Latest Posts
View the latest posts in an easy-to-read list format, with filtering options.
View the latest posts in an easy-to-read list format, with filtering options.
Multi-part posts on a particular topic, grouped together in "series" pages.
Look through our blog archive by year / month, or in a massive title list.
12/02/2024 - Moses says in Deuteronomy 24:19, 19 When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a... Read More
12/01/2024 - The FFI Issue for December, Joel: Prophet of the Day of the Lord, Part 1, is now live for online v... Read More
11/30/2024 - Yesterday and today were watch dates. November 29, 1947 the United Nations passed Resolution 181 d... Read More
Read over 100 books written by Dr. Jones, available to read for free online. Several of the books have also been translated into different languages, and are also available to read for free. The only time you pay is when you purchase a physical version of a book.
View Full Book List
Read a variety of tracts that condense a topic into a short, single page format. These tracts can be read for free online, or physical copies can be purchased in bundles. If you are subscribed to the FFI Newsletter, you will receive new tracts when they are released.
View Full Tract List
We left the parsonage at 8 am and headed south toward Queenstown and Kingston. After an hour of driving, we stopped at the east coast town of Oamaru for coffee and breakfast.
The coffee shop is on the right of the photo. It overlooks the beautiful harbor.
Trevor then took us the scenic route to Queenstown over Danseys Pass, which, fortunately for us, was open.
It was a beautiful drive with cloud-covered mountains, valleys, and rivers.
We stopped here just past the bridge and drove down the side road, stopping to walk along the creek. There was a lot of quartz.
The mountains have a lot of gold in them and sheep grazing on the hills. One of them politely posed for us, probably wondering what all the fuss was about. “I’m just a sheep,” he called out.
“We understand,” we replied. “We’re just like you.”
We stopped for lunch at what used to be an old mining town on the downward slope on the other side of the mountain.
As we came out of the mountains, we stopped at Alexandra and spent some time at the mining museum.
Alexandra is the Gold Dredging Capital of the world, the sign proclaims. After the Dunstain Goldfield was discovered in 1862, the people adapted gold dredging methods to riverbeds.
Later, we stopped at another site of an old gold mine, long abandoned, which had been turned into a tourist spot.
The mine was situated above a river, which now features speedboat rides for those who dare to put their lives into the hands of strangers claiming to be expert drivers.
We decided to check the obituaries in the next town before taking the ride. And so we moved on, going to Arrowtown, another mining town in the 1800’s. It imported Chinese labor, as did so many mining companies, but the Europeans treated them quite badly, resenting their presence, even while depending upon their labor. We stopped along the river at the remnants of one of the Chinese settlements.
The one-room houses were small, just large enough to provide shelter for a few people at night. Darla thought she may have found her dream home….
… but wisely she decided to shop around before making a final decision. The others seemed to have a better location, even though they were not as roomy.
From Arrowtown, we continued to Queenstown, where we took the cable car to the top of the mountain overlooking the city.
For Darla’s sake, we also stopped at a place along a river where she could do some bungy jumping. Although she is the adventurous type, she declined this time. It was too cold, and she didn’t want to get her hair wet. So we were content to watch others do it.
Toward evening, we drove from Queenstown to a place near Kingston, where Trevor had rented a cottage by the lake for the next two nights.
This was the view of the south end of the lake as seen from the front of the house.
We got a good night’s sleep and got off before 8 a.m. the next morning, heading toward Milford Sound.
Dr. Stephen Jones has been writing blog posts since 2005 on a variety of topics from Bible Studies to World News, and he has been writing books since 1992. Dr. Jones' most important writings came after God brought him back into the full-time ministry in 1991. It is here that all his earlier years of searching the Scriptures began to come into clear focus. He combines a knowledge of the Old and New Testaments with a personal revelation of God that began and developed during the "wilderness" period of his life, which he often refers to as God's True Bible College... Read More
We are only able to do what we do because of your support. If you feel led to support this ministry, we deeply appreciate it
