Enduring the Dream
By Garry Wills
Published by Castle Publishing
This book is about the journey of a young 17-year-old, third-generation sheep and cattleman who had a passion to serve God and believed God wanted him to dedicate his farming career to ministry.
With excitement and energy, he pursued that calling – not knowing the extent of the training and preparation that would be required for the work God wanted him to do.
A confirmation of his calling came 11 years later when God gave a now married young man and his wife this word: “God wants you to dream dreams, to get a vision of what you two together in Christ can do.”
After battling a multitude of setbacks and heartache over a number of years, he found himself asking God for a heart to continue to pursue the calling – a prayer that God didn’t hesitate to answer.
God gave this man and his wife the grace, mercy and strength to ‘Endure the Dream’ and see it come to fruition.
This book is the story of their journey. It is not just chapter after chapter of the great things God has done in their lives, but records the ‘blood, sweat and tears’ they have gone through, as well as the many wonderful blessings and answered prayers they have received.
GARRY WILLS was born in Matamata, New Zealand in 1956 and grew up on his parent’s stud sheep and cattle farm at Walton near Matamata.
Even though brought up in a Christian home, he made his own decision to become a Christian at age 17. Eleven months later he sensed God calling him to dedicate his farming career to ministry.
Along with preparing for this ministry Garry served in various leadership positions: youth group leader in his own church and interdenominationally, worship leader and leader of prison ministry teams. He has served on the church board as a finance and property deacon as well as preaching from time to time.
Garry is married to Margie and together they have led children’s church, home groups, young adults groups and Sunday night church services. They have two adult children, Rachel and Amanda, and they live at Te Pahu on the outskirts of Hamilton.
Garry’s passion is to see people coming to know Jesus, to see them grow and develop skills, to see them able to put food on the table and to see them effective in their calling in God.
Book review by Julia Martin – NZ Christian Writers
Garry started out on a Waikato farm as a typical young Kiwi bloke involved in rugby, fast cars and drinking. At seventeen, he committed his life to Jesus Christ and that decision set him on a new pathway. With farming in his DNA, he and his wife Margie felt called by God to set up a farming ministry to help the poor. What followed was a journey lasting forty years which involved numerous job changes, family fallouts and
painful emotional setbacks.
As Garry reflects: ‘…We have a choice—we can wallow in our losses or go forward with energy and celebrate future wins.’ The couple kept their faith and their focus, and in 2015 their ‘enduring dream’ was finally coming to fruition.
Garry claims he’s written his autobiography to encourage those people who seem to be doing things right but find life full of disappointments and setbacks; and for those who feel God has called them into a ministry but it has not yet eventuated. In a helpful epilogue called ‘Willsy’s Wisdom’ he outlines lessons learned from his life experiences. This book has wide appeal and I recommend it especially to Christians who need encouragement in their struggles.
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