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Friends United
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Quaker Life |
| Valiant for Truth | Contents |
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By Patricia Edwards-Konic What an amazing experience this time in Ramallah, Palestine has been! Over three months immersed in the life of the Friends work and ministry in this special place on earth! My first assignment was developing the first section of the new Quaker History class that was added to the Ethics course for 8th graders. Teaching Quaker history and faith has been a topic of conversation for years in the upper grades; this year two classes were added — Quaker History for 8th graders and Faith and Practice of Friends for 11th graders. I developed PowerPoint presentations which seemed to keep the students’ attention. When they saw the photos of students in Quaker schools in Turkana sitting in the dirt or on the floor to study, they wanted to raise money to buy desks. They also visited the Friends Preschool in the Amari Refugee Camp near Ramallah, worked with the students and gave them gifts. Their compassionate response was, “These kids need us to come” and “can we keep this as a service project every year?” Then on to my “big” assignment — researching a book on the impact of the Ramallah Friends Schools (RFS) entitled Enduring Hope. From the questionnaires I received back and the interviews I conducted, the title fits what I found—Ramallah Friends Schools are an oasis of hope in an arid land, a beacon of light amid the despair of daily life. “When one lives under occupation one loses the right to freedom of expression and all civil liberties,” wrote 1976 graduate Reema Ali. “FGS was the oasis where I experienced freedom of expression and my rights as a student. I grew up knowing that not being able to express ones self freely is not the norm.” Over and over people told me that they would not have the quality of life they have without RFS; they would not be the people they are without what they learned at RFS. Knowledge goes deeper than book learning. The Ethics curriculum, the focus on Quaker values, rubbing shoulders with people of different faiths, all contributed to make them more tolerant of others and stronger in their beliefs. They learned conflict resolution and believe that non-violence is the way to solve the difficulties of all conflict. Compassion and helping those in need are reflected in the many graduates in some type of service work. Equality and respect for others is a consistent value. “The Quaker principles of non-violence have been etched in my psyche and I find myself sickened by war, poverty, disease, oppression and human rights violations,” wrote 1960 graduate Huda Qubein Kraske. “This is all due to my upbringing at FGS.” People around the world welcomed my questions and shared their stories. I have gathered much information and soon begin the process of drafting a manuscript. Watch for the publication of Enduring Hope: The Impact of the Ramallah Friends Schools in early 2008. |
8 Turkana
Friends Mission Church Dedicated By John Muhanji Read about the dedication of Turkana Friends Mission which John describes as one of the most “spiritually rich” services he has ever experienced. 10 Forging
Interfaith Dialogue 12 Peace Through Pieces 14 The Evolution of Right Sharing 16 CPT in Colombia:
Working Hand-in-Hand with Local Churches _______________________________ 4 News from Friends United Meeting 4 FUM Staff/Contact
Information 18 Soul Food 19 News 20 Peace Notes 21 Viewpoints 22 Reviews 24 Passages 28 Classifieds 33 Friends
United Meeting
On the Cover Countless people work “behind the scenes” all over the world, doing God’s work. This woman works in the kitchen at Kaimosi Friends Mission Hospital, Kenya.
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