The little Afghan girl was sitting on her mothers lap. In spite of her illness, an inquisitive smile now crossed her eight-year-old face. She was fondling a little notebook with blank pages and a tiny box of coloring crayons. These were new to her, sent by a lady in Sprague River, Oregon. The girl and her mother were part of thousands of refugees from fierce fighting in Afghanistan. Girls had not … [Read more...]
Peace with Justice — Joy Lujan
05/16/2013 by Leave a Comment
I was a little worried my parents had built Peru up so much that I would be disappointed with my own experience. What I forgot to consider was the relational aspect. Our Peruvian brothers and sisters are exactly that...our brothers and sisters. They have opened their hearts and homes to us and I have left each meeting a bit sad to say goodbye. And yet, I feel I am a different and better person … [Read more...]
Peace with Justice — Wilbur Wood
05/15/2013 by 1 Comment
Nakba Day May 15 is observed by Palestinians as Nakba Day. Nakba is the Arabic word for catastrophe. The catastrophe that is observed is the partition of Palestinian land into two parts: 55% for a Jewish state, the rest for a Palestinian state. The date chosen for this observance is the day after Israel declared its Independence in 1948. For the Jews this meant a nation to call their own. For the … [Read more...]
Peace with Justice — Joe Lynne Rader
05/10/2013 by Leave a Comment
For much of our 40 years of marriage my husband and I have had opportunities to make a difference for members of our extended family. Sometimes it was simple, sometimes it was complicated, sometimes it was temporary, sometimes it was a commitment of many years. But always, we felt God moving in each situation. In the past few months, we felt a strong leading to intervene on behalf of a young … [Read more...]
Peace with Justice — Patty Federighi
05/08/2013 by 1 Comment
One of the many things I have learned from doing the Peace Through Pieces Ministry is that in Burundi (and I suspect this occurs worldwide) when you improve the life of a woman, you improve the life of a whole village. Here is a story I was told: Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Services, the group I work with in Burundi, has been forming women’s self-help groups using the model … [Read more...]
Peace with Justice — David Thomas
05/07/2013 by Leave a Comment
Last week I brought my parents to visit the Discipling for Development (D for D) community of Musovu, in the Bugesera area of Rwanda. Hal and Nancy Thomas enjoyed hearing of the progress happening in the community. They were amazed at the way community members engaged deeply with each other, scripture, and the topic at hand. They especially appreciated the adult learning style of teaching we … [Read more...]
Peace with Justice — Kay Ellison
05/03/2013 by Leave a Comment
Books about Bullying by Kay Ellison West Hills Friends’ sermon this week was about bullying, brought to us by our youth pastor, Mark Pratt-Russum. We’ve all had some contact with bullying. What does God want you to do about it? Perhaps a few of these books might help you or someone you know! Do you have a book that you believe would help young people and youngsters about bullying? … [Read more...]
Peace with Justice — Johan Maurer
05/02/2013 by Leave a Comment
I’ve been thinking about evil, and I see from the online social networks that I'm not alone. The latest crimes from Boston, Baghdad, and Tripoli are fresh evidence (as if we needed it!) of the cruelties our species is capable of. Of course, the perpetrators are nothing like you and me! Right? Biblical realism interrupts such self-assurance with this crisp reminder: “All have sinned and fall … [Read more...]
Peace with Justice — Nancy Thomas
05/01/2013 by 6 Comments
A Reasonable Approach to War If some worthy person in a far off country is willing to die for his/her country and/or faith, then the least I can do is be willing to kill him/her (for the sake of my country and/or faith). Nancy Thomas January 2013 … [Read more...]
Peace with Justice — Emma Condori Mamani
04/25/2013 by 1 Comment
Friends meeting houses serve in various ways the larger community where they are located. My Friends church in Bolivia usually lets local people have their non-religious events at our church building. The worship room that we call the “Tabernacle,” and the Sunday school classrooms are used often for teacher conferences of public schools, for local authority workshops, and for local development … [Read more...]
