“I went on the Israel-Palestine trip right after my mom passed.”

Brad runs a hand across his face and looks up at the ceiling. “My dad, brother, and I are all really different people, you could say. We see things differently. After mom passed, I invited them to go on this trip with me and they said yes.”

Pain has a way of turning us inward. In our hurt, we look for comfort and familiarity—what we don’t do is invite grieving family members to explore one of the most complex, heartbreaking conflicts on earth.

But that’s exactly what Brad did.

“I just realized I’ve only lived a sliver of life experience, and going on this trip was an opportunity to gain understanding. I needed perspective, and it was a gift to hear the stories.”

In their grief, Brad and his family chose to sit with families who had suffered pain upon pain.

In their loneliness, Brad, his dad and brother listened to Palestinians who’ve felt utterly abandoned.

In their separation, Brad, his dad and his brother heard stereotype-destroying stories of enemy-loving peacemakers who chose unity against all odds.

By leaning into all this hardship, they actually came closer together as a family.

Since his initial trip to Israel/Palestine with Global Immersion, Brad has joined our teams on several more trips, he has created beautiful videos documenting transformative work happening around the world, and he always brings what he learns home, where he is still close to his family, still working for peace, and still committed to the belief that pain doesn’t have to drive us apart—shared pain may be the exact thing we need to truly know peace.

Curious about how an intentional immersion into Everyday Peacemaking can alter your life? Join Brad and the Peacemakers from Israel and Palestine who changed his life at the Everyday Peacemaking Summit. September 19-22, Puerto Nuevo, Mexico. Details & Registration here.