Mercy Aiken is an author, storyteller, cross-cultural advocate, and peacebuilder whose work focuses particularly on Palestine, Israel, and the wider Middle East. Having lived and worked extensively in the region, she is passionate about building understanding across religious and cultural divides and helping people encounter the humanity of the “other” with curiosity and empathy rather than fear and suspicion.

Mercy has worked with Bethlehem Bible College, the Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East, and currently serves with Peace Catalyst International. She is co-author, with Palestinian Christian leader Bishara Awad, of Yet in the Dark Streets Shining. Through storytelling, pilgrimage, education, and relationship-building, her work embodies what she describes as the “slow work” of peacebuilding: creating space for understanding, reconciliation, and new possibilities for peace.