Walking for God

Nick Della Valle believes people should figure out what their gifts are, then give them to God. There was only one problem — all he could do was walk and talk.

“So God told me that I should dress funny and walk across the United States,” said Della Valle, who spoke Sunday at the College Heights United Methodist Church.

He’s made two trips across the country so far. In between trips, Della Valle, who lives in the Kansas City area with wife Lucy, visits churches with his portrayal of various biblical characters as part of Breath of CHRIST Ministries.

On Sunday he was Zacchaeus, a tax collector who climbed up a tree so he could get a better view of Jesus.

The story of Zacchaeus is found in Luke. The tax collector is described as a man of small physical stature, which makes Della Valle, who stands four feet, eight inches, the perfect person to portray him.

In this depiction, Zacchaeus is a man who becomes bitter after being taunted about his size.

“I would cry myself to sleep at night, but my tears turned to anger, and to thoughts of revenge,” he said. “One day people would pay for their treatment of me.”

Good at numbers, Zacchaeus became a tax collector, pocketed some of the money he received, and became wealthy.

“Now, when I walked down the street, nobody laughed — they bowed,” he said. “Everybody wanted to be my friend.”

Zacchaeus heard the rumors about Jesus, that he had made the blind see and even brought a man back from the dead. When he heard that Jesus was coming to town, Zacchaeus climbed up a sycamore tree to see him.

Jesus called him by name, and said he would stay the night at the tax collector’s home. When the crowd protested that Zacchaeus was a tax collector who worked for the Romans, Jesus replied that the tax collector was a son of Abraham.

Touched, Zacchaeus swore to sell half his property and give the money to the poor, and to repay four-fold any man he had cheated.

“The story of Zacchaeus is the story of you,” Della Valle said. “I don’t care if you’re up a tree or out on a limb. You and I are much alike — we are the children of the living God. You all have a gift, and your gift is what you like to do. Walking across the country and dressing like this makes no sense, but God uses it.”

In 2001 Della Valle walked from St. Augustine, Fla., to Garden Grove, Calif.

“It took 13 months and 13 pairs of shoes,” said Mrs. Della Valle. “The next trip in 2005 took 14 months and 18 pairs of shoes. We had tried to use cheaper tennis shoes, but the road ate them up.”

Texas took up the most time, she said.

“We got to Texas in June and it took us until January to cross it,” Mrs. Della Valle said. “When people ask us where was the hottest, it was Texas, and when they ask where was the coldest, it was Texas.”

She admitted that she wasn’t enthusiastic when her husband brought up the idea of the cross-country hikes.

“I knew Nick had been having conversations with God, but my first thought was, ‘Happy trails, send me a postcard, I’ll miss you’,” she said. “I didn’t think at first God had called me to go, but after a lot of events I knew I should.”

Mrs. Della Valle, who stands 40 inches tall, drives the RV while her husband, in biblical attire, does the walking.

“We try to do 15 miles a day, but sometimes people want to talk to Nick,” she said. “Because he’s passing through and can’t tell-tale on them, people will share things with Nick that they won’t tell their own family or pastor.”

People have been very receptive and helpful, Della Valle said.

“We have met wonderful people,” he said. “You get a skewed view in the 6 p.m. news.”

“People have brought us water, gone home and made bologna sandwiches for us, had us home for dinner and let us spend the night with them,” his wife added.

The couple plans a third cross-country trip starting in April.

“We don’t have an RV yet, but God will provide,” Della Valle said.

Anyone wishing additional information may visit their Web site, www.christwalk.us.