“I grew up in a polarized context. My dad was a fundamentalist pastor, and I remember as kids we’d ask him if we could go visit some place or people and he’d say, ‘No, they’re not in our camp.’”
Heidi leaned back, smiling at the memory. “Well one day—after my dad said that again—I responded with, ‘Well I may not be in your camp either, dad, but you’re definitely in mine.’”
This is Heidi Brandow, a Detroit-based peacemaker whose work has taken her around the world and all over the United States. Yet the toughest challenges she’s faced as an #EverdayPeacemaker have always been in her own home.
“I remember the surprise on my dad’s face when I said that, and I’ve remained committed to building a bigger camp. I’m committed to a bigger tent, even if those around me choose something smaller. Because the simple truth is change won’t happen if we keep living in these small camps. Little tents get us nowhere.”
Fast-forward decades later, and Heidi is still having these same discussions with her friends, neighbors, and family. “I traveled with World Vision and got to work in some amazing places alongside incredible people, but I realized pretty quickly that the biggest risk we take as peacemakers isn’t ‘over there’, it’s right here. It’s in our own homes, communities, and neighborhoods. Over there we might risk new relationships, maybe even our safety, but here we risk far more: we risk our very identity, our deepest belonging.”
Heidi would be the first to tell you this is all easier said than done, but she’s working every day to live it out. She refuses to stop taking those risks on behalf of True Peace. She presses on, getting into tough conversations and working to make sure everyone knows her tent is big enough for them AND the people they reject.
We’re grateful for that work and commit ourselves to the same. Bigger tents, friends. “They” are all in “our” camp.
Author: Matt Willingham
Matt Willingham is a writer, photographer, and content creator with over ten years experience living and working in some of the hardest-hit conflict zones in the world. He and his wife, Cayla, are now based in San Diego where they’re raising three little peacemakers and working to promote empathy and understanding in their community.
@matt.willingham