As we strive for justice and peace, we can learn from what each other are doing. We can share in our successes and collaborate on our challenges. Post your stories - from everyday advocacy (the little things that sometimes happen and you even don't realize they're advocacy until it's over) to parish and community efforts that you are a part of. This is the place for Episcopalians to share how we are striving for justice and peace! Take a few minutes to tell us how you've made a difference in your community. You'll be amazed at how just one story – yours – could inspire people around the world. We welcome your contribution!
I APPLIED BEFORE I WAS 21 TO GO ABROAD WITH THE STATE DEPT. I WAS DETAILED TO ANKARA, TURKEY OCT. 1956, WHEN THE SUEZ CRISIS OCCURRED IN THE M.E. I LOVED WORKING THERE AND DID SOME OUTSIDE VOLUNTEERING IN ADDITION TO MY JOB IN THE US. MISSION'S INDUSTRY DIVISION. I TRAVELED, LEARNED THE LANGUAGE AND SPENT 2 MONTHS TRAVELING HOME THROUGH THE NEAR AND FAR EAST. IN THE END I WORKED IN PEACE CORPS WASH. AMONG OTHER GOV'T JOBS UNTIL 1968 WHEN I MARRIED AND WENT TO NYC TO LIVE. MY SERVICE ABROAD WIDENED MY HORIZONS. I FINISHED MY DEGREE, WENT ON TO GET MY MASTERS IN URBAN PLANNING, DID MANY SPECIAL PROJECTS IN NYC FOR CHILDREN,BRINGING TENNIS TO NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SET UP PROGRAMS FOR SENIOR CITIZEN OUTREACH, AND SERVED ON COMMUNITY BD #8 IN MANHATTAN (APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR) MUSEUM MILE FOR 4 YRS. ALL OF THIS HAPPENED IN THE U.S. BECAUSE OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT I EXPERIENCED AS A YOUNG WOMAN GOING ABROAD TO WORK, LEARN AND TRAVEL. THIS PREPARED ME FOR A BETTER AND MORE PRODUCTIVE LIFE. MY EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY DIVISION WHICH FOCUSSED ON INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN TURKEY LED ME TO A CAREER IN URBAN PLANNING. IN 2006 I WENT BACK TO TURKEY AFTER 50 YRS. AND WITNESSED A REMARKABLE CHANGE. TURKEY IS NO LONGER A DEVELOPING COUNTRY BUT A FULL-FLEDGED ISLAMIC DEMOCRACY - VIBRANT, SOPHISTICATED AND A WORLD CLASS LEADER IN THE MIDDLE/NEAR EAST. I LIKE TO THINK THAT I PLAYED A TINY PART IN AMERICA'S ATTEMPT TO CARRY THE MARSHAL PLAN FORWARD TO A UNIQUE COUNTRY WHICH STRADDLES TWO WORLDS EAST AND WEST DIVIDED BY THE BOSPHORUS. TURKEY IS A LONG-TIME FAITHFUL AND DURABLE FRIEND OF THE USA. I AM SO PROUD TO BE ONE OF THOSE FRIENDS AND A LONG-DISTANCE ADMIRER. I STILL KEEP IN TOUCH WITH MY FRIENDS THROUGH THE INTERNET. I TRY TO KEEP UP MY TURKISH AND STILL ENJOY TURKISH CUISINE.
Peace is very important to me and to all others in the world. We all seek to live harmoniously with others, although governments get involved with power, economics etc for well being of their peoples, to execute these values, it is the people at the grassroots who desire to be respected and a safe place to life and raise a family and have an income from a job that will provide for them. We need to respect Isralis and Palentine to raise and have families alike. To offer support of the accomplisment of this. I desired peace for myself and other so longingly i became a religious order, Third Order of the Society of St. Francis-Episcopal, so i could become part of the solution for peace! Please support all the issues that would further accomplish and extend this peace to all of mankind. Thank you. Peace be with you and your family
I just returned from dropping my niece off at the airport. She is a 2nd year med student, and will be doing a month's rotation in a Palestinian hospital in East Jerusalem. During the next month, she will be doing face-to-face, on the ground peace work, especially with Israeli and Palestinian women. In her backpack, she included 250 red clown noses to give out as signs of joy around the Middle East. As soon as I returned from the airport, I found the EPPN message asking me to send a letter to President Obama to encourage his continued striving for middle east peace. How could I not take a step so small when someone I love is living out that peace in the next two months?
While living in Trout Lake, Washington for three years, a friend of mine and I in conjunction with the local Presbyterian church held three evening Peace Conversations using Martin Luther Kings speech"Letters from the Birmingham Jail", poems and writings by poet William Stafford, and writings of former President Eisenhower. We also planned and facilitated four Peace Conferences. The first conference presented a panel of 4 theologians: Episcopal Priest, Buddhist Nun, a Rabbi and a Muslim imam, discussing their views on war. Another, a conference with roundtable discussing immigration issues with an attorney from Pasco, WA fluent in Spanish, immersed in immigration, a local farmer, and others. I could go on and on telling you what else we did. We had a tremendous response given the fact that Trout Lake is 30 miles north of Hood River, OR and somewhat off the beaten path.
