Tray Cloth: Skoonheid en Liefde

“My geestelike skilderye kom uit my hart. Wat ek ook al ervaar op my pad saam met God, probeer ek op die skilderdoek vaslê. Dele van die pad was hard en eensaam, maar God was so liefdevol en beskermend en uit my diepste pyn het my grootste seëning gekom.”

I was born in 1972 in the small town of Paarl in the Boland. My dad was a teacher at HS van der Walt Girls’ High. I am blessed to still have both of my parents in my life, my dad Willie and mom Raché Swart, and also have two sisters, Lézl Potgieter and Raché Gerber. My brother Bennie was born 14 years after me. We had a wonderful childhood, of which many hours were spent under the Jacaranda trees and playing in the vineyards.

Between 1992 and 1993 I tried different fields of study, first marketing and later social work, but I felt that it was a waste of time. In my mind, social work was something that is installed in every Christian, and I was already working part-time in marketing. I decided to quit my studies and started my career as a full-time marketer.

Every word in the Bible led me to the knowledge that I had to use every talent, every gift for His glory. During this time I received a Scripture saying that He would educate me and send me where I needed to be – and that is exactly what happened.