Berlin, Germany; May to September 2016

I stayed 4,5 months with Nanik & Petrus and helped as a volunteer with building a website, promotional brochures and helping in the preschool with weekly ideas like environmental educational activities. I joined all the AVP workshops and learned a lot about cultural differences, religion and how to build peace. I highly enjoyed my time here and can recommend to share this amazing experience. Thank you so much for including me to your family life and making me welcoming from the very first second. You are doing an amazing job and I am excited to see Peace Place growing more and more. MUCH LOVE to all of you! Feliz

Colorado, U.S.A.; June to July 2016

My name is Erik Skeaff, and my wife’s name is Heidi Ahrens. Our daughters Coralie and Ramona are 10 and 6. We live in Carbondale, Colorado where I work at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School, which is a high school that is dedicated to outdoor and experiential education.

We’re on sabbatical for the 2016-17 school year, and right now we’re at Peace Place in Pati, Indonesia. Heidi and I wake up at 6 a.m. most days and exercise in the schoolhouse with Feliz and Petrus from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Breakfast is at 7 a.m., and everyone serves themselves from an Indonesian-style buffet and then eats together in the living room. From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. we homeschool the girls. From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., a group of local girls who are roughly Coralie and Ramona’s age come to the schoolhouse to to learn Indonesian dances from Vita, who teaches dance. Coralie also teaches the Indonesian girls ballet and ballet folklorico, or Mexican folk dancing, which she studies in Carbondale. The girls are preparing a dance show to present to parents. At the same time as the girls are dancing, Petrus and I work together on our respective Indonesian and English language skills. 

After lunch, we usually have some down time, followed by an activity like a trip to the market or the swimming pool, or a trip to Seloromo Gembong Lake. At night, we share a meal together and stay up talking until bedtime. 

A highlight of our stay has been taking part in AVP workshops. We met with a Mennonite congregation in Ketanggan (Bowo and Gloria) and participated as Nanik and Petrus ran a three hour workshop. The congregants played name games and took part in icebreakers and group-building activities. It was satisfying in spite of the language barrier to be able to connect on a human level through humor and physical interaction. We also participated in a two day workshop in Muslim Tundomolyo village, and a in-service AVP workshop with the Pati Friends Team.

We are staying with Petrus and Nadik at the Friends site in Pati because we want to spend our sabbatical year connecting with others who are committed to socially conscious work. We are leaving this Sunday, and we will be sad to go. Our children have made friends, learned dances, played music (Ramona is a violinist), broken bread, shared tea, and shared unforgettable experiences here. Petrus and Nanik are genuinely committed to building peace in the world through the work that they do here, and we feel lucky that they have shared their work with us.

September 2015

Dear Nanik & Petrus, 
Thank you so very much for your warm welcome and gentle care of us over the last days. We have participated in your preschool, visited Mben School and Hostel, and Gebara School. We have learned much about children's education in Islamic Schools, and we see the enormous value of Peace Place to spread understanding of non-violent relationships in all people you reach out to. It was wondeful to watch your Preschool children developing their skills cooperatively and in respectful, inclusive groups. Your ways of including and teaching respect to children with special needs are something I will always remember - a true witness of peace.

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Prattsburgh, New York, USA

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September 2015

Dear Nanik & Petrus, 
Thank you so much for looking after us during our short stay at "Peace Place". We feel that we have been made very welcome. 
Thank you for involving us in your AVP work at a village and at a school. We can see that AVP is valued and appreciated by those who participate. It was good to see the pre-school and to see how all the children are valued and respected. We will recommend that others visit Peace Place when they come to Indonesia Thank you so much. In Peace & Friendship, Jim

Nottingham, England

Dear Peace Place Pati, 

My name is Hannah and I am a freelance trainer from the US, currently living in Thailand. I want to thank you all for your extremely generous and patient hospitality in the last few dys! You made me feel very welcome and at home here. :) I also want to say that I feel the work you are doing here is really wonderful. I can see that you are working hard with a lot of determination to improve your community. It's inspiring to see that! Keen in touch and you're welcome in the US or Thailand any time I'm here. Terima casi! Hannah El-Silimy

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Peace Place!
Thank you for hosting me in Pati these past few days! It has been a true pleasure spending time with my AVP family. I will miss you all very much. I am looking forward to returning in the future, but until then I hope to follow the progress of Peace Place. Please keep me updated. I am proud to be part of such an amazing network of peaceful people! Love, Blaze Benar

Bohol, Philippines; June 2013

The Peace Place is such lovely place to be in. My stay here has been truly amazing - full of positive energy- and I have those who run the place to thank. The work you do for your community has clearly made huge impact and I salute you all fir it! The people from all over Central Java whom I met here are living testimonies of the power of active non-violence and how it touches lives and moves individuals to change for the better and turn to peace. This experience has been incredibly, incredibly inpsiring and I will definitely come back in the future! KUDOS TO YOU ALL!!!

Pennsylvenia, U.S.A.; Feb 5 - Feb 11, 2013

With gratitude and deep appretiaction to Peace Place for the warm welcome and caring space you provided during our visit. The hospitaily was wonderful - fabulous food, wonderful accomodation, and friendly greetings. We came as foreigners and quickly found a home. Thank you so much. 
I will take back to Maryland (USA) amazing memories of singing together, sharing in the Trauma Healing workshop, Petrus, Nanik, Wiwit, +Tito sharing ther home with such love, wathcing the pre-school, the town stroll and visit to the neighbors' wedding, delivering a present, and so much more.