WINNIPEG—Edith and Neill von Gunten launched their new book, Walking Together: Intercultural Stories of Love and Acceptance, on Sept. 29. More than 50 people gathered at Canadian Mennonite University’s Marpeck Commons for the event, hosted by CommonWord Bookstore and Resource Centre, with many more joining the livestream online. “[It] was a very humbling evening for us and made us realize again how grateful we are that Mennonite Church Canada and its predecessors took a real chance hiring such a young couple back in the late 1960s to spend time in Indigenous communities along Lake Winnipeg,” the von Guntens said. Walking Together is a collection of stories from almost 50 years of peace and reconciliation work the couple did in Chicago, Manitoba, and beyond. The book’s chapters are organized according to the seven Ojibwe “Way of Life” teachings: love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth. “We want what we experienced and learned to help others on their own journey of peacemaking and reconciliation,” the couple said. “We know there can be no reconciliation without truth, so the questions in the study guide in the back of the book are meant to help readers reflect honestly on their journey and how to move forward in a good way.” The book launch also included a Q&A session and sharing from elders Stan McKay of Fisher River Cree Nation, and Norman Meade of Winnipeg and Manigotagan, Man.
— By Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
Edith and Neill von Gunten launched their book at Canadian Mennonite University on Sept. 29.
