Written by Eva Trans

When Peter and Dorthe Jepsen came to a meeting with Christian Hedegaard in the autumn of 2006, at Vildkildegård, it was absolutely their last chance, if they wanted their marriage to be saved. Peter was dealing with uncleanness and had problems with pornography, which his wife Dorthe either could not or would not accept. They lived as cat and dog, and after Christian therapy they had come to a point where they couldn't do anything else, except give up. They needed a miracle, and that's why they went to the meeting at Vilkildegård.
-My sister had got help the year before, she used to be constantly depressed, but both her and her children were totally changed. I used to help her, but now roles were reversed, so it was now her that encouraged us to go and get help, says Dorthe.
Peter continues openly and directly:
-Actually I couldn't stand Christian Hedegaard, maybe because I was dealing with sin in my life, but at that meeting I experienced his love for people. After that I was open to his gospel, which was all about stepping out of mediocrity, and making a difference. After the preaching they joined hands and walked forwards past the row of chairs, and even though they wanted to break out of their mediocrity, the Evangelist put his finger on the soft spot:
-Do you have problems with pornography, he asked Peter, who answered honestly "yes".
Christian Hedegaard asked them to follow him to a room nearby, where he laid hands on him and commanded the unclean spirit to come out. The deliverance lasted for several hours and Dorthe tells how Peter fell on the floor, and the demons screamed as they came out. When it was over, they could fill a trash bag with paper and vomit, which the ushers had dried up as it was going on.

Peter and Dorthe Jepsen reconciled after separation and are now happily married.

The foundation was wrong
Dorthe and Peter are 27 and 34 years old they sit together on a very small couch and talk about their life together. Now and then their oldest daughter of 4 years old comes running in to tell how the computer game is going, or to complain about her ice cream. Then we take a break. It's not everything the ears of a child need to hear.
They continue quickly. Peter and Dorthe finish each other's sentences and they both add details to the story, mostly one at a time but sometimes almost at the same time. There is a seriousness mixed with smiles between them, and it is obvious that they understand how bad it was, and how good it became when God showed up.
Dorthe tells about the beginning of their marriage, which was built on a wrong foundation.
-We became lovers a month after we met each other on Christian web dating. And three and a half months later I was pregnant. That was a big failure for me says Dorthe, because she as a Christian had always believed that sex belonged to marriage and only there.
-I told Peter that we had to marry. Although we already asked God for forgiveness, I felt like I couldn't become clean before we married. Actually I didn't feel like marriage, because we had had our share of ups and downs, and I wasn't sure that I loved him....
Peter looks at Dorthe:
-I remember you kept saying ´we have to cleanse ourselves', and he continues.
Peter remembers how Dorthe was unsure, but deep inside he knew that he loved her. He proposed on Christmas Eve, 2001, and three months later they were married.

Like cat and dog
-It was a nice wedding says Dorthe and Peter nods in agreement. At the reception it began to snow, and a fine white blanket covered everything. Dorthe took that as a sign that they were cleansed and they now had an idea that everything was made right.
-But everything was terrible, she continues:
-We were like cat and dog, and I thought we were the only ones who fought like that. We are very different and we didn't know how to make the best out of things. We misunderstood and hurted each other, and never resolved things between us. I could decide not to speak to him for three days and I did that. My feelings were hardened. T
here was also another big challenge for their marriage. Peter was struggling with uncleanness and had problems with pornography. This was very difficult for Dorthe to deal with, despite the fact that Peter had told her about it before they were married, and had confessed everything including the visits made to prostitutes.
Peter continues:
-At the age of nine or ten, some guys in the neighbourhood had introduced me to pornography and uncleanness. When I think about it now it was very disgusting, but I didn't think much about it then. It did become an addiction that grew over the years. After a visit to a friend in the USA the uncleanness escalated to visiting prostitutes. I didn't know who to trust, and I didn't know who could help me to get out of this problem.
After Peter had a strong meeting with God in a charismatic public church, he went to one conference after another to get healed and restored. But it wasn't long before he was back in the old ways of living. And that is how the situation was when he met Dorthe.
-As soon as I met Dorthe I stopped visiting the prostitutes. I thought that as soon I stopped the visits, that it wouldn't affect Dorthe, but today I can see that I ruined our relationship, and I have bought it with me into our marriage, he says.

The empty life
The addiction to pornography and uncleanness caused Peter to seek satisfaction on the internet, and although Peter ‘only' fell in front of the computer, Dorthe felt that he had been unfaithful and it hurt her deeply.
As time went by a mountain of misunderstanding and unresolved situations piled up in their marriage. So every time a new conflict broke out there were shots from the past which pressed them where it hurt most.
A few years later, after they had become parents, there was nothing left to build on. They thought they had tried everything to save their marriage, including help from the church and a Christian counsellor. When this didn't help they decided to separate despite the fact that they both agreed, that divorce was never a happy ending.
A year passed and then they were back at the beginning: Peter wanted to give their relationship a new chance, and Dorthe thought it would be best for their daughter, so they decided to move back together again. The old conflicts and problems were never solved, but they got used to their situation, becoming materialistic:
-We had to have everything. The dream house, a new flagpole and rabbits, tells Peter and Dorthe continues:
-Yes, the more we tried to buy happiness, the emptier we became.
Material goods couldn't satisfy their innermost longing:
-I had always longed to help people, even though my own life was falling apart, explained Peter.
Dorthe takes over:
-Actually it is very interesting when you think about it. Regardless of how terrible our own relationship was, we had always dreamed of doing something for others. It was that longing that made us go forward or prayer, at the meeting with Christian Hedegaard, at Vildkildegaard.
-It was Friday the 13 October 2006, remembers Peter. He doesn't remember anything from the deliverance, but he knew that something was different.
-When we drove home that night, I was tired after a weeks work, but I could sense, that I was changed on the inside, he says.

A fresh start
Suddenly things started moving quickly in their life. Just four weeks later they were in family rehabilitation, at Hartegaard, on North Zealand. Here they started with three days prayer and fasting as a couple, a lot of things got sorted out in that time.
-I wanted to leave many times because it was so hard, remembers Peter.
-If we had realised what battles we went into at that time, we would never have done it. But at the same time we knew that it was the way to go. We had a luxurious house set for sale in Herning, yet at the same time we spent the winter in a caravan with our two children,
Dorthe emphasises. When they explain the changes in their marriage the many stories wait in line to come out.
-Before we had days where we just screamed at each other, because there was so much hurt stored up, says Peter and lets Dorthe continue:
-There is nothing which is as it was before. We could never pray together before, but we can now. Also, something just as important, we can talk things through, until we find a solution. We have made a fresh start and learned how to make allowances for each others differences.
They experience that when God and life with Him has the right place then everything becomes easier. He has healed their hearts, so that they have new love to give-also to each other.

It is obvious that God has given them feelings for each other again.

Hope for everyone
At Hartegaard Dorthe and Peter found out how they could help other people.
-We came through with help from prayer, conversation and caring. When a situation developed in our family, because we lived together with many people, someone would notice and intervene. That is exactly what we want to do for others. We have a desire to really get really close to people, to see beyond the surface, explains Dorthe and Peter goes in depth:
-We can't be bothered stroking people on the cheek and then kicking them out. We don't want to meet with them once a month, it takes more time. So after just six months at Hartegaard they were sent out to help others. In the beginning they are in training, helping at an Evangelist centre, so that one day they can have their own centre.
Peter and Dorthe smile again, and it is plain to see that God has given them new feelings for each other. They are glowing with love for each other, from far away, as we complete the day's interview.
-We want to start a family centre, because if there can be hope for us, then there can be hope for anyone.