May 22, 2017
by Levi Bond
Attending World Federation meetings as an observer in Brazil was a wonderful experience. It took about eighteen months for planning and preparation to be able to go. I took the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course, which is sponsored by the Missionary Society. From there it was hard work — securing help from my association, church, and family to save up for the big trip. Last, was a trip to San Francisco to apply for a visa, and visit the Bay Area SDB Church.
For the first weekend we were honored guests at the Brazil Family Conference. While I could only communicate with a few people in English, everyone was wonderful. The Brazilians also wore me out on the soccer field Sabbath afternoon and at 6:00 AM Sunday morning.
The World Federation meetings had a similar format to USA & Canada Conference with a mix of worship, fellowship, and business. Observers were welcomed to participate in committees and business sessions, but could not vote. I was glad to have the opportunity to ask questions and share thoughts on a number of topics. The theme was “The Kingdom of God is like…” and it was a blessing to hear our brothers and sisters from around the world preach and teach on that subject. Highlights for me included sightseeing around Curitíba on Wednesday, where we only scratched the surface of many wonderful places to visit. Then on Friday we visited four SDB churches in the area. We were warmly welcomed at every one of them.
It was a great blessing to meet more members of my Christian family who are in all corners of the world, and a challenge to see that family grow to many more places.
