I was so honored to talk to my friends Jeremy and Jessica Courtney for this episode. Along with their two young kiddos, they live and work in Iraq heading up Preemptive Love, an organization that wants to eradicate the backlog of Iraqi children waiting in line for lifesaving heart surgery in pursuit of peace between communities at odds.

But also? They’re regular parents and a lot of fun to chat with.

“As we recorded this podcast, a collection of militant megalomaniacs, thugs, and disaffected men seeking a way out of poverty were advancing just a few hours away in what would be known as the “Fall of Mosul†(Iraq’s second largest city), setting off mass killings and the most intense news cycle on Iraq the world has seen since 2003.

“Our family is safe. But the children we serve across the country are not safe. We have no intention of pulling out of Iraq. The situation has become urgent for many of Iraq’s children, so we are still here providing surgeries, saving lives. If there is any future for Iraq, it has to be in learning to love neighbors and enemies alike. So we are redoubling our efforts in this life we call ‘preemptive love.’

“We are grateful to Tsh and the Art of Simple community for your years of friendship and support!”

Wanna host the Courtneys while they’re in the States? They’d love to hear from you! Jeremy’s on Twitter at @jcourt, of you can email him at jeremy @ preemptivelove . org (remove the spaces).