All In One Peace

I just wanted to let you all know about some updates… I love BBC they aren’t perfect, but they deliver usually more International information than US pieces.

First, one of the most wanted men by the UN, Radovan Karadzic, has been asked to surrender after being in hiding for 10 years, by his wife. There have been recent attempts to catch both him and Ratko Mladic- without success, but their supporters, we are being told, are starting to dwindell (They are both accused of leading the Srebrenica Massacare- and Karadzic the shelling of Sarajevo). It makes me wonder what the families, both thier families as well as the families of the victims, are going through. Here’s a link to the news story.

Also, the IRA has announced that they have stopped using weapons as negotiating tools! This is good news. It has been long in coming. But as William Sloane Coffin wrote,

” Peace always seems a weary way off. As Jereimiah lamented, ‘We looked for peace, but no peace came.’ But to give up on peace is to give up on God.”

I’m glad we have not given up but are seeking.

At Tuesday Night worship, Dave Rorher spoke some beautiful thought-provoking words. In talking about Peter in Acts 3, which tells of Peter talking to the crippled man at the Beautiful Gate. He said of Peter,

I can’t play the part in the story you want me to play, but I’ll play the part of the of the story God wants me to play. -Dave Rohrer, 7.19.05

Peter had things into perspective…it’s not about Peter, or the crippled man- or me- but it is about looking for the larger story- something that I often forget…

Even in discerning what I am to do with helping the causes that are important to me (reconciliation, poverty, hunger, homelessness, etc.), how often it’s about what I can do to fix the problem. Hmm… when did I get this self-absorbed? Really, I can not offer much more than a blanket, a sandwich, a conversation, a smile. And while I do have moments that I try to engage and play a role, the question is whose story am I trying to be involved in? Mine or Gods?

Interesting thought…

I am reading William Sloane Coffin’s Credo , after Hallack and Lisa started pulled some books out, including this one, when talking about justice issues. I really like it so far- it’s compiled quotes of Coffin. I love one of the first quotes that takes 1 Corinthians 13 and summarizes it into one phrase “Love is our aim…” and then discussed how radical that is…

“…I doubt if in any other scriptures in the world there is more radical statement of ethics. If we fail in love, we fail in all things else.” Credo, Pg 5-6

How often I forget, or knowingly do not make Love my aim… I am sorry for fallng short of loving you…

Lord have mercy. That is, Kyrie elesion.
I have thought a lot recently about why there is so much hurt in this world. It has been shown that there is enough food to feed the world’s population, but there are those who are hungry. According ot the UN 6,300 souls die to AIDS daily, and while there is no cure, there are drugs to help stop the virus. According to the US Dept. of Justice, every 2 minutes a woman is raped, and and that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys have been molested by age 18. War.

I can go on, but I’ll stop. With all this pain- from these things- to other just as significant things, like broken promises, or disapointment, Lord have mercy.

So all of you who have recieved my newsletter know I am using coffee as a theme… so here are some pictures of my level. They will go on a separate page soon… where I can change them as they go up. With the percolater, each line represents $5,000 to raise, total $30,000 for the two years. That breaks down roughly to $1120 a month, which is what the coffee cup represents.

Hopefully soon this will go up a lot… who knows time will only tell. Anyway, I think I’ll have fun with this theme, even though I’m allergic to coffee…

As always, with any questions, please email me at crystal (at) allinonepeace (dot) com

Some of you might be wondering what I will be doing in Sarajevo…
Here are snippets of a newsletter article that conveys some of that info….

After serving the last two summers in the Former Yugoslavia, in 2004 in Sarajevo, Bosnia with the Sarajevo Baptist Church, and in 2005 serving/ participating in Fužine, Croatia at the ROM Gathering, Crystal is preparing to again, now to serve in Sarajevo for two years.

Serving with the Sarajevo Baptist Church, with UPC as the sending agency, her job can be described in three verbs: to serve, to edify, and to encourage.

She will be facilitating and helping with some current projects that need more support, as well as providing these new local projects that need more support

Here are some succinct highlights of what Crystal will be doing…
Some Current projects
Outreach-Kairos Mountain Biking Club, English Classes
Youth-Mentoring, Leadership Development
Administration-Correspondence with English-speaking nations, Short-term mission liaison with US, Developing a vision statement, strategic plan, and work on grants

I cannot share what the upcoming projects will be, as I will be supporting locals and their visions, However, I have talked with some individuals about what they might want to do and I can give you a random sample of what people have been things about:
cleaning up the city trash problem
working with the refugee kids
getting into and surviving college

Some Personal projects:
Work with the Roma and Refugees
Help out the elderly with chores
Learn Bosnian

I look forward to being able to serve in this capacity– and I look forward to working with anyone who feels called to come and serve in Sarajevo as well.

If you’d like a more detailed description, please email me at crystal (at) allinonepeace (dot) com

As I am starting this journal, one question I have been asking is what do I want to say? I’m so used to staying silent and processing- or else I speak out and put my foot-in-my mouth. Writing is a really slow process for me but it makes me focus on what I mean to communicate.

As such, my goals of this site are to:
Communicate where I’m at, what I’m doing, and my impressions
Share insights about the state of the Balkans- especially Bosnia- and of myself, whether it be good, bad, neurtral, or whatever
Develop a community of people praying, meditating, or thinking of me and of each other
Be able to hear from people back home in one place…

Let me know if I should add/change any of these goals- or if I get off track when I’m reporting.
CJ