25/09/2025
Alhoewel ek en Kobus albei in Christen huise groot geword het, was daar tog vir elkeen van ons ‘n spesifieke moment waar ons opnuut ‘n keuse gemaak het om God te dien.
Kobus het as 12 jarige seun sy hart vir die Here gegee en ook n belofte aan God gemaak dat indien hy die breinoperasie wat gedoen moes word om n gewas te verwyder oorleef, hy sy lewe voltyds in Sy diens sal stel. 'n Groot belofte vir so ‘n jong knapie.
Na skool het hy voltyds by die weermag aangesluit. Hy het gevoel hy kan ook sy belofte aan God hier uitleef in sy verhouding met mense. Dit het hy ook gedoen.
Ek het op hoërskool ‘n onderwyser gehad wat ‘n groot invloed in my lewe gehad het, veral geestelik. Ons het saam met hom na Brother Andrew gaan luister en hier het ek opnuut my lewe aan God gegee. Ek het onderwys gaan studeer by die destydse BOK en Kobus tydens my 2de jaar op kollege ontmoet.
Ons is in 1976 getroud en kort na ons troue het Kobus geleentheid gekry om as soldaat by die Militêre Akademie in Saldanha te gaan studeer. Hier was ek bevoorreg dat besondere toegewyde ouer vroue ‘n groot inspraak in my lewe gehad het. Ek het egter altyd geweet van die belofte wat Kobus as seun aan die Here gemaak het.
In 1989 het Kobus opnuut die begeerte in sy hart gehad om wel voltyds sy lewe in die Here se diens te stel en so sy belofte as kind na te kom. Hy het op 34 as ‘n kommandant die weermag bedank, getroud met drie kinders om voltyds teologie by die Kovsies te gaan studeer. Ek moes gaan werk aangesien ek op daardie stadium ‘n voltydse mamma was. ‘n Uitdagende, maar goeie tyd in ons lewe.
Teen die einde van sy studies het die Here ons geroep om voltyds kinder sending te gaan doen. Ons moes vanaf Bloemfontein, Kaap toe trek aangesien CEF se SA hoofkantoor op daardie stadium in die Kaap was en hy daar diens moes begin. Hy moes ook 3 maande Amerika toe gaan om die opleiding by die kinderinstituut te gaan doen. Hoe sou ons dit kon bekostig? Hierdie was vir ons die finale bevestiging dat ons wel voltyds sendingwerk moet gaan doen – die nodige fondse om te trek, ‘n huis te huur ‘n vliegtuigkaartjie Amerika toe gaan om die opleiding by die kinderinstituut te gaan doen. Hoe sou ons dit kon bekostig? Hierdie was vir ons die finale bevestiging dat ons wel voltyds sendingwerk moet gaan doen – die nodige fondse om te trek, ‘n huis te huur ‘n vliegtuigkaartjie Amerika toe en die kursus fooie is binne drie maande voorsien. In 1994 was R40 000 ‘n magdom geld.
Kobus is later aangestel as die Direkteur vir CEF in Suid-Afrika. Dit was ‘n wonderlike 10 jaar in ons lewe. Teen die einde van ons tyd in die kinderbedienng het ons met voltydse en vrywillige werkers 89 000 kinders weekliks in Suid-Afrika met die evangelie bereik.
In 2005 het ons geestelike pa en ma ons uitgedaag om “bietjie” te groei. Hulle het ons Amerika toe gestuur na ‘n persoon met die naam Henry Wright. Hy was die eerste persoon wat vrae begin vra het rondom emosies, siekte en genesing en ‘n welbekende bediening “Be In Health” gevestig. Ons het die kursus asook die opleiding gaan doen. Op pad terug het ons geweet hierdie is ‘n nuwe fase in ons lewe en dat die Here ons op ‘n nuwe manier in mense se lewens wil gebruik.
In 2006 het ons die groot stap geneem om In Freedom & Health te begin. Die oortuiging in ons harte was só groot dat ons in geloof hierdie stap geneem het al was daar nie finansies nie.
Ons kyk terug op 19 jaar van In Freedom & Health se bediening en staan net verstom oor wat die Vader in hierdie tyd in mense se lewens gedoen het. Ons beleef daagliks hoe mense fisies gesond word ook van ongeneeslike siektes, maar ook die genesing in verhoudings en in mense se harte.
Kobus sê altyd daar is nie ‘n dispariteit tussen die liggaam wat God gemaak het en Sy Woord wat Hy vir ons gegee het nie. Ons is die instrumente, maar al die lof en eer kom ons Vader toe.
Ons prys Hom vir die "familie" van vriende, kollegas, gebedsvennote en ondersteuners wat hierdie reis moontlik gemaak het. Ons erken julle bydrae, toewyding en liefde. Ons sal aanhou, miskien teen 'n stadiger tempo en in 'n nuwe formaat, maar met dieselfde roeping en brandende begeerte om Hom te dien.
Although Kobus and I both grew up in Christian homes, there was a specific moment for each of us when we made a renewed choice to serve God.
Kobus gave his heart to the Lord as a 12-year-old boy and also made a promise to God that if he survived the brain surgery that had to be done to remove a tumor, he would devote his life full-time to His service. A big promise for such a young boy.
After school he joined the army full-time. He felt he could also live out his promise to God in the army in his relationship with people. He did.
I had a teacher in high school who had a great influence on my life, especially spiritually. We went to listen to Brother Andrew and here I gave my life to God anew. I went to study at the Teachers College in Bloemfontein and met Kobus during my 2nd year.
We got married in 1976 and shortly after our wedding Kobus got the opportunity to study at the Military Academy in Saldanha. Here I was privileged that a dedicated group of older women had a significant spiritual influence in my life. However, I always knew about the promise that Kobus made to the Lord.
In 1989, Kobus again had the desire in his heart to devote his life to the Lord’s service full-time and thus fulfill his promise as a child. He resigned from the army at the age of 34, married with three children, to study theology full-time at the Kovsies. I started a job, since I was a full-time mother at that stage. A challenging, but good time in our lives.
Towards the end of his studies, the Lord called us to full-time children’s missions. We had to move from Bloemfontein to Cape Town since CEF’s SA head office was in the Cape at that stage and he had to start service there. He also had to go to America for 3 months to do the training at the Children Ministries Institute (CMI), Missouri.
How would we afford it? This was the final confirmation for us that we should do full-time missionary work – the necessary funds to move, rent a house, a plane ticket to America and the course fees were provided within three months. In 1994, R40 000 was a huge sum of money.
Kobus was later appointed as the Director for CEF in South Africa. It was a wonderful 10 years in our lives. By the end of our time in children’s ministry, we had reached 89 000 children weekly in Good News Club’s in South Africa, with the gospel with full-time and volunteer workers.
In 2005, our spiritual father and mother challenged us to grow “a little”. They sent us to America to a person named Henry Wright. He was the first person to start asking questions about emotions, illness and healing and established a well-known ministry “Be In Health”. We went to do the course as well as the training. On the way back we knew that this was a new phase in our lives and that the Lord wanted to use us in a new way in people’s lives.
In 2006 we took the big step to start In Freedom & Health. The conviction in our hearts led us to take this step in faith even though there were no finances.
We look back on 19 years of In Freedom & Health's ministry and are simply amazed at what the Father has done in people's lives during this time. We experience daily how people are physically healed, also from incurable diseases, but also the healing in relationships and in people's hearts.
Kobus always says that there is no disparity between the body that God made and His Word that He gave us. We are the instruments, but all the praise and honor goes to our Father.
We praise Him for the “family” of friends, co-workers, prayer partners and supporters that has made this journey possible. We acknowledge your contribution, dedication and love. We will keep going, maybe at a slower pace and new format, but with the same calling and burning desire to serve Him.
https://infreedomandhealth.co.za/
