Former drug dealer wants to become an evangelist
Jan van Weenen (42) starts drinking when he is thirteen years old. Two years later, he is smoking his first joint. But that is not all. At the age of seventeen, he is using LSD, among other things. Later on, he becomes a drug dealer himself. In 2006, Jan gets to know God. From that moment on, Jan's life changes radically. During the period that he is a drug dealer, Jan mainly has other people working for him. "I was making quite a lot of money dealing drugs. At the same time, I received a government allowance. I was a difficult man to handle!" Jan wanted to buy the piece of land he was living on from his landlord to build a new house. But his landlord thwarted him. Jan took revenge. "I set his dredging company on fire, and later on, I beat him up. Local authorities thwarted me too. Therefore, I placed a firework bomb at the police station twice. As a result, I ended up in prison."
Camping
Shortly after his release, Jan has another conflict with the local authorities about a house. "As a form of protest, I went camping on the town hall yard. This lasted three weeks. Eventually, I moved to a camping ground. I continued dealing drugs, but I decided to end my career when my little daughter Mielo was three years old. She was born in 1999 and I did not want to expose her to the drugs scene."
Downhill
Because Jan quits dealing drugs, he has plenty of spare time left. He becomes a teacher of Thai boxing. "I rented a gym and taught twenty-three people. It was great fun to do. However, I overstrained my knees. In the long run, they were totally worn out, so I had to quit. I needed surgery, but had to wait for seven months. During that period, my life went downhill fast. I used a lot of marihuana and got addicted to wine. Eventually, this resulted in a liver disease. My liver was twice the size as normal. But I kept on drinking."
Change
In 2006, Jan is sitting in the doctor's waiting room. He sees a brochure about De Hoop. "The things I read in that brochure were really appealing to me, so I decided to apply for treatment at De Hoop. The same year, I converted to Christ. However, I was still using drugs and drinking heavily. When I wanted to be baptized, my pastor told me I had to quit abusing substances first. I succeeded in that, because I really wanted a drug free life. But I knew I still needed therapy."
Evangelist
"Without God's interference in my life, I would have never become drug free. I am very eager to tell other people about Him, because I am so grateful for what He has done in my life. Therefore, I am following a missionary training course in my church in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel. I would really like to do something with that in the future, preferably abroad. I am skilful, so I could help build water wells in a developing country, for example. But I would also like to share the gospel."
During the period that he is a drug dealer, Jan mainly has other people working for him. "I was making quite a lot of money dealing drugs. At the same time, I received a government allowance. I was a difficult man to handle!" Jan wanted to buy the piece of land he was living on from his landlord to build a new house. But his landlord thwarted him. Jan took revenge. "I set his dredging company on fire, and later on, I beat him up. Local authorities thwarted me too. Therefore, I placed a firework bomb at the police station twice. As a result, I ended up in prison."
Camping
Shortly after his release, Jan has another conflict with the local authorities about a house. "As a form of protest, I went camping on the town hall yard. This lasted three weeks. Eventually, I moved to a camping ground. I continued dealing drugs, but I decided to end my career when my little daughter Mielo was three years old. She was born in 1999 and I did not want to expose her to the drugs scene."
Downhill
Because Jan quits dealing drugs, he has plenty of spare time left. He becomes a teacher of Thai boxing. "I rented a gym and taught twenty-three people. It was great fun to do. However, I overstrained my knees. In the long run, they were totally worn out, so I had to quit. I needed surgery, but had to wait for seven months. During that period, my life went downhill fast. I used a lot of marihuana and got addicted to wine. Eventually, this resulted in a liver disease. My liver was twice the size as normal. But I kept on drinking."
Change
In 2006, Jan is sitting in the doctor's waiting room. He sees a brochure about De Hoop. "The things I read in that brochure were really appealing to me, so I decided to apply for treatment at De Hoop. The same year, I converted to Christ. However, I was still using drugs and drinking heavily. When I wanted to be baptized, my pastor told me I had to quit abusing substances first. I succeeded in that, because I really wanted a drug free life. But I knew I still needed therapy."
Evangelist
"Without God's interference in my life, I would have never become drug free. I am very eager to tell other people about Him, because I am so grateful for what He has done in my life. Therefore, I am following a missionary training course in my church in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel. I would really like to do something with that in the future, preferably abroad. I am skilful, so I could help build water wells in a developing country, for example. But I would also like to share the gospel."
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