learning and acting

We’ve covered a lot of ground in almost three weeks: the history and purpose non-violent direct action, conflict transformation and non-violent communication, spirituality for peace-making, organizing skills for working with media, inter-personal styles, CPT history and mission, undoing racism, trauma healing and self-care. Last week was particularly challenging for me, as we learned about non-violent communication. It’s a long time that I’ve been wanting to delve into this topic, and it feels like it will take me a long time to develop the skills I so badly want. Then I had some personal trouble during the two days of undoing racism, not related to the topic. It took its toll, but my fellow training participants were marvelously supportive. I feel very lucky to have them.

It’s a fabulous group: there are two Catholics in the group, one of them a nun who worked in Africa for 30+ years, the other an activist who goes to a really cool church with a woman priest. Both of them are warm and kind and loving, though their personalities seem different at first. Then there’s a retired minister from the UK who has spent chunks of time in Hebron, appreciates quiet and reads poetry. There’s a college grad who’s an activist and has a very inspiring faith. An older retired couple who came to activism when they joined with aboriginal people in their town to protest a uranium exploration project. Another woman grew up in Jamaica and has worked a lot with oppressed people. There’s a very cool and funny woman from New Jersey who has an amazing life story, and who has been a Mennonite for three years. The other Mennonites are just as interesting: a young woman from Taiwan who learned about CPT when she was on exchange in Goshen, a warm and funny retired missionary from Africa, a young social worker from the west coast who has a shining heart and faith, a musician/teacher/builder, and then there’s me. Everyone is inspiring and admirable in a different way, it seems, and I think I could work with any of them in the field, it things go that far.

Today was our second public witness: we visited Congressman Rahm Emanuel’s office to ask him to vote against any additional war funding. He’s a powerful Democrat who has been voting for war funding even though he is very vocal about opposing the war. Go figure that one out. Some of us stood with banners, leaflets and posters on the sidewalk outside the office, while others went inside to ask him to sign a pledge to oppose war funding. He wasn’t there, so they prayed and read a litany for the victims of the war, both US soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Outside on the sidewalk we read the same litany and sang peace songs.

I will tell you more about the events after the action at another time. Just now I wanted to invite you again to pray for our training group as people discern where to go from here, and of course to support the work of peacemakers everywhere. You can start by visiting CPT’s newly re-designed website! And please write me e-mails, I am really feeling quite homesick in spite of my great colleagues. Today especially was hard, because it's Richard's birthday! But I'll be home in 12 days.