Hi, My name is TRUDY and I live with my family
in Ontario, Canada. I will try to give you a mental
picture of who I am, where I came from and where
I am now, spiritually speaking. My teenage years
were very rough, I did hang around with the wrong
crowd and I did not know how to get disentangled.
My young life had been ruined, I had chosen the
broad path. What to do next, I did not know. Where
to turn to?? Would death be the answer? I was
living in Holland and in my early twenties when
I was in a very desperate situation, I had contemplated
suicide. I called upon God, not really knowing
on whom I was calling. I was not a Christian at
that time, not even a churchgoer. Shortly after,
I met a young Christian family via an elder of
a local church who did not know how he could help
me. He thought perhaps if I could find somebody
with whom I could have a social time, such as
reading or knitting together, it would help me
get over my problems. I told him that it would
not do me any good, my problems were so obvious
you just could not talk them away. I needed more
than a knitting friend, I needed God to help me,
I needed a miracle. BUT HOW ? So, the elder suggested
me to contact this family, who lived just down
the road. But, he said not to pay too much attention
to the man of the house.... he believed in miracles
and so forth.... Ooh..Ah....Ja......... That did
draw my interest. I thought maybe this miracle
believing man has something to offer me.? .......I
will call this man John. I got all my courage
together and paid these people a visit. The very
first night John told me about his own life; what
all happened to him during the war; that he had
betrayed his own people; how God met him when
he was working for the enemy, the NSB. He told
me how God had opened his eyes and showed him
all his wrongdoings. Then he realized he needed
forgiveness and turned himself in at the Dutch
Government. John was just beaming while he was
telling me about the treasure he had found in
Jesus, the happiness and peace of mind, knowing
that his sins were forgiven. I had never heard
a testimony like this. I also knew that this man
was not making up some sort of a story. This was
for real and I could sense a deep truth in it.
I was all ear and soaked every word in like a
sponge. It all did sound like music, beautiful
music, what my soul had been thirsting for. I
felt right away, that it was exactly what I needed.
I envied John for his faith and he told me, if
I just would believe in Jesus as my Saviour, He
would give me faith too. I started to forget my
own problems and my attention was drawn to my
oldest sister, who had been suffering from some
sort of mental disorder, shortly after the World
War 2. For the past 10 years she had been in and
out the mental institutions, receiving terrible
treatments,such as 24 electric shocks. If you
just knew what that meant! * * *Years later when
I lived in Canada and took training in the Health
Care field, I saw a video on how in those earlier
days electric shock treatments were applied. The
body of the patient was strapped down to the stretcher.
Electrical wires were connected to the patient's
body, mainly to the head. Once the electricity
was turned on, the body started to shake violently,
so much so, that if the body would not be strapped
down it may have jumped of the stretcher. Needless
to say, how I felt where my dear sister had gone
through. I cried... and cried... also, because
I remember how she cried. When she had to go for
those treatments she begged my parents : No..
No....please, no electric shocks. I have often
wondered, if she experienced those treatments
without anesthetic. * * * So, I told John all
about her and I was wondering why God had not
healed her. John replied,"Did anyone pray for
her healing or deliverance"? I could not tell,
but I knew that sometimes deacons from the church
had visited, but as far as I knew the subject
of Maria's sickness was never touched. How can
we expect God to do something if He is not asked
and if there is no faith, John said. But would
God answer such a request, I asked again. At this
point the Bible in John's hand was opened and
he read: Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday,
today and forever. Oh, I thought finally something
concrete, somebody I could depend on: "The Same,
He is always the Same". How could Maria receive
healing when nobody believed, was my question.
John explained, that if I brought her in faith
to the Lord, He would heal her. He said: "When
Jesus walked on the earth, He healed all who came
to Him and the Bible says that All things are
possible for them that believe. If the Lord would
not keep His Word, how could we be sure of our
Salvation. In the mean time I did do some arithmetic:
2+2=4, nobody can change that, so it is with the
Scriptures. Jesus is the same, yesterday, today
and forever. He healed then, so He heals now.
That was as clear as a bell and simple as pie.
But how could I bring my sister in prayer to the
Lord? I did not have any faith myself. John said
that I only had to be willing, that the Lord will
give me faith and do the rest. I thought for a
while: I have to give my will to Him, then He
will bring it to pass. Well, my life was already
a mess anyway, so to be a fool again would not
hurt. But.... That "RISK" could mean my sister's
healing. So, I said to John: If the Lord is going
to heal my sister on that condition, then I will
follow Him. What a wonderful Gospel, I had never
heard anything like it. It was 10 O'clock that
night when I went to my apartment, which was only
a couple of houses down from John's home. Of course,
John went right down on his knees to call upon
the Lord, little did I know. When I came in my
apartment, a very special feeling came over me.
I experienced a lightness, as if a heavy weight
was taken of my shoulders. All of a sudden I felt
in my heart, that something had happened. I opened
my curtains and looked at the dark sky. I do not
know how to explain it, but I said out loud: Lord
I do not understand where you are, but I know
You just healed my sister. Lord, I don't know
it with my understanding, but I feel it in my
heart that it is true. I was so certain that it
had happened, that I wrote a letter to my parents
that same night and put it in the postbox at the
corner of the street. Now, isn't this a little
bit foolishness?? You would nearly think so, wouldn't
you ! The next day I became a little worried and
I had to find a place to pray at my job. Lord,
I said, "I wrote in that letter to my parents
that Jesus had healed Maria, I don't care if they
call me crazy, but I have used your Name in that
letter. You put that certainty of Maria's healing
in my heart, please, now confirm it in Jesus Name."
Of course, the Lord had healed her, so much so
that Maria gained 20 lbs within 2 weeks. This
was also the doctor's observation time before
they sent her home. What had happened that night
when I visited John ? My sister who was in a private
cell (room), had asked the nurse for a pail of
soapy water and a mop, because she did find it
quite dirty - and it probably was. The nurse could
not believe her ears and asked Maria what she
was saying. The request was repeated, and the
nurse provided the pail, water and mop. So, Maria
started to wash the floor, while the nurse was
looking on. She went down the hall, the stairs
etc. etc. with the nurse following. Anyway, my
sister did not even realize that she was a patient,
she thought she was housekeeping staff. Before
she became institutionalized she worked in a nursing
home in that capacity. Maria's healing started
to take place as soon as I walked through John's
front door. HALLELUJAH ! WHAT A WONDERFUL GOD
WE HAVE. He answers even before we ask. After
two weeks my parents could take her home and of
course they brought Maria first to my apartment.
My sister responded in a normal fashion, she liked
my room and the view from my window. It seemed
such a long time since I've heard her speak a
normal sentence. I started to cry and so did my
parents. My father asked me to tell him exactly
how this all came about. I did not know where
to start. So,... quietly I said to the Lord: "I
don't know what to tell him and how to explain
it, because there is no explanation". I just opened
my Bible and there was the answer right in front
of me. There were a couple of more questions and
the Lord gave me the answers in the same manner.
Then my father said: How do you know all that,
have you studied theology. I replied," Father
don't ask me, I don't know". This first miracle
in my life changed me completely, as you can well
understand. I also had a desire to live with my
parents again to support my sister. My father
was not exactly thinking the way I did. He felt
he would like to move out of the city where people
knew him so well, because of my previous guestionable
reputation. It took a while before they had found
a suitable home in a small village. Now I needed
a job and not too far from our new home was an
ammunition depot from the Ministry of Defence.
I read in the paper that a secretary was needed.
I did apply for that job, but after my medical
examination I was turned down, due to the fact
that my lungs did not appear to healthy. According
to the Xray I had all dark spots on the tips of
my lungs and the doctor thought that I must have
suffered from pleurisy at one time. I told him
I never had been sick with anything like that,
but that I had been a very heavy smoker. Whatever....
I did not get the job. I went to Neeltje Bouw,
the lady preacher, and told her how much I needed
that job and what the Xray had shown. I said,
"If the Lord can heal a mental sick sister, He
Could heal my lungs and make them clear. So, I
asked Neeltje to pray for me, but she did not
think it was needed. You show faith by making
that statement, so the Lord will do according
to your faith, she replied. And He did. I reapplied,
knowing that not too many would go for a job in
an isolated area, where about 120 men and one
woman worked as soldiers and civilians. Once more
I underwent medical examination, with the same
doctor. He asked me already, haven't I seen you
here before. Yes, I smiled, knowing that this
time he would see something different on the Xray.
After a while he came out of a dark room with
a large piece of glass with the picture of my
lungs on it (old fashioned Xray). With bewilderment
in his eyes, he walked up to me and said, weren't
you recently rejected, wasn't there something
wrong with your lungs? Yes, I replied, but something
has happened. Again he went into the dark room
and came back with another Xray picture on glass,
from my first examinitation. I don't understand
this at all, he went on, the same person and two
different Xrays within a couple of weeks. He looked
at me for explanation. I know, I said, it is hard
to explain, but my lungs have been healed by the
Lord. Of course, that was not a good enough explanation
for a doctor. The Lord...... who the Lord !...,
he replied. This gave me an excellent opportunity
to give my personal testimony, and.... I got the
job. The doctor was never the same again !!! So,
I went to live with my parents in Schalkwijk...
had a job and supported my oldest sister, emotionally
and spiritually. It was not always easy, but the
Lord was good and all things were working together
for good, for me who loved Him. Whenever friends
and family came to visit my parents' house, I
had to clear the downstairs of anything that showed
my presence. For me, my life had changed and I
had accepted Jesus as my Saviour, but my parents
could not fathom that. I was a little too fanatic
for their liking. Someone drove up the driveway,
one afternoon, and came to visit us unexpectedly.
I had to go out the backdoor, waited until the
visitors were in the livingroom, then I had to
sneak down the hall and upstairs to my bedroom.
My father did not want anyone to know that I was
living with them. I often cried and felt unwanted,
but I knew the Lord was in charge of my life,
He was on my side and working on my behalf. One
evening the minister and an elder from the church
came to visit us. They had heard about my sister's
healing. The minister said to me: "So, you think
that God is just like a lightswitch, you push
the button and the light goes on. Well, I replied,
you sing in church Psalm 81 vers 7, Thou called
in time of trouble and I delivered thee and vers
10, open thy mouth wide and I will fill it. "Ask
and thou shall receive". That is what the Scriptures
say... not me. Then I asked my sister Maria if
she would tell the minister what had happened.
Maria stood up and said: I cannot explain what
happened to me, but I know that Jesus Christ has
healed me. I was sent upstairs, because my father
thought I had responded inappropriately to the
minister's remark. I had met the Saviour and nothing
was getting between us. The joy of the Lord was
far greater than any suffering. Within a year
I met a young Christian man and we married two
months later. Irresponsible??...Not knowing each
other ??...Humanly speaking, yes, but God was
in control of my life. Want to read this exciting
story ? WOW !! Here it is: " WEDDING BELLS" (just
click on it when you're done with the rest) The
Lord knew us... and by now we have been married
for many years. God does not make mistakes! Ah...
ah ! DID YOU HEAR THAT !We just have to work on
it. The Lord gave us 4 children and we immigrated
to Canada in 1966. This is part of my testimony
and I just have touched the tip of the iceberg.
God is unlimited and He will manifest Himself
in our lives, if we let Him to. To Him be the
Glory, great things He has done. It is no secret,
what GOD can do. What He does for others, He will
do for you!!! I believe God's Spirit is revealing
Himself to your heart right now, that is why He
told me to bring this Good News on the Internet.
Don't be afraid to lift up your hands towards
heaven and cry out to HIM. He is just waiting
for that ! Never give up !! When you think ALL
hope is gone there is still HOPE! ALL things may
fail, but Jesus never fails. If life has been
beating on you and you're nearly down and out
.... WAIT.... LISTEN .... He's calling your name
! You've been staring at your own limitations,
disabilities, qualifications, failures, borders,
obstructions, what have you. Now look up into
His wonderful face, grab His Holy Hand, reach
the "IMPOSSIBLE" with the Lord. Remember, He can
do a LOT more than you. Throw yourself into His
"lifeline". Allow Him in your life and you will
be "eternally" thankful. He is always one step
ahead, one page further, a breath closer, a touch
away, always in sight, within reach. He'll hear
your cries, see your tears, feel your hurts, know
your fears, heal your wounds, answer your prayers,
lift you up and carry you over hills and through
valleys. Dr. Trudy Veerman © 1999, 2000
http://achristiancounselor.com/witness.html
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