Andre and Brenda Berkhout are preparing for deployment as missionaries to Romania, to fill the newly-created role of NCM Coordinator. They will serve on sponsored deployment. Click here to become a supporter.
Andre and Brenda Berkhout are from North Holland, Zaanstad, the Netherlands. They have three grown-up children, two of whom are married.
Brenda has a master degree in mental healthcare and has worked at several mental health institutions, in the women's shelter in Amsterdam of the Salvation Army and an outpatient clinic of GGZ de Hoop (addiction treatment) in Amersfoort. She has also had various training as a counsellor/coach.
Andre has a long experience in ICT as a functional application manager. In addition, Andre did a bachelor’s degree education, first for a year of theology and then switched to do three years of missionary work at the Evangelical College.
In their marriage, they have always been ready to support others and share their lives. When the children were small, they were foster parents and took care of foster children alongside their own children. Together, they have been active in marriage ministry in their church for a long time and have assisted several couples as volunteers.
They have always had a heart for missions but due to various circumstances it was not yet the right time. When the children were grown up, they started talking to Overseas Mission Fellowship in 2018. After a long process and Covid, they left for Thailand in early 2023 to serve for a year in northeast Thailand, the Isaan. Meanwhile, they had started the trajectory with Global Mission Nazarene with the intention of being sent out after the OMF deployment.
In Thailand, they worked with students (teaching English, Bible studies and coaching) and visited the community with the Thai pastor and his wife. These were mainly the poor, sick and elderly in the neighbourhoods. They also started a kids' club with the neighbourhood children. They saw much blessing from this work.
After a year, they returned to the Netherlands and put the continuation of their mission completely in God's hands. For Andre and Brenda, this period was good preparation for the next step. Andre and Brenda trusted that however things will proceed, God knows best what is appropriate.
Reposted from https://give.nazarene.org/category/region/eurasia/abberkhout.
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