It was about two and a half years ago that Dave and I were in Germany together. We were meeting with others who have an interest in the Lord's work in Micronesia. Dave was there as President of PIU and a lifelong missionary to this mostly forgotten part of the world. I was there as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the school and as one who was transitioning from a pastoral to a missionary role. Dave didn't feel well, yet his advocacy for the work he loved was vigorous.
A few weeks later we were together again, at our mission's headquarters in New Jersey. Dave still wasn't feeling well. He was concerned about some sores on his legs. He thought maybe they were from insect bites or an allergic reaction. Soon, we found out they had a much more serious cause.
Dave often talked about the "contingency" of this universe in which we live. It is something with which the greatest of minds struggle--and Dave's was an impressive intellect.
On one occasion, Solomon observed, "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11–12, ESV)
Neither the King of Israel nor the third President of a Christian University in Micronesia were cynics. They were just honest. There is a lot that we don't know, and down here can't know. Dave and I drove our Theological stakes at different points in the trying-to-figure-out-God-and-His-ways spectrum. I more to the Calvinist end, Dave more to the it's-a-work-in-progress end.
I have spent the last twenty-seven months sitting in the President's chair. I am in that seat at Dave's invitation. When he asked me to come, he had no idea that he would never sit in that chair again.
It is remarkable that a small-town pastor from Virginia got to be a good friend of, and ministry colleague with, a Christian educator on the opposite side of the globe. I was privileged to walk with Dave on the road next to the firehouse in Yigo, Guam, in the Black Forest of Germany, and down the main street of Weno Chuuk. We also walked together through many good and bad times in the life of PIU. Though Dave mostly left me alone in my new role, I took great comfort in knowing that he continued to walk with me through prayer.
In his younger years, Dave was a fiercely competitive athlete. He brought that same vigor to the work he did. He wanted to win. Sometimes he struggled with that, but, to his credit, after he processed things Dave didn't want others to lose. Much of the last decade of Dave's life was spent building coalitions, making peace, and searching for ways victories could be shared. My prayer is that this legacy will continue to bear eternal fruit.
It is a great honor to sit in what I'll probably always consider Dave's chair. Over the past couple of years, I've often wondered what Dave thought about what I was doing from that seat. Perhaps we'll talk about that over a cup of "coffee, black." As Dave often said, those are the only two words needed when you order the blessed elixir.
As I sip my coffee down here, I am confident that he and I shared--dare I say, "still share"--the same desire. There is a great need for Christian leaders in Micronesia and beyond. Dave's passion was expressed in the words of PIU's Mission, words of which he was the main author.
Pacific Islands University exists to provide
accessible, excellent, transformational Christian higher education
and ministry training to the people of Micronesia, the Pacific islands, and to the ends of the earth. As such, our mission is to prepare men and women with a biblical worldview for leadership and service in life, work, and ministry in the global community and the church. (emphasis mine)
Dave firmly believed that the truth of God's word is transformational. In order to make that kind of education accessible to the people of Micronesia, someone has to come out to this side of the world, somebody has to travel to various Island communities that make up Micronesia and let the people know that there is a Christian institution that offers education from a Biblical worldview. Dave did all of that. He recruited people who would do an excellent job of delivering that education. He and his wife, Joyce, served with excellence in what they did. It was a privilege to serve with him. Now, though my feet are bigger than Dave's, I can't come close to filling his shoes. If Dave were here, I'm confident he would say, "Don't try to be me. Be the best you, you can be and trust God.
I've missed my friend for some time. For much of the last couple of years he has been too sick to communicate much. I don't know if he heard me the other day. Joyce put the phone on speaker so I could share some good news about PIU. I hope he did. Now, from an earthly viewpoint, the separation is final. I'll not see Dave again down here.
My prayers are with Joyce and the family.
Dave, I remember you describing PIU something like "a treasure in a brown paper bag." That's a pretty fragile arrangement. I'm doing my best to take care of it. Keep the coffee hot.
Please pray for me as I lead a chapel service in honor of Dave tomorrow, April 2, here at PIU, then as I travel to California for his Memorial Service.
A memorial service for David Lee Owen will be held on April 6, 2019 at Gold Country Baptist Church (3800 North Shingle Road, Shingle Springs, CA 95682) at 3pm.
In honor of Dave and Joyce's lifelong commitment to PIU the family stated,
If you wish to make a donation, please donate to Pacific Islands University
Thank you.
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