Papendrecht evangelist Hans van Beek passed away in Vietnam

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Wednesday morning December 14 at half past eight we witnessed the farewell service of our friend and brother Hans van Beek in Danang (Vietnam). Last Friday he was found in his house. He turned 71 years old.

His life path was special. In the late 1970s he left for the Far East, not knowing where the Lord would take him. In the coffee bar in Papendrecht, his life had changed radically and he had come to a living faith. He had no money for the journey, but God provided. The money for the ticket was on the doormat the morning before departure. In Hong Kong he came into contact with Youth with a Mission.

His journey took him from (boat) refugee work to Vietnam, a dark country where believers were viewed with suspicion. Miraculously, he was allowed to stay every year. He prayed with people he met and miracles happened. In the 1990s he started teaching Alpha courses. This course concludes with a weekend of lessons on the work of the Holy Spirit. They kept it sailing on a boat. Upon their return, the state police were waiting for them for questioning. It always ended well, but there was always control.

About twenty years ago, Hans came up with the idea of ​​making cooking appliances that run on sunlight with the deaf people he had come into contact with. He got the idea in the thrift store in Sliedrecht. It turned out to be very blessed. It is now a large company and even gained national fame in Vietnam through a TV broadcast and an award. The products that are now being produced bear no resemblance to the primitive cooking appliances of the beginning. Over time, Hans received support from the Sions Church in Papendrecht. A committee was set up to support his work, there were actions for the development of the solar cookers.

Hans was a man of prayer; a spiritual warrior. What he has been able to achieve has its origin in his spiritual walks. He was a humorous man and imperturbable. His kindness was known to all people. He had a keen eye for the spiritual battles of this day and called people to be watchful.

Hans leaves a great testimony to the people with whom he was connected.

A special man was buried today. Fortunately, his sister Ans and a cousin were able to attend. It was a moving service of the farewell of a man who in all silence was allowed to be an instrument of God to bring light into the darkness. It is special that a simple Papendrechter could be honored in such a way in a country like Vietnam. We would also like to point out the calendar that Hans has made for this month. He described his life in it. It is very striking that he has done just that for this year.

Henk and Willemien Scherff, Papendrecht