Nr.114 ended with: “What a joy we experienced time and again. Next time we’ll look at all the wonderful, except one, things that happened in 1975……..!’ (See richardandmarina.net).

Due to being so involved in Beerse yet, we had not yet started a church in Koersel, but we held our first Lord’s Supper there on a Sunday evening the beginning of March. Phillip, the doctor from Peer was present. I had visited him and his wife regularly and I realized that God was working in their hearts. About two weeks later, two miracles happened, two births took place. The first one was that of Phillip and Ingrid’s second child in the hospital, the second took place in their home, in fact in their bedroom. I’ll let Phillip tell it in his own words. “While Ingrid was in the hospital with our second baby, I gave my heart to Jesus in bed one night. Tears of remorse rolled down my cheeks, remorse for all the wrong things I had done and, knowing that I would still do some of them. Tears of shame, shame that Jesus, the Son of God had to die on a cross to pay my debt, the debt of my sins and the sins yet to be committed, to pay with His sacrifice.

But also, and especially, tears of joy. Joy, because God’s grace which had befallen me. Joy, not only because Jesus had died for my sins, but had also risen from the dead. He was, and is, the Victor. And I wept because of the joy that Jesus had given me eternal life, and through the truth of His word, had given me assurance of that. I felt soaked with a warm, unspeakable joy. I was born again; I was a child of God! And because of my new birth I felt really liberated. Jesus was my Redeemer, my Savior and my Lord. He had completed everything for me; He had paid for my sins. I didn’t have to perform anymore so as to be found good enough. Through Jesus I had become a child of God. I wanted to live for Him.” Wonderful indeed, praise God! And a lot more wonderful things happened that year …….! (Go to Musings).