing for true love, but are looking for it in the wrong place or expecting it from people. There are so many people walking around with suicidal thoughts, depression, discontentment, restlessness. I myself was looking for authenticity. And when I look at the life of Jesus, His life was real. Jesus is authenticity, is peace, is healing, is restoration, is renewal, is liberation.

During the process of coming into my destiny and walking in my calling, I did Free Being Bible School and two years of Glory and Grace Bible College. In addition, I attended the Victory Outreach Education Training Center. Which is a training at the Theological Academic level. Also, I took basic training in Liberation Pastoring at the Free Being Training School.