Monday, October 20, 2008

Who am I? (part 2)

Esperanta vivo

Mi estas esperantisto. Mi eklernis Esperanton aŭtodidakte per la lernolibro Teach Yourself Esperanto aŭtune de la jaro 1976, eklegis tekstojn verkitaj Esperante post vizito al ekspozicio de la Esperanto-Klubo de Victoria somere de 1977, ekparolis nialingve dum konversaciaj kunvenoj de EKV printempe de 1978, kaj fariĝis flua parolanto de Esperanto dum plurmonata vojaĝado en Eŭropo somere de 1978. De post tiam mi vigle partoprenas la vivon de nia komunumo, inter alie kiel TEJO-volontulo en la Centra Oficejo de UEA, redaktoro de TEJO Tutmonde, Alumeto, Esperanto Update, kaj Lumo, retpoŝta instruanto per Senpaga Kurso kaj Meznivela Retkurso Gerda Malaperis kaj instruanto en surlokaj meznivelaj kursoj en Vankuvera regiono kaj Pollando, Komitatano de TEJO kaj UEA, Estrarano de TEJO, Junularo Esperantista Kanada kaj Kanada Esperanto-Asocio; por ĉi-lasta mi servis kiel Redaktoro, Sekretario, Vic-Prezidanto kaj Prezidanto. Mi kaj mia edzino Maria, kun kiu mi konatiĝis dum la Jubilea Universala Kongreso de 1987 en Varsovio, estas gastigantoj de la Pasporta Servo jam de dekok jaroj.

Member of the Religious Society of Friends

I am a Quaker. In 1989 I started attending meetings for worship of Victoria Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, and after six months of attending these meetings I asked for membership in VMM, a request that was granted after due consideration. For ten years I attended VMM meetings regularly, putting particular effort into giving life to the Western Communities Worship Group and serving VMM on its Religious Education and Finance Committees. In 2000, a career opportunity took me and Maria to Buffalo (New York), where we attended meetings for worship with Friends of Orchard Park Monthly Meeting and Pelham Executive Meetings. When my great career opportunity vanished in the summer of 2001, we moved to St. Catharines (Ontario), and I requested and received sojourning membership with Pelham Executive Meeting. At this time I also began service with Home Mission and Advancement Committee of Canadian Yearly Meeting, a service completed only this past August (2008). In 2005, Maria and I moved to Calgary, where I started regular attendance of meetings for worship of Calgary Monthly Meeting, and feeling myself well accepted into this community I asked for my membership to be transferred from VMM to CMM in the spring of 2006. Since then I have been an active member of the Friends' community in Calgary, more or less regularly attending weekly meetings for worship, monthly meetings for business, and regional gatherings in Sorrento (WHYM Spring 2006, 2007, 2008), Saskatoon (WHYM Fall 2005), Water Valley (WHYM Fall 2008), Camrose (CYM 2005, 2008) and Winnipeg (CYM 2006). I have been serving on CMM's Meeting for Ministry and Counsel since the fall of 2005 (as clerk since fall 2007) and this fall had the priviledge of serving as Registrar for Fall WHYM.

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