We were all born in Portland, Oregon U.S.A. and came to New Zealand in January of 1972. Christopher was 5 and Jeffrey was 3 when we arrived. We arrived in January and had to wait until March for our shipping boxes to arrive in Auckland. We then bought a van and went up to Auckland and pick up the six boxes which had all of our possessions. We travelled around the North Island sightseeing until we came to a region called Hawkes Bay. There we visited the man who had sponsored us to come to New Zealand with a job. While he didn't employ me, we were able to get a job on a 2000 acres sheep and cattle ranch or station, as they call it in New Zealand. The house we lived in was provided by the owner, plus we got a side of sheep meat a week, milk, electricity, phone and a garden plot to grow vegetables. All this plus a small wage. To us it was like being on holiday and we took to ranching like a duck to water. I soon acquired a team of working sheep dogs and bought a horse to do the mustering of the sheep and cattle with. Our oldest boy Chris went to the local school some ten miles away, by bus. He soon lost his American accent and picked up a Kiwi one. Jeff was at home with us and was my sidekick whenever possible. He went everywhere with me on the farm. It was a great time in my life to have one of my sons working with me. Nancy learned the arts of sewing, canning and gardening, both flowers and vegetables. We were 20 miles from the nearest town and they were only open Monday to Friday night. So, we were given one day off in a month to do our shopping and that was an all day affair. During our time in Omarkere, we went to a home Bible study and met with new people in the district we lived. While we both had attended church in the States, we never learned about the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this home Bible study group our Lord touched both our lives and we made a full commitment to Christ as our Saviour. In 1977 I felt that I wanted to become a ranch manager so we took a job in the South Island which would give me the opportunity to do that. It was here we became involved in a church that was identified with Bro. William Branham's ministry. In 1983 God laid a call on my heart to start preaching the Gospel and He opened the way for us to rent a historic church at a place called Waikuku. In 1996 the Lord provided enough funds for me to go full time into the church's work and we gave up the farming.
Our son Christopher was killed when a rock rolled off a cliff and crushed his car in 1988. He was a shearer, once having shorn 200 sheep in a nine hour day. He enjoyed the outdoor life; skiing, diving, fishing and hunting, Chris was very musical and played the guitar in the church for the worship service. It was a great loss to us all, but God came to our rescue and brought comfort to our souls.
Our son, Jeff, and his wife, Jane, were married on October 1999. Since the earthquake of September 2010 their house was destroyed and they have just recently August of 2013 brought a lifestyle block. Jeff works for the police department and Jane has given up work to be a “stay at home” mum. Joshua was born April 02 ,Ethan was February 04 and Hannah Jane was born February 07. We are really grateful to the Lord for the gift of our grandchildren!
