Bio
Who we are?
We are Johan and Tanja Vandebuerie, 34 and 35 summers young. We are by God's grace married for 13 years. Together with our two children, Noah 8 years and Lotte 5 years and we live in the green Kempen in Antwerp, in Westerlo, a place that God has chosen for us. Both Johan and I have an 'evangelical' background. In these municipalities, a solid foundation of the Word of God was placed in our lives, we see it as a great grace and enriching experience.
Johan was 18 years of age in a powerful way touched by God's Spirit, which I might have witnessed. It was one morning in 1993. God's love flowed through his entire body as a refreshing waves. He received an open vision of Jesus, Moses and Elijah. God revealed to us only later the significance of this vision. Johan was so full of God's love and decided to make the whole world, especially his friends, to tell them about this special experience. At that time Johan was secretly involved in the house music world and was using drugs, at that time had no knowledge of it.
A year later, in 1994, when I, Tanja was in my second year of my bachelor in psychology, I went through a deep valley, I was a trainee at the personnel department of a bank. My studies took me think about the purpose of my existence. The placement and adverse childhood experiences had made me conclude that life or the man I had nothing to offer and vice versa. In my supplications to God He let me in a clear voice that he was not finished with me. I chose that moment to His will for my life and seek to follow Him, instead of my own will, because I only wanted to be close to Him. Immediately every negative feeling and every negative thought I had was gone, and the devil's grip and power of darkness left me.
The same year we were both right in a turbulent period, with an important impact on our lives and our relationship. We then sought refuge in the house music and drugs trade, but longer, the more God's love began to pull us back in. God through everything remained in some ways been our anchor and refuge. He pulled us out and slowly we begun to recover in our relationship with Him.
In 1996 we decided passion and dedication in getting married. John left shortly before dipping in a church where we had one years previously ended. Our marriage was a new start with God, for a threefold cord is hard to break, as our wedding text said. In this town we experienced God's presence and healing power so strong that the walls of our hearts were broken off stone by stone. Our marriage had nevertheless many difficult periods. God gave us in those years a lot of spiritual insight and wisdom level. We lost a short time many friends, acquaintances, colleagues and relatives with cancer, suicide and murder. It shook us awake, so we took no longer content to just to continue living our lives as we did, because many souls were lost forever.
In 2001 our son, Noah, was born difficultly. Pretty soon it became clear that Noah was a special child that the Lord had given us. The Lord taught us to love him and accept him because he had created him perfect. The situation at home and my work began to be heavy on me to prevail and in that period started the migraine attacks, which I have from my 15 years of age and i suffered seriously, the frequency and duration increased. I began more and more dependence on painkillers. During a conference in the Netherlands, the Lord heard my cries and He healed me. I left my heavy painkillers and in 2004 finally our prinses Lotte was born, which was a nice experience. As John always desired a son and daughter, i prayed to the Lord that he would make Johan's dreams come true. She is now a beautifull young balerina who dances for the Lord Almighty and His Glory.
Meanwhile, we returned to my home church. A young doctor from that church had just returned from the TACF (Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship) in Canada to discover what the plans of the Lord were for His life. Our friend was really changed when he came back! He seemed to have found something that we have longed for years: the first love for Jesus and God's father heart!
During a soakingsessie ( "soaking" is an English term for "soaked" in this case drenched in His love through His and come to listen to His voice), we are now in July 2006, Johan and I looked together God. Johan sat with the pressing question whether it was God's will to go and start his bisiness in construction. God answered "Yes, I will bless it". We received both that same night, our first prophecy from our friend: Johan would be a forerunner, not an easy task, but God would provide.
We longed for more and we decided a few days before our 10th wedding anniversary to go to Dudley in the United Kingdom to follow the "Glory School" by Patricia King. It was our best wedding gift directly from heaven! It was like homecoming for us. They gave words and language to what we went through and we always dreamed of. During the worship we experienced God's Majesty and Holiness so that we could no longer stand to our feet and fell on our knees in awe of Him. We discovered that our image of God had become so limited and distorted through the years. We had forgotten His omnipotence and unconditional love and placed Him in a box. It always seemed a safe way to go with our disappointments, while we in reality put ourselves unconsciously in prison. The truth made us truly free! We also recieve confirmation at this conference of our first prophecy.
Back home we wanted to share our experience of God and His glory. This was not entirely consistent with the vision of our church and both sides were praying about it and after several meetings we finally decided that our roads were (temporarily) separated. Meanwhile, God led us to places and in contact with people who had the same fiery hearts desire: more of God's glory in us and Belgium on fire for the Lord! We went back several times to Dudley and every time was a homecoming and a resourcing for us! We found there the power of prophecy and the creative spoken word.
A long period of purification and testing then broke for us, with the bottoming of the sudden death of my father in June 2007. The vision that God had given to Belgium, gave us both a purpose and hope and kept us up in this period. Moreover, she made many question marks, confusion, disappointment and pain. God has us in a special way through this period and carried a lovely group of people next to us placed through our prayers and have loved. This group is now Revival Fires Belgium.
In October of that year we went back to Dudley. There we received a personal prophecy from Jill Austin: an apostolic resourcing place in Belgium, with an international network, a place where God's healing power and His glory reigns.
Our journey in the desert was not over, because the Lord had a deep and solid foundation in us to submit, our flesh went through his Holy Fire and we laid our lives on the altar, because we refused to return to end up in that years in prison where we lived in. Jesus went for and His hand was on us.
In October last year we were at the youth conference "Battle Cry" in Ghent, organized by our "spiritual mentors" it was the first time that we were put in our "ministry". We gave a prophetic word to about thirty young people, who were really hungry for Jesus! What a grace and joy that was! The prophetic flow was so strong we did it non-stop for 2 houres. Unreal!!
This year is promising. We gave the pass two years several prophetic words for Belgium and it came to pass! God is faithful and true! We are looking forward for 2010 what He has in store for our nation!