Pastors Graham & Judy Turner
In July of this year we were finally able to uplift our own Liberty (Ark) Mortgage. We had originally paid into the scheme for a number of years to assist Judy's sister and her husband, who were missionaries with YWAM. Once their ballot had been drawn they were able to quickly reduce the debt owed on their house in Hamilton while we were then able to start paying in for ourselves.
Right from the beginning we could see the potential such a scheme could provide in assisting families to break free of the crippling mortgage rates prevalent at the time - 18-20%. Over the years we have been continually amazed at the way the ballot fell, providing usually for the most needy families to have their names drawn. To me, the major strength of the initial system was the allowance of the God-Factor through the balloting of names.
So many families have paid off their mortgages in such a short time, this has got to be one of the best of such schemes available in NZ. Credit must go to Bruce McDonald for having the vision to push for such a scheme in the first place. But as with all successful God-ventures there are always the faithful enablers who follow after the visionaries and actually bring what is hoped for into reality. I would like to thank the faithful team of workers and trustees whose unselfish giving over many, many years has enabled this to continue and flourish.
When we compare the amount of money we will eventually pay, with what it would have cost us borrowing through the bank there is no comparison. To be able to build our house in Ohope we needed to borrow money (interest only) from Judy's family, but it was reassuring to know that in just a few years our Liberty Mortgage would come up and then we'd be able to pay off the principal owing.
Thank you Ark Resources
Pastor Graham Turner