Hi --  I'm Lois Aroian, pastor, Middle East historian, and retired diplomat.  I am very excited about participating in the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship's delegation to Iraqi Kurdistan, May 17-31.  Our delegation will engage with Kurds and others in the region, hearing about the challenges they face.  We will take a closer look at the fossil fuels industry, so crucial to the region.  

I grew up in Los Angeles, California.  I first engaged seriously with the Middle East in 1965 as a student at the American University of Beirut on the Presbyterian Junior Year Abroad Program.  At the time, I was preparing to enter seminary to become a Presbyterian minister.  Listening and learning, I concluded the Lord had other plans for me -- to become a student and teacher of Middle East affairs and to advocate for justice for the Palestinian people.  

After finishing my doctoral research in Egypt and my Ph.D. at Michigan, I taught Islamic and modern Middle East history at The University of Michigan and the University of Ilorin in Nigeria.  I served as a Congressional Fellow of the American Historical Association in 1983-4, learning as a congressional staffer about the operations of the U.S. House of Representatives.  I coauthored a textbook, THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA, with Richard P. Mitchell at Michigan.  In 1984, I joined the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer, serving almost entirely in the Middle East, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa.   Over the years, I preached and led worship in several countries.

Feeling again a strong call to ministry, I entered Wesley Theological Seminary in 2003.  After retiring from State in 2007, I continued working there while finishing seminary.  I was ordained in August 2010 and began serving at the United Presbyterian Church of Willow Lake, South Dakota on the new For Such a Time as This pastoral residency program of the PCUSA.  In November 2015, I moved to East Jordan, Michigan as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. 

As a historian of the Middle East, I am aware of the Kurds' long struggle for cultural freedom and political independence.  However, I have never spent time in their region.  Now, they are under onslaught from several quarters. 

God has blessed me richly over the years with many friends, people of different nationalities, languages, ethnicities, religions, and cultures.  As a lifelong learner and teacher, I look forward to sharing insights from this trip with everyone, including those who would like to partner with me on this journey of discovery. 

If you would like to write a check, you may send it to Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, 17 Cricketown Rd. Stony Point, NY 10980, designating it for my account.  I appreciate you support and your prayers.  Thanks so much!