Morne du preez - make god the centre of your dreams
This is his story…
This dream started in 2019.
I thought about this dream many times but I never really made God part of my dream until one Sunny Sunday morning while attending church in February 2020.
On this particular Sunday God decided to make known to me that He knew my heart’s desire. One of the eldest members of the church was leaving and his son and daughter in law came all the way from Sri Lanka where they do missionary work. They came to support his father as this was a very special occasion. The pastor of the church asked the son to come up and say a few words.
At first the son was hesitant but then agreed. As this man walked up to the front, he walked passed me, stopped for a second and turned around. He walked right up to me and said the following words. “God says that dream you have to work for yourself the time is now.” I stood there in absolute shock and at first, disbelieve. How could this complete stranger know what my heart’s desire was? As the service went on, I felt this warm feeling and peace come over me and I could hear how God was telling me “I sent this man to let you see, I God, know what your heart’s desire is and that I want you to follow your dream.” I took the best part of that next week to really make sure that what happened on the Sunday actually happened. When I had complete peace about it, I started to look into what business would suit the dream I had. I came upon this one website and found a couple of opportunities but there was one that really pulled me closer and that was Fresh The Laundry Hunters Retreat.
The business was not even listed as being in the market yet, but it did not stop me from contacting the agent immediately. As I was speaking to the agent, he told me that he actually only added the business to this website 2hours before I called him. I asked him for the owner’s number and before long, myself and the owner started speaking about the business. She explained to me her reason for selling the business and little did I know how Gods plan was actually falling into place. The owner was selling because she was going into fulltime ministry and wanted to go and complete her studies. I shared my testimony with her and she immediately agreed to keep the business until I could resign from my current work in order to get my funds together to purchase the business.
I was elated, finally, my dream came true but before that could even sink in, out of nowhere with no warning bells, Covid hit. There I was, I just invested so much and straight into Lockdown we go. My faith would be tested from the start. One thing was guaranteed, my son would finally get all my attention for the next 4 to 6 weeks. During Lockdown I received many setbacks as I’m sure most people did. Some people more than others, as we all had different circumstances. I tried to get funding through the different platforms to help sustain the loses that Fresh the Laundry and myself were dealing with but every avenue I went down gave me the same answer a big NO.
You see, I was a new business owner with no history to fall back. Nobody would take that chance and the government platforms to assist small business was also a dead end. This all made me realise my only hope was in God and during lockdown and beyond that, every step up until now has been a walk of faith with God and yes, I do fall and fail hard at times because we as humans tend to look at our problems and not to the One who is bigger than any problem that we can ever face. I could finally open my Business after about 5 weeks of lockdown and business was very slow. My faith was really being tested, I had bills to pay and my laundry was not making enough money which was to be expected. Many people who use to support my laundry before Covid hit, suffered their own loses and financially they were also struggling just to keep their heads above water.
Every day was a battle of faith on my knees, talking to God, giving Him the Glory and Honour. Praising Him even though it felt like I was going to lose it all. Even before I really had this opportunity to enjoy my dream that came true. Before I knew it, 6 months had passed and my business was still standing. God was working behind the scenes and my clients were coming back. Every day I received new clients. The only reason for my business picking up and being noticed was God. We need to realise that no matter what in life, whether its business, education, relationships, our children etc., God must be the CENTRE POINT of everything we do. Because without God we are destined to fall apart. I had an opportunity to be on radio on the 20th of November 2020 with PEFM and I could not wait to give God all the glory, honour and praise. To testify of His faithfulness and how important it is to make God the centre of everything we do in life. It was a truly humbling experience to give God all the glory.
Three years have passed since I finally realised my dream come true and everyday is a battlefield. Then it was Covid, now its loadshedding and water problems. But one thing stays the same, I can not go one day without God and His faithfulness. I still fall and fail but God never let’s go. Its not about how good or bad I think I am at times, but it is all about how AMAZING, FAITHFULL, MERCYFULL AND LOVING GOD IS ALL THE TIME.
My advice to any person who has a dream, any dream, make God the centre of everything you want to do. Look to God for wisdom in every decision you make and trust that Gods way will always be perfect and better then anything you wanted to do. As scripture says in Jeremiah 29 vs 11: “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
The biggest gift of my dream that came true was that I was able to share my testimony with so many people and to give God al the Glory. God blessed me to be a blessing. It was never about getting rich but being a blessing and to be able to put a smile on peoples faces. To lift them up with a kind word and show them the Love of God inside of me. This has been my biggest reward. My son and I got the opportunity to grow closer together and to have a bond so strong. These are the blessings that I received from my dream and it’s still not over!!!
Nothing can stop you when God is for you, so take that dream and give it to God. Then trust Him with it.”
Business Talk would like to thank Morne Du Preez for sharing his story with us. We wish him all the success for the future! Keep on dreaming and know that God is not done with you yet!
Make sure to visit Fresh The Laundry in Hunters Retreat or Walker Drive. Excellent service always! Find them on Facebook.
Hunters Retreat, Port Elizabeth.
