A Girl Named Hanneke

By Maria Ferreira

Hanneke is a real girl facing a world with real challenges. Caught between her love for God and reality, she is forced to seek answers to life’s perplexities. Her roller coaster journey takes her through situations that are sometimes bright and joyful, but often resemble a horror movie. Join Hanneke on her journey through life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maria Ferreira
• Release date: Jun 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310413209

Maria Ferreira

Health and lifestyle counseling, education and care is my passion in life. I believe health counselling is the right arm of the gospel.I love stories and enjoy telling stories to young and old.I have a strong preference for stories with a Christian moral. When I'm not telling stories, I read them.

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A Girl Named Hanneke

Maria Ferreira

Smashwords Edition

Foreword

The little girl, named Hanneke, first found fruit in my mind as an eight year old girl after I have read a story, beautifully written by a lady, a Church newsletter Die Kerk Bode. This sparked my interest in the writing of Christian short stories. The name, Hanneke, belonged to my first two dolls and they in turn inherited this name from my niece, Hanneke.

Contents

1. Hanneke’s Present

2. Hanneke makes a NEWSTART

3. A Lesson on Joy

4. Closer Than a Brother

5. Adaptability

6. The Anger Monster

7. Authority

8. Discipline

9. Murmuring

10. Fault Finding and Criticizing

11. Lack of Knowledge

12. To Hear God’s Voice

13. Hanneke Gets Baptized

14. The Essay

15. To Be a Good Steward

16. Romantic Notions

17. Entertaining Lucifer?

Epilogue

Bibliography

1. Hanneke’s Present

It sounds like heaven. Kids are running, giggling, playing and having fun. Sadly, for Eight year old Hanneke, it is a different story. She sighs. Her tummy churns. How can a person be happy when you have to just sit and watch other children play, but cannot join in and play with them? She feels so lonely and so very sad. It’s not fair! She cried.

Hanneke was in a car accident when she was a little baby. Her parents did not lock her door. She was not strapped in either. When the car crashed into a delivery van her door flew open and she fell out of the car. Her back got hurt and she could never use her legs to walk. There was not physical pain left, but watching others play made her very sad!

Today is Christmas day! The whole family is here to celebrate this festive day. Everyone is smiling and having fun. Hanneke knew Grandpa would call all the children together for the usual children’s story. She did not feel like listening to that age old story of a little baby in a lowly manger and of the shepherds and the magi. Wasn’t it just another nice story? Mommy says this baby grew up and died to save us, but where is Jesus when one needs Him? Why doesn’t He see her sadness? Does He really care about her?

As all the children gathered around Grandpa’s chair and settled down to listen to the story they heard the gate open and saw a boy walk in, carrying an oblong packet in his hands. Hallo Hanneke, he said, My mom said I must bring you this present. He gave her the parcel and left. What could it be? Hanneke wondered. Well open it. Open it! Everybody said curiously.

Hanneke ripped the colourful gift wrapping off and opened the oblong box. She tipped it over and out slipped a pair of bright pink crutches! There was also a card. It said: Dear Hanneke. If you want to come to me for treatment and exercises, there may be a chance I could teach you to walk with these crutches. The card was signed: Dr. Sally Mackingtosh.

Could it be? Was it truly possible? The children’s story forgotten, everybody gathered for prayer. Praying that this could be the miracle for which they all were hoping.

Hanneke went for treatment with Dr. Mackingtosh. First daily and as her back and legs became stronger, weekly. She used the crutches to walk around the house and at school. For the first time she was really happy. Maybe there was a Jesus after all!

One afternoon, after school, Hanneke was at home alone. Mommy went to the café for bread and took her little sister with her. Daddy was still at work. She had homework to do, so she decided to stay behind.

As she bent over her math book she heard a noise from the window. It sounded like someone trying to open it up. Terrified, she ran down the hall to the kitchen, only to realize that her mom was not home yet! She looked around. Suddenly she realized; her crutches were still in the room! Her legs went jelly. Panicking, she sat down on the floor.

When Mommy walked in the door, she found Hanneke sitting and crying on the kitchen floor and thought that she had fallen. But when Hanneke looked up, Mommy saw that Hanneke was also laughing!

Hanneke told Mommy, what happened with the window and how scared she was and that she just ran, without her crutches! Look, Mommy! she said and pulled herself up slowly and stood. Look, Mommy! She said and took one step, two, three steps and grabbed hold of Mommy.

When Daddy walked in that evening, Hanneke walked up to him, holding onto this table, then that chair then his outstretched hands. Daddy, said Hanneke Jesus is alive!

(This story was previously written in Afrikaans under my maiden name, Anne-Marie Steyn, at the age of 8 and published inDie Kerkbode.)

2. Hanneke makes a NEWSTART

(1Co 6:19, 20)

Hanneke looked at the picture of the beautiful young model with the perfect hourglass figure. He sky – blue eyes caught her reflection in the mirror. Why must I be so fat? she asked herself sullenly I’m so ugly! Hanneke paged in and found an advert on slimming tablets. Maybe this will help me lose weight, " she thought excitedly.

Hanneke fetched her wallet from a drawer and inspected the contents. Will it be enough for a bottle of these tablets? She went to her mother and asked if she needed anything from the shop. Mom gave her money for bread.

At the supermarket, she put the bread in the basket first. Moving on to the self- medication isle she inspected the products on the shelf. She decided on an inexpensive slimming product that promises miraculous results in mere weeks.

Several days passed and Hanneke saw small results on the bathroom scale. Her enthusiasm for her diet increased. She decided to see if she will get even better results if she took one tablet more every morning after breakfast. And surely no-one will notice if she skipped lunch?

The weeks turned into a month and Hanneke was ecstatic. She has lost ten kilograms! Her clothes are already fitting looser! Maybe she should take one more tablet at suppertime and eat a smaller meal?

One evening at supper time Mom looked at Hanneke and asked? Hanneke, is something worrying you? I’ve noticed for a while now that you eat very little at supper time and you often leave your lunch behind.

Nothing wrong, Mom. said Hanneke. Some mornings I’m in such a hurry that I forget. People also say it is healthier to eat smaller meals before bedtime. She gave mom her sweetest most innocent smile.

Well, thought Hanneke. Henceforth she will have to be extra careful not to forget her lunch box! And maybe she must also get up earlier and take the dog for a jog in the mornings and do some exercise in the afternoons? Yes, that should work!

By this time Mom and Dad have started looking at her strangely. They asked her if she was on some fad diet to impress the boys. They have noticed that she is in desperate need for new clothes as she is shrinking out of her old ones.

Mom warned her not to try and lose weight too fast as it is unhealthy. One tends to pick it up even faster once you stop the diet. It’s better not to eat that much less food, but rather adjust the food you eat. Rather change your lifestyle than to diet. Hanneke sweetly