My Story
Louise grew up in South Africa in a traditional Christian home, but her life changed at age 10 when God miraculously healed her eyes before nearly going blind. Louise instantly knew that God was not a distant authoritarian figure. ‘At that moment, God became Papa. He was personal, loving, and he cared about me.’
She spent a year with YWAM (Youth with a Mission) in 1997 and, unbeknownst to her, met her husband on her return home. Despite his best efforts, she showed no interest but instead decided to travel and consequently moved to Australia. He patiently waited ten years for Louise to say yes, and they now call the beautiful Sunshine Coast, Queensland, home along with three kids and a Springer Spaniel.
Louise earned a Bachelor in Education at Christian Heritage College and, after 18 years of teaching, inadvertently changed careers to become a writer.
When she is not writing or taking care of the family business, she loves to spend time with her hubby and kids on the beach, cooking or curling up with a good book.
Why I Write
I never intentionally set out to become a writer; all I wanted was to capture the incredible events around my mum’s near-death experience and how they changed our view of Jesus forever. I wanted my kids to read it when they were older and one day, their children too. I could not allow time to deteriorate the memory of what God has done, so I documented it. (See ‘Closer than Breath’)
Seeing others discover Jesus through the story and the ecstatic joy that followed encouraged my heart more than anything, and I continue to capture gems along the way to help others experience freedom, love and joy. Although my stories contain the crazy and messy bits of life, they are real and always circles back to our true identity in Jesus.
My family and I don’t get to go to the beach nearly as much as we would like, but when we do, I love the refreshing sound of the crashing waves and white sand sticking to my feet. It reminds me that life is messy, but right next to me is Jesus, and like me, sand is sticking to his feet because he’s part of it all – the wonderful and not-so-fun bits of life.
