Rev. Erik Swanson, ABL Founding Board Member interviews Dr. Marilee as she shares some of the mission of Always Be Listening with friends and supporters at Westhope Church, Saratoga, CA.
Showing photo of art created by a ten-year-old Syrian boy who is the sole survivor of a family massacre in Syria. He is now safe in a Jordanian camp for Syrian children, 'save the Children. In the picture, he portrays in minute detail what happened to his family on "the day the soldiers came" as he worked with his therapist, our Country Director, Deay'.
In this drawing by a child in the Jordanian camps for Syrian children, notice the sad expression, and tears, on the face
of the Mother carrying her child . . . and is there another small child in front of her? blood falling to the ground? she is
trapped by the soldier? And this house exuding smoke, that somehow resembles a human face . . . a face that is seeing
it all ... . July 2016.
of the Mother carrying her child . . . and is there another small child in front of her? blood falling to the ground? she is
trapped by the soldier? And this house exuding smoke, that somehow resembles a human face . . . a face that is seeing
it all ... . July 2016.
We welcomed Steve Bergkamp to the Always Be Listening Executive Board of Directors !! Above are Steve's boys and Dr. Jay Livingston's girls -- all are adult college students or graduates now -- picture was taken many years ago at the Monterey, CA beach.
Steve has a well-integrated set of strategic, visionary and interpersonal skills demonstrated over many years of experience successfully mentoring youth in the southeastern US through purposeful, meaningful humanitarian and second response recovery training projects. He will now coordinate progUS/Central Eastern southern and surrounding regions; he has made one trip to Cuba and has worked throughout the south/central region with teams of youth and adults on recovery and rebuilding. He is relocating to North Carolina for four years of study at Duke University school of ministry combined with a Student Pastorate in Sophia, North Carolina, and plans to develop partnerships with the Methodist church and Always Be Listening to support youth in similar team ventures.
With an M.S. degree in Applied Economics and background in Law Enforcement as a Ranger in California, Steve has directed large County Park facilities for many years, and directed the Student Youth Ministry in the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches where he developed a vigorous repair and recovery youth training program. He is on the ordination track to be a Methodist Pastor, is married to Jill, an English professor and nationally published poet/writer, and together they have two grown sons, a daughter-in-law, and a new puppy named Ruby.
January 2016 - Big Ben turns BLUE! Peace for the world's children! Many thanks to the United Kingdom for this lovely gesture!!
For the first time in history, the face of the famous clock in London was made to turn blue to symbolize solidarity with others in support of global peace for the children of the world. We loved that!!!!
For the first time in history, the face of the famous clock in London was made to turn blue to symbolize solidarity with others in support of global peace for the children of the world. We loved that!!!!
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December Sky.
Wintry Sky in November.
Photo, Kyle Meddaugh
Je suis Paris; Lebanon . . .November 2015.
November, 2015
Dear Friends in France and Lebanon and dear US French and Lebanese Friends affected,
always be listening global (.com) members, friends, and supporters are terribly saddened and grief-stricken by the unspeakably senseless violence of recent days. We send our personal thoughts and prayers for deep comfort and hope to all families and friends affected -- and to all First and continuing Responders, to those in all healing, medical, spiritual, and caring, caregiving roles, political and military protection and assistance positions, educators and support personnel -- and especially to the children affected by the needless, savage, terrifying slaughters in Paris and Beirut.
We represent many countries and faiths, all working for peace for children and families. We pray for you, especially for those of you for whom this loss is devastatingly personal having lost loved ones, and for the families of the shooters, whose loss, shock, sense of betrayal and pain may be compounded now by shame, fear, isolation, and disenfranchised grief.
You have our love and prayers in Paris and Beirut, and for those so worried now in Belgium, Syria, and with those who love you around the world.
We pray for those who wish to travel to be with their loved ones in these countries but cannot at this time.
And we also pray for the many for whom each violent event triggers painful memories of past traumatic events - those affected by the Garissa University slaughter in Kenya, the Peshawar school children massacre in Pakistan . . .
Violence is like an inkwell spilled . . . for now, we pray this inkwell remains empty for you.
May Peace prevail, may the sun shine warmly upon you on this new, blessed day.
Dr. Marilee Ruebsamen, Founding Executive Director Rev. Erik Swanson, Pastor, Westhope Presbyterian Church, Saratoga, CA
always be listening global initiative always be listening global, Board of Directors
alwaysbelisteningglobal.com alwaysbelisteningglobal.com
Sending french roses, "Abbaye de Cluny", from my garden.
Je suis Parisienne. Je suis Lebanese.
Dear Friends in France and Lebanon and dear US French and Lebanese Friends affected,
always be listening global (.com) members, friends, and supporters are terribly saddened and grief-stricken by the unspeakably senseless violence of recent days. We send our personal thoughts and prayers for deep comfort and hope to all families and friends affected -- and to all First and continuing Responders, to those in all healing, medical, spiritual, and caring, caregiving roles, political and military protection and assistance positions, educators and support personnel -- and especially to the children affected by the needless, savage, terrifying slaughters in Paris and Beirut.
We represent many countries and faiths, all working for peace for children and families. We pray for you, especially for those of you for whom this loss is devastatingly personal having lost loved ones, and for the families of the shooters, whose loss, shock, sense of betrayal and pain may be compounded now by shame, fear, isolation, and disenfranchised grief.
You have our love and prayers in Paris and Beirut, and for those so worried now in Belgium, Syria, and with those who love you around the world.
We pray for those who wish to travel to be with their loved ones in these countries but cannot at this time.
And we also pray for the many for whom each violent event triggers painful memories of past traumatic events - those affected by the Garissa University slaughter in Kenya, the Peshawar school children massacre in Pakistan . . .
Violence is like an inkwell spilled . . . for now, we pray this inkwell remains empty for you.
May Peace prevail, may the sun shine warmly upon you on this new, blessed day.
Dr. Marilee Ruebsamen, Founding Executive Director Rev. Erik Swanson, Pastor, Westhope Presbyterian Church, Saratoga, CA
always be listening global initiative always be listening global, Board of Directors
alwaysbelisteningglobal.com alwaysbelisteningglobal.com
Sending french roses, "Abbaye de Cluny", from my garden.
Je suis Parisienne. Je suis Lebanese.
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OCT. 20, 2015
From the German news site, DW.com, comes news of a professional artist (and former refugee) who has opened his studio to recent refugee children, enabling them to paint as they wish -- the results, especially the changes in their art over time, are amazing. |
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ABL Board Member Leslie Snider, MD, Amsterdam, Peace in Action, LLC, global psychiatrist, recently created a FREE BOOK for Children about EBOLA!! See it on her beautiful website, Peace in Action, B.V.Scale of sexual violence in South Sudan unprecedented, Red Cross says,
TOM ESSLEMONT LONDON — Reuters Published Wednesday, Oct. 07, 2015 12:04PM EDT Last updated Wednesday, Oct. 07, 2015 12:06PM EDT Women in South Sudan have suffered unprecedented levels of sexual violence in the last two years, including abduction, rape, forced marriage and murder as civilians became targets of merciless ethnic warfare, the head of the Red Cross mission there has said. “We went to one village to distribute aid and (our teams) were told they had been attacked some days earlier and 90 women had been abducted. After several days only about 60 of them came back,” said Franz Rauchenstein, the outgoing head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation. |
