Inspiration

As we've been saying in staff meetings this week, it can be pretty discouraging to do this kind of work. I'm sure you all are much more familiar with that phenomenon than I am, but since this internship here at MOGC is my first real experience in the field, I think it's hitting me harder than I thought. I'm a person who really likes to see the results of my work, so knowing that this is the kind of work that happens over years and decades is a bit of a challenge to adjust to.

I think the most helpful thing for me as far as inspiration has been getting out of the office (no offense guys!). The tireless work of all of you is very inspiring to me as well (and I do mean that), but it's helpful to connect with other groups and see what they are working on and what events are happening.

One of the most helpful experiences recently was a Religious Responses to Conflict Forum at the Wilson Center. It was basically a lot of storytelling about "unsung heroes" in conflict areas. I just love hearing about people out there who are united with us in working for justice and peace. There was a women there from Uganda who was chosen by her president to go to the conflict area to try to bring peace through nonviolent means. She was terrified, but because of her Christian faith, felt called to try to save lives, even in such a dangerous situation. That in itself was inspiring, but I also liked a particular story she told. One time she was going on a very dangerous trip to meet a rebel leader in the bush and she asked three religious leaders to accompany her, since she thought they would be nonthreatening and competent negotiators. The Catholic bishop, Anglican bishop, and Muslim sheik all eventually backed out, and that's when she realized that everyone is human and has the same fears that she does. I guess I tend to think that people who do courageous things like she did must be fearless people, and I can never attain that level of courage and selflessness, so she brought my perspective back to solid ground. It's not a matter of eliminating all fear and discouragement, but of choosing to take one step at a time.