Immigration affects millions of people. The US spends millions of dollars every year enforcing immigration laws. Padilla will put a human face on this complex issue. He will challenge us to reflect on how our faith commitments can guide our response to immigration in our community and our country.

Padilla lived in Guatemala for the first 15 years of his life. In 1986 he migrated with his family to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to reuinite with his father, who left Guatemala as a political refugee during his country's civil war. Padilla later moved with his family to the U.S. to pursue studies. He is a graduate of both Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary and Goshen College. He is employed by Mennonite Central Committee US as director for the Office on Immigration as part of the Peace and Justice Ministries department.

For more information contact PEACE Iowa.

The book jacket has the following paragraph: "What does it mean to fight for peace today? We all want lasting peace. But is it really possible, and how do we achieve it? Defying military intelligence officers in Burma, secret police in Vietnam, and combatants in the Occupied Territories of Palestine, Scott Hunt spent three years traveling across the globe - often under arduous conditions - to seek out the wisdom of the world's leading peacemakers." There are individual chapters about Aung San Suu Kyi, the Dalai Lama, Israel and Palestinian peacemakers, Thich Quang Do, Oscar Arias, Maha Ghosananda and Jane Goodall. If you don't have time to read the whole book you could read the chapters that interest you. The book is not at the Iowa City or Coralville Public Libraries but used copies are available from Amazon for as low as $2.00.

Let us know if you are interested in this discussion by CONTACTING PEACE IOWA.

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