We were privileged in many different ways during the week from Monday, August 28 until Sunday, September 3.

What made this Youth Convention a truly international event was the attendance of young people from 26 different countries. The biggest group came from the host country of Spain, followed by groups from the United States of America, Germany and the United Kingdom. We were also very happy that smaller groups came from distant countries like Mexico, Peru, Canada, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador. Finally, visitors came from different parts of Europe contributing to the representation of 26 countries.

This was a week-long event and most young people attended from its beginning on Monday. While it is a blessing to spend even just the Sabbath with other believers from around the world, it was a much more profound experience being in that environment for the entire week.

Next, we were privileged to have 3 speakers from the General Conference - brethren Adrian Finaru, David Zic and John Baer. Each of them explored the theme of transformation in a unique way and provided a different perspective on the topic.

Music was also one of the elements that will be remembered. On Sabbath morning, exactly 100 young people formed the international youth choir and presented beautiful songs.

Finally, the IYC logo came to life on Friday as we embarked on a hiking excursion, visiting a traditional Spanish windmill situated on a picturesque hill in Fuente el Fresno.

The key verse of this event is found in Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

This topic was covered through a series of morning classes and evening sermons. Students were divided into 3 groups and every morning they had 3 hours of studies, rotating from one speaker to another.

Brother John Baer explored the topic of physical transformation. Every morning, he shared lots of new information about how the body can be transformed, talking about homeostasis, the human microbiome, and how our 5 senses serve as a portal for divine input. In the evening, he talked about the human addiction of wanting to be right—and on the Sabbath, he explored our brain and the topic of restoration of our mind. We can choose to serve God and surrender our will to Him.

“Stay in balance,”

—John Baer

Brother David Zic taught on the subject of spiritual transformation. During morning studies in groups, he explored the way our mind works, getting into harmony with the will of God and how our human interactions change in the process. On Sabbath evening, he talked about the transformative touch of Christ, explaining how faith is a starting point and not a conclusion to the Christian journey. The ultimate goal of spiritual transformation is to have the mind of Christ.

“May the Lord continue to lead you all in the transformative process of growing from faith to faith,”

—David Zic

Brother Adrian Finaru spoke about the practical transformation in life. Through a series of 3 morning studies, he talked about the life of Jesus on this earth and the lessons about the influence of our daily decisions, our important choices, and our dedication in life. On Sabbath morning, he explained how we have different backgrounds, some of us not so favorable, but how an encounter with Jesus reveals to us the purpose in life which transforms everything.

“Take a moment to look at Jesus and you will see in yourself a man or a woman with a purpose,”

—Adrian Finaru

Young people were impressed by the messages and some made important decisions.

“I was grateful for being here in Ciudad Real and for the opportunity and the things we learned or relearned with brother Adrian Finaru, brother David Zic and brother John Baer,”

—Moises from Portugal

Each morning was a special occasion to pray in small groups. This was an opportunity to talk about the importance of prayer and about our needs. After a short study, we would split into groups of 3 and everyone prayed. Although this was an optional part of the program scheduled before sunrise, young people felt the need for prayer and there was a decent number of participants each day.

The next part of the program were morning worship studies presented by the following young people: Emanuel from Spain, Magdiel from Germany, Lara from the UK, Gianni from the USA and Eduardo from Mexico. The topics ranged from contrasting conformation with transformation, understanding the need to work on the transformation of others, having a new heart created, bringing forth fruits of transformation, and having the experience of Christ living in us. This part of the program was attended by everyone and was a way to start the day with a prayer.

Music is important. While this was not a musical seminar and the morning classes had no singing, the rest of the day was quite different with choir practice in the afternoon and concerts and free singing in the evenings.

On Tuesday evening, we all gathered in the open air to hear an instrumental concert and enjoy refreshing lemonade. On Thursday we gathered while singing under the open skies. There was no need to leave the premises, as everyone wanted to stay on the campus and enjoy evening activities with each other.

We were blessed to have brother Isaac Terceros from the GC Music Department. While it seemed to be impossible for him to return to Europe after having led a recent musical event in Italy, God opened the door and he spent the week with us, practicing with the choir and teaching about music.

The songs were presented in both English and Spanish, and the recordings left us with a beautiful reminder of the time at the IYC. The songs presented, “Si mi pueblo,” “In the Name of the Lord,” and “The Glory and Majesty of His Name” can be found online. However, presentation is just a small part of it. The experience of rehearsing was special. I know that some young people sang like never before and they experienced music in a new way.

“Thank you for having pushed us to go further and further with our voices and for having given us the desire and the confidence to do better,”

—Myriam from France

Closing this section with a desire we all share:

“God gave the gift of singing to everyone, and I believe that we need to learn how to use it in the best way possible for His Honor and Glory. (...) I hope you will be ready to sing in Heaven for all eternity,”

—Isaac Terceros

One could listen to the sermons or hear songs online. But what can’t be transmitted is the friendship experience. Thanks to the condensed time of study in the morning, there was plenty of free time in the afternoons. New and old friends spent time together in long conversations, organized games and sports activities. We learned from each other and bonded through active experiences.

“I am very glad to have met you all, you have given me a great life experience,”

—Milan from Germany

You missed this event? If God permits and gives us time, there will be other similar events in the future. You are guaranteed to meet new people and have your life enriched through those friendships. While we may tend to be superficial and shallow in the routine of everyday life, such events will provide you with depth of studies and plenty of opportunities to deepen your understanding of the Word of God.

You will gain new experiences. Many people went out of their comfort zone doing things they’ve never done before such as giving lectures, translating, praying in public or singing in a big choir. Since this type of event offers a time of isolation from the world, it is a great opportunity to grow in faith and receive blessings that are hard to imagine.

We hope you’ve had and we pray you will have similar experiences in the future.