Welcome to WSC Airlines
Reprinted from The NA Way Magazine, July 2018
After a moment of silence, the Serenity Prayer, and a rousing welcome to the World Service Conference, World Board Chairperson Arne H-G offered these “flight instructions” to participants.
Thank you for joining us this week on our flight to serenity. Our arrival time at the end of this “flight” is May fifth. We will be traveling at an altitude of approximately three to ten feet (I know we’re all familiar with being higher). You’re in good hands today as we have a seasoned veteran in the cockpit: Our pilot today is God.
We ask that you have worked your Steps and that your “baggage” is safely stowed for the duration of the flight. Once we reach cruising altitude, feel free to roam about the cabin. When you are in your seats, we ask that you keep your seatbelts fastened for your safety.
In the event of turbulence, the “feelings” light will come on. Please do not panic. Sponsors will drop from the overhead compartment automatically. Please engage them, breathe normally, and work the Steps—or simply call them and ask for help. If you’re traveling with a newcomer, please work the Steps first before putting the program on them.
If for whatever reason we have to make an emergency landing over the “sea of confusion,” there are Basic Texts located across the hall. Remove them from their plastic wrappers and simply open them. They are a great flotation device.
We have a new piece of safety equipment on board today. We have life preservers that are manufactured by a company called “ego.” We have found that this piece of equipment actually works better when you do NOT use it. The ego, however, may automatically deploy. Once again, I cannot stress this enough: Please do not use the ego! Nothing is more dangerous in an aircraft than an inflated ego. If you notice that one of your fellow passengers has accidentally deployed their ego, please point it out to them, but note that their first response may be defensive.
We are delighted to have you on board. Please put your chairs in the upright position, and fasten your seatbelts in preparation for takeoff. Thank you for flying WSC Airlines, and we sincerely hope you have a rewarding flight.
Arne H-G, Ontario, Canada
Another gift from NA
Reprinted from The NA Way Magazine, October 2004
[Please note: This article was 22 years ago and WSC practices were different than they are currently.]
I just returned from my first World Service Conference, and I hope it is not my last.
What a wonderful experience it was!
To arrive and see so many addicts in recovery doing service for their regions was overwhelming. I even recognized some faces I had met at the Latin American Zonal Forum. The ever-so-kind host committee picked us up at the airport after a fifteen-hour flight, which included connections and long waits at the airport.
The kindness, fellowshipping, and attention that we received were proof of our host committee’s desire that we feel comfortable.
I never imagined how labor-intensive the work on the agenda would be during the conference. And I also realized how vitally important it is for the alternate regional delegate to attend.
There were so many people—all so different—and so many regions working together toward a single objective. It was very exciting, and I cried every day due to the gratitude I felt. Everything excited me, and I was extremely emotional. I tried to capture, understand, and assimilate everything.
Thanks to NA World Services, which provided three translators for the Spanish-speaking delegates, I was able to feel comfortable in the conference, and I participated without any limitations. I felt a little bit ashamed when I realized that we demanded everything to be translated for us, while there were other non-English-speaking regions that did not have translators at all.
I loved the visit we made to the WSO. I was able to see how the process works for translations, literature shipments, group services, etc.
Adapting to the meals and the time zone changes was a little difficult, especially in the dry climate. I come from a very tropical environment. I needed humidity. My skin dried out, and my nose bled every day. My roommate experienced the same thing. You have to drink a lot of water.
When I was told that I had to share a room with the RDA from Puerto Rico, I felt apprehensive because I had never before shared a room with anyone. I have always spent a little bit more money to be alone, but I could not afford this luxury in US dollars.
So I was willing to share, and getting to know this person was another of the gifts my Higher Power gave me during the WSC. We became good friends quickly. We shared our feelings every day. It was like having a little sister with me. What a beautiful person she is.
Another of the gifts that I received was that I returned home with a sponsor. It had been six years since I had known another member whom I could identify with and who did not live in my city. Each time I ran into her at service events, I tried to figure out a way to ask her to be my sponsor.
But in the middle of a laugh attack during an event, I got the courage to ask her to be my sponsor, and she accepted in a very touching and loving manner. What a beautiful gift! We have already chatted via the Internet.
Something that really caught my attention was that we were told to have fun. Generally my region’s conferences are no fun. We tend to take everything so seriously, but at the WSC I did have fun, and I enjoyed everything.
My feelings took me to places that I could not comprehend. But I knew that if my Higher Power had brought me to the WSC from a faraway place, it was my responsibility to take advantage of everything. I also felt that it was funny that in the suggested ground rules one of the guidelines was: No kicking, scratching, or biting permitted!
I laughed, because there were times during our regional service conferences when I felt like doing exactly those things.
At one point, I got upset and very afraid when some wise guy fired off a firecracker outside the hotel. In my country we hide when we hear a noise like that because it could be a gunshot.
On the other hand, the field trip to the ranch was spectacular. The food, the sports, and especially sharing with other members under those beautiful trees in that magical setting were moving. From my seat, I could see one of the NAWS staff decked out in his cowboy outfit and making sure everything was okay. Thank you so much for a memorable experience.
The energy drain that could be felt in the hotel on Saturday during the closing ceremonies was no doubt due to the emotional charge we all had.
To conclude, I hope that all NA trusted servants can someday experience what I felt at the WSC. There were so many emotions from so many beautiful situations—the comradeship, despite the fact that we could not understand each other’s languages; having lunch with people from other countries; and the people from the WSO who were so dedicated to making sure that we were all well, making the conference comfortable and fluid.
The World Board, the HRP, there were so many wonderful people and enjoyable situations that will always live in my memory and in my heart.
It would seem as if I only had fun during the conference, but I can tell you that all the points of the Conference Agenda Report were completed, and I was happy that everything turned out so well.
That was my conference experience, and it was my most wonderful experience in recovery.
From the bottom of my soul, thank you to all of my dear translators, the NA members, the World Board trusted servants, the WSO staff, the Southern California Region, my dear delegate friends, and to my loving region for trusting me and allowing me to serve.
With gratitude in service, Angela T, Santiago de Cali, Colombia