Dear Friends,
Whales and seals of all descriptions, arctic hares and foxes, musk ox, polar bears, thousands of birds, giant architectural icebergs, twenty-four-hour sunshine and amazingly calm seas. These are just some of the things I have experienced in the three weeks that I have been away. What a wonderful and diverse world we live in, all given by God for us to enjoy and care for.
But perhaps the greatest impression that my holiday has left with me is of the people I met. To mention but three. There was Aleq, a young Inuit hunter who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and shook constantly, but who spoke so movingly about his respect for the animals he hunts, about his community of Qaanaaq, about his family, and about his Christian faith. Christianity was brought to Greenland by the Moravians in the 18th century. Then there was the young Inuit mother with whom I shared tea and cake, who spoke no English, but showed me many photographs of her family. Her pride and her love and care for them was so obvious, especially when her son aged about six arrived back at the tiny family home. Then there was the teacher who spoke eloquently about his small school in Itilleq, a remote Inuit settlement of about seventy inhabitants with no roads but only rocky tracks. He spoke of the value of the education he seeks to provide for the village children, giving them choices in later life. His theme was ‘Education is freedom’ in all aspects of life.
Here in St Andrews and especially in Holy Trinity we receive and welcome many visitors from all parts of the world. As we interact with them, I wonder what impression of our faith and our values we leave with them. That is certainly something worth pondering.
With love and blessings,
Marion
Categories: Minister's Blog