pretrip thoughts. . .

Hey all,

Just tying up loose ends in Seattle before taking off. I've been hit hard in the past few days by the gravity of the trip we're about to go on. . . For the past two months I've been reading about the places we'll be in Colombia; articles describing - in grotesque detail - some of the human rights atrocities commited against civilians and social workers. I've also heard from friends of the great beauty of the country of Colombia. What a strange contrast; the beauty along with the violence. Although even visiting some of the most depraved communities in the DR and Haiti, I have been struck by the beauty of the spirit of those who persist in the face of violence and poverty. Humans have a great capacity to hope.

So, hope will be my theme as I start this trip. I hope that our delegation can be filled with hope, can give hope to those in Colombia affected by senseless violence; give them hope that their stories will be told and their courage not forgotten. Hope that those entrenched in a pattern of perpetrating violence can lay aside their weapons and take up work of a less destructive nature.
Hope that another world is, truly, possible. This I believe - and this is my reason for leaving the comfort and safety of Seattle.

Thanks for those of you who've donated to Cory and I's trip! Thank you even more for your prayers and letters that we've recieved. They are so meaningful to us and we thank you for them. We'll try to keep this blog relatively updated - as computer access allows - and maybe even post some pictures. I'll leave you with a closing quote recently brought to light by John Volkening - the leader of our Colombia delegation:

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Peace and blessings,

Nick