“My life is ordained by God. This is not heaven. We live in a busted world.” John Hoogenhout.

While some have speculated that Charles Darwin’s experience of suffering was an integral part of his own loss of faith, others have maintained that their faith in God was strengthened in the midst of the worst of suffering.

Five years after his parents migrated to Australia from Holland, John Hoogenhout was born into a small farming community at Sheffield, Tasmania in the early spring of 1956.

From a young age it was clear that John was a talented sportsman with a bright future. In fact, the highlight of his life as a pre-teen was sport - something at which he excelled.

In year-five John was voted captain of the football team. To reward him, his parents bought John his first pair of brand new soccer boots. He was very excited and couldn’t wait for the next game so he could don his new boots with pride – as the newly appointed captain of the team.

Little did this young boy, with high hopes and dreams of being a champion sportsman, know that this would never happen. In fact, shortly before the game, at the tender age of 11, John became very ill.

John visited a number of doctors with his parents before one of them made the shocking diagnosis.