"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" - John 3:16 (KJV)
Just over 2000 years ago a saviour was born, to bring hope to a broken world. God had a plan for his people since the very creation of the earth, and it is this same hope that we hold onto as we celebrate Christmas in Nauru in 2015.
In many respects, Nauru represents the struggles and victories of all of humanity. We have been through events and wars that have almost destroyed us, been subject to exploitation by governments and people, and seen times of prosperity only to lose it through our own greed and selfishness. Yet we have persevered; we have overcome. We are stronger today than we have been in many years.
This is a credit to the Nauruan people and to our faith in God and each other. It has been a great honour to lead this nation over the past two and half years and during this time I have seen a resolve across our land to be a people of unity and love.
We have reached out to our visitors from across the globe that came to us in detention but are now living freely across our communities. This has not been without challenges but we have held fast to our belief that love conquers all.
Our Government is the first government for many years that will serve a full term, and this has brought great stability and prosperity to our people. We enter the new year without the burden of the corruption and cronyism we have seen in the past, which brought such destruction on our nation.
We are a more prosperous people and a prouder nation now than when this year commenced, and my - and the Government's - goal is to continue along the road to greater nation-building and higher personal wealth for every Nauruan.
We have withstood political pressure from some within our country who seek to take us backwards and put their thirst for personal power and wealth before the good of Nauru. We have taken bold steps to reform our systems of government and strengthen our democracy despite the lies spread by some foreign media like the ABC, who refuse to recognise the advances we are making and continue their dishonest political campaign of attempting to influence Nauru's domestic politics.
I am encouraged by the great support our Government has received from the people of Nauru, who know the truth and refuse to believe these lies. I am approached daily by many who urge us to continue on our current course of building a nation that respects women and children, stands against immorality and injustice, and genuinely works to improve the daily lives of all Nauruans without favour.
As we take time to rest and enjoy family and celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ this Christmas, let us enter the new year with great hope for the future of our country.