What is a learning feast?

As we spend time traveling and visiting in the U.S., we want to help people 1) learn, 2) understand and 3) connect with some of the realities, both beautiful and challenging, that exist in other parts of the world - and especially our corner in the Philippines.

Learning, Understanding and Connecting - these are the 3 purposes of the Learning Feast.

A Learning Feast happens when a family, group or individual sponsors a get together in their home with friends and ourselves where we share 3 things to facilitate the purposes of the Learning Feast:

1) Food - We will distribute and eat the contents of typical ration distributed by aid agencies to families affected by war and disaster - and hopefully learn that feeding the hungry is a lot more than just handing out food.

2) Information - We will share a short presentation of the reality of the poor in the southern Philippines and some of the ways in which people (all of us included) are making, or can make, a difference.

3) Global fellowship - We will arrange a skype conference call, technology permitting, connecting directly with workers in the field to share mutual encouragement for sustainability over the long haul.

Simons March 2010 brief update

Summer is here! Ouch!
Its summer here in the Philippines, which means less rain and hotter! El Nino is affecting the Philippines this year, causing drought conditions, meaning 2 hour rolling power outages on a daily basis, as our main power source is a hydroelectric plant that doesn’t have enough water to run. If it’s at night, it can be fun eating by candlelight and telling stories, other times just plain hot, when we can’t run our fans in the heat of the day with steamy humidity and temperatures in the mid 90’s.

Crisscrossing Mindanao
We have had a busy month with Amy teaching a women’s health class at the maternity clinic as well as traveling with a team of Canadians that came to visit and assess Peacebuilders’ Community health work. They traveled 10 hours each way, visiting indigenous (tribal) and Muslim communities where Jeremy organized two of their stops. The first was a Peacebuilders sponsored coffee training among the Matigsalug tribe. The training pulled together different groups within the same tribe who have often been in conflict. The result of the training was that they began to develop a coffee council together to sell their coffee at fair trade prices and offer greater support to indigenous farmers.

Blessed are the Peacemakers
The second stop among the Talaandig indigenous people turned out to be a highlight. Jeremy presented to the tribal council the culmination of his work over the past year: a listening project of their traditional conflict resolution practices and indigenous cosmology. After the presentation, it suddenly rained, indicating, the leaders informed us, that the project was not only accepted by the community, but blessed in the spiritual realm as well. This is mutually significant because the Talaandig were appointed by their ancestors to be peacemakers among the more than 40 tribal communities of Mindanao. This has strengthened our relationship as fellow peace workers and provides a respected foundation for further engagement with them and surrounding communities.

Simons 2010 U.S. schedule and speaking topics

June 5: Depart for the US, arrive in Denver, CO
June 7-11: Debriefing at IDEAS in Colorado Springs
June 14: Travel to PA and stay with Amy’s parents
Mid to late July: Travel back to Denver, settle into temporary housing and get kids ready to start school (Linea in 3rd grade, Madeline in kindergarten)

Possible speaking topics:

Spirituality and theology of peace building
Where's God in the middle of all this?
Indigenous spirituality and peace building
Restorative justice - learnings so far
A Philippine journey of healing and peace
Current peacebuilding efforts in the 40 year-old civil wars of the Philippines
Human rights and peacebuilding in the Philippines