My Book 2012 by David Shea

A journey! Of life, to life, for lifeâ&#x20AC;Ś. Yours!

dave.shea@internet.is davidthebodypainter.com ÂŠ David Shea Re-edited, revised and reproduced January 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

4 8 12 16 18 22 30 36 40 42 54 70 74

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

“There and Back Again,,.” “What Happened Next!” “A Near-Death Experience!” “What Happened Afterwards!” “A Romantic Interlude” “Iceland!!!” “Prophecy!” From Bjarni ,continued! “Bringing it all up-to-date!” “Sex!” an Addendum to Chapter 8! “Relationships!” a Supplement to Chapter 8

APPENDICES

79 80 81 84

Frequently asked Questions! Credits & Links! A P.S. – Just for fun! A Prayer for You!

Book Two – “A Book of Miracles” begins on page 86!

“There and back again” by Bilbo,, er, no, that’s not right (ha ha!). I mean, “Why I do what I do!” – A true story, by David I was born in London, England, on January 20, 1954. My parents were typical working class (English expression, meaning definitely not rich, and even not having most of the things that people have today). We moved to a smaller town, outside of London, before I was two years old, for which I will be ever thankful. As such I grew up in a normal childhood, as my parents worked their way steadily upwards to middle class (meaning we started to get the stuff everyone now has these days, maybe not the best quality, but at least we had it). My Dad was a good-natured man, and very shrewd in his affairs, so I was never deprived, but then I was never really spoiled either. All in all, my parents did well, as well as could be expected of anyone I guess. There were some things I didn’t know though, and I didn’t find these out until much later, but when I did, it just made me love, respect, and appreciate them even more. But I’m getting ahead of myself here, so let’s go back to my childhood, and growing up. I was a good boy. Never did anything really bad or naughty. Never got into fights, or used bad language. Never smoked, did drugs, or got any girls pregnant. I was in the Boy Scouts, learned Judo, played basketball for my school, won competitions for handwriting, and was good at art. I liked learning and was considered above average in intelligence, but I hated school. It was a very lonely and mean environment, like a heartless machine, for turning out carbon copies of the same mindless robots that the society of my day was good at. Until I was fourteen, my ambition was to be a policeman, in order to help people. My main interests, from about this time on, were music (The Beatles, The Beach Boys, the musical “Hair”, moving on eventually to Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Soft Machine, etc), reading (“The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe” and the rest of “The Chronicles of Narnia” series by C.S. Lewis, “The Hobbit”, and then “The Lord of the Rings”). I was also into art and writing. I liked just going to places and watching people. It was the hippie era, and I was a baby-hippie, because I was still in school (until I was sixteen). I had one or two girlfriends, but nothing serious, as I was just too shy. Also, my standards were too high. I was a very lonely person. I had very high ideals, and very few people seemed to be capable of living up to them. For example, I wouldn’t make love to my girlfriends, because I didn’t want to use a condom, as I thought it was un-natural. This meant that if I did, there was a chance that my girlfriend would get pregnant, and I only wanted that responsibility with someone I knew I was prepared to spend the rest of my life with. Of course, this didn’t happen, though if it did, I would have been very happy for it to have occurred at a very young age, and then grow up with my kids. How many girls would have felt the same way though? Though, as I said, my parents certainly did the best they could, they couldn’t answer the many questions I was starting to ask at this time. These are the real BIG questions about life of course. The teachers in school also couldn’t, neither could the scientists, and certainly not the politicians. To my mind, society was just a huge fabrication, false, a lie! Where was love? Where, or what, was the truth? Could someone please just give me a reason for existence? The stock answers were always the same: “You’re born. You grow up. You go to school. You get an education in order to get a job, and a better education means a better job. Better job means more money. More money means you can have more things, including a wife, kids, a house, car, TV, etc, etc. And, you have to work at this all your life! In the end, if you live long enough, you get to retire and enjoy life, when you are too weak, sick or tired to do so, and then??? You die! That’s it!” “That’s it?” “Yep! That’s it!” “There’s nothing else?” “No!” “Are you kidding???” I couldn’t accept this. It didn’t make sense. There had to be something more. If there wasn’t, then why would I want to waste my life, living it for nothing!!!??? These things were often the subject of many an argument with my parents, which was very difficult for them, I know.

During this time, I became friends with a new boy at my school. He had just moved from another area, and already he was the subject of much ridicule. As I was also on the outside, I guess we teamed up. We had the same or similar interests, so it was nice to not be so alone in everything I did. Basically, we actually took great delight in doing everything opposite to what everyone else was doing. We were not going to conform to society, peer-pressure, whatever, we were going to do our own thing, in our own way, and to hell with anyone who didn’t understand. I had three younger sisters (half-sisters I was to find out later), and no brothers. My friend, Graham, and I became very close, like brothers, and it was very special. We talked about everything, and I mean everything. Sometimes we would do this all through the night. Sometimes we wouldn’t talk at all, we would just know what the other one was thinking. It was really cool. The thing is we still couldn’t come up with answers, though we certainly had a lot of theories. We were friends for two to three years. A few very significant things occurred at this time too. I saw a movie, called “Boy’s Town” (an old black and white film with Spencer Tracy, a true story), read an amazing article in the newspaper one day, and read a book called “The Cross and the Switchblade”, which Graham had read and given me to read. The amazing thing about each of these is that in each case there is a story about a person that suddenly had had a complete change in their life, to the point of becoming almost a different person. It was intriguing, but you can’t help thinking, “Well, great, for them! But what about my answers, where are they going to come from?” At this time I wrote the following in my art book: “Why am I here? Where can I go? What can I do? Who can I know? How?” I was desperate, and I knew it! I remember telling my Mum one day, “Mum, if something doesn’t happen soon, I think I’m going to have to become a priest!”, but I didn’t mean anything to do with church, or churches. I didn’t really know what I meant. I certainly was not religious, in any sense of the word. I had never been interested in any religions, had never read anything about any of them, and was not about to start, for sure! To me, most of this sort of thing was as hypocritical, if not more so, than politics, and I simply thought it all smelled, really badly!!! Then, one Thursday in the first week of September, 1971 (I was 17), Graham called me on the phone! I was at home. I had quit school the year before as I had found out I had all the exam passes I needed to go to art school, but had missed the enrollment, so I was just hanging around. This is what he said, “Dave, you need to come here right now!” (He was in another town, and was on his lunch break from his job at a Hi-Fi store). “Why? What’s up?” “Well, there are fifty people here that I’ve just met, and they love you, and want to meet you!” “What? Who? How?” “I don’t know, but they’re here, and I told them about you, and they said they’d like to meet you too!” “Woah! Just a minute!” I asked my Mum if she could lend me the money to take the train to go see Graham, and meet these people. Unfortunately, she didn’t have it, so I couldn’t go. Graham said, “Okay”, and that he would try to find out all that he could, and then come over to our house the next day, and he could tell me all about it, which he did. We went up to my room, and all I could understand from what he said was that these people smiled a lot, told everyone that they loved them, but that they talked about God, Jesus, and read from the Bible. And they were young, like us, the older ones not much more than their very early twenties. This was all very weird, and all I could say was, “Well, whatever turns them on, I guess!” They had given him a map, showing him how to find them, and all that was written on it was,

“FREE – FOOD, MUSIC, LOVE!” along with the address and phone number. Food I didn’t need – my Dad was a chef. Music – I had plenty. But who was giving away free love, and how could they do this? Who were these people? Thursday, Graham phoned. Friday, he came over to my house. Saturdays and Sundays I spent at his house, listening to music, all day and all night, only coming out of the room to get food, or to use the bathroom, which is what I was doing that weekend, until that Sunday morning! We had decided to go swimming that morning, and after coming home and eating breakfast, had wandered out into the street for some air, before intending to go back up to our music room. We were just standing there, me, barefoot, in my home-made hippie-clothes (I made them myself), and Graham, in his smart-stuff, just looking at each other! “What do we do now?” “I don’t know!” “Let’s go see those people!” “Okay!” So we just walked down the road, got on the train, and went off to London. We didn’t even tell our families we were going, or where! It took quite a while, as we had gotten on the wrong platform at one of the stations where we had to change trains, so we arrived in the afternoon. You could see the building where they were supposed to be through the window of the train, as it pulled into the station, and I had the strangest feeling. I looked at Graham and said, “Do you have the feeling that you are not going home today?” He said, “No”. This building was the kind of building you would not find us dead in – an old, disused, red-brick factory. But something literally pulled me across the street, in through the doors, and up to a little room where we were met by a fellow with a big smile, who invited us to sign a visitor’s book, which we dutifully did. Someone was playing a guitar and singing somewhere, in the distance. After we signed the book, he took us through to a huge room, which was basically a warehouse, and sat us down, while calling another guy to come over and talk with us. This other guy came over, and started talking to us about God, Jesus, the Bible, and so on. I wasn’t listening. But I was looking at everyone that I could see there, which turned out to be only a handful at the time. Almost everyone else was downtown at Hyde Park, and came back later that evening. What I could see, and feel, was that everyone was smiling! There was just something very different about these people, and I didn’t know what it was. I’d never come across this before, and I knew it! I turned to Graham and said, “These people have got something. I don’t know what it is, but I know it’s good. I can feel it. I’m not leaving until I find out what it is!” The guy that was talking to us heard this, so he stopped talking and just looked at me and said, “Would you like to pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart?” I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about! I certainly didn’t know how, or why, but I said “Yes!” I definitely did not know what was going to happen! But this is what happenedIIIIII. He called a couple of his friends over to join in with us. We held hands in a circle and closed our eyes. I had no idea what to do, so he just said, “Repeat after meIII.” Which I did, sentence by sentence, as followsIIII. “Jesus, please come into my heart. Please forgive me for all my sins. Help me to read your Word and understand it, and help me to love You and others. In Jesus’ name, Amen” Pretty simple, very short, but it changed everything! I could explain all the actual physical sensations I felt in those moments, but these are not common experiences to everyone, so I won’t go into that, as it might be confusing. When I asked Him about those afterwards, He just explained that He allowed me to experience something that I could relate to, so I could clearly understand what it was that had actually transpired. (I can tell you later, if you’re interested).

What is important though is that you know this --- remember those questions I had written in my art book? Well, He didn’t come along and answer with, “Answer to question number one isII..”, etc, etc. What happened was that the questions themselves just vanished, disappeared, and deep inside I now knew, the reason for everything, in a moment! I knew I had found the “Truth”, “Peace”, “Love”, and “Freedom”, all in one go! I was flying, and I had to open my eyes to make sure I was still sitting on the ground! Right then, I couldn’t explain it though. I turned to Graham and said, “Graham, I don’t understand what just happened. All I know is that it did!” That was actually the first moment of an existence I didn’t know was possible. It was like walking through into another dimension or something (which is what it is actually). All I can say is, that is what everything is for, and everyone should experience it! He is the reason, for everything! Wow! It is soooooooooo way beyond cool! th

Since that moment, what can I say? That was thirty eight years ago on September the 9 ! I won’t write any more here, as it’s already very long. But there’s always more, much more. He never runs out, never fades, never fails, always has more, all we can take, much further and more “far out” than we can even imagine with our finite minds! And it’s all just right there, so close, and more “real” than all we can see, hear, feel, taste, and touch, with our natural senses!!! Wow! I hope you’ve been able to get this far in reading this. But I will stop here. There is more coming though, if you can take it, okay?

“What Happened Next!” or, “Chapter 2 of Why I Do What I Do!” Right after the prayer, and explaining to Graham that I couldn’t explain, everything was different. Now I knew what it was that these people had, because now I had it too! I had no idea that this was going to happen, really! I knew I was looking for something, but I didn’t know what it was. “Love”, “Truth”, “Peace”, “Freedom”, yes, but if you had told me that this was how and where I was going to find it, and what was going to happen next as a result, I would have told you where to go, in no uncertain terms! Actually it wasn’t like I found anything – it was more like it found me! It never ceases to amaze me how awesome everything has been, everything before this event, and then everything since. There is a distinct difference between the two though. Before was flat, dull, boring, meaningless, with no future, no answers, no purpose, like a fish floundering around on the ground, gasping for air, knowing it was only a matter of time before it would weaken away to death. After was like being thrown into a huge, deep, wide ocean, with no limits, places to go, things to see, things to do, people to meet, and, more than anything – purpose! It’s actually gone even further than this, because now I’ve even explored beyond the ocean and taken off into space, the universe, and beyond! Wow! Soooooooo cool! But again, I’m getting excited, and ahead of myself. Here’s what happened nextIIII. Graham didn’t pray with me when I prayed this prayer. I don’t know why, maybe because he wasn’t asked at that time. I guess the guy who was talking to us just figured I was the one who was ready, so went for it with me. However, everyone there was as concerned for him as they were for me, so they wanted to talk to him some more, perhaps to explain a bit more, and give him the same opportunity. While this was happening, I was invited to read the Bible with some of them. I said, “Sure”, again, not knowing what I was in for! Ha ha! I had never read the Bible before. Why would I? I already knew all the stories --- Jesus was born in a stable, because there was no room at the inn. Angels, shepherds and three wise men were involved. When he grew up he started roaming around telling people good stuff, performing miracles, and had disciples who followed him. In a little while he would be killed, but that He did this to “save” us. “So? That was two thousand years ago. He was a good guy, but what has that got to do with me?” We sat down at a table. A Bible was brought for me, and we opened to The Gospel of John, Chapter One, and started reading. As I said, I had never read the Bible before. All I knew about it was that it was written in very old English, which was difficult to understand, especially for a “storybook”. Well, again, this is something that is kind of difficult to explain, but while reading the words on the pages, this wasn’t like reading a book! What I was seeing with my eyes, was going in through my eyes (like the words themselves were leaving the pages), coming into me, and down into my heart! And my heart was responding! It was thrilling! It wasn’t the words themselves, it was their Spirit, their very meaning! It was all so simple, so clear, so real, so true! It was like being fucked, and I loved it!!! This went on for a couple of hours, and I couldn’t get enough, though it was a little tiring! Ha ha! Meanwhile, some others were talking to Graham. They encouraged him to pray, but, basically, he wouldn’t, so they asked him to join us in reading, which he did, for a while. At about 6:00 pm I was aware that Graham was getting up from the table. I was so absorbed in reading, that at first I couldn’t figure out what he was doing, but he was looking at his watch, and trying to get my attention. “Dave, we need to get going!” “Huh? What?” “We need to get going” “Going? Where?” “Home. It’s getting late. Our parents don’t know where we are. It’s going to take

a while to get home. We need to go.” It was then that I realized that Graham was intending to leave, and he wanted me to leave too, with him. I hadn’t expected this. It was a difficult moment. Here was my best friend, my only friend, the one responsible for introducing me to these people, and everything that had happened as a result. The one I felt, more than anyone, would understand what was happening, and he was leaving! Why? I couldn’t get it, but I just looked at him and said, “Graham, where are you going?” “Home. It’s late. Our parents will worry.” “Graham, I just came home! I can’t leave! Where are you going? Why are you leaving?” At this point, Graham seemed to realize that something had changed, something was different. I was different, and I wasn’t leaving with him. I was staying here, with these strangers. He freaked out! “What are you doing? How can you stay here? What will I tell our parents?” etc, etc. “I don’t know! Tell them I love them. Tell them I’ll be in touch. I’ll write, or phone, whatever. But I can’t leave Graham! I just found what I didn’t know I was looking for, and I’m not leaving. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but this is it!!! I had no idea, but I’m not going to let go of this, for anyone, I’m sorry” Whew. Talk about a tough moment! Graham was in tears. I was nearly in tears. This was my best friend, and I watched him walk away, a very sorrowful guy! I was heart-broken! However, I knew that what had happened was worth more than million “friends”, at least more than friends that would be here today and gone tomorrow. Everything, including even those I loved, was so temporary, unsure, anything could happen, and often does, but what I now had was certain, fixed, sure, permanent, real, and it was just the beginning!!! My new-found friends were more like a family. It really was “like coming home”, from a very, very long journey. A journey of desert, with little or no water, and I didn’t even know them. And yet, it was like we always knew each other. It was weird and strange, but very cool! What followed could only be described as a very intense effort on the part of my parents to get me to “give up this idea” and “come home”. For two weeks straight I think they tried everything in the book. Quite clearly, they didn’t understand. But then, they weren’t willing to hear an explanation either! They were afraid, and confused. It wasn’t until a couple of months later that I was to find out why, something about my past that I didn’t know about. They hadn’t told me, and were afraid of what my reaction would be if I found out. My leaving so suddenly had caught them off-guard, and they were scrambling around to try to get a hold on the situation, so this “big secret” could be resolved in some way I guess. (I’ll tell you later. It’s very cool, very romantic, and totally miraculous, convincing me even more that there was a plan for my life! Wow!) My parents tried everything – phone calls, sending my favorite uncle to talk to me and bring me home, a lady who had gotten involved in religion and the church (and gone crazy) came “to help me see sense”, they called the newspapers (who sent a reporter to interview me), Graham called. Finally, as a last resort, they came themselves and physically tried to get me into the car to drive me away. None of this worked. Nothing and no-one was going to deter me, or take away from me what I now had! No-one! This was “the real deal”, “the real McCoy”, worth everything to gain and keep, even my life, and I knew it! It was the Police that had to help my parents come to their senses. When they saw that I wouldn’t be moved (I was actually stuck to the ground – an amazing experience!), they called the emergency number for the Police, who were on the scene pretty quick. “Okay. What’s the problem here?” “This is our son. He left home two weeks ago, and has been living here with these people since. We want him to come home with us, but he won’t come. Would you please help?” “How old is he?” “Seventeen!” “When does he turn eighteen then?” “In January” “I see”. “Well, Sir, Madam. Would you mind if I give you just a little bit of advice?” “Okay”

“Technically, it’s true, your son is under-age. If you insist on it, we can arrest him, take him before a judge, and the judge can make him a ward of the court, and bind him to your care until he turns eighteen!” (My parents heaved a huge sigh of relief and said “Okay, let’s do that then”) “HoweverIII.. (the policeman hadn’t finished)IIII. We don’t usually recommend this course of action!” “WHAT???” “Well, in our experience, this only leads to more upset and heartbreak and broken families. What usually happens is that the son or daughter often resents this, bitterly, and when they turn eighteen, they leave home anyway, and their parents never see them again! If I were you, I’d let him go and pursue whatever it is that he wants to do! Just make sure you leave the door open for him to return, if ever he wants to. He’ll thank you for it, and you’ll be thankful that you did. Trust me on this one!” Whew! It was like the light went on for my parents, and they gave up! “Okay! I guess you’re right. Of course”. It was now relief for all of us, and, for the first time, I was actually able to talk to them and try to explain. “Mum, Dad, I love you! I probably love you now more than I ever did! I know you don’t understand, but that’s okay. I don’t even understand it all. I just know this: You know how desperate I was for answers, a reason, a meaning to my life. I had no idea what I was looking for, or if it even existed. I certainly wasn’t looking for this! But, this is it! I’ve just got to do this! I’ll stay in touch, of course! Please, just try to understand” “Okay Dave! If that’s what you want to do. No, we don’t understand, but that’s okay. And if you find out that it’s not what you’re looking for after all, well then come home, okay? You’ll be welcome!” Since that moment, though my parents’ understanding has taken a long time to grow, we’ve at least had a healthy respect and love for each other, and good communication. Quite different to how it was before I left, and immediately afterwards. It’s gotten to the point now that they are even quite proud of me, and we’re even able to talk about some real deep stuff. It’s never too late for this sort of thing, and it won’t be long before they move on into the next dimension, and th everything will be even clearer for them, I know. (My Dad “passed on” 24 December 2006) Meanwhile, as I said, that moment was just the beginning for me. The beginning of miracles, faith, healings, near-death experience, talks with angels, visits in my dreams, visions, helpers from Heaven, journeys, supply, work, teaching, more and more truth, freedom, peace, love, friends and lovers, excitement, purpose, fulfillment, prophecies, and on and on, eternally, unending, forever and everIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.. Life sure has taken some funny twists and turns though, many of which were quite unexpected, unplanned, or even not quite what I would have chosen myself! But I have no regrets! It’s all been GREAT, even the “bad” stuff! I’ve been married twice and have seven children (eleven actually, including four step-children), six from my first marriage, which lasted fifteen years - four girls, two boys, four of these born in India. I was there at the birth of five of them. All of them were amazing, even down to their names. The oldest is now thirty four, and the youngest is twenty three. My wife re-married, a friend of mine actually, and I’ve seen them all in the last few years. They are all growing up well, though I certainly love and miss them. I get e-mails from some of them occasionally. They all live in the UK. My second marriage lasted ten years (there was a year to two year’s gap between the two). My second wife was a single-parent with four children already. She had never married. We met in Hong Kong. Sadly, her children really resented, and eventually hated me, which is a big reason

why we are not together anymore. My youngest, a boy, is now eighteen years old and lives with his mother (Australian) in Australia. My second wife and I are still friends, but it is very unlikely that we will be together again, as it looks like our lives were brought together for a time, and now they have taken different paths. Already, there are so many details left out of these two, short chapters, and what would follow would, or should, contain much more, especially all the “special stuff” that takes place all along the way, but I’m not sure that I have the time for this. (You can read some accounts in part two of this book, “A Book of Miracles”) [ Editorial insert ] 17 November 2006 Okay, just so anybody reading this might think “This is ‘wimpy’!” --- First, I would challenge anybody to live my lifestyle ‘24/7’, for 38 years! But also, to give you an idea of some of the “details” that have been “left out” of the last two chapters (and since), here are some “headlines” (details not included). --- Some of the things that have happened, or that I have been involved in, during this time (exciting stuff!!!): Besides the “near death experience” described in the next chapter (3)I While in Ireland I was caught in the middle of a series of car bombings that took place in Dublin in 1974. While in Kashmir, India, I was caught in the middle of a war between India and Pakistan. After fleeing Kashmir, I arrived in Delhi in time for the assassination of the Prime Minister at that time, Indira Ghandi, and as a result was caught up in the riots that followed, resulting in houses in the district all around where I was staying being burned, and people being killed. A previous visit to India included and encounter with the Mumbai “mafia”, resulting in being literally, physically, thrown out of the apartment I was living in at the time (I was sick with fever at the time). India is a “weird and wonderful” place, where almost anything can happen. While there I also got to appear in two movies, a TV commercial, and sang and played guitar in several concerts. My name has appeared in newspapers in the UK three times (that I know of), once as a result of “a police raid” on my home at 7:00 am one morning. – I had done nothing wrong, but a disgruntled former associate had gone to the police with a series of lies, resulting in the raid, accompanied by social services and the media! The police broke the law on thirteen counts themselves during this endeavor, and had to officially apologize, returning items previously stolen by a “plant” (someone posing as a “service worker” for my landlord)! Typhoons are a regular occurrence in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and I have been present for a number of these, but there was a major earthquake in Taiwan, 1999 (this literally shook me out of bed at 1:00 am) in which I was involved in the disaster relief. There are quite a few other “events” that I cannot record here, simply because it would not be wise! There are also the many, many “personal” experiences involved, with regards to individuals, on a literal “life and death” level, that cannot be recorded. However, if you are seriously interested, come and ask me yourself, okay?

“A near-death experience” or “Chapter 3 of Why I do what I do!” I left home and began “a pilgrimage” on September 9, 1971, at the age of 17. It was an unplanned start, in that I didn’t know that it was something that was going to happen, but I am oh so happy that it did! In effect, it was the ending of an old life, and the beginning of a new one, completely “out of this world”! Yes, I am basically the same person, and yet, no, I’m not! I now live for, and in, “a different dimension”, except that I still inhabit the same body, a human one, with all its limitations and experiences. Thank God it’s not “the be all and end all” though, just “a vehicle” to travel in while still here! Ha ha! I joined a group, a Family. Again, this wasn’t planned, but it has been “The Best”, and as I have often told those who have questioned it, “If you could show me anything better, I would do it! I’m not stupid!” No-one has ever been able to do this though of course, because I’m still here!!! Ha ha! As I have often said also, “Even if there was no Heaven after all, I would still do this, because I have had just such an amazing time coming this far!!!” Wheweee! It began easily, by having time to study, as well as having lots of very exciting and interesting experiences going out and meeting complete strangers, and sharing this new found love and freedom with them! (This has basically been my whole life for the thirty eight years I’ve been on earth since). I also helped with some of my expertise in producing publications, as well as teaching, even newer “disciples” than myself, what I was learning. As a result, in the first few years, I was able to travel, doing this work in Holland, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, as well as back to the UK and Ireland at one point. “Thousands of miles of miracles” would be the best way to describe it. By the time I was twenty years old, I was solidly certain about everything I had read, learned and experienced, yet I was facing a few doubts about myself! I was struggling, and I knew it, but this was all to change, very dramatically, very soon! st

It was August 31 1974, and I was passing out literature on one of the main streets downtown, in Manchester, northern England. I hadn’t been doing very well, being very discouraged about myself, and any ability I thought I was supposed to have in following Jesus. I was “working my way up” from being an absolute “zero”. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do our best for Him, but He had a very big lesson for me, actually a series of lessons, and He was about to change my life, in a very big way! One of my team-mates had stopped by a few minutes before, just to say “Hi!” and see how it was going, and now I was just waving “Bye-bye” to a pretty young 16 year old girl, who had just taken a piece of literature, given me a donation for it, and had then turned the corner out of sight. Suddenly, all I knew was that there was this incredibly loud crashing sound! I had no idea what was going on at all, except that, for a few moments, I was trying to figure out “What happened?” I remember thinking, “What’s going on? I’m sure I was witnessing! What happened?” There was a huge crowd of people gathering around me, though I still didn’t know, for sure, where that was, except that I was in a horizontal position, because all the people were standing on their sides, it appeared to me! Later, I learned that nobody actually made a move to help at first, because they were sure I was dead. I was fully conscious though. Just a bit dazed I guess! After a few more moments I realized I was lying on my right side, and there was all this crunchy stuff under me and all over me. And there was this warm, wet stuff oozing out from various places, and people were screaming, or in shock, for some reason. It was difficult to move, though I felt no pain. I figured I’d better try and see what had happened. I turned my head slightly, to look over my shoulder, and then the reality of the situation struck me – there was a bus, standing over me!

I later learned that the bus had a steering fault, and had been turning a corner when the steering wheel locked in the turn position. The driver couldn’t straighten out after the turn, so the bus just kept coming round, up onto the pavement (sidewalk), hit me on the left-side at the back, sending me flying across the pavement, through a 1 cm thick pane of glass that was the front of a shoe store, depositing me on the display inside. The bus then followed me into the store a little ways, before coming to a halt! As I said, at first nobody bothered to come to help me, because they were sure I couldn’t have survived, but after those first few moments I stirred, and then a few people flew into action. The ambulance arrived a few more minutes later, and I was off to the hospital, where, unbeknownst to me at the time, I was to spend the next three months! Most of the injuries were due to the glass. I have counted about 120 stitches, on the outside, altogether. I went under anesthetic around mid-day, and didn’t come around until 9:00 pm, when I found a doctor still trying to string my right leg up in traction (this means a steel pin through the shin bone, attached to a rope and pulley system, with weights on it). My right femur had been shattered to splinters over a six inch length. I had a bandage around my head, from cuts to my neck and ear. A plaster cast was on my left arm, as I had three lacerations that had cut the tendons to my thumb in three different places. I had another bandage on my right hand, due to cuts to two of my fingers, and yet another bandage around my right foot, where a cut right across the base of my toes had left four of them hanging on by just threads of skin (one of them was removed), and another cut across the right side of my ankle. There was also a huge hole in my lower right leg, where about a pound of flesh had been gouged out. In the emergency room, when I first arrived at the hospital, the staff nurse on duty actually cried when she saw what condition I was in. When my parents were called, and informed of what had happened, they said they would drive the 200 miles or so distance right away, but were asked if they could find a quicker way of getting to the hospital, as the staff couldn’t be sure that I would be alive when they got there. Two of the cuts were so close to vital blood vessels that I think I must have lost a lot of blood. There was certainly a lot of it everywhere. Someone who was there when I came round in the evening later told me “You were a mess!” I was being monitored every thirty minutes, and placed in the bed under the ward sister’s window, the one where people usually died! Whew! Amazingly, when it all first happened, I didn’t see, hear, or feel a thing! Pain was something I was going to experience later, for entirely different reasons! It sounds quite shocking doesn’t it? I guess it was! “Shock treatment” I think you could say! But it was nothing compared to what happened in the spirit, which is as follows: You might be wondering “Why?” of course, and quite naturally so. It should be quite clear though, as you read on! Believe it or not (please do believe it though, because, it’s what actually happened, I’m ashamed to have to say), my first reaction was to complain! There I was, lying very helplessly in a “could possibly die” situation, and I was almost mad at the Lord, saying to Him, “How could you do this to me? I’m one of Your children! I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing! What do you think You are doing?” But then, as clear as I have ever heard His voice, He just simply said, “I could bring you Home right now!” Woah! It wasn’t so much what He said, which I knew was probably true, as I had no idea what the total extent of my situation was (though He sure seemed to know, and had gone to great lengths to engineer, or allow, it to happen). It was the way He said it! Oh my, it was so real, so convicting, so sweet and loving, and yet so very clear and firm, so definite! Immediately I was so ashamed, ashamed to have thought, felt, and to have spoken to Him that way! All I could do was say, “Oh Lord, I am so, so sorry!”

It wasn’t that I was afraid of dying. I knew I was “saved”. I knew where I would go. But that was it, I would go to be with Him, and I would have to face Him, with that very wrong, bad, murmuring, ungrateful attitude, and I was so very sorry! Well, however He did it, it did the trick! What followed was such a beautifully warm forgiveness and acceptance, such a peace, knowing that I was forgiven, loved, that then I really didn’t care if I lived or died! It was worth it all, just for that! Whew! It was “a perfect moment”, and it changed my whole life! This all happened in the few moments between when I was hit by the bus, and when people started coming to help me. By the time things were moving, as far as my “rescue” was concerned, I was so happy, I really didn’t care, or worry, about what was going to happen. Somehow I knew that everything was going to work out though. I figured that if He really did want to take me Home, well that was fine with me now, because He had forgiven me! But, then if He didn’t, because I was still alive, then He must have a purpose in it all, and it was a privilege to be considered for such an “assignment”. Suffice it to say that there were many, many “lessons” to be learned in the following months, the “accident” was just the beginning. Most of the really important lessons had to do with faith (what it is, and what it isn’t), “grace versus works”, as well as (literally) “Stop, Look & Listen”, and “Squeeze, Don’t Jerk!”. Self-righteousness and Pride were hi-lighted to an embarrassing degree also, (with frequent “refresher courses” delivered to me throughout the years since. Ha!) I guess you could say this accident was like a “kick-start” to the rest of my life, really putting everything into a perspective that I had failed to get at the beginning of my service for Him. I certainly didn’t “attain” through it though, it’s just a very good “reference point”!

Chapter Four – Very briefly, what happened afterwards! It took actually a full year for me to get fully mobile again. Even now, my right leg is 2 cms shorter than the left. I’ve learned to compensate. During this time I moved down to London, where I had physiotherapy. I also ran a club for young people, where I met a girl who was later to become my first wife. This was 1975. In 1976 I went to India, the first of three trips. I had to come back to the UK at one point to settle an insurance claim related to the accident. I got married and went back to India, via Greece. Carol was two months pregnant when we left England, overland on “The Orient Express” to Athens, where we flew on, via Egypt. After landing in Bombay, two days before Christmas 1976, we went to Madras, where I got delirious with dengue fever. We eventually got to Trivandrum, where we stayed for seven months, and where Thara was born. Soon after this we had to go to Calcutta, where we stayed for five months. It was difficult, and we finally quit and returned to the UK for a couple of years. It was 1978. It wasn’t more than a year though, before we moved to Wales, where I did some part-time farm work. In the meantime we had Rachel (1979), and Stephen (1981), before heading back to India in early 1982. Our marriage nearly failed soon after arrival in India this time, when my wife fell in love with someone else. However, after a time of separation, we tried again, survived, moving to Delhi, where we were to spend the next six years, and where Marianne (1983), Claire (1985) and Tim (1987) were born. We finally, reluctantly, had to leave India in 1989. We had no choice but to return to the UK, again. However, there was important publications work waiting for me, so I was happy to be busy with this. It wasn’t long before this also came to an end though, and we moved location, where, I was to discover later, my wife fell in love with yet another man (the third, that I knew of), and it was “the beginning of the end”. We separated for a while, at my wife’s request. I moved with the older kids to Birmingham, and she with the younger ones Oxford. This lasted three months. She wanted to make the separation permanent. During this time I had been asked to consider helping with some important work in Hong Kong. This meant leaving all the kids with their Mum, which we both agreed to. Soon I was in Hong Kong (1992). My wife and I divorced, so she could marry the man she loved, which is what eventually happened. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, I was not prepared for how I was going to feel being alone again. As it turned out, an Australian woman, a single Mum with four kids, aged from ten to two, had to visit Hong Kong every two months. I liked her, but little did I suspect at the time that we would end up living in the same place, in Taiwan, more than a year later, and end up getting married! However, we did, and soon, she was pregnant with Carey, who was born in 1994. Soon after this we moved from Taipei to Hsinchu, where we were to spend the next eight years, before, due to incredible internal pressure from her growing first four children, we decided it would th be best to separate! I left Taiwan on the 6 September 2002. This was no small decision. At first, I was intent on bringing Carey with me to wherever I was going to end up. However, Christine was pretty set on keeping him with her. I have never felt that I could separate any of the children from their mothers, or siblings, so I have found it necessary to “let go”, twice now. “C’est la vie!” as they say in France (“That’s life!”). I had no idea where I was going to go. I landed at my parents’ place, after thirty one years, with “nothing to show for it”, except what I could carry in my two hands! It was like having to “start all over again”, and I was now 48 years old! I decided to go slow and take a break, while writing to different friends I knew, who, maybe, might have something for me to do.

A friend from thirty years before, Andrew, and his wife, Gúðbjorg, invited me to Iceland in early December 2002. This was to become “a love affair”, from which I have not “recovered”, and, I don’t want to! Ha ha! It is somewhat difficult to describe, exactly, how everything has been just different from everything I had experienced before coming to Iceland. It has been truly the most profound, deeply moving, spiritual experience I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot!). I could tell you about the “gate” in the spirit that I passed through on the flight from the UK to Keflavik (just the UK side of the Faeroe Islands), the aurora that was right above me as I arrived at the apartment where I was to live for the next eight months. There is the sheer volume of prophecy, and its fulfillment, occurring almost daily in my life, with specific instruction, on almost every conceivable subject and event I was experiencing. The Word I was reading took on a whole depth of meaning I had never experienced before, and my own personal spiritual growth leapt forward in leaps and bounds, at such a speed I could hardly contain it! I guess I had finally reached the point where I had stopped “trying”, and was now open for God to just have His own way. I didn’t care what happened, or what I did, as long as I knew He was working, still had control in my life, and spoke to me. As long as I could read and grow, and I knew that He was using me, I was happy. I just wanted to love. Dear Iceland needed it, was ready for it, and so was I! Chapter 5 – Coming Soon! Iceland! (Everything before this was like “foreplay”, with Iceland being “the orgasm”!!!)

A “Romantic Interlude” – an extra chapter explaining my “roots”, and the reasons for my affinity with Iceland and its people,,,, I had joined the Children of God in early September, 1971, very unexpectedly, but very happily, and thankfully! It was quite a traumatic event for my parents at the time, which I didn’t fully understand until about two months later. This is why, and what happened then: “The dust had settled”, and now I was “free to come and go” in visiting my parents while I was still in the UK, and I did this fairly regularly. However, in November of that year it was the American “Thanksgiving” Holiday, and just about everybody in our group was, literally, “sent home for the holidays”! It is not a holiday in the UK, but I was free to go home for the weekend anyway. There was an American, who had just joined us, who couldn’t go home to the States though, because he was “a deserter” from the US army, and had been in Sweden, after deserting from the Vietnam War. So, I said I’d take him home with me for the weekend. He had nowhere to go, and my Dad was a chef, so I knew he’d at least appreciate a good meal. I had no idea what was about transpire though, and that this very person was going to be instrumental in “bringing the truth to light”! “Jewel” was still recovering from a heavy dependence on hallucinogenic drugs, so he was still quite “spacey”. We arrived at the house in the early evening of the Friday. After introducing him to my Mum, my Dad, and each of my sisters, we went up to my old room to put our stuff. As soon as we entered the bedroom, he turned to me and said, “Are you sure that this is your family?” “What?” “Are you sure that this is your family? You don’t look anything like any of them!” “What? Of course this is my family! What are you talking about?” “I don’t know. But they sure don’t look like your family!” “Huh!??” No-one had ever said anything like that to me before, not even Graham, who had been my best friend, and he was far from stupid! This was “food for thought”, for sure! But I didn’t stop to think about it for the rest of the weekend! The weekend was “a normal weekend” at my parents’ house, in other words, pretty boring! Somehow we got through it, and were ready to leave to go back to London on Monday morning, we thought! We had gone to bed Sunday night, and were asleep, until about 3:00 am, when I woke up, unexpectedly! I knew that Jewel was awake, and I was responsible for him, so I asked him if everything was okay? He said, “Yes”, but that “something is wrong”, and he didn’t know what it was! I suggested that we just lay there for a while, and see if the Lord had anything to say. “Okay”, he said. After a few minutes, he just started speaking: “You’ve got to get things straightened out with your Dad!” “What?” “Something’s not right! You’ve got to get some things sorted out with your Dad!” “What? What are you talking about?” “I don’t know, but something’s not right! You need to talk to your Dad! I think there’s ‘a skeleton in the closet’” (an English expression meaning “a family secret”) Whew! This was getting “heavy”! I said, “Okay. He gets up at 5:00am to get ready to go to work. I’ll get up, make the tea, and have a word with him before he leaves.” (“What is going on?” is what was going through my mind!!!) Of course, I didn’t go back to sleep. I just mulled things over until about 4:30 am, when I got up to make the tea, and wait for my Dad! Dad came out of the bedroom, and was happily surprised to see me. He really appreciated having the tea ready! After he had gotten ready, and had sat down to drink his tea, I asked a question! “Dad, I just wanted to ask something, if that’s okay?” “Sure! What?” “Well, how come we don’t exactly have a normal father/son relationship? You know? How come we never actually talk about anything?”

This stopped him dead in his tracks! He put his tea down, and I could see his eyes redden, ready to cry! “Oh my God!” I thought! “What have I SAID? What Have I DONE?” It was a “heavy” moment! He excused himself and went back to the bedroom to talk with my Mum for a minute. He came out a little later, a little shaken, and just said, “Make sure you don’t leave today until your Mum has had a chance to have a word with you, okay?” “Okay.” Then he left for work. I went back up to my room. “You’ll not believe what just happened!” I said to Jewel, and went on to explain what had transpired. “I thought so!” was all he could say! There was nothing else that could be said, or done, right then. I had to wait until after breakfast to find out “what was going on”! Wheweee! Mum called me aside, and asked if we could go upstairs, to a private room, “to have a little chat.” I was a little nervous, but also somewhat excited! “Well, now I’m going to find out!” Mum was much more nervous than I was, but very brave, I thought! We went to a quiet room, where she told me the whole story! Apparently, she was a secretary with NATO, in Paris, not long after the Second World War, and had met a handsome Norwegian from the Canadian Air Force. They went for a picnic in the countryside, outside Paris, one weekend. One thing led to another, and she found out she was pregnant, with me!!! In the early ‘50’s, especially in England, this was really “not done”! So Mum ran away, back to her parents in London, without even telling “Val” (short for “Valdimar”) why! He followed her back to London, begging her to marry him, but she said “No!” I still don’t know if he ever even knew the reason why she had left so suddenly, but my grandmother showed me some pictures she had of him a few years later, and he was really handsome!!! (ha ha!) Very soon after he left to go back to Canada, where his family had emigrated, Mum met my Dad. He had just divorced from an Austrian woman, who had only married him for an English passport it seems. When Dad saw Mum, he went to her parents, my grandparents, and just said, “I’m going to marry your daughter!” “Oh no you’re not!” “Oh yes I am!” And he did! They married a th th month before I was born, December 19 1953! I was born January 20 1954! Mum was in hospital having me, at the same time as my Dad was in hospital, having his appendix removed! Of course, he knew she was pregnant, and he put his name down as the father on my birth certificate! All the wedding photos were taken after I was born = no tummy! Who would have ever known? If any of the family did, and maybe only a chosen few would have done, no-one ever spoke of it! I grew up, totally ignorant of this whole affair! By now, my Mum was in tears, begging me to forgive her for her “sins”, etc. Me? I was so excited!!! I thought it was all so cool! It all made sense, and, more importantly, made me just love Mum and Dad more than ever! What “a class act”! It was so totally romantic! I thought of what my Dad must have been feeling that day, the day I was supposed to leave. Probably worrying about what I would now think and feel towards him. So, we decided to stay another day, and let him know that I certainly didn’t feel badly about anything. Quite the contrary, I just loved them both all the more, realizing what it must have been like for them over the years, and now possibly running the risk of “losing” everything, now that I knew the truth! Well, my Dad sure seemed to appreciate that I didn’t just take off in anger, and we have been friends ever since, though maybe not always having exactly the same viewpoint on life. Mum is still just my Mum of course!

My biological father being Norwegian (Viking), and my mother being half Welsh (Celtic), I guess that makes me three-quarters Icelandic, no? Ha ha! (end of this chapter)

Chapter Five – Iceland!!! , “All the rest was foreplay!” SPECIAL NOTE: This will probably be the longest chapter, and may include sub-headings, as there is “a lot to say” here. It will take a little time to complete the whole thing, so rather than have everyone wait until I’ve finished it I am going to release all that I have written, as I write it, until the chapter is complete. You will know when I’m “done”! Okay? It beginsIIIII.. It has taken me a long time to get to this, and there are reasons why. For “a book” you will probably think, “It’s very short!” and you would be right, of course! But again, there are reasons for this too (there are always reasons - for everything – yes?). I was talking with a dear friend the other day, and the comments we discussed are the same as I have heard from many of the people I know here. - You can “know” a lot of people, but how well do you/can you actually know them? Well, to be honest, there’s only one way you can really know someone, and that’s the biblical way = “all the way!” Even then, people, and circumstances, can change, and usually do, right? This is life, and we are supposed to learn from our experiences, otherwise we are “ever learning, but never coming to a knowledge of the Truth” – a sad story for most of us when this is the case! Another friend put it very well, when they said “We only see the tip of the iceberg”! Which of course means that there is a whole lot more to things that we don’t see, which are “under the surface”, but which actually make up the greater part of what makes that person who they are, completely. Most folks “hide” this part, for all kinds of reasons, and you can hardly blame them! Life is “tough” sometimes, and things happen that can hurt, deeply, and these things can be difficult, if not nearly impossible, for us to face ourselves, let alone “share with others”. There is always the fear of getting hurt again, if we show ourselves to be open, and, as a result, vulnerable! I have always told people “I’m an open book!”, “I have nothing to hide!”, “If you want to know anything about me, just ask!”, and I still maintain this outlook! However, that doesn’t mean I will tell everybody everything, all at once, or all the time! It’s just not wise to do so! Some of the biggest “heartaches” and “heartbreaks” I’ve experienced in my life have been as a result of “misunderstandings”, “misinterpretations” and “misrepresentations”, and I am sure I am not alone in this! So, “What to do?”, as they say in India? Well, we do the best we can! And we need to have faith, faith in some thing, or some One, bigger than all of this, Who can see us through all these things. Someone who really knows us already, Who can see it all, and help guide us through it all! Without this, we would go crazy, or at least resort to the “human-nature” way of hardening our hearts, and “cutting ourselves off” from others, and as a result becoming very lonely! Why am I starting this chapter in this way? I have no idea! I guess it has been on my mind and heart lately, probably because I have been experiencing it recently myself (again). But more than this, I have found that many of the dear ones that I know and love here, deeply, seem to experience these things quite commonly, and my heart breaks for them! Iceland is a small country, with a small population. Everybody knows everybody else, or thinks they do, and is usually related in some way too! Everybody seems to know everybody else’s business, and gossip can be a killer! There is a deep need to want “to love, and be loved in return” (“the greatest thing you’ll ever learn”), and yet also a real need for some privacy. Am I right? Icelanders are some of the most simple, outward-looking, direct, open, friendly, honest, and yet fiercely private people I have met. They have “treasures” that a lot of the rest of the, so-called,

“civilised world” seem to have lost, long ago - forgotten, or even thrown away completely in many cases! But I am going to start now, after explaining just one more thing, okay? The reason why the book is so short is basically thisI.. It would be impossible to include everything! Time and space don’t permit it for one thing! Few people have the attention span to read very much these days, and I would be surprised if anyone has read everything I have written up to this point??? Better to keep things short and punchy! I think a lot of people who know me think that I talk too much anyway – he he! Sorry about that! I’m working on it! But I am a teacher, of sorts, and a good teacher tries to cover his material “from A to Z”, and “drill” his students, so they don’t forget it! Otherwise, what’s the point? If you don’t keep and use what you are given, then it was all “a waste of time”, right? And who has got time to waste these days? There are a lot of details not included in these few short chapters. But, if you think about it, in over thirty eight years, in more than twenty countries, with all of the travelling, being married twice, having a lot of children, and all of the experiences that accompany all of these things, as well as the kind of things that I do, it would be impossible to document it all, if I could remember it! (See “A ‘sort of’ CV” in the Appendices, at the end of this book!) I do remember it of course, when I stop and actually think about it. And when I do, I always marvel at it myself, “My Lord, I actually DID all those things!” However, and this is an important factII.. IT IS ALL IN THE PAST!!! I have no regrets, though there are many things I am not exactly “proud of”, and many things that actually hurt to think about, BUT, I live HERE and NOW, and FROM THIS MOMENT ON, I AM MOVING INTO THE FUTURE!!! But so you can know the answer to your question, “Why are you here? And how the hell did you get here in the first place?” ---- Read on! (At last! He he!) Okay, so “here we go!........” I keep putting this off! Maybe because I know it’s not going to be easy! But I keep saying “COMING SOON!”, and I hate to not keep my word, soIIII. (Got me! He he!) “It was a dark and stormy nightII..” er, no, that’s not it! Read the end of Chapter Four for the introduction to this Chapter --- If you don’t, you will have missed “the introduction”!!! (Duh!) He he! (Sometimes I get a little crazy – but IT HELPS!) Anyway, I was at my parents place in the UK, from early September 2002, until December. It was a bit like being in “change-gear mode”, where you disengage the clutch before re-engaging after the manoeuvre – Basically, while in that state, momentarily, your wheels are spinning, the engine is running, but it’s not actually driving the car, and you are just sort of “coasting”! I had arrived at my parents’ place after more than thirty years of adventure, and although it was a welcome break, you could almost say the first “holiday” I had experienced, it was also the first time I had been on my own (until then at least), and it felt very strange and unusual. Also, I was bored! Someone I knew from thirty years before had been in touch by e-mail, and, as it turned out, was going to visit his mother, who just happened to live about 30 minutes from where my parents

lived. We arranged to meet up. During this brief time of sharing what-we’d-been-up-to-recently he pulled out his laptop and started showing me pictures of Iceland! Of course, I was fascinated, but it didn’t stop me wondering “What is he showing me all these pictures for?” Just before we parted, he asked, “So what are you doing for Christmas?” I said “Nothing, as far as I know. I’m bored, and need something to do!” “How would you like to come to Iceland, try it out for month or two?” “Would I? Of course! Thanks!” So I first arrived here in early December 2002. Before the flight, all I knew about Iceland was where it was, and the name of the capital! Nothing could have prepared me for the very pleasant surprise I was in for! I should have suspected something though, as in mid-flight, near the Faeroe Islands, I experienced what can only be described as like passing-through-a-door, in the spirit, like from one dimension to another, but in an obviously very good way! I am quite sensitive spiritually, and I instinctively seem to know whether I like someone, something, or someplace, without even hardly knowing much about the person, or place, etc. So I was really excited as the plane approached Iceland! Of course it was close to mid-winter, so it was dark, but that actually made the next thing that happened more obvious, and also significant! – I had never seen an aurora before, but as we got out of the car outside of the apartment, a little voice said “Look Up!”, so I did, and there it was! It was white, and shaped like an angels’ wings! I asked the lady who was there “Isn’t that an aurora?”, so she looked, and said “Yes, but I’ve never seen one like THAT before!” This man and his wife, and the young people I was to meet the next day, had set up a “Charity” here in Iceland, and I was to spend the next three years as a part of this, helping out the best I could. All I can say is that from the very next day, the first time I walked out of the door and started meeting Icelanders, I fell in love! I kept saying “This must be the worlds’ best kept secret!” “It’s like an oasis in the middle of a huge desert!” Besides the fact that the women here had me dizzy! I couldn’t turn my head fast enough to keep up with seeing and looking at them all!!! He he! I am actually very shy, painfully so, believe me! But here they just seem to “pull it out of you”, and I found myself complimenting and flirting with all kinds of women – a very new and wonderful experience for me personally! I’ve since often lamented “I wish I had the body of my youth, mixed with the wisdom and experience of age that I have gained!!!” He he! I don’t know, it seems “too late”, but then, I thought I was “finished”, “over the hill”, “of no use anymore”, at many points in my life, only to be surprised later to find out “WOW, I’M STILL HERE!” There is so much about Iceland that I love, but I think I should mention two areas that seem quite outstanding (besides its awesome beauty, both the nature, AND the women of course!). First, I was immediately impressed with Icelanders’ open friendliness and direct form of communication, both with each other and with visitors. Along with this, there isn’t too much in the way of a “class consciousness”, such as you will find in other countries of the world. You could be talking with a company president or director, or a taxi driver, and you wouldn’t really notice any difference, not by the way they dressed, or their manner. Here, there doesn’t seem to be too much emphasis on what kind of work you do! People just work, and work hard! The other area, which really touches my heart, is that there doesn’t seem to be much of what is called a “generation gap” here, as there is in much of the rest of the world. People talk to each other here, regardless of their age or relationship, and there is still a large measure of respect, for family, friends, and others. I personally find it very gratifying and rewarding that I am accepted, as a friend, by so many people, much, much younger than myself, and it doesn’t seem “weird” at all, to them or to me! I think this is WAY cool! I have to say, that it is not unusual to be surprised at how mature younger people are here. Many that it would be easy to think of as in their mid-

twenties, are still in their teens, and very intelligent in their communications and relationships with others. It is very refreshing! I will have a bit more to comment on, about some more aspects to these things, but right now I’m going to post this (aaaaaawwww!) – (wait a minute! I have to eat you know!) And then I’m going to go right back to work, because I’m going to explain ALL ABOUT THE PAINTING, okay? (Stay tunedIII..) (Pineapple chunks in juice, mixed with apple sauce, and raisins!!! In case you were curious to know what pulled me away from my laptop! – He he!) Actually, I think I might be “on a roll” here, and you can thank a dear someone for leaving a comment on one of my pics for this, as it inspired me to get going! – It’s not unusual for artists, whatever their field, to need “inspiration”. Sometimes it’s there, and sometimes it isn’t, and when it isn’t it can be very difficult, actually “hard work”. It IS “work”, believe it or not! I think some might believe “it’s easy”, to watch it happening, but “if you only knew!” Ha ha! On the other hand, I LOVE doing it, so I don’t mind, and sometimes, “even I like it!”, as I tell people on occasion! Someone once made the comment to me that they felt I “fed off of” the admiration and respect I get from those I meet and paint and interact with, that “it ministered to my pride”! Personally, I feel that that was a rather cruel and unfeeling view of things! Most people I know seem to need encouragement, for everything, just to get by and survive! It never works to try to put another down just to lift yourself up, because you maybe feel intimidated by something someone else is, has, or does! I have also been accused of being “sensitive”. I will readily admit to that myself! It is not easy being like this, trust me! However, God uses it, to keep me humble, if nothing else! You could call it a “gift” or a “talent”, some might even consider it a “curse”, but whichever the case, all gifts are a responsibility, and these things are not taken lightly! I am personally very aware that anything I might be “good” at, or that is used in some way to help another, or simply just makes someone happy, even if only momentarily, IS NOT ME! – It is a gift, freely given to me, to use FOR others, nothing more! I hear all kinds of very complimentary things said about me, and especially when I’m painting. Words like “artist”, “genius”, “awesome”, “Oh, my God!” and the Icelandic “flott” come frequently. The best reaction I think I’ve ever heard was something quite different howeverII Usually, I like to have a sort of an idea about a few things before I start, such as where on the body someone wants to be painted, how big or small, and whether the person wants “pretty”, “cool” or “tough” (or “all of the above”). It is a lot of fun when people say “Do whatever you like!” and/or “I trust you” (especially when they are thrusting their breasts at you while they are saying it, or uncovering some other part of their beautiful anatomy! He he! – You wouldn’t believe how jealous the guys can be at this time too!) Usually people have no idea what I am doing (and neither do I actually!), until I am finished, and I show them in the mirror! They just know it “feels funny”, and they can’t quite figure out what I’m doing, by how it feels. You would be amazed at how many tell me that “It feels really good while you do this” though, and that they feel very relaxed and peaceful! I’ve even had some almost fall asleep! And in one case that I know of, she said she only came to get painted because it helped her to relax and feel calm! Others have said that they feel that my hands are “very soothing” or have healing power! (Whatever – I’m only repeating what I’ve been told, okay? He he!) Anyway, back to the best reaction. This one girl was a little bit sceptical (unbelieving), but willing to allow me to try what I could. So, when I showed her what I had done afterwards, all you heard,

throughout the whole club, was “OH SHIT!!!!” (Meaning, roughly interpreted, “pretty darn good!” – he he!) I am always very encouraged by people’s reactions. I really do, honestly, appreciate it! Yet, every time I hear it, I still say, to myself, “It’s not you! It’s a gift! It’s a responsibility! Don’t forget that! This was not “your idea”! It is simply “a tool”, to do “a job” – to share His Love with others!” That’s it!!! So, how DID I get into this in the first place?............. Well, I can tell you, like so many other things I have done in my life, I had no idea I would be doing this sort of thing! A lot of people ask “So, how long have you been doing this?” And many, naturally, assume it has been a long time, and that I have been doing this in all the places I have been before, and that this is how I make my living. They are quite surprised to find out that this isn’t the case at all though! Ha ha! When I first arrived in Iceland, I was asked what I could do to help with the “fund-raising activities” that the Charity was involved in. I had no idea! They had a table at Kringlan, the shopping mall here, where on the weekends they would make balloon sculptures, do face-painting, and distribute books, calendars, CDs and other educational and Christian materials. I was hopeless at making balloons, and I’m an even worse “salesman”, so I tried my hand at face-painting! I found I could do this, though I was quite slow at it, especially when it got busy on Saturdays and holidays. I loved the interaction with the kids, and the parents all seemed to appreciate it. However, I wasn’t quite satisfied with “just fund-raising” in this way. There wasn’t too much time for talking, either with the kids, because they were too young, or with the parents, because they were in a hurry, and there was often a line of people waiting! I found out though, that there was one particular design that the teenage girls liked, and even grown-up women! It was “The Butterfly”! And when the crowds started to dissipate on a Friday or Saturday afternoon, when everyone was starting to head home for dinner, I often ended up with lines of women, of all ages, waiting to be painted with “The Butterfly”! They wanted it for dinnerparties, going to parties, downtown, or even going to work (in a bar) in some cases! I can remember one day painting 80 of these! It wasn’t too unusual to still be painting people an hour to an hour and a half after the stores had closed! The way I felt about it was, that I could have happily spent all day, every day, at the mall – it was so much fun! We weren’t always at Kringlan. Sometimes we were asked to help at the different festivals around the island. I loved this too! Iceland, literally, “takes my breath away”, and I never get tired of it! I’ve been outside of Reykjavik a few times now. I especially like Akureryi, Dalvík, Húsavik and Grundarfjörður, but last summer was REALLY special, in that I got to go all around the island, spending a lot of time in the East, (Reyðarfjörður, Eskifjörður, Neskaupstaður and Egilsstaðir) which was AWESOME! There were a few significant factors involved in getting me to where I am now though, which I will explain hereIIII I had to return to the UK for a while in 2003. I had been spending a couple of weeks at Kringlan, painting, and having a great time! I was scheduled to leave on a Monday, and it was Saturday, my last day at the mall! The day was a very significant one, though I didn’t realise it at the time. In fact, I was almost disappointed! The two weeks prior to this were just fantastic, but this Saturday looked like it was going to be “an anti-climax” – a real heart-breaker for me personally!

There are a lot of details to this that I cannot include, for many very good reasons (if you are interested, you will have to come and see me, and ask me, personally, to explain! Okay?). But basically, almost at the last minute someone very special turned up! This girl, whom I cannot name, changed everything! To be honest, if it wasn’t for her, I doubt that I would be where I am now, and doing what I do now! Quite a statement, I know, but if you knew the whole story, you would understand! This very precious girl turned up, and asked for “Something like Mike Tyson has on his face” i.e. a “tribal tattoo” sort of design! I had no idea what she was talking about! I won’t describe everything that took place during this encounter. All I can say is that I ended up doing something else, a compromise, something that she called “a masterpiece” afterwards! As I said, this whole encounter was very special, more than I can explain here. Even at the time, I had no idea how significant this was going to be, even to the future, but it was, as you will seeIII. (ContinuedII) A very dear friend of mine, who was there that day, was very instrumental in helping things happen! I was only to find out, after we were on the way home later, just how much, but one thing that he did was to get this girls’ e-mail address. It is my experience that very few people here seem to take e-mail very seriously here, and I didn’t really expect anything much to come of it, but I wrote to her as soon as I got back to the apartment anyway. Imagine my surprise when she wrote back immediately, before I had even left the country. What followed was a very deep communication, which was to take place over the next three months, with exchanges happening almost daily, including some very spiritual experiences. She asked some very significant questions. As a result, I started telling her my life story, from the beginning of my leaving home at 17 years of age. This was to become “Chapter One” of this book. It became “a book”, simply because she told me that I was a good writer, and that I should write a book! I answered that I would, just for her, and so followed chapters two, three, four, and two unpublished chapters (one is published here, between Chapters four and five). As I said, I made a trip back to the UK at this time, and it was “a mistake”, one that I began to regret almost immediately! It wasn’t long before I wanted to “come home” (to Iceland)! It took a little time to raise the money for the move back, so I was gone for three months altogether. During this time I was in a small town in Wales, and downtown Bridgend was similar, in many ways, to downtown Reykjavik. There was an area of town that was packed with pubs, bars, discos and nightclubs. I got the idea of asking a friend of mine if she would accompany me as a model, and we would go to each of the places downtown and ask if they would let me paint the customers in the evenings. This turned out to be Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, at two different places. The first place we tried the manager wasn’t in, but this was to be the nightclub that I ended up doing on Thursdays and Sundays. The next place, the lady manager was right there. She took one look at my model friend, who was all painted up, and said “Sure! Of course! That would be great!” We painted there every Friday and Saturday, for about six weeks, and it was great fun! This was a pub, with a disco, and frequented by a lot of the young people in town. When I got back to Reykjavik I was passing by “Nelly’s” one day (as I had done countless times before), when I got the thought, “Boy, I’d really like to paint here!” A little voice said, “Wait. You will!” It is truly amazing how it happened though!

I had gone back to helping with the face-painting at Kringlan. One day, not long before we were going to pack up and leave, at the end of the day, a beautiful girl turned up and asked for “The Butterfly”! I asked if she was going to a party, but she said “No” she was going to work and wanted to wear it for work. So I asked what kind of work she did, and she explained that she worked in a bar. (This girl is not only beautiful, but very smart too, gaining the second highest score in all of Iceland for mathematics in her year at university!) As always, I enjoyed doing the painting, and she was happy with it, but a while later I was to find out how important that little butterfly turned out to beIIII.. A friend came to visit at the apartment where I was living. During the conversation we discovered that this friend had seen “a little butterfly” on a person at work, someone who worked at the same bar as her. I said that I was the one that painted it! She said that everyone thought it was great, and it turned out that the place where they worked was Nelly’s! I said that I had wanted to try painting there for a long time, so she asked if I would like her to ask the manager if I could go and see if they would let me paint there? “Would I?” was all I could say! The interview went well, and another friend of mine accompanied me to paint at Nelly’s for nearly a whole year. While at Nelly’s, I started hearing more about the “tribal tattoo” design that everyone wanted, and started to try my hand at that, as it seemed important! As stated previously, there are so many details not included in these brief chapters. (“Brief!???” – Yeah, except this one, “Five”, but even this one is greatly abbreviated! Ha ha!). If I could, I would have to include the myriad of “minute things” that have been a part of everything. I always marvel at how a tiny, small, seemingly “not-very-important-looking” decision, has actually changed everything, including the future, in very big and important ways! “The importance of little things”, as you will seeII.. This will become very apparent as I go into Chapter Six, which covers the subject of prophecy. I decided to make the next part a whole new chapter, as this is getting way too long, and folks are likely to have given up with exhaustion by now I’m sure! Also, this subject deserves special and separate attention. It involves the friend mentioned, who would accompany me at “Nelly’s”, someone who was to become my best friend, for the next two and a half to three years! “But what happened to the other girl, you know, the one who got you started with this style, and the writing?” WellIIII. I know what you are probably thinkingI. “What is it with this guy and girls?????” Ha ha! I don’t know! But the word “muse” has been coming to me the last few days, so I’m going to look it up --Muse (my¶z) n. 1 Gr. Myth. any of the MUSES 2 a) [m-] the spirit that is thought to inspire a poet or other artist; source of genius or inspiration b) [Now Rare] a poet My understanding, from the usage of the word, was that, especially in artistic fields, this was sometimes a person that inspired an artist. If the artist was a male, his “muse” was very often a female, who inspired him to fulfil his aspirations! I know that there have been many times in my life when I knew someone, or someone(s), who seemed to be just very special or important for some reason, and at these times, they helped inspire or fulfil something that was very important!

I LOVE women, generally, as anyone who knows me well will probably confirm, but there have been a very important “special few” at various points along the way, and I am so thankful to have met and known these dear ones. I’ve told many people I know, especially more so lately, that I’m hopeless at looking after myself! I have no real incentive for it, as this life doesn’t interest me much, at all! I have “no personal goals or aspirations”, certainly not to be wealthy, or endowed with “all the things of this earth”. My thoughts, feelings, ideals, whatever, lie in other things and in other places, not of this earth! People are what interest me the most, and I love being with them, except when I need to get away “to charge my batteries” sometimes. If I am on my own for too long however, I waste away, unless I have a project of some kind to keep me busy, and away from thinking too much about myself (a real disaster, trust me!) Anyway, when I got back to Iceland, I was at Kringlan one day, and this girl showed up, out of the blue! I hadn’t seen her since the day I painted her! She was different than when I first met her, in a very sweet way. She was a little shy and embarrassed something she told me before that she never was! It was a very pleasant meeting, but that was the last I was going to see, or hear, from her for another year and a half! This girl, as I said, was very special, and important. There is a whole story around our first meeting that would merit a chapter all of it’s own, but I cannot include this here. She actually has “half of my heart” – not what you think, but a part of the whole story of my love affair with Iceland! Maybe I’ll explain it laterIII Amazingly, again out of the blue she turned up, but this time at Gaukur á Stöng, a year and a half later! After a brief and shy re-introduction, she let me paint her again! When I had finished, and she saw it, she said, “This is what I wanted you to do in the first place!” “I know” I said, “It only took me a year and half to get it, sorry!” She smiled sweetly and then left, and that is the last time I saw her! (This is the point where I will stop this chapter. In the next, “Six”, there will be at bit more about the painting, as it is still very important, and has been an on-going project since I first started painting at “Nelly’s” with my friend. However, you will see how important that “still, small voice” has been, and continues to be, to everythingIIIII)

Chapter Six of “Why I do what I do!” --- Prophecy! This is not going to be an easy chapter to write, and, as always, there are reasons for this. These will become apparent as you read on, so please bear with me. Thanks. Back in September 1971 an event occurred that changed my life, completely, in an instant! You can say, correctly, that it was a deeply spiritual experience. From that moment, everything fell into place, clearly! But it was just the beginning! At that time, I not only was “born again”, but, you could also say, I was also “super-charged” with something else as well! I try to avoid using terms that people relate to as “religious”. Even that word conjures up argumentative thoughts in peoples minds, and it is totally understandable. When I start using these kinds of words and terms, it seems like I have to spend the rest of the time explaining that “It’s NOT what you think!”, and what I mean by that is that it is not anything to do with “church”, as in “that building on the corner down the street” (along with all its traditions and ceremonies)! It is not anything like being “religious”, as in “Be good. Don’t do anything ‘wrong’ (or you’ll go to hell), and you’d better go to church on Sunday, or else!” --- Nothing could be any further from the Truth than these kinds of thoughts or statements. Those are, very frankly, LIES, and have little (almost nothing) to do with the reality of everything I know, have, and am! It is a sad truth, that “arguing religion” (or politics for that matter) is a waste of time, and energy! When people argue that religion has been the cause of more wars, throughout all history, than anything else, I have to agree with them! How can anyone fight a war, “in God’s name”, when He is Love??? People create “religions”, not God! He is waaaaay above all this sort of thing! He is the essence of Love that pervades all of His creation, that touches peoples’ hearts, gently, and tells them “I am here, and I love you!” And when we tune in to that, everything works as it should! Anyone, anywhere, can have this, and I mean anyone, anywhere! When you get that, you get the power to transcend all these other petty contrivances that people seem to find themselves getting messed up with so easily! This is what that “super-charging” was that I just mentioned. Again, there are “biblical” terms for it, but basically, it is “an anointing” of His Own great power, of Love --- love-power! And with it come “gifts”, and the one I want to write about here is prophecy, because it has proven to be an important one, especially lately. I have quite a few stories to tell in this, and I hope that I will remember them all, so I can include them, but before I do, just a little bit more of an explanation, if I may. In case anyone may be wondering – I do believe in God, I do believe in Jesus, I do read the Bible (and believe it), pray, etc. I am “a Christian”. But none of these things have much to do with the established “religious orders” of the day! Or rather, I should put it the other way around: the established religious orders of this day have little or nothing to do with these things, other than in name and terminology. No wonder the world is confused! Don’t get me wrong, there are some very sweet people around, and very sincere too, and you will find this in most of the sincerest followers of many of the worlds religions. They are doing “the best they can”, as “far as they know”. BUT, for the most part, MAN’S BEST ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH! And this is why, quite correctly, many ordinary people will equate “religiousness” with “self-righteousness” and “hypocrisy”! The bottom line, for everything, is: Do we have LOVE, REAL love, and do we GIVE it? NOT “Who is more right than who!” Get it? Having got that little bit of explanation out of the way, let’s beginIIIII.

As I said, this is not “easy”. In fact, I almost didn’t start this chapter! What prompted it was something I was reading this morningIII.. “Some people are afflicted with negativity because they are extremely gifted or sensitive in the spirit; they hear absolutely everything going on around them—both the Lord's voice and the Enemy's voice of negativity. The Devil certainly doesn't like people who are sensitive to the spirit, because when God's in control of their life and heart and mind and spirit‚ it's a gift that He can use for His glory! The Enemy hates that. He hates anything good, so he tries any negative thing he can on people‚ to try them and see what button he can push to send them on a downward spiral of negativity.” This is so very true, certainly in my case I think. There is a spiritual warfare taking place, the ageold battle of “good versus evil”. And yes folks, there is a Devil, and he also is not the way most people picture things. He’s much more cunning and crafty and deceptive than that. But I don’t want to dwell on that here. After I read the above quote I thought, “Well, I have to do this, come what may! Sink or swim! I am not going to give my spiritual enemy the satisfaction of thinking he has prevented it! It’s important!” So, here we go againIII. From “day one” I got some of those “gifts” mentioned, and one of them was prophecy! I have a lot of other gifts as well, but this is the one I will cover here. I am very sensitive in the spirit, for better or worse, and I have had a lot of spiritual experiences, including meeting angels, visits in the night from one of my closest spiritual helpers while asleep (and even in the daytime while awake)! Dreams, visions, voices that have been so specific as to tell me to “Do this, now!”, sometimes even telling me which direction to walk, and when. I don’t always get it right, because I don’t always listen, but when I do, it always works! However, there is always that difficult moment that occurs when you have to make a choice, whether to believe it, or not! It is always “a leap of faith”! But, the God of faith loves it when we take that leap, and He always meets it. He never fails, though we can “screw up” sometimes. But then we’re only human, and He understands that, and covers for us! Like the little girl prayed one day, “And please take care of yourself Dear God, because if you don’t, we’re all sunk!” Ha ha! Well, of course, I prayed before accepting the invitation to come to Iceland, and He said some amazing things. Then there was the “door in the spirit” during the flight on the way, the aurora, etc. By now, if you’ve read this far, you will have some idea of who I am, and how I feel about this wonderful country and its people. But, prophecy has had an important part to play in what I believe are two very important and specific events that occurred not long after I got here, as followsII.. The Family (which I have been a part of for the last forty years now) had a presence here in Iceland many years ago. At this time, a few Icelanders decided to become a part of what we do, full-time! As I understood it then, there were only three full-time people from Iceland, now scattered throughout the world, from that era, a generation ago. One in the US, one in India, and one here, all from my age-group! There were no “new”, or younger ones! When first I came, I was astounded and amazed at how the younger generation here seemed like “children out of time”, meaning that they seemed interested in, and were embracing, the same sort of things that those from my generation had been into thirty or so years ago – the music,

attitudes, etc, as well as the uniquely Icelandic qualities that make Iceland the special place that it is! One time when praying about it, I was told “These people have been reserved and preserved for a special purpose, an important part in my overall plan!” Pretty awesome stuff, if you stop to think about it! But in my experience, that is exactly how He is, and as far as I am concerned, He can say, and do, whatever He likes – He knows what He’s talking about, and what He’s doing, and why!!! Anyway, I fell in love with Iceland, and Icelanders, but as youth were my particular burden and specialty, I was especially excited with all that I could see as possible here! There was a young girl, who had known our group for a few years, since quite young. Like many, she had had her share of heart-aches and heart-breaks. Part of that led her to feeling like killing herself one day, which, thankfully and miraculously, never happened! This was due to the “divine intervention” that inspired one of our people to literally “jump on her” one day at Kringlan! This dear one was very precious, as so many here are, and she came over, at first to argue, many, many times, for a couple of years. After a while, the arguments subsided and she started bringing other friends to visit with her, as she knew that we had something that could probably help them too! One day, not long after I had arrived here, she was leaving, and she was invited to pray with a couple of our people, which she did! Things were different for her after that! - Although she still pretty much lived the same way that she was used to, it wasn’t the same, and she knew it! She still came to visit, and all I knew about her was that she was “special”, though I had no idea what was going to soon transpire! What happened was thisIIII.. One time she was visiting and we were in the dining room. She asked a question, clear out-ofthe-blue. It was one of those deep, searching questions – you know, when someone looks you right in the eyes!? (She has beautiful eyes!) She said, “Do you think I have what it takes to be a missionary?” Woah! I wasn’t prepared for that! I hate giving wrong answers, so I shot up a quick prayer, “What’s the answer?”, and immediately came the word “Yes!”, so I repeated it, “Yes!” As I said, it always takes “a leap of faith” to speak, or do, what you are given, or told, butIII. A little while later, she was visiting again, this time with her Mum, and another dear friend of hers (she knows a lot of people!). They were all sitting in the living room area, while I think I was on my computer, in the dining room. There was a dividing door between the two, but it was open. We had a sort of a “long distance” communication, which, we found out later, was a misunderstanding, but which actually worked out well, brilliantly in fact! We both knew that our Birthdays were coming up, but through a misunderstanding we got it all th wrong, and both of us thought we had the same birthday! Mine is on the 20 January, and hers is th the 28 , but I thought hers was the same as mine, and she thought mine was the same as hers! We agreed to meet each other on “the day”, to celebrate. I don’t have much in the way of anything, materially, to give to people (I wish I did, but it almost never happens!). So I thought, “What can I give her? Something which has real meaning and that will be special?” Well, one thing I can do is “hear from God”, so I thought, “I know, I’ll get something from Him for her, His own words!” Of course, I had no idea what those words would be and I certainly did not know what effect that those words were going to have! But this is “what happened”III. th

On the evening of the 19 , I was praying for her, and then started typing the words I heard in answer, for her! It was quite long, and when I stopped, I read it, and thought “Woah!” It was very sweet, very beautiful, very loving, and very specific! Basically, Jesus was “calling” her to follow

Him! I printed it, put it in an envelope, and put it on the table in the hallway, ready for when she th arrived, which, I thought, was supposed to be the next day (the 20 ). th

She never came, of course, because her birthday was the 28 ! We tried calling her that night, to wish her a “Happy Birthday” over the phone, but we couldn’t get through (she had her phone off, with a voice-mail answering thing!). We gave up. The envelope sat on the table for a whole week, as we were used to her coming and going, pretty much as she pleased. th

On the morning of the 28 someone asked, “What shall we do with this envelope?” I said, “Leave it there!” – Later that day, she turned up! I answered the door, and she greeted me with “Happy Birthday!” I said that I had already had it, and that I was so sorry I had missed hers. Then she told th us that her birthday was THAT day, the 28 , and then we realised the mistake we had made! Ha ha! She wanted to take me out for a coffee and some cake, as a birthday present, so we went to Café Vín, the place where she and all of her friends hung out. I took the envelope, with the prophecy inside it, with me, and gave it to her while there. She put it in her bag, and said she would read it later. After a while, I needed to head home, and she wanted to head downtown with her friends. She told us later what happened. While at the internet café where she went, she pulled out the prophecy, and read it. After she read it, and while leaving that place, she turned to the person she was with and told them “I’m going to become a missionary!” She came ‘round to our place the next day, to tell us that she was “moving in” in two weeks! This was no small thing! This girl was the first Icelander to dedicate her life to God in His service, full time, in our group, for over thirty years! It was the beginning, of what I personally believe to be something phenomenal! This dear, sweet one was to become my best friend, for the next two to three years. We became a team, and she was instrumental in almost of everything that was to transpire in our work with young people over the next couple of years, especially on the weekends (Fridays and Saturdays) downtown, while painting. She had moved in, and a couple of weeks afterwards, something happened which was, again, to have a dramatic effect, not only on her, but on several hundred others here in Reykjavik. And again, prophecy was to have a huge part to play in the equation!........ We were out walking one day, when she got a phone call – it was bad news! A dear friend of hers, and many others, had committed suicide and died! Bjarni was a very sweet guy, loved by many! I didn’t really know him, except that I had met him a couple of times, and I liked him too! It was a very difficult moment. She kept asking “Why?” which is a natural question for anyone to ask! I said “I don’t know”, but that I would ask “The Boss”! Included later in this is the message that Bjarni himself gave to everyone who knew him. Please read it, as it is very beautiful (I am almost crying thinking about it actuallyI. I need to pause here, sorry!....) AnywayII I did pray about the whole thing, because it was important, for so many people, I was to find out later! God woke me up, out of a sound sleep, and at 4:30 am one morning, I started typing what I was hearing, from Bjarni himself!!!

I have heard many things, from many sources, over the years, but I had never received a message from “a dead person” before, meaning a human being who had lived and then died! It was a whole new ball-game for me! Whew! If I remember rightly, we got the call on a Tuesday. On Saturday there was going to be a memorial service, held downtown for everyone who knew him (several hundred people it turned out!) I told my best friend that I would pray about “Why?”, and got the answer (from Bjarni himself) on the Thursday. The next night we took that answer and showed it to a few of those who knew Bjarni. They all said, “It really sounds like him!” So we decided to share it with those who knew and loved him, at the memorial service on Saturday! It almost never happened! Due to a series of misunderstandings, some seemed almost opposed to passing this message on! It was almost unbelievable actually! However, we pressed on through, and my best friend, known to Bjarni and almost everyone else that was there, finally got to read his message to those who had remained until the end of the service! I can almost cry, still, thinking of what he said, and what it meant, to so many! There were so many afterwards, who came up, with tears of happiness and gratitude, who said “Thank you!” just for having been a channel for Bjarni to get his message across! And I still hear about this today, years later, believe it or not!........... (Sorry, I have to stop here, as I’m crying with emotionII. I’ll get back to this tomorrow, okay?) In the meantime, this is his message -------- (See next “Interlude” following)

From Bjarni --- Received 5:00 am 05 March 2004 “Hey Guys! It’s me! Yeah, I know, don’t go gettin’ all freaked now! I got special permission to come and do this, okay? There’s some things I gotta say, so don’t run. I know this is a little weird, but man have I seen some stuff now! It’s very cool. The guy here said it would help everyone if I did this, so here I am! It ain’t what you think, I can see that now! Well, better get on with this, coz’ I don’t have too much time, as you call it there. First thing I gotta do is say “I’m sorry”. Yeah, that’s it, “I’m sorry”. I’m real sorry you all feel bad right now. I know you can’t see it, but from here, everything’s so clear. I blew it! It’s okay, everything’s cool here, not what you think, but I’m definitely not where I’m supposed to be, not yet! Don’t worry, I will be, but things got screwed up, and I’m sort of ‘in between’. It’s not ‘bad’, just not the best, yet! The way it was explained was that I needed to get ‘cleaned up’ a bit first, and then I can move on. That’s how it works here. If you get here too soon, you have to go through this. But it’s okay, coz’ you get help. Part of what I have to do is this, talk to you, okay? So, “I’m sorry”. I’m real sorry I hurt you. Man it’s so clear now. I’m sorry guys, okay? I know I was popular and all. A lot of you liked me, I know, and there was even love in there, but it’s real clear now! I didn’t really ‘get it’ while I was there. Love is what it’s all about man! I didn’t think I had a cool life. That probably sounds wrong, coz’ I had a lot of ‘fun’, but man was I lonely. I tried to make up for it, you all know that, but I just ‘used’ you. I was trying to fill up this hole. I’m sorry. Everyone does that, you know? But it ain’t cool. Anyway, I’d better get along here, coz’ I don’t wanna lose you. OkayII You’re all wondering “why?” right? And you wanna know “what happened?”. Well, here it isII I blew it! Real bad! Like I said, it’s real clear from over here! I ‘lost it’, and things got way out of control. I didn’t mean for it all to go the way it did, really. Oh man, was I sorry afterwards, but it was too late! I’m sorry girl! I’m sorry all of you! Whew! You know, I had this kind of ‘free’ thing, especially with you girls. It’s not that it was so ‘bad’(sex isn’t ‘bad’), but I was sort of reckless, and cocky. This is what I mean when I said I ‘used’ you. Sorry. (Guess I’ll never be able to say that enough!). Anyway, life ain’t meant to be that way. We’re supposed to love, and be loved, but I mean the real thing man! And that means really caring! You get it? You gotta, coz’ that’s the main thing, and why I got permission to come and tell you this. It’s okay to be cool, and have friends, and hang out, and do stuff, but it ain’t enough! You gotta love! Oh man! Listen guys, there’s a lot more to it than you all know! You’re all stuck over there still, but don’t get here before you’re supposed to, okay? You’re all there for a reason! I got here a little sooner than I was supposed to. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I certainly didn’t expect it! But the guy here said it was allowed because it would help you all. Here’s what he told me: “You were not supposed to come yet. You made a mistake. Actually, it was pretty big. You hurt someone. We know you didn’t really want or intend to, but you did anyway. You got here because you took that grief upon yourself, and your heart gave out. It happened because you couldn’t deal with the responsibility, the responsibility of what you did. We had a choice, you and us. We could have allowed you to remain there, and brought you back, to life. However, we felt that it would accomplish a greater purpose if we brought you here. You agreed, because it was almost more than you could bear to face the thought of having to explain everything to everyone there. So, here you are. You still have to make up for things, but you can do it from here. We’ll work it out, okay? It will be easier for you for one thing, because you’ll be able to see it clearer. Also, those

still there will see it clearer too, and this is a greater purpose for all this. It’s a tough call, and a big price to pay, for you, but it will work out better in the long run, if you’re willing, okay? Don’t worry. Everything always has ways of working out. ‘The Boss’ always makes sure of that, and that’s one thing most people don’t get. But this is going to work out really well, you’ll see. There’s a reason for it, and that ‘reason’ is the ones who are still there! There are big things, really big changes occurring, about to happen, and many of those still there are going to get caught up in this, because it’s important! You have a message to give, and it just might save a lot of lives! This is a special job, and if you’re willing to do it, it will go well, many will get the point, and you will be rewarded for it all. You’ll get the reward for being willing to take this step, saving many. So, do you want this? We thought so. Look at it as like a short-cut if you like! Just follow our lead, okay?” Woah! I still can’t get over how everything’s organized here! Nothing’s wasted. Nobody ‘loses’. Everything works out! It’s so cool man! Oh, I’m supposed to get on with this, coz’ afterwards I get to go on to the next stage, okay? Okay guys, listen up, coz’ this is straight-talk coming. Some of you might not like some of it, but I see it, real clear, and I want you to know it! It’s your choice, but this is all true, okay? Time is short! Shorter than you think! Our lives have a purpose, a meaning, and it’s not just for us! We’re supposed to learn to love, and be loved! It’s what it’s all about! (I didn’t ‘get it’ when I was there, but I do now!) It’s got nothin’ to do with ‘religion’, or ‘being good’, but it does come from God, coz’ that’s what He is! Whatever we do, in His love, is right, and okay! There’s nothing to fear in it, but it’s way cool, and does ‘miracles’. It’s real man! I can see it so clear from here! Okay. MoreI.. Don’t keep goin’ the way you have been! It don’t lead anywhere! You can come here, like I did, but if you come before you’re supposed to, you have to go through this whole ‘processing’ thing. You gotta find that purpose, that meaning to why you’re there, and then you gotta do something about it! It will be different things for each one of you, maybe, but generally ‘the rule’ is the same – you gotta do it out of love! Here’s the bit some of you might not want to hear – just getting’ stoned and partying ain’t where it’s at! If you’re real honest about it, you can figure that out for yourselves, right? Don’t misunderstand me though, there’s worse things in life people do, much worse. But my point is, it don’t satisfy you anyway, right? Only for a time, then you gotta do it again! ‘It costs’ you! Money, and health, and sometimes even your friends, and your life! Look at me! I won’t say any more on that! It’s your decision! Sex? Is way cool! You don’t have to give that up! Ha ha! But you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Over here, we don’t have to ‘be careful’, there are no diseases! And we never get tired! Ha ha! But while you’re still there I just want you to do one thing, okay? Can I ask you this? Please be careful with each other! Stay sweet! And look out for each other, okay? Don’t hurt each other! I’m including not spreading things around that hurt someone else. I’ll let you figure that bit out! I know these two things are real big deals to everyone. That’s why I’m talking about them. It’s actually more about health, and living well, being strong, and happy, than anything else! Life is so short! Look at mine! What are you gonna do with yours? That’s it guys! I gotta go! Like I said, I’m sorry, real sorry! I’m sorry you’re hurt! I really am! Sorry I failed. But, don’t worry, everything always works out. Just make sure you don’t make the same mistake I did, okay?, and I’ll see you all later! Oh, I know this might sound a little funny or different, but I had to get this to you through David, and he don’t speak our language too good! Ha ha! Be patient with him! He has a lot of love! That’s why he came! I met him, and I can see it real well from here. He’s not goin’ anywhere. He came for you. The guy here said he’s real good at this stuff, so that’s why I was able to do this,

okay? There’s a lot more where this came from, if you’re interested! David knows a lot! He’s older, for one thing, and he’s been around – he’s actually got a lot of experience, and been through a lot of stuff, so he can help, if you like! It’s up to you! He doesn’t ‘preach’, so don’t worry about him. He’s just ‘normal’, like you and me! Okay? Okay. I gotta go! I love you guys! Sorry I didn’t say that, or show that always, as much as I should have, when I was there, but I think you knew it, right? It’s even better now! Don’t be sad for me. You gotta go on, okay? It’s not your time yet! I’m fine, and it’s getting’ better by the minute. I have a ways to go, but then so do all of you! Thanks for coming! I’ll miss you, but when you get here, we’ll sit down and talk about it all and make up for the time we lost, or rather, that I threw away, okay? See ya!” (Following is a rare, second message, given to, and for, the girl who knew Bjarni just before he died. She really needed to hear this. The beautiful thing you can see in both of these prophecies is just how much LOVE there is to be had, learned and understood. It’s what God is!) From Bjarni --- Received 03 June 2004 “Hey Girl! It’s me again! I don’t have much time here. I’m sorry. But I got “extra special” permission to do this, okay? I just wanted you to know, personally, that you don’t need to worry about anything. I already got to tell you that I’m sorry. I really am, and I’m just happy to be able to tell you that. I know you’re sorry too. I was going to say “funny how things happen sometimes, huh?”, but it’s not always really that funny is it? ‘Coz we hurt each other, and even ourselves. That just makes everyone sad. But you know what? When we’re sorry, it’s done! There’s nothing more to have to be sad about! We’ve “made up”, so everything is okay! Okay? That’s the beauty of everything here. Everyone’s able to “make up”, and everything’s beautiful, the way it’s supposed to be. Wow! So that’s all I wanted to say. Everything’s cool, beautiful, “made up”, so you don’t have to feel bad, or worry about anything. There’s nothing wrong between us, okay? I mean it! I’m the one who’s supposed to be the most “sorry” anyway! Ha ha! But I really do appreciate how you feel. It means a lot to me. Thanks. But don’t you worry about it anymore, okay? ‘Coz there’s no need. We’re cool. So, like I told everyone, you gotta go on. There’s a life to live that you gotta find out about, okay? But don’t worry about it. When you get over here, you see everythin’ so clearly, that there’s really not too much to worry about, ‘coz where you are don’t last that long! You just gotta do the best you can, okay? Okay, I really gotta go. Like I said, I got “extra special” permission to do this. I think because everyone here could see that you needed it, and it would help. You’d be amazed at how much Love there is here for everyone there! How much caring there is, for everyone! It’s almost like everyone here is working hard to look after everyone there! I can’t really explain it, but it works! You’ll see yourself, don’t worry! This little message is special. It’s for you, but you can pass it on to everyone else too, okay? I think a lot of people probably could use it. You would be amazed at how “The Big Guy” over here thinks about, and cares about, every little detail, everyone! Wow! I’m still trying to take it all in! Ha

ha! But you’ll see. We’ll see each other again too, don’t worry about that! Maybe I’ll get to show you around a bit! Ha ha! Okay, I really got to go now, but I love ya! Don’t worry, okay? When you get here, you’ll really understand what that means, about not worrying! Ha ha! It’s so beautiful here. Everything else seems to sort of “fade away”, meaning you wonder why you ever thought some things were so “important”, because you see that everything on this side is what’s really important! Wow! It’s hard to explain, but you’ll see! Okay, I’m really going now! Love ya! X!”

Chapter Six – continued!

Okay, so this is several days later, and the weekend, as well as other things, have kept me busy. As I said at the beginning however, this is not an easy thing to do! Besides the emotional battle of my own involvement and experience in all the things I have written so far, there is also the “spiritual battle” to contend with! This is often, very simplistically, pictured as the old “goodversus-evil” struggle - You know, with a “good angel” on one shoulder, and a “bad angel” on the other, both trying to get someone’s attention! Well, believe it or not, this is not too far from the reality of the situation. There are “many voices” out there, and the whole world is influenced and affected by them, whether they realise it, or believe it, or not! However, remember that I said “There IS a Devil” but that he’s a lot more cunning, crafty and deceptive than most people realise? One of his easiest tricks is to present himself in ways that nobody would believe, such as the red-suit and pitch-fork comic-style character (to where he is almost a joke!). Or, in such a horrific, scary manner as to have people trying to avoid thinking about him altogether, as they just don’t want to face the facts! But did you know that he was actually one of the most beautiful of God’s creations, and that he was about as close to God as you can get!? Actually, he was, basically, God’s “right-hand-man” (the highest of all the angels), and only the Holy Spirit (God’s wife by the way) and Jesus (their Son) were more important! It’s a long story, which I won’t go into here. Anyway, this guys’ pride was his downfall, and, believe it or not, because he is an expert in this field, this is his favourite tool which he uses on us human beings! He knows our nature, and is constantly trying to use it against us, which brings me to the whole point, as followsIIII. I am going to mention some terminology now that, for most people, probably will make little or no sense. However, if you actually stop for a moment, and really think about the words, you will get it. It is the “root” of the whole matter, and where “the war” is actually fought! Love versus hate. Faith versus “works”. Grace versus Law. Why am I talking about these things? Because they, and the attitudes that accompany them, affect everything, and I mean everything! As I said, if you think about these words, and see that the first word is the exact opposite of the second word, you should begin to see what “the battle” is all about, what “the sides” are! The next and most obvious question would probably then be “Which side do you want to be on?” The reason why I am bringing this up is because these things are spiritual, and everyone and everything is affected by them, both in this life and in our dimension, as well as in the spiritual world. This includes the spiritual aspects of our lives, and the subsequent “tools” or “gifts” we are given. To fight in “the war”, we have to know “which side we are on”! Then we have to learn how to fight, what “weapons” to use, how they work. Get it? It also really helps to know and understand how our spiritual enemy fights against us, including trying to get us to stop fighting altogether, or “lay down our arms” so we are defenceless (and as such “easy prey”), or disable us or our weapons in some way, or just completely destroy us, if he can. Maybe you are beginning to see why it can be “a little difficult” sometimes, especially if what we are doing is this important, and on this kind of a scale? Love, faith, grace, hope, gentleness, meekness, patience, temperance (tolerance) – all sound pretty nice, don’t they? But how they “go against the grain” of “human nature”, especially if we

have been “wronged”! Human natures’ response is to want revenge, justice, judgment, to see pain rewarded with pain, “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth!” HmmmmmmmIIII. Let’s see now. Does it work??? – Something, or somebody, has “to give”. (Think about THAT word – it’s an “action” word, right?) FORgive(ness) is a part of it! (Did anyone see that brilliant movie “Pay It Forward”, with Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment and Helen Hunt?) Well, The Father Himself gave us THE classic example, didn’t He? And if He is “the example” to follow, then who are we to do any less? However, “how to perform that which is good (very often) we find not!” which is why we need Him to help us to do it! Is it important? Just take a look at what is happening throughout the world right now, and then you tell me if this isn’t the case! The way things work against us is this. --- Our spiritual enemy takes our human weaknesses and uses them, not just against us, but against everyone and everything we love as well!!! And “religiosity” plays a huge role in it, and the reason for this is because we are weak in the areas mentioned above. So, very often, to compensate we resort to our own sense of “righteousness” (being “right”), otherwise known as “self-righteousness”! – This has been the single biggest cause of death, pain, destruction and suffering throughout all human history! And most are blind to this at the time, because they are “right”. Get it? The Creators’ nature is so very different and way above all of this, as He says “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways”. It’s the other guy, the liar, the deceiver, the impostor that is responsible for the falsehood and deception. It’s like Morpheous explained to Neo about the Matrix (you could say “the system”, “society”) “It’s like there is something wrong with the worldII..it is the world that has been pulled over your eyes, to blind you from the truthI.” Then Neo asks “What is the truth?” And Morpheous goes on to explain that the truth is that he is “a slave”! “Slave to what?” you ask? – Well, you think about it, honestly, even for just a minute or soIIIIII. Do you see? Who originated this lie??? By pure calculation, that should clue you in as to who is “your master”!!!??? Who do you serve??? Hmmmmmmmm!? There is a tonne of scripture that explains and clarifies all of this, but most people won’t read it, for all kinds of reasons! However, logic alone should tell you that if it is all “a lie”, and that “the father of lies” perpetrates it, then why is he lying to us? Think about it now! Simple math should tell you that there MUST be a TRUTH, which he doesn’t want us to discover! Why? Well it’s very simple really, and summed up in Jesus’ own words “And ye shall know the Truth, and THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE!” And, in case you don’t know, or you “missed” it somehow, He said “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the LifeI.no man comes to the Father but by Me!” Folks, this is not “rocket-science”, but the single-most fundamental factor of all existence! “But what has all this got to do with prophecy? Or for that matter, Iceland, the future, why we’re here, what’s going to happen, why it’s such a battle? Why is all this so important anyway?” Well, if you haven’t figured that out yet, keep reading – and you will!.................

Chapter 7 – Bringing it all up-to-date! Now, I am going to start Chapter Seven! However, this will actually be a continuation of Five and Six, bringing everything together and up-to-date. It does merit a separate entry however, as this will cover some very important material that, to many, might seem quite “deep”. However, it is fundamental, to everything, so, please bear with me, okay? “Let us beginIIII” I should explain a bit more about the painting first, as I said I would, waaaaaay back somewhere. If you have read this far, you should be able to understand that it was not “my idea”! So, why do I do it? Well, I never would have thought of it myself, but I can see my “Boss’’” wisdom in bringing it about! – I’m a very shy person! As much as I love people, it is very difficult, if not impossible, for me to initiate a conversation, with anyone! Can you imagine how frustrating that can be, to have the inward desire to reach out to so many, and yet be thwarted at the very moment of possible contact by a (not so) simple act of pride and cowardice!? Well, I guess He gave me a gift, or a talent, to help compensate for it! That is, painting! Think of it in terms of fishing!........ To catch fish, a fisherman has to have some kind of bait, on a hook, on the end of a line, attached to his rod, right? And he needs a pond to fish in! Get the picture? After all, he did say “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men (and/or women!)” The painting is my “bait”. The pond is where I “fish” on the weekends. Get it? (There, “my secret is out” now! Ha ha! But it really doesn’t matter, because people wouldn’t come to me in the first place if they didn’t like or want the painting, and then, they wouldn’t keep coming back if they didn’t instinctively feel something from me that they liked, right? I’ll do anything, and I mean anything, to give them that opportunity!) I think it is worth it, and many who know me, even if they don’t completely get what it is I am about, they can feel that it is good, and right. “Love never fails”, and if “understanding” comes later, well, “better late than never!” Sometimes it just takes time for people to be able to learn that they can trust you, especially in this day and age! I can wait! Here’s a cute and interesting story that happened “in the early days”, when I had just gotten started at Nelly’sIIIIII. I noticed one girl flirting with a group of guys near where I was situated. Of course, she noticed that I was there, and what I was doing. I don’t know what happened with the guys, but eventually they left, and so she came over to see what I was up to. I explained that I was painting people, so she asked if I would paint her, to which I agreed of course. While painting, she asked “Is this all you do?” I said “No”, so she asked what I did the rest of the time? I told her I was a missionary! She seemed to stiffen a little at this, and looked puzzled. I am used to this sort of reaction from certain kinds of people, and I guessed, correctly, that she was one of those people who would call themselves “a Christian”. I usually tend to avoid these kinds of people, for all kinds of very good reasons, mostly because it usually leads to wasting time! For some strange reason, my experience is that they want to try to “convert me to their church”, or discuss/argue doctrine, and I really don’t have time for this sort of thing! What followed was actually quite funny though. She said “Don’t you think that this is all very contradictory?” I said “Why? What do you mean?”

“Well, you said that you were a missionary, right?” “Yes!” “Does that mean that you are a Christian then?” “Yes!” “Well, isn’t that very contradictory then, that you say you are a missionary and a Christian, and yet here you are, in a bar?” (I almost laughed, looking at her, supposedly also “a Christian”, and in a bar, trying to pick up guys!!! – Some people just can’t seem to see their own double-standards sometimes, can they?) Anyway, I asked “How do you figure that?” She said “Don’t the Ten Commandments say something about that?” So I asked her “Which one?” – She couldn’t answer! (Actually, as a point of fact, there is NO commandment, anywhere, about whether you can go to a bar, or not, or whether you can drink, or not – it’s up to you! Okay?) So, I went on to explain that it seemed like she didn’t really know her Bible too well, if she was supposed to be “a Christian”. Then I explained that “The Ten Commandments” DON’T APPLY to a Christian anyway!!! We are set free from those, that that was THE WHOLE POINT of Jesus’ coming and His death on the cross!!! To explain further, I said “Jesus actually only told us to do TWO things Himself, what were they?” (Remember, this was The Son of God Himself, Who, of all people, should know what He was talking about, right?) But again, she couldn’t answer! So I told her “First we are supposed to love God, right?” “Yes” “And then who are we supposed to love next? Isn’t it supposed to be ‘our neighbour as ourselves’? And who is ‘our neighbour’?” And then I pointed towards all those around us, there in the bar! Then I asked her, “If you have read your Bible, tell me, who, or what kind of people did Jesus Himself spend MOST of his time with? Wasn’t it the common/normal/ordinary people of his day? Prostitutes, drunks, businessmen, ordinary working people! Weren’t they the ones who ‘heard him gladly’, because they knew that he loved them?” “Oooooooh!” (The light was beginning to go on!) “By contrast, who was it that he usually avoided, who actually hated him (literally “to death”), eventually contriving with those they could to have him executed with a cruel crucifixion? The “religious” leaders of His day! And why? Because of His exposure of their hypocrisy!!!” (He actually said to their faces, “Ye are of your father, the Devil!”) This is bringing me to the whole point of the differences of “Love versus Law”, which I will get to shortly, but back to prophecyIIII My personal spiritual life really took off to heights not known to me before, after I came to Iceland. It’s hardly surprising, considering how much spiritual activity there is here. So many people I have met and talked with have told me of experiences they have had. Many have also instinctively felt and believed that Iceland has a special purpose in the whole scheme of things, and from the little that I have seen and heard, I have to say that this certainly seems to be the case! I will, very briefly, expound on a few of those specifics now, before moving on to the other important thing I want to cover. Many here have said that they believe that Iceland has an important part to play in the world, even on a global scale. I have to agree with this. I have been told (in prophecy) that there are some here who will go all over the world, and make a difference, in a very positive way! In dreams, and visions, I have seen crowds of people running over the brow of a hill before me, coming down towards me with arms outstretched, and when we met we just ran into each others arms, with such joy, relief and excitement! Everyone was just so incredibly happy, with smiles of sheer radiance!

Not long after my best friend joined us, we were discussing some of the things different ones had received in prophecy about what was supposed to happen here, including different dreams and visions, as well as some other things we had heard from others outside our group, meaning local people! My friend shared what I believe to be a very significant dream that she had. - You know those “clicker-counter” things you hold in your hand, usually to count people, such as on a plane? Well, in this dream, this girl had one of those, and was clicking people who seemed to be making the decision to serve God in full-time service, and she had gotten up to number 27, and then to 30! In our experience, in countries much bigger than Iceland, with much larger populations, these kinds of numbers are already huge (I’m talking about “full-time” here!). But in Iceland, this sort of figure is absolutely phenomenal!!! Truly staggering proportions to be honest! However, having been here for a while now, I have to say “I can see it!” – Of all the countries I have been in, to imagine that sort of event happening anywhere, on that scale, I have to say “Yes! Here in Iceland, it is not only possible, but highly probable! It HAS to happen!” Perhaps you can begin to understand why I find Iceland so exciting!? This is not just a “I’m passing through”, “touristy”, “I love the nature here”, “the women are beautiful” thingy! – This is an actual, “hands-on”, “can change the world” reality, one that it is worth giving, literally, everything (and anything) to see fulfilled! Okay, getting back to “Love versus Law” next, but taking a break here now. (A “technical break” occurred here!) Well, what can I say? – I’m not surprised! Any time we get close to “the nitty-gritty”, “the crux of the whole matter”, “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”, something always seems to happen that tries to prevent it! “I wonder why?” You may have noticed that the dear MySpace folks have had a little difficulty maintaining things lately. First there was a power failure a week or so back (just when I was starting to get around to getting to “the bottom-line”), and now, just as I am about to finally get to the bottom line, we are having difficulty logging in (so I can’t input further to Chapter Seven at this time). There are reasons for this. As I said before, a few times now, there are always “reasons”, for everything! Some are apparent, but many are not! I have my own ideas about what a few of those reasons are, but for right now, just keep in mind that everything that happens has an origin somewhere in the spiritual world. Everything is, basically, spiritually based (whether you want to believe that, or not, doesn’t matter, it’s only a matter of time before you will see it, for yourself anyway). Remember, there is a spiritual war going on! As I write this, all kind of weird things are happening all around me – my internet connection keeps getting broken, and changing connection to another wireless network, all by itself; distracting and bothersome noises start up out of no-where, such as a grass cutter outside the window, or an excessively repetitive bass-beat music setup in the building on the floor below me; or my computer decides to “misbehave” in some way; also my communication with someone very dear and important to me right now has been cut off altogether! “Just co-incidences!” – Maybe, but in my experience “nothing happens by accident”. To me, when I start to get, what seems to be “opposition”, in any form, I think, “I must be on the right track, and doing something right! So, I’m going to defy this obstruction and distraction, and press on through!” Maybe this confirms that it is a good idea to setup a web-site of my own, not dependent on thirdparty control. Also, another idea I just had is to compile the whole book (including un-published

chapters) into a PDF file, which can then be downloaded complete. – It will take a bit of time to proof-read and edit it, but by next week it should be available, maybe! Looks like I had better finish it first though, huh?) --- (THIS IS IT!!!) Okay, so back to the subject at hand – “Love versus Law”!!! There are, actually, reams and reams of material covering this very subject, freely available to everyone, right there in the B.I.B.L.E (“Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth”!!!). However, noone is going to read it! Even those who purport to read and believe it are very often ignorant of the whole principle, having never gotten it themselves, usually because they are “blind” to its truth, or because they have rejected it altogether! In both cases, they become “dandy BAD examples” of what The God of Love is like, and how He wants to be represented by His people. In the first case, because of the ignorance, people will naturally, and correctly, deduce that most of the “religiosity” of “the church” is hypocritical! This is at the very least! At their very worst, the “rejecters” can become some of the meanest, and most hateful and spiteful of all, causing real pain, and emotional and spiritual torment to ordinary people! It’s almost like they are inspired by the very devil himself! (If you want to know the whole truth of the matter, straight from the horses mouth, Jesus, then read Matthew chapter 23! This ultimate and final exposure is what actually led to his death! Such is the “justice” of Satan, dealt out at the hands of his closest followers!) But before going any further, I need to clarify a couple of things. As I said before, I almost hate using familiar terminology, as I usually have to spend the rest of my time explaining “where it ain’t”, before I can start explaining “where it’s at”! Do you understand? So I’d better give a few definitions here, so that from this point on, you won’t be confused (by what you’ve been told before, or what you “think” you know), okay? “Church” – is NOT a BUILDING! Nor is it any of the “traditions” or “ceremonies” normally associated with those. I won’t even bother talking about “denominations” and all THEIR differences! ALL of these things are man-made contrivances, and NOT what God or Jesus had in mind AT ALL! Need I say more? (Hope not!) The word “church” comes from a Greek word “ecclesia”, meaning “called out, chosen” and means a group of people who are together in God’s spirit, a “body” of “believers”. Buildings don’t enter into the equation ANYWHERE! When talking about “being separate”, in this day and age, that usually means (to the people belonging to those “traditional” outfits) “being better”, “not doing those bad, naughty things” not being “worldly”, etc, etc, and “looking down on the rest of the world”! Bah! Humbug! If they really WERE separate, how come they live no differently from anyone else, in spirit, or otherwise, huh? If anything, they are just that bit more self-righteous than everyone else, that’s all! To “believe”, comes from a Greek word meaning “to take in” or “receive”. In other words, it’s an act, something you do, not just something you “think” (but you “don’t really know”). When you eat something, you “know”, you’ve “taken it in”, “received” it, “eaten” it, right? You can feel it inside of you, and if it’s good food, it does you good, right? And if it isn’t, it will make you sick! (In either case, you will NEVER know, until you TRY it, right?) A “missionary” is simply “someone sent on a mission”! - There are all kinds of “missionaries” these days. It is even reported in the news that “this” political person or “that” business person “is on a mission” toIII whatever! Companies, groups and various organisations even publish “mission statements” these days! I guess you just have to find out what YOUR “mission in life” is supposed to be, and pursue it! Personally, I found mine forty years ago, and there’s “no retirement” from it! Exciting!

Because this topic is actually really very simple, it should be easy to cover it and explain it, yes? Well, if it was, then everyone would already know these things, right? So how come they don’t? – Well, “the bad guy”, the “other” guy, you know, the one no-one “believes” in either (except his most ardent followers, who are actually not so great in number, believe it or not), the Devil – It says that he is “more subtle” than any of the creations of God. He is “one smart cookie” folks! And if you think you can take him on, well just try it! (And he’s got you already!) You CAN, “in Jesus’ Name!”, but that is the ONLY way you can! It says that even the angels don’t try it themselves, but say “The LORD rebuke you!” It’s this subtlety and cunning craftiness that makes the whole thing a little difficult to grasp sometimes. He’s such a slippery character (well, he IS a serpent you know), he spends most of his time trying to trick people into stuff. If it wasn’t so sad, it would almost be funny! One day, soon, the whole world is going to see him for what he is, and be embarrassed for how such a punk got away with hoodwinking everyone so well for so long! But then, he’s been at it a long time! (A lot longer than either you or I have been around, that’s for sure!) Well, anyway, “his doom is sure”, so no need to worry about that! It’s just that in the meantime, he’s trying to drag as many down as he can with him, got that? Don’t YOU be “his next meal”! But we are dealing with “Love versus Law” here, and, as I said before, this punk uses our human weaknesses, our human nature, against us! I’m going to use a couple of words now that are not uncommon in the English language, but although the truth of their meaning seems to escape people, most of the time, the effects that these attitudes have, on everyone, are very real! I’m certain you will be able to relate to the examples I’m going to give you nowII. The words are “self-righteousness” and “condemnation”! Jesus came “to make us free”, and to make us free from these two things in particular, believe it or not, so we could be happy! Get that? HAPPY! Basically the “Law” aspect of things comes from an attitude, that of self-righteousness, which leads to feelings of condemnation! You feel “condemned” because of “self-righteousness”! It’s THAT simple! Self-righteousness can come from other people, or even yourself. In either case it leaves you feeling like you are useless, hopeless, worthless, a nothing, and that you will never, ever, deserve to be loved for who, or what, you are, so “you may as well crawl into a hole and die”! (Carried to its extreme, this can lead to such extremes as murder and/or suicide! – Very, very sad, no?) Self-righteousness comes from others (mistakenly) thinking that they “never do anything wrong” themselves (which is the attitude of self-righteousness itself), therefore they never have to be sorry, for anything, but everyone else IS “wrong”! – It is the ultimate in hypocrisy!!! In ourselves, it is the idea that we “will never be good enough”, so we “just have to try harder”, and of course, we always fail, because we are NOT perfect, never CAN be, nor ever WILL be, in ourselves! So, others can condemn us, OR we can condemn ourselves!!! In either case, it’s a dead end, doomed to failure! But, in many sad cases, it can actually lead to death and destruction, unless those involved come to their senses and snap out of it, and yield to the truth, the realisation that love is the answer!!! So, what about love? Well, you’ve “seen it in the movies”, right? You know, that “choked-up feeling” that you get, that everyone is embarrassed about (so you smother or hide it)! But, in reality, you KNOW it’s the right thing, right?

However, what I’m talking about, REAL love, GREATER than human love (with all of its “smallness” and limitations), goes waaaaaaay beyond this! But I’m trying to keep things simple here, so everyone will be able to relate, okay? “The Law” – Well, before the famous “Ten Commandments”, the only “laws” in existence were those made by “the powers that be”, and they were pretty much self-serving (Is it any different today, you ask? – Not really!) So why “The Ten Commandments”, or any laws for that matter? – Also very simple!.... If you CAN’T get anybody to “live properly” for the RIGHT reasons, you have to at least put “boundaries” in place, so that they don’t hurt themselves, or others! They are supposed to be a guideline, or a deterrent, but they are not an actual motivator!!! How does “love” work then? Well, picture this: Say you have a boyfriend (or girlfriend) that you REALLY loveIIII Would you ever, intentionally, think of hurting them, in any way? The very thought of that would “kill you” right? And, if you ever found out that you had, how would you feel? What would you do? – You would feel terrible, and you would probably be willing to do anything “to make up for it”, right? Including saying you were “sorry”, at the very least! So “love” would “keep you in line”, right? And if you ever blew it, you would take the initiative to try to set things right, because you love! Get it? – This is the POWER of love! It is CREATIVE! The “Law” on the other hand just says “You blew it! You pay!” And the perpetrators of “the Law” have “NO mercy” (mercy is a form and a part of love!) There is a beautiful (true) story that took place during the time of Napoleon. One of the soldiers in his army had committed a crime (I don’t know what it was). The sentence was death! While the soldier was on his way to his execution, his mother approached Napoleon, and begged for his life! “Mercy Sir! Mercy! I beg for mercy for my son!” – “But he does not deserve mercy!” was the Emperor’s reply! “But sir, it would not BE mercy, if he DESERVED it!” The great Napoleon thought on it a moment, and then said “Very well, I WILL have mercy!” THIS attitude is MUCH greater than “justice”!!! I saw a movie once, with Sean Connery and Candace Bergen, called “The Wind and the Lion” (a “classic”). Sean Connery played an Arabic sheik. In the story his company had raided a diplomatic mission, and kidnapped an American woman. (I don’t want to go into “politics” here!) Anyway, while escaping across the desert, they came across two other Arabic men who were drinking from his well. This was against the law! You had to ask first! The sentence was death, and both these men knew, understood, and accepted this! Prayers were said for them, as well as kisses and hugs for the condemned men. The sheik drew his sword, and the woman thought “this is barbaric”. He lifted his sword high for the be-heading. At the last moment, he turned from the one he was about to behead, and be-headed the other! “Mercy”, in this case, was that the man about to die was spared the fear, as his death came suddenly and unexpectedly! But then, the other man was given a rifle, and invited to join the company!

The sheik explained, “In this way, the law was served! If I was truly ‘barbaric’, I would have executed them both! But the man that was ‘spared’ knows that he deserved to die. Now he will be one of my most loving and loyal followers!” The point is this: “Mercy” is what the God of Love shows us, all the time, even though we don’t “deserve” it! You can’t “earn” it! You could never do enough to get it! It is simply, freely, given, and all you have to do is accept (take) it! If I had something, anything, and I wanted to give it to you, I would come to you, and “offer” it to you. I would hold it out, in my hand, where you could see it for yourself, inviting you to take it! I couldn’t “force” it on you! (That would not BE love, would it?) But YOU have to reach out, and do the “taking”, and it would not be “easy”, because it is extremely “humbling” to receive something that you know that you don’t deserve! AND, you know that it will make you feel “indebted” to the one who gave it to you, or “bound” if you like! The beautiful thing about love though, is that IT WORKS! – If you can feel that way about a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, then what could be wrong about including everybody else “in your equation”? Think about it! Wanna help solve the worlds’ problems?????? (More to comeI) 4 December 2006 Well Dear Ones, I thought I was done with the whole “Law versus Love” thing. I wanted to be, because it just seems to be so complicated, especially when you want to simplify it and put it into words to explain it! Ha ha! However, I had a sneaky suspicion that it wasn’t finished, which is why I haven’t been able to move on to the next subject (Sex!) Believe it or not, the two are so closely related, basically to everything that is “basic” to mans’ existence, and his understanding of it, that they go almost “hand in hand”! I kept wondering, “What is it? What’s missing?” Well, sure enough, if you want to know badly enough, He will get through somehow, and this is what happenedIIIII. Out of the blue, some real and very good contact was re-established with my eldest son recently. As a result, he had a lot of questions, and he also sent me some links to some videos that are available on the net! Now, there IS “a lot of stuff” out there folks! A lot of it is actually very good, and I would even recommend it, but most of even the “good” stuff doesn’t go far enough! Then there is also a lot of, let’s just call it, “not so good”. And then there is the downright “diabolical”, and even stupid in some cases! So folks, don’t go “poking around” unless you know what you are doing okay? Just thinking of your well-being here, nothing more! Anyway, we were talking about “the law” versus “love”I One of the interesting videos that got my attention was at this linkI. http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=3648930131443936554&q=the+occult (As explained in the video, “occult” means “hidden” or “secret”!) As I said, there’s a LOT of stuff “out there” folks, and you can get lost, and fearful of “what’s going on”, especially when you realise just how real and literal everything is! So it’s better to stay on the positive, and “don’t go there” unless you are well re-enforced with faith and love, okay? However,

His Word does advise us to “not be ignorant of the Devil’s devices”! Why? Because if you are aware of his tactics and “battle-plan”, then you can be ready for him, and you are not afraid of “the unknown”, because you know it, right? - Then you just need to learn how to attack, fight, and defeat him! Get it? So,III The thing that got my attention in the above video was all the references to “laws”, and how they are applied! The part that I’m referring to here is Jordan Maxwell’s introduction to the seminar! You’ll notice he stresses the importance of words, and their meanings, and how they are used! Believe it or not, the whole “war”, between “good and evil”, revolves around WORDS! God’s Word, versus Satan’s, and this has been going on for CENTURIES, MILLENIUMS, being GREATLY heightened and amplified as we get closer to the climax, and the end of all these things! (Which are YOU gonna believe???). Anyway, it got me thinking, “Well, no wonder Satan is all for “the law”! It has a spiritual effect, but it is also usually applied so literally” (fleshly, carnally, materially), and seeing as this is the realm and the level that most human beings live on and dwell in, it’s almost “too easy” for him!!! I highly recommend watching this video actually, because Jason Whitney really brings “down home” the REAL parallels of how things are portrayed in “The Matrix”!!! – It is “scary” folks, but actually very real, and very true! Another video I would recommend is Aaron Russo’s “America – Freedom to Fascism – Authorised Version”. It starts off with America, but then goes GLOBAL folks, and actually reveals a LOT of “the plan” of “the bad guys”! Watch it all the way through for some more “scary shit”! Here’s the linkI.. http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-4312730277175242198 While here, as a sort of a preview and foretaste of what is coming next in the book, as well as to try to help you understand where I’m coming from, here’s a letter I wrote to my son, Steve, in answer to some of his questions recentlyII.

Dear Steve, I had to go out unexpectedly. While out, I did shopping (so I wouldn't have to go out again later, or over the weekend), and I also had to do laundry, so my day was cut short a bit! However, I've been thinking about some of your most relevant comments! I also took a look at the video clips (links) that you sent me! --- I have been reading (and viewing) a lot of stuff over the years, and more so just recently, as there just seems to be so much information around these days, with more and more people becoming aware that "something is not right!". And of course, they are right! I don't even have to "go looking" for material anymore, it comes to me, or I just read or watch the news, and see it happening "before my very eyes!" Whew! The thing is, most of these very good people each only get to see "a glimpse" of a part of the whole puzzle! It's good that they do, but there's a reason why they can't see it all too (and these are not "stupid people" either!) Depending on "who's side" you are on, you only get to see a part, but for different reasons! It's like when there is a war going on - only the top generals of each side see the whole picture, and know "what's going on", and "why"! Their armies just have to "do as their told"! The trick is, to be on the right side, the winning side!!! (And there's a reason why the winning side IS the winning side, which I will get to in a moment!) Actually I’m going to “insert” the reason right here:

When Satan made his decision to rebel, he was actually only able to persuade 1/3 of the angels to follow him (who subsequently became devils and demons, through perversion and deterioration), so in the spirit world he is already “out-numbered” 2 -1! Okay? Got that? His “success” at the time was only due to the fact that because he was the highest angel of all, he was able to appeal to the “pride” of those who were also disaffected and dissatisfied with their role in God’s creation! God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent (all-knowing, everywhere and all-powerful) – Satan is NOT!!! In other words, “he doesn’t have a chance”!!! It is good to bear these points in mind! The Devil is nothing to fear folks!!! (though that is one of his favorite weapons!) So, let's get down to the "bottom-line" right away!... There is a reason why Satan said the following, to The Son of God Himself, of all people - after showing Him "all the kingdoms of the world" (in a moment of time) - "All these will I give unto you.......for they are given unto me, and to whosoever I will, I give them"! - He was able to say it, because it is the truth! The ones who follow him closest (knowingly or not, but the higher they go, the more they know!) get to be the ones who "enjoy" (fleetingly, temporarily!) the most of what he has to offer! But it comes at a price! He actually tells Jesus "the cost" himself! "If you will fall down and worship me!" THIS is the price that anyone wanting to make it in THIS world has to pay! On the other hand, Jesus told one of the rulers of this world "My Kingdom is not of this world"! Which is also why He said "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God...." And His Word exhorts to "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, are not of the Father, but are of the world"! (And as such, belong to Satan!!! - Pride being Satan's downfall and at which he is an expert, especially in playing on OURS!) - His Word also says "The love of money is the root of all evil", however, Jesus said "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, but unto God, the things that are Gods" And those things are what He meant that result in "the meek" inheriting the earth (during The Millennium, and beyond!) = 1 Corinthians 13, which is what He came to show and teach = LOVE! (By the way, "lust" isn't what most people think of it as! It means "the DESIRE for", in other words, "to get for yourself", which is a "getting" thing, as opposed to "love", which is a "giving" thing! Get it?) You see, it's all actually VERY SIMPLE!!! Life was MEANT to be that way (Simple!) The Creator had that all figured out BEFORE He created! He made it so simple that even a child could understand it, which is why Jesus said "Unless you become like a little child............"! Satan's idea was to "screw things up" right at the very beginning, with????????? Too much knowledge!!!! Man already knew what was good - "just do as you're told!", which meant, just about, "do as you please, as long as you DON'T TOUCH this ONE thing!". Because man was a creation of love in the first place, and was commanded to love by His Creator (Who IS love!), all he knew was love! (The Creator, actually knew what He was talking about, because, after all, it was all HIS idea in the first place!!!). Satan came along and LIED to man, saying "God is keeping something from you! - He knows that if you knew what HE knew, you could be like HIM!" (Which is what Satan desired for himself, but found out he couldn't get, or be, because he was NOT God!). Which is why Satan is so jealous of man that he wants to destroy him (which is his plan, by the way!) Why????????? You always have to go back to "the source", "the beginning", of all things! Look at this...... The Creator was in the process of creating, and He was talking with someone(s), and He said "Let US make man, IN OUR IMAGE" and then it goes on to say "MALE AND FEMALE created He THEM". This was the beginning, where He then told them (Adam and Eve, the beginning of the

rest of us!) what to DO about (with) it - "Be fruitful, and multiply!" = "Fuck and have children!" Man was created for a REASON and a PURPOSE, and did you know that a PART of that "purpose" was that, one day, man would even eventually "judge angels" (it's in the Bible folks!), of which Satan was one of the chiefs (an archangel - actually the highest, even above Michael, Gabriel and Raphael!). He COULDN'T BE God, so his jealousy (due to pride), knowing that man would eventually be HIS "judge", drove him to try DESTROY the very thing His own Creator had created, that would eventually "judge" HIM! (Isn't this very often the result of jealousy?). This is WHY "the law" is such a tool in his hands - he is such an expert at it, using it against us, to "condemn" us!!! Believe it or not, all of this is "part and parcel" of the reasons for attempting to address the whole "Love versus Law" issues in Chapter 7 of my book, and "Sex" in Chapter 8! I guess, in a way, I'm "working backwards"!!!! Ha ha! I don't know if I can write anymore just now Steve - it's getting late (today), and I have to start preparing for tonight, sorry! Maybe I can get back to you over the weekend. However, I REALLY need to make some progress on my book! - People are waiting on it! Understand? A LOT of your answers are in there, believe it or not! However, whether you ever "got it" or not, your background and up-bringing (in The Family) have the "roots" to all and everything you need to know - just "dig it out", as you were saying! People in the world are going to be able to get "bits", as we can see, but why not go to "the source" Itself???????? LOVE you Son! XXX! Will get back to you as soon as I can, okay? Dad. (End of letter to my son)

Do you know why “the beginning” (of all things) is usually attacked and maligned so MUCH? Because ALL the answers, to EVERYTHING ORIGINATE THERE!!!! Look at thisIIIII God, who IS LOVE, created everything OUT OF LOVE! (This is a GOOD thing, right?) THINK about it, even on just our human level! When two people love each other, what do they USUALLY feel like doing, and what is usually the result? (I’m talking about when people really LOVE each other folks, which is somewhat “fleeting” in this day and age, I know!) And when that “fruit” or “offspring” is born, HOW do the parents usually feel about that little one? They LOVE them, and just want to PROTECT and PROVIDE for them, and want them to have the BEST and HAPPIEST life that is possible, growing and learning and being strengthened, to become ALL that they can be right? THIS is how God IS, with US! He created the most perfect environment possible, with all of the conditions, for our happiness and well-being! Everything provided, freely, and the FREEDOM to do just about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY to LOVE each other – “Be fruitful, and multiply!” – This was actually the ONLY “rule”, or commandment, if you like! And, it was ALL man knew, at first, LOVE! So, “what happened?”I. Well, the “other” guy, you know, the “bad” one (Lucifer, later to be known as Satan, or the Devil) saw all this taking place, and was jealous! He had/has “a little problem” (actually, a very BIG one) with pride! He was pretty much “top dog”, until man was created! He was “the light bearer”, in other words, he “supported” or “upheld” Jesus! He wasn’t Jesus, but he was about “as close as

you could get” to being Jesus (God’s Own Son) – which is why he wants to be, soon, the “AntiChrist”, which means “a type of”, as well as “against”!) Satan was “just” an angel, albeit an archangel (actually the highest there was, even above Michael, Gabriel and Raphael!). Until man was created, the angels were about as close to God as you could get (though Satan was jealous of Jesus, wanting to take his place, and subsequently “be God”, by “inheritance” - Not that God was going to “die”, but as Jesus Himself said “I and my Father are One!”) However, once God created man (His ultimate manifestation of His Own Loving creation) God’s plan was that man, through the things that man would learn, would eventually “judge” even the angels!!! In his pride, and subsequent jealousy, of both Jesus and man, and knowing the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus would pay to “redeem” His Own (us), Satan had to seek to destroy both Jesus and man! And WHAT is his favourite “tool” of destruction??? I HOPE that you are still WITH me, because this is FUNDAMENTAL, SOIII. Remember the story of Napoleon and the soldier “condemned” to die? Napoleon had mercy, right? The “law” required, DEMANDED his death! Jesus gives us “Grace” (forgiveness), which is easiest understood as “Gift Received At Christ’s Expense” – Satan demands “justice”! He is an “expert” at the law folks, and as a result, is the “condemner”! He’s the “prosecutor”, “condemner”, “judge” and “jury”, and then also the “executioner”!!! On the other hand, Jesus loves, and forgives!!! Who would YOU rather “believe” and serve??? (This is as far as I can go right now people, sorry! Why not PRAY for me, so I can get this finished, okay? Thanks! – This is exhausting actually! What a battle and a fight!) 11 December 2006 Okay, I’ve been thinking long and hard about how to wrap this up. Like I was telling my son, the best answers are always the simple ones! “God is NOT the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:3), so if He isn’t, then who is? The Bible says, “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:16) Envy is another word for jealousy, and strife is fighting against something! Any ideas? Back to the beginning again: God made it all, out of love, for love, and for us, because of love – He IS love! The “rules” were simple – make love, and you can do whatever you please! The ONLY thing He said shouldn’t be done was?????? “Eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” – “But that’s not fair! He’s keeping something from us!” (Which is exactly the line they swallowed when it was handed to them!) But look at how God described it!!! “The knowledge of”??? Good AND EVIL!!! WHY would ANYONE want EVIL??? However, being the benign God that He is, He didn’t force Himself on man, he still allowed him FREE WILL (in other words to choose!!!) IT’S ALL ABOUT CHOICES FOLKS!!! By the way, here’s a little illustration of just how bad “the other guy” is: Devil – chop off his head, the “D”, and you are left with “evil”. Chop off the “e”, and you still have “”vil(e)”. Chop off the “v”, and you are still “il(l)”. Chop off the “i” and you are left with “L” (hell!). There’s not much good about the Devil folks!!! People CHOOSE what they want, to believe, to do, how to live, everything!!! Who’s “fault” is it??? Hint: “Look in the mirror”!

When Jesus came along, He brought us back to the Truth of the original “laws” that God made man with – love God, and love each other (what could be wrong with THAT?) There was only one penalty for eating the fruit of the knowledge of evil, and that was??? Death! And Satan, being “the Destroyer”, who was jealous of man and wanted to destroy him, KNEW that all he had to do was persuade man to fall for his lie, and then God would be bound by His own law! Satan is “the ultimate lawyer” people! And THAT’S why he wants people bound by it the Law, because it condemns and kills!!! God on the other hand, knowing Satan’s plan, and man’s weaknesses, STILL provided an “outclause”, a “FREE PARDON”, for anyone who wanted it (and who would CHOOSE to ACCEPT it!). God is NOT ABOUT to be “defeated” folks!!! LOVE is LIFE, and what God is ALL about! “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve!” Sound too simple? Well, IT IS! But consider the alternative: a complicated, confusing, condemning, “death sentence”!!! Your choice!!! But here is a beautiful scripture: “That through death, He (Jesus) might have power to destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14b,15) Who’s slave are you??? Okay, it has taken a while, but this is simply because the more important a subject is, the more difficult it is! And, if you consider that Satan has been fighting THESE VERY TOPICS, THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES, since not long after The Creation, is it any wonder that HE STILL DOES SO!!!??? He is HATE, the ENEMY of LOVE! He is AGAINST the RESULT of love, SEX!!! “Tighten your seat-belts” people, because we are “taking off” and “going places” nowI..

Chapter 8 --- SEX!!! WHY?.......should this be a topic, or a subject, at all? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!??? Let’s think about that for a minute!............................... What was the topic of the last chapter? Could you say, or include, “guilt” or “condemnation” in that equation? (Uh huh!!!) WHAT is the MOST misunderstood, and misused, human characteristic, since the very beginning of all things, in almost every culture??? That people usually feel guilty about having indulged in (and enjoyed!)? Is there a connection here??? Why? WHAT is GOD all about??? WHAT do PEOPLE need and want the most? HOW is “love” usually manifested between two people who love each other? Beginning to get the picture??? This is a BIG subject, and I’m going to get down to some real nitty-gritty here, including offending some people (probably), especially because it WON’T be “politically correct”! But it WILL be CORRECT!!! Ready???........... Again, back to the beginningIIII.. Looooooooooooooooooong before man ate “the forbidden fruit” of the “knowledge of II. evil” (and there is NOTHING in the Bible that says that this was an APPLE people!!! – Where did THAT idea come from???) Anyway, looooooooooooooooong before that happened, man was a creation of love, by love, for love, to love! Simple! AND was, literally COMMANDED to LOVE, in the most explicit terms – “be fruitful”, “multiply” = “have sex”, or “FUCK”!!! WHO’s idea WAS it??? WHAT is wrong with it??? – There’s nothing “wrong” with it people! NOTHING!!! So, what happened? Well Satan was already jealous, and knew what was going to happen! Man was going to “multiply”, reproduce, increase, become so numerous “replenishing the earth and subduing it”, eventually out-numbering his forces and finally helping to judge them, putting them in their place! It was a physical plan, with also a spiritual fulfilment! He couldn’t let this happen, and had to try to stop it! He knew that the sentence (or result!) for disobeying the ONE rule God had put in place was DEATH. He had to get man hoodwinked into doing that ONE thing, and he succeeded! (Very subtly we must say here, as it is described in the Bible itself!) What was the result? Man was condemned to die! Simple! (I’ll get to God’s Plan and His “outclause” and the fact that He isn’t going to be defeated in a minute, but first), LOOK AT THE OTHER “FRUIT” OR RESULT OF THEIR DISOBEDIENCE!!! It is SO clear, spelled out, in black and white, HOW CAN ANYONE MISS IT???? When Adam and Eve’s “eyes were opened” (to the KNOWLEDGE of EVIL remember), they saw that they were naked (and HAD been all along, with “no problem”, just having fun, “doing what comes naturally”, what they were TOLD to do), AND?????? “THEY WERE ASHAMED”!!!!!! Being naked is NOT what they were ashamed of, it was of being “exposed”, KNOWING that they had disobeyed God! As a result they “went and hid themselves”. Isn’t this how we behave when we know we’ve done something wrong? We don’t want anyone to find out, we “hide”, or try to hide “it”

(whatever “it” is), right? Foolish endeavour where God is concerned of course, as we see later in the account. They tried to “cover up” (by sewing fig leaves together it says – ha ha!). So HOW did this “screw sex up” for man ever since? Huh? Well, how EASY is it for Satan to twist God’s own Word around for man? Look at the VERY FIRST THING GOD SAID TO MAN – “BE fruitful and multiply” – the “knowledge of evil” resulted in man being ashamed, and covering up! By inference this would seem to indicate that there is something wrong with sex, love, GOD, right? The COMPLETE OPPOSITE and DIRECTLY CONTRARY to God’s own original plan and instructions!!! WHY would Satan be interested in this? Simple – because it would be A DIRECT OPPOSITION TO THE PLAN – procreation of mankind, babies, life, love, ALL of “the good stuff”!!! Satan is such a trickster! He duped man into falling for a lie, then condemned him for it, and then claims “the credit” for sex himself, by making man believe that sex, along with all of its guilt and condemnation, was a result of “the fall”. Therefore, in order to enjoy it, you have to deny its Creator, and worship him (Satan)!!! Get it? Again, WHO ARE YOU GONNA BELIEVE??? I will interject here that “religion” and the “churches” have definitely helped to foster this falsity and misconception – diabolical!!!! There were NO RESTRICTIONS to God’s commandment to “be fruitful and multiply” folks! We have a LOT of restrictions in place today, for all kinds of reasons! Soon, everyone will be able to get back to the original plan though, of loving and being loved, freely. We have the capacity for a GREAT amount of love people, especially if we let HIS love flow through us! This was the whole idea, from the very beginning! What a sad state of affairs we have allowed ourselves to be brought to, all because of “the knowledge of evil”!!! By now, you should have “a hint” of the foundation and basis of some of those “politically incorrect” aspects of love and sex that I would like to deal with. But before going any further I am going to ask “an exercise” of you, the readerIII.! WHERE do you get your ideas from, your thought processes, your “beliefs” if you like? How do these affect your choices, your decisions, your actions, your life? Are they “your own”? If not, then where do they come from? THINK about this now! It is incredible how many people I meet and talk to, on just about any level, topic, or subject, who just repeat what they have heard, read, or are told that they have seen, without even questioning it, and then they tell me that they “believe” it! AND, they even become “an authority” on it, without even having researched or examined whether those things are true or not! Crazy! As a result, they become enslaved by their own ignorance! Jesus said “And you shall know THE TRUTH, and THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE!” – The truth is what sets us free folks! So, the Liar’s job is to LIE, in order to enslave you! To whom? To what? He’s managing a very good job of it, don’t you think? Are you HAPPY? Or do you secretly, when you stop to actually think about it, wonder “What is going on? What is it all about? What’s the reason and the purpose? What’s MINE?” Believe it or not, the right answers, the best ones, the really “big” ones are usually actually very simple! Life wasn’t meant to be that complicated! Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t meant to be a bunch of “zombies”, who don’t think at all, don’t explore, don’t get excited about new discoveries and things we learn, or aren’t supposed to master new skills and such, and as a result grow, in every way.

However, if you try to build something on the wrong foundation, you aren’t going to end up with “a happy home” to live in, but a crumbled wreck, which might even fall on you and kill you, instead of being the haven and shelter that you wanted it to be! What’s all this got to do with sex and all those juicy controversial things I said would be “politically incorrect” and “rattle some peoples cages”!??? Ha ha! Well, it all starts at the beginning doesn’t it? Everything does actually, so let’s go back there, to the foundation! Okay? You already know what happened at the beginning, if you’ve been reading this far! Also, you now know what also happened back then that tried to stop it, almost before it got started, and why! But there’s moreIIII. What was Satan’s purpose? – To destroy man! Why? Because of jealousy (he loved himself too much!) How does he accomplish this? Well, he has all kinds of ways, and he is well versed in them, being extremely successful at it, for a very long time folks! He has an agenda, and “it ain’t pretty”! Most of his stuff is actually far from it, very often ugly, perverse, grotesque, horrifying, violent, destructive, hurtful – you name it! If you take a look at the Book of Revelation, you will see his three main “instruments of death” in the account of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse – War, Business and Death itself, all working together, hand in hand! But even before he really got going with these three, he was there at the very beginning trying to screw things up for us all, and he attacked the very thought, the very idea, the very plan, right at it’s source! His goal? To destroy man, to prevent his survival and procreation at the very least, if he could, or destroy his “production”, the result, the “fruit” (more people)! I am not going to discuss or argue, anything with anyone, I am just going to present you with the facts! – You can then make your own mind up “who” you are going to believe! (And remember to check out WHERE you get your “information” FROM!!!) God made men and women, just like Himself and His Wife. He told us what to do – make love and have kids (just like He does, believe it or not! – This is NOT an idle statement. I have had a sort of a “revelation” about this that I may get to before we’re done – It has something to do with the spiritual dimension, and all its inhabitants!) Pretty simple plan, and very satisfying I might add! He provided everything man needed to enjoy all of this too! All very simple, very straight forward, very enjoyable, and all because He is Love, loves us, and wants us to love and be loved! So, if this is the original plan, it must be the right one, right? So where does “anything else” come into the picture, where do those ideas originate? Remember, Satan’s plan of attack is directly against man himself and God’s plan of pro-creation (“for”-creation)!!! So, basically, anything that goes AGAINST God’s plan is NOT of God! Just “do the math!” Believe it or not NONE of the hot topics following are “new” thoughts or ideas – they’ve been around from the beginning, for millenniums, from THEIR “originator”, and they all go directly contrary to God’s Own, His original (from the word “origin” or “source”). Did you know that one of the characteristics of the Antichrist, “the Beast”, the Satan-possessed dictator of the “New World Order” (Already “playing in a city near you” folks! – Just not fully “revealed” yet!), is that he “does not regard the desire of (for) women”!!! Maybe he just wants to look “so devoted to his cause” that he wants to appear “celibate”, maybe, who knows!? However, I am more inclined to believe that it is more likely that he is homo-sexual, and I have reasons for

believing this! (By the way, I am NOT a “homophobic”! “Phobia” means “a fear of”, and I am NOT “afraid” of homosexuals! Got it?) There are some very revealing videos available on the net these days, many containing eyewitness accounts of people who were actually there, involved, or very close to people who were, who passed the information on to them. This information is not “preferred knowledge” for the general public, and most, if not all of it, takes place in secret, “behind closed doors” (I’ll let your own imagination run on this, but it is very dark, very sinister and “really scary shit”, trust me!) It involves those at the very highest levels (politically and militarily, but I strongly believe the business world couldn’t escape this either, and the media – well, that’s all pretty much “right out there” as they say, formulating public opinion, LOUD AND CLEAR!!!) being involved in acts of sodomy (male homo-sexual practices) as part of their “initiation”, as well as a source of blackmail, in order to maintain control and silence. These are part and parcel of actual Satanic rites and rituals that are performed! Remember Satan said “all these (kingdoms of the world) will I give theeII”? To “make it” in THIS world, this is the price you have to pay, and only those trusted to play their part are allowed to progress, and the higher you go, the more it costs. “The Plan” is only “revealed” to those who are, literally, willing to “sell their souls” for it! What a price? And all for nothing! There’s so much MORE to all of this of course that I just don’t care to go into. There’s plenty of material out there though, if you are really interested. Just be careful, okay? My main point here though was about SatanII. He HATES sex, and he HATES love, and he HATES the product of love and sex – more people, who start out as little babies of course, but grow into responsible, mature, thinking adults (hopefully) who will then continue on with the original Plan (again, hopefully!). “Well, what’s so bad about being ‘gay’?” you ask!? Well, the whole idea is summed up in the slogan associated with the movement today – “gay PRIDE!” It’s all about PRIDE and SELF, not love! Think about it! Real love, takes humility, reflecting “a weakness” (if you like) to be dependent on the love of another (for men, that is supposed to be women, “the weaker sex” – Ha ha! “I ha’ ma doots aboot that, man!” – about them being “weak” that is! Ha ha! – Ask any woman what SHE thinks about that idea, and see what happens! Ha ha!) sacrificing your own life, daily, for that other, and the result of this humble love, the children! How many children can men have? “Oh, but they can adopt!” Well, maybe, but there has to be a woman involved somewhere, no? I can already imagine people bristling at this – Ha ha! But I’m going to press on, because it is important! “Well, what’s wrong with men loving each other?” Nothing! We are all supposed to love each other. Some men love their friends, brothers, whatever, so much that they will literally give their own life for them, and so many have, and still do! I have a lot of friends who are guys, and I feel the same way, but that doesn’t mean I want to have sex with them! What’s wrong with women guys? I know they can be pretty tough sometimes, but I’m sorry (no, I’m not, really! Ha ha!), I just can’t resist looking at them, admiring them, and wishing I could (and wanting to) do something about it! It’s NATURAL! Ha ha!

“What is so ‘bad’ about it? – You’re just being a homo-phobic!” (blah, blah, blah!) Oh really!? Remember my question at the beginning, WHERE do you get YOUR ideas FROM??? There’s a REASON why this isn’t “just a little aberration from the norm”, “a missing or corrupted gene” an “alternative life-style” or “personal choice”, people! Did you know that there are actually only a very few things that forced God’s hand enough to “step in and take care of things” Himself? The world had gotten so bad in Noah’s day that He had to bring on The Flood to wash it all clean and start all over again! It says, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. And it says about OUR time, where we are right now, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be”. Things must have been pretty bad then, because just look how they are NOW! Anyway, only a few hundred years after taking that drastic step, man seemed to have forgotten a couple of things, and was back at it again, and in THIS case we find Him being VERY SPECIFIC in His REASONS for DESTROYING TWO WHOLE (twin) CITIES with, literally, the fires of hell - Sodom and Gomorrah! This is the place from which we get the word that describes the male-with-male sex act of sodomy! He left a very drastic example, for all history, so that everyone would know and remember, “Don’t go there people!” God doesn’t like idolatry, of any kind, and love of self is the worst, of which male homo-sexuality is, just about, the ultimate manifestation. Which makes sense, seeing as it’s one of Satan’s own characteristics, remember – going directly opposite and against the Creator and His Creation! “So you’re saying that every ‘gay’ is a Satanist?” No! What I am pointing out is that there is a spiritual basis for male homo-sexuality, which must be understood. It’s not enough to just say “It’s wrong” – You have to understand WHY, and WHERE it’s coming from – THEN YOU DECIDE!!! Look at these scriptures, Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections (doesn’t sound too good, does it?): for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (more on this later!) Rom 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly (notice the “lust” word here – not a good sign!), and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. (AIDS? As in “aids you to die!” – Just ONE thing “available” these days!) Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient (which means “not good” folks!); Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Rom 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: (this is quite a list people, and NONE of it sounds good!!!) Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. You are walking on very dangerous ground, if you like, or agree with, this whole idea folks! “Having pleasure in them that do them” – Look at “the entertainment industry”! It is rampantly filled with not only promoting the idea, but giving people “role models” to follow! And a HUGE percentage of those who actually RUN it are active homosexuals themselves, which is common knowledge! As in the other spheres of influence, there are many who will tell you that you have to pay the price to “make it” in this field too! Like I said at the beginning, where do YOU get YOUR ideas from??? There’s a REASON why there has been such a PUSH to get this attitude ACCEPTED people! WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Take a look at the followingIII. A very famous musical artist, who also recently “married” his “gay “partner”, was interviewed in the media recently, and declared that “All religion should be banned!” – His argument? “Because it incited homo-phobic reaction in people, and bigotry”! I have only one thing to say to this, and anyone who wishes to argue this point – it is not ME you are going to have to “face”, “argue with”, or “deal with”, nor “religion”! READ IT FOR YOURSELF! And ARGUE WITH THE AUTHOR!!! I can tell you NOW “Who” is going to win!!! Maybe the reason there has been a major push to have male homo-sexuality “accepted”, globally, in every area, and on every level, is because it is one of the Antichrists’ main, obvious, and distinguishing characteristics! KNOWING that male homo-sexuality has been abhorred and rejected, by most civilisations, for centuries (it is NATURALLY so, and there is a reason for this) Satan HAD to try to get the world to accept it, otherwise he would find it much more difficult to convince and persuade people to accept his rule and leadership, in the form of the Antichrist, when he finally steps forward and is “revealed”. Remember, the Antichrist will actually be “Satan Incarnate”, and there is a REASON why he is also described as “The Beast”. (He is the ultimate “self-lover”!) If you’ve read the scriptures enclosed, you will see that “the list” of “all things bad and nasty” lies pretty darn close to personifying everything that Satan himself is! It is VERY CLEAR, people! You may not know, or realise, what some of those words actually mean, so look ‘em up in a dictionary! NONE of them bode well, and the list isn’t short! In the days when these words were translated and used, they really MEANT what they said. Today, vocabulary has been watered down and twisted around, to where the meaning is hardly even apparent anymore (and this has been done purposefully)! We are being given all kinds of messages, all the time, and again through the media (see the movie “V for Vendetta” for an example of how the media is used ALREADY! Even in this good movie though, some other aspects are included, such as the one mentioned above!). “So, what about ‘lesbians’?” Well, there is a difference between what guys do with each other, and what girls do with each other (obviously). There’s also a difference between girls being extremely affectionate with each other, even sexually, and those who just want to be men!

In either case of each sex wanting to be the other sex there is “something wrong with this picture”! There are all kinds of possibilities as to why someone would want to think to try to be something they are not, but remember, these are ultimately spiritually based. It is quite probable that the person is subjected to male/female spirits influencing and affecting them also. You have to look at the “fruit” (or the results) – What other characteristics does the person manifest? This should give you an idea of where they are coming from. Also remember, that while someone may be, or is, ignorant, they are not as “accountable” for themselves. However, once they ARE knowledgeable, and then CHOOSE, it becomes a whole different matter!!! (I heard someone say once, “What do you mean you are “confused” and you don’t know what you are supposed to be? – Check your “equipment”! Then you’ll know!”) But back to “girls with girls”II. In this day and age especially, it is quite understandable that many girls are just not satisfied with how they are treated by men. Not only are men quite cavalier in their attitude (a real turn off for most women), they often fail their women in many ways! To list a few things: they “don’t listen”, they “don’t understand”, and, very often, fail to satisfy their women sexually, preferring to gratify their own needs first and then often “forgetting” the girl altogether. Women are not “objects” guys, though they are often treated as such, sadly! As a result, girls will very often confide in each other, get close to each other, KNOWING that their girl friend understands them, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and yes, even physically! So, “Why not?” It is very unlikely that they are going to hurt each other physically, usually. And most of these girls will usually call themselves “bi-sexual”, because they still like, and want, guys (unless they have been so misused, hurt and abused that they just “don’t want to know anymore”, for which you can hardly blame them!) Anyway, there is nothing written in His Book that specifically forbids this kind of relationship between girls, as long as there is still an interest at least in being a woman, with the hope of someday finding a man who will love and care for them. It IS a big subject, and I’m only “hitting the highlights” – I hope it helps!? In any case, every individual has the right to be judged on their own merits (or not!). I know that this sounds “pat” and “trite”, but also we are to “love the sinner, but yet hate the SIN”! Sorry folks, but there IS “right” and “wrong” here! YOU choose what YOU want to believe! Anyone who knows me knows that I am anything BUT narrow-minded or conservative. Far from it! I know a LOT of people, and I LOVE a lot of people, and my views, on just about anything, are FAR from conventional. So, DON’T try attacking me on this ONE issue! It’s just about the ONLY issue I’m pretty strong on, and for all the same reasons God Himself is! The only other thing that will get me fighting mad is all the bullshit and hypocrisy that runs the world these days – genuinely evil people, folks! Not to be feared, only fought, with The Truth!!! But let’s move on, shall we? Before we do though, I just want to interject something here, okay? Yes, I’m “one of those crazy nuts” who just happens to believe everything I read in The Bible, including The Flood! – If you want to see a really cool presentation of a theory put forth, by a scientist, that actually answers LOTS of questions, not just about the flood, but dinosaurs too, “the ice age”, craters on the Moon and Mars, as well as why there was water on Mars, and everything to do with the huge change in the earth’s atmospheric and climate conditions, then visit

http://www.drdino.com/ You’ll find a video called “The Hovind Theory” under “downloads”, and I highly recommend it! I don’t necessarily agree with this man’s traditionally conservative views on some subjects, such as love, marriage, sex, etc, but as far as other “straight Bible” stuff, he’s pretty good, and really does his homework, especially in the field that is his specialty, “Creation Science”. He’s funny too! Check it out! You don’t have to be “religious”, “a Christian”, a “creationist” (as opposed to someone who believes in “evolution”) to enjoy his seminars. But one outstanding feature that will SHOCK you is how that children, FOR DECADES, have been taught PROVEN LIES!!! Yes folks, your taxes have been used to LIE to children, by printing LIES in their school text-books! LIES that have been PROVEN to be so, and no-one says a word, or does anything about it!!!! Okay, let’s move on furtherII.. Like I said, I’m going to cover some VERY controversial topics here. Hope you’re not “bouncing around”, “reelin’ and a rockin’” too much from the last one? Bear with me until I’ve finished though, because you may be surprised! Too many people get into arguing about things, before they have heard the whole issue, which is not wise, and as I have said, I am FAR from narrow minded or conservative! In everything, you have to look at the source of your information, and remember this important point – each of these topics has to do with THE source, so they are not “little things”. You should be able to see that every one of them has become somewhat taboo in this day and age, and that is because “the arch-trickster” has been hitting-away at them for a very long time. Remember, each one goes directly contrary to how things were created to be in the first place, and each one is directly related to the Destroyers’ plan! Bear these points in mind as you read, okay? Besides war and business and (all their “by-products”) being used as a method of “population control”, as well as trying to “eliminate the need for women” (As described above - By the way, the “rituals” associated with these “in-the-know higher-ups” are almost exclusively limited to males, except where women are “used”, in a somewhat derogatory manner I might add – And, while we are on the subject, take a look at the role women play in most pornography available these days, especially on the internet – We are being given “a message” folks!), these next three areas are all promoted as ways to “control the population” also. All of these areas are somewhat touchy, being very personal to many, and this is NOT a discourse to try to make anyone feel bad. NOT AT ALL! Okay? It is simply an explanation as to WHY certain ideas and thought processes have been promoted over the years, and why the voices screaming these policies are getting louder these days. Things are coming to a head folks! A fact that “the powers that be” do not advertise openly, is that they have actual agendas for “reducing the worlds’ population”! One account I have read said that they have to “cut the global population down” from its current seven billion, to about half a billion – that means, put in ordinary English, they have to “find ways of killing over six billion people”! Even more shocking is that there is “a sort of Ten Commandments for the powers that be”, etched in stone, on pillars somewhat resembling the famous “Stonehenge” (in the UK), in the US known as “The Georgia Guide-stones”. Remember, as Jordan Maxwell explains, there is a LOT of significance in the usage of words in the “occult” (meaning “hidden” or “secret”) including many names of individuals, and organisations, that we accept as “normal” these days, which are often also accompanied by many symbols that only those “enlightened” ones understand. On these stone pillars, besides other very revealing information (if you would care to research and look at it) is the declared intent that the ideal world population is around half a billion! These would be, basically, only those who are needed to actually maintain, run and service those who “own” the world (and they already DO people! – Read the newspaper, “Business Section”!!!).

I will shock you even further by telling you that one Head of State in the West, normally thought of as benign and benevolent, referred to the peoples of Africa as “useless eaters”! Hmmmmmm! Nice people we have “ruling and reigning”, don’t you think? (By the way, Africa is one of the largest resources of “all things wealthy” on the face of the planet! – No wonder it has been abused and misused, for centuries! Imagine what could have been done with all that wealth to eliminate famine and poverty, even globally, if it were not owned and siphoned off by, and for, other people elsewhere, as is what happens with other resource-full areas of the world, usually with many poor, who never benefit from that which (used to) belong to them. (The “powers that be” really DON’T care if these people die! – For real scandals just research how much so-called “aid” actually even reaches those that ordinary people raise the funds for! It’s pathetically pitiful, and not excusable! – Remember, if you want to find out why there is upset and conflict, in any part of the world, just “follow the money!”) How much have you heard about “over population” during your lifetime, as well as all its byproducts, such as “carbon emissions”, “global warming”, “food shortages”, “over-crowding in cities”, etc, etc??? There is PLENTY of room for EVERYBODY people, as well as PLENTY of resources!!! – Take a look at a globe!!! How much space can YOU find? However, problems arise when you find the wealth of nations in the hands of a few, who hoard it all for themselves, and only dish out little bits, as a reward to those willing to serve them! So, the poor flock to the cities, in order to get rich, finding themselves losing all their perspectives in things that don’t satisfy anyway, leaving the land to those who glean all its resources for themselves, while destroying it! THIS is where the “over-population” myth is generated, and believed! Did you know that the worlds’ first city was built by the worlds’ first murderer? And in that city, his descendents and off-spring started designing and creating the worlds first “luxury items”? Up until that time, people were basically tribal, nomadic, family-oriented, herdsmen and farmers. A man’s wealth, believe it or not, was judged by his children, flocks and produce! People traded, if they needed or wanted to, and there was no “money” involved – just mutual trust and respect! Pretty cool I think! What is it that makes man think that his life “isn’t worth much” (or anything) these days “if he doesn’t haveIIII.”? Hmmmmmmm! Think about it now! What are the most important things? What are the things most people want and need, to be really happy? (AND, it doesn’t take much to get them!!! – Actually “what” and “things” are both misnomers – It should read, and they SHOULD BOTH BE, “who”!!!!!) People are put on a treadmill folks, from even before they are born, with that “carrot” dangled in front of them, to entice them along to something they never even get to keep, IF they even get it at all!!! (See Jordan Maxwell’s video!) No wonder people are desiring to be truly free!!! Well, like everything else I have written – there is MUCH MORE to everything than I have written here, and I would be happy to explain more, to anyone is really wants to know I’m just “hitting the highlights” in this book! I hope I have whet your appetite for more? (There is always “more” people!) How much do you want??? Personally, I “want it all”. I always have, and I know where it is, how you get it, and how you can keep it, and never (ever) lose it!!! – The elusive “lived-happilyever-after” ending, though it is actually only the beginning – eternity HAS no end!!! Ha ha! But we were talking about sex, right? Ha ha! – You’d be amazed at how MUCH everything is related to, or comes down to, sex! Ha ha!

When you consider that we were created, naked, and the first thing we were told to do was to have sex, is it any wonder why it rates pretty highly in almost everyone’s consciousness? Of course, actual life and living comes down to a lot more than JUST sex, or sex alone. It has been statistically stated that sex is actually only 2% of life (“who” says, I wonder?), but it IS the starting point!!! Ha ha! So, anything that goes directly contrary to the idea, is probably “way off”, and anything that perverts or distorts is also going to be “way off”, and, I might add, anything that delays or hinders is going to be “off” too! Are you beginning to get an idea of what’s next in this discourse??? Let’s look at the “over-population argument” (actually, that is nothing more than just plain, oldfashioned propaganda!!!) from a few slightly different angles (though they are all designed to try to bring about the same result!). Which (so called) “civilised societies” have generated more mass-murder, chaos and mayhem, on the grandest scales (globally on at least two instances!), REALLY using “weapons of mass destruction”? Which (so called) “civilised societies” also advocate “contra (meaning the obvious) ception” (against conception!). Which (so called) “civilised societies” ‘demon’strate (now THERE’s a word!) almost NO conscience towards acts of abortion”? “Abortion” is another misnomer. It suggests that someTHING has been “aborted”, which is NOT the case! SomeONE has been, purposefully, KILLED! (Before you go ranting and raving against this statement, there IS more to it, so bear with me and I’ll get to it in a minute, okay?) Which (so-called) “civilised societies” have “dumbed-down” their populations, to the extent that they are considered “immature”, “irresponsible”, “incapable”, etc, etc if they should conceive life at early ages, to the point that most people either don’t want to have children at all, OR, only have one, or two, at the most, AND at such a late stage in their own life (because they are so busy trying to “make it”) that there really IS “a generation gap” between them and their off-spring, to where they can’t even relate to each other hardly at all! And most of this propaganda is spoon-fed to the population through the media, high-profile court cases, very sad “example stories” propagated in the media, and backed up by (again, so-called) “experts” (again, in the media). Who ARE these “experts” – experts at WHAT??? Another movie, which really is not that great, is “Idiocracy”. In some ways it exposes some very real attitudes and trends, which are real, both “for” and “against”. But the underlying subtle message is “Only dummies have lots of kids, because their main interest is in having sex! And the more you have, the dumber ‘civilisation’ will become!” Even “normal” people only have two, or very few! By the way, IF “in-breeding produces idiots and morons”, how come the WHOLE WORLDS’ POPULATION ISN’T like the way it is portrayed in this movie, hmmmmmmmm??? (Because that’s how we all got started folks!!! Duh! – And this in-breeding is vital to “the elites” themselves!) There is WAY too much to comment on, and so many HOLES in “the experts” arguments – anyone with half-a-lick-of-sense, who would actually use their brains and discriminating minds, instead of just swallowing all the horseshit fed to them, by the barrelful, could probably figure it out for themselves! The problem IS though, that no-one uses “the reference point”. (This comes from a term used in cartography, the science of map-making). If you get the initial “reference” wrong, you are NOT going to arrive at your destination, but end up getting LOST, and maybe even in some seriously deep shit!!!

The average human being is created with everything he or she needs to know, to do everything he or she needs to do (instinctively), and to be happy doing it! Where does all the rest of the bullshit come from, huh? Oh, I’m just getting started folks, and feeling VERY “hot under the collar” about these things, so hold on to your hats!!! But before we go any further on any of this, I am going to make a few things clear, okay? I KNOW each one of these topics is “HOT”! I also know that they are usually “very personal” to individuals who may be involved. I ALSO want to state that my declarations here are NOT made lightly, NOT to make anyone feel bad, NOR are they made without a great deal of thought, consideration, AND conviction! I have REASONS for taking this material on, and my reasons are (for the record) all based on a sincere love! Love for THE Lover Himself, and love for those He LOVES = YOU! Remember, love is a CREATIVE thing, NOT a destructive thing! Let’s keep these simple facts in mind as we address the issues, okay? We are fed lies, from very early ages and stages in our development, and lies enslave people! Most of it is done out of ignorance actually. Parents and peers just rattling off what THEY have been “taught” and “told” (again, by the so-called “experts”!). “The powers that be” are masters of lies and deception, getting (and giving) “crashes courses” in it from THEIR “master”, and have been brutally numbing and dumbing-down everyone, through the media, for a VERY long time! I have travelled a LOT. I have met, and talked with, a LOT of people, from ALL kinds of walks of life, backgrounds, experience, upbringings, religions, cultures, you name it! You know what I have learned? When you meet and talk to an individual, on almost any level, we find out that we are actually all the same! When we are happy, we laugh! When we are sad, we cry! We all yearn to be loved, understood, and accepted! And most people KNOW that the BEST things in life are LOVE, and all its products! Children, families, simple joys and endeavours that provide enough of everything needed to live long and healthy! This is how life was meant to be, and how most people WANT it to be, believe it or not! I know it sounds “simplistic”, but what’s wrong with that? Where does “complicated” get anyone? Nowhere but misery, pain, and death! What’s YOUR choice??? Do you really LIKE “the knowledge of evil”??? What has it ever done for you? Hmmmmmmmmm!!!??? Okay, so what about “contraception”? What are the usual arguments for it? Well the obvious “No. 1” is to prevent pregnancy, right? No need to talk about that! It’s a personal decision, made on the part of the individuals involved! But WHY do people usually try to prevent pregnancy? The usual arguments are “You aren’t ready!” – meaning “too young”, or “can’t afford it”, OR folks are just too plain selfish to want to share their life with another, simple! (I never could figure out what “can’t afford to have children” meant when I was a kid growing up! – Do they cost money? No! People without money have children all the time, all over the world – they are “free”! Ha ha! – It’s the “what it costs” according to the “standards” “society” imposes on people that causes people to stop and think about it, nothing else!). Ask a poor man, who has a lot of children, what his “riches” are, and he will smile and point to his loved ones! There are plenty of “poor” people in the world folks, and they are the ones having most of the children! The reason they are poor though has nothing to do with having children! These reasons are down to other things, namely the exploitation of the poor, and their countries, by the rich! And it’s the rich who tell us that we have too many people!!! Wheweeee!!! (By the way, it is statistically easier to manage small numbers of people than large-masses of populations – Don’t you get it? In places where you have masses of people, you will find repressive and restrictive regimes, who try to keep things under control, OR chaotic “dog-eat-dog and to-hell-with-the-hindmost” mindsets (“Democracy”????? – this is a HUGE subject) often leading to war, genocide, famine and disease, with the rich instigating the internal conflict and

confrontation, surreptitiously and subversively (“religion” is a MAJOR “argument” in their propaganda, and it seems to work too!!!), on both sides! - The result is the same, cutting down the population (literally), while the rich “clean up”!) “But what about using contraception as a way of preventing sexually transmitted diseases?” Well, the world is a very different place from what it was intended to be, for sure, and there are all kinds of reasons for it, which I won’t go into here. Generally though, if we followed basic, simple, healthy life-styles, things would not be as bad as they are. To put a spiritual basis on it though, the physical often is a reflection of the spiritual! Clean up your heart, and you’ll have less problems with everything else, simply put! (Less need for expensive doctors bills too!) Abortion! – I’m not going to get into anything on this here. It IS a very personal matter to many people, for all kinds of reasons. I CAN tell you this though, from much talking to many individuals, as well as reading well documented research done, interviewing many, many women who have undergone this procedure – it usually leaves emotional scarring, almost to the point that they can hardly forgive themselves! The arguments “for” it, usually given by “concerned individuals” and “experts”, sure seem to sound good at the time, but there’s a reason why “it doesn’t work”, and that is – it was never meant to! Simple! Life is A GIFT! Let’s not reject it! On the other hand, you tell me what a mother’s reaction USUALLY is after having given birth, as well as the father’s, as well as all the relatives and friends!??? “Aaaaaaaaw SO CUTE!!!!”, accompanied by an instinctive need to protect and provide for, and help that new life to thrive!!! It’s NATURAL folks!!! Before I go any further, I want to re-iterate that NONE of my comments, about ANY of these topics above, are for the purpose of criticizing or condemning anyone who may be involved in any of them! My job is simply to inform and advise that “things ain’t what they appear to be”, and there are reasons why not, instigated by the enemy of life itself! You “do the math”! People make their own choices and decisions, for whatever reasons. Under most circumstances, especially ignorance, these choices are understandable, and as such forgivable! Once you know the truth however, “the playing field changes”, and you have the opportunity to do things right, IF you have the “balls” and the courage and the gumption to defy the lie, and give it a try! What have you got to lose? But better yet, what do you stand to GAIN??? I’m REALLY gonna rock your boat a bit more now, ready? The answer to the age-old question, “Where did Cain get his wife from?”, and anyone else around in those early days, including immediately after the flood too, and even in many “closed”, “remote”, so-called “primitive” tribes and areas of the world today! Are you thinking??? – It SHOULD be obvious, if you’re smart! What is more, WHY are we created ABLE to produce children at puberty, IF this was not part of The Plan in the first place??? “WHO” is it that tells you otherwise, and why??? “Aaaargh! Now you are talking about “incest”. AND promoting irresponsible behaviour!!! It has been proven that in-breeding produces imbeciles, idiots and morons!” – DOES it? Let’s look at those statements a little more closely, shall we? But first, I want to make it VERY clear, that I AM IN NO WAY PROMOTING BREAKING ANY LAWS!!! Okay? Got that!? But WHO made the “laws”, and WHY? Well, actually GOD made the FIRST and the ORIGINAL laws, and if HE doesn’t know what He’s doing or talking about, well, then NOBODY does, and if you would rather believe man over Him, about ANYTHING, then I would have to say that you are probably not being very smart, AND are being enslaved, by a lie, sorry!

Things WERE very different “in the beginning”. People lived longer, and slower, taking more time about things for one thing. The climate and other conditions were VERY conducive to propagation, in very natural, rewarding, and enjoyable ways – no problems! Even AFTER the flood, when conditions changed, very dramatically, He still seemed to think that the same idea and principle was a good one, and it still seems to have worked! However you want to look at it, we are all “related” at some point, PERIOD! Here in Iceland you don’t even have to go that far back to find that out! And there are other places in the world where this is the case also, and even considered normal! (On the other hand, how many people in different places in the world feel isolated and remote from everyone else today do you think, “all alone”? Why? How many people are literally “love-starved”, even for simple, normal and natural affection!!!?) It has NOT produced “idiots” and “morons”, or “weakened the gene pool”! God didn’t make His creation to slowly waste away and die through degeneration, believe it or not! There are OTHER reasons why this sort of thing occurs, and, like health generally, as well as other things, these are more likely to be related to spiritual causes and just plain “bad habits” and ill-advised lifestyles than anything else! (Remember, some of the “smartest” people have committed some of the worlds’ worst atrocities!) I don’t think this argument holds much water! Sorry! And what about so-called “child marriages” and “young parents”? For generations, centuries, even millenniums, it was always considered a natural, mature, responsible, and honourable thing to do to take a wife, have children, till the land, produce whatever, and work hard at living. In most cultures it was even necessary for simple survival, if nothing else! And people respected this attitude and encouraged it! In many cultures a boy became “a man”, AT TWELVE, and still does in orthodox Jewish belief, as well as many tribal systems of the world (referred to as “primitive” by the so-called “educated” Western cultures!). Women were still considered “girls”, until they conceived and bore children! In the not too distant past, people married younger, had families younger (large ones too!), started lives younger, and learned a lot more about the REAL values of life and living, and were respected for doing so. It was not uncommon to have three or four generations of a family, all living and working together, and supporting each other, in all the hardships of life, and personally, I believe all of that has been lost by most of the world! HOW? WHY? Who’s idea was it??? It could be true, that many folks today wouldn’t know how to deal with a life like this, but why? It’s simple really! Everything is designed to work against it, including all the phoney bullshit we are fed about these things! No-one really thinks or believes in these kinds of things anymore! But you would be surprised at how many lament that these things, the simple things, have disappeared! But, how would anyone LEARN how to live, unless they actually TRY it??? Huh? Whose “standards” is everyone going by? It used to be that everything was passed down, generation to generation. That responsibility was abdicated, or rather “stolen by deceit”, a long time ago for most people! So sad! And too bad! No wonder the world is such a mess – there are too many “messers” running it! (Ask any average guy if he thought he could do a better job than the elected leaders, and see what answers you get!) Life isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible, otherwise it would be a losing game! But it was never meant to be a losing game! Come on people, it was meant to be FUN, and VERY enjoyable! Are you REALLY gonna let all the liars and bull-shitters tell you how you should live your life??? Come on now, someone, ANYONE, PLEASE say “ENOUGH ALREADY!!!” I feel a little bit like Morpheus to Neo, just before Neo took the red pill, “Remember, all I’m offering you is the truth, nothing more!” On the other hand, if you would rather swallow the blue pill, and go back to sleep, believing whatever you want to believe, well, that’s up to you!

Psychological tests on those who have been taught a healthy attitude toward sex have proven that such individuals grow up the most socially-adjusted, mature, responsible, and relatively the most happy compared to those who are inhibited and repressed, which often leads to all kinds of neuroses too! One of the things I like about Iceland is its strong social-support-base towards pregnancy, childbirth, parenting (whether “married” or not), and sex generally, where even early experimentation is not even frowned upon! Children are generally treasured, valued, cared-for, respected, well protected, and safe. There are always exceptions of course, but I would say that generally Iceland still retains some very good values in these areas, in spite of any other problems some might have. (These are not usually related to sex, but usually other things). Things are changing now though, again, due to media influence, which usually comes from WHERE??? (OUTSIDE of Iceland!) Again, these are actually very delicate and personal issues, and as I said, each person has the right to be judged on an individual basis. You can’t generalise everybody and everything, but I think you will see that there ARE trends that have been foisted on us, for some time now, which do go contrary to how things were meant to be, and this is my point! You will also note that it is only the homo-sexual issue where I have actually gone to the point of quoting scripture at some length. The main reason for this is because, believe it or not, as I said, it IS one of the ONLY things that The Creator Himself is VERY CLEAR about! His idea was even mercy for the worlds’ first murderer, believe it or not, even knowing what the result would lead to! And, He doesn’t even condemn many other things that society would show NO mercy about, because He understands human nature, even at it’s worst, and always has hopes that we will “see the light”, learn from our mistakes, and simply decide not to do them again, and most honest people, those with consciences, will be like this, unless they are truly given over to “the darkside”. It always comes down to “our immortal majesty of choice”, from which we will all learn eventually, one way or the other. THAT is how much He loves us folks! So, I hope that no-one is feeling too bad about anything written here! The truth is for setting us FREE people! FREE! Who do YOU want to believe??? Want more? Here we goIIII.. Did you know that in Heaven “they neither marry, nor are given in marriageI.”? (This DOESN’T mean that there is no sex people!!! Ha ha!) Maybe because, basically, we are all “married” to each other! – The ultimate fulfilment of the dream of the Hippie Era of the 60’s, “free love”! Ha ha! This doesn’t mean that we lose any relationships we have with loved ones already met, here (or there) either! EVERYTHING we carry over with us to the next life – all the love, loving words, loving deeds, loving relationships, etc remain with us, forever, and ever! But they get better, stronger, deeper, wider! COOL! Nothing is “lost”, only MORE to GAIN! Age will not be an issue of course, because age infers time, and there is NO “time” – Ha ha! We will still each have our own features, inasmuch as we will be recognisable to each other (otherwise how would we know each other – Ha ha?), but we’ll be better, with a new kind of body that doesn’t get tired or sick! It doesn’t need to eat or sleep either, but we can, just for fun! And sex itself? – Will be OFF THE CHARTS!!!!! Ha ha! Maybe any appearance of age, in relation to others that is, will be more like a reflection or representation of our spiritual maturity or growth, though with eternity to grow in, it is hard to

imagine (such are the limitations of our carnal minds, but no matter, we’ve got all eternity to enjoy it all anyway! Ha ha!) Our love will grow, and grow, to the point that the more love we have, the more freedom we will have to enjoy it, and share it, freely, with any and all. It will be up to us how fast (or slow) we want to grow, and He won’t push or drive us, and certainly will not allow any more than we can handle. Then, as He does now, He will KNOW what is best and good for us, and, as always, always encourages us to do our best, so why not go for it!??? Personally, as I said before, “I want it all!!!” To close this chapter (for now, I have a feeling that a lot more will need to be written in the next book! Ha ha!), I want to go back to a statement I made earlier here, and leave a parting thought for you to considerIII “God made men and women, just like Himself and His Wife. He told us what to do – make love and have kids (just like He does, believe it or not!)”IIIII.. God is a spirit, a spiritual being, “The Creator”. We are made “in His image”, and to make love and reproduce. Everything in the physical realm is a product of the reality in the spiritual realm. So, now you know how all the spirits of men and women were created in the first place, before we came to earth. And, just as you have “good” and “bad” kids, in any family or society, so you have “good” and “bad” spirits in the spiritual dimension! Who makes the kids “good” or “bad”? Parents can do the best they can, but ultimately, after all the training, “input” and instruction, the decisions finally rest withIIIII.??? And here’s another thought, just as we have the rest of creation to enjoy, such as animals, pets, etc, so it is in the spiritual realm folks!!! LOTS of surprises in Heaven people! WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO GO THERE??? You’d have to be INSANE (the ULTIMATE in SELFISHNESS!) not to want go – think of all you’d be missing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To find out HOW,turn to PAGE 84!

An addendum to the Sex Chapter --- Am I “a dirty old man”? & About “Relationships”!!!

A somewhat amusing incident occurred when I was at Hressó last Saturday.... Someone I didn’t know, and had never met before, a girl, sat in front of me and practically demanded that I paint her for free! This wasn’t what was amusing though! While I was painting her she “accused” me of being “a dirty old man”!!! Ha ha! Sometime before the weekend, I will write up the account of what happened exactly, and post it here. I will also make some comments about “free painting”, as well as address the “dirty old man” idea. I’ll DO this, just so EVERYBODY will know just where I stand, how I feel, and what I think, okay? THIS is gonna be FUN!!! HA HA!!! 20 April --Okay, so, "dirty old man", huh? Well, I have to take a slight exception to this. SoIIII. "Dirty" – I can be as lazy as anyone with my personal hygiene, when I'm at home, and on my own time! However, when I'm out in public, I'm VERY conscious of this! Because I have a tendency to sweat easily (I hate it! – it makes it hard to hug anyone!), I make sure I have showered and washed my hair, and use antiperspirant/deodorant. I hate shaving too, so I will usually leave this until the last minute. I use cologne (and not the cheap kind!), because I get a lot of hugs from people. I also sometimes chew gum or eat mints! This is because, although I have brushed my teeth, I have to get "up-close-and-personal" when I'm painting, and I want to make sure this is not an un-pleasant experience for anyone! I'm not into "fashion", or “a dresser" (I like comfortable, casual, practical and simple, personally), but my clothes will always be clean! "Old" – What can I say? I am what I am, and it has taken a while to get here (more than half a century)! Ha ha! However, MOST people think I am in my "mid-to-late thirties", up to "mid-forties" (at the MOST), and are quite shocked and surprised to find out that I am ten-to-fifteen years more than that (twenty, in some cases!). I have a young heart and spirit – You should have seen me dancing to "Here (In Your Arms)" by "Hello-Goodbye" in the kitchen the other day! (Oops! Secret's out! I DO dance!!! Ha ha!). Many people my age actually LOOK their age, or even worse! I STILL feel like I'm seventeen, inside, and am quite disappointed and surprised when I look in a mirror, and I think "My Lord, THAT is what everybody ELSE has to LOOK at!" Ha ha! Age HAS taken its toll though! My hair is greyer, and thinning, understandably, and there are plenty of "laughter lines". Since I had to stop playing basketball (due to a knee injury), I have succumbed to a certain amount of "middle-age spread". I get a LOT of aches and pains, mostly due to old injuries from the bus incident, thirty-plus years ago. Basically, everything from my right hip and groin, all the way down to my toes in both legs, hurts! I have to walk, to get any exercise, but it always hurts, especially afterwards. I also have to be very careful with my left wrist and thumb. "Man"? – DEFINITLEY! ABSOLUTELY! And I MAKE NO APOLOGIES FOR IT, WHATSOEVER!!! I LOVE women! But I thank God that He made me a man, so I can love, enjoy and appreciate women as they should be! Period! However, I suspect that this is NOT what this dear girl MEANT when she "accused" me – Ha ha! So I am going to deal with this, once and for all, "for the record", so everyone knows, okay? In all the years I have been here, and painting, I have only ever been challenged three times before, as to my possible motives (I'm not talking about people wanting to take the chair I use for

painting, or being drunk generally. – There was also one guy who "thought" he knew what I was about with regards to what I believed, accusing me of trying to "brainwash" people, ha ha! – I'll deal with THAT falsity another time, okay?). Two of these people were guys, one younger, one older, and there was one girl. In the cases with the guys, they were simply mistaken, and after talking with them for a few minutes they realised it and apologised, even defending me against others (not related to this issue, but just being drunk) stating that "this is a good guy!" In the case with the girl, she was being quite outrageously bold. She ended up becoming a friend, who would often stop by afterwards, to either get painted, just say "Hi!", or talk, and we had some good talks! I haven't seen her in a long time, and I miss her! She is actually very deep, being a Scorpio! I don't know what THIS girls' problem was/is though, but I've been thinking about it, and I have some ideas. I hope she will stop by again sometime, soon, and maybe I can help!? Anyway, for the sake of everyone else, here's "something for you to chew on"III.. Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. Basically, I am “not the one with the problem" here! I'll get to some nitty-gritty in a moment. But right now I will tell you this: If anyone (and I know HUNDREDS, if not THOUSANDS of people) got anything but "a good vibe" off of me, do you think any of them would come anywhere near me??? The truth IS though, I have a LOT of friends, people who DO feel comfortable with me, and will often sit to talk with me, about all kinds of things, even deeply personal stuff, knowing that, knowing that they have nothing to fear from me, AT ALL! I personally consider this a HUGE responsibility, and I would NEVER betray this trust! Funnily, while this particular girl was sitting in front of me (and I was actually painting her, in answer to her request!), one of my friends turned up, came over, with a big smile, and flung her arms around me, for a big hug! (Believe it or not, this happens ALL THE TIME, with LOTS of people, even guys!!!) Seeing this, this other girl got up, and left! (I wondered, "Is she jealous"???) She came back, a little bit later, and wanted to continue her "confrontation". I said, "I don't even KNOW you, and how could you POSSIBLY know me?" She said, "Oh, but I've SEEN you before, and I've WATCHED you!" (Makes me wonder, "What did she SEE?" – Ha ha!) I told her, "Listen, I know LOTS of people, like the girl who was just here! I'm not going to tell you her age, but she is a good friend (like so many others!), a Scorpio (another one – I LOVE Scorpios!), and a model! If I wanted to 'take advantage of the situation', I could! But, don't you think that if I DID, that people would KNOW it? This is simply NOT the case however!" She didn't have an argument to this, so she left again, and for a while, she would pass by, back and forth, looking over towards me each time! "What to do?" as they say in India! I said that I was going to address "free-painting", and I will get to it, later, but I want to completely finish this point first, okay? If you take a look at my PUBLICLY DECLARED STATEMENT OF INTENT on my profile page, on MySpace (now closed, sorry), it says, and I quote:

"I love women (REALLY!!!), so coming to Iceland is "like dying and going to heaven!" Ha ha! (I flirt a LOT, but I do that with everyone - I just think women are wonderful, and I love it if I can make them happy! "Understand them"??? Forget it guys, it will never happen, so let's just love 'em, okay?) I know who I am, what I'm like, what I look like, and my age, so I'm not "stupid". I've been "on my own" for the longest time ever since coming here. I like to be alone sometimes, but I HATE being lonely. I'm open to possibilities, though I am usually quite shy about these things - it takes time to REALLY get to know someone, right? Anyway............. Oh!, and before anyone "panics" - I'm still 17 inside!!!" Okay? GOT THAT? Now here is some "nitty-gritty"III..(Oooooooooooooooooooh!!!) – Ha ha! First of all, as I said, "I'm not stupid!" – Can you imagine anyone wanting to have anything to do th with a fifty-eight year old man (on January 20 2012), unless they were "way up there" in age themselves??? (Eeeeeeew! "No way!" – Ha ha!) On the other hand, I have talked with many of my friends, quite openly, about my age, and the "difference" between me and them (most of whom are half my age, or less), and they have stated (correctly) that "age isn't important!" Now, I am not going to make that statement, because too many could easily misinterpret it! However, I think that it shows incredible maturity on the part of others, to see things that way! I don't meet too many people "my age" – and that is a fact! And as I tell everyone, most of my friends are half my age, or less, including the guys!!! I am not going to be the one "instigating" or "initiating" anything, with anyone! Again, on the other hand, you would be surprised at how many flirt with me, and some are even very bold about it, "letting their requests be made known"! These are the ones I could take advantage of, if that was what I was all about! I have often had to defer someone, simply because I knew that they didn't know how old I was, and I knew that they would be very embarrassed when they found out, or I knew they were drunk! I wanted to spare their feelings! Don't get me wrong! I don't think there is anything wrong with any two people, of any ages (within "legal" boundaries) enjoying each others' company, in any way! However, the greater responsibility would lie with the older one, with regards to responsibility, AND there would have to be an incredible amount of maturity on the part of the younger one, for all kinds of reasons (I'm sure you can imagine what some of those reasons might be)! Want some statistics??? – Well, you ain't gettin' any!!! Anyone who wants details about any ones' relationship(s) with anyone else – the answer is: "It's NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" (AND, I might add, anyone who wants to know, SHOULDN'T be told!!!) There is TOO MUCH GOSSIP these days, and gossip is a KILLER!!! Anyone wanna disagree with that??? I will happily "sacrifice any moments of personal pleasure", personally, in order that my availability to everyone is not jeopardized, in any way, for any reason! I AM NO CELIBATE, believe me, but in a way, “I choose to be”, sometimes! Do you understand? I'm thinking of "the greater good" here, and "It ain't easy!" It can be very lonely sometimes! Okay. I'm gonna post this now. If anyone has any questions, especially if anything is not clear, let me know, okay? I'll get to "free painting" later, okay?

Love you all!

Oh! "a P.S." - I just remembered this joke: There was a young bull, and an old bull, grazing at the top of a field. The young bull stopped, took a look at the herd of heffers (female cows) at the bottom end, turned to the old bull and said, "What do you say we run down the field and have ourselves a few of those heffers?" The old bull (in his wisdom) said, "No! We'll WALK down, and HAVE THEM ALL!" - Ha ha! (Call me "an old bull" if you like! Ha ha!) Oh! Another thing, just to round this off.... I've heard the word "pervert" used a lot, to describe anyone who happens to think about, desire, want, talk to, or talk about, the opposite sex! I only have one thing to say to people with this mentality --- YOU HYPOCRITE!!! AS IF YOU DON'T!!! There is nothing "perverted" about it - YOU are the one "perverted", by thinking or believing that there IS anything "wrong" with it! GET YOURSELF SORTED OUT! 'NUF SAID!!!

08 January 2012 --- An editorial comment!... Since this book was written, an amazing and wonderful thing has happened! Someone has chosen to love ME, IN SPITE of any â&#x20AC;&#x153;age differenceâ&#x20AC;?, and we are VERY happy together. Our little girl was born May 29th, 2009! I refer of course to my dearly beloved Imba! XXXXXXX

11 June 2007 --- Relationships! A supplement to Chapter 8 of the Book! It’s hard to know how to start on what I want to say here, so I’ll just dive right in, okay? If you’ve read Chapter 8, you will understand that I am by no means “a conservative” when it comes to relationships with others. Also, because I have been married twice and, you could say, “failed” in those relationships (in truth, it is actually really a matter of perspective and opinion, and both of these change, and continue to do so as more experience is gained), you might think that I don’t really know what I’m talking about, and “don’t have the right” to comment here, but let’s seeIII. I’ve been here in Iceland for nine years now, and made a lot of friends, some close, some getting closer, some I’m still learning about, and some I still barely know at all. Most of my friends are much younger than me and I treasure these dear ones. I love them all, and, as anyone who does love another, I really just want each and every one to be happy, fulfilled, satisfied, free – free to love and be loved! A noble aspiration and I don’t think there is any need to apologise for this. I am very happy when I see my friends happy and very sad when I see them sad – my heart fairly breaks for them! In talking with each one, do you know what the subject is that comes up most often, in joy and also pain? Relationships with others! Now “relationships” are just that – a relationship to another! It can be almost anything, on almost any level. It can be physical (as in a relative or lover), emotional, spiritual, intellectual, a friend, sexual – you name it! But usually the ones that involve the greater emotional and physical content involve the relationship between a guy and a girl, and the younger someone is (and thus are just beginning on life’s great adventure in learning all about these things) the more intense and traumatic, demanding and involved this is – it’s a real “roller-coaster ride” isn’t it, or can be at least? There is usually so much focus and attention on all this when it is happening, almost like it becomes the centre of everything in the persons’ life at the time, and if, or rather (usually) “when” it comes to “an end”, the effect can be devastating! Even the thought of this possibility is enough to make most people want to cling on even harder, to something, in the person of a someone, just to avoid the reality of finding themselves all alone, again! It’s hard enough to find someone to share those intimate times with in the first place, right? Well, I would like to propose some thoughts and ideas that might help, if I may? It is a bit of a complex subject, because all relationships are different. Not every person is the same. People have different viewpoints and experiences, as well as different expectations, and also different reactions to things that happen in their lives. It is thus hard to generalise in this sense. However, the principles, if applied correctly, can work, pretty much across-the-board, for anyone! Ready??? First of all, just because (especially in this day and age) the chances of failure in relationships happens to be very high, that is no excuse for not trying, and working to make things work – it does take effort, but it is well worth it! Also, although the “and they lived happily ever after” scenario is becoming rarer, it doesn’t mean that it is impossible. There are usually many factors that seem to actually fight against relationships working, but they can, and if you can keep one, well, “well done!” A “good” relationship, a real one, can only get better, as the participants get better at it, learning what to do (and what not to do)! It doesn’t mean it will always be rosy - there will be thorns, but it can get stronger, and more enduring, deeper! A lot depends on what you build it with as well of course! (Just think “good list” for this bit!) Believe it or not, a big part of the problem lies in the misconception and misunderstanding in what a “relationship” is supposed to be! “Societies’ standards”, especially the so-called “moral” ones,

are way too often way off the mark! What we are taught as “right” and “wrong” are often ideas based in selfishness and materialism, not REAL love (and all that comes with it!). Many of these “values” are handed down, from generation to generation, through “the laws of the land”, “religions”, and by narrow-minded viewpoints portrayed in music and the movies. Everyone is looking for that “perfect (soul)mate”, and they simply do not exist! There is no “perfect one and only”, for any of us, and do you know why? Because we weren’t made to be “exclusive”!!! As I said, a REAL relationship won’t “die”, it will only get better, and it should last “forever”. However, if you think that there is only ONE person, in the whole wide world (out of seven billion people folks!?) who is going to “satisfy” and “fulfil your every need” and “complete” you, well, I hope you find that one! But what are you going to do in the meantime? Hope? Well, that’s great, but what about life and love in the meantime? Aren’t you missing out on something, “waiting for that elusive butterfly” of something that might never happen, at least in the way you want or expect? Someone wisely said once that love wasn’t a matter of finding the right person, but of BEING the right person! If you GIVE love, you’ll GET love! BUT, if you are continually trying to just GET love, you probably never will! But let’s say you find yourself “in a relationship” (it does happen folks, sometimes – ha ha!), what do you do THEN? Do you exclude others, and shut them out, just because you are supposed to be “loyal”, “faithful”, etc? Don’t get me wrong, we are SUPPOSED to be loyal, faithful, etc, and all relationships are built on trust, right? But this is where many fall short, and often fail, and why I want to address this topic – I’m hoping that I can broaden your mind and perspectives and horizons here, and if I succeed, even if only in opening the door a little, perhaps, you just might find the freedom you’ve been looking for, and thus happiness, okay? A term that is often used to explain the reason why a relationship has failed is “cheating” – “He (or she) cheated on her (or him)!” What does this mean? Usually it means that one, or the other, had sex with someone else, who was not in the exclusive, private relationship that the original two had with each other. Is this “cheating”? Well if there was no honesty, and no agreement to the act, then I would definitely say that trust was hurt, maybe even betrayed, and that doesn’t help the relationship! But is the sex the “cheating” part? The cheating is in not having the maturity to be able to be open and honest, trusting, loving, forgiving, and giving in the relationship. Sex is just sex, but if the relationship between the original two is missing or lacking any of the “essential elements”, then just about anything and everything they do would be “cheating” on the other, wouldn’t it?, and THESE are the causes of failed relationships, not just the act of fucking someone else! How many people are NOT completely honest with each other, for whatever reason(s), about OTHER things, things that are far more important, I wonder? Well, enough on that, except that as far as fucking goes, here’s a juicy little quote from a friend of mine, shared with me some time back, but it just about sums up how I see things, because I happen to agree with it, and I think it’s a great way to approach life. “What’s a fuck between friends?” You’ve doubtless heard it said “What are friends for?” Wouldn’t you rather have sex with someone you knew and trusted as a friend? Even with “casual sex” you can find, and have, “fuckbuddies” these days, so what’s the big deal??? The real “enemy”, “danger” and “threat” to a relationship is not having sex with others! It’s the selfishness that two people can get into (being “exclusive” with each other), along with all that goes with it, such as jealousy! These things can really destroy a relationship – kill it dead! (And this has even happened in actuality in some cases, as I’m sure you are aware – “crimes of passion” as they are called! It’s NOT love, is it?) What happens when people box themselves in like this (while shutting others out), is they end up depending on , or rather demanding, that their “other half” meet their EVERY need, and I mean EVERY need (or they just “go without”), and no one person can do this! This is a fact! How many

people are honestly satisfied with this, really!? And if they are NOT, what will they DO? – Go find something else, somewhere else, dishonestly, and “cheat”!!!!! Got it? It’s doomed to failure folks, sorry! “Variety is the spice of life!” We are not all the same! We all have a great capacity to love, and be loved! Why not “spread it around”? Different people we know and meet have different things that we need from each of them – we all need each other! Where does the idea come from that anyone should be left out, all alone, that we can “do it all by ourselves” (or just with one other), hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!??? Pretty limiting, if you ask me! This doesn’t mean we “abandon” and “forsake” our loved ones, in preference for “a new (and novel, for a while) love”!!! This is where our loyalty and faithfulness comes in! It just means that the relationship is strong, open, and free enough to include others, without threat or detriment. I understand that many, if not most, could probably not handle this kind of thing well, human nature being what it is. But doesn’t this make for a great ideal? “You gotta start somewhere!”, and “practice makes perfect!” right? This is one of my favourite poems: “He (or she) drew a circle that shut me out. But love and I had the wit (wisdom) to win, And we drew a circle that brought him (or her) in!” The bigger you can draw your circle, the less people are going to be left out! Of course, how far IN to the circle others are willing to come is up to them! Cool idea? If everyone just kept drawing bigger and bigger circles, NO one would be left out, and EVERY one would have what they needed, in EVERY way! THIS is how it is in Heaven folks!!! I know a lot of people, and I have a lot of friends. I would say that this is because I love a lot of people, so they love me, on the various different levels that they are capable of. I had lived on my own for a long time just recently, the first time I had lived alone in my entire life! It was not been easy, but it sure was an interesting experience! I don’t particularly like being alone! But when I’m downtown I see and meet a lot of people! I get a lot of attention, a lot of hugs, and a lot of kisses! I keep drawing a bigger and bigger circle, every week! As a result, I get a little bit of love, from a lot of people! I would rather have that, than none from one, or only a little from one, just because I was “in a relationship” – get it? Hope this helps!!! Love always, David.

Appendices

Frequently asked questions: Actually, if you have read this far, most of your questions, about me that is, should have been answered already. If not, feel free to contact me through any of the means listed on the front (title) page. However, one question I am often asked when I’m downtown on the weekends, painting and meeting people, is “Is this all that you do?” The answer is of course “No”. What I do on the weekends is the most fun part, meeting people - my “outreach” you could say. During the week, I do a lot of other things, as well as all the usual things everyone else has to do with a family. I have lived communally for most of my life, and as such my lifestyle has been usually very different to what it is now. I am hoping that it will become that way again, in the not too distant future, but who knows? It has been quite “an adventure”, not always easy, but I have learned a lot, and I am happy that I took this “leap of faith”, and I have no regrets! I never thought I would ever do something like this, and would not normally have considered it. It took a long time to reach the decision, with a great deal of thought, soul-searching, and prayer with prophecy, but I would do it all over again, definitely! – The main reason? – YOU! Besides this, I have come to realise that writing is something I should do, and there will be a second book. (IS now – the second part of this publication) I follow-up on a LOT of people I meet and come to know, usually over the net (e-mail, Skype, etc). Also I have built my own web-site, which requires some maintenance. I study, a LOT. A lot of reading, as well as research into current events that have direct bearing on how people are being affected today, which also fulfil Biblical predictions, believe it or not! My thinking is not of, or for, this world, nor is my preparation. However, what I know and have learned is of great help to many now, and will become even more so in the very near future, so I devote most of my time and attention to preparing for this. The immediate future is not going to be easy, for anybody, but the ETERNAL future is going to be ONE WILD RIDE – I just want to do all I can to help others be ready too, for both! I have things to do in my day-to-day life, just like everyone else, but my attitude is “I’m just passing through, on my way home, trying to help as many as I meet along the way, hopefully encouraging them to join me on the journey!” I have “an ulterior motive”, a goal! I KNOW what I’m doing, in this sense, and I KNOW the future! The “specifics”, on a day to day basis, can be as surprising to me as anyone though, but it is never “dull” or “boring!” Ha ha! I hope you will find this book inspiring, and helpful, and as I always say to people, “There’s more! Oh, there’s always more, much more!” This book is dedicated to, and comes with much love for, you, the reader! Always, David.

Credits & Links,,.. First, without The God of Love, The Creator, you wouldn’t be reading this, and I wouldn’t have written it! Fact! Second, without His Wife, His Holy Spirit, none of us would have been “born” (of His Spirit of Love – Have you?). Fact! Third, without His Son, Jesus, there would be nothing to talk about, and no way to get back Home, to Heaven! (Are you “there” yet?) Fact! (“These Three are One!”I..) Without the writings and teachings of “Father” David Brandt Berg, and the sound nurturing of the fruit of his greatest work (his writings) in the form of his Family, “The Family”, I would never have found my purpose and calling for my life, and I certainly wouldn’t have clue of what I was talking about now. There are THOUSANDS of articles, on virtually every subject, anything you need to know, available at the links listed below! Without the loving faithfulness of his “scribe” Maria, to record those words and pass them on, as well as to faithfully continue to “feed” His words to us all, wellIIII Without a certain Peter’s faithful administration and care in helping Maria to “govern” The Family International, wellII. Without a universe of spiritual guides and helpers, as well as a world of lovers, friends and helpers, here in the physical realm, I wouldn’t have made it THIS far! Lots of love, David.

A P.S. --- I may as well include this here, â&#x20AC;&#x153;just for funâ&#x20AC;?!!! (He he!) Someone sent me one of those "What you are like" questionnaire things recently. I didn't know where else to put it, so I'm including the result here. Also included below is a brief reading on my astrological (Western and Chinese) signs and numerology - just for fun, but it seems pretty accurate to me!!! David, you're Calm, Cool, and Collected Do your friends like to lean on your shoulder? Ask you for advice in life and love? Put you on speed-dial for emergencies? We bet they do. You're as balanced as they come. When it comes to making decisions, you're not afraid to take the time to weigh your options carefully in order to make the right choice. And it takes more than a few obstacles to rattle your cool head. The good news is that you've also got lots of heart, and you make sure that people know that you always have their backs. There's almost nothing more important to you than the people in your life, so being a support to them is the coolest thing around. Just like you.

Sun Sign = Aquarius Element: Air Mode: Fixed Ruler: Uranus (I never liked the sound of this word......he he!) Color: Electric Blue, Violet, Gray-green Famous Aquarians: Sir Francis Bacon, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Placido Domingo, Mia Farrow, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Galileo Galilei, Barbara Hershey, Abraham Lincoln, James Michener, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Paul Newman, Norman Rockwell, Jules Verne, Oprah Winfrey, Virginia Woolf Strengths: Adventurous, curious, flexible, idealistic, humanitarian, independent, innovative, intuitive, loyal, original, resourceful, sociable, spontaneous Weaknesses: (Actually, I would consider quite a few of these as "strengths" - such as "eccentric" "peculiar" "quixotic" "radical" "unpredictable" - he he!) Eccentric, inaccessible, inconsistent, intolerant, peculiar, quixotic, radical, rebellious, scattered, unpredictable, unrealistic Aquarius, the eleventh of the zodiac, is considered the sign of perspective, the future, and new projects. The water bearer symbolizes intellectual development through communication and innovation. Of all signs, you are the most idealistic and humanitarian, with a strong sense of community and fraternity. Your ruler Uranus, the planet of change and revolution, represents originality and a strong drive for adventure and freedom. Uranus is also called the rebel planet, and its energy is radical, sudden, and unpredictable. Aquarius is the third of the three air signs, which means that your intellectuality is expressed as an intuitive grasp of universal principles, along with a concern for the universal wellbeing of humanity.

Aquarius rules the eleventh house of the chart, David, the sector associated with friends and groups, intellectual pleasures, socializing, and attitude toward society. However, it also describes personal hopes and wishes, as well as collective trends and humanitarian issues. Yours is a fixed sign, which means that you resist manipulative behavior. You form your own opinion, however unusual it may be, and refuse to adapt. If someone dares to push, pull, or pressure you, they will definitely get to know your stubborn and eccentric side. (VERY true!) Rising Sign: Leo Leo Rising, you present yourself with dignity, energy, and will. You are able to engage and fascinate people by displaying an incredible amount of self-assurance, and an exquisite sense of courteousness. In some cases, David, you may even enter into and dominate a situation without being invited, and once you are center stage, you begin your show, very attentive to the audiences applause. (Sorry!) Your creativity, mixed with a touch of drama, usually gets you the attention you want, because you thrive on the vital energy you receive through recognition and admiration. Sometimes, when you are alone, you turn to the mirror admiring and studying yourself, wondering how others see and think of you. (Embarrassing!) You can definitely be considered a force of nature, David, because you never seem to run out of energy. You enjoy a practically indestructible confidence in yourself (I've never actually thought this way myself, believe it or not), which allows you to accomplish great things. When you use your powers for good, you are as generous, humane, open-minded, and faithful as can be, and enjoy sharing your experience with others. You are supportive, loyal, and benevolent, which is the reason why people love and respect you. However, when you use your powers for selfish reasons, your intense personality may suffer from arrogance, autocratic pride, egocentrism, and extreme narcissism. (I guess this is why I have had to endure having some "rough edges" knocked off! He he! Humiliation can be difficult, but good for the soul!) Life Path Number: 22 Your Life-Path number is probably the most influential numerological aspect to be considered, David, and represents who you are at the time of birth. It indicates specific traits and will likely be active and influential throughout your lifetime. It is the overall number that determines much of what will be important to you and how you will handle things as they come. If your Life-Path number is TWENTY-TWO, yours is the highest and most powerful number there is. A Master Vibration number of TWENTY-TWO is quite rare and this path can be the most difficult to live up to and fulfill. TWENTY-TWOS are endowed with many powers and can reach most any height. They are often referred to as the "Master Builders" as the efforts of people with this Life-Path are almost always enjoyed by all. TWENTY-TWOS are movers and shakers. They are the leaders and role models in our society. Key words/qualities associated with a TWENTY-TWO Life-Path are large endeavors, powerful force, leadership, and the master builder. Chinese Sign: Snake Like the Snake that enchanted Eve, you know how to make more than one person lose their head! Refined, funny, and gifted in seduction, you shine in society with your intelligence and vivacious spirit. The snake is admired in China for his wisdom and you have a philosophy in life that is all your own. Intuitive and lucid in all situations, you become reserved when conversing and are silent most of the time, preferring to let your thoughts make their way in silence rather than through chatter.

However, if the subject is abstract, you don't hesitate expressing yourself while your audience looks up to you in admiration, seduced by your knowledge. A cold-blooded animal, you love intrigue and playfulness in life, but preserve large periods of time for idleness. You have the capacity to realize your projects in a few hours while others would take days to complete them. When you start out, your efficiency is terrifying and all the more so as you often work alone and at your own rhythm. You are faster than the average person, as you slide over obstacles like a snake in the grass. With your venom, you willingly attack your enemies with acerbic comments, leaving them only when your thirst for revenge has been satisfied. It's better being your friend... (This last bit is hard to read, but I have been through enough "tough stuff" in my life to have this pretty much "beaten out" of me. I prefer to "walk away" from things now. Confrontation is avoided, and arguments are never "won" - everybody loses!)

Also, "just for fun" - Someone gave me a copy of a MENSA test recently. Basically, it's a form of "intelligence test". You can grade yourself on the results from answering 32 questions (there are 33, but the first answer is given to you, as an example). Apparently, only 2 of MENSA's own people were ever able to answer all the questions. Anything over 19 is considered "genius". My score was 23! I know, I know - you don't have to believe it! I surprised myself! He he! I didn't "cheat", and I'll happily send you a copy, with my answers, if necessary!

Have a great day, Dear Ones! With Love Always, David.

Prayer: By now, you will have read a few different examples of a prayer, the one you can simply pray to receive Jesus into your heart. It is not complicated, not “rocket science”, just a decision, an act of faith, one that will be met! Most people are afraid to make the decision, for fear that they will “lose” something, their “freedom” and “independence” maybe, to live their life as they would like, whatever that is. They fear it will “limit” their life to a “religion” of “don’ts”. “Maybe later, when I really need to!” Or “I’m too busy!” Or “I just want to do I first, THEN I’ll “be good”!” Etc, etc. But this is simply just not the case at all. That is a LIE, screamed in your ear by the one who doesn’t want to “lose” you from his clutches! NOBODY has “control” over their life! NO-ONE knows what will “happen”, from one moment to the next! No-ones’ life turns out the way they would have chosen or foreseen! And “shit happens!” Wouldn’t you rather KNOW that, WHATEVER happens in THIS life, you will be safe, and secure, for EVER!!! AND, all along the way, you can actually enjoy the life you have here, while all the while learning about what you can look forward to and expect, in the future! MOST people are scared shitless of death and dying, AND “the future”! You don’t have to be! Just pray this simple, short prayer, and begin finding out what it’s REALLY all about!.......

“Jesus, I thank You for the love You have shown me by coming to Earth, by living and dying for me. I want to know You, to receive Your love, and Your gift of eternal life. Please touch my life with the love You have to offer, and help me to share that love with others too.” By the way, “Amen” simply means, “So be it!” So, “Amen to that!” With love always, David.

A Book Of Miracles

David Shea ÂŠ David Shea January 2012

INDEX

Introduction.......... 90 Chapter 1 -- Early Days!.......... 92 Chapter 2 -- The Beginning of Thousands of Miles of Miracles!.......... 94 Chapter 3 – Nearly a Thousand Kilometres in one day!.......... 98 Chapter 4 -- Munich, 1972, and beyond!.......... 100 Chapter 5 – Switzerland, a land of miracles!.......... 102 Chapter 6 – Out of the Frying Pan......... 106 Chapter 7 -- and into The Fire!.......... 110 Chapter 8 – Details, or “The Nitty-Gritty”!.......... 112 Chapter 9 – More Details, and what happened next!.......... 116 Chapter 10 – Why! The Bottom Line!.......... 118 Chapter 11 – After “Where it ain’t!”.......... 122 Chapter 12 – Next Stop, India!.......... 128 Chapter 13 – India, Part 2!.......... 132 Chapter 14 – India, Part 3!.......... 140 Chapter 15 – Halfway, an Interim, and Beyond....to China!.......... 144 Chapter 16 – Hsinchu, Silicon Valley of the East!.......... 148 Chapter 17 – Back to Hsinchu!.......... 152 Chapter 18 – More Miracles in Hsinchu!.......... 156 Chapter 19 – Iceland!.......... 162 Chapter 20 – Iceland continued!.......... 168 Chapter 21 – Imba and Me!.......... 172 Chapter 22 – And now, “A Word From Our Sponsor”!.......... 176 Chapter 23 – Conclusion!.......... 184 Chapter 24 – To The Future!.......... 186 Credits and Links.......... 190

Introduction Hi! --- If you have not read the first book “A Journey!” this may, or may not, make much sense to you. No matter, each of these accounts stand on their own! All I will tell you is – they happened, to me, whether you choose to believe them or not. But a question first, before I get into it: Why would I lie to you? There is no point to any falsehood! Any falsehood is always found out, though in this day and age many seem to believe a lie more quickly than “the horrible truth”, even after falsehood is exposed (I’m sure you can think of many examples – just look at history, recent especially, as it is presented in the media – which do YOU believe?). The Truth is not always easy to face, but it is liberating when we do! Otherwise we become enslaved by lies, either our own, or someone else’s. Well, people believe what they want to believe, and I’m not going to waste my time trying to convince anybody of anything here. I’m just going to tell you what happened – what you do with it is up to you. Some of these accounts are “big”, and some are incredibly “small” – it is not the size of the event that is important. What is important is the impact it had, the effect - in most cases, life-changing! This is the purpose of “a miracle”, which is translated from a word which means something “to see” or “behold”. People will usually only admit to “believing what they can see”! However, “More blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed” – this is where faith comes in! We will tend to “see” more because we believe, rather than if we wait to see before we will “believe”, get it? So, as the title suggests, this is “a book of miracles”. It is a chronological account of all things miraculous, that have happened to me over the last forty years or so. It is not everything – I just don’t have the time for that, or even the memory. These are the highlights, and the reason why they stand out, as I think you will see, is that each event had a purpose, and that purpose was personal to me – mainly in encouraging me to believe, and thus grow in faith. I hope these accounts will help encourage your faith, because faith (believing in the un-seeable) is “the true coinage of the realm”, and has great reward! You’ll see! With much love, David.

Chapter 1 - Early Days! My first big test on whether, or rather how much, I believed happened just a day or two after I had had my big life-changing experience that set me on a path from which I have never returned! Some of the accounts that you will read here may look or sound quite funny in retrospect, even ridiculous, and some that have occurred are so embarrassing that I’m not sure I will even be able to recount them – some people I have shared them with, verbally, have physically squirmed when hearing them! Let’s see what happens and how far we get, shall we? Anyway, I had to go to the bathroom – a normal, everyday occurrence for most, right? This was what I expected anyway. It was not until I got up from sitting down though that the full horror of something very unexpected hit me, and I wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. There, completely covering the whole of the inside of the toilet bowl was a mass of bright red blood! I had no idea what was happening. I was in no pain, but I had never had anything like this happen to me before! What do I do? Do I call for help? Do I get rushed to hospital? Was I dying? I later found out what it was, but all I can tell you is that this is what happened, then and there. I looked down at the toilet, and said “Lord, I don’t know what this is! I don’t know if this means I am going to die! But I do know that I didn’t come here to die, or to quit, or to run away, or to go to a hospital, so, you are either going to have to take care of this, or I die, but I’m not leaving! I leave it with you!” I then went about my business. Amazingly, I didn’t have any recurrence of this for a very long time. I found out later that it was hemorrhoids, and though I have had the occasional problem with it, for the most part a healthy diet and enough healthy exercise have kept it at bay. Whew! Sound silly? – Well maybe to you! But for all intents and purposes, I was amazingly healed of “I didn’t know what” at the time, and, for all I knew, it could have meant “life or death”! A few months later I was in Holland. I don’t know how, or why, but somehow I got an extremely sore throat – so bad that it felt like I was swallowing razor-blades! I was desperate, I could hardly breathe. I called a friend of mine over, explained the situation, and asked him to pray for me. He did. Right then and there, as he finished, I swallowed, and it was like I was swallowing ice-cream – cool, smooth, refreshing, soothing, and after it had “gone down”, the sore throat was gone! Now there have been many other things since that I either “had”, or “didn’t have”, “the faith” for. Headaches, for example! It is rare that I ever get one, but they are so traumatic an experience for me personally that I will take a pill as soon as I even start to feel one coming on!

Actually, there is a lot to be learned about faith, what it is, and what it isn’t, and it can, literally, be “a life or death” thing! I will probably get into some detail about “the bus incident” that wasn’t included in Chapter Three of the previous Book, as well as some other things here, so please bear with me. This is important stuff! Okay? These first accounts have to do with healing, and they were some of my first experiences with miracles, of this sort. What will follow next though are things that have nothing to do with healing. Remember, I’m trying to keep this chronological. All of these experiences, added up, amount to something amazing and incredible! Read on.

Chapter 2 - The Beginning of Thousands of Miles of Miracles! After a few months in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Holland, I felt led to go to Norway. After all, it was the land of my forefathers, on my father’s side! I took a friend with me, and we determined to hitch-hike up there. It wasn’t a problem in the early 70’s to do this sort of thing, as many travelers did exactly that, especially to get around Europe. We didn’t have any problem getting up to the German/Danish border at Flensburg, northern Germany. However, things were to change dramatically at this point! We crossed the border on foot. Leaving Germany was not a problem, but trying to get into Denmark was! We couldn’t understand why, because Kristania was at its peak at this time and all kinds of travelers and hippies seemed to be able to find their way there, why not us? The border police at Denmark stopped us, looked at us in our hippie clothes and backpacks, and asked us how much money we had!? (We were “travelling by faith”, as Jesus’ disciples did, not thinking about these things). We had five Dutch Guilders in our pockets, so we told them that, but that we were on our way to Norway. “Sorry! You cannot enter Denmark like that!” “What?” “You will have to go back!” “But what if Germany won’t accept us again?” “Not our problem!” Well, Germany let us back in without even a question, but we wanted to get to Norway, which meant going through Denmark to Copenhagen, taking the ferry to Sweden, hitch-hiking up to the Swedish/Norwegian border, and crossing into Norway there! The guy I was travelling with was an American, but he had an Uncle in Sweden. He suggested that he call his Uncle, explain the situation, ask if he could telegraph money to us, which we could show at the border so we could cross, and then we could return the money on our way through Sweden! Great idea! We called. He agreed, and sent the money! In the meantime we were camped out next to the highway, at the border, in the pouring rain. After we got the money, we figured perhaps it would be better not to try to cross the border on foot, so as to avoid any further attention. We stood by the highway and stuck out our thumbs and a really nice Danish family, on their way home from Germany, stopped and picked us up. Everything was fine, until we got to the Danish border again. The border police stopped the car and ordered us out! We explained that the nice family had graciously wanted to help us. We had money now, as the other guy’s Uncle had sent it to us from Sweden, and we were on our way to see him. “You’re not coming into Denmark!” “What? Why?” “You just aren’t! Go back!” Wow! Well, of course we had no idea why this was happening. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We weren’t trying to do anything wrong. So, we asked our “Boss”, “What’s going on Lord? Why can’t we get into Denmark?” “You’re going the wrong way!” “What? Why?” “You’re going the wrong way! You’re trying to go 94

North, but I want you to go South!” “What’s South?” “Munich! The Olympic Games! I want you there!” (This was 1972!) “Ooooooh!” This next bit is going to sound a little funny, but anyway... When you are out of His Will, or rather not in it, nothing really works, at least, not as it should do! We had just “figured out” (ha ha!) that we were trying to do something that wasn’t His Plan! So, we figured “Okay Lord, we’ll go South, to Munich, BUT”... We had been camping out, by the roadside, at the border, for three days. We figured that if we were to head for Munich, we needed a thing or two. We were cold, wet, and a little hungry (haven’t got time to tell you about how we stumbled upon the street of prostitutes in Flensburg, sorry! Ha ha!). So, we told the Lord “We could sure use a nice warm, dry bed for the night! A hot shower and a breakfast would be nice as well! We have a long way to travel tomorrow!” (It was 1000 Kilometers to Munich from where we were). “Go back into town” was all He said! From our previous visit into Flensburg we were aware that there was a YMCA in the town, so we figured “Okay, it’s supposed to be Christian, and we certainly are, so why don’t we go there and ask for a place for the night?” It was almost 10:30 pm when we walked through the doors, and as we did we heard people singing – “And when the saints, go marchin’ in, and when the saints go marchin’ in. I wanna be in that number, when the saints go marchin’ in!” We couldn’t help thinking “Is that ‘a sign’ or something?” Ha ha! Then the doors were closed and locked behind us! A guy, who we supposed to be the manager, came up to ask to ask us what we wanted. We said we needed a bed for the night! “Oh, of course. Are you members?” “No!” “Oh, well, have you any money?” We said “No!” (because the money that my friends Uncle had sent us wasn’t ours – we had to give it back!) “Oh! Well, what makes you think I should give you beds for the night then?” --- At this we pulled out a Bible and showed him what Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew chapter 10, verse 11! “And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.” We explained that we were two of His disciples, traveling by faith, and that we were just asking him if he was “worthy” enough to put us up for the night!? At this, he just burst out laughing, and then said “Okay, room seven, down the hall. There’s a couple of other guys in there, but there are two beds free!” (Seven is one of God’s numbers by the way!) When we got to the room, we found the two young travelers getting ready to bed down for the night. There were three sets of bunks in the room, and as they had taken the one nearest the door, we thought to take the one nearest the window, to allow for more space and privacy. After a few moments, while getting ourselves ready for bed, we struck up a conversation. “Hi! Where are you from? Where are you headed?” I can’t remember their reply, but of course they were then curious to know where we

were from and where we were going, so of course we told them, everything that had transpired up to that point from when we left Holland. They couldn’t believe it! “You mean, you live without any money?” “Well, no, not exactly. We live by faith! God supplies what we need!” “That’s impossible! Noone can do that! Where do you get your food from?” “Well, He told us that if we preach the Gospel, He would make sure we would be fed and clothed, and He even supplies places for us to stay, like here, now, with you! And maybe, just maybe, you are why we are here, so He could tell you that all this is possible!” “You guys are crazy!” “That may be so, but it works!” And we laughed about it a bit with them. A few moments later, one of them came over, and handed us some bread, cheese, milk, fruit, etc, and a couple of candles for our “candle-light dinner”! After he had finished setting it down on the stool in front of us, we just looked up, smiled, thanked them, and said “See?” And they laughed some more! These were good-natured young people, but that seemed to be all that they could handle for the day, so we handed them a piece of literature each, with contact info on them too, and wished them a “Good Night” before enjoying a very warm and comfortable night’s sleep ourselves. It was going to be a big day tomorrow, so we were glad of it!

Chapter 3 - Nearly a Thousand Kilometers in one day! We had had a very good night’s sleep, which was very welcome. We were up on the Northern border of Germany, next to Denmark, and we were trying to get to Munich in the South, a thousand kilometers away! We got up early, because we had a long way to go and wanted an early start, but we took advantage of the showers and the free breakfast that came with the room first. Yummmmm! We knew we had a long way to go, and it would have been great to make the whole journey that day, if we could. So we prayed, of course! As we were walking out of the front door, after thanking the manager for letting us stay, we saw a man getting into a Mercedes. We ran up to him and asked him if he might be going to Munich by any chance? He said that he wasn’t, but that he would be happy to drop us at the autobahn (motorway). We thanked him and climbed aboard. On the way we prayed real hard, basically this. “Lord, this ride won’t take us to Munich. However, we will be at the motorway soon, and we don’t have a lot of time to waste just standing by the roadside for long periods of time. The motorways here are fast and extensive, but people don’t usually stop either, so You are just going to have to do a miracle! In Your Name, we ask that the first car to come after we are dropped will stop and pick us up, as soon as we stick out our thumb even!” After the kind gentleman had dropped us at the roadside and we had thanked him, we put out our thumbs – and the very first car stopped to pick us up, less than a minute later, about thirty seconds actually! This ride took us all the way to Hamburg. We talked with the driver all the way, but it wasn’t long before we were there, as there is no speed limit on the German autobahn. He dropped us, and we were so thrilled at how The Lord had answered our prayer, we figured He could do it again, so we asked again for the same thing, “the first car, etc”, and it stopped, “just as we had ordered”! This was a young girl though, and she was driving as far as Hanover! For a girl to pick up two guys was daring enough, but look at what followed. We talked with her all the way, and when we got to Hanover, she asked if we had had any lunch yet? We explained that we hadn’t, and by now it was early afternoon, so she said she would take us to her place for lunch. She was very sweet, and after feeding us, explained that she just had to go out for a little while, but if we wanted to we could rest in her apartment for that time, and then when she got back she would take us to the motorway again, so we could continue our journey. We agreed. By late afternoon we were standing by the roadside, almost half way on our journey through Germany, and in just two rides so far! We thought, “This is the way to travel!” (with The Lord), and tried our prayer again, as it seemed to be working! Our next ride took us as far as Kassel, and again we prayed, the same prayer, and again He answered!

The first car pulled up (in answer to the prayer of course), but this time our driver seemed quite authoritative. It was starting to get dark, and we thought he might even be a policeman maybe, as he demanded “What are you doing here?” We explained. He said “Don’t you know it is illegal to hitch-hike on the autobahn?” We didn’t actually, and told him so. He said “Well, you can’t stay here. You had better get in!” We thought that maybe he was arresting us, but it turned out that he wasn’t after all, he was just on his way South. We were very thankful, and did our best to talk with him, though he was a bit reserved. This didn’t make what followed to be an easy thing to ask, as it turned out, but here’s what happened. We got to Nuremberg and it was getting late, being already dark. He lived in Nuremberg, and as it didn’t look like we would make it all the way to Munich that night, especially as it would be difficult to find a place to stay so late in the evening even if we did, this man decided to take us to the YMCA so we could have a place to sleep. The thing is, although we still had my friend’s uncle’s money, we didn’t want to use it, as we still had to return it, or so we thought. (Later we called him, explaining that we couldn’t make it across the border after all and what should we do with the money? He said to keep it! Wow!) As we drove up to the YMCA it became clear that it would be unlikely that we would be able to get a room there anyway, as it looked like “the whole world” had arrived that night! Ha ha! So, we asked this man if he could put us up? This took him back a bit at first, but after thinking about it he said “Okay!” It turned out that he had converted his basement and garage into a mini-apartment, so he showed it to us and told us that this was where we could stay. He turned out to be a really nice guy after all, and brought us a meal to eat, including wine, as well as making sure we had everything we needed for the night. He then also brought us breakfast the next morning. After we were cleaned up and had all our gear together he drove us to the motorway, the very thing he had told us at first was not allowed! Ha ha! He dropped us on the slip-road, the road that led up to the motorway itself, where traffic joined the motorway from the city. We were sure that getting to Munich from here, a mere hundred and twenty kilometers away, after covering nine hundred or so the previous day, in just four rides and with everything provided, was going to be “a cinch”, however...

Chapter 4 - Munich, 1972, and beyond! We had covered nine hundred kilometers in four rides the day before. We didn’t have far to go now. We knew we were going to Munich, but where we would go when we got there, and what we would do exactly, we had no idea. I remembered from a year before that someone had said that we would have teams from all over Europe there during the Olympic Games, but I hadn’t heard anything about that since then. We were going simply on what The Lord had told us in Flensburg, two days before. It seemed a simple and probably quick matter to get to Munich now, but we were wrong! We waited five hours by the roadside, with very little traffic passing, and none of it stopping for us! We were perplexed, to say the least. “What’s going on Lord? How come no-one is stopping? We came so far so fast yesterday. Why are we still here?” “You are waiting for someone!” “Huh?” “You’ll see!” At that moment, we saw a young girl walking up the slip road towards us! She was hitch-hiking too! “Oh no! That’s all we need! If anyone is going to stop now, they will take her, and not two guys! We will be stuck here even longer!” “The Boss” said “THAT’S who you are waiting FOR!” “Huh?” She was bright and breezy, and very friendly, and had barely gotten to where we were waiting before asking how long we had been there, where we were headed, etc. We had not even had a chance to answer when a young student approached in his “Deux Chevaux” (2 horse power Citroen, the kind every student in Europe drove in those days, if they couldn’t afford a VW “Beetle” or camper that is). She stuck out her thumb and of course he stopped. She went to talk to the driver through the window, and we thought “That’s it! If she is who we were waiting for, we didn’t even get a chance to talk to her!” Then she waved for us to come over, explaining that she asked the guy if he would take us too, as we were all headed to Munich, and he said “Sure!” Were we embarrassed and ashamed at our attitude, but we got to talk to both of these sweet young people for the next hour and a half or so, all the way to Munich! We left them with some literature, again with contact info on it, while they dropped us off in the suburbs of Munich somewhere. We had no idea where though! As I said, I had heard that some of our people were supposed to be there for the Games, though I hadn’t had it confirmed as such. But how do you find people that you don’t know are there, especially if you don’t know where you are, let alone where they are? We thought to ask in the nearest Police Station! “The Children of God” were quite famous in Europe now, and known by this name in all the major languages, so we asked if they knew where “Die Kinder Gottes” might be? “Nein!” We walked out the front door, down the steps to the pavement, and it was late afternoon by now. It would be good to find them, or a place to stay at least, before it got dark! I said to my friend “Well, maybe He’s got us in this impossible situation, just so He can do another miracle and we can have another testimony!” 100

We walked to the end of the street, and started to cross the road, not even knowing which direction we were going, let alone having a destination! Just then, two young guys passed behind us on bicycles, and one yelled out, in a perfect Northern English accent “God Bless yer mate!” I wheeled around, because I recognized his voice, and it turned out to be someone I hadn’t seen in well over a year, back in the UK at the time! I called after them to stop, which they did, and they asked how come we were there, so of course we told them the whole story. They said they were on their way to the place where the whole team was staying, a camp-site set up for young travelers through Munich! We spent the next two weeks meeting and talking with people from all over the world, daily. At the end of the two weeks I had to accompany someone else from Munich back up to Essen in North Germany, another long trip. This time it all took place in one ride, in the back of a camper van, after two guys had stopped and offered us a ride near the edge of town. We slept overnight, also being fed, as well as entertained with an eight-track music system on the way, and were then dropped right at the door of where we wanted to go the next morning by these two young Americans who had provided this hospitality. After a few months of managing the unit where I was “delivered” by these two guys, I was given a van (my partner being the same guy I had tried traveling to Norway with months before, who was a driver/mechanic) and ended up traveling South again, this time throughout Germany, picking up people from each of the major cities along the way, until we eventually arrived in Switzerland. I was to be a teacher and instructor on a farm that was donated to us for the next few months. Classes would take place during the week, from Mondays through Fridays, but then we would take “faith trips” to the surrounding cities and towns on the weekends. This meant hitch-hiking again of course, and eating whatever people provided, or staying wherever people would take us in (these would be people that we had met and been able to talk with for a while usually). On one occasion there were three of our teams returning late on a Sunday, from three different directions/cities, and we all ended up at the same point at the same time. There were seven of us altogether now, and we joked that “we would probably need a bus or something to get us all home together”. Just then a bus, well, a luxury coach actually, came along! We stuck out a thumb and the driver stopped and picked us all up! We explained where we were trying to get to, and he said, “Well, this bus won’t make it down those roads, because it is too big. But, I’ll take you back to my house, you can have something to eat, and then I’ll take you the rest of the way in my station wagon. That should work”. And he did! To round of this chapter, I’ll just say that the whole “miracle rides” scenario has been often repeated over the years, in many countries. Very useful, considering I didn’t own a vehicle, nor did I know how to drive (something I didn’t learn until I was in my late thirties)!

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Chapter 5 - Switzerland, a land of miracles! Some very amazing things happened while in Switzerland, including my first specific calling to a foreign land (my first “vision”) and my first meeting with an angel, who, I found out later, was one of my guardian angels! While still on the farm I got my first “call” to a really foreign land, India. This occurred while reading an article about that country. Basically, I just “felt” it, but as far as the actual calling was concerned I was to “consider myself called”, it was “a done deal”! It was four years later that this was actually fulfilled however, somewhat as a result of some quite dramatic circumstances in between, including being almost killed in an accident involving a bus! (More on this later!) After several months on the farm though, we all had to leave there and headed North to Basel. We had a small apartment in the city at our disposal, but this was far too small for our large team of newly graduated Bible Students! So, I was yet again presented with the van (and the driver/mechanic) and told I would need to take a team on the road, indefinitely, with about of week of preparation being all that could be allowed, as we needed to free-up space in the apartment as soon as possible. This presented us with a small problem. The van was an ex-commercial vehicle, an old postal-service delivery van actually, and was hardly fit for accommodating a team of seven to nine people on the road for an indefinite period of time. I got together with the driver and we were trying to figure out how we could convert the van in some way, in order to be able to fit everyone, and their belongings, into the storage compartment in the back of the vehicle, which was separated from the drivers cab by a wall with a sliding door in it. Suddenly, I got a picture in my mind of how it could be done, like a diagram of a wooden framework, with shelving, and a raised the floor, creating storage space and a sleeping area. I grabbed a paper and pencil and drew what I had seen and showed it to the driver, asking him what he thought about this idea? He said he was sure it could be done and that it would work. Well, we set off to town and got the wood and lumber and tools donated and started to work on it. By the end of the week, we were ready to set off! We went all over Switzerland and it’s major towns and cities for the next six weeks or so of that summer, camping out of the back of our converted van. Although we used it for transport, we actually only used the compartment for sleeping, if it was cold or wet and we couldn’t find anywhere else – like one time when we ended up at an exclusive private school which was closed for the summer holidays, but where we were allowed entrance and to stay the night in one of the dormitories, as well as being provided with a full dinner , and breakfast the next day from the school canteen. (The students had all gone home already, but most of the staff and the head teacher had not left yet!) Some amazing stories of the places we went and the people we met could fill several pages, but I’ll just include one here as an example, as you will see how 102

our God was “able to supply all our need” as He says in His Word. We always seemed to be able to get the fuel and food that we needed, usually donated, even for such a large team of people as we were, and the following is just one, somewhat comical, example how this sort of thing could take place. We found ourselves in St. Moritz one time, a playground of the rich. The weather was fine on the way there, but after our arrival it started snowing, hard. We actually had found ourselves there between seasons, and it was already very quiet, practically deserted. We didn’t know what to do, as there was hardly anyone around, certainly not on the street. So, we pulled out a couple of guitars, and started playing and singing, walking up and down the one main street, “singing to the snow” I guess it looked like! Nothing could have looked more ridiculous I think. After a while, we started to get a bit hungry, and cold. There was a very fancy restaurant just opening for the lunch period, on the corner near the town square. We got the idea to go and ask if they wouldn’t mind donating a lunch for nine very hungry missionary-travelers, and the manager readily agreed, sitting us at a large, round table, right in the entrance, overlooking the square! We were served a very filling, three-course lunch, complete with beverages. Not only could we never have afforded to buy such a meal, even in a normal restaurant, for so many people, but to have been able to eat in such refined and luxurious circumstances made us feel quite spoiled! This is only one of many such examples I have experienced over the years, of how well He is able to take care of His Own, by the way. I hope to include some of the more outstanding ones throughout the rest of this book, as they turn up. After those few weeks of summer, different members of our road-team were called to other places. We returned to base, in Basel, and the van was no longer needed for the purpose of relieving pressure off of the apartment as our whole team could now be accommodated comfortably and the van needed to be used for other things. (It is interesting to note that just about all of those Bible Student Graduates from the farm and beyond have since gone to many places in different parts of the world, even as far as India and China, and most are still going strong for the Lord today.) There was time for one more “faith trip” for me and one of the local Swiss girls though, and this was to prove to be one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had - meeting an angel! As follows... We were hitch-hiking around, similar to how Jesus sent His disciples out two-bytwo (very customary in my outfit, especially in the early days!). It was also customary to stay in touch with our home base, so we would call-in every other day or so (no laptops, e-mail, cell-phones or sms in those days!). On one such occasion we were asked if we were anywhere near a town called “Interlaken” (“Between the Lakes”). We said that we weren’t far from there, so we were asked if we wouldn’t mind going and checking it out? It wasn’t explained exactly what it was we were supposed to “check-out”, but we were told that

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someone had had a sort of “a revelation”, and it involved the town and someone from there, in the past sometime! Hmmmmm! “Interesting!” we thought, but that was all we had to go on. We arrived in the late afternoon, and it was already starting to get dark. In Switzerland especially, after the stores close at 5 pm, things go from “quiet” to practically “dead”, and we found ourselves standing in the town square, alone, wondering where we might be able to spend the night. Just then, one solitary person showed up and was crossing the square, heading in our direction. We stopped him and explained our situation, that we needed a place for the night, but that we didn’t know anyone in town. He said that he was the caretaker of the Boy Scout Hut, being the Scoutmaster also, that it was the building we could see right there in the square, and that we could stay there for the weekend. Also that it had everything we needed for sleeping, eating, and cleaning up! We were very thankful of course, especially as it was a Saturday evening, and Sundays in Switzerland really are “deserted”, so to not have to look for another place the next day was a great relief! The next day, Sunday, we thought to take a walk through the town and “check it out”, even though we weren’t exactly sure what we were “checking”. It was a beautiful day, clear, warm and sunny. Well, after walking down one side of the main street, it seemed like we had pretty much seen it all! So, we decided to follow a path up the side of a hill that overlooked the whole town, so we could get more of an aerial-view. We had walked quite a ways along this path, which wound its way around the contour of the hill, and had gotten to a sort of balcony-area, with a protective fence around it and a park bench. The view was magnificent. Across the town, in the distance, we could see the famous “Jungfrau” (“Young Maiden”) mountain. We were completely alone on this little walk of ours, or so we thought! Just as we got to this balcony area we turned around to find that a funny little old man was right behind us, dressed in traditional Swiss “lederhosen” (leather shorts), complete with white cotton shirt, felt hat with a feather, knee-socks and climbing boots, and carrying an alpine horn! Where this man had come from we had no idea, as we were totally alone on this path just a moment before! It was a bit of a shock to see him there actually. We asked him where he came from, and why he was there? He explained (in Swiss, to my friend, who translated) that he came “to play his horn to the mountain”, Jungfrau, and then proceeded to tell us an amazing story! It was about a really big man who used to live in a cave on Jungfrau, a long time ago. He used to come down to the town occasionally to get supplies, and scared all the villagers, wearing only a bear-skin, and nothing on his feet, except skis in winter. He had long, black hair, and all were afraid of him, except the children. One young girl in particular, who was very fond of him and looked forward to his visits, would often visit him in his cave. Eventually he died, which was a great relief to all in the town then, and he is said to be buried in his cave, on the

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mountain. This was all very interesting to us of course, but not nearly as much as what happened next. We thought that perhaps we should call this story in, so we excused ourselves and prepared to leave. We had gotten a few steps away and turned to wave “Good-bye”, but he was gone! We related all of this over the phone later, after we got back to town. We had no idea what any of this meant at the time, but a few months later an article was published, relating almost exactly the same events, practically wordfor-word, except that this article was written by a man who had had the whole account related to him, separately, in dream, before our visit to the town! Wow! I was to meet this same “funny little old man” from this experience many years later, in India!

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Chapter 6 - Out of the Frying Pan.... After what was to be my last trip out in Switzerland, I was called back to Germany. On the farm previously I had mentioned receiving “The Call of India” to a friend, and since then, he and another friend had made an exploratory trip there. Unfortunately he got very sick, and they had to return to Europe. I was to meet up with them and return to India with them later. However, this never happened after all! So I was back in Germany, again helping to manage the large unit we had in Essen. (Someone had donated to us an unused school building there). This was actually where I had my first direct confrontation with our spiritual enemy, in the form of a person that could only be describe as “possessed”! Someone (outside of our group) had demanded “equal time and opportunity” to come onto our property and spew out his rhetoric and satanic diatribes. We escorted him off of the premises and locked the door. He could not return, so he proceeded to perform what I suppose he thought was some kind of “ritual” against us on the doorstep. It was quite comical, pathetic actually, and about the “scariest” moment of the whole thing was when I went outside afterwards and washed the whole thing away with a bucket of water. Ha ha! A few weeks later and I was again on the road, this time back to the UK. The van, and a different driver this time, had to make a trip there to drop off some publications that we had printed at our unit. I was asked to go along because I had a UK passport (this was before the EU had become what it is today, and the UK still hadn’t joined). It was thought that this would help with crossing the border. The trip was quite uneventful, except that this was my first visit back to the UK in a couple of years. I expected to return to Germany in a few days, so I only took a small briefcase of my most essential belongings, leaving everything else I owned, a backpack and some clothing, behind in Germany. I never saw those things again! Unbeknownst to me, a meeting was taking place in London at this time, and after our arrival I was diverted to attend this meeting. Within the hour, there I was, being asked to share an account of everything I had been doing while I was in Europe, before one of the largest contingencies of spiritual leadership I had ever seen in one place at one time, before or since! I did my best, and, as a result, again unbeknownst to me, a day or so later I was given a conducted tour of a major printing operation, at the end of which I was asked to consider helping in the photo department. The need was so desperate it seemed, that I just turned up for work the next day. I was helping there for the next few months, until eventually being asked to help reach Ireland. Which brings me to “the frying pan”... Northern Ireland had had it’s “troubles” for as long as I could remember. But the South, The Republic, was a charming place, with wonderful people. I had a lot of fun while there, especially reaching the youth, however, this was to be brought to a dramatic end, after only a few weeks! 106

Bombings and shootings were quite “the norm” in Belfast and other places in the North at this time, but nothing like this had occurred in the South before, until one day... We had three teams of two people each out in Dublin one day, and on that day three car bombs went off at different parts of the city. Amazingly, each of these incidents occurred close to where each of our teams were working, one of them so close that one of the victims, a baby actually, came flying over the head of one of our girls. Miraculously though, none of us were hurt at all in any way. A few days later, we were advised to leave and return to the UK, as tension was very high as a result of what had happened. Back in the UK I was asked to take up teaching again, and to design a study course for new converts and disciples. This eventually became a book, which is still used by some today, believe it or not! At this time however, I had hit a bit of what you could call “a low point” (more on this in the following chapter), and one weekend, while out on a field trip, I felt I “needed something”. So I sent my partner home and decided to take a little walk in one of those country-estate type of parks, which I had seen earlier in the day. The gates were open, so I just walked in. It was one of those places where you see deer roaming around on lush lawns of grass with trees here and there, like the grounds of some mansion or castle of some sort. Just a little ways inside was the gate-keepers cottage I suppose it was, and on the top of the roof, which was about a 100 meters away from where I was, I could see two white doves perched, side-by-side, like they do. So I just stopped, and stared! Moments later, one of these doves took off, and flew straight towards me. I hardly knew what to expect, so I just stood there, so as not to frighten it at all. I was shocked and amazed at what happened next though, as this dove landed right on top of my head! I thought, “I hope it doesn’t poop on me”, so I put up my hand to try to have it perch on my finger, but it flew off my head down onto the ground in front of me, where it proceeded to do one of those little mating dances that doves and pigeons do. After a few more moments, it took off again, and flew back to its mate on the roof! I was flabbergasted! My “lowness” had disappeared though, and encouragement now flooded my being, as The Lord said “This is indicative of your anointing, similar to how John the Baptist saw The Holy Spirit on Me once!” Wow! The dove’s “visit” was all I needed to inspire me to get back to work, so I headed home right after this. It wasn’t long however before I was feeling a bit low again. I thought it was perhaps just loneliness. I hadn’t had a girlfriend since I started my journeying for The Lord, nearly three years before, and here I was approaching twenty one years of age! Whew! Of course, it was much more than just this though, as I was soon to learn! Before “The Fire” however, a very sweet “little” miracle was to transpire, and it is a very sweet and cherished memory...

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I was making another weekend trip, this time to a coastal town in the East of the UK. It was very quiet, being “off-season”. I was distributing literature on the street, and it was customary to ask people if they would consider giving a small donation for this particular type of publication. The cutest girl was walking towards me, and besides her obvious natural beauty, including a body that could only be described as “heavenly”, she had a warm smile and a very friendly disposition. The most outstanding, and immediately attention-grabbing feature was her hair though, which was cropped short and painted with a gold star and a wide stripe, on her natural dark brown. (This was 1974, and although maybe not such a big deal today, it was quite a radical style for that time). As she approached I offered her the publication, and said “Hi! This is for you!” “Oh, thank you! What is it?” “It’s a love letter!” (which it was actually). “Oh, wow, thanks! Do I have to give you anything for it?” “Well, if you have anything you can give as a small donation, that would be great!” “Oh, I’m so sorry, but I’m not carrying any cash with me right now!” “Okay, no problem, you can have it anyway!” Then these words leapt out of my mouth, before I could hardly realize what I was saying “Could you maybe put two of us up for the night then?” (my partner was across the street). I explained that we were a couple of disciples, on the road for a couple of days, and needed a place to stay that night. “Sure!” (Wow!) We stayed that night, and got to meet and talk with her and her two room-mates. As it turned out, I went back to that town a couple more times after that, each time staying with her, and we got close, very close actually, as in “in”timate, and it was very nice, very nice indeed! Things were getting quite serious, and I found myself having to make a decision. Should I stay with this girl? Or return to my calling? It wasn’t “a choice”, and I had to explain this to her. It was a sad moment, but she totally understood, and, tearfully, we parted after a few days. It was not the last time I was to see her though! After returning to my home-base, I had a talk with a good friend of mine about all I was thinking and feeling lately. She completely understood, and suggested that perhaps a change, a break, in a different location, would help, to which I agreed. And so I made the move to Manchester, Northern England, and, unbeknownst to me, was about to take the step “into the fire!”...

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Chapter 7 - ...and into The Fire! (For a general, and somewhat graphic, account of what follows in the next chapter, you can read Chapter Three “A Near-Death Experience”, from the first book “A Journey.........” I want to try to avoid repeating things, except where clarity is needed for those who haven’t/don’t/won’t read the other chapter, however, there will be more detail in this chapter than in the previous account, more along the lines of spiritual experience though, rather than “just the facts” of the event.) This is “A Book of Miracles”, and as I explained in the Introduction it is all about Faith – what it is, and what it isn’t (and even “why”)! As someone wisely said, “Faith is a matter of life-and-death!”. It can “save” you, in every way, but a lack of it can kill you! Believe it or not, a very important part of learning what it is, is first learning what it isn’t! These were to become my lessons for the next three months to one year or so! Faith is a spiritual thing, not a mental thing, and certainly nothing to do with the material world that most people seem to be satisfied with (unless they are honest that is!). It “works by Love”, which means, the more love you have, the more faith you have. This is a huge subject of course, but I will try to keep it simple. On a “normal” level, let’s use a mother’s love for her child as an example. Doesn’t a child instinctively know how much a mother loves him/her? Doesn’t this make them feel more confident, and capable, trusted? As such, doesn’t that child usually feel like reciprocating, by trying to meet that unconditional love with faith and trust and, as a result, obedience, knowing that his/her mother only has their best interests and well-being at heart? Of course, this starts with the mother. The more love the mother has, the more “belief” (faith) she has in her child, and on and on this is supposed to go and grow, right? Well, this is just a very small example, even though big, of the whole subject! But THINK BIG! How is love usually manifested? With humility, right? If you have great love, you will have great humility. However, in order to get great humility, it often takes a great humbling! A proud person has a hard time manifesting love to others. If you should happen to be on the receiving end of “a great humbling”, then be very thankful for it, because it is very likely that if you yield and submit to the process, then you will learn great love, because you will have the humility to do so! And this is extremely important, because if FAITH WORKS by LOVE, and FAITH “SAVES”. Perhaps you can begin to see the relevance and the importance of how these spiritual laws all tie together? Is it any wonder then as to why The God of Love should seem to feel it necessary to go to great lengths sometimes to try to help people to see and learn this principle? How many times have you heard, or read, of someone who was “at the end of their rope” when they suddenly received Faith? Are you beginning to understand why?

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On the other hand, how would you describe those who belittle and mock those who have endured this process (and come out shining)? Wouldn’t you think that those kinds of people would be perhaps “a bit too proud for their own good”? Even worse would be those with the frame of mind “They deserved it, they must have been SO bad!” (More on this later, but this is a manifestation of an extremely obnoxious form of pride – SELF-righteousness!) Perhaps you might be wondering how I could feel so strongly about this subject in particular? Well, it is embarrassingly simple - “Bin there, dun that!”, as you will see now and later in this book! Again, this is “A Book of Miracles”, and a miracle, by most people’s definition, is something supernatural, and supernatural usually means outside of the natural, or better said “supra-natural” or “over-and-abovethe-natural”. Shouldn’t this automatically make you think “as a result of something (or rather, someONE) Who is outside, or over-and-above, US, and everything ELSE”, such as..........well, GOD of course! Come on now, Who else could possibly be responsible for this realm of “impossibilities”? And just any “god”? I think not! Real miracles, life-changing stuff, begin in the heart, in our spirits, performed by their Creator! Other so-called “deities” didn’t create us, and, at best, can only perform “tricks”. God doesn’t “perform tricks”. He always has a purpose in everything he does, and it is always a good one! So, the “Love” that is the biggest, “above” and “over”, everything else (which is what He IS), is what I am talking about here, not the example of a mother’s love for her child, or any persons’ love for another person for that matter, whatever the relationship. Why? Well because if you take a good look at the world and what we are capable of towards each other, it should be obvious that we generally tend to fall way short of that which is needed, right? You’ve got to get it from The Source of all Love first, then you have it to pass on to others! And that is what this Book is all about, believe it or not! So, here we go.......

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Chapter 8 - Details, or “The Nitty-Gritty”! It was about 9 pm when I came round after being under a general anesthetic for a “put-back-together” operation in the hospital. I hadn’t died after all, and my parents were there, after flying up from Surrey to try to get there before I did (as the doctors had warned was possible, as I had lost so much blood!). A good friend of mine had also arrived and was checking out how I was. Several months later he told me “I didn’t want to say anything at the time, but seriously David, you were a real mess!” Ha ha! How true! I was fairly up-beat and happy about things though, after having had my little conversation with My Boss when it all first happened. I was pretty sure everything was going to work out and that I was going to not only survive the ordeal, but come through shining! Ha ha! Little did I know! My first “agony” was trying to go to the bathroom (in a bedpan) a couple of hours later. When your body goes into shock, after a trauma, everything sort of shuts down for a while, so I was “blocked up”. (Have you ever tried peeing into a bedpan that is underneath your backside, while you are lying flat on your back? And have you ever tried having a bowel movement that just won’t move, and partly because you also don’t have gravity working for you, because you are in a horizontal position, actually with your lower region thrust up in the air, higher than your head, while perched on a cold, steel metal pan?) I tried, but I just couldn’t do it! So a suppository was needed, to loosen things up. It did get the lower bowel moving, and I really needed to go, but there was like a “plug” of solid waste backed up that just......., well, I can only imagine it must be somewhat like what women feel like as they are giving birth – I screamed! The first few days I was monitored every half hour, as I was still in “the critical bed” (the one everyone died in!), and it was going to be a long, drawn-out recovery, involving a lot of pain, I was to find out. I was in traction, and I had to be very careful how I moved in the bed, as the splinters of my right femur (upper leg) were all still loose, and sharp. It would be a while before they started getting tacky enough to stick together. (I still have one shard sticking out, into the muscle). It would be ten days before the stitches would removed, and until this was done my hair couldn’t be washed, which was matted with blood. When removing all the stitches the plaster-cast on my left forearm was removed, as I had three wounds that had been stitched underneath it. The wound on my lower right leg had to be tended to regularly for still some time after this, as it was just an open hole, about 10 cms long and 5 cms wide, and it took a while for the skin to grow back over it, as the flesh there had basically been gouged out. I have thirteen scars from all of this altogether, seven of them “major”, and I counted around 120 stitches. I lost a toe, two others are still broken, I nearly lost my right ear (or at least half of it), and just missed the jugular vein on the right side of my neck, and the main artery of my left arm! Whew! As my friend said “A real mess!” None of these things hurt that much though, in fact, hardly at all. I was feeling pretty buoyant, and I would have to 112

say, “cocky”! The attending physician was making his rounds one day, and I was curious to know how long I would be in the hospital, and how long it would take for me to get better? “Three months!” “No, really?” “Twelve weeks, before you get out of that bed!” “No way! I’ll bet my God can do it quicker than that! - Eight weeks! You’ll see!” (AHEM! Was I going to be humbled!!!) Yep! I was cocky alright! About three weeks after first being admitted, I was showing off! I was twenty years old, had just survived a life-threatening event, was healing very well, and, It seemed to me, pretty quickly at that! I was “one of His (favored) children”. He was going to “show everyone” how He can “spoil” me. After all, we’d had our “little talk”, and I “knew it all”, so...? I was doing some pull-ups on the scaffolding over my bed that supported the traction equipment when I pulled something in my left groin! That wasn’t so bad, I just had to stop and rest it. In time it would feel better, and it did! However, what followed certainly wasn’t going to... I had been warned by nurses previously about DVT’s. “What’s a DVT?” “You don’t want to know! Just hope that you never get one!” “How do you get them?” “Well, for one thing, never rest the back of your leg on a pillow, certainly not for any length of time!” “Oh, okay!” I hadn’t done that, but I had gone to sleep that night in the only position that I found comfortable after pulling my groin! All I can say is that the next morning I woke up in the most excruciating pain I have ever known ever before, or since! A throbbing, stabbing, continuous and unrelenting pain in the calf of my left leg! A pain that brought me to tears, begging the nurses and doctors to “Please do something. Please, stop it!” I had broken my left arm three times before I was twelve years old, one time dislocating it completely at the elbow. I knew pain then, as I had to wait five hours before they could put me out to fix it because I had just eaten lunch, so they could not give me the general anesthetic needed to perform the operation. I could handle that, but that was nothing compared to what I was experiencing now! I had no idea how serious this condition was. Potentially far more dangerous than what I had experienced so far, which was pretty bad already! A DVT is a “deep-vein thrombosis”, or, put in layman’s terms, a big blood clot, blocking the flow of blood back to the heart! The danger in this is if it breaks up, or moves, and bits or pieces are carried back to the heart or brain. The result can be a heart attack or stroke, and in either case even death (as has happened to some that have had this condition, as it is not that uncommon). All I knew though was, IT HURT! A supporting stocking was put on my leg, to constrict it so the clot wouldn’t move, while the doctor tried to find a vein in my arm for a drip. This was to deliver anticoagulant and painkillers, to thin the blood so as to break up the clot, as well as to try to help ease the pain of course. It took several tries in both arms to find a vein. I felt like a pin-cushion! Eventually they had to put a splint on my left arm

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and put the intravenous needle in a vein in the crook of the arm. (This didn’t hurt, but was going to later, after they took it out and I tried to bend and then straighten my arm!) The whole process went on for ten days, and I spent the first three or four crying. I couldn’t even sleep! Hardened nurses were so moved by my pain that even they were crying! Things eased eventually though, both the pain and the clot, and after a while I was taken off of the drip. When I bent my arm afterward it sort of “locked” in the bent position, and I couldn’t straighten it properly again for weeks. Next to come though was my next test, and a resultant further humbling... The doctor wanted to continue with the anti-coagulant for a while, but in pill form! I balked at this! I mean, how stupid could I get? Here I was, literally at the mercy of all that the dear doctors and nurses had done to save my life, twice now, including submitting to whatever health regimen they prescribed, and I didn’t want to take a few pills “because it was against my religion” (in a way). In other words, I “wanted God to heal me”! I was in spiritual anguish, so I asked the doctor if he could give me a little time to think about it. “Sure” he said, “I’ll come back and see you tomorrow”. (This guy was a very sweet man, as were most of the nurses. “Angels” is not even a good enough word to describe them!) I couldn’t sleep, and at about 10 pm I asked for special permission to phone and ask a friend of mine to visit, as I needed someone to talk to, some advice. This girl had been at the scene when I had the accident, and I trusted her implicitly. At about 11 pm she got special permission to visit me at my bedside. “Hey! How are you doing?” “Not good!” “What’s the problem?” “Well, they want me to take these pills!” “So? What are they for?” “They are anti-coagulants, to keep the blood thin!” “So, why don’t you take them? What’s the problem?” “I don’t want to! I think God should be able to heal me!” She laughed! “Are you crazy?” She didn’t have to say anything else. It was so obvious how ridiculous I was thinking and looking at things! After a moment she asked “So, what do you think you should do?” “I think I should take the pills!” “So, take them then!” - More laughter, from both of us this time, mixed with relief from me! Whew! It wasn’t all “gloom and doom” during these next months of “remake” though! The Lord always seems to make our times of “remodeling” bearable, even providing bright spots and fun along the way... Not long after I arrived in the hospital I had a visitor! One day, the girl who I asked to visit me in the middle of the night showed up, and with her was someone I knew, from just previously! Remember the girl that I spent some time with, on return visits to the coastal town, before I moved to Manchester? Well, not long after I had returned to London, after being with her the last time, she followed me there. She was looking for me, and she went to the theatrical club that we had running in London at the time, asking after me. She spoke to my friend, above, who explained what had happened, who also said that she was

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going to be visiting me herself soon, and would she like to come along, to which she readily agreed! It was a surprise (a very pleasant one) to see her. She explained that she had come looking for me, and how she had been able to come and visit as a result, having met and talked with my friend. It was a precious moment. She explained that she had thought long and hard about possibly joining me in what I did, but that she ”didn’t feel strong enough” to be able to do so, and that she wanted to be able to tell me this herself. She said that she felt that her vocation in life from then on was that she was supposed to be a nurse, a midwife actually, and she had applied for nurses training. By this time I had already fallen in love with nurses, so I told her that I thought that that could definitely be “the next best thing”! She kissed me, sweetly and tenderly, and then said “Goodbye”. It was the last time I saw her, or heard from her. In the meantime, the last girl I had seen and spoken to on the street, just before the accident, had arrived at her home that evening, in time to see the local evening news. She saw that I had been involved in the accident (it was BIG news, as it had caused quite a traffic jam, downtown, in the center), and she came to see me the very next day in hospital. She was very sweet, very sweet indeed, and came to see me just about every day afterward, for three months, except for about three days when she just couldn’t make it for reasons she just had no control over. If she couldn’t visit, then she at least phoned. She would do this anyway, even if she was visiting. We got very close, and it was a beautiful relationship. Sadly however, it was only to last for the duration of my stay in hospital.

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Chapter 9 - More Details, and what happened next! The doctors had said that I would be in hospital for three months. I had disputed this, but it was three months, to the day, before I got out of that hospital bed! To explain: The doctors knew (and I didn’t) that it took twelve weeks for bones to knit and to mend, especially after such a severe fracture as I had had! Not only did I not “make it out of there” before then, but the day that the nurse came to take me out of traction I was in for a bit of a shock! First of all, she turned up, unannounced, with what looked like some kind of a wrench in her hand. “What is that?” I asked. “I’m going to pull the pin out of your leg!” She answered. “What?” - I had a steel pin through my shin-bone, attached to which was the rope and pulley system that incorporated the traction on my thigh. (This means keeping tension on the thigh, so that the bone fragments could heal in place. Without this, the thigh muscles would be too strong, pulling the leg short, and thus causing the leg to be shortened more than it was meant to be!) Anyway, she proceeded to unhook the rope and pulley from the pin, which felt really weird, and then lowered my leg to the bed, which felt even more weird! Then she put the wrench on the end of the pin! “Aren’t you going to give me any anesthetic?” “No!” She started pulling on the pin! “Ow!” The bone had grown around the pin somewhat, but that didn’t stop her! She kept pulling, while twisting, until I watched it disappear through my leg, and out of the other side! Whew! My leg was now free, but I didn’t recognize it as my leg at all! It looked more like an arm! The muscles had atrophied (withered away) through lack of use! There was no way I was going to be able to walk on that, and, as I was to soon find out, I was not going to be able to do so for many months yet! A caliper (brace) was brought, and this was something I was going to need for a while. I also needed crutches, as I could not put any weight on that leg yet, even with the caliper! I could barely walk at all actually, having been in the same bed, for three months! I was very wobbly indeed! Twelve weeks is bad enough, under any circumstances, to be confined to any one place, but on a hospital ward, with the same routine, day after day (even though the nurses and visitors were wonderful) was just mind-numbing for someone such as me, someone with a vivid imagination and used to an active life-style up until that time! But at least now I could hobble around, and after a few days I was discharged to home. “Home” was just boring, as I was there alone most of the time. I found myself inventing a few recording projects to keep me busy, but it was not enough! I was scheduled for physiotherapy, but the thought of having nothing much to do but wait for those sessions just got me “stir crazy”, so I asked to move, back to London where at least I could perhaps find more interesting things to do. My physiotherapy sessions could be moved to a hospital there, so my request was granted.

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I moved to London, and was occupied with answering phones and sending and receiving phone messages. Physiotherapy took place at a hospital in Hampstead. I was still on crutches and in a caliper for several weeks, but I managed to get down to a youth club we were running on the Finchley Road fairly regularly. I was one of the few who seemed to be able to attend there so often, so eventually I was asked to take over the management of the place, which I did for several months, all the while getting stronger in my leg with the exercise of having to get around and with the physiotherapy. It was to be nearly a whole year before you could say I was back-to-normal though, except that I never was, completely that is! After a while the brace came off. A while more and I changed from needing the crutches to just a walking stick. I had to make a return trip to Manchester for a final examination, as well as for an assessment of my overall condition for insurance purposes, and this took place almost a year after “the event”. I am officially at only sixty percent of full capability, the main problem being that I lost 2 cms in the length of my right leg. I have a few other minor problems that become more apparent with age, and it is amazing that I have done as much as I have done since all of this, much more than I was accomplishing before it all happened. This will become apparent as we move on, but first, “the really big question”, that most people seem to ask and want to know is “Why did it happen? What was the purpose, or the point? Why, if you believe in God, did He allow it?” All good questions of course. Some of which are already answered, either here, or in my previous book. But here’s more to consider... You may wonder “If this is ‘A Book of Miracles’, well it started out being one, with all that cool stuff happening for David in those first chapters, but what happened? Where are the ‘miracles’ in these last chapters? Seems like they ‘deserted’ him! About the only ‘miracle’ is that he is still alive!” Again, all good questions and valid points! Do you really wanna know? It’s like this (and this is why these chapters are so important)...

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Chapter 10 - Why! The Bottom Line! Remember, “Faith works by love!” and for real love to flow freely humility has to reign, and for humility to be present, sometimes a humbling has to happen! This is necessary, if you want to know and understand what real faith is. Very often it involves finding out what it isn’t, which is a great humbling in itself, believe me! Pride is not “a virtue”, by any means, and certainly not in God’s Book! And selfrighteous pride is the worst kind, the kind where we make ourselves “the standard by which we judge all things”, and people! Whew! It stinks, and has a pretty disgusting description, right there in The Bible, believe it or not! (He calls it “filthy rags”, which means the same as a woman’s used sanitary towel or tampon!) Most people’s lives revolve around this kind of standard - “Well, I think..........” etc, etc. Hmmmm! Well, I actually agree with the fact that “everyone is entitled to their opinion”, but that is all that it is, “an opinion”. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are right though, right? Sometimes they are just lacking in knowledge, and even more often in actual experience. So we can listen, respect, and maybe agree, or not. This is courtesy and respect for the individual, and a good thing. However, even the best of intentions will often fall short, and in many cases even way short, of what is really needed, and even necessary. Even if we are doing the very best we can, it still doesn’t always make the grade, and, inevitably, we will fail, someone, or in something, at some time, right? I mean, do you know anyone who is “perfect”? Me neither! “Even the best of us can stand some improvement”, usually, yes? Do you know anyone who has “attained” or “arrived” at some state of “sinless perfection”? Ha ha ha! So, very often, or at least from time to time, The God of Love cares enough that He has to step in, and try to save us, from ourselves actually, by helping us to see and learn how far short of the mark we really are! “What mark?” Well, what do you think? “Who’s mark?” Well, Who’s do you think? Remember, “faith works by love”, and faith saves! Now this next part is important... Faith is not something you can try to have! You either have it, or you don’t! You cannot pretend to have it either! It is not intellectual, a mind-thing! It is a spiritual thing, and begins in the heart, where love is supposed to be! Are you beginning to connect the dots yet? Tip: Don’t “try” to have faith! And definitely don’t pretend! You are going to get yourself into an awful lot of trouble if you do! “Faith is a matter of life-and-death”, so it is a dangerous game (especially if you are trying to play games!). If you don’t end up actually getting hurt yourself, you could possibly end up hurting someone else, and at the very least, set yourself up for some serious humbling! Another tip: If you should find yourself in the middle of a humbling scenario, don’t fight it! Yield and submit to the process! Trust me, you will see that it was really worth it! It usually hurts! Like the famous quote “Only pride hurts, humility doesn’t 118

really feel it!” So when you feel it “hurting”, you can know that it is your pride that He is working on, and that is far from “a bad thing”! Actually it’s a good thing, and you should take it as His “intolerable compliment”, because His ultimate end is to get you to the state where you are humble enough to be able to receive His greatest gifts! Faith is a gift, and it can only be received! It has a beginning, a starting point, and then it is supposed to grow from there. Like a baby, it doesn’t stay a baby all of it’s life, at least it is not supposed to, even though some do seem to like to stay in that state, sadly! The Bible describes it as a spiritual birth, or “being born again”. It starts with “being saved”, which is receiving His Salvation, which is a process, a thing you have to do, which is humbly ask for it! (The “asking” shows your humility, because you are admitting that you can’t do it yourself! It’s like the story of when a father came in and found his son struggling with some task one day, and he asked him “Son, are you using all of your strength?” His son answered, in frustration, “Well of course I am. Can’t you see?” And then his father answered “No, you are not! You haven’t asked me to help you!”) Trying to do it yourself just gets you in mess, for one thing! But, if you had a Father, who was always on-hand, to help with anything you needed, any time, any place, wouldn’t you consider that to be very useful and helpful? Anyway, back to the starting point: It’s all there, in The Bible, and has been, for thousands of years! So, why have many missed the point it seems? I’ll give you a hint: It’s that “P” word! Contrary to popular opinion, due mostly to the dandy bad examples of many of those who say that they believe in it, but don’t actually practice it, just “preach it” at others, the Bible is not “a rule book”! “Huh?” That’s right! It is not a bunch of “Do’s and Don’ts”! It is actually A Love Letter! A different kind of Love Letter, of course, written in a way that no man, or woman, would ever write, or be able to write, but a Love Letter nevertheless! Here’s how it works... It is basically an account, a very “nitty-gritty”, “no-holds-barred”, honest account of just how bad mankind is, even some of His “best examples”. There are no “heroes”, except in a few outstanding cases, here and there, at some points, and even these very often were murderers, thieves, liars, cheats, adulterers, you name it! The only thing that separated them from any others, is that they repented. Their sins got them to the point where they realized just how bad they were, and then they asked for forgiveness, and got it! That’s it! That's all! This forgiveness is available, for anyone and everyone, and most reading this can probably guess what is coming next... Yep! You guessed it! And I can tell you, from my own personal experience, you can only get it through the method and means, the “rule”, or “condition” if you like, that He Himself laid down... “Just accept, receive, My Own Son as your payment for your ‘debt to My society’!” It’s all about, and our lives begin, with Jesus folks! It’s as simple as that, and that’s all you have to do! I mean, how easy can it get? What have you got to lose? What does it cost you, but just a little bit of

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pride maybe? (The sad thing is though, “just a little bit” of pride is enough to kill you, or someone else! So, whaddya say we give up on that – dump it! Huh?)

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Chapter 11 - After “where it ain’t!” A quick review first: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9)

Faith is, literally, a matter of life and death. Faith is something you either have, or you don’t have. Faith is not something you can try to have, or pretend to have. Faith is a gift, and it is something that is supposed to grow, and keep growing. Faith, according to scripture itself, comes by hearing The Word of God (His Own Words to us) and is something we have to reach out for and receive (accept). A big part of knowing what faith is, is learning what it isn’t. It is something that will be “tested”, or “tried”, or “proven”, in order to be strengthened (like a muscle). It works by love. “According to your faith be it done unto you” (Matthew 9:29)

After becoming fairly fully mobile again, and after managing the youth club we had in London for a while, I had the opportunity to go on the road again a few times while still in the UK. Little did I know that these would be the last little forays I would have in my home country. Almost as if to continue to prove to me that He is able to supply whatever I needed though, more miraculous care and provision would occur on these trips, one example I will include here, before moving on, abroad! One time one of my team-mates and I had hitch-hiked down to the South-West of the UK, to the last town on the coast, Penzance, before you start swimming the Atlantic. It had taken us a while to get there, as it was so far from our base, and we arrived at 4:30 in the afternoon, just a half hour before the shops were to close. (In the UK, when the stores close, everything goes quiet and dead. Everyone heads home for their evening meal and, usually, an evening in front of the TV, and this is especially true of the smaller towns and villages and offseason holiday places, which is where we were). Yet again we were faced with having to find a place to stay for the night, and with very little time to do it in! People were rushing around, trying to do their last little bit of shopping while the stores were open. I saw one very fine-looking, well-dressed lady, carrying some shopping, and approached her to offer her something to read. “What’s this?” she asked. “It’s a message, from God” I answered, “and we usually ask a small donation for it. It helps us to be able to continue publishing.” “For God?” she said. “I’ll give anything for God!” Again, as I have been inspired to do many times, before and since, words just jumped right out of my mouth and I found myself asking “Can you put a couple of His disciples up for the night? We just got here. We don’t know anybody in the town, and we need a place to stay!” “Of course!” she said. “I just have to go meet up with my husband and kids. Meet me over there, and we’ll pick you up in the car!” I explained that we had left our packs in the left-luggage lockers at the train station, so it would take us about twenty minutes. She said “That’s okay. Meet me in twenty minutes!” Whew!

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I went to get my buddy, and we got our packs from the train station lockers. I was pretty sure that we probably weren’t going to see the lady again. I thought “It’s possible she was just trying to give me a polite ‘brush off”, and “Yeah, and as soon as she mentions all of this to her husband, he’s going to say ‘No way!’ and they are just going to take off”, and “There’s no way that they are going to want to take in two strangers, especially when they have young kids at home!”, and “How would they have room for us anyway, when they already have a family to house? Would they really want us camping out on their couch in their living room?”. Well, I was in for a bit of a shock! Not only was this lovely lady true to her word, picking us up at the time and place agreed on, but her husband was a really sweet man too, as were their kids, three of them, two boys and a girl, from about 7 – 12 years of age, and all very polite and respectful. They took us to their home, a lovely place, like a cottage by the sea. It had a separate part attached to it which they rented out as a holiday apartment and this is where we were to stay. After we had settled ourselves and our packs there, we were invited to join them for dinner in their place, which was only separated from the holiday apartment by a door. We had a very inspiring time talking with them all over dinner, and it was refreshing to meet a family who were all so appreciative of what we were doing. They had many questions, and it was fun giving the answers. After a while though it was getting late. Both the parents had to work the next day, and the kids had school, so we helped clean up, thanked them, and excused ourselves for the night. The next day we had breakfast with them, and then took our leave, as we all had a day’s work ahead of us. They said that if they were ever in London in the future, they would be sure to look us up and visit. I guess it didn’t have time to happen though, because... After spending the day on the streets in the town, we headed back to base and not long after returning, we were all asked to return to London for news of some important changes that were going to make a dramatic difference to what I was going to be doing next, or rather I should say, where I was going to be going! But before I get to this (in the next chapter) there was one very exciting little bit of an adventure that occurred around this time, and I will include it here as an example of how things aren’t always like “coming up roses”, unless you are also prepared to have to deal with thorns that is! (NOTE: Faith is not “wishy-washy” - This is just one small example for those who might want to oppose it. I’ve faced a few oppositions in my day, and some more examples may follow later in this book. But I can tell you this - I have not lost in any confrontation yet! :D) Our small team of a half-dozen young guys, were basing out of a holiday-let apartment in Exeter, a town in the South West of the UK. It was off-season, so we were able to get it cheaply. We would spend our days hitch-hiking to the surrounding towns and villages of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, handing out literature and meeting and talking with people. The result of this on one occasion was that one girl, about twenty years of age, a university student, had gotten so

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interested in what we were doing that she said that she wanted to join us in it. We explained that it was unusual for someone to make a decision like that without knowing more about us, but that she was welcome to come and see for herself if she really would like it. So she grabbed her things and moved in! She joined in with us in our daily schedule and activities, and really seemed to be enjoying it. After a while we explained that this was actually a temporary situation, and that soon we would all be returning to London. We told her that she could come with us then if she wanted, as in London we had a training facility, where more new people like herself were having studies in scripture, and preparation for answering and meeting the many needs that people had. She was all for it, but it never happened. This is what did happen though, as far as we know... She had been with us a couple of weeks, when one evening we heard a knock at the main door. I went downstairs to see who it might be. When I opened, there was a young guy and girl, asking if this new girl was there with us? I said “Yes” and guessed that perhaps these were friends of hers and wanted to see her, so I went upstairs and told her that a couple of people were at the door asking after her. She went down and a few minutes later we heard the door close. A few minutes more and she hadn’t returned, so we went downstairs to see if everything was okay. She was nowhere to be seen! She had just disappeared, without even coming back upstairs to get anything, so we were a bit concerned. We felt it best to contact the local police station and let them know what happened, just in case she became “a missing person”, or perhaps even worse! A few days later, she turned up, with her friends, and asked to get her belongings. She was barely with us a few minutes, and then she left, without even an explanation. We let the police know that it appeared as though she was okay after all, but that we actually had no idea what had happened. This item made it into the local newspaper, and was somewhat sensationalized. (I guess that this was the “hot gossip” of that particular week!) We still had no real idea of what had happened, how, or why? How was it that this dear girl was one minute so ready to give her life to The Lord, only to turn around almost the next minute and, literally, run away? We were going to find out... A couple of weeks later a few of us were in another town in the South West, and this time it was Plymouth. I was in the middle of talking to a sweet young girl, when suddenly someone walked up and thrust a newspaper in my face! “What about THIS then? What do you say to THIS?” Even the girl I was talking to thought that this was extremely rude behavior, looking at me with a “Who the hell is THIS guy?” look on her face. I had no idea. I turned to face this man, and said “Er, excuse me, but I don’t know you. I am in the middle of a conversation here. It is extremely rude and impolite to burst in on a conversation between two people you don’t even know, ISN’T it?”

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“Well, are you the person named in this news article?” I looked, and I was. “Yes! So?” “Well, I have something to say to you!” “Okay, well, you’ll just have to WAIT YOUR TURN!” and I turned back to the girl. She was very sweet and understanding, but it was clear that this guy was all for being a nuisance, so she took some literature, we said good-bye to each other, and she excused herself. I don’t meet too many obnoxious people, but I certainly recognize them when I do. I don’t really care what anyone thinks of me personally, but when I learn that these types are being offensive to others, then “enough is enough!” and I will deal with it! I turned to face this guy again “NOW then, mister, what’s YOUR problem?” “What about this news article?” he demanded to know. “What ABOUT it?” I queried? “Don’t you have anything to say about it?” “What am I SUPPOSED to say about it? WHO the hell are YOU anyway?” I wanted to know. After this, it was about to become quite clear as to what had happened to affect and influence the girl who had just previously wanted to join us, but who then had had such a dramatic turn-around!... “Well, I MET the girl in this article three weeks ago, and we had a very good talk.” “Oh, REALLY?” “Yes, and I managed to help her see that all of this God nonsense is not going to do her any good, that she should be more open-minded, to other things. And look at the result, as it shows it in this news article!” (Note: Actually, the news article didn’t really say anything, other than that she was reported as “missing” for a while. Also, in reading the article, we learned that she had been contacted by the newspaper, after she had left us, and she was reported as saying that she felt that she had made a mistake, that she didn’t really want to give her life to God’s service after all, and that our initial concerns for her safety were unfounded.) By now the picture was beginning to become very clear to me, so when he asked his next question, it was definitely going to be his last, at least as far as I was concerned anyway! “So, what do YOU think about all of this? Don’t YOU have any feelings on this matter?” There is scripture that condemns anyone causing others to “stumble”, or waver in their faith, especially those who have just found it, when it is still new and young and tender in them. So I glared at him, “YES! Actually I happen to feel VERY STRONGLY about it, and about YOU!” At this he turned and fled! A while later I met up with my partner of that day, and this is what he said...“Did that guy find you?” “Which one?” “There was a guy looking for you, and I said you were probably around the corner” “Oh, THAT guy!” “Yes, he said he had been looking for you, and that he wanted to talk with you about that article in the newspaper”. I told him what had happened.

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“Oh, THAT was why he was so upset! Ha ha ha!” “What do you mean?” “Well, I guessed he must have found you, because he came back a while later and seemed quite freaked out!” “What do you mean?” “Well, he said ‘That David, he’s not a very nice person is he?’ So I just looked at him and smiled and said ‘I perceive that he rebuked you!’ and he stormed off!” We both laughed!

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Chapter 12 - Next Stop... India! It is going to be quite difficult to include everything that happened during the time I was in that land. After all, I was there for nearly ten years altogether. So, I will just try to hit the highlights. Also, I will not include details of those I was with at any given time, as it is not relevant to the subject of the title of this book. This will also be the way I will be writing about Taiwan later. If you will have read my First Book, “A Journey....” you will already know and understand that I was married during both these times, and had children. I regret having mentioned too much in the first book about these dear ones, as my memories of events concerning them are quite different from theirs. So to spare any further embarrassment, or undue concern or worry for any, I will leave those things out of this narrative and just retell accounts of what happened, without including the names of anyone else who may have been present at the time. If I mention anyone else at all, it will be along the lines of “those I was with” or “those who were with me”, “my wife and children at the time”, or just “we” or something like that. Let’s hope it makes sense, and is still good reading. I will still mention the times that I was married, for chronological purposes only, and maybe also when children were born, because these were miracles in themselves. Any more than that will be omitted though. Please bear with me in this, and I will do my best with the rest. And so, to India... One reason why I believe My Boss went to such stringent lengths to prepare me for this adventure, as described in the previous chapters, is because the following expeditions required a bit more faith than “normal”. As I explained, faith is supposed to grow, like a muscle! You can’t lift or carry heavy loads unless you have the muscle-power to do so, and India was definitely “a heavier load” than “normal”, in many ways, and required “more than normal muscle”! I have heard it said, from other missionaries who had been there for some time themselves, as well as from foreign travelers, who were only visiting, on business or for holidays, that it took about three to six weeks to find out whether you loved it, or hated it! Travelers and visitors, those who were only there for a short time, temporarily, usually arrived with lots of money, or at least some, or enough, which can go a very long way, if you are prudent. As long as you are sensible, especially in areas of personal safety and security, health and hygiene, you can survive, even quite well. If you are a missionary, who lives by faith, and, literally, “on a wing and a prayer”, you probably arrive with little or no money, have no idea where you are going to stay, and very little idea of what it is exactly you are going to do, or how you are going to do it. You just “Go!”, because He told you to! Well, this was my first experience out there anyway! Ha ha! I had heard “The Call of India” four years before, while in Switzerland in 1972. It was now 1976, and I was on my way there for the first time! This was to be the first of three excursions, each lasting much longer than the one before! “Weird

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and wonderful” are the best words for describing the India experience, as far as I can determine anyway. I had received an advance-payment of an insurance claim that my Dad had made after the bus incident, so I had my air-fare. I already had a passport from previous trips throughout Europe, and you didn’t need any kind of visa or financial proofs to arrive in India. As a UK citizen at that time you could just land and get a stamp in your passport with the date of arrival on it. I had a backpack and a briefcase, and a little bit of money, and was arriving with three others who had decided to travel there at the same time (it is best not to travel alone in India folks!). Some friends had been renting a small apartment in the suburbs of Bombay, and I was able to stay there for a while. There were a few people from our missionary group scattered about the city, and there was room for me in this place. Soon was to follow my first miracle-India experience. I had contracted a fever pretty soon after arrival. To explain: unless you are rich and can afford air-conditioning, which meant also having glass in the windows, most dwellings just have bars and shutters on the windows, and ceiling fans, so mosquitoes are a constant problem. You can spray, you can wear repellent, you can burn coils of anti-mosquito smoke, but sooner or later they are gonna get you! Also, unless you are very stringent in your eating and drinking safety habits, you are gonna get sick at some point, sometime, usually. One miracle for me personally though was how little I ever got sick in all my time in India, even when living very much “like the natives” in some circumstances, meaning not always being able to drink clean water, and not always being able to eat in clean conditions! Whew! However, on this particular day, I was sick! I had been out, downtown, helping to minister to poor foreign travelers (it was still the hippie-era, especially in India, and Asia generally), and I had to come home early, as I was shaking, almost delirious. Imagine the shock of arriving at our apartment block, only to find everything (and I mean everything), all of our personal possessions, in a pile on the ground in the middle section of the center of this four sided block! We found out that the “Bombay Mafia”, who wanted us out of the apartment for some reason, had barged in on the one girl who was at home that day, and who had answered the door. They took everything and threw it over the balcony, six floors up, to the ground below! The miracle was that nothing of mine was broken (I can’t say about all the other stuff as I simply don’t know), and the even bigger miracle was that nothing was stolen, at all! Remember, this is India, where you would not find anything even “lost” on the street, as just about everything would be picked up, by somebody! Theft and pick-pocketing is also almost “the norm” experience for many an unsuspecting foreigner I’m afraid. I can honestly tell you, that in all my time in India, and during all my travels abroad actually (until I came to Iceland that is, but that is another miracle-story), I have never had anything stolen, nor lost anything! AND, even in India, I have

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found money on the street, in Calcutta of all places! (Calcutta is really a place for “the poorest of the poor”, or at least was at that time) But more on this later! Even as sick as I was, we had no option but to move all of our stuff from where it had landed. We called everyone home to help, and we got to camp out temporarily at a friends’ place, until eventually we ended up moving into one of the tourist hotels downtown. (These are definitely not “tourist” hotels, but cheap places where poor and young travelers usually stay). I wasn’t long in this place though, as I received a telegram from my Dad, asking me to return to the UK to make the final settlement on the insurance claim he had initiated after the bus incident. So, I had to go back to England, just about six weeks after my first arrival in India. One other thing I had heard from others who had been in India, is that it was a place that just seemed to “get under your skin”. If you loved it, you just had to go back! I had “survived”, but I loved it, and was eager to return. I wanted more!

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Chapter 13 - India, Part Two! I was stuck in England quite a bit longer than I had anticipated, six months actually. It took this long for the final payment of the insurance to come through. In the meantime I busied myself, with getting married. My wife was soon to become pregnant also. We spent the summer of 1976 together, part of the time on a small yacht/cruiser that my Dad owned at the time, but by the Autumn we were on our way, via The Orient Express, to Athens, Greece, where an amazing miracle of supply, unlike any other I have known before, or since, was to take place. We had to wait in Athens for a couple of months, before flying on to Bombay. Athens was the jumping-off-point for teams going to India, so there were several of us there, staying at various locations around the city. We had been given an unused house downtown. It was unused, because it was quite old and run-down. We usually went out in the day-time, to meet and talk with people, usually young travelers, as the local Greeks were not that good at English, and we were only learning a few words of Greek here and there. We hadn’t actually expected to be in the country that long. We found out, a little later, that we were not the only ones who seemed to be held up a bit in Athens. The longer we were there meant the more resources would be used, money that we had budgeted for our trip and arrival in India. We also found out that we were responsible for paying the rent on the place where we were staying, another expense that, frankly, we couldn’t actually afford. We had donated a huge chunk of the money received from the insurance to the work in India previously, and had just enough left for our air-fares from Greece, with a little left over to land with. My wife was pregnant, her birthday was in a few days. We didn’t have the rent, and we didn’t even have anything “extra” to celebrate with! This particular day we had decided to make a trip to the port, Piraeus. We met a young Greek, who, as far as we could make out, was the Captain of a ship. He spoke almost no English, and we spoke even less Greek, but he wanted to sit and “talk” at a harbor-side cafe. We had a very pleasant time drinking coffee, enjoying each others company, and relaxing in the sunshine. While there, a vendor was passing by, and Nicky, the Captain, stopped him and purchased what turned out to be lottery tickets, which he wanted to give to us! We said, “No, no, no Nicky. Thank you, but you keep them. We don’t believe in ‘luck’ anyway!” He insisted, and looked like he would be quite hurt and offended if we refused, so we took them and put them in our pocket, more to humor him than anything I guess. He smiled and was happy and we thought that that was the end of it. Later, as we were to part company however, he also insisted that we meet him again in two days, as that is when the winning numbers would be announced in the newspaper. Again, we agreed, so as not to offend him.

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Later that day we were walking back to the house when we bumped into another couple on their way to India. We spent a little time comparing notes, and this is when we learned that quite a few of us were all in the same situation, waiting in Athens, using up our funds. We hadn’t really thought about the lottery tickets until then, but the thought did occur to us that a large sum of money would be very helpful at this time, not just for us, but for everyone. The first prize was a million drachmas, and surely that would help a lot of folks! We decided to pray. We were walking along the street, practically screaming at The Lord, demanding that He do something to help. Suddenly a scripture popped into my head “The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of The Lord”! Whew! A couple of days later I was meeting Nicky. He bought a paper, and we sat down to look at the results page. This was the first time I had looked at the tickets. Nicky was sitting opposite me, studying the numbers, which took up an entire page. I was looking at them up-side down. He had bought four tickets for us, and as I was looking down at the page I could hardly believe my eyes! Even up-side down I could see that we had three of the four ticket numbers! I almost jumped, and shouted “Nicky, look!” He almost jumped too, and said to give him the tickets. Apparently foreigners cannot claim national lottery winnings, so he would have to go to the claims office for us and collect the money. I had no idea how much it would be, but the thought did cross my mind that perhaps he would just take the money and disappear. I mean, how often does anyone ever win at this sort of thing, and he did pay for them, so if he had kept them, then the money was rightfully his anyway, right? Well, Nicky truly was a sweet guy, and he came out of the claims office a little while later and handed the money over to me. It wasn’t the million drachma first prize, but it did pay our rent, and provide enough to celebrate my wife’s birthday with. We bought a bottle of wine and a cake! Shortly after this we found ourselves on our way to Bombay, arriving just two days before Christmas. There was to be a sort of “Christmas Party” for visitors, young interested Indian folks. I had received things donated in Western countries before, but I had never tried this, or expected that it would be possible, in a country like India, “a poor country”. I was about to experience that this is possible anywhere, even in “small” ways (much BIGGER ways later!). Our task was to try and get something along the food-line for the party. We went to stores, explaining what we were trying to do and what it was for. Imagine our surprise when different store-owners were more than happy to help! It didn’t seem like much at the time, but we came home with a tin of processed cheese (quite expensive in those days), a cake (also not cheap), and something else (which I forget what it was). At the Christmas party were about a dozen young Indian folks, student and university types, and some young professionals. I was impressed with two of them in particular, two young men, one who was in a band that played at the big hotels, and his friend, who was a staff manager at one of those hotels. There were no national, Indian disciples in our group at this time, and the general

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thinking was to just try to win them slowly, having them visit as friends at first, while slowly introducing them to Christian ideas and stuff. One of these boys was raised a Catholic, and his friend was raised a Hindu. For some reason I felt inspired to exhort them to leave everything and launch out full-time in service for Jesus! Imagine my surprise, and excitement, to learn that a few months later, after we had left Bombay and moved South, that they had done just that! Not only this, but years later they became the national leadership of the work in India, one in the North, and the other in the South! But my wife and I were on our way South a week or so later, by train to Madras at first. Shortly after our arrival there I was to have one of those few sickness bouts, dengue fever. I can’t really explain what it is like, except to say that I was delirious for several days, and, as far as I understood from my wife at the time, close to death it seemed. I survived and recovered however, and after a short recuperation we were on our way further South to what was to become a very special place for us, Trivandrum in Kerala, almost at the Southern-most tip of the Indian Subcontinent. My wife was seven months pregnant with our first child when we got there, so this was going to be where the birth was to happen, and this was to be our first truly beautiful, big miracle! Before this I was to have yet another brush with death though. We had gone to the local beach for our rest-day. I liked body-surfing, and this day had really good waves for this. What I didn’t know though was that this coast was treacherous for rip-tides and under-currents. Many people had died by drowning after being swept out to sea, and a few weeks later this is exactly what happened to a young traveler who had visited us at home one time. I found myself looking back at the beach, and the waves were breaking in front of me! This was not how it was supposed to be, and the full realization that I was being carried backwards, out to sea, had me really very, very concerned. I swam as hard as I could to try to get back in front of the breaking waves, so I could be carried back in to shore, but it wasn’t working, and I was getting very tired. It didn’t look good. So I prayed, desperately, “Lord, I can’t do this! I’m tired, and I can’t make it. Unless You do something I’m not going to survive this!” Just then a very big wave came, almost out of nowhere, and started to pick me up. I swam as hard as I could, and found myself being lifted very high, carried a long way, very fast, and then, literally, dumped on the beach! Those who were watching had seen how desperate my situation had been, and were also praying for me, as there was nothing anyone could do about it other than that. We were all just very thankful, and relieved, to have the answer come so quickly and dramatically. Whew! A little later, my wife and I needed to find a place for our little one to be born, so we went out one day to check all the hospitals in the area. The main problem seemed to be that none of them would allow me to be present at the birth, and this was important to us. This is probably because they were all Hindu places, and maybe partly because their experiences with a lot of births were sort of

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freaky, with a lot of trauma involved, and the men being “more of a complication than a help” in these situations. Anyway, the policy was very strict. We were wondering “What to do?” as they say in India. Later that afternoon we found ourselves in the middle of a heavy monsoon shower, so, more to get out of the rain than anything, we hopped on a bus! We had no idea where it was going, but the rain stopped and the sun came out, so we got off at the next stop. We had no idea where we were, but it was out in the country-side somewhere, in a district called Pettah. The reason I am giving you these names is because of what happened a couple of years later. As you will see, another miracle! Anyway, we turned to look down the road, and there, at the end, was a sign over an arch to a place called “St. Anne’s Nursing Home”! We thought “Maybe.......?” So we walked in and found some Indian Catholic Nuns working there, and it turned out to be a small hospital for delivering babies! We explained that we were looking for a place to have our baby, and they said that the doctor, a lady, wasn’t there at that moment, but was due at any time, so if we wanted to wait we could talk with her. She was only there for an hour or so each day, and our timing seemed to be perfect! It wasn’t long before she arrived, and we asked her about the possibility of having our baby there, but, more importantly, would she allow me to be present? She said, “Well we don’t usually do this, but if you are that curious, yes, okay!” This sweet young lady was actually a Hindu but had married a Catholic and, as a result, she was disowned by her family. She was amazing. It would be impossible to tell of all of the amazing things that happened while in Trivandrum, but we loved the place and have many fond memories of it. I will tell of one exciting bit in a moment, but first to the night of labor... We lived in a small bungalow on a hill-side in a suburb called Sasthamangalam, with a few others. It was the middle of the night and there was a power-cut in our area, so I had to go out with a flash-light and find a taxi. I stumbled down the lane in the dark and amazingly found a Sikh sleeping in his taxi not far from our place! I told him what we needed and he reversed his taxi all the way down the lane to our house. We then went off to the nursing home, a twenty minute ride and very bumpy! My wife had back labor, so I was doing a lot of massaging. I think we had left it all a bit tight in our timing I guess, because after our arrival at the nursing home and calling for the doctor, she barely had time to arrive, clean up, and put gloves on before it was time to push! Out popped our little girl! We had a name already in mind, if it was to be a girl, but this one wasn’t that person it seemed. Actually the name we had turned out to be for our next one, another girl, two years later, in a different country, and this is where it is important to remember the names from this event, as you will read! Anyway, we didn’t know “who” this one was, the “little toughie” who had been placed on her stomach in a metal tray on the side, and who was arching her

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back, lifting up her head and looking all around, as if to say “Are you going to leave me HERE? It’s COLD!” Ha ha! Well, after the doctor had attended to Mummy, and we had wrapped the little one up, the doctor looked at her and suggested we name her after what we could see in the early morning sky, the Hindi word for “Star”, so that was that! We enjoyed the next few months there in Kerala, and we were busy. We not only had a lot of fun meeting the foreign travelers, but were having great success reaching a lot of the local youth. In time, we had about fifteen to twenty regular visitors! You can’t get away with much in the way of “success” in the Lord’s service for very long before you start getting opposition! The scripture says that “When a man’s ways please The Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him”. On the other hand, if you never get any opposition, either you are not doing anything, or you are not doing it right! This often comes in the physical form of antagonists and opponents, which can even become violent and aggressive on occasion, but it is always spiritually inspired, by “the other side”, even though very often the protagonists are not even always aware of where it all originates themselves. We were enjoying the company of many high-officials in the city, including the Chief of Police. On this one occasion he had invited us to a garden party at his residence, and during this visit he warned us of an impending event. Kerala is basically a Catholic state, as well as also Communist. There is also an “executive arm” of staunch Hinduism in India and, combined, these three work together through the Foreigners Regional Registration Offices to keep tabs on any Christian Missionary works throughout the country. Officially, India has a secular Government, and our group has actually often been received warmly by those in Government positions, including members of the Gandhi family, however, even these have often been pressured and attacked, in many different ways, by the fanatical religious factions of the country. We were told that the FRRO were planning to visit us, and issue us with deportation papers! This was quite a blow, as you can imagine, so we felt it prudent to close down our work and move elsewhere, quickly, before we were all compelled to have to leave the country. We could just simply go somewhere else, which we did! My wife and I took a four day train ride up to Calcutta. You may have heard of “The Black Hole of Calcutta”? This is an actual place, in history, a way that the darker forces in India had of getting rid of people, by throwing them, literally, into a large hole in the ground, often on top of others who had already been thrown there, and leaving them there to die. It is also a pretty good descriptive of what Calcutta is really like in spirit, and this is where we found ourselves at the end of our train journey. “Where iniquity abounds, grace does much more abound” The Bible says, and some very amazing things happened for us while we were there!

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It was our free-day, and my wife and I could do whatever we wanted for the day. We could go out to eat, we could go to the cinema, whatever we wanted. Only one small problem – we didn’t have any money! We were walking through a busy market area. It was hot and humid, and I was commenting on how poor the conditions were in the city, so poor that you wouldn’t even be able to find a 1 Paisa coin on the ground, because someone was sure to spot it and pick it up! (1 Paisa is 100th of a Rupee!) I was looking down as we were walking along (because you had to – you had to be very careful where you put your feet), when all of sudden I saw what I thought was a folded 1 Rupee note! Almost without thinking, and very quickly in case anyone might be watching and claim it as their own, I reached down, scooped it up and put it in my pocket. We went a little ways further and I thought “I can hardly believe this, finding a Rupee on the ground. Amazing!” I pulled it out to look at this marvel, only to discover that it was not a 1 Rupee note at all, but a 10 Rupee note! So, we had enough not only to eat, but to go to the cinema as well! We were not in Calcutta for very long. The general conditions, including the place where we were staying, were not conducive to a healthy living for our little girl, and so, frankly, we pretty much decided to quit India at that time. However, before leaving, The Lord had another outstanding provision in store for us, just to show that He could do it! We were out for the day again. I carried our little one in a baby back-pack. This was safer and cleaner than trying to push a buggy on the cobbled and pot-holed streets, usually also like a mine-field of... well you can probably guess... where everyone from the local population seemed to also delight in pinching her little cheeks with their hands (and not always the cleanest hands I have to say). It was hot and humid, again, and our task was to somehow obtain enough money for the rent, again, as well as buy and cook dinner when we got home! It was now late in the afternoon, and our little girl had a fever. We had not accomplished our goals yet, but we were hot and tired and wanted to rest a bit in some airconditioning, so we ducked into the Oberoi Hotel, where we sat for a while on one of the benches in a corridor. An elderly foreign couple were passing by and paused to acknowledge and play with our little one. Of course they wanted to know where we were from, why we there in Calcutta, etc, so we told them our story. They seemed touched and deeply impressed, explaining that they themselves were visiting from the US, as a Minister and his wife attending some church convention. They noticed that our daughter was a little poorly, so offered to pray for her, to which we agreed of course, very appreciatively actually. After this they had to excuse themselves in order to join some people they had arranged to meet, but before parting the man took something out of his pocket and pressed it into my hand as he shook it. “This is just a little something that we pray will be of some help to you” he said. I thought “That’s nice of them. Probably $5 or something. Maybe even $10? At least we will be able to get something to eat and buy food for dinner at home!”

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They had left the corridor before I thought it might be fun to find out what they had so generously given. So I pulled the note out of my pocket and unfolded it, only to find that it was $100! This was enough to feed us, everyone at home, AND pay the rent! Ha ha ha! We spent only five months in Calcutta, but it was fruitful! There were quite a few interested young Indians visiting, and we were encouraged to invest our time on a small group of them. However, there were two, a young guy, and a young girl, that we particularly felt drawn to, but they had always been considered â&#x20AC;&#x153;unstableâ&#x20AC;?, or of not such a high degree of commitment or dedication for some reason, though we could not see what that was. These are the two that ended up giving their lives in full-time service a little later however, as well as both marrying and having families of their own. As far as I know, they are still going for The Lord! A short while later though we were on a flight back to the UK, and headed for another big miracle when our second daughter was born. But that will come in the next Chapter!

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Chapter 14 - India, Part Three! These chapters are about India. I don’t really like, or want to talk too much, about things that I have experienced at any time I have been in the UK, my “home country”. I can’t say that I can honestly compare those things with my experiences abroad. A lot of my home country experiences were just not that inspiring, frankly. However, there are a few notable exceptions, and I will include them, where and when they pop up in this narrative. One of them follows now... Remember all those names I mentioned in the previous chapter, ones that you should note? Well, this is a bit about those, and the relevance to our second daughters birth. It is quite amazing, as you will see! After returning to the UK from Calcutta, we landed at my parents place for a while. It wasn’t long however, before we needed to find a place of our own. I managed to get a job at the airport nearby, Gatwick, and was quickly promoted. Working at the airport gave us priority for housing, so we were established pretty quickly, which was good, because my wife became pregnant again pretty soon. When it was time for her to deliver, we were booked into the local hospital in the nearby town, Crawley. We were intrigued to find that our doctor here was also an Indian lady doctor, so we mentioned that our first-born was born in India, delivered by an Indian lady doctor. “Really?” The doctor asked, “Where?”. “In Kerala” was our reply. “I’m FROM Kerala!” she said. “Where did you live?”. “In Trivandrum”. “I’m FROM Trivandrum! Where in Trivandrum?”. “Sasthamangalam” we told her. “I’m FROM Sasthamangalam!” she exclaimed! “Where was your daughter born? What was the name of the doctor?” We explained, although I must confess that I don’t remember the doctors name now (maybe it was Doctor Thomas, I’m not sure!?). “SHE was my TEACHER!” she said! Wow! “What are the chances?” (you have to ask!) Ha ha ha! Anyway, “No. 2” was born, delivered by the student of the doctor who had delivered “No.1”, two years and half a world apart from each other! Things like that don’t “just happen” do they? To get back to India though... After a while we moved to Wales, where our third, a boy, was born, and after a while longer, we moved to London, where we prepared to make our way back to India. We managed it by early 1982 I think, if I remember correctly. My personal situation sort of fell apart after arriving in Bombay. I tried a new situation in Ahmedabad for a while, but was soon back in Bombay, ready to try again. This was to take place in Delhi, where we were to spend the next six years, except for a brief spell in Srinagar, Kashmir. Our next three, two girls and another boy, were all born in Delhi. Again, it is hard to be concise about everything that happened while in India, especially this third time around, because so much happened, but this is “A Book of Miracles”, so I will try to limit my account to these kinds of things (although it seemed that almost everything was a miracle, to us!). 140

How about we start with meeting my guardian angel (one of them), for the second time, when I first actually realized he was my guardian angel that is? This was an experience that was to kick off what was going to be quite a traumatic next few months. We had been in the South of the city (New Delhi) for a few months after our initial arrival there. During this time we learned that the largest university in Asia was situated in the North of the city, beyond Old Delhi. We found a group of other families who wanted to have a part in helping to reach the students there, and had found a large communal property that was able to accommodate us all. We were conducting a fruitful ministry, for several months, before, once again, we were warned by a friend that we were about to be visited by those responsible for being able to deport us. We closed down our operation, and most of our members dispersed to other locations in the South of the city (New Delhi). In the meantime, our friend (who gave us the warning) had bought a house nearby, and my wife and I and our three little ones were able to move there, as we had no desire to leave our ministry at the university. We had to lay low for a while, but being a little less conspicuous, as we were no longer such a large group now, I was able to continue ministering. It was not easy though, and one day I was walking home from the local market, weighted down with four large, heavy bags of shopping, in the heat of the day. It was dusty walking alongside the road, and I was very sweaty, and quite discouraged. I can’t remember what it was that was actually running through my mind at the time, but I was wondering about something, some decision that had to be made, and I was quite discouraged about things generally. All of a sudden, an old Indian gentleman was coming up alongside me on a bicycle from behind, and as he passed me he turned his head toward me and said, in English, “Yes, you should do............” and whatever it was that I was thinking about at that moment. Then he continued riding on down the road without any further communication between us. I had to cross the road at that point, so I turned to look for traffic, then turned to look back in his direction, but he was gone! First of all, I certainly was not “talking out loud to myself”, so I couldn’t figure out how he knew what it was that was going on in my head. But then it struck me, “Wait a minute, he looked familiar!”, and I realized I had seen him before! The last time I saw him was in Switzerland, dressed in traditional Swiss costume, while telling me about the character called “Snowman”! This time he was dressed in traditional Indian costume, and had darker skin, but still had the same white hair, mustache, and the twinkle in his (believe it or not) blue eyes! Whew! A little while later, in order to escape the heat of Delhi in the summer, our friend, who knew of a summer house in Srinagar, Kashmir, suggested that we move up there for a while. We agreed, but had not been there long before finding ourselves in the middle of the brink of war, between India and Pakistan, so we had to leave and return to Delhi. We pulled out of Srinagar, all piled into a taxi, while tanks were pulling in to the city!

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We arrived in Delhi with nowhere to stay, so ended up in various guest houses for a while. It was during this time that the Prime Minister, Indira Ghandi, was assassinated. We then found ourselves right in the middle of some more real turmoil! We were watching it all on the TV in the guest house we were staying at, but in the neighborhood all around us, which was a predominantly Sikh community, people were being slaughtered in the ensuing riots, and many of the houses were burned. We were on a backstreet, somewhat removed from the main thoroughfares, so we were situated in something of an “oasis of peace”, and so escaped the surrounding danger. Something else happened at this time. The law changed for foreign residents holding British Passports, and now we needed visas in order to stay. We had no idea what to do. We had no money to leave, or to stay! Again, “What to do?” Amazingly, a friend turned up, almost out of the blue, saying that he could help. For a small fee, almost nothing actually, he could take our passports to a hillstation not far away and get them stamped with an “under consideration” stamp. This was valid for a year. We managed to repeat this process for the next six years actually, and so we were able to remain in the country. This next period was to be our most fruitful yet. However, in 1989 we eventually had to leave India, for the last time. But this provided an opportunity for yet another miracle... During the previous years we had met and made friends with a Canadian businessman, on contract to build dams in the country. When it came time for us to leave, he offered to pay for the air-fares for our entire family, which now consisted of two adults and six children! This was not all that was miraculous though. Imagine the sight of a family of eight arriving at the check-in desk at the airport, complete with a steel trunk (that needed two strong men to lift), eight suitcases, and twenty four pieces of hand luggage – all containing everything we owned in the world! We were ushered straight to the first class check-in counter, where the luggage was not even weighed, but was just passed quickly through, after the labels had been attached. But this is not all! When we arrived in the UK and collected our things from the baggage hall, we noticed that because the trunk was so heavy the hinges had snapped off, though the lock was still securely in place on the front. Amazingly we lost nothing in transit! There are a couple of other things I could share here, to do with miracles of health and healing during my time in India on this third trip, but I think the details would have the reader feeling too squeamish if I were to relate them, so I will decline.

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Chapter 15 - Halfway, an Interim, and Beyond...to China! I WAS thinking about including some healing miracles that took place in India at a couple of points, but as I said, these were so personal (and squeamish) that I have decided not to include these. Let’s just say, I had “a refresher course” in lessons to do with pride and self-righteousness. I am not shy about sharing them, but it would be better to do so privately, one-on-one, with anyone who wishes to know. I don’t think that they would make great “public fare”, simply because the graphic details go way beyond what I have already shared in relating things to do with “the bus incident”. If you really are interested, then you will have to ask me personally yourself, okay? There is a reason why in English we refer to our “private parts”, and one lesson had to do with mine! (Oooh! Now THAT got your attention, huh? Ha ha ha!) No, seriously, all I will tell you is that He used something to do with those to teach me something about pride and self-righteousness - Whew! The miracle is, that as soon as I got His point, I was healed, literally overnight, as a result of simple obedience to His simple instructions! Not only were the “major” problems taken care of, but He showed me how that if we “major on His majors”, He will also “take care of all the minors” as well, all in one go! It is an experience, and a lesson, I will never forget, and ranks “right up there” with some of the most amazing and important experiences I have ever had! And all hinging on such a seemingly small couple of details called “obedience”! I can tell you that I had proof that I have a brain though! One time I was driving with someone in Delhi and noticed that I couldn’t read the number plate on the vehicle in front. I kept rubbing my eyes, but I just couldn’t seem to focus at all. I thought “Hmmmm! Think I’d better get this checked!” So I did, four times, with a different eye doctor each time! All reported that there was nothing wrong with my eyes at all! I could read the chart fine, they looked inside at the retina, everything that an eye doctor does! Nothing! Quite mystifying! Then, the last doctor I saw paused, and said “Hang on a moment. I want to try something!” He held a card up between my eyes, at my nose, so he could shine his flashlight into one eye at a time, without the light reaching the other eye. What was weird is that when he shone the light into my right eye, the left pupil closed, and vice-verse! He said “I think you might have a problem in the center of the brain, where the nerves from the eye travel back to to the sight-center at the back of the head!” “What should we do?” I wondered. “Well, perhaps a CAT scan would be able to show us if this is the case. You could possibly have an aneurysm. There are two nerves going back from each eye, and at one point two of them cross over. This is could be where the problem is!” Well, I had the scan (so I had the pictures to prove I had a brain). But nothing showed up conclusively as to whether I had an aneurysm or not. (I can tell you that I had an allergic reaction to the chemical they put in you to do the scan though, and I had to have an anti-dote pretty quickly. It felt like my hands were

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going to explode! Whew!) “We could operate!” the doctor said. “That’s the only way we can know for sure what the problem is, and maybe fix it!” - I declined! I still have the problem. I see best in dim light. Anything bright and I have to wear sunglasses to dim and equal the light going into both eyes, so they don’t go out of focus with each other. The pupil acts like an aperture on a camera. You can have the lens in focus, but if the aperture is too open for the light conditions, then your picture is going to appear out of focus! Normally each eye works in-sync with the other. Mine don’t. Each “does its own thing”, and usually the opposite to what it is supposed to! Ha ha! I’ve lived with this for over twenty years now. I’m still alive – no strokes or anything like that (or death). I’ve decided to trust The Lord for it. After all, “our times are in His hands”, right? But “moving on”, as they say... Returning to the UK was going to provide me with the first, really major, change that I was to experience to date. My wife and I had been together for fifteen years, and we had six children. I had been involved in various projects after our return, keeping me busy for a year or so. Then some, what could only be described as, “major persecution” took place. I won’t go into the details here, but I’ll just say that this was the first real encounter that anyone from our group had had with anyone trying to cause serious trouble, and I mean “serious trouble”! It involved a “raid” on our home, at 7 am one morning, with Police, Social Services, Ambulance Personnel, and the Media! I felt led to challenge and confront our accusers. It took a while for the dust to settle, including involving lawyers, but eventually everything died down. Our accusers were found to be false, of course! We never even saw them, or met them actually, as the “attack” was done anonymously! Cowards that they are, they knew they had nothing other than a viscous vindictiveness, and the Police themselves were found to have broken the law on thirteen counts! Amazing! An apology followed from the Officer in charge of the event! Anyway... Shortly after this we moved to another location, closing down the publications operation I was involved in, and it was not long after this that my wife and I went our separate ways. I won’t go into the details of all of this, but very soon after this I found myself on the way to... Hong Kong!!! But not before another amazing experience that took place... I was sitting in a caravan which was situated in the grounds of the place where we had moved to. I was alone that night, and quite distraught and emotional because of the realization that the last fifteen years of my life, with a wife and children, was coming to an end it seemed. I decided to pour my heart out to My Lord and King, my Beloved Jesus. I just started talking to Him, and all of a sudden He was there! I was sitting at one end of the caravan, He at the other, and a remarkable conversation took place! Basically He told me not to worry, that He would work everything out. There was

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a Plan, and soon I would find out what that was! Not long after that, I was starting a whole new life, as “a single” again, on the other side of the planet! I had no idea what to expect. It was all of the following though: fun, exciting, new, different, a little “dangerous” at one point, and... very trying! At first, being all new, it was fun, but after a while the realization that I was on my own again hit pretty hard. I had great people around me to work with, who were all very supportive, in very loving and special ways, but... I remember walking down to the quay near our house one evening, looking up, and just, literally, crying “Lord, I don’t know if I can do this any more!” He wasn’t “there” this time, but I knew He was listening anyway, so... Sometimes He answers right away. Sometimes He has us wait, and it can be a bit of a test, but if we trust, rest, and “wait patiently for Him”, as His Word says, we are always rewarded! A little while later I met a woman who used to visit Hong Kong, every month or so, or every other month at least. She would make the trip from Taiwan, and she had four small children in tow, being a single Mum. I liked her, and her kids. But I was in Hong Kong, and she lived in Taiwan. On the last occasion that I saw her in HK she told me that she would probably be moving back to Australia, where she was from. “Too bad!” I thought! After a year in HK it was time to close down the work I had been a part of for that time. I had the choice to either move back to the UK, or to Taiwan. No contest! I had fallen in love with the Chinese people now, as much, if not more so than I had with the Indians while in India, especially after having been able to make a couple of trips across the border into China (HK was still under British rule at this time!) So, I found myself in Taiwan! The funny thing is, that while on the way to where I thought I would be staying, we called in to say we were on the way, only to be diverted to somewhere else! And guess who I found living at that place? - The woman I had known from her visits to Hong Kong - She had not moved back to Australia after all! I didn’t “know” right at that time that we would actually end up spending the next ten years together, but that is exactly what happened, a little while later! I was involved with teenagers while in Taipei, but after a summer road trip to Hsinchu, about a two hour drive South, my now second wife and I (and now five children!), felt that that was the place we were supposed to be, so we moved. We were to spend the next eight years in that city, and I could write almost an entire, separate, book on all the wonderful and amazing things that happened with us, for us, and to us, while there. But I will do as I did with India, and just try to “hit the highlights”, of which there were many!

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Chapter 16 - Hsinchu, Silicon Valley of the East! We moved to Hsinchu because, on a visit the previous summer, we arrived at the time that students were there from all over Taiwan, to enroll in the big university. We saw incredible potential, and no-one else was there to reach them. Not only this, but we were also to discover that this was “The silicon valley of the East”, with a huge, science-based industrial park, almost bigger than the city itself - the home of all things Asus, Acer, Logitech, etc, etc. If it was “made in Taiwan”, then it came from here! Some of the most incredible things I have ever experienced were to happen over the next eight years, things that would sound, or seem, almost “beyond belief” to most people. These things not only reflect the ability of God to do things that are “impossible”, but also the amazing warmth and openness and sweetness of the Chinese people, normally considered a conservative and somewhat “closed” society. Some of what I will relate following can only be called outstanding, by any standards, and we got to reap the benefits of some experiences that even others from our group, in the other major cities, had not yet seen themselves! Hsinchu definitely was “home” for us, in so many ways! We first moved there in ‘94, and with another family and a couple of singles we rented a very expensive, large, brand new house, in a compound that had a tennis court and a swimming pool. (Compound living is very common in Taiwan – a closed off area of houses, with gate-keepers and security). After a year or so however, the other family moved to China, and it was very difficult for us to pay the TWD $40,000 a month for the rent, plus security and compound fees, as well as all the bills of course! Our custom was to spend our day-times on outreach, either at the university, personal witnessing, or visiting housing estates and going door-to-door, or going in to town and going store-to-store, or from business-to-business. We had videos and CDs and books of educational and instructional materials, mostly for children, that people would buy from us. (This was one way we saw of being able to reach the population with the message, a way that the Chinese folks would find easy to accept, as most of those in Taiwan would say that they were Buddhist). This would bring in some money of course, but no-where near what was needed to live. Over the course of our first year however, we had made many, many friends, from all walks of life, and another of our customs was to go back and visit as many as we could from time to time, to follow up on them and see what else we could do to help them in their personal situation. A lot of people we met, and came to know well, became donors to us, and, depending on what their financial situation was, or whatever business it was they were in, we found ourselves blessed with anything from money itself (where they would often buy more children’s materials or material for themselves), or they would donate other things, like clothing, food, shoes, furniture, dental services, household products and equipment, a van, you name it! If, as in the case of our vehicle, maintenance

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was needed sometimes, the work was usually done for only the cost of the parts needed! Once a week I would also go to the market. One friend there, who gave us trays of eggs every week, also gave me the use of a trolley. I would go around the market, without even hardly having to say anything, and one-by-one the different stall owners would just walk up and pile food onto the trolley. This included fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, canned goods and grocery store products, bread, and even cakes! After an hour or so, our van was so full that I had to stop off at various places on the way home and pass on the “extra” that we didn’t need to others, as we certainly couldn’t eat it all ourselves. It was just too much! Our children were great little “performers” and learned to sing and dance, in Chinese, to some music backing-tracks we had, in schools, at shows, at businesses, in private homes, as well as restaurants in the evenings on the weekends. On these occasions we would also have our “products” on hand for those that were interested. The restaurants would after-wards let us go table-totable, and then also feed us, for free! After a while, it got to be that we rarely had to use money for anything, except bills and running our vehicle! However, this huge rent we had was still much more than we could afford, so we had to find cheaper housing. We had less than a month to find somewhere else, as we had given our notice on where we were, simply because we couldn’t afford the next month’s rent. But we had not yet found anywhere else! Hmmmmmm! One day we were out and about, and on our way to a nearby small town, about ten-minutes further South from Hsinchu. We were passing by the factory of a lady who owned a company which made light fittings and exported to the US. We decided to stop by, on the off-chance that she might be there (she usually wasn’t, being very busy and often traveling abroad on business, to China, the US, and Europe). She “just happened” to be there though, and greeted us warmly. As is the Chinese custom, we were offered tea, which we graciously accepted, especially as it gave us an opportunity to be with her and to talk. We didn’t actually plan on saying anything to this lady about our situation at all, but since she asked how it was going for us, we explained that we were looking for housing, and that we had very little time to find it in too! “Oh! I have a house you can have!” she said! “Really?” “Yes! I’m a little busy right now, but come back in two days and meet me here, and I’ll take you to see it!” “Oh! Okay, we will! Thanks!” We went back, on a Wednesday I think it was, and she took us into the nearby town, Toufen, which was actually so close to Hsinchu that it would probably become one of its suburbs in time. This little town was very traditionally Chinese, without the modernity that Hsinchu afforded, and we wondered what to expect. However, she showed us a two floor, four-bedroom house that, though small, would accommodate us comfortably. We felt sure that at least it would not be more expensive than the bigger house in the bigger city of Hsinchu, so we asked her what she would want for rent?

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“Oh, I don’t want any rent!” she said. “This is one of my houses and I’m not using it, so you can stay here, for free, for as long as you want!” “Wow! Okay! Thank you! We’ll take it then!” was all we could say! But this was not all that this lady was going to do... My wife had a residential visa for Taiwan, but I didn’t at that time. We mentioned this to our new land-lady at one point, and she said she could help with that too! Basically, she “employed” me, but only “on paper”, and this entitled me to residency, for the next two years! We had to make the move fairly quickly, so there was a lot of packing up to do, as well as transporting everything from our place in Hsinchu, to Toufen. Again, it was only about ten minutes away, but it took several trips in our van. Disaster struck on one trip however, at least it looked like it at the time... The van was fully loaded, and I had four of the children with me, when one of the tires blew out! We had a spare of course, but it was buried under all our stuff! We had to take everything out of the van at the back to get at the tire first, and then I was faced with the prospect of a very hot, sweaty, tiring, and slow task of trying to change the tire, with our flimsy jack, by the side of a very busy major road, while trying to keep an eye on the children at the same time! Just then, a man pulled up alongside us in his truck – a heavy-duty pickup truck! He saw the problem right away and leaped into action. Using his heavy-duty hydraulic jack, he had the job done in less than ten minutes! I thanked him profusely and asked him how much it would cost? “Nothing!” he said. “I saw your situation was desperate, and you had the children to think of. I just wanted to help!” Wow! “Another angel” do you think? Ha ha! By the way, in case you might be wondering, a lot of Taiwanese Chinese speak English, and try to take advantage of every opportunity they can to practice it. Even if not always fluent, it is at least, usually, very easy to communicate enough to be understood! We spent the next two years living in this place, while still maintaining our regular activities in Hsinchu itself. We made many more friends and contacts in this town too though, as well as in the other small towns in our county. We managed to cover a lot of ground in a large area it seemed, and because there was no-one else from our group but us, we had it “all to ourselves”!

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Chapter 17 - Back to Hsinchu! After two years in Toufen, our dear land-lady explained that she needed to move back into the house that she had given us to use, as the economy was such that she had to cut costs. This house was her “family house”, so, traditionally, it meant more to her to keep this one, and sell the apartment that she had been living in. We understood this of course, and so had to be off house-hunting again! We were visiting one of our friends in Hsinchu one day, and told him that we were thinking we would need to move back into town. Toufen was great, especially “for free”, but it was still out-of-town, though not far. The thing is, Hsinchu was a bustling, “going places” kind of town, so we expected some difficulty in finding a suitable place, in a good location, and that we could actually afford! “Well, where I live is a compound, on the way into Hsinchu from Toufen. There are about three hundred houses there, of varying sizes and types and styles, but half of them are empty! Perhaps you could take a look?” We thought that this was definitely worth a try. We had, until that time, no idea that this place even existed, even though we had passed it almost every day, as it was situated off of the main road, across a rail-way line, around a bend in the road, and behind a hill! We approached the security guards and explained that we were looking for housing, and that one of our friends lived there and recommended that we take a look around, so “Could we?” “Of course!” The lay-out of the compound had different sized housing on different streets, on different levels, as it was built on a hill. We saw one very nice house, and asked someone how much a house like that would probably rent for. We were told TWD $25,000. We thought, at a stretch, if we really had to, perhaps we could manage that, but we had felt that TWD $20,000 was about our limit, tops! So... we kept looking! On another street we were drawn to the end house of a long row for some reason. It didn’t look particularly big from the outside, but it had three floors, like a modern town house, and roof that was just one huge balcony. It stood out to us, but we didn’t know why, until we were about to leave the compound, driving to the gate! The guards waved us down to stop, all excitedly. We wondered why, but as it turned out, there was a truck pulling into the compound before us, with what looked like some kind of workman driving it. The guards explained that they knew this man, and that he had a house in the compound that he wanted to rent. They had spoken to him about us, and he wanted to take us to see his place, right then! We followed him back down the street we had just come from to... the very house that had just stood out to us! He opened it up and we got to look at it on the inside. It was much more spacious than we had imagined, as the bottom floor was set back into the hill. The bottom floor was the living room and dining area and very spacious! The next floor up was the kitchen at the back (at ground level at this point, because of the hill), a

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toilet, and a bedroom at the front with a balcony. On top of this was another floor, with two more bedrooms (the front one also having a balcony) and a bathroom. Then we discovered the next floor up also had another bedroom at the back, and then the door to the roof! Plenty of space for us, compared to what we had been used to for the last two years! It was brand new, never used, and didn’t even have any light fittings yet. We asked the man how much he would want for rent for his place? “TWD $15,000” he said. It is customary to bargain with Chinese people. We weren’t that good at it actually, but usually, generally, the harder bargaining you do, the more respect they have for you. They are usually a very materially-minded people. If you ask them what their religion is, many will actually say “money!” (Food comes a close second, and everybody drinks tea! Ha ha!) This man had a very sweet, quiet, and gentle nature however, and right away when we asked if he would consider TWD $12,000? He immediately said “Yes! Okay!” That isn’t what it turned out to be in the end though!........ We went home to pray, because this was going to be a “major move” for us, again, and we really wanted to be sure we were in the best place possible, the right place! We had lived rent-free in a very expensive country, for two years. We knew what prices could be like, especially after comparing notes with friends of ours who lived in the other major cities in the country! We felt led to “test” whether this really was the Lord’s Own choice for us, so we asked a friend of ours to call the landlord (he spoke no English at all this man) and offer him TWD $10,000, explaining that we were missionaries, and did not usually have a lot of money to spend! This kind of rent is, literally, “unheard of” in Taiwan, but he agreed to it, without a pause, and later we came to understand that he appreciated, and respected, the work that we did, and said that it was important to him to rent his place to “good people”! Whew! But that wasn’t all!... He said we didn’t have to wait until the end of the month to move in, but could move in right away, but also that we didn’t have to pay any rent for that first two weeks, as we had to fix it up ourselves, such as put the light fittings in, etc (which we already had from our former landlady). During this two weeks, he himself came and built an extra floor at the top of the stairwell, for extra storage room, which actually became an office later, as well as a roof over half of the balcony area, so we could have our washing machine up there and a laundry area (as well as for drying) and a covering-roof over the area at the back of the kitchen! (These coverings were to prove invaluable during monsoons and typhoons!) We lived here for the rest of our time in Taiwan, and during this time the landlord did not even raise the rent each year, which would normally be the case under normal circumstances. After the first couple of years, we didn’t even have to complete the formality of a rental contract. He had only asked for one month deposit at the beginning, when normally it would have been at least two, usually

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three, and when it came time to leave, he allowed us to live out the last month for the deposit! The real â&#x20AC;&#x153;cherry on the cakeâ&#x20AC;? for us though was this... We had prayed for a playground for the kids, a basketball court for me, and a swimming pool for my wife and us all to enjoy. The playground was right next to our house, at the end of our street! The basketball court was right opposite our house! And the swimming pool was under the basketball court! What more could anyone want? Even more incredible things were to follow in the years to come though!...

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Chapter 18 - More Miracles in Hsinchu! Lots of “little miracles” would occur throughout our regular daily activities as described in chapter sixteen. However, not long after our move back to Hsinchu from Toufen, I was going to become involved in something I never, EVER dreamed I would! I would class this amongst the “miracles”, because it was “a miracle” that I would even consider doing anything like this in the first place! Ha ha! And yet there were also miraculous aspects attached to it, as follows... During the course of our outreach we had met a pastor of a local church. I should explain that Chinese Christians, though still somewhat stuck in the traditional ways of doing things, are generally a lot more sincere in their faith than many you would find in the West, including exhibiting a great amount of care and concern for others, and a desire to meet, fellowship and work with each other in reaching out. Basically, you find a lot less hypocrisy in the East, which is quite refreshing to be honest! Three things happened all around the same time. Not long after our move, our former land-lady was unable to help with my visa situation any more, so I had to find something new, and fairly quickly. In the meantime, I had applied for my Ordination Certificate as a Minister, which I was entitled to for having already given twenty five years of my life in service, and this arrived in time for what was about to happen next... One day, this dear pastor, M, one of the sweetest and most loving I have ever met, called and asked if he could visit? We were certainly curious as to why, so we said yes, of course. He seemed quite serious, but still smiling and relaxed. “Whatever could this be about?” we wondered. “David, I came because I wanted to ask you something?” “Er, okay. What is it?” He went on to explain that in his church he had many English-speaking Philippinos who attended his services, but that the services are all conducted in Chinese, naturally. He was concerned that they weren’t being fed spiritually, so he was thinking of starting services for them, separately, but he needed a pastor for them, and could I help him with that? I almost fell on the floor! Ha ha! Not only would I never, normally, have considered ever doing something like that myself, but I knew that I had to explain something to him first... I told him that I felt honored to be asked, because I genuinely loved this man, and was willing to do anything to help him, but he had to realize that I was a part of a group that had had it’s fair share of “controversy” over the years, and was generally considered by main-stream Christianity to be far too “radical”. I explained that I just wanted to be honest with him about this up-front, right now, at the beginning, in case this was to become “an issue” later, which I fully expected was inevitable. He looked at me and said “David, I only know these things - I know you know the Lord, and you have great love for people. I love you, and if there anything were to happen in the future, well, God is in control and can take care of things!” Well, that was settled then! I explained that I needed to renew my visa though, and 156

could he use my papers to apply for a missionary visa for Taiwan? He said he would look into it! A few weeks later, I was to have the only missionary-visa anyone in our group had been able to obtain in Taiwan up to that time! This was to last for a couple of years, and throughout this time I was also asked to speak in almost all of the other churches in the city, as well as one in Taipei! The churches in Hsinchu were of different denominations, but they didn’t care to focus on that, only on working together to reach others. The one in Taipei was particularly involved in missions to China. After a couple of years “the inevitable” did happen though!... An older American lady, who was supposed to be a missionary herself, heard about me, and went to the church-council in the city (all my friends of the last two years), and told them all about how “bad” the founder of my group was, stating that she was “concerned” that I might be spreading “subversive doctrine” or something. Of course I wasn’t, as everything I was preaching and teaching was all based in scripture, as everyone who heard me would testify. I was asked to attend a meeting of the council, with my wife, and it was put to me that I would be welcome to continue working with the churches, but that I would have to sever my connections with my own group! We explained that we were sorry that things had turned out to be this way. We also told everyone present that we loved them dearly, respected the great work that they were doing, but that we had been doing what we were doing for most of our lives, and weren’t about to stop now, especially just because of the negative opinion of a woman who had taken exception to our founder (who had actually passed on, a few years prior to this, in 1994!). Sadly, we parted company with this amazing group of people on this occasion. I spoke to my pastor friend, and reminded him of what I had told him at the beginning. He understood, but it looked like he was now in an uncomfortable position. Right around this time was when I had to renew my missionary visa also, so when I asked him if he would still be able to do so, he said that he had to decline. He explained that his father, who had founded his church and was still alive, needed to be consulted and had not agreed to it. He was sad, we were disappointed, but we told him that we loved him anyway, and that God had always take care of us before, and He would do so again! Several more miracles followed, allowing us to be able to stay for the next few years (following), and when we met one of the pastors from the council when out one weekend, a year or so later, he was actually very happy to see us and to learn that we had been able to stay, and that we were still reaching others! Whew! We were in a bit of a predicament at first though. We had just lost our visa, and the time for renewal was at hand. This meant that we were probably going to have to leave the country. We could actually do this, by simply flying to Hong Kong and returning on a tourist visa, enabling us to stay for another two months. We could repeat this process, indefinitely if we had to, but this kind of activity is expensive, especially for a family of six. If this was to be the case, then we faced

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the very real prospect of having to leave Hisnchu, and Taiwan, altogether. If nothing happened very quickly, then even after a trip to Hong Kong and back it would mean that we would probably only have enough time to pack up for leaving permanently! Also, there was one small problem with an initial trip to Hong Kong anyway – we didn’t have the money for this, or any way of seeing how to get the TWD $60,000 needed. We were desperate, to say the least, so we prayed. Basically, we told The Lord that we didn’t want to leave Hsinchu (and we really didn’t – there were just so many people we knew and loved, and we didn’t feel it was time to leave anyway!). We also told Him that we needed money for a trip, in case we had to make one, which it certainly looked like we would, given the time factor. We also said that we didn’t even have time to “go looking” for a solution to our situation, so He would have to, literally, “bring it to our door!” He answered “all of the above”, as follows... I felt led to write an “emergency-appeal letter” and send it to everyone on my mailing list. Now, I am not used to anyone really responding to these kinds of things, to be honest. Frankly, I rarely get an email response from anybody. Writing letters, albeit electronically, seems to be “a dying art” I think. Everything is so instant these days, or at least that seems to be the way people prefer to be gratified, but that is another issue. Imagine my surprise however when the following happened... I had written the appeal in the afternoon of this particular day, and sent it. At about 10 pm that same day the phone rang (something else that doesn’t seem to happen often, and certainly not that late – ha ha!). My wife and I had already decided to retire for the evening, as we were quite exhausted from the concerns of our situation and trying to figure out what we could do (in spite of the fact that we had asked The Lord to take care of it – oh my!), so I rushed down the stairs to answer. I was surprised to learn that it was my friend from the church in Taipei! “Hello David, how are you?” “I’m fine, thanks!” “I was thinking, can I come and see you?” “Sure, when would you like to come?” “Well, now, if that’s okay with you?” “Now? Well, er, yes, of course, okay!” Taipei was an hour or two away, but my friend had a fast car, and it was late, so there was very little traffic to have to consider. “I’ll be there in an hour then!” “Okay!” I went back up to the bedroom and told my wife “That was T. He asked if he could visit, now!” We were wondering “what was up”, and especially concerned that he might have heard about the decision the churches here in Hsinchu had made in deciding not to work with us any more. Well, about an hour later the doorbell rang. I greeted my friend and invited him to sit down with me in the living room, offering him some tea. But he declined, explaining that he was only going to stay a few minutes, and then he would return to Taipei. I was still wondering why he was here, but didn’t want to be impolite and push him for a reason, as he would probably explain it when he was ready. After all, things like this don’t “just happen”, right?

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He asked how we were managing, explaining that he had returned to his office just shortly before he called me. He said that God had told him to go there and to check his e-mail, which he did, and then he called me. I thought “Well this is an awful long way to drive, just to see how we are doing”. I said “Oh, okay I guess. We’re just praying about what to do now”. He smiled and said, “Okay, good. I just wanted to check” and then got up to leave! I didn’t know quite what to think, but I thought “Oh, I’d better see him to the door then I guess” so got I up too. As he got to the door, he pulled an envelope out of his pocket and said “God told me to give this to you, so here you are. I’ll be praying for you and your family”. “Oh, thank you! That’s really very sweet of you. God Bless you. Thanks for coming all this way though, and so late, and you didn’t even stop for tea!” He just smiled and left! I still wasn’t sure what to make of all that just happened, but I was curious to know what was in this thick envelope he had just handed to me, so I opened it to take a look! It was a fat wad of TWD $1000 bills – sixty of them! (I counted! Ha ha!) I contacted T first thing the next day to thank him, and he just said “I’m sure everything is going to work out”, and it did, and here’s how... Within a few days, before we had even had a chance to book our tickets for the flight to Hong Kong, another friend of ours stopped by to visit, and during the course of our conversation we explained our situation. “I think I can help you” he said. “I have friend, on the way to Taipei, and I’m sure he can help you with the visa you need!” “Really? Great!” We went to see this man, and within the time before our current visa was expiring, he had arranged for a new one for us! This was going to last until, eventually, I was going to finally have to leave the country, a few years later! We contacted our friend T, in Taipei to explain that we didn’t need to leave the country after all, and he said that that was okay, to keep the money, as we would probably need it anyway and could still use it! Actually, our little income took a drop over the next two months anyway, so we could use it to live on as it turned out! Isn’t it amazing how God has everything worked out “in advance”, even without us having any idea of what we’re doing at the time? Ha ha ha! My time in Taiwan, and in Hsinchu especially, was one of the most exciting, multi-various, happy, and rewarding times I had experienced so far. There were some “not so good” experiences along the way of course, but overall the good far out-weighed the “bad”. I would have been quite happy to have remained there. However, after a few more years things changed somewhat for my personal situation, and I was faced with being on my own, yet again. I won’t go into the details here, but after eight years I found myself on a plane, back to the UK, a country I had no great delight in seeing! Little did I know though that it was to be just a brief respite (three months), a “holiday” if you like (not something I have experienced much of in my lifetime I’m afraid), before what was going to be the most unexpected thing I could have ever imagined, and the beginning of a whole new life (when I had thought that mine

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was pretty much â&#x20AC;&#x153;overâ&#x20AC;?, at least as far as being useful is concerned anyway!) Ha ha!

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Chapter 19 - Iceland! I have already written quite extensively about Iceland in my first book “A Journey........” beginning with Chapter Five, and going on through to Chapter Seven. One of the biggest aspects, of truly miraculous proportions, Prophecy (which I will cover quite a bit following here), is incredibly exampled in Chapter Six of that book, involving a message that I received from someone who had just died! However, in my haste to move on from writing about Taiwan, I forgot to include a couple more miracles from there, so I’ll just insert them here, okay? I had experienced monsoons in India. I was to experience typhoons in Taiwan. One such “big wind” dropped so much rain that a landslide occurred just next to our house. Another type of event I have experienced, on several occasions, both in India and in Taiwan, is earthquakes! The biggest one I have personally felt to date occurred in Taiwan, literally shaking us out of our beds at 1 am one morning. Amazingly, not only were we not injured in any way, but the only damage we found to our house was one ornament falling off of a shelf in one room, and this was quite a shake-up, believe me! Many people died near the epicenter, where whole villages were flattened and/or were cut-off. As in the wars and riots of India however, we were protected, miraculously! I don’t know how miraculous you might consider this, but there was also the occasion when we went out to see one of the biggest and most spectacular meteor showers that had been seen anywhere in many years. I don’t know why I am including this here, but it may be significant, to somebody. It was at least inspiring to me! Ha ha! Well, to Iceland then, and my “home”... If you have followed my suggestion, above, and read the chapters mentioned there, you will know how I ended up in Iceland. You will also have learned how I got started in body-painting. Then there is Prophecy! Perhaps none of these things might seem very significant in themselves, and I can tell you that this was certainly how it seemed to me at the time. However, another thing I have learned is as the quote says, “God turns the wheels of His omnipotence on seemingly small things.” We usually have no idea how important some things are, when they actually happen, unless we are attuned properly and “catch” those signals. Even then it is usually “just a feeling” that we have to go with, as there is not much visible, tangible “evidence” available at that moment in time. I have to say that most of my life seems to have taken place in these ways. It is, as it is commonly called, “the walk of faith”. This is as opposed to “walking by sight”. “Sight” is what you usually get afterward! Nowhere have I been shown, or told, as much as I have since I arrived in Iceland. And nowhere have I seen such incredible and stupendous fulfillment and answers! This only proves to me that “What He has promised, He is able also to perform”! If a lot of what He has already said has already been fulfilled, then it

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follows that I can trust Him for the rest, that which is still to be fulfilled, and it is TREMENDOUS! Iceland has a role to play, a major, significant role, on a global scale! But I will get to that later... Prophecy, or “hearing from the Lord” as it is sometimes known, has been a great gift, and a miraculous one at that, and it has been strengthened and enhanced exponentially since I came to Iceland. I thank God for it! It has been my primary guiding force, leading me to believe, and to act, to do things that I would never have even dreamed of “under normal circumstances”. All I can tell you though is, it works! Yes, it takes faith to “receive” (which is what the word “believe” is translated as in The Bible), but since faith is the core of a Christian spiritual life, then that makes Prophecy, as well as the many other gifts and miracles, not only possible, but they should actually be “the norm”! So, if, as it also says in His Word “without faith it is impossible to please Him”, then that makes it pretty important, don’t you think? Well He seems to think so, even if we don’t! Faith, prophecy, and His leading, as I said, has caused me to do things I would never, normally, have ever dreamed of, new and different things that I have never done before! Why? Well, only He actually knew at the time, but again, it works! By faith, I came to this country, a place I only knew about in name and location before my arrival, not knowing how it would become a part of my future, in a very big way! By faith, he led me into body-painting, something I had never done before, but that would give me a presence downtown, amongst the very people I wanted to love and reach! By faith, he led me to launch out on my own, something else I had never done before, and would never have even considered, if He hadn’t told me to do so Himself! By faith, He led me from place to place, dwellings where I would stay for different periods, always leading onwards and upwards, to better and better, and He is still doing so! By faith, He brought someone to me, who was to become the love of my life, my wife and soul-mate, my team-mate and side-kick in the fight, who helps strengthen and compliment me in all that we do together. By faith, He told us of our little girl, and gave her name, even before Imba became pregnant, and then everything followed very quickly after that! And time would fail me to tell of all the miracles that He did in Imba’s life, by faith, after we first met, leading and bringing us together in a truly miraculous way, when all seemed impossible and that it would surely not happen! All these things happened by faith, and some of the details of this will follow hereafter! As explained, Prophecy is a very big part of my life, you could even say “a pretty big deal”. But what many probably haven’t known, or realized, is that it is nothing new. It has been around for millennia. Another thing that seems to have been missed, especially by mainstream Christianity, is that this gift would be poured out in abundance in this day and age! The scripture says, “And it shall come to pass, that in the latter days, saith the Lord, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy”! Did you get that? “All flesh”, and who is that? And

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what shall these people do? Prophesy! Do you understand the significance of that statement? Basically, it means anyone can have this gift, if they have faith! Why would this be important? Well, things are getting pretty hairy in the world, aren’t they? Most people will say, honestly, “I just don’t know who or what to believe anymore!”. Well, wouldn’t it be a great thing to be hooked-up to The Source, Who knows everything, Who never lies, and will tell you exactly what you need to know? “Just get on the phone” and ask!!! Makes sense to me! It’s a little bit like how The Oracle worked in The Matrix movies too! – You usually only get to hear what you personally need to know, in order for you to be able to do what you personally need to do! It doesn’t mean that you can’t get messages for others, but we are all called under the injunction “Have you got faith? Have it to/for yourself!”, which basically means we all have the responsibility to ask, listen, receive, and obey, ourselves! I can’t “have the faith for you”, in other words on your behalf, and vice verse! Also, none of us can get by with what could be called “collective faith”, or “group faith”. Oh no, we all have to give account of ourselves, answer for ourselves, “according to our own faith” (or lack thereof) it being done unto us! This is how He works. This has never been so apparent to me as since I came to Iceland! I arrived here, not really knowing what to expect. My “life”, as far as it seemed to me, at least “the best part of it”, was “over”, had “passed”, I was pretty sure! I got a hint on the plane, when passing over the Faeroe Islands, when I felt like I had passed through some kind of barrier in the spirit, like a gate, from “dark” to “light”. That was a good sign! Then there was an aurora right above me when I stepped out of the car, in the form of an angels wings it looked like to me! Another “sign” if you like! But starting to really use prophecy, almost on a daily basis, to get my instructions from the Lord was the real clincher! It isn’t even always just “do this, or that” stuff either! More importantly, it is a very intimate form of direct communication with The One Who loves us more than any other, and even just hearing Him say things to us, like how much He loves us, can work miracles! It’s not just what He says either, but the way He says it! It is awesomely comforting, strengthening, rejuvenating, refreshing, rewarding – I could go on and on! Just hearing from Him in itself makes it worth it all! He just doesn’t talk like anyone else, and that’s a fact! Anyway... He was very specific with me after I first got here. This was where I was meant to be. This was my “home”, and He even told me why! Even I have my struggles with believing though sometimes, and after a few months I had given up and thought to take what I thought was an “easier route”, returning to the UK! He used me for a while, a little bit, but something was missing, and I knew I wasn’t where I was supposed to be, in the center of His Will. So I had to return. Even when we are not quite in-line with His best though, He still uses us wherever we are, and shows or teaches us along the way, and in the UK is where He first gave me the idea of using body-painting as a means of being

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where the young people are, in order to love and reach them. (You can read the story in the other book!) After my return, in a matter of a short time, He opened the first door for me to walk through to start painting - “Nelly’s”! It is closed down now, for some time actually, but that is hardly surprising, because after a while I was told that my friend couldn’t be there with me anymore, and if my friend, my partner, couldn’t be there, then I wouldn’t be there either, so we left! The scripture says “I will bless them that bless you”, and it also says the reverse “I will curse them that curse you”! Rejecting His blessing is no small thing, and can result in some pretty dire consequences sometimes. It wasn’t too long before “Nelly’s” closed! A similar, and more drastic event followed later, to another place, which I will get to in a moment. Having left “Nelly’s”, my friend and I needed another place to paint. Within a couple of weeks we had gotten permission from the owner of “Gaukur á stöng”, after just walking in off the street and asking, under the Lord’s instructions. And this was just as he was passing the ownership on to four other guys, who allowed us to continue there! In time, this place also had to close, but I’m pretty sure it had nothing to do with God removing his blessing, as the owners were all very sweet guys, and very happy to have me there, and they certainly had not asked me to leave. Perhaps other reasons were in play, but I have no knowledge of these things myself. It was important that I find somewhere else, and quickly, for reasons I will explain in a minute, but this is where the other “drastic event” was soon to occur. I had gone down-town and asked at several places if I could paint at their establishments. One of them, “Pravda” was very specific in their “no” answer, and not too nice about it I’m afraid. Hressó, next door, said “yes”, immediately, over the phone, without even meeting me! Some time later Pravda burned to the ground, as a result of a fire that started in another place on the other side from Hressó. The wind was blowing in Hressó’s direction, but it never reached it! “I will bless them that bless you”, etc! In another place it says “It shall not come near you”, referring to His protection against calamities of various sorts. Hressó has been my “home” down-town, for several years now! Painting has been an integral part of my activities, for more than eight years now, the full story of which you can read in the other book. Why it should be important, in the future, I didn’t know when I started, other than that it was a way I could reach out to others. It has had it’s ups-and-downs (mostly “ups”), but it is hardly a way to earn a living I must say, though I did actually need it to live on at the time as I had no other income of any kind, which is another reason why I needed to have a place to paint! However, as you will see, it was actually extremely important that I do it anyway, and that I was there, for much more important reasons, not the least of which will become apparent in a moment! Remember “Have you faith? Have it to yourself”? Well, there were certainly some occasions where I had to, literally, almost fight to be able to keep doing it! On one

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occasion I was actually told by someone not to go! A little while later, this same person told me that I “should leave Iceland”! Can you imagine where things would be, what would have happened, or not happened rather, if I had not done as one said in The Bible once “Whether it be right in your eyes to obey man, rather than God, judge ye. But as for me... I will obey the Lord!” There were a lot of things going on around this time that I won’t go into here, but basically this was the time when it became clear to me that I had to do something that I just never would have considered before, and that was to “go it alone”, or rather, just trusting God alone, and following and obeying Him, again, still, “all by faith”! This was to be the single, most dramatic, and somewhat scariest decision I had ever made to date, simply because I had never lived alone before, in all my years until then! It is almost easier to expect, even demand, that The Lord take care of things and your needs when you have others involved, such as those you are responsible for, like a wife, or children, or those younger in faith. You know that even if you fail, at least He won’t – He loves women and children, and “babes” (meaning new in The Lord) immensely, and always has His eye on them! However, when it is “just you”, you tend to think that His care could easily become more conditional, which it is, because you have to be “in His Will” in order to reap the full benefits of His care, provision, and protection! There can easily be doubt, because you know that you are not perfect, and may even be in disobedience, knowingly or not! However, He doesn’t see us that way Himself, and is always looking at our hearts, at our motives! Well, my decision to move out of the situation that I was in since I first arrived in Iceland, and to move on, is probably quite contrary to what some may have thought or believed. One incident had occurred that I am not particularly proud of, but it was a mistake, and simply that. I learned pretty quick from it, “paid the price for it”, literally, and have not been guilty of the same thing since. However, this same one that had told me that I shouldn’t paint one time, seemed very intent on trying to find reasons for having me censured and, as a result, restricted from following or obeying the Lord as He had shown and said. This particular one had been involved in trying to limit freedom to obey on many occasions before, and not just towards me. This one basically told me that I should, in effect, move out of the situation I had been a part of, for a few years by then, and “leave Iceland”. My reasons for complying though were my own! There is a lot more to all of this than I care to go into here, of course, but let it suffice to say that I have never experienced such a legalistic tendency to try to keep and maintain control over people and circumstances as I experienced with this person, in all my years in The Lord’s Service. The Lord showed me that the wisest and simplest decision was to simply walk away, and trust Him for the rest! It was a difficult, and very painful thing to do! It cost me the love, friendship, and companionship of many that I knew and loved! I had no control over any “reputation” that I may have thought that I had had with anyone who knew me, other than what they chose to believe, from their own experience with me, or that

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which was “told” to them! However, here is where the true beauty of trusting The Lord can clearly be seen to be truly a trustworthy thing to do!... On my own I could really do nothing else but trust Him, and ask Him, literally, everything, so I did! I am amazed at just how much He was willing to tell me, some things that were almost beyond belief! I had already received some pretty awesome stuff when I was living with others, though it seemed a little difficult for some to take it very seriously I think, in retrospect. Never mind though. I guess I realized that the things that He said, and showed me, and especially over the next few years, were going to take a little while to be fulfilled, but now they all have been! On my own, I was able to live according to how He said, and led, along with all the freedom that I believed was needed, to reach and win Iceland for Him. Now, all of those things that He showed and spoke to me about are in place, officially, and all the mechanisms that were possibly able to be misused or abused, by a legalistic attitude in anyone, are gone! Thank God! It may have been a bit of “a test of faith”, but patient waiting, and trusting, has really paid off! I had to find a place to live, pretty quick. I was in touch with two sisters that I knew by e-mail, and they happened to mention that they had a room that they were looking to rent. I took it, and stayed with these two sweet ones for a few months. Later it was time to find another place, and at this time another friend told me that a friend of theirs had a studio apartment that they wanted to rent, so I moved there, at a cheaper rent than where I had been when I was living with the sisters! From here I was told by another friend of another room, in a communal apartment where other foreigners lived. It was small, really small, but very cozy and convenient, and my flat mates were all very nice indeed. In the meantime, I had gotten a job as a driver for a restaurant, delivering pizzas and burgers. Again, a friend had told me about this. I had needed to re-apply for a resident visa, and I was told that I either had to be able to prove that I could support myself, or have proof of employment. I couldn’t “prove” I could support myself with the painting, so a part-time job solved the problem, still leaving me free for the weekends down-town. Amazingly, when I applied for my residency, I was granted five years from then, and this was after having to renew my passport! Anyway, in time, I needed to move again, and the one that had gotten me the job also knew a man who had a room to rent, another studio apartment. I took it. This was the first time I had actually “lived alone” now, and there was a good reason for this, as you will see. Each time I have moved, I have moved to a better situation, and the last four moves have all been within a stones’ throw of each other, with little time or effort needed to move, and all of them have been within walking distance of everything that I have needed to do! “Go figure!” I think that I will have to end this chapter here and start a new one! Reason? Because this is where it starts to get to be really exciting, and just might involve you from here on!!!!...

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Chapter 20 – Iceland continued! I have been talking about Prophecy a lot, as I said I would. Of course I haven’t included any of these prophecies here, that would be impossible. The reason for this is simple – there are just too many! Most of them are personal, but many also contain other details and information, foresight, or “predictions” if you like, and some are quite long. All I can say is that already, between Imba and myself, we have half a bookshelf of folders of His Own Words to us! Normally I would not bother to print anything that I write myself, or that I receive from Him, but He showed us that it was important to have these things on paper “for the record”. It makes it easier to find and read things this way as well, and we take great delight in reviewing them sometimes, even making notes in the margins, such as “fulfilled” or “to do”, etc. Another incredible experience that we have is that very often He will confirm what one of us gets from Him, through the other, and vice-verse. It is amazing how very often what we get dovetails perfectly. Perhaps, to you, the reader, this might sound contrived? Let me assure you that it’s not, unless you want to count “The Boss” as being “the contriver”? Ha ha! As you read on though I think you will be able to see this for yourself, how it works. Also, although these things are very personal to us, they are there, available to be read. We might not feel much like publishing them abroad, for everyone, because a lot of them are embarrassingly personal and honest, both in our prayers and in His answers! But this also proves the beauty of it, as far as we are concerned anyway. The reader would see that we are no different, or more special than anyone else, quite the contrary, but that doesn’t stop Him speaking, at all! In fact, the more of “a mess” we are, and the more we know we need Him, the more He helps! That is what He is there for after all, right? I’ll come back to this in a bit, but first I think it is probably good to share what He did in helping to bring all of this about. “Call me crazy”, but I LOVE it! As I have already explained, I have been hearing from Him, quite extensively, and for some time, especially since coming to Iceland. I don’t think I would have survived without Him, to be honest, especially being on my own. It was difficult being alone, even though there were always new people I was meeting, or that I knew already. I could talk and have fellowship with almost anyone, but it is not the same as having someone “beside you” all of the time, is it? I have only really known a few people in my life that I knew I could say anything to, tell them anything, and knew that they would still love me anyway, unconditionally. They might have still had an opinion about me, but if they happened to have any thoughts about me that were, shall we say, not as positive as I would have thought, I never knew it from them. In other words, I didn’t feel “judged” or “condemned”. This is real love, at least as far as I am concerned. These ones have a very special place in my heart. They are there, always (both male and female) and I can’t help but think and speak about them with a lot of affection and gratitude. 168

I had moved on, and was now “alone”, something I had never, ever, really been before. I was used to living with others, all of my life until then. This was going to be a few years of solitude though, as it turned out. I was painting at Hressó one time, the summer of 2006, and someone I knew suggested to her cousin that she get a painting from me. I had been quite busy already that day, so initially, as this girl sat down before me, I thought that this was just going to be another painting “for a friend of a friend”. I was wrong! I like to be able to talk with people while I’m painting, in order to get to know a little about them, and this one started telling me about her nursing work. Something about her manner, her attitude, her spirit, her voice, the things she was explaining about her work, “all of the above” touched me in a way that I had never felt before, from anyone! I felt led to touch her head and stroke her hair a little as she spoke, and that confirmed it for me, almost an “electric” feeling! “Wow, who is THIS?” I wondered! She gave me her phone number before getting up to leave. This is a rare-to-never occurrence in my own experience, and she told me later that she never normally did that herself! Whew! Well, a call and an sms or two later and we were exchanging e-mails. A meeting for coffee followed, and the more we communicated, the more we learned just how deeply in-tune we were with each other, in so many ways and on so may levels. I knew that she still didn’t know much about me however, so I suggested that she read my book (the first one, “A Journey.....”), as I wanted her to really understand everything that I was about, and I knew that it would take an age to tell it all by word of mouth. It was already written down, so... That turned out to be “the clincher for her”! Perhaps it would be best for her to explain it in her own words. You can find it in English here: http://nurseimba.com/my-biography/english/ - it is under revision right now and will be published later this year. The Icelandic version is already published – you can see a sample of the cover here: http://davidthebodypainter.com/written/ as well as order a copy from the link there. This is when my dear Imba finally found out that that which she was searching for was actually real! We met quite lot after that, but even more than this we were writing back and forth by e-mail all the time. More and more questions, with more and more answers. It was actually very exciting, thrilling! Again, I’ll let her tell it in her own words, but basically The Lord started to indicate, in things that He said, that this was a big part of His Plan, not just for her, not just for me, but for the future! In the meantime however, I had no idea about what was about to happen! I was talking to a very dear friend of mine one day, and I had just about resigned myself to the fact that I really was, now, going to be on my own, until my life was done. It was not a particularly happy thought, but I figured “Well, ‘c’est la vie’ I guess! Not quite how I would have preferred it, but ‘what to do’?” My friend turned to me and said “David, you have no idea! It’s not over until it’s over, and I

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don’t think it is over for you! I think something is going to happen, you’ll see!” And it did!

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Chapter 21 – Imba and Me! Imba is quite quick to respond and do things, or get things done, when she has it figured out what it is she wants, or has to do, so it wasn’t very long after she returned from Ireland (read her account) that she was moving in with me. This was in the studio apartment that I had finally moved to where I was actually really on my own for the first time (we have moved since then, because we had to, as you will see). It was a small, but very cozy little setup, we called it “The Haven of Heaven”, which is what it was! We had a lot of time for talking, praying, reading, prophecy, and love! Ha ha! It was like our “honeymoon”, at least as far as we were concerned. He had already started telling us a lot, even before we got together, but now things were really going to take off. Again, Imba will tell you in her own words, but when we start down the obedience track, things can move very quickly indeed, and she pretty much started getting prophecies herself right away, some amazingly specific. Sorry I can’t include the details here, but “time and space” and all that! One thing I can tell you though is that He told us that we would have a baby, that it would be a girl, and that her name was Kristín! She was also seen in a vision, and He indicated that she would be born in the month of Taurus, the following year, and Imba wasn’t even pregnant yet. Imba moved in with me in early August, so she would have to become pregnant pretty quickly too! Ha ha! Well, miraculously, she did! Kristín made her exit from Mummy/entrance into the world on May 29th the next year, technically the month of Taurus, and she would have been one, but she got held up a bit, having her arm caught in the way, which we didn’t find out until the birth! We expected a Taurus, and when she came just a little too late for that we asked The Lord about it. He explained that He felt a Gemini would suit us better. She sure came out “like a bull” when the time came though – charging, with one arm first, like Super Girl! She had a full head of hair, and has had ever since, making her seem much older than she is, and was very alert and smart from the “get-go”! She has been our treasure and joy, a real gift and reward, and we love her to bits! (As of this writing she is now two and a half, and we are a family of the three “air-signs” Aquarius, Libra & Gemini!) We needed to find a bigger place of course, with a new baby coming along, and it turned out that my landlord also had another apartment for rent, right across the road from the studio apartment we were in. We took it, and moving was a breeze. We called it “The Love Nest”. Ha ha! We are already now in another, bigger place though, which we call “The Palace”. We would like to be able to have others with us too, and this is going to happen, according to what He has told us and shown us, as follows... I won’t go into the details, but a combination of dreams, visions, and prophecies leads us to believe...

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1. That there are 27 – 30 people in Iceland that are going to make a significant difference to the rest of the world. 2. That there are 3,300 people that will join with us here. 3. That there is a huge crowd of people that will rejoice in all that will happen in Iceland. This might sound phenomenal, and really, it is! I have never seen or experienced anything on a scale quite like this, and for it to take place in such a small population, it makes it even more so! Crazy? Maybe, but it wasn’t my idea, as much as I do like it myself – ha ha! These revelations were given to, or “came through” shall we say, three different people, and I tend not to argue with Him about things once He has made Himself clear. I don’t know who these people are exactly, though I have some idea of who some of them might be, and of at least one of them already. I don’t know how it is going to happen, but He is more than capable of knowing “what He’s talking about”, and since He doesn’t lie then we can take it as “a done deal!” If it doesn’t happen, well then I guess He’ll just have to defend His Own reputation (which He LOVES doing by the way!). We may sometimes interpret Him wrongly, but I would rather err on the side of “positive exaggeration”, and have a vision to work towards and that sustains me, than have no vision at all and go nowhere! Like someone once said “Shoot for the stars, and at least you are sure to hit the ceiling!” Ha ha! But back to Imba and me........ As I said before, I have never met anyone like her. It’s not “difficult to explain”, really, if you understand how things can just “be”, even without an explanation! It was just meant to be, and it works, perfectly! Sometimes even I wonder at how much she loves me, saying I’m “sexy”, and having the utmost belief in me and what I do, which is actually very encouraging, because as much as I believe what I believe, I can still doubt myself, a lot. As for me, well, I am just in awe that someone can come so far and so fast in ways that it took me half-a-life-time to learn. More than this though there is just this “connection” that spurs us on in what we do, a perfect compliment to each other! Again, we are not perfect in ourselves, not by any means, but having been “put together” we make incredible progress, and we seem to accomplish a lot, quite quickly too sometimes, being very attuned to each other! Our Boss explained that this was how He intended it to be, that we were “blended”, if you like, for His Purpose. He brought an older, more experienced, foreigner together with a younger, vibrant, extremely talented, native Icelander, mixed everything together, and has “served us up”, for you! How? Why? Well... As you read Imba’s own account, you will see, but I can say that if He did it for me, and He has done it for her, then He can do it for you too, and He has every desire to do just that! He has done something, something very significant, to us, in us, for us, with us, so far, but it is just an example. It is an example that proves His point – that He is real, and that He can do it, whatever “it” is that He wants

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done, for whatever reasons He has for doing so! It is thrilling, exciting beyond belief! We love it and wouldn’t have it any other way! We were talking the other night (we talk a lot with each other – ha ha!), and I was musing on how to proceed with this book from here? We had a few ideas. Actually, because this is now getting to be pretty much up-to-date, what is there to write, when it hasn’t even happened yet? Well... The Lord interjected something Himself, right then and there! He said “This is a good place for Me to have My say, don’t you think?” So, that’s what’s next! Get ready!...

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Chapter 22 – And now, “A Word From Our Sponsor”! I thought that to just include His Words here might seem a bit weird, you might think that I just “made it up” or something, so I am going to do what I normally do, and include my part first, the bit where I talk to Him. This is how it usually works – I talk to Him, and then He talks to me! In this way I hope that you will see just how open and honest, and also simple this process can be, even for you! There is nothing you can’t say to Him, really, and there is nothing He will withhold from you. All you have to do is be willing to receive, it’s as easy as that! Of course, again, faith is the determining factor, but that is also something you simply receive, a gift, and that is your “starting point”. Just get started, and the rest will come, guaranteed! I usually have no idea what He is going to say, and sometimes I don’t even know what I want to say, but that’s the beauty of it – He does! He sees and knows our hearts, and works with that! Just start, and then abandon everything to Him! I am never disappointed, always amazed, and it is definitely, always, worth it! So, here we go......... (Me) My dearest Jesus, here I am! This was Your idea, so let it be so, all the way! I have no idea what You are going to say. How could I? I don’t even know what I want to say, exactly, except to say “Thank You”. Thank You for everything! I didn’t know when I started on this project that it was going to turn out like this. I just wanted to do something to inspire others, something that I hoped would make a significant difference, where folks could see just how awesome You are and how much love You have for us, to the point where You really are so concerned, about every little detail. You are Love itself, and people have all kinds of misconceptions and misunderstandings about You, thinking that You are a “religion” or something. Whew! I have never known you to be any of those things I see and hear people arguing about, ever! I am actually heart-broken at the way You seem to be left out of people’s lives, when You are the very essence of life itself in the first place. And then to be so maligned and blamed for all the troubles of the world, when all You ever came to do was to help, to save, to make everything better, in every way! You never hurt anybody, You never lied, You never cheated, all You ever do is love! You feed, You clothe, You protect and provide – You make a better husband than all of the rest of us men put together! It just doesn’t seem fair, to me at least, that doubt and cynicism, and so much lying and bullshit should have such a loud voice in the world these days, with so few standing up for something that is actually right, really right! Well, You know what I mean. How can I lament about the state of the world, and the sadness and lack that most people seem to try to have to endure, and even worse, and even think that there is anything I can do about it? And I know that I am not alone in thinking and feeling this way, probably just about everybody does - “What can I, just one person alone, do?” It is pretty presumptuous of us 176

actually, considering that You knew all about us from the beginning, and have felt this way Yourself, all along. You’ve seen it all! You know it all. You feel it all. You took it all, and You still love us all! Whew! I’m sorry Lord, I’m lost for words now. Your turn... (Jesus) Thank you David. My, oh my! Now that’s courage! Ha ha! You’ve really put yourself out-on-limb now haven’t you? Ha ha ha! No, not really, you’ve put Me “out there”, right? Great! I love it! So, Let’s see, shall we? Ha ha ha! “Okay, now ‘listen up people’!” No, I’m joking! You thought I was serious? Well I am! Life is a serious business after all, right? I mean, death is a serious business, really, isn’t it? Ah now, that’s the point isn’t it? It’s death that everyone is afraid of! No wonder people take things seriously! It’s death that everyone fears, gets sad about, even furious! Everyone is so afraid of “dying”, right? That’s the truth now, “death”! So, why am I laughing? Because I can! I have already beaten death! And I did it for you! Did you hear that? So, why are you crying? Why waste your life lamenting? There’s absolutely no need! Oh, it’s true, I do get sad sometimes, even angry. But I’m sad because it seems like everyone is fighting against the very thing that they want, life! And I’m angry about the fact that the hypocrites of the world, the proud and the self-righteous, set themselves up as the “judges” of “what’s right and wrong”! Not only have they left Me out of their own picture, but they even try and prevent those that are seeking from finding Me, mostly by putting up so many smokescreens! Now that will get Me angry, and those types are going to be so humbled and humiliated, you’ll see! But that’s another story! Let’s get back to “death” shall we? Did you know that The Plan, originally, was that man was never meant to die, at all!? Really! What do you think that My Father and I had in mind? To create something, just to kill it? What kind of stupid idiots did you think We were, huh? No, The Plan was to create people, so they could live! Why? Well, think about it, when you get together, and decide to have a baby, what’s your plan? To kill it? Just what kind of people would you be if you did? And you are just people, you are not Us! Use you heads folks! No, The Plan was to create, not destroy! So what happened? You thought that that story was “fictional”? Aaaaaaaah! Now there’s your problem right there! You are already thinking the way “the other guy” got the first ones to think way back then! And what was the outcome of that, huh? Well, that’s where death came in, right there! Don’t you get it? “Oh, but that is too simple!” you say. “How can we believe that that was so literal, that it actually happened that way, all those years ago?” Well, why not? Think about it, how are you thinking right now, at this very moment? Huh? Doubt! There you go! The “other” guy has got you right where he got Adam and Eve! They fell for it, and you are falling for it, right now! And what is the result? Death! So, do you like the idea, huh? Are you crazy?

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Who prefers the idea of death over life? I mean, anyone “in the right minds” would be insane if they did, wouldn’t they? Isn’t it death that everyone fears? Isn’t life what everyone wants? Who DOESN’T want to live forever? Come on now, raise your hands! Ha ha ha! Got ya! You know, when We made you we gave you a brain. Maybe that’s the problem, we should have made robots instead! How would you have liked that? Didn’t think so! So, you have a brain, now use it! The choice is simple! - Death, or Life? You pick! I know what’s going through your head now, you’re back to “But I don’t believe all that Bible stuff!” Well, I’m not asking you to! I’m asking You to believe Me! There, that’s got ya now, huh? Just believe Me! Is that so hard? Of course, if you want to believe the other guy, well, that’s up to you, but you know what you are choosing if you listen to him, right? Duh! I’m going to give you a bit of a “heads up” now, okay? Pay attention! Life was meant to be lived, in love, and simply! Get it? Life was meant to be lived, in love, and simply! Life was meant to be lived, in love, and simply! Life was meant........... Do you want Me to say it again? The whole idea was meant to be simple, from the very beginning! What is so bad or wrong about “simple”? It’s the “smart” ones that usually get it all wrong, and cause all the murder and mayhem in the world! Now I’m talking about “smart” as in “too smart for their own good”, which is, basically, pride! Pride is the cause of death, and do you know where you got it from? From the “other guy” of course! He was the original “smart guy”! Think about it, who are the ones who usually “make it” in this world? And how do they get there? Does the “average” person “get to the top”? No, most people find that almost everything is working against them to prevent that, but they still “chase the carrot”! Oh my! Well, way back then, that “other guy” came along, and basically told Adam and Eve that they were stupid, dumb, for being so naïve as to simply just listen, and enjoy everything that was freely given to them, to enjoy! I mean, they had it all, everything! The very little that they actually had to do was just pick a few fruits and berries, look after a few animals, and make love, and they could live, forever! Who wouldn’t want that kind of life? Don’t most people like the idea of “a Garden of Eden”, without all that “hard work of slaving for a living”, for a system that doesn’t care, and that you can “never quite get ahead” in, and you still have “death” to look forward to, sooner or later! “What a life!” Well, that’s My question “What a life?” Still sound simple? Well can you see why We made it that way? Are you getting it? We didn’t make you stupid, but if you’re not getting it, well then just how “smart” do you think you really are, huh? Ha ha ha! So, now you are thinking “But the world is different today, we can’t just go round picking fruits and berries and looking after animals and making love!” Well, I do know that. But think about it, how did the world get to be this way anyway, huh? Who “runs” it, and dragged you, kicking and screaming, all the way here to... “the ‘D’ word”! I know, I know, still “too simple” for you, huh? The thing is, if you don’t know where you came from, and how you got here, how are you going to know where

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you are going, or how to get there? Is your life aimless? Do you like that idea? Wouldn’t you rather know, be absolutely sure, that there was a purpose for it all, that it wasn’t wasted, and that you would actually have something to show for it, not when it was “over”, but forever!? Well , that is My point! As much as the bad guy messed thing up, The Plan is not defeated! Man made a poor choice back then, and you could say “it wasn’t fair”, to you, but if you were they, what choice do you think you would have made yourself? You see, that’s another point – you are not that smart! The smart thing, for anyone, is to simply follow the instructions that keep you out of trouble and danger, right? Or you could end up getting killed, and that’s exactly what happened, way back then, and has been happening ever since! Don’t think that you would have done any better than Adam or Eve! I mean, they were as close as you could get, to Me, and yet they still fell for the lie! What are you “falling for” these days, huh? Do you see what I am getting at here? Okay, enough on this for now then, let’s get to “the punch-line” shall we? The punch-line is this, that there is “an out-clause”! It’s never “too late”, contrary to popular doctrinal teaching! Oh yes, it is better to get it now, sooner rather than later, just because there are more, and better, rewards for doing so, including and especially all “the good stuff” that you get while still here, in this life, plus all the great stuff you get in the next! Unless you become an out-and-out enemy and foe of Heaven, and of those who live and belong there, then you may still yet have an opportunity later, if you can’t quite make the decision here and now. But the longer you wait, the more hardship and difficulty you create for yourself, both here and now, and later! Again, contrary to popular doctrinal teaching, it’s not all about “Heaven or Hell” either, there are different levels and classifications, in both! Where you end up, is up to you! Even then, even if you make the wrong choice, and end up having to suffer for your sins, it’s a bit like a prison sentence - If you learn your lesson, show repentance and a sincere desire to do better, you get “paroled”, and if the change is genuine and permanent, then you eventually get to enjoy freedom again! I and My Father are just, not “monsters” and ogres, and have more mercy and understanding than you think. Only the most wicked, and their ardent followers, end up in The Lake of Fire, and you don’t want to be one of those! Heaven is big enough for everyone, and it is Our wish, and desire, for everyone to get there, eventually. But why not now? Seriously! Think about your excitement and the feeling you have when you have gotten your child’s favorite gift for their Birthday, or at Christmas, and you just almost can’t wait for that day to arrive, because you just know how happy they are going to be when they get it! Multiply that by everyone and forever, and you’ll start to begin to understand how My Father and I feel about you, and what we have for you! Please, why don’t you join us here?

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The “out-clause”? Is Me! If you will allow Me, I can “fix things” now, and later, and forever, and that is a long, long time! “Eternal life”? Who doesn’t want that? And it is far from “boring”! No “sitting around on clouds playing harps” I’m afraid (unless you just happen to be a musician and want to that is)! Ha ha! Nope! “Eternity is a long time”, and infinity goes on, forever! The thing is, there is no time here. Over here it is multidimensional, and “time” and “space” are not like you know them there! Don’t “try and get your head around it”, you can’t, just believe Me! When you get to this side, you won’t necessarily “know everything”, but you will “know”, because you will experience it, all of it, as and when you can handle it! Don’t wait until you get here to start off with the “baby-steps” though, because you’ll just have to wait a bit longer to enjoy it all! Be “a baby” now, and get a head-start! How? Just receive Me - that’s the start! Spiritual re-birth! “Now THAT’s what I’M talking about!” Ha ha ha! You get eternal life, starting here and now! And that’s just the beginning! (Me) Lord, this is all great, but I’m not sure if whoever reads it will take it. I mean, I think that they will think that it is all “made up”, probably because they will think “Jesus wouldn’t talk like that” or something. (Jesus) Oh, don’t worry about that David. I’ll take care of that Myself. Those that will, will get it, and those that won’t, won’t. But I’ll address that point now, before I go any further, okay? Okay... For those that might think that I wouldn’t talk like this I have a question for you... When was the last time YOU heard from Me, huh? Ha ha ha! How do you know what I talk like? How often have you been listening? I think it is a valid question, don’t you think? But let Me explain something – I can talk how I like, to whoever will listen, and I can say whatever I like that I know that they need, and get whatever I need to across. After all, it is all My idea, right? When I walked in The Garden with Adam and Eve, what do you think our talks were like? What “language” did we use? What language do I speak in? Who hears? You see, it is all between Me and the One who is listening, and it doesn’t matter who they are, where they are, what they are, or anything! I know each one for who they are, and I will speak and get through to them in any way that I know will work, okay? I like to be very close and personal with My loves, just like you would like to be with those you love. Nothing else really matters or is as important than knowing that you are loved, right? So that is what this is all about, what it’s all for!

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Okay then, so now that we have that sorted out I would just like to say one more thing while I am here with you in this message. I am not done talking, ever, I am always around to pipe up, pitch in, whatever I can do to help, which is what I want you to know now. Ready? I am here, always, and any time, anywhere, for any reason, and you can talk to Me. I promise you, I am listening. I promise you, I will answer! Okay? I know your heart, and I will work with you, not against you, if you will allow Me to! If you won’t, then there is not much I can do I’m afraid, because My Father and I have limited ourselves to only working within your will, believe it or not! What do you want? I don’t mean “things” here, I mean what is most important to you? You have to stop and think about that a bit, if you are going to be honest and sincere, but if you can manage that, then you just might be surprised! Okay? There, that’s “a contract” between Me and you, if you like! You do your part, and I promise I will do Mine! Why do you have to do your part? Simple – doing means believing, and I love seeing it, it shows you mean it! Then I love to show you that your faith is well placed, okay? Remember, faith is what it is all about, and it doesn’t work by sight! You can’t say “show me first, then I’ll believe!” David has been “showing you” all through his book, and everything has happened to him, for him, is as a result of his believing first. That’s how it works, but it does work! What more proof would you like? What more do I have to say, or do, to convince you, huh? I’ve been around all along, why don’t you just turn around and look at Me? See for yourself! Okay? Okay David, I’m done here, for now. You can wrap this chapter up. And remember those things I showed you about the rest, okay? Get your mailing list in order, post all the links to all the parts, give your explanations as I showed you, write those last two chapters and finalize, with the credits and links and pictures, then post the PDF and send out the notice with the link! Then it’s done! Well done! It was a lot of work, but worth it! I’m proud of you! It is just what people needed, and there is going to be a lot of result from it, you’ll see! (Me) Thank You Jesus! It was all Your idea! “I’m just the messenger”! (Jesus) Yes, but a good one! I know, and that’s why I gave you the job, you are good at it! (Me) Lord, again, I don’t know if people are going to take this, especially with You giving me so much credit and recognition, right here as I write. What will they think? (Jesus)

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It doesn’t matter. This is between Me and you, and what you have written is between them and Me. Okay? Ha ha ha! (Me) Okay Lord, then “Amen to that!” Love you! (Jesus) Love you too!

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Chapter 23 – Conclusion! “Conclusion” is a bit of a misnomer in this case, if you are thinking in the case of something as being “concluded”, or ended. This is not the end! However, if you “arrive at a conclusion”, as in what you have learned from all of this, then you are on the right track! This is the purpose of this book. So, what is “the conclusion”? Very simple... There is a God, and not just “any” God, but The God, The One Who can, and does, perform miracles! A “miracle” is something that is usually “seen” in some way. It helps to strengthen faith, to help us to be able to believe more! We don’t believe because we see, we tend to see because we believe! A miracle doesn’t have to be “big”, in fact, many of the biggest miracles have hinged on very small happenings, usually some act of faith, an obedience to an instruction or leading! “If we don’t ‘go’, He can’t ‘show’!” Faith works, by Love! If we have great love, we’re operating in great faith, because “Love sees the good and possibilities that others cannot see”. So, the more Love you have, the more likely you are to see things in the right light, and as a result, see more miracles! Love is the greatest miracle after all! (Tip: You are greatly missing out if you tend to be a cynical or skeptical type!) God loves faith! But “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6) Faith is like a muscle, it has to be exercised, in order to grow! And like any muscle, the stronger it is, the heavier load it can handle, even with ease! (Do you like working out at a gym?) You start out with “baby-steps”, but you are supposed to learn how to “walk the walk and talk the talk” and grow up! (Being “a slow learner”, or worse yet, someone who is “ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the Truth”, is not usually a complimentary attribute.) Sometimes a “fall”, such as a great humbling and humiliation, is necessary, because when you find out “where it ain’t” you are well on the way to learning what, and where, it is! We can’t have “pretend faith” or “group faith”! Fake faith tends to get exposed for the phony that it is! Better to be as Jesus said, and have “as small as a grain of mustard seed”, but which is real, so that we can “remove mountains”! “Have you got faith? Have it to/for yourself before God” - We are accountable for ourselves! The responsibility is ours, and ours alone. We can’t “blame” anybody else for our “lack”. He is more than willing and able to help us, if we are willing to trust Him, and reach out, act and do! He expects us to do as He said to His apostle Peter one time, when Peter had asked Him what John was going to do? Answer: “Follow thou Me!” As someone wisely said, “You just do what you know

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you have to do, and don’t worry about the rest, what you can’t do! God will take care of that!” (And that includes how He may be leading others.) If you want to know if you are “on the right track”, just ask yourself these two simple questions: Am I operating in love, out of love for Him? And, am I operating in love, out of love for others? If you can say “Yes” to both of these, then you won’t go far wrong, if at all, and you are more likely to see “miracles”. Enjoy!

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Chapter 24 – To The Future! How do you write about the future? It hasn’t happened yet! Most writings are “historical”, meaning “after the fact”. Who knows the future, especially their own, much less anyone else’s for that matter? Lots of factors can affect the outcome for one thing, especially decisions we make today. We got where we are now by the decisions we made before, in our past, right? Well... Believe it or not, huge swathes of The Bible were about the future, or what we now call “the present”. Prophecy, or “predictions”, and most of it has already been fulfilled. There is only a small amount, but a very important, significant and dramatic small amount, still yet to be fulfilled! We are on the doorstep of all of that! But that is not what I am going to write about here, after all, to most people that is all pretty far removed from their thinking, right? Most folks are more concerned about their own personal future, right now! So that is what I am going to write about... You may be wondering “What has what David has been writing got to do with me?” Good question! Answer: I don’t know! Most of it is up to you I guess, whether or not you choose to believe it or not! But I will tell you this, for whatever it is worth... He has told me a lot! Not “everything” of course, because there is no need, but He has told me a lot about what will happen concerning me, and He has predicted things that have come to pass already, including bringing Imba into my life, and then Kristín. He has also shown and told me of things to come concerning beloved Iceland! I’m often amazed at just how much He says, about all kind s of things, situations, people, circumstances, etc, etc. I often wonder why I should be privy to such things, but I guess only He knows that, or why He thinks it is important that I know. I can honestly say though that I am so happy that I don’t have to take the responsibility for those things myself. “I'm just the messenger!” Ha ha! I was was out walking the other day. Sometimes when I’m musing on something He will give me a scripture, right out of the blue, and this happened while I was out this time. I was wondering myself about the future. I mean, even some of the things that I have already shared in this book, which is a very brief encapsulation I must tell you, seem so far-fetched and incredible that if I share them with everybody I think that people are bound to think “Yeah, right!???” Then I thought “Well, it doesn’t matter what I think anyway, or what anyone else thinks for that matter! I’m just the messenger! It’s His Word, and all His doing!” As a point of fact, I do believe the things He has said and shown, just so you know, which makes the scripture that He gave me so very powerful! All of a sudden He gave me the same Word that was given Mary, His mother.......... Luke 1:45 “And blessed is she (he) that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her (him) from the Lord.” Whew!

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Well, that did it for me! As far as I am concerned “That which He has said, He is more than able to perform!” You are probably wondering “How is it possible?” Well, I do know a few things... If you have read up to here, and/or if you have read my first book, you will already know, as I do, that He can do “the impossible”, and has done already, many times over! Which means, literally, “All things are possible to him that believes”! I know what He has done for me! I also know a lot about what He has done for others! I definitely can say that I know what He has done in Imba’s life, and you can read that for yourself, in her own book! I also know that what He told us has come true concerning us, Kristín being a beautiful and huge part of this. I know of one other that has made a decision to do something for Him, and has even begun already! Well, if He has done it for me, done it for Imba, done things for both of us, and has already worked in at least one other’s life that I know of recently, well that’s a start! So, it has begun! Someone once calculated that if only one person won only one other person in six months, and then each of those ones won only one other each in the next six months, and so on, every six months each one only winning one other - it would take only sixteen years to reach every person on the planet! Iceland only has 330,000, so as far as I am concerned, I cannot see how what He has said would not be possible! Of course, it is dependent on the choices people make, but that is where you come in... We have proven that it is possible, because it has happened, to us! So it is be possible for you too! I don’t know exactly “who” the people are that will be a part of those things revealed, but I know some of them! I didn’t know that Imba was going to be the very important beginning of everything that He was going to do and use me for, but she came along anyway, and now is! Her life, and all that He has done in calling her, has already had a dramatic impact on many, and it is just the beginning! So something is happening! “Having begun this good work, He will complete it until the end!” We’ve been willing to put ourselves “out there”, what will you do I wonder? Is it worth it? I know it is already, but you might still wonder yourself! Well, why not ask yourself “Is it worth it?” The answer should be obvious! I know that having a purpose in life is very, very important, for anybody. But having a purpose that actually makes a difference is the best purpose that anyone can have, as anyone who has found that out will tell you! Nothing is more fulfilling or satisfying than living a life for Him and for others! Sure beats living selfishly, anyone can tell you that! So, “What to do?” - Well, it’s up to you! But I can tell you that there are at least two of us, three, and even four, that have made the decision to do what we can, and we are doing it, now, and will keep doing it, until the job is done!

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You don’t think you can do it? Why not? There is always something anyone can do! If you don’t think you can “be a soldier” and “shoot”, you can at least “pass the ammo”! Ha ha! Everyone can do something! So, find out what you are supposed to do, and then do it! Imba and I are part of a Family. I have been for forty years now. Imba for two. Length of time in it is not the point though, nor important, it’s not even important whether you “join”, or not! What you do with the time that you have though is! Recently, our Family, “The Family International” has undergone some very extensive and fundamental changes. All “the whys and wherefores” are not relevant to most people, unless you happen to be “an old timer” like me, who has “been around” a long time and has experienced many of the concepts and contexts that have occurred over time. All you need to know now, is that it is something that almost anybody can be a part of! It’s not “a club”, but it is something very dynamic and exciting! Get in touch if you are interested! There is a page of credits and links at the end of this book, where you can do your own research into this if you like. In the meantime though, Imba and I are here, now, and available, for whatever you might need to know! We are very excited about what is happening with us, but even more excited about what is going to happen, next, and we are sincerely hoping that it will involve you, in some way! We love you!

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Credits & Links “All glory and praise to The Lamb that was slain, Who has washed all our sins and has cleansed every stain!” I would never have written this second book if He hadn’t told me to! Actually, I had heard from Him about it a year or two before, but kept putting it off! I knew what would be involved – the time and the effort! He finally got through to me a little while ago though, saying “Just do it!” So, here you are! It took three months just to write this small amount, and these accounts are not everything, just the high-lights! I am quite amazed at how He put it all together though. The points, the content, the style. Different ones have told me that it is “well done”, but all I can say to that is “Thank God”, because it was all inspired and led by Him! Someone asked me how I could remember all these things? Well, there’s a lot I don’t remember, but these things recounted here are unforgettable, so... I want to thank my dear Imba for her belief in me and loving encouragement! She has been just so wonderful at “cheering me on”! Between Him and her, they “got the job done” (in getting me to do it!) Ha ha! There have been quite a few, in the other dimension, that have had a hand in all of this too, of this I am certain! “Inspiration” comes from the Latin “spiritus”, which means “divine breath” or something that is “breathed into you”. It has to come from somewhere, so I certainly cannot claim the credit as if it all came from me! Ha ha! I also want to thank all those I have known and loved over the last forty years or so, especially those who were gracious enough to love me, in small ways and big! None of us are “islands”, so a lot of what I experienced would not have even been possible without the involvement of others who were there at the time! Thank you, everyone! My Family, and especially its founder (now gone on to his reward) David Brandt Berg, and those he left as the custodians of his heritage, dear Maria and Peter - I have to say, that if it wasn’t for these dear ones I wouldn’t know what I know, and I wouldn’t have done what I did! It has been an honour and a privilege to be a part of the Truth for this generation, a radical and revolutionary concept that suits me to the very core of my being! I thank my Dear Jesus for calling me to this, His Will for my life. I would never have had it any other way! If I had to do it all over again, I would (except perhaps without as many mistakes! Ha ha!) I have absolutely no regrets, except for the occasions where I may have hurt others. I am truly sorry for those things! I love you! David. (Links are on the next page!)

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If you would like to learn about my Family, go here: http://www.thefamily.org If you would like to know what we believe, what we are all about, what we do, what you can do, go here: http://tficharter.com If you would like to hear from God Himself, go here: http://god-on-god.blogspot.com If you would like to hear from Jesus Himself, go here: http://fromjesuswithlove.blogspot.com

If you would like to hear from our founder (deceased), go here: http://www.davidberg.org

If you would like to hear from our current spiritual co-director, go here: http://karenzerby.org

If you love music, as I do, then go here: http://nubeat.org This is music of every kind of genre, and all written, composed, and performed by different members of TFI, from many different countries and age groups - something for everybody and anybody! I guarantee that you will be able to find something that you like, for you, or your children too! You can listen, or download, for free! And there is a lot more available on this site than you might think! If you are looking for inspirational or educational material, for yourself or someone you know, go here: http://www.auroraproduction.com If you are just looking for something to read, that will give you a lift for your day, go here: http://www.activated.org and here: http://www.mottosforsuccess.eu For podcasts, go here: http://podcasts.thefamily.org

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