preparation

As I've been getting over jet lag and various other stuff in the past week, I've been working my way through the preparatory materials CPT sent me, to read before the training which starts in three days. I'm not finished, by any means, so it's good that we have a quiet Christmas planned.

I'm going to make a tourtière for tonight, and a lemon cranberry loaf, and we'll decide tomorrow what we'll make for tomorrow. We have a fridge full of food, including some amazing cheese and two kinds of Christmas cookies. We're aiming for simple, i.e. not much time in the kitchen, so we can kick back, relax, read, think, etc.

If you have a few minutes for some reading and thinking of your own, may I suggest this sermon by Martin Luther King, "Loving Your Enemies", delivered 50 years ago. It made me realize how far short I fall, and yet reinforced my decision to do the training and learn more about non-violent action and conflict management.

"Time is cluttered with the wreckage of communities which surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our nation and the salvation of mankind, we must follow another way."

Have a peaceful and joyous Christmas, everyone.

still more trip photos

Have received preparatory readings for the CPT training, am saving them for the flight home on Monday. Switzerland is in a major drama because Blocher got voted out of the Bundesrat and a woman got voted in. Some are in mourning, some are rejoicing. Fear of immigrants (especially non-whites) is a big thing in some parts of the population. OK, they actually have dialect variations between Bern and Basel, a 45-minute train ride apart, so differences of all kinds are nicely preserved because they're cherished. As Obelix says in Egypt, "C'est une autre culture."

Have a look at the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, where we had a lovely visit today.

Have a look at some more photos:
Life in Les Montants

Excursions in the French Alps

Basel Visit Dec.7-17

more trip photos

- weekend in Basel
- week two in Taninges

Sorry, no deep thoughts. Too busy working, gazing at the scenery, and visiting with Ed, Jane, and their neighbour Ida. Might have some deep thoughts soon.

peacemaker bootcamp in Jan!

Yes, it's happening. CPT has invited me to their training from Dec.27-Jan.27 and I will be going. I'm busy being a renovation assistant at the moment (see photos of the first week), and will write more at another time.

from CPT Colombia

In lieu of an update on whether I'll be in CPT training in January (not yet confirmed), I invite you to visit the CPT page on yahoo groups, where you'll learn of a nasty incident that happened to Jacqueline, a worker of the OFP who hosted our delegation in July, and where you can help take action.

At home I'm riding the family roller coaster of good news - bad news, with aging parents. At the moment things are looking up. Friday I leave for France, and the following weekend I'll be in Basel, then back to Taninges. I'm looking forward to seeing my siblings and niece, and to going to the Christmas market. Mulled wine after the Basel Stadtlauf 5k, for example. Civilized, isn't it?

interpreting. or, who is my neighbour? my friend? my family?

The past two days I've had a crack at interpreting, for two Congolese women, Mennonite theologians from Kinshasa. I was nervous, not for the basic language component, but about diving into a different culture and then reflecting it back in a comprehensible way. I was also worried about experiencing everything they talked about twice (in French and in English), especially the stories of violence. But it was ok! In fact, I ended up feeling tremendously blessed and invigorated by both experiences: the visit with the psychologist on Thursday, to discuss therapy for trauma victims, and the visit to CPT on Friday, to learn about CPT's history and current projects, including the recent exploratory delegations to the D.R. Congo.

I'm more convinced than ever of the importance of learning languages, for the equally important nurturing of cross-cultural relationships. But is there even room in our urban reality for such experiences? We spend all our time rushing around accomplishing stuff, and then stopping abruptly to do self-care, and then get right back to hyper-productive mode. Reminds me of the Goddess of Productivity Julian G. from Colombia talks about in an article. Wait a minute; it's not very enlightening to use the plural here to paint everyone around me with the broad brush of my perception, when really I'm the one re-examining how I live my life.

Specifically I'm wondering about friendships and community - I don't live very near my closest friends, and I'm even further from my parents and siblings, but is that any reason not to nurture and build relationships with the people I do live with? The older single men in the two apartments down the hall, for example, one a heavy smoker, the other very hard of hearing. Or the Chinese couple who walk really early in the morning. Or the Indian couple who lead the yoga class and from whom I learned about breathing. That silly facebook phenomenon of collecting friends had me thinking a while ago about an over-consumption of relationships, which become disposable because they're so numerous. Who needs family, when they can be replaced by friends? Who needs friends who are demanding, when they can be replaced by other friends? Who wants to be friends with someone who can't offer me social advancement, or personal enrichment, or be a mirror to reflect who I am or want to be? Who needs to live with inconvenience, I'm not obligated to anyone but myself. And maybe my spouse.

A little grim, I'm being. Must be all that Russian immersion into melancholy in my childhood. Let me blame at least the mood on the most convenient suspect, and suspend follow-up on the ideas for the moment. Until a flash of insight strikes, showing a clear and obvious path. Or at least a crack in the gloom to give a hint of the way forward.

off the couch and into ... the kitchen?

As fall arrives in Toronto, I thought I'd reflect on the past few months of being at home, occupying myself with Spanish classes, yoga, running a few times a week, and whatever else strikes my fancy.

What have I accomplished? Well, my Spanish conversational skills are definitely improved, especially one on one, or in small groups. I can stay in wheel for longer than 10 breaths (though my arms aren't straight yet), and I held crane for 5 breaths yesterday. OK, so yogis are not supposed to strive for accomplishment, but hey, I haven't got to that much detachment yet, I'm still only aiming for it (yogic irony). My left knee is registering my decreased running mileage by providing percussion when I walk down stairs. Can someone explain to my why this doesn't happen when I run more than 15 miles a week? It's quite humbling to have to be so careful with that kneecap. I've spent some good time with friends, as well. Lunches, walks, two operas, shopping, visits over coffee. I feel very lucky to have had that time.

I haven't actually pushed my limits by trying new activities. Except this week: I'm trying my hand at interpreting, on Thursday and Friday, for two Congolese women visiting some people from Waterloo North Mennonite Church. It'll be good to get into my French head again, and be useful to someone.

And then there's the stuff I haven't accomplished: I've read very little. I haven't quilted the patchwork quilt I pieced last year, which is supposed to be our car blanket, for winter emergencies. I did cut up the marvelous fabric Mari gave me years ago, and pieced a few blocks, but they're not working out into anything I want to live with. I've barely progressed on the socks I started last spring. I can't seem to get my closet uncluttered. And I wish I could have seen even more of my friends: I only made one visit to St. Catharines, and no visits to London or KW.

But mostly what I haven't mastered, is how to be a productive housewife. I can't believe I ever thought it would be a fun thing to do for a few months. It takes so much organisation, so much time, so much commitment! When I'm not at work, I have low tolerance for dust and grime, and mess in the kitchen, but cleaning every few days seems so obsessive compulsive, not to mention time-consuming. And I can't get the hang of meal-planning more than a day or two in advance. Then there's the laundry and ironing. You'd think the shirts wouldn't need to live in the purgatory of an unironed pile if I'm not rushing off to a job, but alas they still do! And perhaps silliest of all is that it's all in my head; Richard laughs when I tell him how unsuccessful I feel as a housewife.

So I'll be glad to leave behind the weight of household duties next week when I go see my parents in Abbotsford for 5 days. It'll be nice to see them, and to stay at my in-laws' in the country. It's always a good time sitting around the kitchen table talking about everything and anything, with both sets of parents. And I'm looking forward to seeing the flora and fauna on the dyke during an early morning run.

When I get back from Abbotsford, I'll have just four and a half days in TO before I fly to Geneva. The plan is to stay at Ed's in Taninges (Haute-Savoie) for three weeks, then at Mari's in Basel for 10 days. However, the first weekend there, I've registered for a little 5 k race in Basel, so I'll get to see Mari, Aschi and Anna three weeks from now! At Ed's, I'll be helping with whatever renovation project is underway, likely painting and providing household support. My friend Ginny will be there for the first two weeks as well, helping out, and visiting of course, and hill-training! Then at Mari's, I'm looking forward to seeing the Paul Klee centre in Bern, daytime concerts in various churches, hanging out with Anna, maybe doing some quilting, and of course celebrating Mari's birthday. I'll be back in TO on Dec.17.

But the most momentous time will begin Dec.27, God willing and I live so long, when the CPT training begins in Chicago. Some of my earlier reservations are calmed somewhat since my telephone interview where I got more information about how the days are structured. There's time to yourself mid-day most days, and one complete day off every week. I think that should be enough for me. So then my biggest remaining concern is how hard it will be to be away from Richard for a second month so soon after my month in Europe. But as he says, it's not a separation caused by disaster, such as my grandparents lived through, and it's a limited time. We've done it before, I'm sure we'll be ok.

Well, that's it for my end of October ruminations. The coming posts will let you know finally if the CPT training is on. Happy All Saints Day tomorrow!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight … and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. … Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed." (Hebrews 12: 1, 12-13)

application in

Those of you who are checking here periodically to see how my CPT training deliberations are going may be interested to know that I submitted my application yesterday (the due date). Submitting it still doesn't constitute a commitment on my part, nor am I guaranteed acceptance by any means. If it happens, it'll begin on Dec.27, 10 days after I get back from my month in France/Switzerland, and it will end on Jan.27. Spending January in Chicago sounds pretty unappealing, but hey, I'm not going as a tourist.

It's just a next step, but it did feel rather momentous to click that send button, putting a little more of what I value (my time) where my mouth (and heart) is.

What matters?

Immediately after writing my last whiny post, I read this news release from CPT Colombia, about the arrest of leaders of ACVC, the peasants' organisation. These are people our delegation met with in July. So this is what matters, that I support the struggle of people to improve their lives, and who do it without resorting to associating with violent groups, no matter what the government says. As LC's song says, "ring the bells that still can ring".

musings

I'm still thinking about the CPT training, but am wishing it could happen over a series of weekends (preferably in TO) instead of the 4 weeks of living with the others in the training in Chicago. I kind of feel that I have a lot of life experiences that have prepared me, and am wondering whether I have the stamina for a 4-week bootcamp with almost no time to myself.

I've also been investigating various yoga teacher training programs, and have started exploring some well-reputed studios in the city. The increase in the intensity and the frequency of my yoga practice has been amazing for my state of mind (and body too, of course, it is yoga, i.e. "union"!).

And state of mind is kind of shaken at the moment, as I'm wondering about the relationship(s) I have with (in) my family. But yesterday's vinyasa instructor quoted Leonard Cohen, "there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in". I remember a colleague who died last year quoting this to me as well. My heart feels cracked at the moment, but I'm trying to see some light through it. "gros soupir" as Obelix says, and maybe even "énorme soupir".

CPT Training?

So, I'm thinking about participating in CPT training, a 4-week "boot-camp" program for people who are interested in more involvement with CPT, in my case becoming a reservist. It would mean committing to two to six weeks of working with CPT per year, and the ways in which you can contribute vary from working with a team, to working in the office, etc. I'm talking to various people about whether this work is a good fit for me, considering whether I can make this long-term commitment or whether I'm just enthused because of my amazing experience in the summer. What isn't an issue, is whether CPT work is effective. What I saw in Colombia convinced me absolutely of the value of accompaniment work in that context. I guess I'll need to learn more about other projects, about what kind of need there is in CPT, and what I could contribute.

In the meantime my Spanish conversation classes are beginning next week, and my binge on Colombian lit has moved from Laura Restrepo to the poetry of Philip Potdevin (why do so many Colombians have such un-hispanic names?).

If anyone has comments to make, or considerations to offer me, I'd love to hear from you, either as a comment here or in an e-mail. Thanks for your interest!

death threats to CPT's colleagues

On July 25, two days after the demonstration in which we participated, Coca Cola union workers in Barrancabermeja received a death threat from the Black Eagles, a new group formed by "demobilized" AUC paramilitaries.

On August 1, other human rights workers in the city also received death threats. Please read more about these threats in this report by CPT Colombia, and pray for these courageous people and for the hearts of their persecutors to be changed.

thanks

Thanks to those who came to the CPT Colombia presentation I did together with Doug and Jane Pritchard after church today. I hope you enjoyed the dried Colombian fruit, the lemon-panela drink, the aboriginal mola (fabric art), the photos, etc. Mostly we would like to inspire you just a little bit with all the things that inspired us.

I'll post the 45 MB powerpoint once I figure out how and where to do that. In the meantime, please visit the links I posted here yesterday.

slideshow from CPT site; links to Facebook photos

I'm getting ready for a report I'm doing with Doug and Jane Pritchard after church tomorrow. It's proving to be very challenging to process and figure out what to share in a short period of time.

For a quick overview of our delegation, please visit this slideshow posted by CPT. While you wait for my report, you can also visit the photo albums I put up on Facebook.

The Coca Cola union demonstration we attended on July 23, 2007

Visit to La Guasima, in the corregimiento of Micoahumado, where we saw a sugar cane farm and processing plant sponsored by the EU's Program for Peace and Development.

Visit to a farm near La Conformedad, also in the corregimiento of Micoahumado, where we saw first-hand the effects of Plan Colombia's fumigation. Why not treat the consumers of the drug instead?

Photos of our visit to the town of Micoahumado, including a cemetery turned war-zone.

Photos of our public action on July 29, 2007: street theatre, singing, speeches and sidewalk art by spectators.

When I landed in Toronto on Tuesday, Richard had organized me to get to Abbotsford. It was a long day, but I'm glad I flew directly here. It's good to spend this time with Mom, just being with her as she processes this huge transition. She'll move into assisted living at Tabor Court on Aug.8. Dad is getting ready to apply for a transfer from the Menno Home to the Tabor Home so they'll have easy access to each other. I'll be here at least until Aug.11, and longer if they need me.

It's great to enjoy the slower pace here: the sleeping in and sitting around gives me time to think about everything I learned in Colombia, and gives me time to pray for the people I met, for the CPT workers in Barranca, and for my delegation colleagues.

The CPT delegation and Barrancabermeja team did a public action yesterday, denouncing Plan Colombia, fumigation, multinational exploitation and the free trade agreement, which are causing the poorest people to suffer more and more. We did a little street theatre, sang a song in which spectators joined, and then spectators used sidewalk chalk to cover the park's central plaza with their wishes for their future.

The Colombian people are not just wishing for a better future; they are creative and are working together in communities to find solutions in the midst of difficulties we can't really imagine. In Micoahumado, for example, they continue to claim the basic human right to live without violence or the threat of violence, whether in the form of military presence or guerrilla presence. This right is repeatedly and continuously violated by both sides, and the presence of CPT reinforces the community's rights and wishes because of the international attention it brings to these violations.

I will write more about those days soon, but today we're in transit, returning to Bogotá to visit the Canadian and US embassies. On Tuesday I'll be flying back to Canada, but not to Toronto. I'll be going back to Abbotsford to help Mom move. She's going to try out an assisted living apartment, and since I have the time, I'd like to spend it with her.

some photos

Andrés Soldad, president of the Ciudadela Educativa directive
With Luz Estella from CCCM/Geneva Call
The Coca Cola protest banner.
With Joanna and Xavier of Mesa Agraria.
Evening chat with some neighbourhood kids at the CPT house in Barranca.

So, let me tell you about my birthday yesterday - I woke up early and did a little seated yoga practice on my bed, to loosen up the spine a little. When I got out of the shower, our host Consuelo had my morning coffee waiting for me. She's a wonderfully warm woman with a husband and two grown children, and two nieces live with them. We're sleeping in the girls' beds, and they're sleeping with Consuelo. But during the day we're not there at all, so that's ok.

After breakfast at the CPT house, we visited the Ciudadela Educativa here in Barrancabermeja, a complex that integrates education, social networking and productive programs, including many agricultural initiatives (stevia, forestry, cattle, fish, etc. You can see some of their land in this photo). It was hugely inspiring. They organized themselves 23 years ago, mostly displaced people in one of the poorest parts of the city, and now they have one of the top high schools in the city, whose curriculum however is planned by teachers in consultation with parents. The school is doing all kinds of things that we're also doing at my school, and that we think are pretty innovative. It's great to see them happening here too. The president of the association and the other people from the directive kept repeating that they aren't educated people, but they have studied a lot, and they have managed to hold to a few very important principles, including that all decisions are taken as a community and that they will never pay money to any armed group (who always impose taxes) but rather negotiate with them. They don't have a web site yet because they're just getting to the technology now, but I bet they will soon.

In the afternoon we met with a woman from an international organisation that accompanies the demobilisation of paramilitaries. Her photos were quite disturbing for us, and we found it a difficult presentation all in all. The benefits the paras enjoy if they volunteer to disarm are quite substantial. However, we've heard from many people here that some demobilized do just go back to work for another armed group, continuing their activities.

I was on the supper cooking crew. We made cashew chicken with lots of lime juice, garlic and ginger because there was no fish sauce, oyster sauce, or ground coriander. We also made the zucchini brownie recipe from Simply in Season, but with banana. They were delicious. And while the oven was hot, I made Butterzopf, one for the evening, and one for communion this morning. The meal was tasty and plentiful, and I felt happy to have the chocolate desert! Before going to bed I helped John, our leader, plan for today's worship.

Yes, there was communion this morning. But when I told our marvelous delegation leader on Sunday that I haven't taken communion in over 7 years, he invited me to participate in the planning with him. So for words of institution I used the feeding of the 5000 from John, as well as John 21 where Jesus cooks breakfast for the disciples on the beach. Besides the team and the delegation, we were joined in the service by a persecuted friend of CPT who regularly has to leave town in order to "let things calm down". After the service, he told us about his life and his work with Gente en Acción. By the time he left, we felt like he was our brother, and I'm sure we'll stay in contact with him.

Right now we're planning for our visit to Micoahumado, a small mining community in the Morales municipality in the south of Bolívar department. It's a four hour ride by chalupa (boat) on the river, then a bumpy truck ride to the mountains, and it can take from 90 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the state of the road. It's been raining a bit here, so I imagine the roads won't be great. We'll be sleeping in a newish community centre, on a cement floor, but we'll have a shower. We're also taking a day trip to a nearby community where they have a cane sugar processing plant. We'll be seeing a lot of interesting geography, and hearing a lot of stories. Before we come back on Saturday, we're spending half the day attending an Assembléia, a community meeting. Will tell you more about that on Sunday, after we get back on Sunday night.

OK, time to go pack. Thanks for your prayers and interest.

Barrancabermeja

This morning our 7-person delegation and a worker from CPT attended a public action (aka demonstration) of the local Coca Cola workers’ union. It was the launch of a new campaign to get Coca Cola to admit that they've used paramilitaries against union workers, among other things. They posted lists of union leaders and workers killed, disappeared, and threatened. The union has been in secret talks with Coca Cola for a year, during which they agreed not to do any public action, but now that year is over and the talks have gone nowhere, so they're back to this. It was also an observation of the international day of protest against multinationals, which was actually on Sunday. Besides CPT, the Coca Cola workers were accompanied this morning by the oil workers union and by three nuns. After the workers went in for their shift at 6:45 a.m., we got fed breakfast at a fast food joint, Colombian style, in front of the plant. It was a piece of chicken wrapped in aromatic rice, a piece of white bread and a cup of hot cocoa. Delicious and nutritious.

After worship we went on a bus tour with a friend of CPT, who showed us the port area and the area around Ecopetról, the national oil company. He explained the issues those people live with. It was pretty sad to hear about how hard it is, and what hard work it is, for people to make their living in the port area. And it seems unions' power here has been eroded as well, by gradually building the division/resentment between unionized workers and non, even though the unions fight for the rights of non-union workers as well.

After we dropped our tour guide off, our bus driver took us to a barrio of displaced people, called Paola Ahora. We got out at the side of a road and he told us the story of how his son was killed there by paramilitaries who were trying to get at him. Pretty horrible. I felt like I had no right to shed a tear, but it's obviously important to hear people's stories. And they're not just random people, they work with CPT here.

Then we had lunch at a house of OFP, which was a hugely inspiring event. Wow are those women ever cool. The anglos around here have a particular hispanicism, they use “disappear” like "desaparecer", as a transitive verb, so they say someone has been disappeared. I find this a tragic linguistic invention in English, that this is done to a person by other people. If only we could disappear this use of the verb and its reality! Well, Jacqueline told us the story of an OFP house that was disappeared: they got there one morning and nothing was left but the cement floor. The paras (they're currently controlling Barranca) had dismantled it during the night and carted it away. Usually the verb is used for people, so this is quite a story. OFP is very well established (began 35 years ago in Barranca), so they have lots of support and managed eventually to rebuild the house on the same spot, but bigger and better. Isn't that cool? Their slogans are so great, the main one is "we don't birth or raise our children for war", because they want to take away the human capital of the war machine.

And then we went to a meeting with the peasants’ association of the Valle de Cimatera, which was also an inspiration. People just want to work the land and live in peace, and they're being chased off the land by rich landowners and multinationals, and there's chemical warfare going on against them. Hard to know how to respond to all that. One of my delegation colleagues apologized for his country’s drug habit and for the taxes which pay for Plan Colombia and the fumigation. When he said, “Lo siento”, he spoke for all of us. The people we met with explained that this “feeling” (i.e. “feeling sorry”) is an important element of solidarity in the struggle for justice and peace.

Tomorrow among other things we get oriented to Micoahumado, and eat lunch at another OFP house. I love them! Tonight we have two Catholic workers from Paz Cristi coming for dinner.

Thanks for reading, thinking of and/or praying for the people we’re meeting.

Bogotá

After a long day in airports, our group finally arrived safely on Wednesday evening. My Canadian colleague and I are sleeping at the home of a woman from a Mennonite church, and our time here has been planned by a bilingual CPT worker from Barrancabermeja. Our group has three Mennonites, two Catholics, a United Church of Christ member, and an Associated Gospel member and we are quickly bonding.

Our day begins with a half hour of worship which we take turns leading, and which includes prayer, Bible reading, singing and sharing. The pastor of a Mennonite church in the poor south of the city drives us around town in the van from another church, and he is extremely generous in engaging in conversation with us, in Spanish. We’ve been very well fed with delicious Colombian food, sometimes in restaurants and sometimes cooked for us in a Mennonite church.

Our agenda for our time in Bogotá is filled with meetings with human rights workers, learning about the Colombian context. We've heard a number of affirmations that an international accompanying presence does make for decreased violence and saves people's lives. I’m glad for the reading I had done in advance, but it’s still quite overwhelming to hear both the history of the conflicts and stories from the current situation. These stories have been both personal experiences of violence and persecution, and stories of people with whom human rights activists work. Hearing the stories is difficult, but we are inspired and humbled by the hope and courage shown in the midst of unfathomable troubles.

On Sunday after church we will go to Barrancabermeja where CPT workers are based. I will post more about what’s on our agenda while we’re there.

news articles

Here are some articles about a law suit against an American company by the families of some union leaders killed by paramalitaries.

July 13, 2007: New York Times
July 13, 2007: Washington Post
July 12, 2007: Washington Post
July 10, 2007: Inter-Press Service
July 9, 2007: Reuters

And an article from last year about displaced people, from World Indigenous News

one week to go!

One week from now my bag will be packed. Thanks to the many people who have offered words of encouragement. Here is some additional information on CPT's work in Colombia. I'm all vaccinated now, and not suffering any ill effects. I've made my way through the pile of orientation materials and while it feels like I need a few more years to prepare thoroughly, I'm probably ready. I will do my best to post updates during the trip.

[For those who are curious, the half-marathon on June 24 was one of the wettest runs I've ever done, certainly the wettest race. But I'm glad I did it. After the up-and-down leading up to the Burrard Bridge, the bridge itself seemed like nothing much. Let's say it was the extra weight from wet clothes that slowed me down to 1:56. It was great to get picked up by Frieda, Mitchell & Kayla for a post-race meal at Granville Market. I'll try for another half on Sept.30 in Toronto. This one is flat, so should be faster!
The two weeks with family in Abbotsford also went well. It was good to see Mom and Dad in such good spirits. The Ratzlaff visit highlights included one of the best games of Kuh Handel ever (everyone ended with two sets!) and of course some marvelous moments on the dykes (still not sure if it was frogs or ducks singing in the slough). Ending with a visit to the island for Luke and Heather's wedding was a special plus.]

¡Hola!

Dear family and friends,

Many of you know that 2007-2008 is my year off from teaching, the 5th year of a 4 over 5 self-funded sabbatical program. I will begin my time off by running a half-marathon in Vancouver on June 24, followed by a two-week visit with family outside of Vancouver. However, I feel strongly that I do not want to spend the whole year sitting in my comfortable home while so many people around the world suffer exactly what my parents suffered in the Soviet Union and earlier ancestors in Europe. I have been studying Spanish for a number of years and have long wanted to visit Central America, perhaps on an MCC learning tour. Several weeks ago, through reading reports from Christian Peacemaker Teams Canada, I learned of a good opportunity to get involved in a small way this summer.

From July 18 to 31, I’ll be participating in a 7-person CPT delegation to Colombia. We will spend the first few days in Bogotá, meeting with church leaders, representatives of human rights groups, and others to gain some overall perspective on the situation in Colombia. Together with the long-term CPT Colombia members based in Barrancabermeja, we will then visit internally displaced people who have had to flee from violence. We will also visit a small mining community near Micoahumado which is confronting several large mining companies, one of them Canadian, that are trying to force them off their land. We will return to Bogotá for the last few days before returning home. [Please have a look at this slideshow about internally displaced people: http://www.lawg.org/IDPs/]

I have no illusions that my visit alone will change the world. But it is my hope that the people whom our delegation will visit will feel less forgotten by the rest of the world, a feeling that my parents and others have known only too well. The purpose of this letter therefore, is to help spread the non-forgetting to as many people as I can, both before the visit, and with updates and reports during and after the visit. In this way, I hope to live the vision expressed by a leader in the Colombian Mennonite Church: “We must reach with one hand for the hand of God, and with the other hand for the hand of our neighbour. Then together we’ll walk, and we’ll make it to the other side of this struggle.”

If you would like to join hands to support this valuable work, please pray for the delegation with whom I’ll be volunteering, and send any financial contributions to

CPT Canada
25 Cecil Street, Unit 307
Toronto, ON
M5T 1N1

If you would like your contribution to support my personal participation, please write “inspired by the work of Erika Friesen” on the memo line of your cheque.


Please read more information about CPT below, or on their website, cpt.org

CPT MISSION STATEMENT
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) offers an organized, nonviolent alternative to war and other forms of lethal inter-group conflict. CPT provides organizational support to persons committed to faith-based nonviolent alternatives in situations where lethal conflict is an immediate reality or is supported by public policy. CPT seeks to enlist the response of the whole church in conscientious objection to war, and the development of nonviolent institutions, skills and training for intervention in conflict situations. CPT projects connect intimately with the spiritual lives of its constituent congregations. Gifts of prayer, money and time from these churches undergird CPT peacemaking ministries.

PURPOSE OF CPT DELEGATIONS
Christian Peacemaker Teams sends short-term (10-14 day) peacemaker delegations into a variety of crisis settings around the world. These delegations are part of CPT's ongoing experiment in faith-based, active peacemaking. Delegation members provide encouragement for individuals and communities experiencing violence, challenge violations of human rights and promote active nonviolence as a means of settling disputes. Our partners in the field have repeatedly expressed how important it is for "outsiders" committed to nonviolence to be there. At the closing of CPT's work in Haiti, community members said, "CPT didn't DO anything. They didn't give us food or build us shelter or donate clothing. But they saved our lives." Indigenous Mayans in Chiapas, Mexico said, "Please keep coming. Your presence protects us." In South Dakota, Lakota Indians established a peaceful occupation under hostile vigilance from FBI and local law enforcement to protest Federal government plans to turn treaty land over to the state. The Lakota warriors testified that if CPT had not been there, they are certain things would have turned violent.

Delegation participants seek to:
--gain a sound understanding of the situation through visits and discussions with grassroots leaders, community members, church and human rights workers, legislators and officials;
--support movement towards nonviolent change through listening, dialogue and public actions (as appropriate);
--reduce violence by providing an international presence in affected communities/areas;
--identify ways in which CPT or churches/organizations with whom participants are affiliated may support the work of nonviolence.

THE ROLE OF ADVOCACY AND MEDIATION IN CPT WORK
Christian Peacemaker Teams views mediation ministries as complementary and valuable, but not CPT's primary work.
Clarifying statement: CPT recognizes that in many situations it is not enough simply to call for the end of violence or disagreements, because this merely maintains an intolerable and unjust system. While we see the work of mediation and conciliation as important and complementary ministries, there are some situations in which peace and justice seems to be incompatible. Nonviolent direct action is an approach which seeks to serve both just ends and peaceful means, most often by working alongside those who are most impacted by the unjust situation. CPT will attempt to be attentive to the truth held by every party, but it will not be neutral on questions of injustice, poverty, hunger and oppression.
Christian Peacemaker Teams seeks to pursue a ministry of presence and responsiveness in emergency situations and settings where violent instability often no longer permits evangelism, relief and development work. Our hope is that our presence can create an additional space of security for potential victims as we serve as human rights observers, assume the risks of insider partials, and on occasion serve as public advocates in response to violent incidents.