{"id":12544,"date":"2022-11-24T09:44:55","date_gmt":"2022-11-24T09:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/?p=12544"},"modified":"2022-12-01T14:38:22","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T14:38:22","slug":"a-penny-for-your-toughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/a-penny-for-your-toughts\/","title":{"rendered":"A Penny for Your Thoughts?"},"content":{"rendered":"

20 November 2022 | Budva, Montenegro, [Vanesa Pizzuto and David Neal]<\/p>\n

\u201cThe meetings here have been absolutely outstanding<\/strong>! I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the reports and seeing the work that is transpiring across the Trans-European Division. Their wonderful members are doing all that they can to hasten the Lord\u2019s return. I am just excited to be a part of it and witness it,\u201d (Maurice R. Valentine II, General Conference Vice President).<\/p>\n

\u201cThese meetings have been inspiring. It\u2019s been wonderful meeting people again after three years of not seeing each other. This reminds me how much the relational part of our church is important. To see colleagues encourage each other and hold each other up in prayer and fellowship has been wonderful<\/strong>. To see what is going on in the other unions, how we have survived Covid and now we are pulling together to make the church better is a wonderful feeling,\u201d (Marianne Dyrud, Executive Secretary, Norwegian Union).<\/p>\n

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\u201cI enjoyed being able to meet some of the colleagues from across the division\u2026 it is great to hear what is happening in other fields. Sometimes you feel you are the only one dealing with certain issues, so it was very encouraging! I liked the atmosphere of the meetings too, beautiful! It was very professional but, at the same time, very brotherly<\/strong>. The highlight of the meetings was the Sabbath sermon\u2026 I think it is a very necessary message for our churches, and specially the Irish church,\u201d (Dan Serb, Irish Mission President).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my very first time. I actually found it both interesting and educational<\/strong> for me as a new president. And it has been absolutely great to meet people from other parts of the Trans-European Division\u2026 to be able to discuss and share thoughts and ideas about what is going on in their fields had been quite enlightening,\u201d (Graham Allcock, Welsh Mission President).<\/p>\n

\u201cI really enjoyed the fact that there is a feeling of openness, <\/strong>a feeling of encouragement -not just from Daniel\u2019s sermon on Sabbath, you can sense that there is a desire for people to do mission\u2026 The stories that were told were inspirational\u2026 you can sense that something great is coming,\u201d (Jacques Venter, Associate Executive Secretary, British Union Conference).<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat made it really special this time is that so many people wanted to contribute. They even took to the Secretariat Report, which is amazing because it is usually the most boring part<\/strong>. Yet people were inspired to share their ideas and opinions and contribute. It was a real blessing,\u201d (R\u00f3bert Cs. Csizmadia, Executive Secretary, Trans-European Division).<\/p>\n