In 1850, a 9 year-old boy living in London, is forcibly snatched out of a devastatingly broken family. In the care of a guardian, this child loses everything familiar as he is shipped off as part of British colonial expansion in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, supposedly “for his own good.” As a result, little Grayson’s life & sense of identity are shattered, & it seems a mysterious generational legacy propels his life into inexplicable tragedy & loss. Will a destructive family dynamic triumph, or will a transcendent power arrest the evil at work & release a positive inheritance upon this family?

Murray Smith has been pastoring for over 20 years in NZ. He & his wife drew media attention in 2010 when they gave away their beautiful family home in Cambridge to help build a church & community center.

"Grayson's Legacy captured my imagination early on for a number of reasons, but primarily because I found myself in the story! My forebears took the same journey from England some 20 years later than Grayson; I have also relocated my family to Christchurch so found the historical accounts both fascinating as well as historically accurate. Perhaps most of all I resonated with the 'beneath the surface' issues that plagued Grayson & his family line. It became my story, my wrestling for wholeness, my desire to unlock this glorious love of God that leaves a healthy inheritance for the generations to follow.
With the challenges that we have faced recently in Christchurch, hearing the wonderful stories of the foundations of the city recorded in this book encouraged me to embrace the future with a renewed enthusiasm. Perhaps listening & learning from our past & understanding how it shapes our current reality is one of the greatest legacies we can leave the following generations. I encourage you to read this enthralling story & allow your future to be unlocked in ways that leave a legacy of abundance & opportunity." (Donald Scott, Senior Pastor, North City Church, Christchurch)