Amplify Peace: Creating a Better Story Together

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The idea of peace is very appealing.  But it is hard work especially when working across cultural divides and in war zones.  What does bringing people together look like when you've seen friends and family killed?  Colonel Lorenzo Valenzuela served for 30 years in the US Army including overseeing peace initiatives in Iraq, Afghanistan and shares some amazing stories and wisdom in how we can be ambassadors for peace. 

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When the bombs are falling in your neighborhood and your country is being invaded, what would you do?  What if you had a family?  Sasha Musiyenko is a teacher at Kiev Christian Academy and shares his amazing testimony of hearing from God in the middle of the night and how his family has been able to respond to the horrible suffering around them. 

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In the 90s, Jonathan spent several years living in Russia.  He lived with a Russian family, spoke Russian and made many dear friends.  He also taught at churches and at conferences across the former Soviet Union including several trips to Ukraine.  His heart has been broken over the invasion of Ukraine.  Lisa and Jonathan try to process his experience through the eyes of pursuing peace. 

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Jenny Yang is the Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief where she provides oversight for all advocacy initiatives and policy positions for the organization. She represents the organization’s advocacy priorities to the U.S. government and leads mobilization efforts on advocacy campaigns. She has worked over a decade in refugee protection, immigration policy, and human rights protections and was on the active deployment roster for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Previous to World Relief, she worked at one of the largest political consulting companies in the DC area. Jenny is co-author of “Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion and Truth in the Immigration Debate" and contributing author to three other books. 

She’s a thought leader and incredible expert in her field, as you’ll hear, in combination with an incredible heart . As an advocate for immigrants and refugees, her vision of love includes a universal welcoming of the stranger.

In this conversation,  you’ll find her perspectives very insightful in challenging us to all to think past what may be our current ideas on this topic, past the headline coverage or political positions… to think differently, to listen from a heart perspective, from God’s perspective.
worldrelief.org

Interviewed by Lisa Jernigan, hosted by Julie Bean
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This episode is powerful, Dr. Carolyn Woo gives us tools for respectfully entering into spaces  and being effective in promoting change.  

If you missed Part 1 of this two part episode, don't forget to go back and listen!

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This month is all about celebrating women! As you will hear in this conversation with Lisa Jernigan and Carolyn Woo, women are incredible, and the resiliency and strength of women all over the world is inspiring!

Dr. Carolyn Woo is president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors in Europe. Since then, it has expanded in size to reach more than 100 million people in nearly 100 countries on five continents. Dr. Woo, representing CRS, was featured in Foreign Policy (May/June, 2013) as one of the 500 Most Powerful people on the planet and one of only 33 in the category of "a force for good." 

Carolyn came to CRS after a distinguished academic career at her alma mater, Purdue University, as well as at the University of Notre Dame, where she served as business school dean. She was the first female dean to chair AACSB International and directed its initiative for Peace Through Commerce. She also was featured in Foreign Policy magazine in 2013 as one of the 500 most powerful people on the planet.

Woo's service to humanity began early. She grew up in Hong Kong, where millions of people had fled the communist revolution. As early as fourth grade, she was translating documents such as utility bills and tax notifications for relatives who could not read English. Today, her reach expands much further—CRS touches more than 130 million people in nearly 100 countries.

For more information on Catholic Relief Service, visit crs.org

Hosted by Julie Bean
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This conversation with Eugene Cho is a powerful tool to engaging in politics, as mature Christians seeking to give theological and Biblical framework that isn't bound to either political party. 
Eugene's latest book "Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk: a Christian's Guide to Engaging Politics" is a must read, equipping us with the 10 commandments of conversations surrounding politics.
For more information on Eugene and his works, visit eugenecho.org

Interviewed by Lisa Jernigan, hosted by Julie Bean
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Rev. Eugene Cho’s many passions involve leadership, justice, the whole Gospel, and the pursuit of God’s Kingdom here on this earth. He travels throughout the world to encourage churches, non-profits, pastors, leaders, missionaries, and justice workers – whether this happens in churches, arenas, conferences, universities, or as a guest in underground churches or refugee camps.

Eugene is the President/CEO of Bread for the World and Bread Institute, a prominent non-partisan Christian advocacy organization urging both national and global decision makers to help end hunger – both in the United States and around the world. Bread has been engaged in this critical discipleship of advocacy for the hungry and vulnerable since its inception in 1974.

He is also the founder and visionary of One Day’s Wages (ODW) – a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty. Since its launch in October 2009, ODW has raised over $8 million dollars for projects to empower those living in extreme global poverty. He is also the founder and former Senior Pastor of Quest Church.

Eugene is the author of two acclaimed books, Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk: A Christian’s Guide to Engaging Politics (2020) and Overrated: Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World Than Actually Changing the World? (2014)

Eugene and Minhee have been married for 23 years and have three children. Together, they live in Seattle, Washington.
For more information, visit eugenecho.com

Interviewed by Lisa Jernigan, hosted by Julie Bean.
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Merry Christmas from the Amplify Peace Team!

We have a special Christmas episode, brought to you directly from Bethlehem! Today we’re talking with an incredible woman - Vera Baboun, she’s a wonderful friend to us at Amplify Peace, and as you’ll hear, she’s an incredibly accomplished leader, an example to us all -  an example for the next generation of women ….AND also she’s an impactful peacemaker.  

She believes that QUOTE “building peace is difficult, but living without peace is torment” and this is all about her mission and the reality that she lives. 

She lives in Bethlehem where she was born and raised . 

Vera is the 1st ever -  elected Woman Mayor of the City of Bethlehem  

She’s a member of the Palestinian National Council and the Palestinian Womens Union.  

Vera is a gender researcher and advocate and has an active role in the political empowerment of women in the Middle East. In 2018, she co-created the regional platform for promoting the role of Arab Women in the electoral process which is led by the Organization of Arab Electoral Management Bodies and officially launched in 2019  in Tunis. 

In 2018, she participated in UN Somalia JPLG program on inclusive governance to enhance the participation of women and youth in central and local governments in Somalia. 

In 2007, she joined GRACE research network for the empowerment of women in Africa and the Middle East. 

In 2012, Vera published her qualitative research entitled “Scheherazade’s of Today: Young Palestinian Women use Film, Radio and Platforms to Speak up and Create Change” in a book entitled Women and ICT in Africa and The Middle East; Changing Selves, Changing Societies which includes 27 gender researches by woman researchers from the MENA area. 

She’s also been a member of the Higher Presidential Committee for Churches’ Affairs/ The Palestine and the Presidential Committee for the Restoration of the Nativity Church.

She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Bethlehem Development Foundation, the Yasser Arafat Foundation/Palestine, the International Impact Committee for Women Mayors Network, NDI, Washington, the Board of Trustees of Care-i-tas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem, and a member of the Guidance and Training Centre for Family and Children. 

She  holds a masters degree in literature from the Hebrew university of Jerusalem. 

 In her most recent book – FOR THE LOVE OF BETHLEHEM MY WALLED CITY - Vera delivers a powerful testimony to the reality of daily life in Bethlehem and Palestine. and offering us a path of freedom, hope and of veracity without compromise.

Interviewed by Lisa Jernigan
Hosted by Julie Bean

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