Peter Bilton

Delight yourself also in the LORD and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Ps 37:4

I made application to join Liberty Trust Auckland back in August 2001 knowing it would be a long term investment for either myself or some of my children following behind me. At the time I was recovering from a failed marriage of 3 years earlier and was boarding back home with my aging parents. Then I rented for 4 years but was having to move every year because the landlord’s personal needs changed. I was in no rush to start into the real estate market. The Rodney house prices were still riding the economic wave in the market that started early in that decade. However through a series of God directed circumstances I found myself involved with a young Christian couple in negotiating a joint purchase of a 3 bedroom house with a relatively new 2 bedroom granny flat built on the side. This was a remarkable turn of events after 9 years of climbing out of a black hole and trying to get back on my feet again. It was clearly the goodness of the Lord I was experiencing for pressing into Him over that time to learn what the heart of God is. By Christmas I had moved into the flat and the married couple moved into the house having recently returned from their 10-year OE and ready to start a family. Their first child was born the week they moved in! That half share ownership of semi-community living was a happy one with pooling our resources to undertake property improvements, landscaping, sharing the big washing line and double garage, etc. that lasted just over 4 years. I had earlier made a couple of enquiries on when my Liberty Trust loan might come up for application. Both times it drew a negative response. So I forgot about it and continued to pay my monthly contribution and thought one of my children may benefit when the time came.

My endeavours to find another Christian couple to take up the half share ownership of the property proved fruitless and so I ended up having to buy their share out rather than sell the property as it was too good an investment to let go. I now found my mortgage of under $50,000 had increased by nearly 6 times the amount, the most I have ever borrowed in my life! Fortunately the rent form the house covered most of the fortnightly repayments—although it is mostly interest that is paid for the first half of the term of these cleverly formulated table reducing mortgages.

My Heavenly Father had another surprise awaiting me. Just over 12 months later from taking on the big bank mortgage, I receive a letter from Liberty Trust advising I could now make application for the interest free loan. I had to read the letter a few times to make sure I understood what it said. I didn’t do anything for a few days but basked in the glory of God’s goodness. Next thing Liberty Trust was chasing me to find out if I wanted it!

It was a great feeling six weeks later to see one bank mortgage wiped completely and the other reduced significantly back to what I first started when I first bought my share of the property! God is good.

Peter Bilton

9 July 2012