„We are one in the Spirit” – says one of the hymns we sang at the 12th General Assembly of IAMS in Balatonfüred, that was held between the 16th and the 23th of August. I got the chance to take part of this conference as a steward, and also as a participant. This was the first big international conference in my life in wich I attended and I have to say, it was a unique experience for me. As I was waiting for the participants at the airport, as they arrived, many people from many different parts of the world, many different faces, smiles, concerns, but all of us one in our faith – that was such an encouraging feeling. They are all working in the fields of God, planting seeds or harvesting, and they were willing to take such a long journey to meet each other, to change ideas, insights, to become wiser through the knowledge of each other. It was also great to be a host, I was proud of my home country, it filled me with warm feelings when I saw them being amazed by the beauty of Lake Balaton, Budapest, or the countryside. Meeting with all the different cultures, seeing their traditional clothes, taking part in all the different ways of worshipping God was also a very interesting experience and I enjoyed it a lot.
Though, I have to admit, that working in an international conference is not that easy task. We, as stewards worked hard to make the participants feel comfortable, to listen to all their questions or concerns, trying to imagine how it can be when you are in a foreign country and you need help in almost everyting that you usually do by yourself in your homecountry. We tried to be always kind and patient, and it was so good to hear from the participants at the end of the conference, how much they valued our efforts.
It was also great to work together with the other stewards and organizers. During the one week we became such a solidary group, good and deep friendships have started there. The interdenominational environment of the conference also helped me a lot in widening my view of the church of Christ which is one through the redemption beyond all of our theological differences. I had some great conversations with the stewards and the participants from other denominations, and we talked with the stewards about keeping in tuch and continuouing this interdenominational dialogue.
And, of course, we had so much fun in our free time. I really hope that we helped the participants with our cheerfulness to relax and enjoy themselves when they had pauses betveen the sessions and meetings.
When the time to say goodbye arrived, we were quite tired but we almost couldn’t believe that it was already over. After coming home I still see the faces and places of the conference when I close my eyes. I hope they all arrived at home safely, and I hope they all got so much joy from this conference as I myself did.
Georgina Orsolya Kiss
Though, I have to admit, that working in an international conference is not that easy task. We, as stewards worked hard to make the participants feel comfortable, to listen to all their questions or concerns, trying to imagine how it can be when you are in a foreign country and you need help in almost everyting that you usually do by yourself in your homecountry. We tried to be always kind and patient, and it was so good to hear from the participants at the end of the conference, how much they valued our efforts.
It was also great to work together with the other stewards and organizers. During the one week we became such a solidary group, good and deep friendships have started there. The interdenominational environment of the conference also helped me a lot in widening my view of the church of Christ which is one through the redemption beyond all of our theological differences. I had some great conversations with the stewards and the participants from other denominations, and we talked with the stewards about keeping in tuch and continuouing this interdenominational dialogue.
And, of course, we had so much fun in our free time. I really hope that we helped the participants with our cheerfulness to relax and enjoy themselves when they had pauses betveen the sessions and meetings.
When the time to say goodbye arrived, we were quite tired but we almost couldn’t believe that it was already over. After coming home I still see the faces and places of the conference when I close my eyes. I hope they all arrived at home safely, and I hope they all got so much joy from this conference as I myself did.
Georgina Orsolya Kiss
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