The letter in the burlap sack it arrived in God’s timing

We are warmly welcomed into the beautiful home with even more stunning views of Egbert and Henny de Zwaan. After a little lesson in milk frothing from Egbert, we sit down at the table to hear the stories of their lives.

Let’s start at the beginning! How did you come to faith?

Egbert: "I grew up on a farm. In the summer, children’s camps were held on our grounds. That’s where I first heard about ‘giving your heart to the Lord,’ and that’s what I did. Afterward, I sat swinging joyfully, singing I was so happy!"

Henny: "I was raised in a Christian household, but I lacked real understanding and experience of the gospel. As a teenager, this led me to become a bit rebellious. One day I was waiting for my boyfriend in Elburg. He didn’t show up, and that evening I ended up at the Ad Fontes coffee bar. People there were handing out gospel tracts including Egbert’s sister. She told me about her relationship with God. We prayed together, and that’s how I came to faith. What a twist that day took!"

They later met in the youth group at Ad Fontes. Although they dated briefly, both still had growth to do on their individual journeys. Even then, missions—and reaching the unreached already stirred in their hearts. They wanted to give their lives back to Him.

Did you experience God speaking to you in your journey?

Henny: "I took a three-month course with the NEM (Near East Ministry). Part of that included a practical period in the Middle East. Almost everyone went to Israel, but something in my heart said: ‘You need to go to the Muslim world!’ There were several times where I very clearly sensed what I had to do. Usually through a conviction deep in my heart call it an inner witness. It was the Holy Spirit saying, ‘This is it!’ No audible voice, no thunder just a quiet certainty from within. Sometimes it came through a song, a Bible verse, or the ordinary rhythms of daily life."

"Eventually Egypt came into view for my practical assignment. The leaders at NEM had to pray about it first, because I was the only one wanting to go there—and as a single woman in 1979, that was quite something. But everyone found peace about it. I spent a year at an orphanage and learned the language. It was also a lonely time. That’s when I knew—I wanted to be part of a team. I returned to the Netherlands, still convinced that God had called me to this."

Did you continue this process in prayer?

"When you love God, you want to live your life with Him. If you ask for confirmation or guidance, God doesn’t seek to mislead you. But it’s important to become still before Him especially when facing big decisions. Be still, and trust that what rises up within you is from God. Silence the voices that might come from the enemy."

“Be still and trust that what rises up within you is from God.”

And what did your life look like after that?

"I attended a DTS (Discipleship Training School) through Youth With A Mission in Cyprus. During the DTS we went on outreach to Israel. One morning I became quiet before God, and He spoke to my heart: I had to pray for Egbert and specifically for a wife for him. It rose up within me, so I trusted it was God speaking. And to this day, I still pray for him daily."

Every six weeks, someone would visit us carrying a burlap sack filled with mail and money. That time, there was a letter from Egbert! It arrived the very afternoon after my prayer for him. In it, he shared that he often thought of me and longed for a wife. He asked if I would consider coming to him. I didn’t know what to do with that letter. I had once learned: “Never pray something unless you're willing to be the answer to that prayer.” That truth surfaced again in my heart. I was shocked did I want to be his wife?

“Never pray something unless you're willing to be the answer to that prayer.”

Because God also speaks through His Body through other people I asked my DTS leaders to pray with me. I thought: I’m not going to figure this out alone. After praying, they came back to me:

"Practically speaking, we’d love to keep you here. But as we listen to God, we sense you’re meant to go." So I did!

Egbert, how did you experience the period after your conversion?

"At the Bible school ‘In de Ruimte’ I attended, I looked for a mission organization I could join. Spiritually, I felt at home with Youth With A Mission Heidebeek (in Heerde), so I did a DTS there. A leader from Hong Kong came to speak, and I knew deep within: this is where I belong. So I went to Hong Kong. While there, my thoughts kept returning to Henny. I prayed, took a leap of faith, and wrote her the letter she just spoke about. She came to me, but it wasn’t smooth sailing. I was unsure, afraid of making a mistake. Thankfully, Henny was convinced. It took me half a year to be fully sure myself. We returned to the Netherlands and got married that summer."

Because I wanted to be involved in church planting as well as evangelism, we went to the School of Frontier Missions in Japan a country that deeply appealed to me for being so unreached. Upon arrival, we were unexpectedly introduced as team leaders. It was a sudden shift, but also a wonderful season. Later we returned to Hong Kong to plant a church, staying there for eight years.

“And then,” Henny adds with a smile, “the blood crawled where it couldn’t flow.” Egbert still longed to reach the unreached, and most students from the Amsterdam School of Frontier Missions were heading to Uzbekistan. We joined them to provide pastoral care for the team and stayed for seven years.

📖 A Scripture that reflects Egbert’s life is Romans 10:13–15:

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”

Were there times when discerning God’s voice didn’t go so well?

Egbert: "In Hong Kong, a man approached me saying that God told him to join our team. I felt cornered and accepted him despite having no peace about it. It didn’t end well. Today, I’d handle it differently. It may be better to say you have an impression, rather than claiming ‘the Lord says.’ It’s then up to the other person to test that impression against God’s Word."

"Sometimes we can become so passionate about our ministry that it takes the place of the Creator. Eventually, we ended up in a House of Prayer in Kansas City. That was such a restorative time. I had space to just be in God’s presence. God had to come first again above my work. I had to shift from being Martha back to being Mary. That was a big change."

“God had to come first again above my ministry.”

What would you both like to share about hearing God's voice?

"God wants to speak just as much about our ‘being’ in Him as He does about what we should do or where we should go. We often pray for guidance and direction, but God is equally interested in who we are becoming. He might want to speak about forgiving someone or visiting a neighbor. Both aspects matter."