On March 31 this year, Peggy Gish returned to the U.S. from her fifth trip to Iraq, where she has worked with the Christian Peacemaker Teams for 16 months in the past 2 1ž2 years. She will share stories of life in Iraq and of Iraqis working nonviolently to rebuild their society in the midst of the violence of occupation and resistance.

Arriving in Iraq in 2002, her first trip was an attempt to prevent war. But on March 19, 2003 the bombs began falling on Baghdad. Peggy has chronicled her experiences and Christian Peacemaker Teams’ work in Iraq in a book: A Journey of Hope and Peace (Herald Press, 2004). The book includes stories of sleeping in a tent during the bombing, villages surrounded by razor wire, being deported out of Iraq, working for justice for Iraqi prisoners, creating relationships with Iraqi citizens, and, through it all, seeking the way of Jesus’ nonviolent love.

Peggy is the Iraq team coordinator for Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), an ecumenical violence-reduction program with roots in the historic peace churches. Teams of trained peace workers live in areas of lethal conflict around the world. CPT has been present in Iraq since October, 2002. Peggy has recently worked with the fledgling Muslim Peacemaking Team (MPT) in Kerbala, helping the group to establish goals and bylaws and plan for nonviolence training for students and staff at the Al Uhl Beit University in Kerbala. One long range goal noted was to spread MPT throughout Iraq and even beyond to other areas of the world.

The presentation will include a reading and book signing.

The Institute is located at 6676 122nd Ave. in Ganges, MI
For directions/carpooling or information please contact Joan Morris at 616-735-9333

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