This year Janice Auva’a visited Brazil as part of her Helen Kim Memorial Scholarship journey. She reports on the first in-person gathering of her four-year programme.

Last year we were unable to meet at the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women (WFMUCW) World Assembly. Like everyone else battling the Covid wave, we had online trainings and meetings. This year the WFMUCW World Executive invited all Helen Kim Memorial Scholars from around the world to join their second executive meeting held in Foz du Iguacu, Brazil.

Brazil is a place of wonderment and beauty, renowned for colourful carnivals, the exotic Amazon River and forest, and the statue of Christ the Redeemer, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. That environment amplified our trainings and meetings with so much meaning and depth.

Our time was filled with Bible Studies, Sustainable Development Goal workshops, praise and worship, sightseeing and learning about WFMUCW and its structure.

Bible studies were led by Lilian Faleiro, a member of a Methodist Church in Rio, Brazil. The study had a focus on John 15 verse 16 about bearing fruit that will last, which aligns with the WFMUCW theme. During Sustainable Development Goal workshops, led by Luiza Pereira, we shared information about the importance of the goals and what our countries are currently doing to help achieve these goals.

Praise and worship every morning were led by different sisters from around the world. It was a beautiful time of learning new music and sharing in each other's languages. One afternoon we visited the Iguazu Waterfalls. It was quite a hike, but the views were worth the walk. We learnt about the structure of the WFMUCW and the various world executive roles and responsibilities. We were also able to share information about the different projects and workshops we deliver and support within our own fellowships.

It is a blessing to be in a space where we can learn from sisters from around the world; where we can work together and unify our goals as we share our various views and experiences. I will be forever grateful and thankful for this opportunity to meet the Helen Kim Memorial scholarship winners, to share viewpoints and cultures and to build bonds that will last a lifetime.