On Saturday December 12, I walked ten miles from
Nazareth to Bethlehem (Pennsylvania) with about 135 other people in the 56th
Annual Christmas Peace Pilgrimage. I’m not certain when I started participating
in this yearly walk, but I’ve been doing it at least since 2002 (I remember
hearing the speaker listed for that year on their website). I have only missed
a couple of the walks since that time. We walk on the shoulder of Route 191 most of the way. Some
drivers beep to show their support; others call out positive comments. This
year, just before our first rest stop, one driver called out “I hope you’re
keeping Christ in Christmas.” I guess, for some people, if they see a large
group of people with signs that read “Peace”, they assume those folks must be
liberals, radicals, or socialists and most likely atheists. If there had been
time, we could have told him that the walk is sponsored by a lot of Christian
churches and religious groups; that we stop at three churches along the way to
rest and enjoy some refreshments; that we end the walk at the Central Moravian
Church in Bethlehem, where we sing a couple Christmas carols. Here’s a picture
of the group getting ready to move on from the second rest stop at First Baptist Church, which provided us with hot chocolate.
Every year when I get to the end of the walk my feet,
legs and hips are hurting quite a bit and I wonder whether I should do the walk
the next year. And as the date approaches for the next walk (2nd
Saturday in December), I wonder if I really want to put my body through that
again. But, I always push those thoughts aside and head out for the walk. I do
it for 3 reasons. First, more than 100 people walking down Route 191 just
before Christmas carrying signs that read “Peace” is a good witness to the
Christmas message of “Peace on earth, good will to men [and women]”. It was
especially relevant this year with all the political talk about bombing ISIS
and refusing entrance to refugees and all the fear being spread by some politicians.
Second, as I walk, it is an opportunity to think about the importance of peace
in our world and to consider ways that I can help foster that peace.
Third, it is an opportunity to get together with others for whom bringing about
peace is important. I always see people whom I recognize from previous walks.
But there are also people participating for whom this is their first time doing
the walk. During this year’s walk, I spoke with people I know and people I had
just met. Here’s a link to the Christmas Peace Pilgrimage website. You can see
pictures from this year’s walk by clicking on the Gallery link.
On Sunday, my wife Pat and I spent much of the day at
the Christmas Market at Assumption Church in Morristown, NJ. This was another
good Christmas season event. Pat had been asked by our friends, Sergio and
Johanna Burani, to come to sell some of the books she has written. The catch? Vendors
were asked to donate 50% of their profits to Africa Surgery. Sergio and Johanna
are regular fundraisers for Africa Surgery and all the profits from Photos bySergio go to support Africa Surgery. Pat and I had read information about this
charity on its website, so we knew that the organization helps coordinate
surgery for children and adults living in Sierra Leone. On the website, we
watched the video “The White Man on the Bicycle” about Tom Johnson, the
founder. And at the end of the Christmas Market, we had the opportunity to talk
with Tom about his organization. Tom had spent time in Sierra Leone as a Peace
Corps volunteer. We usually think of Peace Corps volunteers as being right out
of college. However, Tom told us he was 38 years old when he joined the Peace
Corps. After leaving the Peace Corps, he returned to Sierra Leone a number of
years later and at the end of his trip, he left some money to help a couple
people obtain surgeries they needed. That was the beginning of a mission that
has helped hundreds of people there. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest
countries in the world and has been devastated by years of war. Tom showed us
pictures of a child with a severe curvature of the spine related to
tuberculosis. Untreated, this condition could result in paralysis. But, with
the help of Africa Surgery, this young man will be able to lead a pretty normal
life. Tom spends most of his year in Morristown, raising money and obtaining
supplies for Africa Surgery. But he told us he spends 4 to 5 months a year in
Sierra Leone, coordinating resources to provide the needed medical services. In
fact, he told us he was leaving within the week to go there. Africa Surgery
provides essential services to some very needy individuals. I like the idea of
donating to a charity that I have a direct or indirect connection to. At the
Christmas Market, Pat donated all of her profits to Africa Surgery. Although
the Christmas Market is a relatively small operation, it raised $8000 for
Africa Surgery. I encourage you to take a look at Africa Surgery’s website.
It’s now less than a week until Christmas day. We’ve
done most of our shopping. Practically all the credit for that goes to Pat, who
has spent a lot of time on-line ordering gifts, shopping in stores and wrapping
gifts. While giving gifts to our loved ones is an important part of the season,
I’m happy to have had the opportunity to spend some time thinking about the
more spiritual aspects of Christmas and to be reminded that we are all God’s
children and that Jesus came to show God’s love to all of us. Merry Christmas to all.
