December 10, 2022
Mark Putnam and his wife Linda Reichert traveled to the Holy Land with AR Co-Founder David Less, International Director Ghassan Manasra, and 16 peacebuilders from the US, Canada, and Germany to learn about the Abrahamic Reunion’s peacebuilding work. Across 12 days, they visited the homes of peacebuilders, sacred and historical sites, met peace leaders from the many faiths, and took part in the AR Peace Summit. Participants were encouraged to share their experiences. Mark wrote this reflection partway through the tour.
It’s very important that we are here – with our presence, simply our presence and our interest, caring, and our love. Peace starts with peace within ourselves.
These young people that we are meeting with have had trauma, true trauma, loss, grief, fear, lack of security. And yet they find their security in each other. They are discovering their security, through appreciation of differences, rather than differences remaining a threat. Differences that deepen us, and enrich us and through contact with each other, that allow each of us to change and to become more. Ghassan talked about, and I will put this in my terms, discovering ourselves in contact with everyone. I discover myself in my moment of contact with you, I discover my capacity in my heart. I see the younger generation discovering themselves and their capacity for leadership and vision through their time with each other, and through their acknowledgment of what they don’t know of each other.
So it’s very important for us to be here, for us and for them – they are being seen, they’re being heard, we’re bringing them energy and belief in them.
How will this translate into my life going back to the United States? I’m not sure, and I don’t need to know yet. I certainly will have a larger perspective in the work that I do, reinforcing my belief in the importance of doing our own personal work, our own work healing for ourselves, healing our hearts, and creating a space for peace.
For me personally, I think that this time here solidifies my belief that as we work on ourselves – on our unfinished business in life, on saying the words we have not said, creating the moments we’ve not had with someone, allowing the forgiveness that still needs to come, claiming all of who we are and the empowerment that we might need… the ripple effect touches our families, our communities, and the organizations are part of. Though I already experience that, I feel my own personal world and work now grounded in a larger sphere. Connecting with one, loving one, forgiving one, hearing one, supporting one, standing behind and beside one… that’s enough, and that’s what I can do. Touching one and working with myself in my home reaches here (the Holy Land) as well.
It’s in this way that I have complete faith and belief that peace will happen… let me rephrase that… peace already is. The building of trust and appreciating of differences is not only important for our children and those that come after us but it’s what’s most meaningful and enjoyable in life.
Mark Putnam
December 2022 Holy Land Peace Tour and Journey Participant through David Less Tours and the Abrahamic Reunion.
Interested in learning more about Peace Journeys and Tours to the Holy Land? Please email chris@abrahamicreunion.org to be listed as interested in future journeys.
