“Let The World Know Us For Peace”

Essential to the camp experience is a willingness among participants to explore the pain and trauma that violence has caused in their lives. That willingness was again on display at this year’s peace camp in Iraq, which happened in late September in the city of Shaqlawa.

Building on the great success of past peace camps in Iraq, this camp brought together another 72 local and international participants who were hungry for peace.

One first-time participant was Toss Mukwa from DR Congo, a key network leader with Five & Two, who spoke about how trauma can hold people hostage to the past. His challenge was personal: “Don’t wait another day to forgive. Forgive today. Don’t spend your time trying to change other people. If you want to change someone, change yourself.”

This opened the door for another Congolese participant to share about intense real-time conflicts in his country. Yet, instead of bitterness, he chose forgiveness, saying, “We cannot let the darkness win by holding on to unforgiveness.”

Other participants encircled him, comforting him, and blessing him aloud. “It was a sacred moment,” one observer shared. “God surrounded him with people who knew his pain. Who better to comfort him than those who’ve experienced similar fears and horrors?”

That sacred moment broke something open among everyone present. Vulnerability replaced hesitation. Others began to share their stories about loss and suffering within their families, or about the tragedies of war and genocide.

A young Iraqi who came from a persecuted minority stood up and said, “If we continue to respond to violence with violence, we will have rivers and seas of blood. Today, I choose to forgive those who have hurt us.”

By the end of the session, people from very different backgrounds were embracing each other in deep love and acceptance. One participant summed up the impact: “God is moving here undeniably. Hearts are changing. Through every tear, every story, every act of courage and forgiveness, the seeds of peace and redemption are being sown.”