Andre wants to bring healing through prayer to the people of Springs
"I was called by the Lord to come here, it wasn't my choice."
On the side of a busy and often dangerous Ermelo Road stands Andre Oosthuizen with his bakkie ‘Paulus’ with a large sign asking a simple question, Can we pray for you?
Oosthuizen has been offering his services in Springs since November last year and the large yellow sign on his bakkie has made him a standout figure in the town.
“There is a lot of pain here in Springs, more so than in most places,” said Oosthuizen.
“There are problems here with homelessness, unemployment and people who have been hurt. I was called by the Lord to come here, it wasn’t my choice.”
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Oosthuizen alternates between Ermelo and Wit Road behind the Springs Mall, which he has identified as areas in most need of prayer.
According to Oosthuizen, 49 people stopped by him last week alone and poured their hearts out to him.
“That’s how I knew God put me in the right place. I have seen men, large, intimating-looking men, break down in tears in front of me,” he said.
When Oosthuizen first began praying for the people of South Africa, he didn’t have a car and had to do it all on foot, often having to walk dozens of kilometres.
His journey began in the North West province in 2017 where he was praying for the farmers who were battling a terrible drought.
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In 2020, he got a bakkie, which he named after St Paul and could travel further and pray for as many people as possible.
Oosthuizen wants people to walk away from him with more than just a prayer.
“I don’t want people to just come to me and then forget about it the next day.
“I am here as a vessel of God to help people find their faith and trust in God and work with Him,” said Oosthuizen.
Oosthuizen said his most important message regarding prayer can be found in James 5:16, which reads: Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
“The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.”
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