A warm greeting to all.

I’m pleased to share a part of my tumultuous but colorful life story. I grew up as the second son in a family of nine children in Lexmond, where my parents were farmers.

At age eleven, our family emigrated to Brazil, where we had many experiences. However, after two years, richer in experience but with some illusions shattered, we returned to the Netherlands.

Studying didn’t lead to much, so at sixteen, I began helping my father in his dairy shop. I was the youngest person in the Netherlands to drive a delivery cart, and at twenty-one, I left my parents’ home.

At twenty-one, I arrived in Israel and witnessed the 1973 war firsthand. After the war, I ventured into the desert, where I built my hut. It was then that I found the small Bible my mother had packed in my backpack. Something deep within me urged me to read it. My heart was restless, and I was searching. Then, a great miracle happened. When I read Galatians 5:1, two words seemed to leap off the page: Freedom and Christ. That verse led me to believe in the Lord Jesus, and I received a new life with a new mission. Afterward, I spent thirty-three years in Israel, sharing the gospel. I watched the church grow from 300 members to thousands. I also witnessed Jewish people returning to Israel, and I took it upon myself to ensure each had a Bible of their own.

At fifty-four, the Lord blessed me with Linda as my wife. She was already widowed, and her husband came to faith shortly before he passed. Our marriage brought us to live in Gorinchem. The Lord has since opened new doors for me, including opportunities with The Gospel Guardians. It is true that the Lord Jesus grants us a heavenly life here on earth.