WARNING: NOT FOR SENSITIVE READERS

On Tuesday, I received this moving testimony from Estelle du Plooy and I share it with her permission:

Half past eight that morning our gardener asked me for some food. As usual I gave him a plate of good food and a mug of coffee. He sat down on the step by the back door to eat. I trusted him, because in my opinion he was good man. Always well-mannered towards our family. I was busy in the kitchen when he came inside to, as always, leave his plate, knife and fork and mug at the kitchen sink.

When he turned around and locked the back door from the inside, I immediately knew that something was up! He grabbed me and knifed me right between the eyes. He cut me open from the left corner of my left eye and then stabbed me with the knife twice below my left eye. Then he stabbed me in the middle of my nose and cut open half of my left cheek. After that he stabbed me twice below my right eye.

I pleaded with GOD and said: LORD, You say in your Word that You will never leave me, never let me go; please don’t leave me today. Immediately, I felt two arms holding me. It was an indescribable feeling. It was the GREATEST LOVE holding me.

Then the man cut my upper lip and my lower lip. Blood streamed over my face. I felt the pain, but there was one thought only going through my mind and that was to stay alive until my husband and children came home. I was prepared to go, but I wanted to see them for a last time. Then the man stabbed and cut me in the neck.

Then he tied a piece of cloth around my neck. I believe he wanted to strangle me with it later on. The stab in my neck was millimeters from my aorta. He then stabbed me twice on the right side of my nose. As I tried to stop him, he nearly cut off my right thumb. He stabbed me so hard in my left hand that the knife went right through my hand. I had many, many cuts on my arms and body from trying to stop him.

He cut an elastic bandage in two on my desk and tied my two hands tightly together. He did the same with my feet. By that time I was so weak, I had very little strength left and was bleeding copiously. He took a bunch of rags at my machine and pushed them into my mouth. Then he wound another elastic bandage around my face so that it was completely covered – so tightly that my nose was flattened. Then he tore the clothes from my body planning to rape me.

I found strength from somewhere and fought with everything I had. I could still feel the arms around me. First, my one foot came loose and then one hand. So much blood was streaming over my face that the bandages became saturated with blood. It became harder and harder to breathe.

I continuously pleaded with GOD not to leave nor to forsake me. I felt extremely weak. He was very angry because he couldn’t rape me and because I had freed my hands and feet. He slapped me and spit on me and said the most terrible things to me. Then he ordered me to lie down on the floor. Then I pleaded JESUS’ blood over my body.

While I was lying on the ground he covered me with a duvet so that my head was covered as well. He fetched my son’s 26 kg weight and dropped it on my head to kill me. I felt the blow. GOD held me and I did not lose consciousness. Then the blood literally streamed from me. My mouth was filled with blood. My lips were stuck together and I was filled with excruciating pain. Second by second I could feel life draining from me.

I asked GOD to keep me alive until my husband and children came home.

Then I asked the man to bring me water so that I could rinse my mouth. He went away and I crawled to my cell phone. It was an old phone with buttons. When I tried to pick up the phone, I realized I was blind. GOD helped me to phone. I phoned my husband’s work and said he had to come home immediately. The man came back with the water and he threw the bottle of water over me. Then he stood at my fridge eating food. Then I said to him: “There are the keys for the safe and there is the safe, take whatever you want from the safe and the house”. Then he took all our money and my cell phone as well.

Just then my husband arrived. The man heard my husband calling and fled through the other door. As he left the room, I said to him: “I forgive you for what you have done to me.” My husband found me on the ground. I told him it was Johannes. My husband left me right there and chased after the man. In the meantime our pastor arrived.

He fetched a towel from the bathroom and covered my naked body. He sat down next to me and said: “As GOD held you this morning, so He will hold you. YOU WILL NOT DIE!”

My husband came back and took me to the doctor. The doctor said to him that I had 20% life left in me. After examining me, the doctor said I would NEVER see again. But I told myself that is not what GOD is saying. I received 58 stitches to my face and many on my arms and in my neck. I just wanted to go home. My jaw was clamped together for two weeks.

Every day I talked to GOD and asked HIM to restore my sight. After seven and a half months I could see again. I lost much of my sight, but I’m grateful to GOD. He not only restored my body, but my eyes as well. I could work again. I’m a teacher and and I can see and I enjoy everything I do. Johannes received 14 years imprisonment, but came out after 7 only. He’s out on the streets again. I’ve seen him three times. I’ve made my peace and I’ve forgiven and released him in JESUS’ NAME.

When I finished reading this, I responded as follows: “I have never in my life heard such a moving testimony. It actually leaves me weak. I want to cry and shout at the same time, but also in a way praise God. Thank you for teaching me about forgiveness, real forgiveness. Thank you that I can see God and get to know Him through you.”

Again and again I hear the words: “As he left the room, I said to him: ‘I forgive you for what you have done to me.’”