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On Sunday, during the praise-and-worship part of the church service, Pastor Rouvain du Preez, from Lichtenburg in North West, suddenly felt heavy pressure on his chest. He was struggling to breathe and started sweating.
But he says the moment he took his place on the pulpit, the symptoms vanished and he was able to deliver the sermon he’d planned.
“I don’t normally serve communion before the service but this Sunday the Lord moved me to serve communion first. I believe it’s the blood of Christ that saved me,” he said.
When he felt pressure on his chest and struggled to breathe, he went to one of the church leaders who prayed for him along with members of the congregation.
“The moment I stood behind the pulpit, the discomfort vanished and I could start my sermon. My wife says I looked a bit pale but I didn’t feel ill at all.”
The sermon lasted about 50 minutes. “Afterwards, a gentleman came forward to share his testimony. The moment he took the microphone, the life drained out of my body. My chest tightened and my arms went numb.”
A friend took him to the local GP, who immediately sent him to the hospital in Klerksdorp.
Doctors there tested him and established that he had indeed suffered a heart attack in church. They also identified a blockage in one of his main arteries and inserted two stents.
“It could’ve been a massive heart attack,” Rouvain says. “It’s a miracle that I got off so lightly.”
Rouvain says doctors couldn’t see any damage to the heart muscle. He’s been booked off work for a few weeks but he says he’s looking forward to his new lease of life.
“My wife is very strict now,” he chuckles.
“At the end of the day, it’s a case of ‘my story for [God’s] glory’ – it all becomes part of one’s testimony.”
