Life, some say, is a journey. If my journey had to be characterized by one word, that word would be peace.Others have said the Journey of Life has both an inward and outward aspect.
The inward part of my Peace Journey has been life long - in part, a heritage from my religious upbringing in an historic peace church. Growing in faithfulness to a disciplined practice of time set aside daily for prayer, scripture and other inspired reading, and listening for God has been a part of my life for at least the last 30 years.
In 2003, my journey took a more outward turn toward following a call to a life of more full time peacemaking. Since then I have volunteered 2-3 months a year with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in Colombia, South America . The presence of CPT gives protection from the threats of the paramilitaries and guerrillas to some 80 rural families. During the rest of each of those years, as invitations come, I have shared slide presentations about the work of CPT in Columbia, trying to raise awareness of the interconnections between the life of these rural families and our own very different life here in North America. Additionally I am constantly on the alert to talk to people personally about peace - listening to their stories, sharing mine, hoping for the Holy Spirit to make the connections. Writing newsletter updates to supporters and and anyone interested and having a presence via a booth at fairs and other gatherings round out my attempts to encourage others to begin their own Peace Journey.
Praying for peace at every level: personal, inward, interpersonal relationships, marriage, family, faith community, civic community, national, and international is central to my understanding of my calling to this work.