BACKGROUND
Dear beloved all,
We give thanks to the Lord our God, who not only guides us all gently by His right hand but has also quietly been working behind the scenes in Aotearoa New Zealand, for the sake of His great Name, and on behalf of His set apart people.
As a family we first met Grant Luton in 2016 and 2018 at Garden Route Restoration Fellowship in George, South Africa. Grant would minister the Word at our local congregation during Sukkot Festivals. Back then we as a family were fairly new to Messianic teaching, this was when we began understanding the beautiful simplicity of biblical doctrine. In October 2023, my son Benjamin and I visited the USA and by road trip travelled from Texas to Ohio, visiting different people including the Luton Family in Hartville near Akron that November.
AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
About a year has passed since my son and I were in the USA. Roughly five weeks ago on the 19th of November 2024, Grant Luton departed from Cleveland Ohio USA, headed for New Zealand. After two layovers and many hours in flight, Grant landed at Auck
land International Terminal, to join us, the Barry family for a journey in which we passed through about nine provinces in the North Island!
Our itinerary was marked by visiting various towns and places, some of which I Joshua had grown up in, and some we had never been to before. We met many different people, and lots of beautiful new faces within the Messianic community in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Our journey was a bit like the idea from the movie The Hobbit, where Bilbo Baggins left the comfort of home and stepped out into the unknown, on an adventure which could be referred to as ‘risk’! Well, we’re the Barry Bunch not the Baggins Brigade, and it’s not our fault we’re all so tall and could never pass as hobbits. However, God managed to line us all up with His will and purpose, and bring brave Grant along as a co-pilot to, ‘steady the ship’, so to speak.
The point of all this is, six Barrys plus one American makes seven, which is the perfect number for a team to co-work with our God. As usual, our faithful God had already gone
ahead of us and set the stage for His Word to go forth throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. B stands for behave, so the fun and laughter were in context, and the ministry was loaded with many memorable teachings, questions, and comments.
AUCKLAND CITY
For me Joshua, the trip which started in Auckland was like a home coming as I was born and raised in Auckland, and it has been thirty- six years since I left Auckland as a twenty-year-old.
After collecting Grant from the airport, we arrived at our friend’s ministry called ‘Drury Christian Church’, they are believers who live in community, are passionate about Israel, and are so faithful in
prayer. Their selfless hospitality was wonderful and set the stage for a fantastic trip throughout the North Island. Thanks so much to all at Drury Christian Church.