All Blog Posts (97)

May 3, 2013

Dear Friend,

At the risky of looking skimpy, I need to make this newsletter short and to the point and then get it in the mail, pronto. It won’t be long before we are in the throes of another humanitarian shipment aid to Nicaragua — oops, I already am!

We need your help to help fill, assemble, load, and pay for that upcoming May 11aid…

 March 31, 2013

Dear Friend,  

 

While watching a movie the other night I was struck by the realization of how far our country has come over the last sixty years due to the movements of people stepping up for change, justice, and for our nation’s stated, if not fulfilled, democratic ideals.  Sometimes we get stuck in the disappointments of the moment and fail to realize that we really…

March 3, 2013

Dear Friend,

“As long as one has a garden, one has a future.” — Joan Dye Gussow.



Spring is a time of renewal. For me, nothing speaks to this process more than gardens, as many PeaceWorks’ supporters know well from reading these letters over the years.

I truly see the garden as a mirror to our work in Nicaragua and in our own communities. As long as there are organizations such as…

February 3, 2013

Dear Friend,

Accompanied by Edith Piaff, several versions of the Hallelujah song, the harmonies of the Cusmapa chorus, the multilingual melodies of Inhjambia’s singers, and the rousing rhythms of Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy, another PeaceWorks delegation traversed Nicaragua for nearly two weeks in January, generating life-long memories, nurturing relationships.

We engaged our Nicaraguan partner organizations and scores…

Dear Friend,

With the year coming to a close, we deeply appreciate your support and that of the many other people who help fulfill our program and our hopes during 2012.

I write after a tumultuous few months, a time of destruction from a devastating storm, a time of great sadness after Sandy Hook.  I still feel part numb, part heartbroken, part angry, part helpless a week after Sandy Hook.  How do we make sense of such a tragedy, how do we comfort those affected, how do we make…

Dear Friend,



Once again our region has been slammed by a destructive storm. Our thoughts go out to the many people who lost so much. We are heartened by the amazing outpouring of donations and other help by thousands of people.

Such storms make us realize how vulnerable we all can be to severe weather just as are our friends in Nicaragua and throughout the developing world — Sandy ruined 70% of Haiti's harvest amidst widespread flooding — especially in the…

Dear Friend,



As I listen to the personal stories of Inhijambia's young people when our delegation visits them in January, I feel crushed by their testimony of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. I wonder how they can surmount these early beginnings to their lives. But then their smiles lift my spirit, their amazing confidence that they will "get past all the bad things" as Andrea states in the enclosed testimonials from Inhijambia. Their striking confidence in their future…

Dear Friend,

You might have gathered from reading these letters that I am fascinated by growing-things — be it fruits and vegetables in my garden; children in my family, my neighborhood, or those working with our Nicaragua partner organizations; or with dreams, those concocted while I pull weeds and those that come to life in Nicaragua. My garden, family, community, Nicaragua — arenas for creation, imagination, wonderment; arenas for nourishment, fulfillment,…

Dear Friend,

Hot. Hot. Hot. Feels like my second home, Nicaragua — although I am not trekking up the Cerro Negro volcano under an even hotter sun with black cinders under my feet and sulfurous smoke swirling about my ankles. You might think me strange, but I love working in my garden in this heat — at least for a while and under my hat at that. But that is my luxury, not a necessity that might color the experience…

Dear Friends,

This morning I attended a ceremony at the Unitarian Fellowship in Morristown that spoke to the human potential inherent in all children. This Coming of Age ceremony highlighted the talents, hopes, and beliefs of the young people in the program. They played guitars, saxophones, trumpets, a piano; told stories to younger children in the congregation; and spoke to their emerging beliefs that frame their daily actions and outlook on life.

Remarkable, engaging,…

Dear Friend,

A week from today I will be bordering on exhaustion even though I will have yet to climb into the 45-foot cargo container that we will be loading with aid supplies for our Nicaraguan partner organizations on May 5. The amount of work leading up to a container loading can be staggering but always uplifting — I only hope the latter sentiment will be enough to uplift me from bed in the morning. I ain't getting any younger, you know.

But despite the stress and…

Dear Friend,

You are invited to attend and to support PeaceWorks' upcoming Annual Dinner at the United Presbyterian Church in Plainfield, New Jersey on Saturday, April 14. We'll come together for a celebration of hope and solidarity, enjoying good food and gathering inspiration from our community of sharing and action. I hope you can come.

We are delighted to honor two people who have worked with us for many years; one in support of our aid shipments to the people of…

"This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way . .…

Dear Friend,

I am Ingrid Zapata and now I am very proud of who I am and what I have accomplished.î

These triumphant words of 17 year-old Ingrid capture the spirit of the people who work with our Nicaraguan partner organizations. Ingrid, flashing her smile, hiding her somber eyes that speak of the years of abuse she has overcome thanks to Inhijambia and thanks to the many people who have helped PeaceWorks accompany Ingrid and Inhijambia for…

Dear Friend,

With the year coming to a close, we deeply appreciate your support and that of the many other people who help fulfill our program and our hopes during 2011.

The conditions and challenges that our annual January delegation to Nicaragua witnesses propel us into action when we return. Our partner organizations' good works inspire us to do all we can to provide them with necessary resources. We take our leaps of faith and trust in people like you to help us take the…

Dear Friend,

My garden is a place of inspiration and renewal, an arena of wonderment and creation. The garden engenders deep gratitude within me for the opportunities it presents each time I visit, breath deeply, and work. I dig, I sweat, I dream, I marvel, and along the way I grow some food to feed my family and to share with neighbors and friends.

I share news of my garden not only to share my excitement but also to draw parallels to PeaceWorks — my other arena of sharing and…

Dear Friend,



Phew! Or should I say, brrr! But wait a minute; perhaps I should get out my shorts given the weather forecast. Crazy.

If you were hit by the recent storm in the Northeast, I hope you managed OK without power and that you did not suffer any harm from falling trees. Perhaps such storms make us realize how vulnerable we all can be to severe weather just as our friends in Nicaragua and throughout the developing world are. (Of course, for those living on…