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a group sitting around a table in Leyte

Darnell Barkman’s Mission

My Mission

I write to equip leaders like you to join the mission of God who is reconciling everything (Col. 1:20, 2 Cor 5:19). I know Jesus as the ultimate peacemaker and I don’t only write about it. I’ve given my life to walking with his as a peacemaking disciple.
 
I live to help you find Jesus the peacemaking God in scripture and real life. To create materials for other peacemaking leaders so you can make these ideas your own, shape them and add new ideas to them. So that we can multiply Jesus followers as talented and equipped Christian Peacebuilders.
 
Leaders play a key role in equipping and mentoring less experienced peacemakers. But, you don’t need to be a very experienced leader to walk with God and follow Jesus. He is alive and healing broken relationships around you and around the world. He’s inviting you to join him in his peacemaking mission.

My Vision and Dream

I dream the international church becomes a family working to heal our neighbours. At our best, we will live as Jesus’ disciples loving serving and building peace with our enemies. We will help bring down oppressive structures and build liberating ones. We will suffer to heal our neighbours and enemies. We will suffer because we follow the example of the loving Creator God who the seen in Jesus Christ, our LORD. He suffered to bring healing into the world and we are learning to do the same.
 
I want to see the church walk like Jesus, with his hope, joy, actions, and spirituality. So, I write, share videos, take pictures and share audio to share many stories that spark conversation around Jesus’ ideas. I hope they lead you to Jesus and to action. This is how we can change who the church is in our lifetime.

My Journey into Peacemaking

I wasn’t always living as an #everydaypeacemaker. It took me a long time to get here:

  • I lived in a tent in the forests of northern Canada for 12 months as a tree planter. I learned how few possessions I need to live.
  • At 17 I visited a leper colony in Thailand. This sparked questions about how Jesus related to socially marginalized people.
  • At 18 I lived on a former slave plantation in Jamaica. This rose some questions about Christianity and racism.
  • I was in Haiti during the 2004 coup d’etat. I later read Mountains Beyond Mountains and started to understand systematic injustice, colonization, and globalization better.
  • I was “smuggled” across Cuba in the back of a dump truck, danced with the Cuban church, and heard the good, bad and ugly stories about “Papa Fidel” Castro and the Cuban revolution.
  • I lived and served in Mindanao, Philippines an island working its way out of colonization. Formerly a Muslim majority island, but, years of division caused by “Christian” political manipulation have divided the people through violent conflict. Warlord families who want power and money cause widespread poverty, armed conflict, and 100,000’s of deaths over 40+ years of conflict. But, there is hope. Muslims, Christians and local indigenous leaders consistently reinforce their unity when they work together for reconciliation. Their goal is to rediscover a lasting, locally determined and sustainable peace.
  • I lived in the Philippines with my family for 7 years (more here). We were in Metro Manila. We led Peace Church Philippines on a journey with Jesus. A journey to understanding the story Jesus told, practice the spirituality Jesus practiced & live the life Jesus lived in a Filipino church community.
  •  I’ve learned a lot from travelling. My travel stories and pictures will come out on the blog over time. They’ve shaped the questions I ask and the choices we make as a family.
  • We moved back to Yarrow, British Columbia in April 2018. Now we’re starting a new life reflecting back on the lessons of the Philippines. I’m organizing my current activities around key themes of rest and reflection, local ministry & service in Yarrow United Mennonite Church and international ministry as a Catalyst for Reconciliation in the Lausanne Movement.

Experiencing big conflicts, but Living with Hope

Stories in the media don’t teach much about being hopeful. Most news stories are about suffering or how to get ahead of others by pushing them down. My story is about how the Creator gave me new life and joy to serve others in contrast to the violently competing world around me.

Our family chose to respond to God’s generosity by giving our life to other in the Philippines!  Along the way, I’ve been healed, transformed through daily conflicts, receiving energy from spiritual practices (like prayer and meditation), overcoming destructive personal habits, and learned to live towards the endless hope the bible story gives us because of my loving self – sacrificing saviour Jesus Christ who embraces all people.

I don’t claim to have all the answers and I still have a lot to learn, but I’m happy to share what I’ve learned along the way. If you’re curious about living a new story of reconciliation and healing or discovering spiritual practices then enter your email address below and click “subscribe” to join our online community of people on this path.



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