I must have read the email a dozen times before printing it out and walking into Dad’s office. I closed the door behind me, an unspoken sign between the senior pastor and his son that we needed to talk immediately. I had received an email from Suzette [Hattingh] that something had changed. I handed the paper to Dad and watched him read every word. The expression on his face mirrored the emotions I, too, experienced when the email first arrived. Neither of us could believe it—how could this be happening? Suzette had received a confidential phone call from Reinhard Bonnke. He asked if she knew anyone who could serve as his personal assistant. He needed someone at his side daily to handle contacts, accompany him to meetings, assist behind the scenes at the crusades, and help with anything that came up pertaining to him personally. She told him yes. The…
I turned up the next morning excited to see how Suzette Hattingh, the former head of intercession for Reinhard Bonnke, prayed. I’m not sure what I expected but for several minutes I watched her read her Bible, walk around quietly listening and communicating with the Lord Jesus, then sit down to journal some thoughts—all things you would expect from someone committed to Him. The Holy Spirit started pulling at me. It was time to quit spectating. I walked down to the front of the sanctuary, knelt down at the altar, and began to pray. Acutely aware of the presence of Jesus, I buried my face in my hands and poured out my heart before Him. Humbled and broken, I worshipped Him with all my soul. And I completely forgot about Suzette Hattingh. The ironic twist was that while I was at the altar, the Holy Spirit tapped Suzette on the…
“How did you get that job!” someone asked me after learning I served with Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke in Africa. It is the first thing people want to know when they hear the stories of traveling with him to the massive Nigerian crusades and meeting people from all over the world. There was no Facebook posting, no resumes requested to find a person qualified enough to work with Reinhard. If so, I’m sure it would have generated countless entries and I would have missed the opportunity of a lifetime. Instead, it happened almost by accident. Looking back, though, it was more than chance or good luck. It was destiny. I first met Suzette Hattingh at lunch with my dad. It did not take long listening to her stories about Reinhard and Anni Bonnke or her deep passion for prayer to become aware of a hunger growing inside my soul. No one…