BRING MY LOVE TO OTHERS!

Hello everyone
I hope you are well and at peace.

I had an incredibly blessed time in New Zealand and God taught me many lessons. Whilst I was in Christchurch I had the privilege to meet with with Sister Dorothea, she has been an enclosed Carmelite nun for the past 25 years. She herself was converted during a Black sabbath Rock concert and has an amazing heart to pray for the young people of the world to experience the fire of Gods love. Over 20 years ago God inspired her to pray for one person in particular that would have a mission to spread that same fire. As we talked together I really saw that her prayers were instrumental in my conversion and sustained me in all the battles I've had as I've tried to follow Gods path for me. I thank God that we had a chance to meet up and see the perfection of his plans coming together.

I was asked to speak in a prison, on arrival I was told they expected me as an educational speaker. There was some pressure to not mention God in the talk. I went ahead and spoke about how it was God and him alone who had transformed my life. You could see that the prisoners were deeply moved and the woman who arranged the talk came up to me and said "If God isn't educational then I don't know who is!"

On my journey home I stopped off in Los Angeles for a couple of days and a mutual friend had arranged for me to meet up with Jim Caviezel (the actor who played Jesus in the passion of the Christ) I went to pray a rosary to ask God to bless this meeting and as I was praying I suddenly remembered how a few weeks previously I had been driving from Auckland to do a school three hours north, I was feeling very tired. The evening after I had spoken in the school I ran a reconciliation and healing service in a local church, after which a girl from the school came up to me with tears running down her face and explained how during my talk in the school God's love had touched her heart, so she had come along in the evening in the hope the same experience, When the Priest carried Jesus in the blessed sacrament to her God had brought massive healing into her heart and she was crying with pure joy. The same evening a 22 year old lad told me how he had been to confession for the first time in over 10 years. All this reminded me that the greatest thing we can ever do is to introduce someone to the God who loves us, and that is what is important to God. After all of this I didn't end up meeting with Jim Caviezel and it was the meeting with the mutual friend Paul which was important to the Lord because he said the conversation had changed his life.

On arriving back in Ireland I did a talk for a prayer group and I felt while I was talking that even though I had really prayed about the talk I was a bit all over the place, to my surprise the man who ran the prayer group came up and told me it was the best talk he had ever heard. This really taught me that we are not the best judges of how God is using us and that we should never analyse, just trust in him.

Finally I was down in Limerick for a fundraising evening for Mary's meals where I shared my story and met up with my old friend Magnus McFarlane Barrow who founded this fantastic charity which now feeds over 360,000 children in the poorest countries of the world every day.

You are in my prayers every day, please keep me in yours. I am off to New York to talk at a big Mens day of prayer among other things and I'm really looking forward to that.

God bless you in his dep love,
John Pridmore

LIGHT THE FIRE OF GODS LOVE!

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

I have arrived in New Zealand and have spoken to 4000 young people over the last week in various locations around Auckland. I received an email from a man who came to one of my talks, he told me he had been a bouncer and had been leading a wild life but after hearing my story he has decided to change his life and is now planning to go to bible school for a couple of years.

When you do a talk you never know the effect that it may have, so it is always encouraging to hear that God has been working. Since coming to New Zealand I have heard from several people who have told me of what has happened to them since my trip here last August. One young man who heard me speak at world youth day said he was heading down the wrong path in life but now he has let God into his life and it has transformed him.

One teacher told me that a group of young men whom I spoke with had been deeply impacted by Gods grace and are going from strength to strength. Also a prayer group that I visited has started many new ways of reaching out and serving God including a pro-life group to fight against the evil of abortion, the leader of the group told me these were all fruits of my talk.

The most important thing is to do whatever God leads us to, because that will always be what brings about the most grace. I had been feeling for some time that God might be asking me to spend more time travelling to different locations to do talks. One day someone was praying with me and they got the picture of a globe with various fires (representing God's love) been lit all over the world. I knew that God was confirming this new calling! within a matter of days I received invitations to come and speak in the Carribean, New York and other places in the USA. Add to this the trips I already had planned to New Zealand and Australia and you can see that the Lord sometimes works quickly when he wants something.

I must say I am really enjoying the incredible adventure of following him to the ends of the Earth. This week I will be talking in schools in Christchurch and flying to Wellington to speak on television and also in a school.

On the way back from New Zealand I will visit Los Angeles to visit a friend of mine, Paul Kelmenson a Hollywood producer who would like to turn my book into a film, so please keep that in your prayers.

The most important thing is that no matter where someone lives or what they may have done in their lives, God wants the fire of his love to burn in their hearts and to show them how important they are in his plans. All of us can make an immense difference if we say yes to him!

You are very much in much heart and prayers,
God bless you in his deep love
John Pridmore

THE JOY OF SERVING GOD!

Hello Everyone

I hope you are well and at peace.

Since coming back to Ireland I have done two Parish missions one in Enniscroan and one in Waterford city. At Enniscroan the Church was packed every night and It was incredble to see the peace in the people at the end of the week.

During that week I had the joy to meet up with my old friend Fr Bernard Murphy, the head of the Franciscan friars of the renewal. He came into a school with me in Moyne, Co Longford. He said it was so important to see me witness to God's love without fear and with real conviction because that shows the young people that it is real, and that also when we follow God he sets us free to be ourselves and not to worry about what others think of us. After that talk I received many emails from the pupils telling how God had touched them and asking how to come closer to him.

The next weekend I did a talk in Wexford and a man came who had read my book and wanted to have a chat with me. He hadn't been going to Church for many years but someone had given him my book and it had opened him up to faith he had been taught as a child. He ended up coming to the Waterford mission and he went to confession for the first time in over twenty years. It was obvious that God had touched him in a deep way and I think he will do great things for the Lord in the future.

A woman came up to me at the mission and asked me to pray for a 4 month old Baby who has Down Syndrome but who was seriously ill with an infection and in danger of dying. I think these children are like angels who God has sent to bring his love and joy to the world, they are so full of God. A few days later she told one of my friends that the child was back to full health and that she thanked and praised God for it. The most beautiful part of it was that the mother, who had found it a bit difficult to accept the child at first thinking it would be a burden on her, had realised through the illness what a precious gift this child is to her.

At the moment I am in England doing a tour of schools, so please keep me and the children in your prayers. Next I will be travelling to Los Angeles and then on to New Zealand to speak at a big youth conference in Auckland.I will then share my story to thousands of teenagers in Schools in both Auckland and Christchurch. What a joy it is to serve God, I never thought I'd see so much of the world let alone doing something Which I love so much, telling others about the God who loves them!

You are all in my prayers
God bless you in his deep love.
John Pridmore

WE NEVER WALK ALONE!

Hello everyone
I hope that you have had a blessed Christmas and you are at peace.

For Christmas this year I went away for a few days with my mum. First we went to Paris where I visited the beautiful church of the Rue de Bac where our lady appeared to St Catherine Laboure and gave her the miraculous medal. She said anyone who wears this medal will receive many graces and protection from God. I've given out literally hundreds of thousands of these medals to young people and Our Lady says they are an outward sign of how much we are loved by her.

Next we went to Bruges in Belgium and we went to Sunday mass after which they were venerating the miracle of the precious blood. Many years ago there was a Priest who was having doubts about whether Jesus was truly present in the blessed sacrament and during the Mass the wine turned into real blood and he doubted no more. They keep that blood of Christ in the church unto this day. It just reminded me of the incredible gift that Jesus gives us each time we go to mass.

At the beginning of January I started a tour of schools in England. I talked to over 4000 young people over the course of two weeks sharing with them how God has changed my life and brought me to a greater freedom and peace than I'd ever dreamed was possible.

In the schools many of the young people came up to me and shared the painful situations that they were living and asking me if God can really help them. I prayed with one girl who said she didn't believe that God exists asking God to show her he is with her in her suffering, and many others were asking for prayers to help with very difficult situations at home. I think God's heart bleeds for these his beautiful children and he asks all of us to reach out to them.

Before the tour began I had arranged for a meeting with a good man who has helped us out financially to make these tours possible and where we were to meet him was a long distance from the two talks I was doing that day. Then, an old friend from Ireland, who is a teacher, called me and said she had started work in a new school and would it be possible for me to come and speak to the students? Sure enough her new school was right beside where we were meeting the man who helps us. I knew this was God, only he can arrange these things to the smallest detail.

The talk was really blessed and all the students were so open to God's love for them. After the talk I ended up praying with a few teachers, including the headmaster. He asked if it might be possble for myself and my community to come to his school and help run a retreat day for his staff. I felt so thankful to God to be part of his plan and to see him working his miracles!

I am never ceased to be amazed how when we try to serve God he looks after us in the smallest details. One day we had been very busy since the early morning. We were on our way to another talk when I turned to Will and Niall who were in the car with me and said it would be just nice to sit down and have a nice meal together for an hour or so. Soon after I took a wrong turn and right in front of me was a harvester restaurant. I thanked God for his goodness that he gives us everything we need and loves to see us happy. It is often in the little things that God can show us just how precious we are to him and I pray that our eyes would be always open to see these gifts of love.

One of the days we had finished quite early and I really wanted to go for a walk to get some exercise, but unfortunately it was pouring down with rain. The only indoor place where I could get a decent walk was the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham which was a fairly long drive away, but off I went and while mooching round the shops I ended up giving my book to two girls who worked behind the counter and I know it was going to be a blessing for them. Also because I was in Birmingham I met up with My old Friend Fr Richard Aladics who was visiting from Australia at the Chaplaincy of the university of Birmingham. We had a great chat with some of the students and it was a truly blessed evening. If it hadn't been raining I wouldn't have been in Birmingham at all. I love the way God can use everything to guide us.


One of the vital things on these tours of schools is the satellite navigation system for the car which guides us to all the addresses which we otherwise would struggle to find. It is the same in our lives, without the gift of Gods Holy Spirit we will always struggle and often get lost. When we surrender our lives to him and let him guide us then miracles start to happen and life becomes an exciting adventure. Somebody once said that the word faith could stand for a Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him!

You and those you love are in my prayers every day.
God bless you.
John Pridmore.

PREPARE OUR HEARTS FOR CHRISTMAS!

Hello everyone
I pray that the infant Jesus would fill you with his joy this Christmas.

The last couple of weeks I have been speaking at Parish missions and in schools. First of all I was in Mullagh in Co. Cavan. It was a truly blessed mission with many people being touched by the love of God. On the final night the Priest said he had more confessions during the week of the mission than he had in the previous 14 years.

After this I travelled down to Tullycross in Connemara for another mission and had the opportunity to speak in the local secondary school. The young people are so open and hungry for the truth of God's plan for their lives and it doesn't matter where you go in the world they are facing the same struggles and the answers are only to be found in God.

Next I travelled to Galway to meet a friend of mine Mike Short who runs a Christian cafe in the town. They do incredible work and it is always an inspiration to visit them. Mike had set up a number of talks in schools all of which where very blessed.

I asked Mike to say a prayer with me and while we were praying he got an image of a high powered electric cable which he thought represented the power of God, then he saw that to handle the powerful cable it had to be held in thick insulating material. This insulation represented the humilty which is absolutely necessary for the power of God to be manifested in our lives, because we can do nothing by just our own strength or wisdom, but we can do everything in him.

So if you sometimes feel weak and broken, that is no obstacle to God using you powerfully, in fact it is probably an advantage. As St Paul says "when I am weak, then I am strong". So when God does work miracles we don't think it is because of us.

Let us prepare our hearts to welcome our God who comes to us in the form of a helpless child this Christmas, so that we would not be afraid to draw near to him. May the prince of peace fill you with his deep peace and heal all the wounds of our lives so that we may bring his light into our world.

God bless you and all those you love,
John Pridmore

ONLY IN GOD IS MY SOUL AT REST

Hello Everyone

I hope you are at peace.
As always the last few weeks have flown by, the mission in Sligo was a great blessing, the Cathedral being full every night and many people coming back to their faith. I heard of one man who went back to confession for the first time in 59 years. What joy he must have brought to Gods heart.

After the mission I had the chance to spend a few days at home and I took the opportunity to tile the bathroom, which I really enjoyed because it is always nice when you finish a job to look at the work you have done. I'm sure the Lord loves to look at us and even though we are not the finished article, we are his creation and he rejoices in us.

Next I went to speak in several schools across Ireland. After the first school I spoke in I received an email from a girl Who had been really suffering from loneliness and was feeling at rock bottom, she was also self harming. She felt that no one loved her. Thank God that after hearing my talk and speaking to her by email she is feeling a lot better and I know that God has great plans for her life, so please pray for her that she would truly know the deep love that Jesus has for her and how he loves to be with her.

I went to speak in Blackrock College in Dublin and was deeply impressed by the RE department, the Chaplain and the Principle who are instilling a profound sense of the faith and how each boy can make an incredible difference in this world. There was a great response to my talk from the boys and many of them took books. I have so much hope for the future when there are still schools like this who put God at the centre of all they do.

After the schools were finished I headed for Donegal for a short break. The hotel I had booked had changed the original dates and had given me my stay for a discount, otherwise I probably would have gone somewhere else. But as always God had his plan. While I was eating in the restaurant the first night I got talking to a married couple and I ended up sharing my story with them and I gave them a copy of my book "from Gangland to Promised Land". The next day I saw the man sitting in the Lobby reading my book, so I asked him what he thought of it. He answered me "To be honest John I have been very emotional while reading it" I could see tears in his eyes and he told me that he hadn't been to mass in a long time. It reminded me once again that there is no such thing as a holiday from God, he wants to use us to reach his beloved children wherever we are and whatever we are doing, and that is what I live for.

Also in Donegal I met up with two of the Priests of the local church and went out for a meal with them, what a joy to make new friendships in the Lord. I have found that the promise Jesus made when he said whatever we give up for him, he will give us a hundredfold in return, is totally true and what greater gift could he give us than friendship, firstly with himself and then with so many others that he puts in our paths.

Finally I met up with my old friend Fr Eamonn Kelly from Letterkenny and spent some time with him. His mother has 19 children and is still going strong. when I met her this time she was praying her Rosary by the fireside in her house. She looked so content and peaceful and that is the gift that God imparts to us when we place him in the centre of our lives.

Please know that you are in my heart and in my prayers.
God bless you in his deep love
John

THE HARVEST IS RICH BUT THE LABOURERS ARE FEW.

Hello Everyone

May the Lord fill you and all who you love with his peace.

At the end of the week of the mission in Wigan a man told me a beautiful story. He had been to confession for the first time in 40 years and he had a deep experience of Gods love. After the mission he went into his local pub and was talking to one of his friends and telling him his experience, he gave him a prayer card and went off to speak to someone else. Ten minutes later he returned, the man had read the prayer card and tears were running down his cheeks, he then said that he wanted to know how to join the Church. It was inspiring for me to hear how quickly this man had begun to spread the blessing he himself had received. God wants to use all of us to bring his light and love to others in all places.

I spent a few days in York, a place I've always loved and where I've often felt very close to God. I got speaking to a priest in one of the Parishes and he asked me if I would like to come and speak to a group of people who were joining the Church. It was a very blessed talk and afterwards a man came up to me and told me his story. A couple of years ago someone had given a copy of my book (Gangland to promised land) to his wife. At first she didn't read it and put it down somewhere in the house. A few months later she saw me on television (EWTN) telling my life story. Then she picked up the book to read it and was very moved by it. She gave it to her husband (who wasn't a Catholic) to read, and God really spoke to him through it. He decided to become a Catholic and was doing the RCIA course where I turned up to speak. Only God could have arranged this run of events, it's a source of great peace to know he is in control of every situation when we hand over our lives to him.

Next I headed to Amsterdam to speak at an event arranged for young people. At the hotel I was staying I met a man from Limerick in Ireland. I told him a bit of my story and what I did, then gave him a copy of my book. Afterwards he told me he told me he was inspired to hear of an Englishman who loved the Catholic faith and that he was going to take his faith more seriously from that moment on.

At the event for young people, I met a woman called Stephanie who had arranged for me to come and speak to the young people. She was on fire for God, and in a country (Holland) where there seems to be a lot of confusion in the Church, She showed me once again that anyone who truly gives their life over to God and spreads his love and truth will make an immense difference. I thank God for people like her because the harvest is rich but the labourers are few.
Mother Teresa said "If you give young people the truth they have the chance to choose the truth". I have always seen that people, young and old, are thirsty for the truth and recognise it when they hear it.

Just to say that you are all in my prayers and please pray for me because I will be doing a lot a talks in schools over the next couple of weeks.

God bless you all in his deep love
John