Palmerston to Mount Cargill Hill
43kms, 23/6
Today Ryan had an interview with Dudley on Southern Star and then Dudley gave Ryan the local radio station phone number (Puketapu radio). The interview started at 8.10 am and he didn't leave there until 9.30am, according to Ryan the interview could have gone on for longer. When Ryan began his walk he felt very tired and drained, he had to set his will to walk. At Waikouiti a woman who was driving the piolet vehicle for a heavy transport truck pulled over and gave Ryan a reflector vest, she said she had seen him near Ashburton and had found it difficult to see him.He got to the bottom of the kilmog and was exhausted but determined to carry on. He staggered up to the top of the kilmog and was meet by Ron Parker his mentor, they had a really good chat and prayer time and Ryan felt refreshed and able to continue, a woman stopped and gave him an energy drink which really helped as well. Ryan had text mum and dad that he was exausted so they left Oamaru to pick him up but by the time they reached him he was up near the top of Mount Cargill Hill which is the by pass to the motor way into Dunedin. They all had a cuppa with a young woman and her daughter and left the cross there. Dad was going to take him up to Christchurch to attend a Chuck Misler conference the next day so they slept in Oamaru over night.
Oamaru to Christchurch Return
Ryan and dad stopped at Winchester on the way and visited the elderly couple that Ryan had stayed with, they had a good cople of hours chat and then visited the Young man that Ryan had meet in Rolleston who had given his life 2 Christ, they shared with him their life stories and shared with him what he had done when he aske Jesus into his life and prayed with him, he said he had noticed a real change in himself when he had meet Ryan the first time, unfortunatly since then his partner and him have seperated due to his stand for Christ. Please pray for them both!!
They returned to Oamaru that night.
Mount Cargill Hill to Mosgiel
27kms, 25/6
Ryan and dad left early and headed down to where Ryan had left the cross. He began his walk into Dunedin and when he got to the one way system in Dunedin he text me ( Miriam ) and my fiance because we wanted to walk with him. He then continued into Dunedin and meet them at the mall. Before hemeet us he was getting a lot of abuse but once we started walking with him the abuse quietened quite dramatically especially when people noticed that my fiance had a video camera filming their reactions. Jae (my fiance ) had to be picked up at Green Island as his boots where not suitable for the walk. I carried on through to Mosgiel. I reckon I walked 18kms with my wee bro:) If he ever gets called to do this again I think I will join him on the full New Zealand walk.
Mosgiel
26/6
Ryan spoke at the Christian School in Mosgiel and then the children and him went for a walk through the main street on Mosgiel with a cross. He relaxed in the afternoon.
Mosgiel to Milton
35kms, 27/6
There was litle happened but many people gave him the one finger salute while passing. He got to Milton and dint know where he was going to saty as the people he stayed with last time wernt home. He sat down to pray about it and the lord spoke through the next song on his IPOD it was 'Walk On' , Ryan walked down a block to a back street and as he was passing a house he noticed two people in a garden, they had heard him on Southern Star, knew who he was and invited him in to stay.
28/6
They went to church the next day and then they went out to the couples crib out at Taeri Mouth for the afternoon. That evening the church held a blind guest evening, half the church where to play host to the other halfbut they didnt know who their guests where as their names had been drawn out of a hat. The hosts did the meat and the guests who ever they were brought the veses and the dessert.
Milton to Balclutha
22kms, 29/6
Little happened on the walk to Balclutha. When he got there he meet up with the guy he had stayed with the previous night, he was a building inspector for the area. He took Ryan out to lunch and then arranged a place for him to stay with a local pastor, the pastor was also a chaplen for the Telford Farm training scheme run by the Salvation Army.
Balclutha to Clinton
32kms, 30/6
Little happened on the way but he did come across a couple of cops doing truck weighing, one shook his hand and was really impressed with what Ryan was doing. When he got to Milton a woman invited him in for a cuppa and he ended up staying there for a night. Apparently the woman had lived down near Tuatapere where Ryans mum used to live...Its a small world!! Her daughter and family came over for tea and it turns out that they are going over to Brazil with Youth withA Mission. Ryan has done a discipleship trainig course with Youth with A Mission about three years earlier.
Clinton to Gore
43kms, 1/7
The family left about 7.15am as they had to be at the airport by 10 so Ryan was left on his own to make his own way. I forgot to Mention that when Ryan left Balclutha and Clinton he had to wipe ice off the cross and follow the car rutts in the road, he took several photos. Awww poor Elmo...a little soft toy he had picked up had spiky white hair from the frost:( He meet a woman ( a retired farmers wife) who the lord awoke every morning at 4am to pray for two hours. She asked the lord whyshe had to do this alone and he said to her that there was a lad who was pulling the cross from the top of New Zealand to the bottom and he was doing it alone, she was chuffed to meet him. Later on Ryan was really hungry...no suprise! So he took out a packet of two minute noodles and ate them dry and then found 100meters down the road was a dairy:) Lol
As Ryan was walking into Gore he heard a loud Bang behind him and he turned to see that two vehicles had had a crash, some one wasnt concerntrating on their driving. Asimaler thing had happened last time he had walked New Zealand. Flo meet Ryan at the church and he left the cross there. Flo was the retired missionary from Nepal who he had stayed with last year and who had meet him between Oamaru and Palmerston on her way up North. He spoke at the youth group that night.
2/7
A relaxing day but he did get too meet a retired Spirit filled catholic father, they had a good chat. Father Keys invited him too speak to a group who meet regularly at the Basilica in Invercargill when he got there. Ryan said he would.
Gore to Edendale
28kms, 3/7
Once again little happened on the way. When he got to Edendale he stopped at the address he had been given. He knocked several times and while he was waiting a cop car went past two or three times, in the end it stopped and asked Ryan what was happening. The house was unlived in but the cop knew where Ryan was too go. Flow had forgotten to put a 2 infront of the number given. He walked down to the house and was amazed at the size of the house, it was a massive single story house with a massive garden and it was looked after by a very energetic 70 year old widow. In the garden where over 200 hydrangeas and the garden was spotless. Ryan spoke at a youth group that night and was treated to cheese cake and ambrosia...hmmmmmmmm yummmmmy! And they later watched a movie.
Edendale to Invercargill
37kms, 4/7
...little happened:) A man pulled up and gave him card saying he would catch up with him later, he was on his way to a Bible study. They meet p later and the guy told him where to go then followed him into town. He was a Jw in very poor health and had to have Kidney Dialysis about 6 times a day plus a couple of times at night. He lives in a little flat with one bed. He told Ryan that he was Ryans servant and he gave Ryan the bed for the night while he slept on the floor. This meant a lot to both of them.
Invercargill
5/7
Ryan went to the JW church the next day for the sake of his host, he disagreed with some of there theology
but it meant a lot to his host. Ryan took the cross to the Basilica and then meet up with Father Key and Ryan spoke to the group of poor and jobless people. Father Key looks after them and gives them meals. After that one of our cousins picked him up and they went to his youth group where Ryan again spoke. The speaker who had been booked in was sick ...Gods timing was perfect! He then stayed with his uncle and auntie.
Invercargill to Bluff
27kms, 6/7
Today Ryan bumped into the mother of a friend he used to play soccer with, she was extremely chuffed to see him. That night Ryan stayed with a man he had meet just outside Kaikoura.
Bluff to Stewart Island
7/7
Today mum and dad just happened to bump into Ryan...( On purpose) at the Bluff Wharf and together they began the sea voyage over to Stewart Island on the Foveaux Express :)
They where meet at the wharf by five of the congregation and they went up to the house of one of them to drop their gears off:) Mum , Dad and Ryan then all walked around to Wohlers Monument with the cross and some of the congregation. Wohler was the first missionary to the island. ( Not sure when) No disrespect meant.
THAT WAS THE END OF RYANS WALK!! Praise God for Safe passage :)
On the way back back to Oban a young woman asked Dad what the cross meant and after some discussion she gave her life to Christ :):):)
The next day the fam went over to Ulva Island and then later returned to Bluff. On the way over were privileged to see a whale right near the ferry.
THE WHOLE TRECK TOOK 12 WEEKS AND TWO DAYS!!
The longest days were 57kms one of the desert road and the other between Oamaru and Palmerston.
The shortest day was 15kms in Auckland.
As a result of this walk two people gave their lives to the lord when Ryan was there. :) :) :)
Last time Ryan walked New Zealand 3 months after the walk the Recession began he is wondering what is going to happen now that he has finished his second walk. We have already had a big earth quake as a warning.
PLEASE PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR CHRISTS RETURN WHICH WILL BE VERY SOON!!!
