Free Indeed! Cornelius Hoffman's Story
There’s a special connection between our communities in the Netherlands and South Africa. Most of the folks in the Netherlands first heard of Heritage Ministries through Brother Dylan and Brother Gert, who are initially from the Netherlands but now are part of the Heritage community in Wilderness, South Africa.
In October 2022, Brother Rowen and Brother Dylan traveled to the Netherlands to meet several families seeking a deeper relationship with God. Over the next year, members from the Netherlands and South Africa visited each other in both South Africa and Texas, with the Texas visit culminating in a large baptism of many Dutch visitors.
One couple who visited had a friend, Cornelius Hoffman, who grew up in the Netherlands in a Pentecostal church. When his church shattered, Cor went through a dark, lonely time. After their visit to Texas, Cor’s friends testified that God had restored their marriage, and they loaned him a book from Heritage Ministries written by Brother Blair. Cor read it and felt renewed hope. When Brother Daniel Anz and his family came to the Netherlands, Cor attended many of their gatherings and the NL Exodus Conference. After the conference, he decided to pause his university studies and visit the community in Texas.
Cor stayed in Texas for three months, during which God significantly transformed his life. Despite never having worked outdoors before, he worked on the farm with Brother Grady, often staying late to help finish after others had left. He also worked a significant amount of time at Cafe Homestead—experiences very different than his European university studies! Upon returning to NL, Cor felt led to visit the community in South Africa.
He described what happened to him there…
“Over the past two weeks, God has continued the work that He started when I came to Texas. A few of us were listening to an audiobook about Brother Andrew, author of God’s Smuggler. He initially learned English from a Dutch friend who had never spoken the language but could read and write it perfectly. When Brother Andrew arrived in England, despite being able to read and write English, his pronunciation was so poor that he couldn’t hold a normal conversation. He had to relearn the language from scratch.
“God showed me that, like Brother Andrew, I have learned the language of the Christian faith my whole life. Once I came into an actual expression of the church, I realized I had to re-learn the basics, such as what repentance really means and what the Body of Christ truly is. I’m grateful for all the patience and effort that Brother Daniel and everyone invested in me.
“One meeting especially impacted me. As we worshiped, tears began to flow as I realized how often I had rejected God reaching out to me. I tried to hold back, but when we sang, ‘All my life You have been faithful,’ I surrendered to the Spirit and cried out to the Lord. My last bit of pride shattered when Brother Gift took my hand and led me in an exuberant combination of jumping and dancing around the room. Soon, others joined us. I felt free indeed!
“That same evening, I reaffirmed that I wanted to be baptized into the Body of Christ, and I said it with full conviction.”
Cornelius was baptized on his 25th birthday.
