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I am available to give talks and slide presentations about my time in Colombia.  Contact me at: jimfitz(at)plowcreek.org   or 815-646-4672.

Jim's 2004 Peace Plan
         
Colombia Reports September 2004 - January 2005
       January 9, 2005   Mennonites and Pentecostals
        January 8, 2005  Colonel Rios

Letter #2 2005
1-9-05
Dear Friends 

“We in the Pentecostal church look for models. We have been looking too much to David and Moses as our models. Our church has integrated their models of an eye for an eye and war into its teaching and worship. I am calling our church to change the songs we sing from images of war to images of peace, justice, and the wellbeing of society. I asked one Pastor to change what he has in front of the church saying we are at war for the gospel to saying that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The church needs to look to Jesus, who calls us to love our enemies, to be our model, not David and Moses.” This was the inspiring admonition of Marcos Diaz, a Pentecostal Pastor from the north coast of Colombia, to the Colombian Mennonite Conference I recently attended.

This conference was also a time for me to share in depth and get to know quite a few Colombian Mennonites. In one interchange a brother shared with me a struggle he has with a sin, and I was able to say, “I struggle with that sin too.” That special moment in which the Spirit brought us together in joy and encouragement made us brothers forever. He said “This sharing has been such a big help to me.  God has lifted a heavy burden through this time of sharing with you.”  All I could say was, “Thanks be to God, Alleluia.”

Another brother who works for the government in customs shared his struggles to be honest and not take bribes as is the common practice. He recently got a new supervisor who is discriminating against those who do not want to cooperate by taking bribes. Fortunately, he has a few other Christians who work in his customs office with whom he can pray. I said I would put him on my prayer list.

I got to sharing with him that I am part of church that lives communally with a common treasury like the church did in Acts.  He responded, “My wife and I and some other families in my church are exploring forming a Christian community. We hope to visit communities in the USA some day soon. One of the interested families just got back from six months with Jubilee Partners in Georgia. We will have to visit your community when we go to the US.”

A few CPTers struggle with relating to some in the church who are “lukewarm.” The response of one of our Colombian Mennonite consultants was, "It might be helpful for all of us to remember that if it weren’t for the church there would be no CPT. The church gives us the major part of our monetary support and prayer support, which is central to the effectiveness of our work and our existence."

Another of our Colombian Mennonite consultants shared, “The government here keeps saying security and the guerrillas are the problems in this country. But the real problem which must be faced in order for a peace really to come here is that distrust that has developed in the 40 years of war. Nobody trusts anyone any more. The church is the mechanism to begin to remedy this problem by fulfilling our mission to be a sisterhood and brotherhood where people trust each other.  It is such an important role that the church has to play." This helps me see in a new way the important role the church needs to play in bringing peace to Colombia.
 
This same brother shared about the extreme suffering from violence of people in northern Colombia. They are so tired of the violence that they are willing to walk a day to come to a meeting that offers some kind of nonviolent solution. If such a meeting is called and 50 participants are expected, 100 people will attend. The people seem really ready for a nonviolence solution to be born.

I shared with him about my experience with using Open Space meeting format to integrate and motivate people to develop and create their own solutions to their problems. He said, “That is exactly what we need here. Can't you come and spend a few weeks or months with us?"  If and when I might go there is something I am wrestling with. Your prayers would be appreciated. It is dangerous because all the armed groups are quite present there.

Keep praying,

Jim

Click on pictures to see larger version,.

1.8.05  Colonel Rios
Dear Friends,

Standing with Colombian soldiers, I watched canoes full of empty barrels pass in the river; it was obvious to me that it was the gas mafia. I also witnessed as a boat of Paramilitaries passed and the soldiers acknowledged them and gave them the OK to pass without doing anything. This happened a couple of weeks ago in the Opon.  Yesterday, I went with other CPTers to share that observation with Colonel Rios, the very head of the Army operations in this area.

 A bit to my surprise, he did not try to deny it, but thanked us for bringing this to his attention. He said, "The Sergeant in command of the unit will be disciplined. This was a violation of what they are instructed to do in an encounter with these illegal groups."  Using maps to illustrate, he then took over an hour to share with us concerning the operations of the guerrillas, paramilitaries, and the gas and drug mafia.  He also explained about the ways they even cooperate with each other in the drug trade and petroleum stealing. This opened my eyes to see things in a less black and white way than I did before. We ended with a time of prayer asking God to show each of us our part in bringing peace to Barranca; we thanked God for the growth in understanding between us as a result of this time of sharing.

Colonel Rios is in charge of 900 Soldiers whose mission is to protect the refinery and its pipelines here in Barranca. This refinery processes 80% of Colombia’s fuel.   He seemed sincere and was a good listener as we shared. He seemed to really want to end the illegal drug and petroleum stealing, and to put a stop to the corruption that has encompassed much of Colombian society. This really gives me hope to have Colonel Rios in charge, though he has an awfully big job. Say a prayer for him.

My time here is closing.   I leave today for my last good byes in the Opon. I will be home at Plow Creek on Saturday 1/15. It will be good to be with family and friends; I missed them, especially over Christmas.

By February I hope to be ready to do slide presentations about my time here. If you know of any group, no matter how small, that might be interested in hearing about CPT’s part in bringing peace to Colombia, please let me know. No matter where you are from, please let me know. I hope to be travelling some and will try to plan my travels around requests for presentations.

Continue praying for justice and peace,

Jim
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Hope in Iraq              January 1, 2005

Dear Friends,

I have recently finished Peggy Gish’s book An Iraq Journey of Hope and Peace.  It brought me to deep prayer at times, helping me to see US soldiers as human beings and breaking down some of my stereotypes of them. It also helped me experience the personal pain of Iraqis who are caught in the war as opposed to hearing statistics in the news. This was peacemaking taking place in my own heart and mind.

 Peggy’s honesty in sharing her own personal struggle and admitting her own mistakes is challenging to my own peacemaking. Another aspect of this book that was inspiring to me was that when CPTers in Iraq realized they were making a mistake in midst of sharing with Iraqis, they were able at times to change right then and there.  This is clear evidence of the Spirit at work. It also gave me a sense of how God was able to use the seemingly small amount of people, just six or so, to make a significant difference for the good in this horrible situation.

I am adding to this message a recent message from the Iraq team that touched me in some of the same ways I talk about.

Peace to you this day,

Jim

     CPTnet
December 11, 2004

Light in the Darkness    12-14-04

Six people were killed in the month of December last year in the Opón.  Sadly, December in Colombia historically has not been the month of celebration it should be.  Again this year the Advent season is darkened by the presence of armed actors who continue to create fear in the communities of the Opón.

Community members fear that the entrance of the dry season this month will increase the mobility and violent activities of armed groups. 

December is also a month when many national and international organizations that operate here reduce their activities, and the armed groups often take advantage of their absence to commit acts of violence. 

Part of the reason why armed groups fight for control of the Opón territory is due to an oil pipeline that runs through it.  The illegal gas cartel (protected by the paramilitaries) taps the pipeline and extracts thousands of gallons of gas and other petroleum products each month.  Money from the sale of this gas funds paramilitary activities and other petroleum products are used to process cocaine.

In addition to the tensions generated by armed groups, the people of the Opón also face economic struggles.  Corn has been the main cash crop in the area for years.  Currently the price of corn is near, or even below the cost of production for a farmer in the Opón, largely due to imports of cheap corn from other countries.

The city of Barrancabermeja also faces a possible new wave of violence, should the paramilitaries that control the city become demobilized as part of the negotiations between the national government and this illegal armed group.  It is feared that the paramilitaries may intensify their activities before they put down their guns.  It is possible that in Barranca, in the Opón, and in surrounding regions there will be more assassinations and forced disappearances as part of paramilitaries “cleaning house,” in their dealings with the illegal gas cartel, the private security companies in the neighborhoods and processes of social cleansing (killing of thieves, drug users, street people, and homosexuals, etc.)

With this in mind, during this Christmas season CPT Colombia invites everyone to shine a light in the darkness by joining us in one or more of the following actions:
1)    Fast on Tuesday mornings reflecting on your role as peacemakers in this world.  Pray for the work of CPT in Colombia.

2)    Pray Tuesday evenings around a candle.  Pray for unity in the communities of the Opón and the other communities in Colombia who are in the process of unifying to non-violently confront armed groups that threaten them.  Many sense that building community is the most hopeful way to create a lasting peace with justice in Colombia.

3)    For your meals on Tuesdays use only food that provides a just income for those who produce it.

4)    Fast from using gasoline on Tuesdays, remembering the violence that the gas pipeline brings to the Opón region and Barrancabermeja.

The CPT Colombia team chose Tuesday as a day of action to coincide with the fasting and prayer of the CPT Iraq team.

Jim
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As the Grass Grows        12-6-04

As God makes the trees and grass grow, so He makes justice, peace, and harmony grow among people. This is an insight I recently came to see as an ongoing reality in this world. Just like with the grass and trees, we can only notice this growth over time and so it seems to be with the coming of the kingdom of God. This is a reality I was unaware of before. This insight came thru reflecting on the fact that many people I talk to about CPT work are very moved and want to hear more about CPT.

One example is the displaced former school teacher in Bogota who came to my slide presentation. He shared, “The paramilitaries made me and my friends watch as they cut up eight of our friends with a chain saw. I then abandoned my home on the coast and displaced to Bogota, eating cheap leftover restaurant food to survive. Having to live off of this kind of food was very humiliating, and often I would just cry. Looking back I see how God provided for me, giving me friends at just the right times.” He now lives in very rundown building with 70 other displaced families. And he said, “I know that God has a plan for my life, despite all I have been through.” And then he added “Won’t you please come to where I live and show your slides and share about your work with the others who live there.” The photo which accompanies this writing shows me sharing about CPT work with the families that live in his building.

Another day a teacher of teens asked me to show my slides to their Mennonite Sunday School class in Bogota. The teacher said you can expect the usual chip-on-the-shoulder negativity from them, so we did not know how it would go. One teacher hugged me afterwards; she said the teens were so attentive. They invited interested adults also, and this filled the room to overflowing. Two of the adults want to investigate becoming part of CPT.

In San Salvador, the MCC-funded “Yeh Ineme,” project is working on constructing peaceful social ways to replace the violent ways that have developed from the years of war. When we made a presentation to them, they had many probing questions like, “How does justice fit into what we are doing? How does CPT work at changing the violence ways of relating that people have developed as a result of the war?” I was glad to be able to say, “We have been creating the space so NGO’s with expertise in justice and reconciliation and many areas can have the security to work in the Opon. And it is happening there now.”

The very busy Baptist Church Pastor in San Salvador listened to my presentation for a while and then insisted that I share with the Co Pastor and the youth. The youth called us to pray for CPT work and the people of the Opon. They said, “We want to write a letter of support for the people of the Opon and CPT.” Many of the youth thanked me personally afterwards and eagerly signed up to get my emails.  We had one additional guest at this presentation, a fellow whom I had met on the street.  He, too, thanked me and asked to receive my emails.   I found out later that he is a psychologist.

On the way to the San Salvador airport, the policemen I was sitting by on the bus started reading the Peace Pilgrim pamphlet I had given him. This led into a conversation about CPT. He said, “I am a Red Cross volunteer; it is such a good thing to help others. I will await CPT emails, and maybe some time I can get involved with CPT. I hope we can meet again sometime.”

On the plane returning to Bogota, I met a Canadian who lives in Costa Rica. He said, “I have done a lot of thinking about war and peace in the present world situation, and I do not have much hope that the world will ever straighten itself out. But I am interested in learning about CPT work; do put me on your email list.” My sense is that it was different perspective then he had thought about before.

All these interactions seem to point to the work of God in raising interest in the hearts and minds of people in many places to create a kingdom of justice, peace, harmony. Just like when we pollute the earth with poisons, nature comes back gently to correct our destruction. In that same way when we use violence and war to try to solve our problems, God gently raises up the ways of Jesus in our hearts and minds to try to get us back on track.

This morning one of our team leaders said to me, “Ya know, you really have a gift for making friends.  That is really a gift to our team. Your friendship with the Baptist church has been such a good thing for the CPT Team. The farmers on the Opon always ask about you; you have built some good friendships there too.” These words seem to be an answer to my prayer for help in dealing with some present depression. Reflecting on the above, it does seem as though God has been able to use this gift He has given me.

I sense that CPT’s work is a small part in God’s worldwide work to redeem humankind and all of creation. That is an exciting thought, we are being a part of it. Warts and all.  Alleluia!

 May Thy Kingdom come quickly,

 Jim
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A Message from a Dream            11-7-04

Recently CPT received a message from a person in Trinidad encouraging us to study the book of Joel. About the same time, one of our CPTers received a message through a dream for CPT.  The CPTer who had the dream told a prayer group from her church about her dream and about the message from Trinidad.  Her church came back with the message that God is calling us to continue our good work and that CPT needs to give attention to the teachings of the book of Joel. Joel describes natural disasters, encourages crying out for God’s help, and forecasts the restoration of everybody and creation.

The disasters mentioned in the book of Joel seem to be similar to the state of the world with all the war, violence, and natural disasters happening like the present flooding in the Opon. Things really seem to be falling apart.

Some quotes that have stood out for me are: “Grieve you farmers...all the crops are destroyed; Give  orders for a fast...and cry out to him; Come back to the Lord your God; Gather the people together; Let your broken heart show your sorrow; It is I who have sent this army against you; You will know that I am among you,... and there is no other; I will pour out my spirit on everyone...your old men will dream dreams and young men will see visions; all who ask the Lord for help will be saved.”

As a result I have been encouraging us to pray as a team and to pray with the people in the Opon when we visit them; they have responded very positively. I invite you to join us in crying out to the Lord for help.

I will be in El Salvador through December 2nd with my son Andy, visiting our sister community Valle Nuevo. Andy will be there for a month.

Peace,
Jim
Here is a photo from Valle Nuevo , El Salvador of my son Andy, a nephew of Pastor, and myself.  We are hand threshing beans, beating a pile of dried stalks till they are empty of beans.

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Soldier for Peace   11-15-04

Warm greetings,Friends,

Here in Barrancabermeja a friend from the Baptist church told me, “It is CPT’s example that got us churches out of just praying and into doing something for peace and the poor. Keep it up. You are very important to the churches. We are praying for CPT.” On November 26th there is meeting of all Protestant churches to discern how they can work together to work for peace and on behalf of the poor.

Here in the Opon the farmers say how important our continued present is for their security. They say how grateful they are to have the Barranca churches and a church development agency now active in the Opon. It is such a blessing to witness their uniting to stand up against the armed groups.  This is a most hopeful sign for a lasting peace in the Opon. I am humbled that it has been enabled, for the most part, because of CPT’s presence.

I hate to ask for money, but as you know I could not give my full time to peacemaking without your help. It is getting to the end of the year and the time when many of you do your planning for the coming year. To date in 2004 I have received $8577.  So I still need $1864 to reach my goal of raising $10,441 in donations for this year. I hope this appeal may also provide some funds to start 2005.

This is your opportunity to support this part in the Colombian peace process.  To do so, make your tax deductible contribution check out to Plow Creek Mennonite Church with Jim’s Peacemaking in the memo line. Send to Plow Creek Mennonite Church, 19183 Plow Creek Road, Tiskilwa, Illinois, 61368.  

Thank you for considering helping peace have a chance.

Blessings of peace surround you these days,
Jim

To maintain one soldier for war our taxes pay $150,000.
I will be a soldier for peace for only $10,441 in donations.
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Vigil and Slides   11-13-04

I recently was invited to give a presentation with my slides to a secular high school class. I was surprised at the depth of their remarks and questions. Here are some of them:

“That must be dangerous. Aren’t you afraid?”   I responded, “Yes, it is dangerous, and it is something you need to feel called to.” They then asked, “How can you tell whether you are called?” I told them this story.  “Four years ago in January I sensed a call upon reading a CPT email request for more help in Colombia, which included a note that it was very dangerous. And when the feeling did not go away in June I finally started talking to my Pastor, family, and church to test whether it was the Lord. And to my surprise they all affirmed it. And here I am.”

I told the story about the first ever mass in the Opon last year and how grateful the people were for it. The Baptist teacher friend who had arranged the presentation said, “You know, here in the city we have churches in every neighborhood.  How many of us take the time to go to church?  It is so easy to take this privilege for granted.”

A number of them expressed interest in going on a visit to the Opon with us sometime. We will see where this goes. Probably about half the boys will go into the armed forces. I see this as way to plant seeds that there are ways to bring peace to this country that use the ways of Jesus.

We have been having a prayer vigil every Friday where we pray for peace on a church steps across from the Mayor’s office. A few people join us, including a woman who tearfully shared that the night before her husband did not come home.  We then prayed for her and her husband. The next week she joyfully told us that her husband had been found. That week we prayed for jobs, and health needs and peace.

Ten or twelve others joined us that second Friday, and they all wanted to get our brochure and a copy of the Peace Pilgrim pamphlet. Even though some of them could not read, they all joined us in singing. One of them asked to join us in worship if we had a church.  I was sorry I had to say that we just worship in the local churches. They seem to appreciate that we were praying for peace.
 
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A Lively Sunday    11-6-04

Today was an unusually lively Sunday.  I went to a church where I knew some people because I wanted to make contact with them again. I enjoyed the warm welcome which they gave me.  See photo.

The worship services here are quite different from what I am used to, and some of the differences make it hard for me to understand.  One of the differences is the high volume loud speakers, which particularly make it difficult for me to distinguish the words.  In addition, my church vocabulary is somewhat limited. Today the congregation was praying and singing and I understood very little. My thoughts were,” Why am I here? This doesn’t make any sense.  They are just putting on a show, pretending to be religious.”
 
Then the Lord seemed to say, “Just accept what is going on, stop judging, and concentrate on me.”
And through this He seemed to show me that He was there, and to say, “Maybe these people can teach you something about worship.  You could benefit by learning to worship as they are doing. Just concentrate on the Lord and stop letting thoughts of judgment dominate your thinking.” After this turnaround, I got the sense that this worship for them was a lot more authentic than I had thought earlier.

To my surprise, the pastor said talked about peace in the sermon.  He said, “We, the church, need to be working for peace, justice, and helping the poor, particularly the displaced (people who have had to abandon their homes because of threats from paramilitaries or guerrillas).  Where there is injustice, it is because of sin. The Church needs to be involved in changing the structures of society that allow injustice to go on. We need to be involved in the government.” He then announced that the local Protestant churches were gathering on November 26 from 7pm to 1am to pray for peace for Barranca.

After worship, I talked to a woman whom I had visited with a year ago, and asked her how her dream of opening a restaurant was coming along. She said, "Oh, I have given up on the restaurant and I am now so excited about getting involved with our church’s plans to work with the poor, and the displaced and to be apart of peacemaking here in our neighborhood. This is so wonderful.”
 
Then a young man mentioned, “I saw a news report on CPT.  Could I work for CPT?  Do they have Colombians on the Team?” I replied, “Yes, we have Colombians on the Team. There is a Colombian training planned for 2005.” He is now investigating what is involved in joining CPT.

Later I went to a Baptist worship service, where I had a conversation with a teacher and good friend. I had given her the Peace Pilgrim pamphlet a year ago.  She excitedly told me, “When I read the Peace Pilgrim pamphlet, the Lord really moved me, and it brought me to tears. I even told my husband about it.”

She also said, “This gathering of churches to pray for peace and justice is a direct result of CPT’s presence. CPT's work is such an encouragement to us. We are praying for CPT’s continued work.  Keep it up. The Lord has been using CPT’s example to get us out of the church buildings and into the streets. We are not only praying about these issues, but now we are also doing something about them. It is so good.  Alleluia!”

Then when I returned back home, a woman came to the house looking for me.  She said, “I was visiting and praying in the jail until 3 this morning and I gave the Peace Pilgrim pamphlet you gave me to a prisoner. Could you please give me another one?” I gave her three and she said, “I will now have some to share with the women prisoners.”

“We ended by her lending me a book on prayer and my lending her a book that has been very helpful to me. Since then she told me, “Both the Peace Pilgrim pamphlet and the book are right on.  Thank you very much. How much for that book you loaned me?  I would like to buy it.”  I think I will give it to her. The book on prayer I have found meaningful for me, even though the Spanish is a bit challenging.

This was a very meaningful day. I am humbled to have the privilege to witness and share in these workings of the Lord in the churches here. Thanks for your support that enables me to be here.

Jim
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Paramilitaries  11-1-04

Dear friends,
    
250 paramilitaries invaded Alto Carnaval, Colombia, under the pretense that the villagers were guerrilla supporters.  These paramilitaries are the illegal right wing group fighting the guerrillas, and both the guerrillas and the paramilitaries are on the US government’s list of terrorist groups. The paramilitaries came with two people whom they claimed were guerrilla deserters, and who began pointing out persons whom they said fought with them when they were part of the guerrillas.

The paramilitaries beat one of these persons, tied him up, and said they were going to kill him because he was a guerrilla at one time. Then the village Priest, led by the Spirit, responded on behalf of the accused, “He is no longer a guerrilla, and if you are going kill him, you should kill his accuser because he was part of the guerrillas too at one time."  The paramilitaries were taken back so much by this response that they backed off and let him go. Alleluia!

This all happened a few days ago on a Sunday morning when  farmers gathered from 34 villages in the community of Alto Carnaval, with outside  church leaders, government watch dog agencies, the UN and nongovernmental ( NGOs) development organizations to work on a plan to find alternatives to their dependency on coca, the source of cocaine.  In this region the Columbian government claims to be providing security from the guerrillas and paramilitaries.

On Thursday Raphael and I, as a part of CPT security work, accompanied a commission of the organizations mentioned above, plus the media, to meet with leaders from the villages and the Colombian Army, and to recount and document what happened. (See photo.)  The villagers confronted the Army head-on with the question, How can you not know anything about 250 paramilitary terrorists invading and staying for two days in an area in which you are supposedly providing security for the farmers?" Underneath this question was the assumption that nobody was able to talk about, which was that the army really knew about the invasion. The army major responded, "But nobody told us." The farmers answered, "But if we tell you, we may lose our necks literally."

This shows the trap the farmers find themselves in, because of the documented, yet under-the-table, relationship between the paramilitaries and the Colombian Army. If they tell the Army about the abusive acts of the paramilitaries, the paramilitaries are likely to come back to do away with whoever tells.

This was a unique opportunity to expose the Army’s blatant shortcomings in providing security, particularly because of the eyewitness of so many prominent leaders from all these organizations. This now documented incident has great potential to help in a good way.  This good way, which is in process, is dismantling the paramilitary forces.

God seems to working at peacemaking in many different levels and places in Colombia.  The above incident is an example, and there are more examples in the Opon, and at the national level, as the government talks more and more about negotiations with the guerrillas. Alleluia!

 Let’s keep praying,

Jim
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Hope on the Opon  

10-18-04

Hello, friends,
I just returned from three days with the Opon communities which we accompany.

For the first time ever, people from the five gathered communities began sharing specifics about the fears and problems which the ongoing civil war causes them. They told us that the guerrillas, paramilitaries, and government forces threaten their lives, steal their bananas, corn, fish, and other farm products, and disrupt health and education services.

They then shared about the things that make them feel safe:  the presence of CPT, the development organizations, the government agencies, and, in the last year, the churches.  Next, they talked about what they can do about the fears and problems.  The one thing that stood out was that their one strength was to unite to form a wall against the armed groups.

I felt very privileged to witness that uniting taking place during those two days, in the many obvious good conversations, in sharing while eating (see photo) together and in talk in the not-so-formal sessions. A good example of this was the vigil for peace, which the farmers organized.  This vigil went into the night with singing, praying, and preaching till past midnight. Another example was the teasing, joking, and laughing heartily and loudly at one am. Many of the participants were people who hardly knew each other before that day. These people were mostly in their 40`s or 50`s. The fact that this gathering was held without alcohol was another very good aspect of it, and this showed they were doing it from their heart.

Six months ago there were two communities uniting; today there were five and they have the vision to gather three more into the group eventually. Three years ago, they were in many ways just individual families trying to farm in peace. CPT`s presence has had a major part in providing enough space so they could begin dialogue with each other. It seems that the armed groups want to keep them in disunity and living in fear so that the people are dependent on the armed groups. This uniting is breaking down the power of the fear that the armed groups have been promoting.

I am very grateful for a Colombian Church organization that provided the funds and facilitated the gathering as a part of its peace work. One thing that was so good about the gathering was that farmers themselves were doing the sharing and giving the leadership.  Things were not perfect but the unity was coming out of the grassroots, where true democracy has to come from.  For instance, the Baptist pastor who was asked to lead a worship service invited leadership for half of it by one of the farmers who is illiterate but has a gift for singing, playing the harmonica, and composing songs. I just really sense the Spirit is moving and using this all to bring peace. (See the photo.) It is not going to come overnight, but will build a firm foundation and create something solid for the long haul which will take time.   These two days were part of the cornerstone in building that foundation.

The Baptist pastor told me that my sharing my photos at the peace seminar last year had had a great deal of influence on him.  He told me that he after hearing my presentation that he thought about how I had given up a luxurious life in North America to come try to help the people on the Opon, mosquitoes and all.  He then decided to visit the people of the Opon with me for the first time.  I was humbled that God had used my experiences and photos for good with this pastor. 

Thanks so much for your part in making this reality through the help of your prayers, concerns, and monies.

 Jim
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Orientation      10-26-04

Hello, friends,       
Getting oriented here in Barranca seems to have gone a lot better than a year ago. One of my best friends, Pastor David, even said my Spanish has improved.  It seems as though my ability to understand and hear is better.  Thank you to those who have been praying for that.

The very warm welcome I received from David and others several from the Opon felt very affirming and good. It is getting to feel like old friends when they even remember my name.

As some of you know, I came with a month-old stomach acid reflex problem that wasn’t improving even though I was taking medication. So I went to see Chan, the native doctor, who had healed me three years ago of a bug bite, and shoulder and toe problems that western medical ways were unable to help. He pressed on my stomach and had me drink tamarind juice and in two days the problem was gone. I might note that I am still bothered by my aching arm muscle, however.

One of the biggest challenges in CPT Team life is living in a house together closely with many people whom you have not known before. This includes eating, making meals, and keeping the place clean. It becomes a real test of our community living ability when our habits, likes, and dislikes come out and clash. So it seemed like fresh air when we had a retreat in which we shared about our habits, likes, dislikes, and the things that really bother us. For me one of those things is leaving dirty dishes around that become covered by ants.  This retreat helped us adjust to each other. This was something that was missing in my other two times here.

The retreat center we used had been held up by robbers the week before, a reminder of the lawlessness that abounds here.  Soldiers were walking around while we were there, probably in response to the robbery.

I have had several chances to show my slides and I am making plans to show them at least four more times here in Barranca. The show includes slides from CPT in Colombia, Iraq, Palestine, Canada, and the USA. I think that seeing CPT efforts in other parts of the world broadens people’s view of our peace work. I pray it may plant seeds of hope and encourage all who see the slide show to be peacemakers, too.

Today newspapers reported that the Government has given the OK for the church to be in dialogue with the guerrilla movement, which controls 40% of the country and is the largest guerrilla movement in the world. This is hopeful, for since the Uribe government took power two years ago, it was adamant that it was not ever going to negotiate with the guerrillas. It seems wars always are settled by negotiation eventually, so the sooner it gets started, the less people suffer and so the better for every one. Please put this on your prayer list.

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Bogota and to Barranca           October 20, 2004
Hello, Friends,

In hushed voices, the Mennonites I was staying told this story, which had happened just the day before. A hunted man (we will call José), who has been on the paramilitary’s (paras) do-away-with list, was kidnapped here in Bogota.  José had, by God’s grace, escaped when the car broke down. In running away he fell and cut his abdomen. Fortunately, no organs were damaged; the hospital refused to give him further treatment because José was not registered in the system.

José, part of a family with two small children, was on his way to meet with a Mennonite pastor. He had suffered gunshot wounds and stabbing from previous attacks. The church has been trying to help him get asylum in Canada. It looked like he would get asylum, and then the Canadian administration changed, and they have now rejected him. It is now in appeal.

The other thing is that numerous Mennonite church people leaders fear for their safety. And so I want to beg you to pray for these concerns and for justice and peace for Colombia. Through your prayers and concern, you are an intimate part of my work. The violence has gotten considerably worse for the Mennonite church since I was here a year ago. The Mennonite Church has been having regular meetings to pray for protection, justice, and peace. These unsafe times are developing the church’s dependency on the Lord.

I have had some adjustments to make.  One was the ten hour bus ride from Bogota to Barrancabermeja (Barranca).  The first four hours consisted of continued switchbacks up and down mountains through some beautiful country. Then for the next six hours the bus went into the tropics.  My body has to adjust because it approaches 100 degrees every day. When it gets to 80, I am very grateful.

 On the trip we had a good conversation with an 11th grade girl about CPT work. I showed her some photos of CPT projects and shared stories about the pictures and about my involvement in El Salvador, Bolivia, and with overground railroad refugees. She hopes to become a physical therapist and help children who have been injured from landmines in Colombia. She asked how she could get involved with the Church with helping people like I have been doing. Since she is from Bogota, I gave her Mennonite church contacts there that are doing lots of work with people suffering from the 40-year civil war here. She asked me to pray for her and her broken family.

I mentioned that we believe Jesus calls us to love our enemies. She said, “That is hard, if not impossible.” I said it is hard, but if we ask God to help us, God can make it a reality. Time will tell how God might use this sharing; it seemed a real gift.

I got my visa fine, thanks for your prayers.  

Shalom, Jim
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World Hunger Relief Farm  10-9-04

Here I am visiting the World Hunger Farm, in Waco, Texas, during the Shalom Communities Conference.  I am accompanied by three friends from El Salvador.  The World Hunger Farm prepares development workers for the 3rd world .

2nd Goodbye             10-2-04

Hello,

This is sharing some things I forgot in my last letter.

My email in Colombia will be Cptco@cpt.org. Be sure to put the word “Fitz” in the subject line. A word from you once in a while would be very welcome.

Many of you have expressed concern for my safety. I want to say that I appreciate this caring for me. Somehow, I know that it, along with your prayers, helps in protecting me. Keep it up.

At the same time, I do not fear death. One day my life will end and I am at peace knowing death is not the end. As I told my barber, I would rather die making peace than making war. I have Lyn my wife2f v c x, 4 children, 4 grandchildren, and all my friends and it is very special the gift of love we share. May the Lord protect me and keep me from taking unnecessary chances so that we have many more days together. Again keep up your concern and prayer.

Below is an update and background of the situation in Colombia that will help you understand my letters. You might want to keep it for reference. This is also a press release I am giving to local papers.

Your concern and prayers are greatly appreciated for our peacemaking and for me. There is a slight chance I may have visa trouble at my entry to Colombia a prayer for that would be good.

Thanks, Jim
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Goodbye                            September 23, 2004
Hello, Friends,

It is time to say good bye for 3 months.  I leave here on 10/5, go to Waco, Texas, for a Communities’ Conference meeting, than on to Bogota on 10/12, and than to Barrancabermeja on 10/14 to join the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT).  On 11/22- 12/2 I will be in El Salvador to help my son Andy get settled for a month with our sister community Valle Nuevo. I will return on 1/12/05. That is, the Lord willing.

Yvonne Dilling, a friend who helps us in El Salvador, suggested that I show my slides there. And that got me thinking that showing my slides would be a good way to plant seeds of Jesus’ vision of peaceful ways by sharing CPT stories and slides from various projects in other places too. A year ago in Barranca I was invited to two schools to share and I sense there will numerous other groups who would be interested also. In Texas and Bogota I will be sharing too.

Last week I was a substitute teacher at a local school. The Principal asked me what I did and that led to my sharing some Colombia stories.  I also told the Principal that I communicate with email. She said, “Put the school on your email list, and I will have the computer teacher have the kids read it as a part of their class work.   The kids really liked you and they would enjoy reading the emails.”

As is usual, I get anxious about getting everything done, particularly getting communication logistics in place to you and the local newspapers, before I leave. I am still learning the computer. I have been trying to give my undivided attention to whatever I am doing instead of worrying about all the other items on my list. This has helped me work more from a place of peace and give me more trust in the Lord in the moment. The scriptures “Don’t worry about tomorrow” and “Put away anxious thoughts” have been very helpful during this time. I sense anew the importance of our developing our inner peace and relationship to the Lord to be effective peacemakers.

My great wife Lyn the other day said, “You spend too much time at the computer. Where you really shine in your peace work is on one to one.”
As I shared this with my pastor friend Rich he said, “That sure is true.” But what can I do about it? This computer work is central to my communication with so many people.

As a way of responding to this insight I have decided to try to visit with one person daily whom I normally would not see. To make it easier, it may be just by phone. The list that comes to mind I notice many have cancer.
 
Yesterday I picked up the book, Iraq A Journey of Hope and Peace, by Peggy Gish, a friend and CPTer. Reading it changed Iraq from being just a news item in my mind and renewed my commitment to work for peace. It is an inspiring book.

Say a prayer that I may be an instrument of peace. This is very important.

Peace blessings be upon you,

Jim

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The County Fair Booth            September 20, 2004

Dear Friends,

The older couple came walking by the Christian Peacemaker Teams photos on display. As I often did, I said “would you like to hear about how we are working at peacemaking in the war zones of the world?” To my surprise the woman responded gruffly something like, “George Bush is doing a very good job at making peace and I support him 100%.” I was so taken back by it that as I remember I did not say anything.

The next day she returned to say she wanted to apologize to me. She said, “I saw you had a sign up to pray for peace, and I pray for peace too. I have grandchildren, and what I did yesterday wasn’t right and when we do something wrong we need to apologize. And I want to do it right now so to be a model for my grandchildren”.

We shook hands, I said how much this meant to me, and thanked her. I am glad the Spirit was moving to break down the walls between us.

"Jim, thanks for inviting me to join you at the CPT booth at the Bureau
County Fair. What a great opportunity to talk with our neighbors about
Christian peacemaking and to see you in action. The Lord has given you a
gift for this ministry." ­ Rich Foss He was one of five other persons who helped.

The former principal of a local school took a good 10 minutes to tell me about the Peace Builders program he brought into our school system. Peace Builders works hard at teaching everyone who associates with students, from teachers and students to bus drivers and janitors to relate to each other in wholesome ways. It was inspiring to know that he was the 1st to bring this program east of the Mississippi. He was one of 4 persons at the fair who expressed an intention to attend our weekly vigils from time to time.

In a near by town a 23 year old soldier recently returned from extended tour in Iraq. In the process of returning the government said they wanted him to return for another tour. He said “I ain’t going back there”. His family felt it was unpatriotic for him to have that attitude and were pushing him to change his mind. He then committed suicide. This is evidence of a real cost and dark side of the war on the home front that we often forget about. I have heard half the homeless are veterans.

Let’s continue to work to put an end to war,
Jim
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Thoughts on political involvement         August 13, 2004

Dear Friends,














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Subject: Overheard at Cornerstone Christian Festival

July15, 2004
Dear Friends,

Very quietly a person came up to my booth and almost in a whisper said to me, “I’m not the normal kind of person that is attending this Cornerstone Festival. I want to let you know that I’m an atheist. I just want to tell you that I’ve been very impressed by the way you guys are putting your lives on the line and living out your beliefs.” And after a little conversation I shared that had I struggled with belief and considered myself an agnostic at one point in my life. A farmer-preacher friend of mine, when I shared with him my struggle for belief, said to me, “Don’t try and pretend, God knows what’s in your heart. But if you want to believe, ask for it.” I just really felt that my story helped this visitor to our CPT Booth connect in our sharing together.

A fellow who was in the booth next to ours shared with me that he was an officer in the Army Reserves and was scheduled to go to Iraq soon. We dialogued for about fifteen minutes about our beliefs, and then he shared with me a story he had heard from other soldiers:
In Iraq there was a funeral procession that was headed directly toward a patrol of U.S. Marines. As is the culture, the procession was accompanied by much wailing and outward signs of grief, creating a situation that could easily erupt into violence. The Lieutenant in charge, instead of putting his soldiers on alert, commanded them to put their guns on their shoulders and take off their hats and stand still in reverence until the procession passed. Out of that gesture of respect, which is the way of Jesus, the people in that section of town changed completely and now respect the U.S. military. It is amazing how quickly people’s attitudes and feelings can change when you show them respect rather than be suspicious of them.

Another fellow came up to me at the booth and introduced himself as a Bush supporter and a rightist. He said, “I have a lot of friends who are leftist,” and we talked for four or five minutes about our understanding of what is going on. In the end, I said “The bottom line is that no matter what, you’re a rightist and I’m a leftist, but Jesus wants us to love each other.” Then we vigorously hugged each other. The Lord connected us in a special way despite our differences.

A woman came up to the booth and said she’s been receiving my emails for over a year now. She’s from Colombia and her husband is a North American career military person. She works with Military Christian Fellowship, which challenges Christian soldiers to apply their faith to their military duties. The organization works not only with the U.S., but with over a hundred different militaries around the world. In August, representatives from all these nations will come together for a world conference in Korea. Except for some minor differences, we really affirmed each other’s peace work.

Chris Haw, another worker at the CPT Booth, had this story to share: “A young man came and stared for a minute at our pictures. I asked if he would like to hear about CPT and he said, “Yes.” I gave my description of Columbia, Baghdad, and my friends’ travels with CPT. After I was done, I just let him look at the pictures. He went over and over the pictures for five minutes silently, just staring. I asked him if he had any thoughts or questions. He paused and quietly said, “It’s beautiful.” Soon thereafter he took some CPT literature and quietly and slowly walked away.”

This year we had ten other persons helping us with the CPT Booth and three seminars. This has enabled us to talk in depth with a lot more people about our work and the issues of war and peace. Because of the way the military option in Iraq is not working, more and more people are looking for an alternative way to deal with such conflicts. It was very energizing to see the enthusiastic interest in the CPT peace work, and we talked extensively with several people who were seriously interested in joining CPT. There was also a clear interest in the Biblical basis for peacemaking, and we dedicated one of the seminars just to that. We hope next year to have three separate seminars dedicated just to this subject.

I estimate that 75 percent of persons attending this festival are new Christians from community Bible type churches. They are often an on-fire people, seeking to give their all to Jesus and follow his teachings seriously. I find we have a real common ground as we try to do that also. This enabled us to truly connect with many, many people who passed our booth. I sense people are really ripe. The harvest is ripe in this country for peacemaking in the way of Jesus. We need more harvesters. How about you? Pray about it.

In August I will be having a CPT Booth at our county fair. If you would like to get some experience doing this kind of thing, I can always use a hand. It is actually fun and lots easier than we imagine. To see the interest the Lord is raising in so many different people is very energizing. Pray about it and then maybe come join us for a few hours or days. I hope to hear from you.

Remember to take time to smell the roses. That’s peacemaking too.

Jim

P.S. On 7/6 I had a hernia operation and because of painful complications, I’ve been unable to do much more than exist until now. Also, some emails were unable to access the photographs in the 04 plan. The only solution I know is to go to our web page:  '04 Cornerstone Pictures.
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Report from Speaking Trip      May 1, 2004

Hello,     Just back from my speaking visiting trip, I gave at least 12 presentations I found that can wear a person out though at the same time it is energizing. Here are some of the highlights of the trip.

Worshiped at Faith Mennonite church where about a dozen of the 40 brothers and sisters are disabled, they gear the worship so all can participate.  A brother shared his faith journey for the sermon. He has spent a time supporting death row inmates. He said, they are recognized for the worse thing then ever did in their life, which is broadcast for all to know about. What would it be like if the worse things we ever did were broadcast for all to know about?   Makes me wonder if any of us could throw stones.

 Mitch a lawyer friend who is running for county commissioner has been hearing a lot of talk around about his not saluting the flag. So he made arrangements to meet with the American Legion and hopes to share how he feels he must salute to Jesus instead, because that is where his 1^st allegiance is. Pretty courageous.

Here’s something Mitch just  wrote to me, “One thing that struck me again as we were together was how your commitment of a large part of your life vocation to peacemaking tends to draw others into its wake. When you put your body, brains and
time on the line for peacemaking it makes the rest of us think about our own commitments and activities.
Christians, especially, have to think about Christ’s call to be peacemakers. Blessings.”


It was a special gift to have so many really good visits with brothers, relatives, and many friends some I hadn’t seen for 25 years. It was especially good to have a lot of good enjoyable time with my 3 brothers. The support and interest in peacemaking of so many people was very encouraging. 

Preacher friend Dave Rittenhouse of  COB in West Virginia shared how they had a panel discussion  in their church where  he and some military brothers in their church shared about there different views on war and peace. I feel that kind of dialogue is a central part of peacemaking. Here at home we have been trying to develop some with the “VFW”.

I continue to be able to stave off depression with the handles the Lord has given me to trust Him in a more complete way. Thanks be to God!

Two friends are in the process joining Christian Peacemaker Teams at least partly due to my influence.

Update on Colombia is that the Opon communities have now met with their threatening armed groups three times to tell them they are no longer going to cooperate. A very brave thing to do. And it could be the path to freedom from violence for the communities. Pray for them and CPTers there. Below is a recent Colombian update.

Shalom, Jim



COLOMBIA: Fears and prayers in attack aftermath
By Carol Rose and Duane Ediger

On Friday, April 23, three Colombian army soldiers in civilian dress
were shot, presumably by guerrilla forces, while boating down the Opon
River. CPT found the bullet-punctured and blood-stained and canoe
floating downstream the following day. The body of 23-year-old Oscar
Becerra Gomez was recovered downstream on April 26. The other two are
missing and presumed dead. In the attack's aftermath, CPT Colombia
maintained a prayerful, observant presence with civilians and
combatants.

Los Ñeques, where the attack took place, is home to farmers, fishers,
children, great-grandparents, chefs, singers, sharers of mangoes and
smiles and practical jokes. Many of them took temporary flight to the
city on the afternoon of the attack out of uncertainty over what might
follow. Violence opens the door for the spirit of fear to oppress
communities.

In the days immediately following the attack, over 100 soldiers from
two battalions were brought into the area. They are not immune to that
fear. The day after the attack, some soldiers hit the dirt and aimed
their rifles at CPTers who were walking up a trail to visit with
civilians. They relaxed after they identified the CPTers as
noncombatants.

Days later, when several other Colombian Army units pulled the team's
canoe over, the team stopped to explain CPT's history and presence to
the soldiers, most of them teenagers. By the end of the day the team
had met and prayed with over 50 soldiers and had handed out some 30
Spanish CPT fliers.

The team's first commitment is to area residents, whose safety and
well-being are often put at risk by the presence of combatants under
such circumstances. Finding groups of soldiers cooking and hanging
their hammocks in the clearings and even on the front porches of
civilian houses, the team reminded military commanders that the Geneva
Conventions require combatants to maintain a sufficient distance from
civilian homes and otherwise avoid involving them in the armed
conflict.

Community members have expressed mixed feelings about the military
presence. In a prayer with team members, a farmer on break from
working his banana fields pleaded, "May those armed men go somewhere
else and leave us alone to farm and live in peace. Amen."

Many who would prefer a permanent absence of all combatants also look
on individual soldiers with compassion. After an operation in March in
which Army personnel reported having unearthed and deactivated several
anti-personnel mines, one woman said, "I offered the young men coffee
and food because they hadn't brought enough to eat and were hungry. I
hope people will offer my son hospitality wherever he is."

God's Spirit finds expression in people's ability to see beyond a
uniform, in their generosity and in their perseverance in search of a
life free from violence.
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Peacemaking Report #1                                    February 2, 2003

Sharing #5     3/25/03

Warm greetings, friends,

I just returned from seven days with our sister community Valle Nuevo in El Salvador.  This visit included visiting with friends of many years, and also seeing signs of new growth.

One of the most significant things was to find out about the big change in their internal relationships.  It seems for years now they have been having trouble with bickering amongst themselves about how to proceed with titling the 265 acres of land we helped them buy. The bickering had made any progress almost impossible.  Seems an act of God that they have been able to draw together the many factions of their leadership and come to agreement on major decisions like the land titling process. Many confirmed this new direction.  At this point there have not been any concrete decisions, though things look more hopeful than they have in a long time.

A major surprise to me was their concern about the war in Iraq,
even though it doesn't directly affect them.  Many, many people went out of their way to explain why it is of such a grave concern to them, and then ask us how we felt. They held a march of 2-400 persons and then gathered to pray for peace afterward. Their main reasoning was that, "we know the suffering of war, and the pain of every one involved. The poor are usually on the receiving end, and there is nothing good about it." Andy Horst, one of our youth on the trip said it well, " I've been against war all my life, but now I know why and why I need to do something about it now."

One activity that we took part in was assisting Valle Nuevo youth with their reforestation project.  As a part of their tenth grade studies, Valle Nuevo students have a seminar class, in which the students decide a problem in their community that they would like to study and work on. They chose reforestation. Every morning a group of the students work on preparing the acre they are going to plant trees in, and we were able to help them one morning.

I had many good visits with our many friends:   Erlinda, Pedro (who now has a new 1 ½ year old girl, his ninth child) Bachio, Tomasa, Reina, and Juana( mother of Claudia who has a baby and is living in LA.). Juana’s husband is part of the 45 households doing an intense experimentation using organic farming methods, a project which looks very promising. Pedro now owns a truck with his brother, which he plans to use to make money by hauling things. David and I spend a hot afternoon loading and unloading 200 adobe bricks.  It felt good to help him and in a small way pay him back for the work on the farm here he did for us several years ago.

 We were international observers for their election.  The farmer’s party FMLN lost by 120 votes; they claim there was fraud and are contesting the election. They held a march to show the support they had for contesting the election, and several thousand participated. They claim that 2- 400 of them were denied the right to vote unfairly, and that the opposition has a history of cheating.
 
For the 1st time we visited Los Hernandez, Honduras, a community of 500 who took in 5000 El Salvadoran refugees, including Valle Nuevo folks, in 1981. We heard the stories of how the refugees escaped a "search and destroy” mission of the El Salvadoran military, and arrived hungry and many without shirts on their backs. We also heard about the way these very poor Hondurans organized and shared their little to meet their needs, despite the Honduran military having a gun in their face at the same time. It was very moving.  The Hondurans also prayed and shared their concern for the war in Iraq.

The last day we had a meaningful time with 46 10th graders from Valle Nuevo in San Salvador, visiting the University where the six priests were killed, and the chapel where Oscar Romero was killed. There we were challenged by a priest and a nun in very good ways to commit ourselves to follow Jesus, the way these martyrs did in working for peace and justice.

I want to say thanks to those of you who contributed financially to enable me to go on this trip.  The cost was less than expected, so I was able to give $ 182.00 to the Youth Group toward pipe for the irrigation system for their soccer field.

I would like to close with a story from the good-bye gathering that they had for us. One of the young schoolteachers, Victor, who is an excellent guitarist and songwriter, announced he was going to sing a song. And just then Margarita, a lady in her 70's, said she would like to sing a song that she just wrote about their war history. He immediately deferred to her, and figured how he could accompany her with his guitar. Margarita sang her dozen or so verses in her singsong manner and Victor did an excellent accompaniment.  Then everyone applauded stronger than any other time of the evening.   Seeing the honor they gave to Margarita was a wonderful impression to come home with. 

Join the prayers for peace every day,

Jim
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Hello, here a letter I sent to some newspapers, that articulates where my peacemaking journey has  taken  me to this point. It was printed in at least one of  the local papers
To the editor
 Peacemaker views Iraq war
      "Did you see all that?" he asked, his eyes filled with tears. "Did you see that little baby girl? I carried her body and buried it as best I could but I had no time. It really gets to me to see children being killed like this, but we had no choice."
        Martin's distress was in contrast to the bitter satisfaction of some of his fellow marines as they surveyed the scene. "The Iraqis are sick people and we are the chemotherapy," said Corporal Ryan Dupre. "I am starting to hate this country. Wait till I get hold of a friggin' Iraqi. No, I won't get hold of one. I'll just kill him."
The London Times
March 30, 2003
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-628258,00.html  (free registration required)
         This is one of the hard to find accounts of what our soldiers say and experience in the actual battles. Would you want to sent your son or daughter to participate in such ? What does it mean for them upon return? Sleepless nights? Night mares? Depression? Psychological problems?
        I in no way blame the troops. I blame the system that teaches them to hate so they can shoot and bomb people and think it is right. There are a number of alternatives which I call Jesus' third way options, that are not just passivity or rolling over and playing dead. The alternative which I support was proposed by former President Jimmy Carter; keep the inspectors there permanently. This would have cost the world a lot less in deaths, suffering, and money.
        I say for now we should pay for the damages we caused, let the UN administer it, and bring our troops home.
       I participate in the protest vigil at the Court House in Princeton, IL each Wed. 11:30-12:30.  This is a way for me to say to the 2000 cars that pass by that I believe that our President and military are doing something drastically wrong. We need to change our country's ways, which have been to overcome evil with evil, and seek to find a path that  follows Jesus' way of  overcoming evil with good.
         I gather each Sunday 7-8 PM with those who pray for peace in the park across from the Court House in Princeton, IL. I am so grateful to have this concentrated time to pray for our soldiers, particularly for the one I know in Iraq. I pray for a peaceful and quick end to the war, and protection of the soldiers and the kids, moms, and dads on all sides. Prayer gives me hope in the face of this awful war. It helps me realize that God's patience and love will one day triumph.This is a force far more powerful than this system of  hate which is now running rampant in the world. Alleluia!!
        I invite you to stop and visit at the vigil so I can hear your opinion,while I hold my sign which says "Mourning , Suffering,US Troops and Families".

Trying to follow Jesus,
 Jim Fitz  Tiskilwa,IL.
 
P.S.. Here is some more quotes from the above source.
       It's just a bunch of Hajis," said one gunner from his turret, using
their nickname for Arabs. "Friggin' women and children, that's all."  
         When he came to jotting down [in his diary for his wife to read] the incident about the two babies getting
killed by his men he couldn't do it. But he said he would tell her when
he got home. I offered to let him call his wife on my satellite phone to
tell her he was okay. He turned down the offer and had me write and send
her an e-mail instead.
        He was too emotional. If she heard his voice, he said, she would know
that something was wrong.
the below refers to our own troops casualties
        "They are f****** dead, they are dead. Oh my God. Get in there. Get in
there now and pull them out," shouted a gunner in a state verging on
hysterical.
        "Oh my God, I can't believe this. Did you see
his leg? It was blown off. It was blown off."
        Now Pokorney, Jordan and their comrades lay among unspeakable carnage. An
older marine walked by carrying a huge chunk of flesh, so maimed it was
impossible to tell which body part it was. With tears in his eyes and
blood splattered over his flak jacket, he held the remains of his friend
in his arms until someone gave him a poncho to wrap them with.

        Before last week the overwhelming majority of these young men had never
been in combat. Few had even seen a dead body. Now, their faces had
changed. Anger and fear were fueled by rumors that the bodies of
American soldiers had been dragged through Nasiriya's streets. Some
marines cried in the arms of friends, others sought comfort in the Bible.
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Jim’s Sharing 6/3/03

Are our leaders ripe for Peace?? This has been a question I’ve been
pondering lately.

As I look at recent history, I see a pattern in Israeli leaders, one that
I remember particularly starting with Begin in the 1970's. He started out
very warrior--like, giving the impression he was going to straighten things
out by using strong military force. He was going to fix those Palestinians once
and for all. But after a few years he gradually began to sing a different
tune. He came to see that military might just was not getting anywhere and began
to question if all the bloodshed was worth anything. This all brought him
to the point of talking with Arafat, which led to reconciliation that
developed into an actual friendship between the two leaders.

As you might remember, Begin was then assassinated, after which Arafat
spent over an hour with Begin’s widow consoling her. She has remarked
about the miracle it was when she came to appreciate Arafat and his
compassion through this whole experience.

Similar things happened with Israeli leaders Barak and Rabin. Now,
Sharon, President Bush, and Abbas seem to be coming to the same realization.
My sense is that one of these times a peace will be achieved that we tend
to think is impossible. The role that we have in this whole scenario is
to pray for their protection and that the forces of good will overcome
the forces of evil that might want to do an assassination,etc. and
undermine this peace initiative. Pray that true reconciliation and
friendship could develop between the leaders. Also, we need to encourage
our government representatives to support this peace initiative.
Believing as I do that there is that spark of God in all people, I think
it could happen with any of these leaders no matter which side they are
on. This could be a very critical point in history.

I sense it depends on our prayers a lot more than we realize. The
question is, are we ready to do our part to pray for Peace and encourage
our representatives? Are you going to help to ripen this peace initiative
and bring it to fruition?

One opportunity to do something is to join the prayers of the North
Central Illinois Citizens for Peace in the park across from the
courthouse the first Sunday of each month 7-8 PM. in Princeton.

Jim Fitz Tiskilwa, IL
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Sharing #7 June 30, 2003
The gift of the enemy

The gift of the enemy is the theme of  the 3 seminars I will be doing next week  at the Cornerstone music and seminar Festival 7/1-5/03.  Perhaps one of the most important question before us  for our present time in history is how we will embrace the call to "Love our enemies",
 
A good litmus  test to evaluate our religious and political leaders is how do they embrace this hard teaching of Jesus.
 
Jesus calls us to  love our enemies, in order for us to be children of God, for God has it rain and shine on the good and evil and just and unjust alike. A point of solidarity with our enemies is in our common evil. We like they are a mix of good and evil, just and unjust. As we  come to recognize these negative aspects of ourselves , do you notice how we tolerate  and accept these things in ourselves? When we see this common ground with our enemies, then we can come to see our enemies sin  much more objectively  and even come to look at them with compassion.
 
Our usual  way has been is to demonize our enemies and look at them as all negative.As long as we see them as all evil it is pretty hard to have any love for them.
 
All inclusive love is the goal that God has set for us.  This needs to be our goal, even though, as we attempt to do this and our efforts are contaminated with our own  shadow and is intermittent at times . With our efforts to  reach this goal, God gives the power to do it.
 
Confronting  our enemies always benefits us by transforming us, and it may even  transform  our enemies at times.
 
If we think we do not have enemies, we are probably deceiving ourselves. That was never a question for Jesus. He clearly seem to assume we all have enemies. And I think he was right. though a lot of the  times I deny it.
 
I would like you to  think about who your enemies are? Some possibilities might be at times , husband, wife, children, friends, religious  or political groups, nations or systems. Write a number of them down.
 
Now write down their Characteristics? Are they rude, arrogant,  hateful, mean, controlling,lying, not straight forward, cold, have a funny beard,demanding,  always forgetting to turn off the light or put the cap on the toothpaste, or what ever it might be that makes you hate them.
 
Now think about  which of these characteristics are part of things you or your group does at times. This is part of seeing the log in our own eye. As we come thus to see this common ground with our enemy, can you see how that might help us understand them , and even come to love and care for them.
 
As we come to see things from this point of view we can have a much more objective and compassionate view of their sin and much less vindictive in our approaching them. The enemy can give us the gift of transformation as we response to Jesus' call to love them. The end.
 
 
Please say a prayer that God would use this seminar to  speak his word and that we could embrace that word. Pray also that we be open and loving as we talk with people we disagree with about peacemaking.
 
Walter Wink in the book The Powers that Be  gave me some of the thoughts above.

Jim Fitz Tiskilwa, IL
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Pray for Visas      August 26, 2003
Hello,
As most of you know I hope to go to Colombia with Christian Peacemaker Teams [CPT] for all but three months starting Sept.30. This will provide protection for about 80 farm families from the Paramilitaries, Guerrillas, and Colombian Army and Navy. All these armed groups are fighting each other for control of the people, land, oil, and
coca where the farmers live. And so the armed groups are constantly suspicious that the farmers are helping their opponents. And we are able to prevent the killings and threats from the armed groups on the farmers
from happening with our presence there and with the important help of your prayers.

As you might remember a year ago the Colombian government started making it hard for us to get visas and started deporting CPTers. So last fall CPT put on a campaign to pray for and pressure the Colombian government and US government Representatives and Senators to change this, so that we could again more easily be in Colombia. As a result of that pressure CPT got a meeting with the three top officials in the Colombian government who make decisions on visas. I suspect the Colombian government has always suspected us of siding with the guerrillas, and this is why they were
giving us trouble. Well, this gave us a chance to explain to the top officials that we really are neutral and the importance of our presence for peace in the region.

So there on the spot they granted CPT a visa and have granted two more since then. This all reinforces for me the importance of praying for and letting our government officials know how we feel. Once they understand what we are really about they will support us. I think they really do want peace too.

Erin Kindy, a friend from our church, and I are both seeking visas. CPT made the mistake of using a tourist visa the last time we were there. So when Erin applied twice more for a visa more than six months ago she was denied, because they said that wasn't the right visa for peacemakers. So we fear that they might think of denying us visas.because of this
history. We are asking you to pray for us to receive visas.

Tomorrow 8/27 we are going to visit our Senators Fitzgerald and Durbin's offices and Thurs. 8/28 Representative Weller's office about our visas. We hope to apply for our visas about 9/4/03

I hope this finds you well,
Jim Fitz
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Colombia Visa Update         September 3, 2003
Hello,
I was very pleased with the meetings with the Senators and our Representative about our visas. The offices of Senator Durbin and Representative Weller both agreed to write letters on our behalf to sent to the Colombian government and to include with our application that we will submit personally on 9/8 at the Chicago Colombian Consulate. Evidently many of the about 400 persons I asked to pray did so. THANK YOU!
I now ask your prayers for 9/8 and thereafter until we get an answer from the Consulate. If our visas come soon enough I plan to leave for Colombia about Sept. 30 and stay until Dec. 20.
I want to take this opportunity to report regarding my fund raising. Because of the generosity of many of you, I have raised about $6,500 to date. I need about $4,000 yet. If you know of someone who might be interested in the opportunity to support my peacemaking, could you please share a description of my work with them and ask them if they would like to see a copy of the booklet that describes my work and vision. The purpose of the booklet is to share with others about my work and to assist in raising funds. I would be glad to send an electronic or paper copy of this booklet to you or others whom you know would be interested even if they are unsure whether they would give financial support.

Keep praying for peace,
Jim
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Visa in  hand                October 1, 2003
 
Hello, well we are really celebrating,  Thanks again for all your prayers, I sense  in a way we prayed them in. 3 of us got visas,  Erin and I fly on Monday, 10/ 6 around 8 AM. Please keep praying for the 2 Canadian visas for Pierre and Steward. I sense they will come, Bogota has said they are ready to issue them tho  a few of the papers  need up dated so we should  know in about 2 weeks.  more  in a little bit,  Jim
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Pointers from CPT Congress    October 4, 2003
Hello,
Here are some gems or pointers that I picked up at the Christian Peacemaker Teams [CPT] Congress last weekend. I thought many of you might find them helpful.
When I was sharing with a CPT steering committee member about some thoughts on prayer, she had a unique insight. I told her that I had come to feel that in a lot of ways prayer is just taking the time to say the words.
Its effectiveness is not dependent very much on how we say the words, or our state of mind, how much we believe etc., but on the great listener we have, God. She said, "Life is 99% just showing up." In other words, prayer is a lot just being available.
Another person was explaining about how their church is involved in a program of study that is based on the premise that if we want to grow, we need to give our time to practice and study. The web site is www.justfaith.org <http://www.justfaith.org/. We don't learn to do anything well without concentrated practice and study. The implication of that for prayer, peacemaking, loving, and what we see really is a challenge to us.
"The truth always wins," implies that we don't have to try to manipulate things or people to win, but that we have to tell the simple truth and in the end we will win. A CPTer shared how he learned this from a Native in Grassy Narrows, Ontario, Canada, where a CPT project is ongoing.
Two brothers from "Operation Dove" in Italy attended the Congress. These brothers are people of faith, who do very similar work to CPT work. It felt encouraging to share with others who are being called to similar work. We are not Lone Rangers; as a matter a fact, there are quite a few such organizations around.
For me the most significant parts of the Congress were the times of talking with people, catching up with with old friends and making many new friends. Three friends with whom I did not have a very close relationship shared with me their present personal struggles. That was a gift, as friendship is always a gift. It is important to take time with our friends.
Keep up the praying,
Jim
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