How Great It Was
At her first World Service Convention, Aleta reconnected with OA members who she knew only virtually or hadn’t seen in 20 years. “I was thrilled to see so many people who had been around and stayed for for so long.”
At her first World Service Convention, Aleta reconnected with OA members who she knew only virtually or hadn’t seen in 20 years. “I was thrilled to see so many people who had been around and stayed for for so long.”
“For me, Convention was a badly needed ‘shot in the arm,’“ says one OA member from Alaska who traveed to Boston for the 2016 World Servcie Convention. “It’s the most amazing feeling to say ‘I put my hand in yours . . .’ and be standing in a circle of over a thousand people.”
“My heart was so full,” says Anonymous after attending a World Service Convention, ”that I wanted to share that weekend’s experience, strength, and hope with anyone who would listen. . . . It actually helped change my life.”
“I felt so terrible about myself, but I kept coming back to OA,” says Jo H. from California USA. “There was someting inside me that told me “No matter what, go to meetings, be of service, and ask God for guidance, whether abstinent or not.”
“My world was very small,” says Bonita, “but as I got involved with service in the program, I heard that OA was worldwide. The World Service Convention has been a great part of my world expanding.”
“There’s just something special about being at Convention,” says Hanna. “It’s seeing the people that gets me most excited . . . There’s never an awkward moment, and it never feels stressful the way it can be when seeing family members or non-program friends after a few years.”
E.C.’s has persisted in OA for more than 20 years, and the inevitable result is abstinence from compulsive overeating and a strong program of recovery.
OA’s Ninth Tradition shone brightly during the pandemic when local service bodies suddenly found themselves serving OA members from around the world.