February 2023
And there we were, back in 2002, with our (then) three young children and five suitcases. After a few months of living in Jeffey’s Bay and following missions training at YwaM, it became clear that wouldn’t join that other organisation as we’d been planning. Instead we received a vision to reach out to the children right where we were, in South Africa. What that would look like wasn’t yet clear at the time. That it would specifically have something to do with education, wasn’t logical at all. Back in The Netherlands we used to run an insurance and mortgage agency! Shows that God can use everyone for His plans!
It’s amazing to see that Victory4All has grown and developed into something so wonderful. We’ve made plenty of mistakes over the past two decades and had to find out and learn many new things, which was far from easy or comfortable. But to see where Victory4All stands today fills us with awe and gratefulness. This could never have happened in our own strength and without the help of so many dedicated people worldwide. And we only feel honoured and blessed to be a part of it.
Now that we’re celebrating an anniversary, I find myself reminiscing about all the adventures and childhood of our children. The eldest three were ten, eight and six years old when we settled in South Africa with only five suitcases. They quickly adjusted to the new culture, learnt the new languages and boldly faced everything that was new, despite missing their family and friends. They’re so great!
Being pregnant with and giving birth to David, our fourth, was another interesting adventure. I’m quite proud of how we stepped into that chapter of our lives and faced everything together. It’s made us grow very close to each other, for which I’m so grateful.
The hardest moments were probably those when our eldest three left the country one by one after finishing high school, because the no longer had the visa to stay. Of course we’re grateful they were given the opportunity to study in The Netherlands and that they each found their life partners there. And that we’ve now been promoted to grandparents of two amazing grandchildren! What a blessing!
Last year Pieter, our eldest son, joined Victory4All full-time and we’re so excited that he chose to use his experience and expertise to build Victory4All with heart and soul. With him on board we know that we can achieve more of what we stand for: reaching out to children and their families in need.
We ready for all that is to come. Here’s to the next 20 years (at least)! We’ll continue the work with heart and soul, dedicated to the children. Will you keep working with us? Together we can do it!
That’s why we also want to thank everyone who has contributed to our end of the year campaign. We’ve been encouraged and motivated anew by the generosity of so many committed people. On behalf of all the children and families and the team of more than 85 people: THANK YOU!