| Here is part 2 of Mony's story who went from being a | | | | along the touristy Turkish coast, and felt that people |
| Microsoft sales executive to completing a pilgrimage | | | | saw us more as tourists than as pilgrims, and didn't |
| on the world-famous Camino de Santiago, which | | | | really care about our message or what we were |
| made her decide to complete a 5000 km long Walk | | | | doing. We felt they were more interested in our dollar |
| for Peace for 13 months through 13 countries. Click | | | | value than in our true intentions. So of course, we |
| here to access part I of her fascinating story. | | | | attracted exactly the situations that reinforced those |
| 8. From Italy you continued on into the Balkan countries. | | | | beliefs. It was an incredible lesson in watching how our |
| Please comment on your pilgrim experience there. I | | | | thoughts and beliefs directly influenced what we |
| believe that Croatia was a particularly unforgettable | | | | attracting into our lives. It was exactly as we had been |
| experience for you. Please tell us about your | | | | saying all along - we had the power to change the |
| experience in the other Balkan countries. | | | | world through our thoughts and intentions. Once we |
| We walked through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia | | | | saw what was happening, we could step away from |
| Hercigovina, and Serbia/Montenegro. Our experience in | | | | it and try to heal the prejudices and misconceptions |
| Croatia was the most intense. The people here | | | | that we had about this world. It was when we did this |
| embraced us totally. We were in the newspapers and | | | | that our experiences totally turned around and we |
| on television. Their hospitality and desire to help us was | | | | were finally able to see the true heart of the Turkish |
| incredible. Our message seemed to resonate | | | | people. |
| especially strongly here, in a country recovering from | | | | 10. Please comment on the final portion of your route. |
| their own war. It was also there that Alberto and I | | | | How did you get to Jerusalem? You also referred to a |
| separated. He walked ahead to Medugorje, in Bosnia | | | | unique coincidence (that maybe wasn't so coincidental |
| Hercigovina with the agreement that I would only be a | | | | at all) related to the 12 gates of Jerusalem. Please |
| few days behind him. Medugorje is a village in Bosnia | | | | comment on some of the other "coincidences" you |
| Hercigovina where it is said that the Virgin Mary | | | | experienced on this trip. |
| appeared to five young children about twenty years | | | | The final portion of our trip was into the Arab world. |
| ago offering messages of peace at a time when the | | | | We walked through Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The |
| country was strife with war. The messages of peace | | | | Lebanese-Israeli border was the only border we could |
| continue to this day with a new message announced | | | | not cross on foot. It was physically closed with land |
| every month. Alberto wanted to arrive for the next | | | | mines and barbed wire blocking our way. We had to |
| message while I couldn't walk that fast. We ended up | | | | take a plane from Beirut to Cyprus, then to Tel Aviv. |
| being separated for over a month with no way of | | | | From there, we took the train north to Haifa to begin |
| contacting the other. We only managed to speak | | | | our walk again. We were deeply frustrated by this |
| twice during that entire time. He called me once to let | | | | because we really felt the message of peace needed |
| me know that he had arrived safely. And I managed | | | | to cross at this specific border, site of so many |
| to finally contact him, after days of failed attempts, the | | | | hostilities and conflicts. But it wasn't meant to be. From |
| evening before I was about to arrive in Medugorje. | | | | Haifa, we continued along the coast, then cut inland |
| Circumstances seemed to conspire to keep us apart. I | | | | towards Jerusalem. |
| fell ill a few days after we separated with an infection | | | | Our entire pilgrimage was a series of synchronicities, |
| of the lymph nodes under my arms. I was told I may | | | | coincidences, and people arriving when we needed |
| need surgery to drain them since they were badly | | | | help. We do not believe in coincidences, but that all has |
| infected and the doctor didn't know if the antibiotics | | | | a Higher Purpose which often eludes us, but that is |
| would be strong enough. In the end, they did work but I | | | | always for the greatest good of all involved. We |
| needed over two weeks to recover from it and to | | | | arrived in Jerusalem on December 24, 2003, Christmas |
| regain the strength to walk again. I was taken care of | | | | Eve, completely unplanned. We walked to the old part |
| and welcomed by an incredible community in Brodarica | | | | of the city, which is surrounded by high ancient walls. |
| where the priest of the local church took me into his | | | | We knew there were twelve gates, not all open, and |
| home, brought me to doctors and medicine, and where | | | | decided to simply follow the road that led to the first |
| the nuns there oversaw every step of my recovery. | | | | gate on the way. We found ourselves in front of a |
| They appeared as angels in my way to help me at a | | | | huge arch called Bab Al Khalil, the Gate of Khalil. An |
| time when I was alone. | | | | Arab friend we had met during our walk had told us |
| That experience of being looked after and protected | | | | that the name Khalil meant Albert in English (or Alberto |
| on my way gave me the confidence to continue | | | | in Spanish). So after thirteen months of walking, we |
| walking alone. For Alberto as well, it was important for | | | | entered the Old City of Jerusalem through Alberto's |
| him to know that he can walk without me. We always | | | | Gate! We were also fortunate enough to be able to |
| felt more confident together knowing that a couple | | | | go to Bethlehem that very evening and to be in the |
| would be accepted easily and given accommodations. | | | | city where it all started. In a way, we were coming |
| It was more difficult for people to trust in a young man | | | | back to the beginning. |
| walking alone and give him accommodations. His | | | | We also had another unusual coincidence during the |
| experiences were not always easy but he found | | | | last leg of our pilgrimage. During the entire walk, we |
| angels along his way, just as I did, who stepped in and | | | | always carried signs announcing what we were doing. |
| helped him when he needed it most. It was a valuable | | | | In Israel, our signs said the word Peace in English, |
| lesson for us being apart and one that reminded us | | | | Arabic (Salam) and Hebrew (Shalom). The very day |
| that we enjoyed walking together but we didn't need | | | | that we put on the signs, the letters started to fall off |
| to do it. We would always be taken care of. | | | | as we were walking. We tried to paste them on again, |
| 9. After the Balkan countries you went through | | | | but it didn't work. It was as if we weren't meant to |
| Greece to Turkey. Please comment on this portion of | | | | carry this sign to its final destination. It was a difficult |
| the trip. What made the Turkey portion unique and | | | | thing to accept because for me especially, I felt this |
| different? | | | | was where the sign was most needed. But upon later |
| The Turkey portion was unique for several reasons. | | | | reflection, we realized that the outward message of |
| Physically, we were walking in Turkey in the summer, | | | | peace had served its purpose. It had touched those |
| in temperatures of well over 40 degrees Celsius every | | | | who needed it. But now it was time for us to go |
| day. We started walking at 5:00 in the morning so that | | | | inward, to focus on the inner journey of peace, to bring |
| we could finish by 10:00 at the latest, before it became | | | | that energy into Jerusalem with us. We realized that |
| too hot. The heat sapped all our energy and left us | | | | the only way to bring peace into such a troubled area |
| feeling drained most of the time. Emotionally, we had | | | | was not to shout it from the rooftops, but to live it in |
| also started our romantic relationship. It had started at | | | | our everyday lives, in our actions towards the people |
| the end of Greece but intensified in Turkey. As in | | | | who are like us and unlike us. The work of peace is an |
| every new relationship, it brought out the best and | | | | inner journey, people changing themselves and their |
| worst in both of us. Culturally, we had left the Christian | | | | attitudes and beliefs about their neighbors and the |
| world and entered fully into the Muslim one. All of these | | | | world they live in. They can then come to the world |
| factors combined made us turn more inwards, to | | | | from this place of peace, acceptance, tolerance and |
| focus more on ourselves and to only see only the | | | | openness. When they can be that peace that they |
| negative in our situation. As a result, we attracted | | | | wish to see, is when they can affect the most |
| more negative experiences that directly reflected our | | | | incredible change. When they can see the other point |
| beliefs. Because of judgments that we had about the | | | | of view, when they can forgive themselves and their |
| Muslim world being more conservative and | | | | neighbors for their mutual acts of atrocity, when they |
| un-accepting of two single people walking together, we | | | | can truly listen and have compassion for the other, |
| didn't seek help in mosques, nor did we try to engage | | | | that's when true peace can be created. |
| people as we did earlier in our walk. We were walking | | | | |