Trained for War. Committed to Peace.
Teaching others how to wage peace
—one act of justice, joy, & storytelling at a time.
Welcome, I’m Diana Oestreich
I create change-making speaking events and big-hearted projects that spark joy and instigate justice for stubborn world changers like you.
From a small-town studio in Minnesota, my work has traveled across classrooms, courthouses, libraries, and congregations around the world. I believe peace is for everyone, justice is a superpower, and joy is better when shared.
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Diana’s weekly newsletter, Wage Peace, is an enthusiastic weekly nudge to take action, stay joyful, and be stubbornly optimistic for peace and people.
Diana’s story of waging peace
Diana Oestreich, a combat medic in the Army National Guard, enlisted like both her parents before her. But when she was commanded to run over an Iraqi child to keep her convoy rolling and keep her battle buddies safe, she was confronted with a choice she never thought she'd have to make.
Torn between God's call to love her enemy and her country's command to be willing to kill, Diana chose to wage peace in a place of war. For the remainder of her tour of duty, Diana sought to be a peacemaker--leading to an unlikely and beautiful friendship with an Iraqi family.
A beautiful and gut-wrenching memoir, Waging Peace exposes the false divide between loving our country and living out our faith's call to love our enemies--whether we perceive our enemy as the neighbor with an opposing political viewpoint, the clerk wearing a head-covering, or the refugee from a war-torn country. By showing that us-versus-them is a false choice, this book will inspire each of us to choose love over fear.
Imagine turning a sword into a plough?
Donate a gun, get a garden tool!
Transforming guns into garden tools, art, & jewelry.
blacksmithing demonstrations
Diana’s Speaking Engagements
Diana is known for telling a larger than life story, her ability to speak hard truths whimsically, while giving clear action steps to show up and love your neighbor.
Where have we been waging peace?
The Waging peace podcast
A podcast that hosts hopeful conversations with peacemakers and world-changers about making our communities more just, more equal, and more connected—and how you can get involved and make a difference.