Hannie & Albert: Fulfilling a Search for Deliverance

Hannie wanted to serve two lords: Buddha and Jesus.

Having been raised Roman Catholic, the Hollander held spirituality as a natural part of life; however, her faith had no depth, and she had no sense of belonging. The lack of personal interaction with and help from her fellow church-goers led her to search for happiness and fulfillment elsewhere.

Hannie longed for deliverance. In her search, she became involved in astrology, various New-Age movements, all kinds of magic, fortune-telling, and Buddhism. Although she experienced moments of happiness and support from friends with those beliefs, she still felt drawn toward Christianity.

The idea of Jesus was never far from her: in her private meditation, she would alternately address a Buddha sculpture then an image of Jesus. But this style of spiritualism did not help her path to deliverance become any clearer. She regularly visited church, asking herself why she couldn’t resolve her spiritual search while churches were in many nearby villages.

In Hannie’s case, God let her come to Him online, rather than in a church building.

By this time, God had a strong hold on her, and while searching the Internet, Hannie came across a Global Media Outreach message letting her know that “Jesus loves you.” Upon clicking, she found the opportunity to ask questions about religion.

Online Missionary Albert, who ministers with his wife, Ineke, welcomed her questions. After several emails, they connected by telephone; it was the first time Hannie had prayed with someone one-on-one. She called it the first of several very special experiences.

She testifies, “Within a couple days, I made a choice for Jesus. I knew that if I did not choose Jesus, I would not resolve my search for deliverance.”

Shortly after making her decision, Hannie faced a test. She had been scheduled to attend a two-week Buddhist retreat. She still strongly desired to attend, just to spend time with her close friends.

However, God made it clear that she was not to attend. Instead, in a “drastic and radical process,” she burned her Buddha image, which caused her enormous relief. She then destroyed all the ungodly books, objects, and other material that she had accumulated during the years of her quest for salvation.

With this, she felt God take her deeper into a deliverance process; she felt tossed between faith, hope, trust, fear, pride, and doubt. Sometimes, she was quite frightened and confused, so she was grateful that Albert and Ineke supported her through prayer.

Now that Hannie has been delivered to grow in the true Faith, she has become a prominent member of her church, serving the Lord with her talents and abilities.

She declares, “I thank God for the grace He has shown me, and for His forgiveness and His love. I thank Him for connecting me with the right people at the right moment. Albert and Ineke have been so important in my deliverance. For the first time, I can experience personal contact with God, which is so much more than I ever could have imagined!”