Herewith my testimonial of what happened to me, on two separate occasions!

The first in 1991, a car accident and the second, a veld-fire 5 years ago on the 25th day of September, both almost taking my life!

The first time I can honestly say I was saved, was when I found myself looking up at an old lady, peering from her bathroom window, saying, “Are you okay?”, … I crashed my car into the side of her Rynpark (in Benoni) home! I was feeling fine at the time not knowing that my spleen would soon burst from the impact I took to the side of my chest. When it happened a few days after, excruciating pain riddled my body, passing out every time the nurses tried to take x-rays!

I finally ended up in hospital, where an emergency splenectomy was done! For weeks I was in and out of consciousness, as it turned out an infection started, this took its toll on my body! My once healthy 92 kg body soon turned into a skeletal 75 kg bag of bones! Once they gave me the wrong blood, … once meds did not work out, … and in the approximate 5 months of in and out of hospital (with no medical aid) I even had a hole in my stomach, whilst waiting for the infection to clear up, … only a skin graft from my upper leg to cover my intestines!

When things especially started to look gloomy, my mother (Magda Muller) decided to ask her bible group to pray for me, … but in the event of all of them not being allowed at one time at my bedside, she decided that they should lay their hands on a handkerchief, pray with all they’ve got, and in turn my mother came back to me at hospital, laid the cloth on my open stomach, … and prayed again!

Miracle by glorious miracle, … the next day the doctor came for the check-up and realized it started to clear up, … after the fact that he thought I was on my way out! Truly a miracle, God showing His strength through our trust in Him! - Power of prayer!!

The second time God saved my life was in September of 2005 on our farm in Limpopo.

Our farm was situated in Nylstroom, and the whole area was very dry, and specifically windy around that week, making veld-fires a real threat! This indeed was the case in the area of our farm. On the 24th, a fire was coming towards our area, and a few of us went to inspect, … seemingly it was under control by 10 o’clock that night.

Early on the 25th, we went for a game drive and noticed that smoke clouds were coming towards the farm, very close, … went to inspect, … and make fire-breaks.—whilst busy with the fire-break, I parked my bakkie on the side of the fence where I never thought it would be in danger.

Before long my wife ran towards me, saying a small fire has started coming towards the exact fence where our vehicles were parked, small meaning - up to my knee. We quickly started moving the vehicles, and as I climbed into the bakkie, the flames were already touching my legs. My wife screamed at me to leave the bakkie, as I was parked the wrong way around, as the flames already started growing and was in front of the nose of the bakkie, but I thought it was still small enough to move the bakkie safely!

In spilt seconds however, while reversing the bakkie, the flames grew to a massive 3m wave of death following my every move! The bakkie was only equipped with front-wheel drive and therefore making traveling (in reverse as well) over the rocky terrain, and fallen branches a hopeless situation! The bakkie got stuck on a fallen branch and the flames enveloped me! The heat was intense, and for a moment I thought I could withstand it and stay in the vehicle, but God told me at that moment GET OUT! I got out into the flames, running towards my wife’s screams and her vehicle’s hooting, as I could not see! (I held my arms in front of my face for protection).

I got to the other car in which my wife and others were traveling, and immediately she rushed me to a waterhole, as my skin was still steaming, and my hair was smoking, and she helped me into a water-trough, … where the cold water stopped further burning!

The miracle for us, was the fact that our two sons were always on the back of that bakkie, and that day a friend said she’ll keep the kids with her at the farmhouse whilst we were doing the fire-breaks. The bakkie was completely burnt out, no tyres, no seats, all windows shattered, and the leftover metal a crumpled-up mess! - no adult let alone child would’ve survived! Another miracle was the fact that God kept me sane while in the bakkie, and letting me get out at the right time!

After speeding to the farmhouse from the water-trough, I jumped into a cold shower whilst a cold water bath was being run for me! My skin dropped from my body as the water touched the massive blisters. I started to go into shock, my wife, Alice could not get a helicopter to me. We ended up rushing to hospital, 22 kms away, in her water-drenched car, me with wet sheet over me, and brother-in-law driving, whilst she kept drenching me with ice-cold water!

Getting to hospital, this was a typical government operation, funny smell in theatre rooms, dirty floors, etc., morphine was immediately administered, whereafter I felt better, but still the nightmare continued, as the nurse left me to help another patient, whose helicopter crashed while he too was checking the fire! My wife had to clean the open areas herself, while I tried staying awake! The poor gentleman passed away in the cubicle next to us!

My accident happened that morning at 11 o'clock, and after numerous phone calls, my wife got a hospital in Pretoria with a burn unit, … the ambulance only arrived at 5pm!

I was still feeling comfortable with the morphine being administered when needed, not knowing that when we got to Pretoria, NO BED was available!!

This was the last straw, as all other options of Milpark, Baragwanath and now Pretoria-East was gone, Alice said please just take us to Linmed Benoni, as it is close to home and familiar to us.

Here the final nightmare started! The first 4 days I was put into my own room, but everyone could come and see me. My wife and I were concerned about infection at this stage, but thought thehospital knew what they were doing! My internist started having huge concern, as my lungs did not seem clean, as well as the physician tending to the burn wounds said it does not look good!

For the next 3 weeks I was in I.C.U. under strong meds keeping me calm! On and off I was in theatre 8 times, respirator connected to me breath, feeding administered through drip intomy neck,woundsscraped each time in theatre, morphine, sedatives, etc. … Iwasconstantly imagining things, until I asked my wife to come pray for me. Her sister, friend and herself prayed for me at my bedside, other Christians afar as Cape Town, family, friends, etc. kept praying for me, day and night. While they were next to me praying, I felt the Lord’s presence making me stronger, and seeing sparkles of all colour spectrums (much to that of a child’s play Kaleidoscope). After this, I was positive that God helped me in managing each day by letting me hear my family talking to each other, my two sons, aged 7 & 5 bathing and my wife interacting with them, as if I was right there with them! This made everything more bearable, as the children were not allowed to come and see me, we communicated though video clips my wife took, … the times I were awake!

At this time my wife also found solace with God, as she never felt so out of control, and alone in her life! God turned my accident into something good, and with His help we managed this period, as both doctors felt at same stage, that things looked negative!

This is through God’s grace and prayer, that I survived the ordeal, with hardly any scars! People that know me, know where the scarring is, but others are amazed, after seeing photos of what I looked like in hospital!

My thanks for always, to the dedicated doctors, nurses, family, friends and all who prayed for me, but above all to God for keeping me safe!

All is possible through prayer and trusting in our great God!

Sincere regards,
Cornelis Muller (H), son of Andries & Magde Muller (D), Benoni