Finding peaceful ways to combat terrorism may be an impossible choice for many, but for Jim Fitz, it’s the only way.

Fitz, a strawberry farmer in Tiskilwa, Ill., and soon-to-be member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams, will speak at 7 p.m. today at the Latin American Center, 515 Garden Road.

He hopes to paint a picture of his two-month trip in war-torn areas of Colombia so others can see the sometimes-overlooked terrorist problems occurring in other countries.

“I hope to convey the kinds of struggles these people went through as well as for people to help me in these efforts,” Fitz said. “Even as a social activist, I feel prayer is the foundation of this problem.”

Fitz and fellow Mennonite Peacekeepers traveled to Colombia in an effort to protect farmers from either paramilitary or guerrilla armies that may threaten their lives. For more than 30 years, a civil war has been raging in Colombia.

Fitz, and the other members taking the trip, thought that it was important to protect these citizens while attempting to promote peace over violence as a viable solution for the country’s war.

“The country wants peace, but with weapons they are choosing the wrong methods,” Fitz said.

Cecile Meyer, member of the DeKalb Interfaith Network for Peace & Justice and one of the sponsors of the speech, said Fitz and other members risked their lives daily to save others.

“When a person or family’s property or lives were threatened, these guys would go and stay at these people’s homes,” Meyer said. “These men were right in the middle of the war zone every day.”

Meyer said that one of the goals of the mission was to show that Americans are concerned about global terrorism, rather than in just Afghanistan and Iraq. She added that the presence of American citizens may have saved lives.

Fitz said that while their lives always were threatened, they were able to protect citizens by merely being visible within the country.

“Wherever paramilitary would checkpoint folk’s property, we would be there to protect these people from possible terrorist acts,” Fitz said. “Paramilitary or guerrilla armies wouldn’t want to kill us because if an American citizen was killed, we would immediately go to the government, embassy and back to the U.S.”

Fitz said one way he would solve dangerous confrontations was to pray with the citizens and on a couple of occasions, even pray with the same paramilitary soldiers who were threatening to kill the people Fitz protected.

“We would have guns and grenades waived in our direction but we trusted in God to help us,” Fitz said. “Hopefully through my speech I can inspire others about the need for Americans in Colombia and maybe have some assist us in our efforts.”