Updates from The Area I International Helpers
International travel
At the the beginning of 2020, members of the Area 1 dewan visited Australia, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
The Australian National Congress in January was a family gathering. We did latihan with the National Helpers, met with the youth, and held a Q&A at the Plenary session.
We then attended the Indonesian pre-Congress gathering and 73rd anniversary celebrations, including Ibu Siti Rahayu’s talk, in Jakarta. We had productive discussions with the National Helpers and Committee and explained Bapak’s guidance for the kejiwaan councilor and committee councilor roles.
In February we attended Subud India’s National Congress and visited groups in Coimbatore, Bangalore, and Chennai for latihan and kejiwaan. The men tested in a new Helper in Chennai.
In Sri Lanka we met with the Colombo group, who are harmonious but ageing. A new female Kejiwaan Councilor was tested in. The upcoming Zone meeting was discussed, and the Indonesian Ambassador and his wife joined us to inspect a proposed venue and attended our farewell evening.
Our visit to New Zealand in March occurred as governments began implementing restrictions. Two International Helpers could not obtain visas, and Christchurch cancelled their large gathering. However, a core group continued with a smaller program of group visits. We tested in a new male and female National Helper and attended two openings.
Overcoming 2020’s challenges
During our travels, some harmony issues were observed. In one country, it was apparent that better relationships with the national organization could be encouraged through a national constitution based on Bapak’s guidelines. Elsewhere, we engaged in a process alongside the Local and National Helpers to develop harmony between members willing to address longstanding issues.
Due to the pandemic, members have been unable to connect and meet for latihan. As such, some countries have established national weekly distance- latihans.
Supporting the kejiwaan
We established an Area 1 weekly latihan for members and arranged
a series of Zoom meetings to see how group life is managed within restrictions, and how helpers are working during the pandemic. Various WhatsApp groups helped maintain communication with the Zones and Kejiwaan Councilors.
As liaisons for Ibu’s Office, WSA, MSF, WCOT, SICA, Archives, White Book, and SYAI, we met regularly for latihan prior to meetings and held support latihans as required.