MY TESTIMONY AS A SINNER BECOME MISSIONARY

As always I set out once again with the team for Mozambique on the 20^th December 2003 with the sense of trepidation. I am always subconsciously aware of my unworthiness and lack of knowing the perfect will of God. I am always aware of the fact that I am a sinner and marvel and the fact that despite of these short comings He deems it fit to use me.

With every trip it is the same, we go after having prayed, not quiet knowing exactly what was desired of us, bar the fact that His Spirit prompted us. With every trip we have returned, thankful that we had been sent, and humbled because we had obeyed. Every trip without exception we have grumbled at our personal persecutions, fretted about lack of funds, ran ourselves ragged with preparations, only to return filled with joy and awed at His glory!

This trip as with the others started out with an idea, which grew into the trip to bless the orphans in the district Maxixe. This project was called “First belongings”. After a bone tiring journey of seventeen hours from Johannesburg, we reached the village Bilene which was to be our first stop over. We had spent five hours of that day waiting to enter through the border in a heat wave that measured unbelievable temperatures of up to 59°C.

The next morning we set off for Ngulane which was our intended base for the next two weeks. When we reached the banks of the river near Xai-Xai I felt the need to pull off and spend some time to reflect on a previous journey. In 2000 I had led a team of three men into Mozambique which had to be aborted as a result of the flood damage caused by a cyclone that had ripped through the region. The reason I had chosen to stop at this specific spot was to thank God once again at the spot He had saved the lives of Bill Clifford, Bill Loram and I. If it had not been His hand that had sent a young boy rushing out onto the bridge in front of the on rushing 4X4, we would have been launched into the void that had once been part of the chain of bridges that spanned the river outside of Xai-Xai.

I explained to the team what had happened before at this site and offered up my prayers of thanks. Little did I know what lay ahead as we again started out on our journey!

At this point I would like to acknowledge the team that was with me in the three vehicles. Their names are Willie Zeeman, Charmaine Zeeman, Clifford Zeeman, Jason Zeeman, David Bavin, Leryn Bavin, Esme Vorster, Keziah Vorster and Ruadri Vorster.

We always made it a point to keep within the prescribed speed limits of Mozambique. Xai-Xai was no exception, in fact if memory servers me correctly we travelling at about forty kilometres per hour when disaster struck. On the outskirts of Xai-Xai heading north we were passing through the market area when suddenly a child ran in front of the vehicle. I tried my best to avoid her as well as the on coming vehicles and pedestrians on the curb, but to no avail! My whole being froze as the huge bull bar ploughed into her and all that crossed through my mind was “Oh my God I have killed a child”, with the cries of Esme next to me of “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…” I brought the Pajero to a stop.

As if in a dream world I rushed to the child, the one thought on my mind was to get her to a hospital. In my subconscious mind a kept repeating the prayer “Please God save her, she has her whole life ahead of her” In broken Portuguese I asked the three family members that had gotten into the vehicle with the limp body of the child for directions to the nearest “al hospital”. I must thank the boys Clifford, Ruadri, that had come along, for their cool heads as they sought to comfort the distraught relatives.

When we finally reached the hospital, clasped the small child in my arms and ran into the hospital calling for assistance only to be met with blank stares, nobody understood English! As I stood there I watched the child’s eyes roll over in death and felt her body go limp. My entire being cried out in pain and righteous anger, “No Satan! You have not won!” I said under breath, as I was shown to a small room. I laid the child on the bed and after much gesturing I managed to explain to the relatives that I was a “Padre” and I wanted to pray for the child.

I only thought of it afterwards that maybe they thought that I wanted to pray the last prayers over the child, but this was not my intention. I had decided to cry out to my Father in heaven in the name of His Son Jesus, to bring this child back to life! Not once did I hesitate. Not once did any doubt exist. All that I was had faith in the healing power of my saviour Jesus. It was as if heaven entered in the room, the Holy Spirit came upon me and I began to prayer in a mixture of tongues and English. Don’t ask what I said, but I can remember feeling the urge to prostate myself over the body of the child. You must remember that I am a man of 6’4” weighing 165kg’s and would not have ordinarily done this, but it was if God Himself picked me up and laid me on the child.

As I lay over her, she gave a gasp and turned her face towards mine covered in the most heavenly smile I had ever seen. SHE LIVED! Pandemonium broke out in the ward. My God had overcome!

As I stood up, she sat up smiling and talking. She kept trying to push the nurses away assuring them she was fine, all the while smiling and gesturing her intention to go home. She walked out of the ward under her own steam, after the nurses had stitched a huge gash in a bump the size of a tennis ball on the back of her head. She got into the Pajero without assistance and gladly accepted the sucker that was offered by Ruadri. Looking at her blood covered head and dress one would be hard fetched to imagine that this was the same child that I had rushed into the hospital earlier!

When we returned to the scene of the accident I discovered that the others of our team had pieced together along with the testimony of the relatives exactly what had led up the events of that morning of the 21^st December 2003. A man under the influence alcohol and demonic powers was operating in that area. His plan of action was to entice children across the busy market road with sweets, thus directing them in front of on coming vehicles so as to cause an accident. The outcome of which was to extract some form of monetary compensation, through this means of distortion.

I made a promise to God that day that I would spread this testimony across the world. This is why you have received it today. Please help me to tell the world that our God still heals today. Out God lives and His Son Jesus is coming soon.

Pass this testimony on to all your friends and associates…

May God Bless you abundantly!

Ps. Llano Vorster