Willem Nel - A Silent Adventure: an Adventure of Grace and Faith

BY WILLEM NEL

Experiencing Gods love and goodnesswithout words

A SILENT ADVENTURE

Copyright Willem Nel

Smashwords Edition

Third Edition

Published in 2011 by

Faith Story Publishing

8 Peter Mokaba Street

Potchefstroom

South Africa

Text Copyright Willem Nel 2011

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations arefrom

The Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV)Copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Other translations used include

TLB from The Living Bible Copyright 1971 by TyndaleHouse Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.

The Message from The Message Copyright 1993, 1994,1996, 2000, 2001, 2002

NIV from New International Version Copyright 1985 byThe Zondervan Corporation

The Amplified Bible from The Amplified BibleCopyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The LockmanFoundation

NASV from New American Standard Version

NASB from New American Standard Bible Copyright 1995update by LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation

All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in anyform or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of thepublisher.

ISBN

www.faithstory.co.za

I want to thank my Lord and King for theopportunity to live again. In the course of this adventure, Ilearnt to know Him so tangibly. Thank You Jesus that You paid itall for a full life.

My darling wife - you are the real champion- the heroine of this story. Celest, your steadfastness,perseverance and faith made it possible for me to continue livingthis life with you.

To my children Guilliam, Charmor, Ann-Waniqand DIanrew - your faith, belief and prayers are what makes ourfamily champions for Jesus. I love you very, very much.

My mom, Christina - thank you for believingin me and that I could learn faith from such a young age fromyou.

To my family - parents-in-law, Pieter andBettie de Vries, my sister, Tina, brothers-in-law, Conrad andMarnus - thank you for being more than just a family but aspiritual family as well.

To my church and pastors - Tiaan andIngeborg, JJ and Ester, Anton and Tania, Louise, Johan and Noeline,Pierre and Ronell, Christo and Alicia, Niel and Madie, Barend andCarien, Fiona, Hennie and Salomie, Albert and Madelein, Hans andLennie, Zelda, Bethany, Andr and Cornell.

Thank you to all our friends in Every NationSouth Africa and internationally for your support. Roger and NicolaPearce - your leadership and friendship are greatlyappreciated.

A very special thank you to Franci Jordaanwho, with her brilliant writing skill was able to transform myloose thoughts and journals into a book. We had an appointment on22 March 2009 to write Activate Faith. Little did we know that Iwould have my death experience that same Wednesday and that A Silent Adventure would eventually becomethe first book. I really look forward to the next projects we dotogether.

Thank you to Michelle, Louise and Fiona whohelped with the translation, editing and graphic design of thebook.

Lastly, if it were not for the prayers ofthe believers, churches and pastors all over the world, I would notbe here to tell the story. Your faith and prayers are a testimonyof Gods goodness.

To my wife, Celest, who shows perseveranceand faith like very few people on this earth. To my son, Guilliam,who took on the role of dad in this time. Your testimony and faithstands head and shoulders above your peers. To Charmor, who kepteveryone entertained and who was the music in my ears - Jesus PaidIt All. To my princess, Ann-Waniq, who always prayed for me and tomy youngest, DIanrew, who could not understand why his dad lookedlike he did but who remains a ray of sunshine in my life.

Willem Nel loves adventure. He is a pioneer, a manwho takes risks. It could even be said there was a time when Willemwelcomed a certain kind of danger - if there was an appropriatereward for the kingdom involved. But Willem never bargained for"the silent adventure", not the kind of adventure he experienced.Some of us get to choose our adventures, and some adventures chooseus. Willem's adventure chose him.

God doesn't cause life-threatening diseases.But he does use them. He teaches us deeper lessons about Hischaracter, and He teaches us His ways. He redeems the curse ofdisease in the life of His children, and turns harrowingdifficulties into amazing stories of grace. This is a story ofgrace - and the goodness of God in the midst of a dangerousadventure.

It has been said that everyone has a story,and in every story there is an opportunity for ordinary people torise above their circumstances and become examples to the rest ofus. Adventures create heros. When that happens, it is becausecourage conquers fear. Courage in the face of danger is far betterthan fear without risk. Courage summons up the best in us but itmeans we must face the danger. Willem Nel did not choose hisadventure, but he did choose courage.

Willem has written a classic book aboutfacing deadly danger - with courage. Danger hijacked Willem's lifeand took him for a ride. "A Silent Adventure" takes you on the ridewith Willem - a wise person will learn from his journey.

Chapter five of this book is worth the priceof the book alone. I had to laugh and then forgive well-meaningChristians who did and said some very strange things to Willem... Ihope we all learn what not to do and what not to say when ourfriends or family members go through a hard time. People don't needadvice when they are facing death and disease. They need threethings: accepting love, wise comfort, and supportive prayer.

I loved this book, and because of Willem'sbreathtaking honesty, I love both Willem and God more because of itas well. If you are like me, you won't be able to put it down onceyou start reading...

Enjoy the adventure with Willem!

"A Silent Adventure with a LoudMessage"

I love adventure, but I am thankful I have never hada near-death adventure like Willem Nel's Silent Adventure.

Willem calls his traumatic life and deathbattle a "Silent Adventure." But losing his voice was only the tipof the iceberg. He also lost his ability to eat, walk and breath onhis own. Doctors feared he would soon lose not only his voice andhis mobility, but also his life. Yet, through it all, Willem'sfaith in God's ability and willingness to heal never wavered. Nomatter what the doctors said and no matter how grim thecircumstances looked, Willem faithfully and silently held on to thepromises of God's word.

Here's what I love about Willem - while hisvoice was silent, his message was loud and clear. It's the samemessage Willem has passionately preached and lived all the years Ihave known him - that God is good and his promises are "yes andamen."

It does not matter if he is preaching asermon or sipping a coffee, Willem's message always stretches andstrengthens the faith of those around him. His message has alwaysbeen about God, not about himself. And this book is ultimatelyabout God, not about a man or a miracle.

In difficult times, many people look topastors and spiritual leaders for answers and direction. Here aresome common questions that have been asked for centuries.

Why do bad things happento good people?

Does God really care aboutmy pain and my situation?

Does God answerprayer?

Do miracles stillhappen?

What should I do while Iwait for my miracle?

Willem Nel's "Silent Adventure" answersthese and other important questions.

By writing his story, Willem has made thejob of the pastor and counsellor easier. Next time I am facingsomeone with one of these tough life questions, maybe I'll simplyhand them a copy of "A Silent Adventure" and encourage them toprayerfully read it.