TESTAMONY: PIETIE

When I was on drugs, I sold everything in the house to buy drugs: Curtains, clothing, blankets, knives, spoons, food, doors, windows, everything. When I arrived and the people saw it was me, they would put away everything that could be stolen. Even my own family did not want to see me. They would lock their houses when I arrived.

I was 12 years old and already a gangster, the problem was that my brothers were in a different gang and that we lived in the same house in Heideveld. The gang leader expected me to kill my own brother to become a member, but I could not do it. From an early age I used different drugs: Marijuana, buttons, alcohol, LSD, everything. I looked like a sheep's head when I look in the mirror and I was very skinny.

If you drink a lot of wine and you are drunk, you change to someone you're shy off. You fall down, you rant and rave, you're rude, you're sick, you are all out of money, you steal and cheat to get anything just for money drugs and wine. If you are drunk you do not worry what people say about you. The children become ashamed of you and try to hide you. Your wife becomes discouraged and broken down - and thinks of divorce.

You lose the respect of your wife, family, neighbors, children and grandchildren, you lose your job and health, your possessions and money, wine takes everything away and becomes your boss.

I, my wife and newborn baby were sleeping in the outside toilet when it rained. It was very cold and wet. It was so small that we could not even lie side by side. One had to sit or stand while the other one was lying. All our belongings were in a small box outside. We were hungry and poor.

My wife worked for an income.

I was lucky that my beautiful wife of 20 years prayed for me and always believed I would be alright if I just met the Lord.

One Monday morning, I heard a voice behind me saying:

"Pietie, you must convert today."

I could not understand what was going on and ignored the voice, I thought I was crazy because I heard the voice and saw no one. Later I heard clearly:

"Pietie, you m ust convert today."

I got up and went to the pastor's house and asked him to pray for me. At that moment I was free from my sins, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, gangs, theft, everything. It was 12 years ago and I am still free. We now have a house, we have had seven cars, I will soon be a pastor.

I have changed from a disaster to a pastor. I changed from an alcoholic to an evangelist.

I was nothing, but God made something out of nothing.

I have never worked, but always had money. If the cart full of scrap-iron passed, then I took an old broken two plate stove and paint it pretty new and fix it up. Then I walked across the bridge to Guguletu and sold it for R50 to a lady. As she tested him and both plates worked together, I would say to the lady that she would save power. You put your rice on the plate and meat on the other. Then she believed me and paid.

The primary school was presented with a bunch reject shoes found at a factory. They sold pairs of shoes and I asked if I could get the rest. They were all left feet 'shoes. I packed them neatly in paper in shoe boxes and sold them to the truck drivers. They would fit a shoe and give me R50, then I would quickly run away before they put on the other shoe to wear them.

On Friday my wife bought me new shoes for R300 and I would walk very careful with them Saturday and Sunday I'd sell them for R30 or a stop of marijuana. Our new bedroom set did not last long, soon my wardrobe ended up in the merchant's house. I cut our mattress in half and sold my half for drugs.

We have now for 5 months a CAD group in Heideveld.

Of my members

Gershwin who was a merchant,
Bertram has used all kinds of cocktails of drugs,
another member went to jail at 17 for 15 years for drug smuggling and murder.

We all have shot people and robbed for drugs, now we have a duty to the users, merchants and smugglers to expose, we can and must help people to stop using drugs. We need to reach the children and tell them that addiction begins with the addition of smoking "toppetjies". We, as adults, should set an example to the children. This is why I do not smoke or even drink a little beer.

There is hope while we are still alive. The Lord delivered me from addiction, he can deliver you. You should just ask him and believe and do the right thing. Along with new, clean friends at CAD it is much easier.

We asked the DA's member for Athlone for the free use of the Municipal Hall in Jonkershoek and she had arranged it with one call.

Monday evenings Dr. Chris Steytler gives advice to the public and our CAD members, Wednesdays have our CAD meeting at 19h00, our spiritual dancing on Saturdays with 80 children and have our church service on Sundays.

It is amazing to work for the Lord now that we are delivered from addiction.

Praise the Name of the Lord. Hallelujah. Amen. September 2010
Prys die Naam van die Here. Halleluja. Amen. September 2010