Update from New Zealand
Today, we bring you greetings from Heritage New Zealand! The New Zealand community consists of 43 people, in seven families, who live on the beautiful Mohaka River Farm in the Hawke’s Bay Region of New Zealand’s North Island. The community runs several businesses, including accommodations, horse trekking, a sawmill and a timber frame company on the 277-acre property. Each family has their own gardens and animals.
Because it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere, the camping accommodation has been quiet, and the brothers have been constructing two new homes, one for the Lattimore family and the other for the Rimmer family. These families have been living in very small accommodations for a number of years now, and are very grateful to now have houses done, or at least well underway!
Brother Eddie and Sister Rachel Rimmer and their family held a housewarming when their house was finished. Many friends from the area who had participated in the construction came to celebrate with them. Eddie’s dad wrote a simple orchestral piece for the kids to play, and he came to the farm and helped them rehearse several times before their debut. Everyone loved it!
Four families who'd visited the campground over the years came to the housewarming.
One family has just returned from Sweden and decided to settle in New Zealand. They had visited with the community several times and made a strong connection with them, but then they moved north, a long day’s travel away. They came to the housewarming and rekindled their relationship with our brothers and sisters.
Neighbors Tim and Annette came as well. They visited Texas for Joe and Kristen Puttrich‘s wedding. This month Tim and Annette plan to help resurface the road from the bridge up to the church’s property, which will make the accommodations more accessible for guests. The road has been pot holed and rutted since they bought the land. Tim runs a contracting business, and has a lot of equipment and expertise.
Brothers Carl Ballerino, Ben Neikerk and Andrew Taylor from Texas are visiting the community now and helping with some of the practical aspects of the businesses.
Our brothers and sisters in New Zealand send their love. Please pray that God will bring them into contact with people who have hungry and honest hearts, and that the Lord will continue to bless the farm and their businesses.
