Our Calling to Israel - Cornelia’s Recollection

In April 1997, one day Willie came home from work and he said God told him to watch and see something is going to happen at work. He did not know what it was. May 12 1997 people at work found a magazine and they saw an advertisement about an accompany in Ireland looking for engineers like Willie and his colleagues with their qualifications. One of the colleagues called the company and discovered that it was an agency that was recruiting people to go and work in Israel. None of the colleagues were interested in working in Israel. They left the magazine on the table and Willie took the magazine.

During this time Willie got a job offer in Seattle USA. He asked me what I would say if he would take that offer and we would have to move to USA. I said we should ask God about it. I search through note books in which we always wrote prophecies that we got from people. I found a prophecy that a pastor at the Bible School gave us in 1986. There were more said, but the main thing about that prophecy was that we would leave South Africa and it would be because Willie would be in demand because of his qualifications and experience as a Avionic Engineer. We prayed about the job offer in USA but we did not have peace about it. Willie sent his CV to the agency in Ireland. Willie did not get any answer from the agency.

In July 1997 I went to a woman’s conference and while I was there, God said to me that when I see His favour on Willie, he must stand in front of the Hebrews. I did not understand but I wrote it down. I went home on Sunday afternoon and Willie waited for me with two white envelopes in his hands and he said on Friday afternoon the Bosses at his work called the workers together and said the company will shut down the section where they worked. Thirty nine people lost their jobs. The one letter informed them that the company was closing the section and they were all soon to be unemployed but the second letter Willie got had other news. The company had put all the workers names on the internet to seek jobs for them. In that second letter was a list of airlines all over the world that had job offers for Willie. I looked at the list and said "it seems like the favour of God is upon you" and when I said that I remembered the word God gave me and I said "then you have to go and stand in front of the Hebrews". Willie still did not have any answer from the agency in Ireland.

That evening my sister in law called me and said she had a dream about Willie and me standing next to a blue and white airplane, waving on the 28th. I decided to call John and Amanda in Israel (the tour guides of the woman’s group in 1996) to arrange a visit in Israel. The only time they could accommodate us was as from September 28th 1997 until October 6th 1997. We booked a flight on El Al a blue and white airplane, and we went to Israel as I said Willie will find Hebrews in front of the Western Wall and that was where he should go stand before them.

In August 1997 Lady Diana died. All telephone communication to UK was overloaded and Willie could not get through to the agency in Ireland. We went to Israel September 28th 1997 and on the flight Willie saw a job offer in the Airline magazine and he wrote down the information.

John met us at the airport. Willie told him about what God said and that he believe that he will work at an airlines in Israel. Amanda asked when will his job interview be. Willie said he did not have an appointment for a job interview but he had that information he saw in the flight magazine. Amanda called the company, a cleaner answered and took Willies information and Amanda's telephone number. That evening Willie and John went to the western wall as we believed Willie had to stand before the Hebrews. A very unusual thing happened, there were nobody at the western wall that night. Willie and John prayed at the wall. They took us to a prayer meeting at a fellowship where we received another word from God. The next day we went to Galilee for two days.

When we came back from Galilee, October 5th there was a message on their telephone answering machine stating that Willie had an interview appointment. It was for the October 6th, hours before our flight back home. A woman interviewed Willie. She said she will pass on Willies information and CV to another department.

On the aircraft when the aircraft lift-off, Willie said when we get home, you should start packing. Willie did not have a job contract or even a job offer, but on what God gave him in his spirit, he said we should start to prepare for the move.

We went to my parent's farm and invited my siblings and their families to meet us on the farm. We told them that we are going to leave South Africa and move to Israel. Willie will work in Israel and our children will complete the school education in Israel. Needless to say, that news was not taken well by most of the family.

God told us to give everything we could no take with to Israel away. Furniture and even our car. We did not sell anything, we just gave it to family and friends.

I started packing, clothes, bedding (blankets, pillows and linen), one of the children's hi-fi and all our worship cd's, my sewing machine, some stuff from the kitchen and we took each a Bible in different translations. We had 21 pieces of luggage. Willie withdrew all the money in the bank including our savings and gave it to me. He said I had to find us an apartment to rent in Israel.

October 21st 1997, the children and I were at the airport, ready to move to Israel. We were on standby as Willie paid only 10% of the ticket price as staff, working for an airline. We had to wait until all other passengers went through check-in. In the end there were enough seat available and we could check-in. Willie put our luggage on the scale. We were 163kg overweight. The woman at the counter gave us an amount that we would have to pay for overweight. I turned to Willie and said: "God didn't say anything about overweight". At that moment I saw a pastor we knew. I went over to greet him and ask why he was on the airport. He said that he was on his way to Israel with a group. I asked which flight they were on and it turned out to be the same flight we are going to be. I told him that we are overweight, and before I could ask, he said to the woman that checked his group in to add over weight to the group. I thanked him and we went through to immigration and boarded soon after. Everything went smoothly.

On the flight I had a short conversation with the pastor and needless to say that he was in "total shock" to hear that we as a family were in the process of moving to Israel without even a job offer "in the pipeline" for Willie. I said we were moving by faith. Many people speak about living by faith, but when the rubber hits the road, it is a total different story.

It was a miracle that we could go on that flight, on stand-by, 163kg overweight without paying any penalty for overweight. It felt like we lived and moved in another realm and the people around us had no idea of the great miracle and wonder in their midst.

The next miracle took place when we arrived in Israel. The pastor asked one of the men in his group to help us. The two of them pushed two of our trolley, as we had five trolleys of luggage between the three of us. The pastor said he did not think we would get through security as in Israel nobody can get through the airport with that much luggage. When we came at the exit doors, the two men gave the two trolleys a hard push to go through the doors and they quickly turned around to get their own luggage.

John met us on the airport. He could not believe that we passed through security with that much luggage. He said: "God must have blinded them as you pass them, because something like this never happened". That is what we also believe, it was a miracle that we could enter Israel the way we did.

When we came to John and Amanda's apartment, Amanda said there was no way that we could stay in their apartment with all that luggage. She took a newspaper and searched for an apartment for us. She found one and called the number. A man answered and she asked about the apartment. He said it was still available and he was at the apartment at that moment. John took us with all our luggage still in their van. We met the man at the apartment. He started to take us through the apartment. We saw the living room and kitchen and I said we do not need to see more, we would take the apartment. John started to take all our luggage to the apartment while the man and I went through to contact. John left before we even completed our conversation with the owner of the apartment. I signed the contract and gave the man a deposit and one months rent. The miracle in this was that the amount I had to pay was actually the amount of money I had with me. I gave him all I had.

It was very cold, it started snowing and we unpacked some of the luggage to get the blankets to wrap around us. We put on clothes in layers as we as South Africans were not used to such cold weather. By the late afternoon we started to get hungry but we did not have any money for food.

One of our daughters made a suggestion that we would go for a walk and explore our surroundings. As we walked down the road we passed by some dustbins. On top of one there was bread in a plastic bag. I open it and it still smelled fresh. We took it and went to our apartment and we had enough bread for the three of us. We counted our blessings and recalled the miracles of that day.

The next day we took a walk again and found bread on another dustbin. We realized that there were always beard and fresh fruit on the dustbins later afternoons. It felt like we lived in Moses time as God provided food daily for us. We later heard that the Hebrews to do waste food and will always put leftovers on the dustbins for the poor. We fid not see ourselves as poor, but for sure God provided for us and we give Him all the glory. In a period of 24 hour we saw multiple miracles.

We lived in the living room and used the kitchen and bathroom. The doors to the room were closed as we wanted to keep the heat in the living room. Sometimes we took a walk and found furniture on the streets. We found mattresses and beds. In Israel they also put stuff on the streets, but not like in Germany, old broken staff. Some of the furniture was as good as new. Every time we found something that we needed and could use, we rejoiced and gave God glory for His provision.

My feet were swollen for some reason and I could not wear my shoes. I have put a couple of pairs of socks on when we went for our daily walk to collect our food that God provided. One night we prayed and asked God to provide shoes for me. After we prayed we went out on our daily walk. Not far from home, there was a pair of leather boots on a dustbin. Exactly my size. God provided our every need.

One day we heard a telephone rang. We went down the passage and found the telephone in one of the bedrooms. I found the owner of the apartment's telephone number on the contract and called him. I ask the number of the telephone in our apartment. I called Willie immediately, we did not have contact since we left South Africa. On his side he kept praying for us and believed "no news must be good news". I told him that we had an apartment and gave him the telephone number. I told him that the apartment has been paid for until end of November and that the children and I were doing good and we had food daily. I did not tell him where we got the food from. I told him that we got some furniture and we were well.

Willie sent the telephone number to the agency in Ireland. Shortly after I received a phone call from a company in Israel. The person said Willie had an appointment for a job interview the next day. I said Willie was still in South Africa but he would be on the next flight. I called Willie and said he had to come as soon as possible to Israel. November 25th Willie arrived in Israel and went for an interview on November 27th.

The first afternoon Willie asked what was on the menu for supper. The children started laughing and I said: "that I can not tell you now, we will have to see what God had provided". He looked puzzled and we told him about our daily walks to collect our food which God provided. At first he did not know what to say and apologised because he felt guilty because he did not provide for us, but we insured him, God provided and we never went to bed hungry. That day he jointed us on our daily walk.

Willie went for his job interview and it went well. They offered him a job. There was only one problem, they said. Willie would have to wait at lease 5 weeks for security clearance. That night we were overwhelmed by the goodness of God. We prayed and we knew that God will also provide financially for us to pay our monthly rent for the apartment. We already knew that God would provide our daily bread.

The next miracle came only two days later Sunday November 30th the company called and said the security clearance went well and Willie had to start working on Monday, December 1st. 1997. Part of Willie's working contact was transport and a lunch included. He got a lunch packet daily and ate only part of it and brought the rest home for the children and me. We still went on our daily walks for fresh bread and we had more than enough to eat. End of December Willie got his first salary and we could afford to buy food. But we still, enjoyed to go on walks some times and collected what God provided. He was, and is and will always be our God who provides more that enough.

Willie started working December 1st and we lived in Israel for five years and a month. All glory to God. God had never failed us. He had never forsaken us. He is true to His Word. He said that we would leave South Africa and we did. He said that we would live in Israel and we did. Praise, honour and glory to His Name.