Enteral Peace

Tuesday, was the second day of the peace dialogue. The conversations with the Sahrawi people were gaining more depth and substance. Instead of focusing on the unfortunate circumstance they find themselves, we were able to encourage them to shift their focus onto the things that they do have within the camps. We got to hear from a young man in his mid twenties, who was able to take plastic water bottles to create sustainable housing. We also got to hear from a young Muslim woman who started her own pizzeria. She shared her passion for cooking, as well as the struggles she faced to get it kicked off. Taking into account this this is a Muslim culture, the Sahrawi women are well respected. However, they still have little rights and lack many privileges compared to the men. What was really inspiring about her presentation was when she asked for questions and comments. During this time young men stood up and started encouraging and complimenting her for all that she had done. Besides talking about how they can find hope in the desert, we also talked about peace. More specifically we were able to talk to the people about eternal peace.

Another amazing encounter that we got to see is when a Muslim man stood up during the peace dialogue to thank Adam and his family for all they do for the Sahrawi people. *Adam's family of six are field workers that have been living in the camp for the past 5+ years. To see a culture that finds it's complete identity in its religion, they (Muslims) were thanking a Christian man and his family. This is one of many examples of how my views of Muslims and their culture have been completely flipped up side down by this trip. Instead of fear and a feeling of hopelessness for that people group, I now see a people whom love and serve others more than anyone else I've ever known.


At night our host mother, Miriam took a piece of cloth and wrapped it around Lisa's face. The game she taught us was a combination of hide-n-go-seek and Marco-polo. This was a start to an eventful evening that included, me tackling Miriam, Danny clothes-lining a little boy, Ellen hitting her head about 20x on the door and lastly, us dumping a bucket of water on Dav to close out the night.

Surely, a night that we will all never forget!


-Richard S.