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I hope this newsletter finds you all fine and well at the beginning of another year.

Before the end of 2004, I believed to make my way down South via Central Otago to the Southland District. While in Central Otago, I believed to stay a night at a Backpackers' Hostel in a town called Ophir. Prior to my arrival I believed the Lord was showing me to be going in to the local pub for tea that evening. I thought I'd go in to the Hotel, prior to going to check in at the Backpackers' Hostel, and have a look at the dinner menu. There were other bicycles in the carpark that, it turned out, belonged to some folk who were riding the Central Otago Rail Trail. They were drinking and watching me out the window as I put my bike on its stand.

While cycling I wear a high visibility safety vest from England with the words 'ROYAL MAIL' written on it. I walked in to the bar and one of the cyclists after seeing my vest asks me if I was delivering a message from the Queen!! Bracing myself and feeling a bit nervous I made the most of the opportunity to testify of the Lord Jesus and said to these folk; "No, that I was delivering the Gospel Message about the King of Kings the Lord Jesus Christ". There was silence in the bar briefly, I'm sure that everyone heard me. I was hoping I might have got to share the gospel with people there but no one enquired.

After that I believed to take up an invitation to join Christian friends Neil and Margaret for Christmas day on their farm on the outskirts of Gore. Prior to Christmas day I believed to preach on the street in Gore a number of times the reason for the season.

One day I had a young Maori guy come up and ask me what I was speaking about so I was able to witness to him. I had a lady come up one afternoon and ask me if I was an Evangelist. She knew the Lord and went on to invite me to join her a few days later along with her daughter for dinner at a local restaurant. This lady has a desire to reach out to the lost and has a home she wants to use to take people in and look after them and share Christ with them. I was able to encourage her in that.

Mark:10: 29-30

29 "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no-one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel

30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.

Christmas day with my friends Neil and Margaret and their seven children was very special. They have a tradition of opening their presents together one by one, and the giver of the gift has to give a speech to their fellow sibling as they present it.

It was very humbling as Neil on behalf of their family presented gifts to me. I was wanting to cry. The scriptures from Mark's Gospel Chapter 10 verses 29 and 30 really spoke to me at this point.

On New Years Eve I believed to put a hangi down for my friends, this came as a real blessing to them as they had never had one done on their farm before and the children had not seen one been taken out of the ground.

During this time I was waiting on the Lord and taking each day as the Lord led for my next steps from the Southland District. The Lord began to reveal to me in prayer that I would be going up in to Central Otago. The Lord went on to confirm this to me through my friend Paul Norman. While speaking to him on the phone one afternoon, he believed the Lord had been showing him that I would be in Alexandra on the outskirts of the town. I was so blessed and encouraged by this.

I left the Southland District on the 24th of January and believed to make my way up to Central Otago. I believed to go and stay with a Christian couple Geoff and Mary who live 3km outside of Alexandra. The Lord had given them a vision some years back to build another house which they believe to open up for people to come and stay. They are also part of a programme called HIT that host Israeli travellers. When I got to their home they had two guys staying with them; a Christian brother called Joshua from the U.S.A, and an Israeli guy called Omer. Both were temporarily working in orchards in the district.

I was able to tell Omer earlier on what I was doing in the South Island. While having dinner that evening he suddenly asks me if Jesus was God. I was able to share with him the answer along with some help from Joshua. I went on to discover that since he had been staying with my friends they had been witnessing to him as he had been asking them questions. The following day Omer came back from work and told us all how he'd had a person ask him at work if Jews were Christians. He told them they were not.

On the day that I was leaving Alexandra to head up towards Ranfurly Omer was going to hear a Messianic Jew speak that evening at one of the local fellowships.

I believed to go and stay a night in the camp ground in a town called Naseby. I had quite a challenging ride up from Ophir that day having to contend with the very warm weather. I believed to then go from there up to Enhakkore Christian Community where I spent about two weeks. While there I helped the Christians with preserving fruit, podding peas, and painting of the woodshed and a house. I enjoyed the rich times of fellowship and sharing together as a community.

While in Ranfurly I ended up meeting a man and his wife on the street who were visiting the district from Waiheke Island. I got to tell them what I was doing. They husband had a New Age/Eastern Religion belief and told me that Jesus had come in various forms in the various religions. He did see how religion has caused war. I was able to point him to who Jesus was and why he came.

I stayed on night in Oturehua and the next day believed to ride to Alexandra and stay with my friends Geoff and Mary again. I came across a car which was parked beside the main highway with a guy standing there with a camera. It turned out to be the same couple I had witnessed to in Ranfurly the day before. They were on their way to look at a dam in the Ida Valley.

Just last Sunday Geoff and Mary had an Israeli guy and girl come to stay called Omer and Annat. I had a wonderful opportunity to share testimony with Omer of how God answers prayer, he was very interested ,though I do not know where he stood with the Lord.

I have also believed to do some preaching on the street here in Alexandra. I was able to answer questions from a young man the other day who had come to sit down nearby me. At present I am waiting on the Lord for my next steps of when to be leaving and where to be going next. Much thanks again in Christ for your support to me.