Zooming in War and Peace
Karl and Debbie....Zooming in War and Peace
Dear friends, Zooming with us.
“It has become an existential war and it is difficult to see how this is going to end soon,” the reporter gave his alarming description this morning on “Morning Edition” of National Public Radio. It detailed the world’s latest deep conflict on the Horn of Africa. Already 35,000 refugees were spilling into Sudan from Tigray in northern Ethiopia as the political, geographic, and ethnic struggle continue to dominate the region in protracted decades-long conflicts. A full scale international war involving Eritrea, Ethiopia, and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front is now real again. Ethiopia is second in Africa’s population to Nigeria.
As I listened, my mind flashed back nearly five decades ago when we lived and worked in the region. We easily picture Tigray women with their red, tattered veils swirling in the wind as they lead their children alone on their journey to escape. All the men are out fighting. These were Debbie’s neighbors during the 26 days of captivity in 1974 by another liberation front—the Eritrean Liberation Front.
Karl’s mind meanwhile mixed the past with the present. In July and August, two of his PhD students from Ethiopia eagerly attended the doctoral zoom classes on in Peace Studies. Some days they cruised the city of Addis Ababa in search of an internet signal. They attended class in their car, changing locations to access the six hours of daily online learning that lasted for 6 weeks. Aware of their region’s turmoil, they determined to discover critical knowledge and skills to enable them to lead their congregations and denominations and school in addressing conflict, whether in the home, church, community, or nation from a biblical framework.
Our two Ethiopian students last year in Manila
From the back seat of a car, they joined 10 other classmates from Cameroon, Nigeria, Australia, Philippines, UK, and Cambodia, unlocking biblical truth through lectures, role play, and small group discussion about negotiation, conflict coaching and mediation. The final course required them to integrate everything and reformulate it for their context. Only God knew in July how their persistence to learn would be put to practice within months in an escalating war. And only the Prince of Peace will be able to keep these two participants able to move forward in their studies as the internet again blinks off in the conflict of war.
From the back seat of a car, they joined 10 other classmates from Cameroon, Nigeria, Australia, Philippines, UK, and Cambodia, unlocking biblical truth through lectures, role play, and small group discussion about negotiation, conflict coaching and mediation.
The final course required them to integrate everything and reformulate it for their context. Only God knew in July how their persistence to learn would be put to practice within months in an escalating war. And only the Prince of Peace will be able to keep these two participants able to move forward in their studies as the internet again blinks off in the conflict of war.
The Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) in Eritrea in 1974 and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) Ethiopia in 2020 are the bookends of our life ministry. In our flesh, we groan as the writer of Lamentations, “Our pursuers [sin and conflict within and without] are swifter than the eagles in the heavens,” Lamentations 4:19. “For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim.” Lamentations 5:17.
But our hope presses us to strive with “dim eyes” every breath the Lord gives because, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.”
Gathered a year ago with the entire fourth cohort. Following our courses in August one has had to drop out from the pressure of daily ministry needs.
Please zoom in with us on our prayer needs:
Peace in Ethiopia and for the church (including our own) to be agents of peace and reconciliation across all barriers.
Praise God, the Peace Studies PhD and DMin programs now have seven graduates active in their countries of Zimbabwe (one scholar was originally from Rwanda), Sri Lanka, India, and the USA.
Currently, there is a cohort of 12 scholars in the Peace Studies doctoral program. Another 18 are interested in joining a new cohort. Clearly, God is at work. Please pray for the program’s future leadership, sponsoring institutions, and financial needs. Karl stepped down as director a year ago but continues to consult, teach and guide six dissertations. He identified a fantastic possible new director, but at this point the long term future of the program is undecided.
The global COVID 19 pandemic lockdowns provided opportunity to co-teach with a longtime colleague. The four practical and vital courses Negotiation, Coaching, Mediation, and Comparative Systems) are now being developed into an online curriculum through a web-based platform known as Sychar Well Group. https://sycharwell.org/
Karl’s consultancy work in aiding the new development of possibly two new master’s level programs in Peace Studies in seminaries in two countries.
The International House (next to our house in Baltimore) has been home to scholars from 10 different countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, China, Egypt, and Singapore. For a thanksgiving meal (distanced, with masks and spread over three wonderful row-house porches) we had 8 countries represented with 12 people in attendance. Continue to pray for the board of governance which will create a sustainable ministry with a 501c3 status. Pray for each resident (there are 5 rooms) and those who do not yet know the Savior.
Praise the Lord—Debbie completed 23 years with World Relief in a packed final nine months of curriculum writing and training to allow the “Families for Life” program to continue. She is now enjoying helping grandchildren with virtual school and serving our church. She has plans to do more writing and speaking.
We have arrived at the point in life where Debbie maintains a full calendar to keep up with her myriad of doctors successfully treating her autoimmune diseases. Karl has prostate surgery December, and is now sporting a new ear! His cochlear implant enables him to finally hear the “sweet nothings” from Deb. (“Say that again!”)
Our support account is waning and our needs are increasingly met by Social Security, but the reduced salary does not provide for work expenses. COVID has eliminated the travel costs! We are thankful for the churches and individuals who have stayed the course with us (from 1980) and those who share our vision for the Shalom of Christ to be felt and seen in homes, communities, and churches across the world.
Debbie on one of her last trips to establish the Families for Life Curriculum in Rwanda identified an Eritrean refugee walking on the road and the team stopped to talk and help. Debbie gave her Ethiopian dress that she had packed for the trip :)
--We have begun a salary reduction plan that will continue to move to the level that donations support. Give thanks in prayer with us that God does supply all our needs.
https://www.mtw.org/missionaries/details/karl-and-debbie-dortzbach