We are still a bit overwhelmed over the outcome of the ESL. It was an amazing experience and it most definitely met our expectation on FD-work, in an broader way. But how it actually turned out totally blew our minds! There were 162 registered participants from 30 countries and 27 regions/communities. We held 12 different workshops, had 3 Speaker Meetings and was skyped in to the Northern Californian Convention. The turnout on the workshops was great, all members participated and stayed all through the days. The buzz during workshops was great and the atmosphere so inspiring. Generally we all think and hope that this is an event to be continued, we reached so many communities at once, and made a platform for those who actually do the service, toexchange experiences and best practices with each other. This was also a great event for the service members to connect with each other,in order to keep in touch after the event. With that said, this was truly an honor and a privilege! For us to be a part of creating the very first ESL has been an overwhelming, exciting and humbling experience. We are so very grateful we were trusted with doing this service, thank you all for believing in us!
ESL Workgroup
Hi, my name is Attila and I am a recovering addict, a member of the Hungarian NA community. In my country the NA program has been available since 1996, but our community grows slowly – there are 38 meetings per week for the moment. We face serious challenges when looking for committed and experienced members for doing service. We need and want to get better in doing service – so the ESL in Berlin seemed a great opportunity as a starting point. Four trusted servants were chosen by our Regional Service Committee (including me) to take part on the Learning Days in Berlin. What we experienced there was a miracle. We could spend three fabulous days in cheerful and loving atmosphere – doing workshops, one after the other, talking about service, listening to impressive sharings about service while feeling great. We really wanted to share these amazing impressions and experiences with our friends in the fellowship at home. The greatest thing was that our community needs and our desire to pass on what we got, to let others feel how wonderful service might be, coincided. Traveling home from Berlin, on board of the train we practically formed the first Hungarian Fellowship Development Committee. We turned up on the subsequent RSC and talked about our plans – and received enthusiastic support from the delegates and servants there. We, the members of the Hungarian FD team are still enthusiastic about our job and grateful for the opportunity to serve and live clean.
Attila, Hungary
I have just experienced a mind-blowing three days in Berlin! First, I would like to thank the coordinators, as this has taken five years to organize. There were 31 countries and 28 regions/communities involved. There were three members from the World Service Conference involved throughout the weekend. There was so much experience, strength, and hope through all different people doing service in NA. I was involved in fellowship development with the United Kingdom, and FDUK delivered a workshop on distance sponsorship. FDUK started this in the UK and we thought it would be useful for other NA communities that are developing, and for areas without a lot of local sponsorship experience. There were workshops on building better home groups, the Service System Proposals, H&I, NA’s Twelve Concepts, our World Services, and the list goes on. I have not been to an event where I felt such friendliness, powerful passion, and commitment. The unity was breathtaking. This event makes service attractive, and I believe we will all take our ESL ESH back to our countries!
Ade O, Weymouth Dorset, United Kingdom
(NA WAY July 2015)
In 2013 our public relations team had a dream to hold a learning days event in Egypt. We dedicated money to it in our budget, but we couldn’t do it because we didn’t know how to go about it. We needed to learn how to plan and host it, and we also realized that an event like this needs more collaboration, not just the PR team’s efforts. Just after being elected as PR committee chair, I heard about the European Service Learning days in Berlin and I was lucky to join that great event. I went to Berlin and I was looking forward to fulfilling our dream of learning how to develop learning days in Egypt. What I found out was that the event was simple, and I found the beauty of its simplicity. What really touched me is the love and how we are really close to each other even though we don’t speak the same language. We shared our thoughts and we understood each other
regardless of the language barrier. Although I was a thousand miles away from my home, I felt at home. I went back to Egypt carrying the dream
on my shoulder. We had a fruitful discussion, shared what was learned at ESL, and we are planning to have Egypt Learning Days soon.
Ahmed E, Cairo, Egypt
(NA WAY July 2015)
