INTO THE WILD WEST!

Hello everyone, I hope you are well and at peace.

The last few weeks of the summer have been spent traveling home from Australia via New Zealand and the United States. It was a great joy for me to go into a school in Auckland to speak to the young people about Gods love for them. At that school there was a brilliant teacher who seemed to really love the students. He invited me to come and speak to some of the older lads from the school who met together on a Friday evening. Whilst speaking to them I felt very moved by the Holy Spirit because each one of them was so important to him and that these were young men who would stand up and witness to their faith in a powerful way in their lives. I noticed that many of them had tears in their eyes and that they felt the same passion to do Gods work I as did.

Often we hear about the darkness in our world but with young people like these and lots of others that I’ve met, we need not fear the future but look forward with hope to whatever God is preparing.

Many months previous to even having planned to visit New Zealand, God had given me a friendship with a Carmelite nun from Christchurch who had read my book. She said it would be great if I could come and speak to young people in New Zealand. It seemed a very unlikely prospect at that time, but you can never underestimate what God will do once these sisters start to pray for something.

The moment I stepped off the plane I felt Gods peace and I knew that I was right where he wanted me to be. All the talks were really blessed and the entire week we were there it seemed the Lord was guiding everything we did.

We decided to head North to the Bay of Islands for the weekend, on the journey it began to rain heavily and I saw a girl hitchhiking and stopped to pick her up, sure enough she was heading to the exact same destination as us. She asked me what
I did, so I told her my story and how Gods love had transformed my life. I mentioned about how one of the turning points in my life had come when I felt the Holy Spirit for first time. She explained that she had been raised in communist East Germany and she seemed to be searching for answers in her life. After a few minutes she asked
a beautiful question “Tell me more about this Holy Spirit?” We had a great chat and she really understood the need for the forgiveness and healing of Jesus in our lives. She was so open to God and I know he will guide her to a deep knowledge of him. There were so many incidents like this that I could write a book for them alone
and I thank God for the prayers of the Carmelites and all those who pray for me.

The next stop was Los Angeles where I met a friend who is a film producer. An incredible Man of faith who wants to try and make as many films with a Christian message as possible. He showed us round the city and took us to places where tourists
would seldom see. Wherever I went I carried Miraculous medals with me and I gave these to the people we met. One old woman in a shop gave me a massive hug when she received a medal and another woman was moved to tears when I gave her a medal for her child. Our Lady said in one of her apparitions “If you knew how much I love
you, you would weep for joy”.

We drove across the desert into the wild west, from Los Angeles to Phoenix and I received a totally unexpected grace. I was aware of the prayers and presence of my Dad who had died a few years previously. He had always been a massive Western fan (John Wayne was his and my favourite) I felt he was with me and that he was proud of me. I was so thankful to God and it filled my heart with joy.

When we arrived in Phoenix a lovely Lady called Ann had arranged for us to visit the grand canyon, it was a truly awesome experience. Only God could create something so beautiful. I'm always amazed at the places God takes us when we say yes to him in our lives. I can honestly say I have never been so fulfilled. Somebody once said that the word faith could stand for a "Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him".

The last appointment of my summer travels was for a big conference in Phoenix, but I also had the grace to be able to speak to two large groups of students at a local high school. Sometimes I don't get the chance to speak to all the people I would like to at the talks because there are often time constraints, but I thank God for the gift of the email contact I have with people, many of whom share deeply their struggles and also joys.

please know that you and those you love are in my heart and prayers.
God bless you
John Pridmore.