Many greetings to all of our friends and family back home! Your support, in whatever capacity, does not go unappreciated and will continue to be necessary as we finish our time here but even more so as we return - with hearts, minds, and souls reoriented and in the process of becoming ever more so. This is my urgent request that YOU, our friends and families, be not afraid (foreshadowing!) to engage us about our experience here to help us share and reflect, clarify and learn but most importantly - integrate.
There are three phases to this Peacemaking Lab that our friends at TGIP have curated for us. The 1st, the Understanding Phase, began two months ago and led up to our departure (although it would be naive to say that it isn't ongoing). The current phase we are in is referred to as the Exposure Phase. It's fairly self explanatory in that it takes the information we learned surrounding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and puts it to work as we are exposed to the land, people, and various narratives of the Holy Land, past and present. This phase culminates at the end of this trip and leads into the Integration Phase - where we begin to actualize the knowledge and experience that has been given to us and discover in our own contexts how to apply it.
I summarize the format of this trip to highlight its goal and for you, our friends and families, to know what you have gotten yourselves into for supporting/partnering/encouraging us on this trip. Peacemaking is the name of the game but how do we get there? If there is anyone like me, I would have to ask myself what potential walls in me are needing dismantling so that I may pass through towards my destination? And again, if there is anyone else like me, I would have to respond that fear is positioning itself as the tallest wall in my way. Fear of The Other; fear of repercussions after taking that initial step towards immersing in conflict; fear of commitment in conflict; fear of reputation; fear of financial changes; fear of being exposed; fear of honesty and repentance; fear of uncomfortability; fear of weakness; on and on and on. My intent is not to discourage but to let you in on my struggle as I grapple with what it may mean to be an active peacemaker and to hopefully name what others may feel internally. I also want this context to hopefully show you the utmost respect that our group now has and the profound encouragement that we received from our new friends Myron and Ali.
Myron Joshua and Ali Abu-Awwad clearly and courageously demonstrated what it means to be peacemakers in a setting rife with conflict. Myron, an Israeli peacemaking settler, was our guide for much of the day as he explained to us his partnership with a Palestinian community neighboring his home settlement. This peacemaking partnership was only made possible once Myron began to overcome his assumptions and naivety, and as he became aware of the struggles of this community, knew he had to take on the responsibility of immersing himself into their lives. These actions were not without plenty of cost to his personal comfort and community reputation. This journey eventually led Myron to Roots, which partners Israelis and Palestinians together for the goals of understanding through dialogue and a commitment to nonviolence for the goal of transformation for the region.
Ali Abu-Awwad, one of Roots main leaders, spoke to us later in the day inspiring us with his story, courage, and hope. Growing up as a Palestinian, he committed himself to the work of peacemaking through non-violence after some trying, but formative, years as a teen and young adult in the heart of this conflict. After being shaped by some of history's greatest peacemakers such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela -along with his mother- he began a movement working towards a "peace [that] needs to be joint and shared" between the Israelis and Palestinians. "Peace is about moral responsibility for our communities" and it "needs courage." Personally, Ali was a true beacon of hope, inspiring me to see the work of peacemaking as a truly just solution to conflicts of all kinds and allowing me to more clearly see tangible ways of taking initial action.
Thanks for reading and pray that we may begin to disentangle the walls that we feel as we each take our next steps toward everyday peacemaking.
Reese Kling
There are three phases to this Peacemaking Lab that our friends at TGIP have curated for us. The 1st, the Understanding Phase, began two months ago and led up to our departure (although it would be naive to say that it isn't ongoing). The current phase we are in is referred to as the Exposure Phase. It's fairly self explanatory in that it takes the information we learned surrounding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and puts it to work as we are exposed to the land, people, and various narratives of the Holy Land, past and present. This phase culminates at the end of this trip and leads into the Integration Phase - where we begin to actualize the knowledge and experience that has been given to us and discover in our own contexts how to apply it.
I summarize the format of this trip to highlight its goal and for you, our friends and families, to know what you have gotten yourselves into for supporting/partnering/encouraging us on this trip. Peacemaking is the name of the game but how do we get there? If there is anyone like me, I would have to ask myself what potential walls in me are needing dismantling so that I may pass through towards my destination? And again, if there is anyone else like me, I would have to respond that fear is positioning itself as the tallest wall in my way. Fear of The Other; fear of repercussions after taking that initial step towards immersing in conflict; fear of commitment in conflict; fear of reputation; fear of financial changes; fear of being exposed; fear of honesty and repentance; fear of uncomfortability; fear of weakness; on and on and on. My intent is not to discourage but to let you in on my struggle as I grapple with what it may mean to be an active peacemaker and to hopefully name what others may feel internally. I also want this context to hopefully show you the utmost respect that our group now has and the profound encouragement that we received from our new friends Myron and Ali.
Myron Joshua and Ali Abu-Awwad clearly and courageously demonstrated what it means to be peacemakers in a setting rife with conflict. Myron, an Israeli peacemaking settler, was our guide for much of the day as he explained to us his partnership with a Palestinian community neighboring his home settlement. This peacemaking partnership was only made possible once Myron began to overcome his assumptions and naivety, and as he became aware of the struggles of this community, knew he had to take on the responsibility of immersing himself into their lives. These actions were not without plenty of cost to his personal comfort and community reputation. This journey eventually led Myron to Roots, which partners Israelis and Palestinians together for the goals of understanding through dialogue and a commitment to nonviolence for the goal of transformation for the region.
Ali Abu-Awwad, one of Roots main leaders, spoke to us later in the day inspiring us with his story, courage, and hope. Growing up as a Palestinian, he committed himself to the work of peacemaking through non-violence after some trying, but formative, years as a teen and young adult in the heart of this conflict. After being shaped by some of history's greatest peacemakers such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela -along with his mother- he began a movement working towards a "peace [that] needs to be joint and shared" between the Israelis and Palestinians. "Peace is about moral responsibility for our communities" and it "needs courage." Personally, Ali was a true beacon of hope, inspiring me to see the work of peacemaking as a truly just solution to conflicts of all kinds and allowing me to more clearly see tangible ways of taking initial action.
Thanks for reading and pray that we may begin to disentangle the walls that we feel as we each take our next steps toward everyday peacemaking.
Reese Kling
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