Paul Anselmi's dream

At 28 years old Paul Anselmi had a divine encounter with the Lord Jesus one evening when lying in bed that changed his life completely. Literally overnight his life was transformed and the next day he had no desire to continue on the path he had been on. 

It all came about by praying a prayer similar to the Freedom Prayer on this site and reading the new testament of the bible. 

"After praying the prayer and having the encounter with the Lord Jesus I never felt so clean in all my life" says Paul. "I experienced a deep inner peace that has never left me, I have been on this faith journey now for 35 years, it's something I have never regreted."

It took three years after this experience that Paul took a step into church. For those three years prior - he read the bible everyday. "The new testament became the handbook to life for me", says Paul.

Paul grew up in a small town called Piopio, in the King Country, the grandson of an Italian immigrant who farmed the land. The family was befriended by the local Maori folk and that friendship has remained throughout the years and Paul has a deep love and respect for Maori culture and people. 

Paul's vision was born out of working in prison ministry for 29 years. Paul would regularly visit Paremuremu, Waikerea and Rangipo prisons, taking Sunday services and mid-week bible studies. During this time what he saw was prisoners with great hopelessness and through committing their lives to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, saw change in their lives completely giving great peace in their hearts and a smile on their faces. "Most of the inmates that came to the Sunday services and bible studies were Maori," Paul adds. After seeing the great changes 

After seeing the great changes in the guys in the prison through the gospel message, the hope, love and freedom it brings -  the vision was to see this reach the hearts and lives of Maori out in the community. 

After reading the history of Tarore's Story, Paul saw this as a great piece of Maori history that showed the embracing and teaching of the good news of Jesus by the Maori people, for the Maori people. "They didn't need the missionaries to teach them the hope and love found in the gospel, they read it and were transformed and were taking it around the country and seeing lives and hearts changed without pakeha involvement. It was the sovereign work of God and His love for the Maori people," Paul says with wonder.

It is for that reason that the book Tarore's Story was created with both Tarore's story and the Gospel of Luke. Two powerful books and events - The book about the life and death of Tarore and the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in the book of Luke.