Every year, the World Day of Prayer unites people across the globe in a spirit of worship, solidarity, and shared faith. This year our focus is the Cook Islands. The theme, “I Made You Wonderful” from Psalm 139:14, serves as a beautiful reminder of God’s creative work in each of us and His love of diversity.
“Wonderfully Made” (Tarani Napa and Tevairangi Napa)
Artist statement: Tarani Napa and Tevairangi Napa, a mother and daughter duo, created this year’s artwork. They share the vision they had for their composition based on Psalm 139:14: ‘I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made’.
“Our Heavenly Father blessed our islands of the sea. From the northern islands across the ocean to the southern islands, the golden sun shines through the clear blue skies and birds freely fly. From the bright, white sandy shores all the way to the highest mountain top our islands are abundant with fresh produce and colourful flora and fauna. The lagoons and oceans are bountiful with sea life, fish and gems (like black pearls), which link us to the world.
On each island the mighty coconut tree stands tall, a symbol of strength and goodness. The coconut tree provides for our health and wellbeing. We have discovered how to use every part, from the fronds to the very deep roots for food, drink, medicine, shelter and much more. The coconut tree is essential to our survival and is the tree of life for our people.
We are grateful for the arrival of Christianity to our shores 200 years ago. The gospel of Jesus Christ brought hope, peace and light. In time, our cultures have interwoven with Christianity, and the blessings are evident today. As guardians and caretakers of God’s marvellous works, we always treasure these words, ‘I made you wonderful’.
Our women play a vital role in keeping our heritage and traditions alive. They are the keepers of talents, teachers and mentors. From mothers to daughters, the cycle of life, faith and love continues here on our islands of paradise. We show our respect and love for God and for one another in harmonies of song and prayer. Our precious Tivaevae quilts represent patience, love and unity. We honour God’s love and mercy with hats we wear to church, woven by skillful loving hands from the strands of rito, the young coconut leaf. We adorn ourselves with sweet scented Tiare tropical flowers, made into crowns and garlands. From the heart, we teach and nurture our beloved children, the younger generation, our future.
At the closing of a gathering, our Tongareva elders always say these powerful words of encouragement: ‘Kia mau te serenga! Kia mau te napena! Kia mau!’ This means ‘hold on tight to who you are, in all aspects of your existence!’ We are wonderfully made by God, and we should cherish all the aspects of who we are!”
About the artists: Tarani Napa is a mother of six children and has three grandchildren. She is a certified primary school teacher, entrepreneur and creative artist. Tevairangi Napa, also a creative artist, is the eldest daughter of Tarani, and is a proud mum of two children. They feel honoured to have been able to share this piece of artwork in recognition of their love for their home, their faith and their heritage.
World Day of Prayer in Bolton-le-Sands.
This year the service for the World Day of Prayer will be led by representatives of all the churches in Bolton-le-Sands. The service starts at 2pm in Holy Trinity Church and is followed by refreshments. Everyone is welcome.
