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Love your enemies

Yesterday I stood next to Joy Takili as she spoke about what it was like to have to sit next to her enemy on a plane to Australia. A young woman of 20 she told us openly how she hated this man sitting next to her, a man who represented murder, war and greed, she saw only the conflict that he represented not the person whom she would come to call a friend. Joy and James were travelling to Australia to attend their first Young Ambassadors for Peace workshop in 2001. They had been chosen from opposite sides of a conflict in the Solomon Islands to live together and dream together of peace in their country. Starting off as enemies over time they became friends as they slowly saw each other as human beings with hurts, hopes and families whom they loved.

Last week the Justice and International Mission Unit hosted three Young
Ambassadors for Peace, a Uniting Church Program promoting peaceful solutions to conflict. Helena from Ambon in Indonesia, Joy from the Solomon Islands and Yadana from Burma told stories of turning their lives from hatred and war to peace and friendship. The three young women were in Australia for a co-ordinators meeting of the YAP program and used their time in Melbourne to speak about the challenges of creating peace when picking up a gun seems like an easier way to combat the pain of death and loss.

When they first arrived in Melbourne the conversation in the back of the car turned lively as they debated which country was worse in terms of conflict.
Laughing through the conversation they decided that Yadana had the worst luck as she was still living in a refugee camp on the Thai Burma border with 35,000 others refugees. By the time I drove them back to the airport Yadana had seen the sea for the first time, and Helena and Joy had finally gotten to see ‘Hitch’ at the movies. They were fantastic women, normal and yet extraordinary when listening to their stories of the challenge and joy of building peace in conflict zones.

The common thread amongst all of the was that we all have to change our hearts for peace first and then pass it on to others. Helena, Joy and Yadana definitely are Young Ambassadors for Peace in 2005.

If you are interested in chatting about YAP or developing a YAP program in Australia focusing on non-violent action and peace building post a note online and lets start something.

Caz Coleman
Social Justice Officer