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Hello Friends,

First on a personal note, I now plan to enter Colombia and get a visitors visa at the airport on September 5th and return on November 21st. I do not know if I will have to go to Ecuador when and if I have to renew it. I hope not.

I could just say I have been able to lower my slightly high blood pressure and cholesterol by exercise, diet, and supplements, which gives me peace of mind for beginning this two and a half months in Colombia. It has been a while since I have had any noticeable depression and that is good too.

A question that is often on peoples' minds is: " Do you see any hope for change for the better?" In the 4 years I have been going to Colombia, each year it seems more and more people, from soldiers, human rights workers, to people on the street, are coming to see that supporting the violence of any armed group just turns into more violence. It is becoming ever clearer that war just does not work to resolve conflicts. That is one thing about war. The more you have it, the plainer the truth about its failures becomes to more and more people. The ways of the world do not work. There is great hope in this for the future.

Last Call for Christian Peacemaker Teams Delegation to Colombia October 3-16, 2006
Participants will meet with human rights workers and church leaders in Bogotá, travel to the industrial city of Barrancabermeja where CPT's long-term team is based, and spend time in the countryside where the lives of displaced people are threatened by illegal armed groups. A public action in solidarity with local people will be part of the delegation. It will be in many ways a learning tour of CPT work. Cost is US $1800.

For more information and to apply go to www.cpt.org .

I will be there during this time and it would be great to visit with you there.
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