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A Subud country or a local group may like to have experienced helpers from abroad to make a long-term visit in order to support the practice of the latihan and to do testing. In such a case, the country can ask the WSA for support. The WSA in conjunction with the international helpers may be able to assist in finding suitable helpers and then provide some of the costs.
If you are interested, please contact us at wsa@subud.org.
Visiting helpers in Costa Rica, Denmark, and Lebanon
   Here are stories from visiting helpers and the members they visited:
COSTA RICA 2008:
During most of October 2008 Elias Dumit (Brazil) and Laura Lathrop (USA) visited the Subud group in Costa Rica under the auspices of the Helpers Without Borders program.
There is a core group of seven men and one woman who have been doing latihan for about 30 years. Most of them are helpers. Counting the two women who were unable to attend regularly there were ten members. Three members are inactive. The men's group of seven includes a man from Colombia, one from the U.S., and one from Cuba... We offered latihan every week night in addition to the two latihan nights regularly scheduled. [We] were also available during the days for those who wanted individual latihans and personal testing.
Following our last latihan members talked a lot about organizing themselves and using the functions/roles of each person in a positive way. They also discussed buying land and applying to MSF for funding. The meeting was very harmonious. In fact, we all had a hard time saying goodbye...
DENMARK 2008:
Aisha from Copenhagen is very happy to have helpers visiting from abroad. She mentions there are approximately 10 - 15 members scattered throughout Denmark, many who are involved in the arts, and writes "Reynold Feldman is here in Copenhagen ...He is a teacher at a teachers´ college and educating teachers for the free schools here in Denmark and there he talked to many people all while giving lessons on various languages."
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"A few weeks ago we had the visit of Ruslan Jelman and his wife Hamidah. They spent four days here in Copenhagen and we spent some wonderful days, especially concentrating on their meeting the Berber people here.
I am certain that there is a potential for a growing Subud group here. It all feels very, very good. The feeling and living reality of community arises and that is SO lovely."
LEBANON: December 2007 to January 2008
We, Dorothea Hamidah and Robert Rashid Rogers are both Subud Britain National Helpers who traveled to Lebanon in the capacity of "Helpers Without Borders"...Lebanon is a place of rich history, legacy and beauty. CNN and BBC don't show you a Lebanese festival with beautiful costumes, enchanting music, mesmerizing choreography and the overall ambiance of awe and wonder. They would rather show Lebanon only in times of conflict and war.
The Subud Group in Lebanon is now 35 strong and comes predominantly from the Druze community in the mountain towns of Bchamoun, Aaramoun and Choueifete, although there are several Muslim and Christian members living in Beirut itself.
The members themselves are very warm and hospitable. So are their families and relatives. There are three women helpers, and they welcome more visits from abroad, as this encourages the members and puts life into the group activities.
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And after a subsequent visit from Dorothea and Robert, Sofia Amal Ballouk, Chairperson for Subud Lebanon wrote: “we were waiting for this visit but we had not predicted such a transformation in the Group, bringing from every member such joy, love & tenderness that you could feel it and touch it in each word or movement as they arose....
...all the members who had lapsed for various reasons were visited, giving them love, hope and support. For example: they went to one member, a mother of 4 children who had been obliged to relocate because of her divorce, as well as visiting her children at their home.
In Beirut Robert and Hamidah joined me in visiting a popular Yoga club attended every week by three of our younger members. The owner of the club invited us to talk, so Robert gave a very clear definition and explanation about Subud and Hamidah talked about her experiences. I informed them of our address and website and three days later one young man and one young girl came to us asking for more information about the meaning of Subud.”
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