Erik was first presented the Gospel when he was eight years old. He saw a change in his parents when they accepted Jesus, The Christ, into their lives and he too accepted Jesus into his life. After graduating from Bible College, he started to work for Teen Challenge, managing a center in The Hague in the Netherlands where he grew up. For seven years he worked there among the youth with alcohol and drug addictions, telling them about Christ. In 1980 he immigrated to America and started his own business in Real Estate. In 1994 God called him back into Ministry where he served in a large church. His first task was to reach out to those in need. To raise funds to effectively help people he started a thrift store. Because of the growth of this thrift store, it became independent and began supporting other churches overseas with containers of clothes and goods. While managing the thrift store he continued to work in the church and served as a pastor and later as the facility manager. He retired from the church in 2017 and now volunteers where needed.