I have been married to my high school sweetheart for the past 35 years and the Lord blessed us with 3 boys. With my husband, I have been serving with OM for the past 30 years.
Part of my ministry is to take care of the Turkish-speaking Christian ladies in the different Christian groups across France, I minister to them one-on-one or in bigger discipleship groups.
I received this unique calling, to minister the Love of Jesus to the Turkish people, back in 1991 during our studies at the Bible school in South Africa. As a young, blond, mother I had to trust God and step out in faith to serve the Lord among the Muslim Turkish people. This was perhaps the most difficult thing for me to do at that time. I had to trust that my husband was making the right decision for us as a family.
At first, I was very reluctant to leave my parents and family behind and move to a Muslim country, but the Lord very soon confirmed in my heart that this was what he wanted us to do. After many tears and prayers, I finally submitted to His calling.
After serving the Lord in Turkey for 14 years we were deported back to South Africa in 2006. You can read more of the story and our experiences in the book “The Edge of Paradise” available for free on www.martindelange.org
For the past 11 years we have been serving the Lord among the Turkish-speaking people in France and by the grace of God we were involved in the planting of several Turkish-speaking churches across France.
I have been asked the question “Why are you doing this?” and the answer has been very simple for me. It is all about obeying the Lord. His calling on my life is much greater than my ambitions and plans. It is because of this commitment to serve and obey the Lord Jesus that I could leave 2 of my sons behind in South Africa and move to France to learn a new language and serve a Muslim community. It is the love of God that compels me to make the sacrifice because the Lord Jesus made a much greater sacrifice to rescue me.
Our youngest son who came with us to France will soon finish his studies at the Architect school in Strasbourg and I am so proud of what my 3 boys have achieved throughout the years.
I have learned that if I obey and follow the call of Jesus, He will take care of the rest. The Lord has always protected us amid severe storms and challenges because He is faithful. Trust God with your whole heart, leave your troubles at his feet, stay focused on the calling, and stay healthy spiritually and physically. The Enemy is out there to destroy and drag you away but God is always there to pick you up to move forward.
I love working with Turkish-speaking people and they will always be part of my life.
Petro de Lange