© 2019 Cecilia Barreto
© 2019 International Urantia Association (IUA)
At the beginning of 2018, Mairam Durand and I started a virtual group called The Discernment Club. It was directed at potential new readers. The idea was to talk about life topics, to share different points of view and, by taking quotes from The Urantia Book, to contribute to the topic in a high-minded way. So we slowly introduced these people into a reading of the book, forming a beautiful group of women—four from Lima and three from Máncora (a popular beach area in northern Peru).
When we started to promote the 2nd National Urantia Peru Conference, the northern women wanted to participate as well, but it was difficult to do so because Peru is an extensive country. Traveling from the north, from Máncora to Lima, takes about twenty hours by bus or two hours by plane… a lot of time and money for our Máncora readers who, because they are enterprising leaders in their own fields, could not attend the conference.
So we decided to take the meeting to them—and they, in turn, looked for other women thirsting for Truth because they wanted to share with others what we had discovered together in The Discernment Club. The Máncora meeting, which took place as a sort of post-conference event was called: I Transform Myself by Inspiration. And for this we had the valuable participation and support of Line St. Pierre from Canada.
During the meeting, the women of Máncora celebrated! Two small groups of approximately ten women each were formed—one in the morning, taking place in one of the most popular hotels of the beach resort, and the other in the afternoon, held in the Municipal Library and sponsored by the Municipality of Máncora, to which a Urantia Book was donated.
All Máncora spoke of Line St. Pierre from Quebec, Canada who gave a free workshop-conference. Not only women from high society were present, but also working women of the town, all getting to know and appreciate themselves as daughters of the Father and eager to serve him. Their testimonies were truly beautiful. Tears of joy and the thirst to share with others were the legacy of the dialogue that Line had with these women. It was indeed a strong and really beautiful experience!
Since then, we continue to communicate and have received messages such as:
“I will never forget the love of the Father that was transmitted to me… that I am of true worth to the world, and that I have a voice!”
Line St. Pierre talked to them about their importance as women, daughters of God. She talked to them about her workshop, Dancing with God, and invited them to replicate it there in Máncora. The town women could not believe that Line had not gone to Máncora simply on vacation like many of the tourists that visit the area, but had gone just for them.
In this regard, I attest to the great sacrifice, long journey, and the heat (40 degrees C) that we had to endure before being motivated to serve others just for one day of talks. The inner joy we all experienced, visitors and local residents alike, was wonderful!
I thank Line for giving her time and for giving of herself to these new and potential readers of The Urantia Book… and also to me, for giving me that exchange of experiences which have enriched my soul infinitely.