I am a fifth generation Nazarene and I have as much hope for the Church of the Nazarene as I have ever had. We gathered from all over the world not really knowing what to expect in this visionary Third Wave conference. We traveled to Quito, Ecuador from Zambia, England, Guyana, Italy, Kenya, the United States, Germany, Argentina, and 45 other countries. We came to learn, we came to dialogue, but I am not sure any of us were prepared for God's transforming spirit that bound us together.

We spoke different languages, we were accustomed to different foods, and yet there was something that immediately united us as one body, with one faith; it was the love of our one Lord. As a white North American, my worship experiences have been predominantly homogeneous. Like a dry sponge, I soaked up the diversity of backgrounds, languages, and cultures. We heard testimonies of lives around the world that had been transformed by Jesus Christ. We confessed our pain and heartache, we rejoiced over victories, we pondered the picture of Globalization of the church, but more than anything we were transformed though worship: not as Columbians, Russians, or Canadians, but as Christians. Most specifically we discussed what is means to be Nazarene around the world within the broader scope of the Church Universal. As I stood back and thought about a small group of Nazarenes representing over 50 countries, in a small seminary high in the Andes Mountains with hearts and hands lifted to God in praise and adoration, it was a beautiful picture of God's church. God helped me to see the church outside North America, not simply as mission fields, but as full-fledged members of the body of Christ.

[Editor's note: Brent Peterson is Pastor of Student Ministries at Kansas City First Church and was an invited participant to this event.]