Dann Pantoja, Joji Pantoja, and Tim Froese pose for a photo when the Pantojas visited the Mennonite Church Canada offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Tim, the Executive Minister of MCCanada Witness, wears the “tubao,” a head gear of the Maguindanao tribe in Southern Philippines. The Maguindanao tribe is part of the Bangsamoro people.
Every three years, Dann & Joji Pantoja, the lead peace and reconciliation missionaries at PeaceBuilders Community, are assigned to speak at various church organizations, inter-faith gatherings, peace advocacy groups, and academic institutions. The Pantojas arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia in the evening of 10 September. Joji will be back in Davao on the second week of November; Dann will be back at the end of November.
Their schedule includes the following activities (the list will be updated as links to actual posts):
September
10. Flight to Vancouver.
11. Say ‘Hello’ to our children and grand-children in Vancouver.
12. Flight to Winnipeg. Time with Gordon Zerbe and Wendy Kroeker.
13. Speak at Fort Garry Mennonite Church and at a Filipino Community in Winnipeg
13-15. Meetings at Mennonite Church Canada offices
16. Speak at Menno Simons College, University of Winnipeg
17. Meet with Mennonite Central Committee executives in Winnipeg
18. Flight to Toronto
19. Dinner Fellowship with Len Rempel & Family
20-22. Learning tour in various farms in Kitchener-Waterloo area
23. Speak at Waterloo North Mennonite Church
24-26. Rest days in Toronto
27. Speak at Toronto United Mennonite Church
28. Fellowship with a group of Filipino leaders in Toronto
29. Fellowship with Tom & Rebecca Yoder Neufeld
30. Speak at Conrad Grebel College, University of Waterloo
October
01. Peacebuilding strategic meetings at Grebel College, University of Waterloo
02. Travel to Leamington, ON
03. Learning tour and speak at the Mission Group of Leamington United Mennonite Church
04. Speak at the worship service of Leamington United Mennonite Church then afternoon tour
05. Flight to Washington, DC and meet with Rev. Luke SchrockHurst, MCC Virginia
06. Washington, DC appointments
:: 1000H EDT. Charissa Zehr, International Affairs, Mennonite Central Committee, Washington Office
:: 1100H EDT. Visit Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park
:: 1300H EDT. Dr. Murray Hiebert, Deputy Director & Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia
:: 1500H EDT. Dan Charles, Food and Agriculture Correspondent, National Public Radio
:: 1800H EDT. Dr. Al Fuertes, Associate Professor, Trauma Healing and Conflict Transformation, George Mason University
:: Drive from DC to Harrisonburg, VA from 2030H to 2230H EDT.
07. Meetings with executives of Virginia Mennonite Mission and Eastern Mennonite University (EMU)
08. Speak at EMU Seminary and meeting with EMU Center for InterFaith Engagement
09. Meet with Dr. Daryl Byler, Executive Director, Centre for Justice and Peacebuilding; then, visit Virginia Mennonite Communities with LukeSchrockHurst
10. Flight to Vancouver, BC via Los Angeles, CA
11. Canadian Thanksgiving Family Dinner
12. Fellowship with Lisa Alexander – friend, sister, family lawyer, ministry partner
13. Family Day in Downtown Vancouver
14. Lunch fellowship with Rev. Tim & Sandra Kuepfer; Dinner fellowship with Gerd & Regina Bartel
15. Speak at Columbia Bible College and visit MCC British Columbia Centre
16. Traditional Family Trip to Victoria, BC
18. Speak at Peace Mennonite Church in Richmond, BC
19. Canada Election Day
20. Family Day
21-24. Joji Travels to New York, NY to receive UNDP award for Coffee For Peace
25. Speak at Yarrow United Mennonite Church, Yarrow, BC
26. Meet with Garry Janzen, Executive Minister, Mennonite Church British Columbia
27-28. Establish Coffee For Peace Canada, Ltd.
29. Joji flies back to Manila
30-31. Review status of Friends of PeaceBuilders Canada
November
01. Speak at Sherbrooke Mennonite Church, Vancouver, BC
02-20. Family Time – FutureTalks
21. Dann flies back to Manila
