I AM LEAVING FOR IRAQ WITH A CPT DELEGATION

“What would happen if Christians devoted the same discipline and self-sacrifice to loving and doing good to their enemies as armies devote to war?”
That sentence epitomizes my yearning to be a Christian Peacemaker Team member. I want to share the non-violent Gospel without judging others, and without any attempt to get them to “convert to Christianity.” We do judge others by what we see and experience; many people in the Middle East see Americans/Christians as greedy, heartless and rude. Those in the Kurdish north base this assessment on their experiences. Under the command of a “Christian” president, the USA supported Hussein as he was gassing their family members and destroying their culture. The oppression of Kurds continues. Who will share their stories and their pain? Who will walk with them, in danger, to help ease their burden?
Faith is about relationships; relationship with God, with this earth, with family, friends, worshiping community and even those labeled as enemies. How can there be a change, if, despite possible risk, people like me do not step forward to affirm a new vision? Every culture and every religion has people who yearn with their whole hearts, and strive with their very lives for peace and justice. Peace is possible only when justice is enfleshed; therefore, I seek to interact with people in that ancient land who know, somehow, that there is a better way.
This CPT deployment will be an intense time of “walking with” those who are traumatized by war. They have been hurt by my government and their own, by my people and their own. I will meet with government and military representatives, refugees, local people including women and children, and other NGOs. As I listen to life stories in this far away country, surely some of their pain, and some of their joys, will resonate with my own experiences. I go with tenderness in my heart, hope in my soul and a determination to glean how they envision their future. I may then have a small part in empowering them to live their own vision.
I will earn a deeper understanding of the pain injustice causes. I hope to then share my experiences and any insights gained upon my return, through discussion, speaking engagements, writing, street theater, and a deeper commitment to “seek peace and pursue it.” People in war zones perennially endure vast losses of life, family and property. I am eager to share my life with those who need a listening ear and willing hands.
The fact that I am married, a new grandmother, and the mother of a lovely, 12 year-old clogging, roller-hockey playing, Honor Roll kid, rather than holding me back, compels me to action so that other grandmothers, mothers and children have at least the modicum of the safety and security my family enjoys. I hope to return to my own country to share in a way that will help others see Iraqis/Kurds in a deeply personal way. I am confident that this work will impel some others to act for justices’ sake. It is clear that personal testimonies are vital in furthering understanding, which can then lead to action. I want to be a part of it all!

For more information on my trip, please visit www.cpt.org [1].

With hope, and the joy that surpasses all understanding,
Mary Terese Grace
Wolftown, VA
540-948-6328