Some of you we've recently met here in Utah, some followed us on email
through our bicycle trip last year, and some are just stuck with us by
being related. I hope this finds you well.
Last year at this time, Brooke and I were frantically preparing for
our Virginia-to-California bicycle trip by eating lots of ice cream
and foregoing any sort of physical exercise. For those of you who
followed us via email along the way, it was encouraging and fun to
know that our friends all over the country were keeping tabs on our
adventure.
In the nine months since we joyfully dipped our bikes in the corrosive
Pacific Ocean, Brooke has spent lots of time bringing home the bacon
as a medical resident (so called because they spend more time residing
at the hospital than at home), and I have been tending to the house.
We have found ourselves involved with a small group of Mennonites and
attending the local First Baptist Church and the Church of the Risen
Christ, and I have spent time working with the local Ten Thousand
Villages store and an anti-poverty ministry called Crossroads Urban
Center. I also discovered a lot of pent-up snowboarding energy that I
had bottled up deep down inside during my years in Georgia. I have
been learning to express that energy in healthy ways here at the Salt
Lake ski slopes. I feel much better now.
But since springtime is here, I suppose it must be time for a new adventure.
On May 29, as Brooke begins her cardiology rotation at the hospital, I
will be flying into Tel Aviv for a two-week delegation to Israel and
Palestine. I will be there with an organization called Christian
Peacemaker Teams (CPT). CPT was started about 20 years ago as a joint
project of Mennonites, Brethren and Quakers, and now has broader
ecumenical support. It was basically the response to a question,
"What does it look like when Christians are as devoted to promoting
Christ's peace as worldly powers are to promoting war?"
During the delegation, we will meet with Israeli groups and
Palestinian groups working toward peaceful solutions to the conflict,
as well as spending time on the streets of Hebron. Since I happened
to be born in the United States, I have some influence in the world's
most powerful and wealthy government through voting, lobbying, and
advocacy. Therefore, by learning first-hand about the conflicts in
Israel and educating my fellow U.S. citizens, the opportunity is there
to have a positive impact on the lives of many. Also, just like the
apostle Paul's Roman citizenship was valuable in his ministry, a U.S.
citizen with a camera can help reduce violence when tensions arise
between Palestinians and Israelis. Therefore, I'm looking for two
main outcomes of this trip: 1) to see first-hand how God is working in
the most difficult situations – even ones we might think of as
hopeless, and 2) to see if there's any way God might want to use me –
whether to provide encouragement for those who are suffering, to let
everyone know that the world is watching, or to share my experiences
with my fellow U.S. citizens upon returning.
To sum it up, I feel like I have been given an extraordinary gift: a
faith that love really does triumph in the end. I have learned it
from many places: from the steady, day-to-day, in-the-trenches love of
my southern family, from a thoughtful and resilient spouse, from all
the welcoming and trusting people we met along our bicycle trip, from
countless mentors and teachers, from saints and writers in the
Christian tradition, from the nonviolent political movements in South
Africa, India and Atlanta, and of course from the gospel story itself.
Unless true, self-giving love is injected into a situation – either a
personal relationship or a world conflict – you haven't really changed
anything; you've just shifted around the pieces. I hope to carry this
faith along with me (probably need to be checked on the airplane along
with my toothpaste) and be one more voice calling for a true, lasting
peace.
Having said all that big-picture stuff, I'm also really interested in
finding some good baklava, and I hear you just can't beat that
Jerusalem hummus. Who knows - I may end up being scared witless by
all the Hebrew and Arabic and separation walls and stones and guns and
find myself retreating to the corner of some kosher deli somewhere and
eating falafel. Maybe all I'll get from this is a sunburn. Only one
way to find out, I suppose.
Between now and May 29, I'll be doing as much research on the
situation as possible. I just finished a book meant for 12-year-olds,
and I feel like I've increased my knowledge of the Middle East by
about 150%. If anyone has resources to recommend, or wants to discuss
any part of this trip, please let me know. I'm very interested in
having these conversations. I want to be as well-prepared as possible
before leaving. Plus, a big reason I'm going is to learn – feel free
to ask me if you have questions about the situation and I'll try to
investigate them while I'm there.
Any and all prayers and good thoughts are welcomed. If any of you
would like to contribute any money to the trip, I do need to raise
about $2200. That will cover airfare, food, and lodging for the
entire time. Any donations are tax-deductible, and you can send them
to:
CPT
PO Box 6508
Chicago, IL 60680.
Make any checks payable to CPT, along with a note saying something
like, "Please accept this donation to Christian Peacemaker Teams. I
am aware that Andy Johnston will be volunteering and I wish to support
this ministry."
Honestly, that's really not a lot of money to raise, so please don't
feel that social obligation to send something. Really. Especially
you folks we've just met. If for some reason I don't raise enough, I
can have a bake sale. I make a mean chocolate-surprise pie.
I plan to send out a couple of updates via email before leaving, and
then a trip report upon returning. If you know of anyone I should add
to the list, let me know. I also understand if you don't want to get
these updates – this can be a very difficult topic to discuss – just
let me know and I'll be glad to remove your name from the email list.
Also, the invitation is still open for guests to our little Salt Lake
valley! For all those back on the east coast, be sure to keep us in
mind for vacation plans – Utah is one of the most spectacular places
on earth. Plus, the best pizza in town just happens to be right
across the street.
God's peace to you,
Andy (and Brooke) Johnston
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