Imagine traveling across an ocean to an event where you'll meet children from different parts of the world. Some of the kids have traveled as far as you have. Others live just around the corner. Some kids speak the same language you do. Others are using sounds and words you've never heard before. How does it make you feel to be there? And what will you remember when you go home?
Kids at 2003 Annual Meeting of The Mother Church & Conference had lots to say about these questions!
For instance, Annica, who is nine years old and lives in Berlin, Germany, was excited about the children's program. "I liked getting to know kids from many parts of the world," she said.
Eleven-year-old Baron also had fun with all the other children. His favorite part of the program for kids was answering questions about Science and Health. But that wasn't just because he knew a lot of the answers. "It was fun because I met lots of new friends [during the workshop]," he explained. "I learned many new things about Science and Health and the woman who wrote it, Mary Baker Eddy."
Kids who attended 2003 Annual Meeting & Conference in Boston also had fun learning about Mrs. Eddy and her ideas. When they weren't busy creating puppets, making new friends, and just having fun in the Sunday School building at The Mother Church, they were exploring The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity. There, they watched as ideas (written in projected light) spilled out of the fountain in the Hall of Ideas and slid across the floor. It was just one way of understanding something Mrs. Eddy certainly knew: Ideas can't be stopped.
Back in Berlin, kids were also talking about the fact that good ideas—like the ideas found in Science and Health—move thoughts and hearts. And they were excited to share how those ideas have moved and helped and healed them. Erin, who traveled from Stockton, New Jersey, to attend the meeting, has used the ideas in Science and Health many times, especially when her pets have been in trouble. "One time, one of our pet lambs was trying to get out of her pen and she got her leg stuck in the fence," Erin explained. "Me and my mom and my sister were all praying. I kept knowing that she couldn't be stuck and she couldn't be hurt because God was taking care of her. And she got out, and she was OK."
Chris is ten years old and lives in England. He likes to use Science and Health to help him with his schoolwork. "When I'm doing my homework, I'll often get Science and Health out," he said. "Reading it reminds me that God can help me when I can't find the answer to a question."
Lots of kids at the meeting had stories to share about how the ideas in Science and Health have helped them—on tests, with pets, or when they've been sick or hurt. And they had fun sharing these stories with each other, and hearing how this book is being used all over the world.
In fact, when it comes to thinking about the ideas in Science and Health, kids at the meeting were excited to find out that they aren't alone. Eleven-year-old Anna-Zoe from Berlin, Germany, thought it was "really, really cool to share my thoughts and ideas with kids from all over the world. I'll remember this meeting for a long time," she exclaimed.
Eight-year-old Olivia from Andover, Massachusetts, agreed. "I think I'll take home a very good feeling about making friends," she said. "And I believe that even though we're all different and speak different languages, we're still one big family."
Kids in Boston learned about being part of a global family, too, thanks to a trip through the Mapparium, which is part of the Library. Walking through the Mapparium was like walking through the center of the earth, some said. As they crossed the bridge that runs from one side of the Mapparium to the other, kids could see the many different countries that make up the world—all around and above and below them. For the first time, even some of the "far away" places didn't seem so far away.
The song "Big Blue Earth," which was playing in the Mapparium, helped erase distances, too. "Land to land, place to place," it echoed. "Here we stand, face to face." And then, these Mapparium visitors heard the part of the chorus that connected Boston to Berlin and beyond: "One family, one family."
Friends, family, and fun were just a few of the highlights of the programs for kids during Annual Meeting. Twelve-year-old Henry summed it all up this way: "It was great! You should come along next time."
