A letter from David Walter
March 31, 2008
Happy New Year
Happy New Year? No, I have not adopted some new calendar nor have I subscribed to some other faith that sets their new year by the zodiac or stars or some such. Yes, I know it is nearly income tax time. It is simply that I believe that the New Year is a time to count my blessings, a time to be thankful for all the good and wonderful things that have happened in the past year. Well, I have been pondering all of this since January and, frankly, the list is so long that it has taken me this long to pare the many things down to a manageable number. God is good! God is manifested in my life and in the lives of those I love every day. Here are just a few of the things for which I am thankful.
The fresh fish and freshly harvested food on Uri Island in Vanuatu last July was worthy of a five-star restaurant.
I am thankful for our mission immersion group’s visit to Uri Island in Vanuatu last July. This little island with just a few inhabitants is surely one of the most beautiful in the world. Though it has just a few people, they had the foresight many years ago to establish a protected marine reserve where coral reefs, giant clams and other marine life live in safety. It is also an island where people gave us their homes us to stay in and served us a meal of freshly caught fish and newly harvested crops that was worthy of a five-star restaurant, all eaten from banana-leaf plates. We would never have known that they had no fresh water other than collected rainwater.
Last September I was privileged to attend the General Assembly of the Pacific Conference of Churches in Pago Pago, American Samoa. This was an ecumenical gathering with church leaders of a myriad of denominations from nearly every Pacific country. We sang, prayed, and deliberated about the many joys and concerns of the region, working in harmony and fellowship with each other despite our many and varied beliefs, ways of worship and church doctrines. As always, South Pacific hospitality was everywhere as we were warmly welcomed, lovingly cared for and showered with parting gifts. These gifts were given in thanks for our visit and they made me thankful beyond words (if you can imagine such a thing!).
I am thankful too that this year The Synod of the Covenant has chosen to have church leaders come from a variety of Pacific Island countries to be in mission to us through the Mission to the U.S.A. program. Now we will be able to learn from them how to live in peace and harmony, as do they. That the list of participants includes two of my dearest friends from Vanuatu gladdens my heart.
While I am saddened by the severe and immediate effect of global warming that is currently threatening some of the island nations, I am thankful that I have been given the means and opportunity to talk about that here in the United States so that we can pray for action, advocate for policies that will mitigate these effects and, perhaps, actually do something about it soon.
I am thankful that the Presbyterian Church of Vanuatu continues to work with the former John Frum cargo cult people to bring them into full understanding of the Christian life. The new church at Sulphur Bay is growing, and the people of Tanna Island are seeking to once again embrace God. The new church on Futuna Island in Vanuatu is nearly completed, despite losing its new roof in a serious cyclone earlier this year, but will nevertheless have its opening in December of this year. That I have been invited to attend this dedication celebration is an honor and privilege.
I am grateful that I was able to participate in Mission Challenge ’07 last October. This gave me the opportunity to speak about a part of the world that I dearly love and to open our churches’ eyes to the wonders of and the problems faced by our brothers and sisters in the Pacific. That my home church, my presbytery and many other churches here in Michigan have supported me is something for which I am thankful.
New leadership in Louisville has revitalized PC(USA)’s commitment to worldwide mission and is now more eagerly engaging our congregations in this vital work. They are building on the fine work of their predecessors, and this new energy is contagious.
As I sit down to fill out my 1040, I can do so knowing that there is much more good in this world than bad. I can even hope that my taxes go to something other than war or a bridge to nowhere, that they will be used for education or medical research — or maybe even to fix that nasty pothole just around the corner.
David Walter
The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.79
