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Testimonials
At Evangelie Gemeente De Deur Eindhoven we have seen the extraordinary power of God’s love in action. People who struggled with addiction, pain, or emptiness have found a new beginning and now experience peace, joy, and hope. Be inspired by these personal stories of faith and change – proof that with God nothing is impossible.
Stephan
Born and raised in South Africa I grew up in a family where it was normal to go to church every Sunday. That was all it really was. Going to church because it's Sunday and that's what you do on a Sunday. Church/God didn't mean more than that in our lives.
Until my father was converted in the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) church. He took us there and I had my first encounter with God there.
However, through rebellion and sex, God was one day unknowingly no longer the most important in my life or in that of my girlfriend. The relationship ended and I became more and more one with the world and what it has to offer. Drink, drugs, alcohol, pornography. Fortunately, I was still able to make some good choices when my daughters were born.
In the meantime, I have been living in the Netherlands for years. I believe that God has protected me all this time, because I was stubborn and proud. There was always that little voice in the back of my head that asked the right question, namely 'Will you do that?' or 'Are you sure you want to repeat the words of this song?'
On a Saturday morning in July 2021 that God really spoke to me. Like young Samuel felt when God said his name, it was clear to me as if God was standing next to me. 'It's time for you to come back to church!'. I immediately went looking for a church like the AFM and ended up at De Deur Den Bosch via YouTube. On August 8, 2021, I gave my life back to God and He gave me an overdose of forgiveness.
Immediately after my conversion I could no longer have alcohol. It literally made me sick. My pornography addiction was gone, no more need to be involved with it. I was pulled out of a valley of depression and placed back on top of the mountain. God has helped me to ask for and give forgiveness to everyone I have hurt or used during my time without God.
Unfortunately, my marriage fell apart but God pulled me through that time. Provided a home for me at a time when rental properties were very hard to find. Within two weeks I had a 2 bedroom home so my daughters could sleep over. God brought me to my current wife, Annemieke, with whom I can freely serve God, grow and He is the leader of our marriage and life together.
Everyday I thank God for opening my eyes and ending the search for fulfillment by coming back into my life. I no longer have to search for temporary fulfillment. I no longer have to worry but just look forward to what He is going to do in my life and what He is going to provide.
I thank God every day for my life so far, that He has forgiven my sins and that I can love Him and call Him my daddy.
Junior
I come from a non-religious family and therefore paid little to no attention to God. Yet deep down I knew there was something more.
From the age of ten to eighteen, I was allowed to play in the youth of PSV. This allowed me to see a lot of the world and receive a lot from PSV. At school, I noticed that many children wanted that life and thought it was a great life. But what no one knew was that I was empty inside and often cried in my room. No one knew the sadness that I experienced. I always went out with a mask on.
As I grew older, I was subconsciously looking for something to fill the void in my heart. I started going to clubs and was very focused on my appearance, wearing only expensive designer clothes. I found that all of these things only provided temporary fulfillment, and my heart was still empty, despite everything I did.
I had a very good friend with whom I shared the same lifestyle. We wanted to go out a lot and wear expensive designer clothes. Suddenly he gave his life to Jesus, and I saw a change in him. I saw a completely different friend, he had a joy and love that I had never known. Suddenly he said: "I'm not going to the clubs anymore. I serve Jesus now." I didn't understand how he could have such a deep fulfillment and not want to do all these worldly things anymore. He started telling me about Jesus and told me to give Jesus a chance, because He could take away my pain and sorrow.
In 2016, I decided to attend a church service for the first time in my life because I wanted to see if Jesus really was the God who could change me.
I remember as if it were yesterday walking into the service and a love and peace came over me that I had never experienced before. Not from friends, not from my parents, and not from the nightlife. During the sermon I realized that it was exactly about my life. At that moment I knew that God had chosen this day to speak to me. I was someone who never cried, but the encounter with God showed me how much He loves me. I felt Him say to me, “I know your pain and sorrow. I am going to give you what you are looking for. You are not alone.” After years of not crying, I broke down in tears because I knew that this was the love I had always been looking for.
That day I knew that I wanted to continue to experience the love I had experienced every day. I decided to accept God as my
I am so thankful to God that he showed me how much he loves me and all the sins he had to do to save me. I am so thankful to God for his love from someone who was broken inside I have now become a person who lives in joy. I have truly experienced all the miracles God has done in my life. He cares for me, he protects me and he blesses me.
That is the God I have come to know, a God who wants a personal relationship and a heavenly father who can give you a love that this world does not know and cannot give.
The best choice I could have made was to give my life to Jesus, to make Him central in my life.
Leon
I’m Leon, born and raised in Best. I grew up in a family where hard work was central. My father always worked, and we, as children, helped out. “Work first, then there’s time for other things,” was the motto. But while my father worked, I felt the absence of quality time. I saw how the fathers of my friends made time for their families, and that often made me angry.
During my teenage years, I started to experiment. I smoked, got involved in bad habits, and tried again and again to quit, but kept falling back into old patterns. I had a plan for my life: take over my father’s business, marry my girlfriend, and buy a house with some land. Everything seemed planned, but it turned out completely differently. Around the age of 19, I got sick from wood dust and couldn’t take over the business. My relationship fell apart, and I saw my life falling apart as well.
I tried to find peace. I traveled to the Sahara in Morocco and made a turning point in my life: "I’ll go for it, or I’ll quit." Back in the Netherlands, I continued to wander, but couldn’t find any real direction. Until I ended up at a campsite in Zwolle, alone, without food. There I met two young guys who started talking about God. I had nothing else to do, so I listened. They invited me to eat with them and then to go to church. I couldn’t really say no, so I went with them.
For the first time, I heard a sermon that I truly understood. The people in the church were joyful, expectant, and their enthusiasm touched me. I wanted to stay for just one day, but I stayed for three. The thought of a personal relationship with God stayed with me. That Sunday, I decided to go to church. I acknowledged my mistakes, asked God for forgiveness, and accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord.
After that day, my life changed radically. The peace I received in my heart was unprecedented. My worries found a place, and I began to see how my life could be different. I struggled with racism, but God taught me that everyone’s value is equal. Then came the test: I fell in love with an Antillean woman. It was a struggle, but God showed me what real love means. I’ve now been married for 16 years, have three children, and a home where I’m happy.
Living with God has shown me that His plan is always better than my own plans. He has helped and guided me time and time again. If you want to know more, feel free to visit De Deur Eindhoven. I’d be happy to share my story further.
Nenkoumba
I am Nenkoumba, 25 years old, and I would like to share my story because I know that life can sometimes raise questions that only God can answer. My mother was Christian, and my father was Muslim, but they separated when I was born. So, I grew up between two worlds, with many different influences.
When I was 12 years old, I started going to church with my family. It wasn’t the first church I had been to because I was used to attending all kinds of churches with my relatives. That might sound interesting, but honestly, it felt mostly confusing. I didn’t know what was real anymore or where I truly belonged.
At that time, I was very closed off. I kept my life to myself and didn’t share what I was really going through with anyone. Yes, I knew God a little. I knew He was there, but I often doubted Him. I couldn’t believe that He really cared about me personally. One day, I decided to challenge Him. I prayed and said, “God, if You are real, please show me.”
What happened next, I will never forget. During a sermon by Pastor Bohórquez, it felt like he knew exactly what was happening in my life. He spoke directly about the things I was struggling with, as if God was answering my questions through him. It felt like God was looking at me and saying, “I see you. I know what you’re going through.” That day, I gave my life to God, and I didn’t doubt for a single moment.
I can’t fully explain how it felt, except that a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was as if I could finally breathe, truly breathe, for the first time in my life. I felt relieved, free, and filled with a peace I had never known before.
Now, years later, I know that God has always been with me. He has never abandoned me. In everything I do, I feel His presence and help. He reminds me of what He says in His Word: that He loves us and has a great plan for everyone. Even when I was that 12-year-old girl, God already knew exactly what He wanted to do with my life.
That’s why I want to share this: you never know who your life might impact. Maybe you think you’re too young, or that it’s not the right time to give your life to God. But believe me, if God has a plan for you, He will make it happen, no matter what you think or feel. God doesn’t ask you to be perfect or to have everything figured out. He says, “Come as you are.” And He will take care of the rest.
So, if you’re doubting, if you have questions, ask them to Him. He hears you. And if you let Him, He will change your life, just like He did mine.
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Annemieke
I am Annemieke and I want to share my testimony with you. As a child I grew up in a family with my father, mother and 1 year younger brother. A brother with autism.
There was often fighting, arguing, disagreement and often heard: you'll manage, you'll get there. Despite the fact that this is also true, it is difficult to grow up in this.
I was also looking for being loved, a hug, a simple sentence like I love you or I am proud of you. I felt very lonely and alone (while of course I was loved and I was loved). Yet I felt very empty and alone. The feeling became so great that I started looking for love in people. But I always came home with that empty and lonely feeling.
People disappointed me, started bullying me, fights started, etc. Why is there no one who truly cares about me and doesn't disappoint me. I looked for it in parties, in alcohol, people pleasing but nothing was the solution. The emptiness remained.
Until I met a friend Elyna who invited me to go to church. I kept saying no, because somewhere I was afraid of another disappointment. Until one evening I decided to go anyway. That evening my heart was completely changed. I can hardly describe it, but every emptiness in my heart was filled with so much love that I had never felt before. An unconditional love that God has for me was filled at that moment.
Someone who will never let me down when the world might, someone who can give me so much love when the world might hurt you, someone who will never let you down when the world might.
Jesus paid the price for me on the cross so that I could accept His true love into my heart. So that I could be set free from fears, loneliness, alcohol, and so much more. I am so thankful for that to this day.
If you do not yet know Jesus and you are struggling with loneliness and emptiness, I want to challenge you to accept Jesus into your heart as I have done and then you will see that you are a completely different person.
