# Footprints in the Sands of Time

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Shahla Gillbanks, Footprints in the Sands of Time, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> FOOTPRINTS IN THE
> SANDS OF TIME
> Memoire of a Maidservant
> 
> Shahla Behroozi Gillbanks
> FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND
> 
> One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many
> scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
> 
> In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were
> two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.
> 
> This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my
> life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow, or defeat, I could see
> only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,
> 
> “You promised me Lord,
> 
> that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed
> that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one
> set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you
> not been there for me?”
> 
> The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of
> footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”
> 
> ~~ Mary Stevenson, 1936
> 
> INTRODUCTION:
> 
> "FOOTPRINTS IN THE SANDS OF TIME" is my memoir as a Bahá’í in Iran,
> pioneering in different countries around the world, and a historical account of service
> in the United States, New Zealand, and Czechoslovakia.
> 
> Part, I, MY FAMILY HISTORY starts with the 1880’s historical perspective of Persian
> history when my grandfather left Ishghabad for the ancient city of Hamadan. Then his
> family life in Tehran and his involvement in the Persian Constitutional Revolution. It
> continues with the story of my parents who lived as Bahá’ís in the 20th Century of
> Iran, the social and political changes of Iran and its impact on the life of the Bahá’í
> community.
> 
> Part II, MY LIFE JOURNEY: includes my life in Iran, pioneering to the Philippines,
> New Zealand, Kenya, and the Caribbean. It entails a recollection of special events of
> my life, as I experienced them; the memories of the Bahá’í personalities that I was
> privileged to know, and their influence on my spiritual growth.
> 
> These precious souls were the spiritual role models for the fresh saplings of the
> Bahá’í community in Iran. They helped the new generation of Bahá’ís in tasting the
> sweet savors of love, loyalty, and service in its most sublime state.
> 
> Each of my contemporaries experienced these same events differently as if looking
> through a stained-glass window and seeing different formations of magnificent
> shades and colors.
> 
> I dedicate this token to the memory of my spiritual mentor, Hand of the Cause of God
> Dr. Muhajir. A person who has had the most influence on my life and the countless
> others who have had the bounty and the joy of knowing him. We were the traveling
> companions of a mentor who helped us to find the path in the fragile and yet timeless
> journey of life.
> 
> CONTENT
> 
> PART 1, My Family History, 1844 – 1900’s
> 
> PART II, My Life Journey
> 
> CHAPTER 1: My Early Childhood and Youth in Tehran, 1950 – 1968
> 
> CHAPTER 2: The Philippines, 1968 -1971
> 
> CHAPTER 3: New Zealand, 1971 - 1973
> 
> CHAPTER 4: Returning to Iran, 1973 -1974
> 
> CHAPTER 5: Kenya, 1974 -1979
> 
> CHAPTER 6: Dark Times in Iran, 1978 -1979
> 
> CHAPTER 7: The Caribbean – British West Indies 1979 -1982
> 
> CHAPTER 8: Professional Contributions;
> Teaching People with Capacity; California, 1982 - 1992
> 
> CHAPTER 9: The Holy Year – Czechoslovakia 1992 - 1993
> 
> CHAPTER 10: Emblazoning the Name of Bahá’u’lláh, 1993 -2001
> 
> CHAPTER 11: New Path of Service, New Zealand, 2001 – 2004
> 
> CHAPTER 12: Florida, Trusting in the All-Merciful Lord, 2005 – 2018
> 
> ACKNOWELEGEMTS
> 
> When I resumed my efforts to write this Memoir which started 20 years ago, I took a
> course on “Writing Biographies and Histories” with the Wilmette Institute. The mentors
> and participants of this Course helped me to formulate my thoughts and write this
> book. I am grateful for the technical guidance of Robert Stockman, and mentoring of
> Thelma Batchelor, who encouraged me to pursue this project and bring it to fruition.
> 
> As this Memoir had spanned more than 50 years, I reconnected with old friends via
> Facebook and asked for their help in recollecting events and editing different sections
> of this book. I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation for their cooperation
> and assistance. Especially:
> 
> •   Terry Gillbanks for proofreading and editing of the Memoir.
> •   Behin Newport for her input for the Chapter on Iran.
> •   Carol Serry and Flora Stefan for the Chapter on the Philippines
> •   Helen Harrison, Rochelle Brader, Manu Ala’i, Ron Pratt, Paul Vessey,
> Suzanne Mohan, and Terry Gillbanks for the Chapter on New Zealand.
> •   Pat Paccassi’ s input and her website on “Bahá’í History of Caribbean.”
> •   Faranak Bethel for help with the Chapter on Corona.
> •   Neda Amoui for her input on Czechoslovakia.
> •   Andrew Mancey, my Facebook friend, who helped with the overall editing of
> my Memoir.
> 
> Shahla Gillbanks
> 
> PART I
> 
> MY FAMILY HISTORY
> 
> A Glimpse at the Persian history, circa 1844 to the early 1900’s
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Some Answered Questions, describes the social milieu of Persia as
> follows:
> 
> “The Báb —may my soul be His sacrifice! —it was at a young age, that is, in the twenty-
> fifth year of His blessed life, that He arose to proclaim His Cause. Among the Shí‘ihs it is
> universally acknowledged that He never studied in any school, nor acquired learning from
> any teacher. To this the people of Shíráz, each and all, bear witness. Nevertheless, He
> suddenly appeared before the people, endowed with consummate knowledge, and though
> but a merchant, confounded all the divines of Persia. Alone, He undertook a task that can
> scarcely be conceived, for the Persians are known throughout the world for their religious
> fanaticism. This illustrious Being arose with such power as to shake the foundations of the
> religious laws, customs, manners, morals, and habits of Persia, and instituted a new law,
> faith, and religion. Though the eminent men of the State, the majority of the people, and
> the leaders of religion arose one and all to destroy and annihilate Him, He single-handedly
> withstood them and set all of Persia in motion. How numerous the divines, the leaders, and
> the inhabitants of that land who with perfect joy and gladness offered up their lives in His
> path and hastened to the field of martyrdom!
> The government, the nation, the clergy, and prominent leaders sought to extinguish
> His light, but to no avail. At last His moon rose, His star shone forth, His foundation was
> secured, and His horizon was flooded with light. He trained a large multitude through divine
> education and exerted a mavellous influence upon the thoughts, customs, morals, and
> manners of the Persians. He proclaimed the glad-tidings of the manifestation of the Sun of
> Bahá to all His followers and readied them for faith and certitude.
> The manifestation of such marvellous signs and mighty undertakings, the influence
> exerted upon the thoughts and minds of the people, the laying of the foundations of
> progress, and the establishment of the prerequisites of success and prosperity by a young
> merchant constitute the greatest proof that He was a universal Educator - a fact that no
> fair-minded person would ever hesitate to acknowledge.”
> 
> “Bahá’u’lláh appeared at a time when Persia was plunged in the darkest ignorance and
> consumed by the blindest fanaticism. You have no doubt read at length the accounts that
> European histories provide of the morals, manners, and thoughts of the Persians during
> the last few centuries, and these require no repetition. Suffice it to say that Persia had
> sunk to such abysmal depths that foreign travellers would all deplore that a country which
> had in former times occupied the pinnacle of greatness and civilization had by then fallen
> into such abasement, desolation, and ruin, and that its people had been reduced to utter
> wretchedness.
> 
> It was at such a time that Bahá’u’lláh appeared.
> 
> As soon as the Báb revealed His Cause, Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed: “This great Man is the
> Lord of the righteous, and it is incumbent upon all to bear allegiance unto Him.” He arose
> to promote the Cause of the Báb, adducing decisive proofs and conclusive arguments of
> His truth. Although the divines of the nation had obliged the Persian government to exert
> the most vehement opposition; although they had all issued decrees ordering the
> massacre, pillage, persecution, and annihilation of the Báb’s followers; and although
> throughout the land the people had undertaken to kill, burn, and plunder them, and even
> harass their women and children—despite all this, Bahá’u’lláh was engaged, with the
> utmost constancy and composure, in exalting the word of the Báb. Nor did He seek for a
> moment to conceal Himself, but associated openly and visibly with His enemies, occupied
> Himself with adducing proofs and arguments, and became renowned for exalting the
> Word of God. Time and again He suffered intense adversities, and at every moment His
> life was in grave danger.
> 
> He was put in chains and thrown into a subterranean dungeon. His extensive hereditary
> possessions were entirely plundered, He was four times exiled from land to land, and in
> the end, He came to abide in the Most Great Prison.
> 
> Notwithstanding all this, the call of God was ceaselessly raised, and the fame of His
> Cause was noised abroad. Such were the knowledge, learning, and perfections He
> evinced that everyone in Persia was astonished. All the learned people—friend and foe
> alike—who attained His presence in Ṭihrán, Baghdád, Constantinople, Adrianople, and
> ‘Akká received a complete and convincing answer to their every question. All readily
> acknowledged that in every perfection He was peerless and unique throughout the
> world.”
> 
> - Taken from:
> https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/’Abdu’l-Bahá/some-answered-
> questions/4#774123
> 
> The Spiritual and Social Awakening of Persia
> 
> The social and spiritual renaissance of Persia started with the historic event of Báb’s
> Declaration as the Herald of the Promised One, Bahá’u’lláh. It took force when Báb’s
> Letters of the Living and his disciples, carried his message to the masses in far corners of
> Persia, Iraq, and India. They met with dignitaries, the clerics, the learned and general
> population. The teachings of the new Faith encouraged individual investigation of the truth,
> without relying on the cleric's interpretation of the Word of God. Soon the numbers of the
> Bábis were tenfold. The courage of the believers to face martyrdom for their belief,
> withstanding the Shah’s army and the clerics, awakened the social consciousness of the
> nation. It reached its peak with the Martyrdom of the Báb and the imprisonment of
> Bahá’u’lláh in the Dungeon of “Siyáh-Chál.”
> 
> The modern history textbooks falsely refer to the Bábi Movement as a rebellion against the
> Shah, creating an upheaval in the nation. In the early history of the Faith, thousands of
> believers were martyred by the verdicts of the Shah and the clerics. The army and the
> masses attacked innocent civilians, including women and children for the main purpose of
> the total elimination of the Bábi’s and Bahá’ís in Persia.
> 
> From 1844 to the 1880’s, the Russian and British Empires had dominating power over most
> of Persia. The Persian Royals (the Shah’s) had practically lost their political power beyond
> Tehran. In this period, the Russian Tsars gradually advanced into the northern and eastern
> regions of Persia and captured most of the territories. They then created the Russian
> province of Transcaspia and built the European type city of Ishqabad in Turkmenistan.
> However, the Turkmens never lived in that town. The city was occupied by Russian Officers
> and Army, in addition to the immigrants from Armenia, Persia, and other Central Asian
> territories.
> 
> In 1884 a group of Persian Bahá’ís escaped persecution by emigrating to Ishqabad. They
> enjoyed religious freedom and activities and have gradually developed a thriving Bahá’í
> community. By the turn of 20th Century, under the direction of Abdul- Baha, Haji Mirza
> Muhammad-Taqi Afnan, a cousin of the Báb, supervised the construction of the first Bahá’í
> Temple.
> 
> ‘The Bahá'í community reached a high stage of development in the early years of
> this century. Just prior to the Russian Revolution in 1918, more than 4,000 believers
> lived in Ishqabad, where they had erected a Bahá'í House of Worship, built an
> elementary school, two kindergartens, and a medical clinic, and had established a
> highly developed community life, featuring multiple libraries, social clubs and various
> societies devoted to drama, gymnastics, and other pursuits.’
> 
> ~~ Taken from One Country: Newsletter of the Bahá’í International Community,
> Jan- March 1997
> https://onecountry.org
> 
> The Background History of My Mother, Nayereh Behroozi
> 
> I was told by my mother, that my grandfather was the son of one of the Persian families in
> Ishqabad. He left home in his teens and went to Hamadan – an ancient town in Western
> Persia. He was a handsome young man with progressive views, ready to change the world.
> He met my grandmother, a pre-teen girl, by the river. He mischievously threw some
> pebbles into the water to get her attention. My grandmother scolded him for his naughty
> behavior. My grandfather fell in love with her and asked her parents for her hand. They got
> married and soon after, moved to Tehran. She bore 18 children, including a pair of twins.
> My mother was the last born.
> 
> My grandmother was from a family of devout Muslims. She told my mother that when her
> husband’s “Bábi” sisters came for a visit from Ishqabad, they did not cover their heads. So,
> their blond braided hair was showing. After they had returned to Ishqabad, my grandmother
> gave away all the bedding and dishes that they had used – as they had been touched by
> the “infidel Bábis.”
> 
> Years later, my oldest aunt married a Bahá’í merchant from Ishqabad. He died young and
> although my aunt never became a Bahá’í, their young son, under the care of his uncle,
> grew up as a Bahá’í. This cousin and his children were the only Bahá’ís in my extended
> family.
> 
> The Persian Constitutional Government; 1905 - 1925
> 
> The Russian Revolution of 1905 and the economic stagnation and exposure to Western
> culture, had influenced the Persian progressives to initiate a social revolution in the country.
> The beating of a merchant by government officials triggered the uprising of the Merchants
> Guild and the clerics. They demanded a Constitutional Monarchy, limiting the power of the
> Shah, and granting popular power to the Majlis (Parliament.) The Mozaffarad-Din Shah
> signed this declaration in 1906, shortly before his death.
> 
> In 1907, The Russians and British used the change of power and the political instability to
> their advantage and entered a pact to divide Persia into North and South, with the Russians
> influencing the North and British the South. They sent their ambassadors to inform
> Mohammad Ali Shah, the new monarch. In 1908, the Shah, with the support of the British
> and Russians decided to abolish the Constitution. He arrested most of the leaders of the
> Constitutional movement and bombarded the Majlis (Parliament) during its Opening
> Ceremony.
> 
> My grandfather was an influential merchant of the Persian Carpet in the Bazaar (Market).
> He was a member of the Merchants Guild who supported the Constitutional Revolution.
> Each year he participated in the opening ceremony of the Majlis, by decorating the building
> with carpets from his shop. However, in 1908, my grandmother who was pregnant with my
> mother, went into labor. My grandfather stayed home and missed the meeting of the
> Constitutional Leaders with the Shah at the Royal Garden. In this meeting, the Shah
> overturned the Constitution, closed the Parliament, and arrested the Constitutional leaders.
> 
> When my grandfather heard the news, he knew that not only he had lost his inventory of
> carpets, but his life was in danger. He went into hiding in a windowless basement for a
> year, became gravely ill and died shortly after. He was in his early forties.
> 
> My mother was only a few years old when her father passed away. She was brought up by
> her mother and an older brother who were staunch Muslims.
> 
> In 1909 the Pro-Constitutional groups forced the Shah to abdicate and replaced him with a
> young, inexperienced Ahmad Shah. Although they re-established the Constitution, it left a
> weak Persian Government with the Shah having no control outside of Tehran. The British
> consolidated their hold on the Persian Oil supply by the treaty of the Anglo – Persian Oil
> company, giving a concession of 16% of the profit to the Persian government.
> 
> After the 1917 Russian Revolution, the British used Persia as a base for an unsuccessful
> attack on Russia, to stop the spreading of the Bolshevik influence in the Middle East and
> India. The Russians in turn, annexed a large portion of Northern Iran, creating the Persian
> Soviet Socialist Republic.
> 
> In 1920, as the Russian-backed guerrillas of Rasht were preparing to march into Tehran
> and take over the government, Reza Khan Pahlavi, with the partial support of the British,
> launched a coup d’état, that eventually abdicated Ahmad Shah and gave the power to Reza
> Khan.
> 
> Reza Shah 1925 – 1944
> 
> In 1925, the Parliament ended the reign of Qajar Dynasty and appointed Reza Shah as the
> legal Monarch. Reza Shah set to centralize the fractured tribal rules to a constitutional
> government. He gradually decreased the influence of the British and Russians, by getting
> rid of the 1908 Treaty. Consequently, in 1933, he forcibly negotiated with the Anglo- Persian
> Oil Company for a considerably higher share of the oil revenue at 21%.
> 
> In his efforts to modernize the country, he enforced a nonsectarian decree by forbidding
> women to wear the chador – a veil that covered women from head to toe. My mother
> remembered Reza Shah himself, stopping a woman in the street, ordering her to hand over
> her chador, putting it under his boot and ripping it apart with his hands. This practice was
> repeated throughout the country by law enforcement. It went hand in hand with ordering
> men and women to discard their customary Persian garments and replace them with
> western ones.
> 
> Reza Shah started the implementation of a national curriculum for the compulsory public
> education for girls and boys. It was followed by the establishment of the University of
> Teheran.
> 
> During his reign, the women emancipation movement took place, helping women to work
> and take part in various social actions.
> 
> During this period the mass persecution of Bahá’ís by the government and the clerics
> decreased and was limited to occasional incidents.
> 
> This massive social change upset the clerics and their followers. However, their
> demonstrations and resistance were met by a strong response from government forces,
> which sometimes led to the killing of the clerics and their followers.
> 
> “Iran,” replacing Persia:
> 
> In 1935, Reza Shah asked the “League of Nations” to formally adopt “Iran” as the correct
> name for the country, and to no longer refer to it as Persia.
> 
> The reason for this name correction was the historical perspective of Iran. The ancient
> historians stated that circa 1000 BC, three Aryan tribes: The Medes, Persians, and
> Parthians left the Caucasus region and migrated to the Iranian Plateau by the Caspian Sea.
> They called their new land Iran, the land of the Aryans. Around the same time, another
> Aryan tribe moved away to the land which they called “Allman,” presently called Germany.
> 
> The Iranian Medes settled in the northwest of the Plateau, and in 728 BC formed the first
> Iranian Dynasty and unified the tribes. The seat of Median Empire was in the city of
> Hamadan.
> 
> The Persians settled in Pars and had a close affinity with the Medes. In 550 BC, young
> Cyrus the Great rebelled against his grandfather, the Median King and started the
> Achaemenid Empire, which became known as the Persian Empire to the Greeks. Thus, the
> western historians following the Greeks, called Iran, Persia. The Achaemenid kings moved
> the seat of their empire to Pars but kept Hamadan as one of their three capitals. Shiraz, in
> Pars Province, is the birthplace of the Báb and the Bábi Faith.
> 
> Most of the significant archeological finds of the Persian Empire, such as Persepolis are in
> Pars. However, Hamadan has the most ancient relic, the Stone Lion, from the Median
> Empire period. There are also two ancient inscriptions from the Achaemenid Emperors
> carved in granite, on the side of the Alvand Mountain.
> 
> Persian Public Education:
> 
> Until the early 19th Century, primary education in Persia was mainly Islamic religious
> “Maktabs” – schools for boys, or private tutors for the nobility. By the 1830’s other
> charitable and religious organizations established schools in Persia.
> 
> From 1897 - 1912 under the guidance of Abdu’l-Baha, The Persian Bahá’ís established
> schools for boys and girls in Tehran, Hamadan, and other major cities in Persia. These
> schools were recognized later, by the government. They accepted students from all
> religious and social backgrounds. The graduates from the Tarbiyát Schools for girls and
> boys in Tehran became prominent members of the Persian community.
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encouraged American Bahá’í educators such as Dr. Moody, to support and
> fund the Tarbiyát School for girls. Some students received sponsorship from the Persian–
> American Educational Society and continued their higher education in the United States.
> The first among them was 16-year-old Qudsyyieh Ashraf. Years later, in her talk in
> Mashhad, she related that in May 1912, she had the honor of attending the Dedication
> Ceremony of the Bahá’í Temple in Wilmette. As the ceremonial golden shovel was dull,
> Abdu’l-Baha used an ax to break the ground for the placement of the Cornerstone. Then,
> a young man handed him the shovel to turn the earth. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked the Bahá’í
> women from different nationalities to come forward and turn the earth. He called upon Miss
> Ashraf to represent the women in Persia.
> 
> During the Constitutional period, the Persian Government started a public education
> system in the country. My mother attended one of these private schools for girls. In 1921,
> the Teacher Training school was established in Tehran. My mother was among the first
> group of teachers who completed the training and then taught in the same school that she
> had graduated from.
> 
> Reza Shah established the Education Ministry which standardized the modern compulsory
> public education in Iran. It placed constraints on religious school’s operations and
> curriculum. In 1935 the Ministry mandated the Bahá’í Schools not to observe Bahá’í Holy
> Days. When the Bahá’í schools did not conform, they were ordered to close permanently.
> 
> The Story of My Father, Abbas Behroozi:
> 
> My father was born in 1899 in Hamadan. His mother died during childbirth and left him and
> his nine brothers and sisters as orphans. By customary tradition, my grandfather married
> a widowed sister of my grandmother who also had a child. Together, they produced three
> more children which made a complicated family relationship for the stepchildren. My father
> and his siblings felt lost in the crowded home.
> 
> Hamadan was the home to a diverse ethnic and religious group. The general population
> was staunch Muslims, the minorities included Assyrians - who were Orthodox Christians,
> and Jews. Each had their own ancient language and culture. The Zoroastrians practiced
> their pre-Islamic religious and cultural traditions. These minorities mainly associated with
> their own and had only business interactions with Muslims. Each had their set of prejudice
> against the others. I remember when my young, US-educated uncle married an Assyrian
> woman, the strong adverse reaction of his family was so pervasive that they had to move
> to Tehran. The prejudice was much more prominent when it was Muslims against Jews.
> 
> In 1877, a Jewish physician embraced the Faith in Hamadan. He was one of the first of a
> considerable number of Jewish Bahá’ís in Hamadan.
> 
> My father, being born in one of the most ancient cities in Iran, developed a great love for
> Pre-Islamic Iran, its culture, and religion. Later in life, he became an amateur archeologist
> and received a commendation from the Archeological Society of Iran. He had a collection
> 
> of coins, back to the time of Darius the Great, who started the use of currency in the world.
> On our family vacations, my father always took us to visit Archeological sites in Iran.
> 
> My father left home when he was a teenager. He first went to Turkey then Iraq and learned
> conversational Turkish and Arabic when communicating with the public. While in Baghdad,
> he joined the Military Medical Corps, studied medicine, and was certified as a medical
> doctor. Then he was stationed at the Royal Hospital outside Baghdad.
> 
> My father was not aware that the Royal Hospital was situated at the old Najibiyyih Garden.
> One day while taking a break in the hospital garden, he saw an old man outside the gate,
> waving and beckoning him. My father asked the guard to let him in. The old man told my
> father that he had been watching my father for a while and thought it was important to let
> him know that a significant event had taken place in this Garden. He had urged my father
> to find out more about this by contacting the Bahá’ís. He left, and my father never saw him
> again. Some time passed before my father crossed the path of the Bahá’ís and was
> introduced to Mr. Abbas Alavi, a great Bahá’í teacher, and scholar. Through Mr. Alavi's
> loving instruction my father learned about the Bahá’í Faith. He believed that he was
> destined to work in the “Garden of Ridvan,” where Bahá’u’lláh declared his mission to his
> followers; the great event that the old man urged the young doctor to investigate. My father
> was attracted to the Faith’s progressive teachings, such as the equality of women and men,
> and a Faith which was devoid of the religious prejudices and fanaticism of Muslims. As he
> loved Zoroaster, the ancient Iranian Messenger of God, he admired the Persian lineage of
> the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> In 1926, when my father visited his aunt in Tehran, he met my mother and married her in
> the Muslim tradition. It took years for my mother to overcome her strong prejudice and
> gradually, through the patient mentoring of Mr. Alavi, she first accepted the Báb, and later
> Baha'ullah. They had their two sons when in 1935, my father gained employment with the
> Anglo-Iranian Oil company, and the family moved to Abadan. My father by that time could
> speak English and a bit of French. He told me that he used to memorize 100 words from
> the English dictionary each day, to learn the language and get employment with the Oil
> Company.
> 
> Abadan is an island in the southern part of Iran, and because of its proximity to the Persian
> Gulf, is the most important port in the region. The Anglo - Persian Oil Company, after the
> discovery of oil in the region, built a pipeline and the largest Oil Refinery in the world in that
> city. Most of the population of Abadan were British, Iranians from the other areas, and
> Indians. The townships had British designed bungalows, parks, schools, and clubhouses.
> However, British Colonial rule was enforced. British housing, facilities, and clubhouses
> were for British employees only. The Non-British professional staff had their “zones “which
> were segregated from the oil fields worker’s quarters.
> 
> My parents enjoyed the modern way of life which was nonexistent in other parts of Iran.
> They felt they were transported to a world and culture which was new and exciting.
> However, my father, being a proud Iranian, could not accept the colonial discrimination of
> the British. Especially knowing that the Company was reaping the profit of his country’s
> 
> natural resources. The deciding factor for my father leaving his position with the Company
> was when one of his children was sick and needed hospitalization. Although my father was
> the Hospital’s doctor and was treating British patients, he was not allowed to admit his child
> to the British Ward. It affected my father tremendously. He left Abadan and eventually, in
> 1941, became a medical officer at a hospital in Ramsar.
> 
> Ramsar, a city by the Caspian Sea, was built amidst the lush Mazandaran forest. Having
> a mild Mediterranean climate, it became a resort city for the affluent and the Summer
> Capital of Reza Shah. It was also near the Russian border.
> 
> Events Leading to the Allies Invasion of Iran
> 
> When Reza Shah came to power, his first and foremost mission was making Iran a united
> and modern nation. After the renegotiation with the British Oil Company, he used the
> revenue to build roads, highways, and railways which connected Iranian regions from north
> to south and east to west.
> 
> Reza Shah’s policy was to limit the influence of the British, as well as Communist Russia
> in Iran. Therefore, he employed consultants from the United States to develop a national
> financial system, and German technicians to build factories and the railway system. He
> granted the purchase of steel factory from Germany, and concession to the German
> Lufthansa airlines to fly in the Iranian airspace rather than the British. When World- War II
> engulfed Europe and Africa, strategically the Iranian railway system became vital to
> transport arms and troops for the Allied forces. However, Reza Shah declared Iran as a
> neutral country and refused the Iranian Territories to be used by foreign troops.
> 
> In 1941, the Allied forces invaded Iran, disregarding Iran’s neutral status, and forced Reza
> Shah to abdicate for his son. He lived the rest of his life in exile. The Iranian Transport
> Corridor played an important role in defeating Germany. Sir Winston Churchill, the British
> Prime Minister, called Iran the Bridge of Victory.
> 
> My parents and their three young children were in Ramsar when neighboring Russia
> invaded Iran. It was without warning and thus caught everyone by surprise. My father was
> called to duty at the hospital. My mother and three kids joined other families to go into
> hiding in the forest. The Allied Occupation of Iran continued until 1943. It culminated at the
> “Allied Tehran Conference,” when President Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Stalin met
> at the Russian Embassy in Tehran. At this important conference, the Tehran Protocol
> pledged to recognize Iranian independence.
> 
> During the Allied occupation, my parents moved to the Central Province of Iran, close to
> Tehran, which offered more security. My father was employed by the Ministry of Health and
> was the Head Medical Officer of the Public Clinics in various regions. I was born at the end
> of the WWII, in Tehran.
> 
> A Glimpse at the Bahá’í History of Tehran
> 
> Tehran has been the capital city of Iran since the Qajar Dynasty. The affluent part of the
> city, with large palaces, gardens, water reservoirs, bathhouses, and shops, belonging to
> the royal court. Each palace had its own prison dungeon and guards.
> 
> The Báb after his Declaration sent his first disciple, Mulla Husayn, to deliver a letter on his
> behalf to a nobleman in Tehran. The secret communication between the Báb and
> Bahá'u'lláh continued until his martyrdom in 1850. As the was held a prisoner throughout
> his ministry, Bahá'u'lláh took the leading role in safeguarding the Faith and protecting the
> early believers. In 1847, the Bábis in Qazvin were accused of the assassination of a cleric.
> Tahirih, the Pure One, was placed under house arrest and a number of prominent Bábis
> jailed. Bahá'u'lláh helped the prisoners and arranged for Tahirih to be taken to his house in
> Tehran. The Prime Minister ordered Bahá'u'lláh to leave the country. Bahá'u'lláh left Tehran
> for Iraq and stayed there until 1851.
> 
> The period after the martyrdom of the Báb, which coincided with Bahá'u'lláh’s absence,
> brought confusion and chaos to the leadership of the Bábi community in Tehran. In 1852,
> three Bábis decided to avenge the Báb’s execution by an attempt on the life of the Shah.
> Bahá'u'lláh, who had just returned to Tehran was not aware of this plan. The Shah’s injury
> was superficial, but the effect was catastrophic for the Bábis. Hundreds were imprisoned
> and killed within four months. Among them Tahirih, the Pure One. The Prime Minister’s
> soldiers took Tahirih to the Ilkhani Garden and found a drunk servant to strangle her. They
> threw her body into a well and covered it with dirt and stones. Bahá'u'lláh, along with all the
> Bábi men in Tehran, was arrested.
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh was imprisoned in the dungeon of the Siyáh-Chál (the Black Pit), an old
> reservoir of a public bath in the royal court. The following is an excerpt from The Dawn-
> Breakers – Page 63
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> ‘I now proceed to relate what befell the remaining companions of the Báb, those
> who had been privileged to share the horrors of the confinement with Bahá'u'lláh.
> From His own lips, I have often heard the following account: "All those who were
> struck down by the storm that raged during that memorable year in Tihran were Our
> fellow-prisoners in the (Siyáh-Chál) , where We were confined. We were all huddled
> together in one cell, our feet in stocks, and around our necks fastened the most
> galling of chains. The air we breathed was laden with the foulest impurities, while
> the floor on which we sat was covered with filth and infested with vermin. No ray of
> light was allowed to penetrate that pestilential dungeon or to warm its icy-coldness.
> We were placed in two rows, each facing the other. We had taught them to repeat
> certain verses which, every night, they chanted with extreme fervour. 'God is
> sufficient unto me; He verily is the All-sufficing!' one row would intone, while the
> other would reply: 'In Him let the trusting trust.' The chorus of these gladsome voices
> would continue to peal out until the early hours of the morning. Their reverberation
> would fill the dungeon, and, piercing its massive walls, would reach the ears of
> 
> Násiri'd-Dín Sháh, whose palace was not far distant from the place where we were
> imprisoned. 'What means this sound?' he was reported to have exclaimed. 'It is the
> anthem the Bábís are intoning in their prison,' they replied. The Shah made no
> further remarks, nor did he attempt to restrain the enthusiasm his prisoners, despite
> the horrors of their confinement, continued to display.’
> 
> In this dungeon, Bahá'u'lláh received a visionary revelation that he was the “Promised One
> of God,” referred to as the “Hidden Declaration.”
> 
> Within four months of Bahá'u'lláh’s imprisonment, nobles, politicians, and ambassadors
> intervened on his behalf. The Royal Advisors did not deem it wise to execute Bahá'u'lláh
> and escalate the unrest. Therefore, the decision was to remove Bahá’u’lláh and eradicate
> the Bábis in Iran. The Shah made a pact with the Ottoman Emperor, to exile Bahá’u’lláh to
> the territories of the Ottoman Empire. Bahá'u'lláh was released in December, his properties
> were confiscated, and in January, he was forced to leave Iran for Baghdad with his family.
> It was the onset of his forty years of exile to Baghdad, Istanbul, Adrianople, and Akka in
> Palestine.
> 
> The persecution and killing of the Bábis continued in Tehran. Innocent Bábis were taken to
> the Sabzih Maydan – the “Green Square,” where farmers used to bring their produce to
> Tehran for sale. When I was a child, my mother took me to this square to buy fresh
> vegetables. I was always in awe, imagining the martyred believers, shedding their precious
> blood on that holy ground.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir, the Hand of the Cause, related the story of Mr. Sarvestani, a Muslim who left
> his house to visit a friend. He happened to be in Square where they were beheading a Bábi
> in front of him. A few drops of the martyr’s blood fell on his shoes. It had a long-lasting
> effect on him. He found the Bahá’ís and became a prominent Bahá’í teacher. Dr. Muhajir
> told us that the blood of the martyrs was like a heavenly river flowing through the veins of
> the believers, invigorating the spiritual life of each generation!
> 
> Persecuted Bábis from small towns and villages found refuge in Tehran, being protected
> to some degree by the influential Bábis. They lived close to each other, and the men carried
> daggers to safeguard the family.
> 
> In 1863, after the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh, in Baghdad, most of the Bábis embraced the
> new Faith. As Bahá’ís, they lived a peaceful life. They did not bear arms, defy the
> government, or even fight back when attacked. Bahá’í scholars gathered in Tehran and
> formed the group of Moballeqin - the expounders of the Bahá’í teachings. They held weekly
> meetings with seekers in Bahá’í homes. They also held deepening classes for the Bahá’ís.
> Some of these scholars were former prominent clerics who had embraced the Faith. They
> had an in-depth knowledge of Islamic Prophecies and proofs for the coming of Bahá’u’lláh.
> Mr. Alavi, the spiritual teacher of my parents, was a distinguished member of Moballeqin.
> Through their efforts, the number of Bahá’ís increased, representing different stratum of
> society.
> 
> However, a small group of Bábis did not accept Bahá’u’lláh. I remember as a child that I
> knew about one group who lived in the impoverished area of “Qanat’e - Shah,” in the
> southern part of Tehran. To protect their lives, they lived in an isolated neighborhood and
> always carried stilettos. Their source of livelihood was taking large canisters of drinking
> water from the underground “Qanat” and selling them door to door in Tehran. The general
> population, with all the misinformation about the Bábis, were apprehensive to have close
> contact with them. Like most people, they did not differentiate Bábis from Bahá’ís, they
> misdirected these uncomfortable feelings towards the Bahá’ís too.
> 
> By the end of the 19th Century and early 20th Century, Bahá’ís were quite visible in Tehran.
> They established the Tarbiyát schools for boys and girls and a health clinic which was
> supported by American doctors. They also started publication of Bahá’í literature using
> stencil prints.
> 
> In 1897, under the directives of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, four Hands of the Cause convened the first
> Bahá’í Consultative Body. Due to the suppressive condition in Iran, this Central Body
> coordinated both national and local administrative affairs. In 1928, under the directives of
> the Guardian, the Central Spiritual Assembly in Tehran was among the original National
> Assemblies who held a Bahá’í election.
> 
> During Reza Shah’s rule, as he favored a secular and centralized government control, the
> widespread killing and persecution of Bahá’ís decreased. However, since the Iranian
> Constitution did not recognize the Bábis/Bahá’ís as a legitimate religious minority,
> “systemic persecution, and discrimination” emerged. It intensified in 1933, by closing all
> the Bahá’í schools in Iran, including the prestigious Tarbiyát schools in Tehran – as they
> did not comply with the policy of the Ministry of Education to operate on Bahá’í Holy
> Days. It was followed by banning the production and import of Bahá’í publications. Bahá’í
> public employees were either demoted or fired without compensation. The government
> did not recognize Bahá’í marriage, and it went as far as imprisoning bridegrooms for
> having a Bahá’í marriage.
> 
> The following is an excerpt from a letter on behalf of the beloved Guardian:
> 
> ‘The persecutions from which the Persian friends are now suffering represent,
> indeed, the culmination of the long and nation-wide campaign which the authorities
> in that country have during the last two years launched against the Faith. In many
> of its aspects, this campaign is reminiscent of the persecutions suffered by the early
> Bábís, ... The first incident which led to this outburst of fierce antagonism on the
> part of the Government was in connection with the Tarbiyát Schools in Tehran. The
> school authorities having, after due consultation with the N.S.A. and in strict
> conformity with the principle governing the observance of Bahá'í holidays, decided
> to close the schools on the occasion of the celebration of the anniversary of Báb's
> martyrdom, the authorities in the capital immediately issued orders that the schools
> be permanently closed, and that also no public meetings of any kind be held by the
> believers. This has been done in spite of the fact that other religious communities,
> 
> such as the Muslims and the Zoroastrians, are allowed to celebrate their own feasts,
> and as such enjoy full religious freedom. Similar orders were issued to the believers
> in all other parts of Persia, with the result that today the friends find their activities in
> Persia completely paralyzed. Their schools have all been definitely closed, their
> meetings suspended, their correspondence intercepted, and their assemblies and
> committees for the most part dissolved.
> The situation, as it stands at present, is highly disconcerting. The friends, however,
> faithful to the injunctions of the Master regarding obedience to government in all
> administrative matters as distinguished from those affecting their conscience and
> loyalty to the Cause strictly adhere to the laws and orders of the government. Their
> sole hope is the assurance that in due time all these restrictions are bound to
> disappear....’
> ~~ Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, Page 51
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> A Glimpse at the History of Iran: 1941 – 1955
> 
> The forced abdication of Reza Shah and the foreign occupation of Iran created a vacuum
> in the Central Government of Iran. The new Shah who was young and inexperienced, tried
> to follow his father’s policy of maintaining a secular and independent Iran with limited
> foreign interference. However, he did not have the strong military and security forces that
> Reza Shah had exerted to police the country. The poor economic conditions and lack of
> control of the central government, helped the clerics to emerge and regain their hold on the
> general population.
> 
> While the British and American governments were extending their sphere of influence to
> control the oil in Iran and the Middle East, Stalin counteracted by recruiting a group of
> progressive Iranians to form the Tudeh (Communist) party of Iran. In this atmosphere of
> relative freedom, other progressive groups who were against both the clerics and foreign
> control started to form.
> 
> The British and Americans who were anxious about the communist influence agreed with
> the clerics to incite the public against any group which was not adhering to Islamic
> doctrines. As the clerics were always against the Bahá’ís, they used them as a scapegoat
> to achieve their objectives. Thus, the “Jam’iyat Fadai’yan Islam” (The Society of Devotees
> of Islam), a Muslim terrorist group, was formed that had a far-reaching effect on the
> eradication of the progressive leaders, elimination of the Tudeh party and the persecution
> of the Bahá’ís .
> 
> In 1951, Dr. Musaddiq was elected by the Parliament to become the Prime Minister of Iran.
> In addition, with the leadership of Dr. Musaddiq, they passed a resolution to nationalize the
> Iranian Petroleum Company. Later that year, Dr. Musaddiq led a delegation to the United
> Nation Security Council to defend the rights of the Iranian government to nationalize its Oil
> 
> industry. Representatives of the National Assembly of the Bahá’ís of United States met
> with the Prime Minister and based on his suggestion, later submitted a letter of appeal.
> The following are excerpts from a translated version of this letter:
> 
> ‘….this Assembly can justly state that followers of the Bahá’í Faith in Iran
> have been deprived of their civil rights in governmental agencies, that their
> possessions and property have been plundered by unregulated elements, and that
> their lives are the targets of attacks, even death, while police officers and security
> agents have offered no assistance. The National Spiritual Assembly [of the Bahá’ís
> of the United States] has copies of various letters and documents prepared by
> administrative agencies of the Bahá’ís of Iran, which have been submitted with great
> urgency to the government of that country, but which have remained unanswered
> and have resulted in no remedy. This Assembly is confident that Your Excellency,
> aware of the impoverishment of public opinion [in Iran] and the ill-behavior of
> officials, will take effective steps towards ensuring the safety and security of Bahá’ís
> under the protection of the law. What will be briefly outlined in this presentation
> relates to current events that commenced in 1944; reference to other events or
> enumerating the most critical details in these historical documents have been
> avoided. The instigators of persecution against Bahá’ís are members of an activist
> group known as Anjuman Tablighat Islami [The Society for Islamic Propaganda],
> whose activities have greatly increased since 1941. Members of the aforesaid group
> are active in various parts of the country and provoke the public against Bahá’ís;
> moreover, they urge the police to neglect the protection of these wronged citizens
> in the face of public abuse. Moreover, this Society has been engaged in publishing
> lies against the Bahá’ís and in fueling the fire of public enmity and prejudice, to the
> point that the populace now considers Bahá’ís to be enemies of religion and the
> nation, destroyers of Islam, and opposers of civil law. Wherever the Bahá’ís are
> under attack, the Muslim ‘ulama—in other words, mullahs—have an active hand in
> events. They assure people in the mosques that if they were to massacre and
> completely annihilate the Bahá’ís, they would receive a worthy prize in paradise.
> They instruct people to kill Bahá’ís and plunder their possessions.
> 
> ……… Despite all existing evidence and witnesses, the murderers were freed, and
> the looters were sentenced to just one month of imprisonment. This resulted in the
> encouragement of lawlessness and the erosion of people’s confidence in the
> judiciary. This, in turn, resulted in a new wave of persecution against Bahá’ís. “Go,
> kill Bahá’ís and confiscate their possessions! Did the government punish the people
> of Shahrud? You too can act like them!” Such was the call to arms of the mischief-
> makers and rabble-rousers! The following is the text of a Ministerial Decree, no.
> 744, dated July 4, 1944:
> 
> Among the Bahá’í teachers and leaders are commonly found those who work in
> governmental offices. The activities of these individuals and their involvement in the
> affairs of the nation are destructive and a cause of harm and loss. With the utmost
> care and seriousness, they must be kept under surveillance; should they fail to follow
> instructions, they must be dealt with in accordance with the law.
> 
> This document provided the mischief-makers with the necessary pretext to further
> harass, persecute, and attack Bahá’ís, and to expel them from various government
> offices.
> 
> …… In Tehran, people were ceaselessly urged to persecute the Bahá’ís. Azadegan
> newspaper published the following statement: Our laws regarding denying
> employment in governmental offices for [members of] this apostate sect [Bahá’ís] is
> completely clear. Therefore, by our official tradition, that is, by Islamic jurisprudence,
> the killing of Bahá’ís is permitted—nay is considered a religious obligation.
> 
> …. We are confident that this brief outline will suffice to establish our assertion,
> since, in various parts of Iran, Bahá’ís have been ruthlessly made the target of
> assault and injury, some have been mercilessly killed, the possessions of many
> have been plundered and pillaged, and they have been deprived of their civil rights.
> Bahá’ís are not allowed to print books or journals. When the enemies publish lies, it
> brings disrepute upon the Bahá’ís. In the official government census, even though
> the Bahá’ís forthrightly declared their religion, nonetheless the census-takers
> registered them as Muslim. Fifty-eight Bahá’ís were discharged or suspended from
> work in the Education Ministry or other governmental offices in October 1950, and
> we have their names on file. At a time when the fanatical Muslims accused the
> Bahá’ís of atheism, Satanworshiping, and apostasy, and proclaimed them as the
> true enemies of Islam, our Spiritual Assembly wrote to the leaders of Islam
> throughout Iran on March 21, 1928.46 That letter included the truth about the Bahá’í
> teachings and the close connection between the Bahá’í Faith and Islam, and the
> high regard by Bahá’ís for the Prophet Muhammad, which may aid Your Excellency
> in becoming more aware of the reality of the Bahá’í Cause.
> 
> …. Dr. Musaddiq, we consider it essential to submit to your presence the truth of the
> Bahá’í teaching, which emphatically enjoins upon Bahá’ís to be faithful to their
> government, obedient to the laws and not to participate in any antagonistic political
> parties. With utmost effectiveness, these teachings compel Bahá’í citizens to
> praiseworthy conduct. We are deeply astonished and puzzled as to why a country
> like Iran, with its brilliant ancient civilization, which enjoys the benefits of
> constitutional law, can nevertheless deal with a minority group like the Bahá’ís in
> ways that are against decency and opposed to the provisions of the law, when its
> Constitution has clearly and with foresight provided for the equality of all people
> before the law. We submit this petition to your honor not only for the sake of religious
> fraternity and unity with, and affection for, the Bahá’ís of Iran but also because of
> our Faith’s teachings, which enjoin upon us to have a special regard for Iran. We
> ask that with confidence you accept our well-wishing prayers.’
> 
> With loving regards, Horace Holley,
> Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly.
> 
> ~ Taken from Dr Musaddiq and the Bahais - bahai-library.com, By Bahram Choubine.
> 
> Dr. Musaddiq, during his reign from 1951 to 1953, championed a Secular Democratic Iran,
> free from foreign economic domination. He considered Bahá’ís as Iranians with the same
> rights and privileges as other citizens. He introduced social programs such as social
> security and a Land Reform Act, which changed the feudalistic system of massive land
> ownership by a few, including the royal family. His policy ended the British control of the
> Anglo- American Oil Company.
> 
> The liberal policies of Dr. Musaddiq’ s government were against the interest of the British
> and American Cold War policy in Iran. Churchill and Eisenhower were concerned that Stalin
> would find a foothold in Iran through the Iranian communist “Tudeh” Party. Therefore, in
> 1953, the British Secret Service and American CIA, planned and executed a successful
> Iranian coup d’état to overthrow the Musaddiq government and reinstated the Pahlavi
> Monarchy.
> 
> The Shah made a pact with the superpowers to safeguard their interests in Iran. He also
> made another pact with the Muslim fundamentalists to give them a free hand to promote
> Islamic doctrines in Iran, and to undo the damage that his father inflicted on the Muslim
> clergy. His advisor’s logic was that through religious indoctrination, the unsatisfied nation
> would divert their interest from political issues and shun the creeping and powerful
> influence of Communism in Iran. This pact chose the Bahá’ís as a sacrificial lamb. Their
> persecution was a diversionary method which was required, to raise the emotional level of
> the zealots. The drama of Falsafi plot was staged in this period of history. Once again, the
> Mullah’s paraded the streets in their attire, and the wearing of the veil for women, which
> was illegal, became an option, enforced by the Mullah’s and zealots.
> 
> PART II
> 
> MY LIFE JOURNEY
> 
> CHAPTER 1
> 
> My Early Childhood and Youth in Tehran
> 
> 1950 – 1968
> 
> ‘If it be Thy pleasure, make me to grow as a tender herb in the meadows of Thy
> grace, that the gentle winds of Thy will may stir me up and bend me into
> conformity with Thy pleasure, in such wise that my movement and my stillness
> may be wholly directed by Thee.’
> 
> ~ Bahá’u’lláh
> 
> https://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/PM/pm-150.html
> 
> I was born at the end of WWII, and the culmination of the Allied occupation of Iran. My
> father, while still working for the Ministry of Health, moved his family to Tehran and
> commuted to the out of town clinics. Later, he partnered with a pharmacist and started a
> Pharmaceutical Production Company. He manufactured and distributed one of the first
> lines of over the counter drugs in the country. He also introduced the first Jell-O products
> to the Iranian market.
> 
> During my youth, many Bahá’í entrepreneurs became successful and wealthy industrialists,
> introducing modern technology to Iran. Among them, Mr. Sabet, who created the first
> Television Broadcasting station and Pepsi-Cola, the first Cola production company in Iran.
> The Arjomand family, who started production of one of the first lines of home appliances,
> and televisions in Iran. Also, through the generous endowment of Misaghieh family, we had
> a modern Bahá’í hospital in Tehran. These establishments were the primary source of
> employment for thousands of Iranians and Bahá’ís who were not able to find a job due to
> discriminatory employment practices against Bahá’ís.
> 
> I grew up as a Bahá’í child in Tehran, where continuous discrimination and persecution of
> the Bahá’ís was a way of life. My first awareness of being “different from others” happened
> during a hot summer day. I was sitting outside our house, enjoying the coolness of a small
> canal which once a week, brought water to the neighborhood. A woman clad in a black
> chador (hijab) was passing by. She looked at me with contempt and said "you bad Bahá’í!
> Move away from the water; you are defiling the water that faithful Moslems are going to
> use.” I was bewildered by this remark, so I went to my mother and asked what they meant?
> My mothers' explanation made me aware of the precious gift of the Faith, which was given
> to me, to hold and to love.
> 
> This nagging sense of contempt by non-Bahá’ís was always intermingled with a sense of
> security, tranquility, and love that surrounded me when I entered any Bahá’í gathering. The
> 
> spiritual kinship with the members of the Bahá’í community compensated for the unkind
> treatment of some Muslim relatives. I recall one Naw–Ruz, which is the traditional Iranian
> New Year, our Muslim relatives boycotted the customary visit of my parents because we
> were Bahá’ís. The only visitors who graced our home and filled our hearts with joy were
> our Bahá’í friends.
> 
> I remember the occasional visits of an aunt who made sure to always sit on a prayer rug
> that she had in her possession. When we offered refreshments, she used to dip them in
> our backyard pond, repeating a verse of Quran, to cleanse them. My mother had great
> patience for this old lady, but as a child, I had enough of the humiliation. So, I had decided
> not to offer her any food. My mother, of course, gave me a stern lecture about forgiveness.
> However, my defiant action hit home, and the old lady decided to restrain her outrageous
> behavior while she was in our house. When she and her daughter wanted to kiss me, they
> covered my face with their chador, so that their lips would not touch my skin. I remember
> years later when I came back to Iran with my family, this cousin repeated the same
> behavior. It shocked me beyond limits.
> 
> Being brought up in a Bahá’í family had nurtured my spiritual self. When I was a few years
> old, early in the mornings while still in bed, when I heard my mother’s chanting of prayer, I
> used to sit up, folded my arms in reverence and listened to her melodious voice uttering
> verses in His praise. I felt a sense of awe and indescribable peace. As soon as the prayer
> was finished, I used to lay down and go back to sleep.
> 
> My First Pilgrimage to the House of the Báb
> 
> One beautiful Ridvan, close to my sixth birthday, my family joined a group of friends who
> were going to Shiraz to make a pilgrimage to the House of the Báb. I vividly remember that
> beautiful house, feeling the spiritual energy when entering its sacred threshold.
> 
> Mr. Afnan, as the representative of Báb's family, greeted us at the Guest House, adjacent
> to the House of the Báb. He lovingly briefed us about the proper protocol of the pilgrimage,
> per Bahá’u’lláh’s instructions in the "Tablet of Pilgrimage."
> 
> Mr. Afnan admonished us to be detached from earthly desires and wants and pray that we
> would attain God's good pleasure. He urged us to fashion our pilgrimage after the
> exemplary life of his Holiness the Báb, who never claimed to have any wish or desire of
> His own, but that which granted to Him by the Almighty.
> 
> Mr. Afnan instructed us to enter the House of the Báb with pure hearts, to drink from the
> fountain of spiritual love and to reflect on the historic event of Báb’s Declaration. I was the
> only small child in the group. So, my mother was asked to watch over me and take me out
> of the room if my behavior disrupted the pilgrimage. However, my young mind was
> fascinated by hearing the mystic events leading to the Báb's Declaration. I felt transformed
> into the past, witnessing the historic moments of His Declaration. So, I followed Mr. Afnan,
> kissing every step which led to the Declaration Chamber.
> 
> There, a lamp on an exquisite silk carpet, marking the position of the Primal Point, when
> he declared His Cause to the first Letter of the Living. The stained-glass windows were
> mysteriously pouring out a sea of subdued light and colors on the intricate plasterwork of
> the walls and ceiling. We sat down in absolute silence; prayers were chanted. Each one of
> us had a chance to meditate and feel the majestic moment.
> 
> We were shown the relics of the Báb. Not long after; they were sent to the Archives for
> safekeeping. The Tablet of Visitation was chanted, and we were led to the courtyard. We
> drank from the well that was used by the Holy Family and given a few leaves from the
> orange tree that His Holiness the Báb had planted with his own hands.
> 
> This pilgrimage was the foundation of my spiritual bonding with the Faith. I developed an
> undying love for Mulla Husayn and chose him as my hero. I admired his humility, self-
> sacrifice, and devotion to the Báb and His Beloved Faith.
> 
> House of the Báb in Shiraz, the room
> where he Declared his mission to Mulla Husayn
> http://media.bahai.org/
> 
> Courtyard of the House of the Báb
> Baha'i Points of Interest: House of the Báb - views of the ...
> thebabhistory.blogspot.com
> 
> The “Falasfi” Upheaval
> 
> My earliest recollection of the celebration of festivals of Naw Ruz and Ridvan in Tehran
> was the wonderful garden parties at our majestic Bahá’í Center. Hundreds of Bahá’ís
> gathered from different parts of the city, socializing and enjoying the sweets and fruits
> served on numerous tables in the Garden. Then, going to the Great Hall for the spiritual
> celebration of the Holy Days.
> 
> During these events, most of the neighborhood knew about our Holy Day celebrations, due
> to the sheer number of Bahá’ís who were visiting the Center, and their joyful countenance.
> This silent acknowledgment was a source of pride for all the Bahá’ís. It was a way to
> proclaim our Faith in the repressive environment that we were living.
> 
> The onset of the tumultuous events against the Bahá’ís was the radio broadcasts of a
> Muslim clergy called Falsafi. The sarcastic and belligerent sermons of Falsafi were
> primarily targeted to ridicule the doctrines of the Faith. It created a sense of shock and
> incredulity in Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike. The impact was a series of ugly incidents
> leading to the widespread persecution of the Bahá’í community in Iran and the martyrdom
> of innocent Bahá’ís.
> 
> I was too young to understand the gravity of the situation. What I remember was a sense
> of danger, intermingled with the protective shield of love and care from my parents and
> their friends. It created a fragile sense of security amidst the upheaval.
> 
> I remember nightly visits to the house of Mr. Abbas Alavi, the beloved Bahá’í teacher and
> spiritual mentor of my parents. His warm and loving counsel helped the small gathering of
> friends to gain confidence to weather the storm. His sense of humor helped to make us
> ready for events which would test our faith and perseverance.
> 
> Social scientists believe that when there is an external danger which threatens the lives of
> the members of a group or puts its existence at risk, it creates a tremendous unity and
> cohesiveness amongst its members, which in turn, works as a magnetic shield for the
> survival of the group. This theory was proven time and time again, amongst the Bahá’í
> community of Iran. It intensified during the Falsafi period. The believers challenged this
> upheaval by showing their sense of loyalty to their Faith and welcomed the kinds of
> suffering that their spiritual forerunners endured and gave their lives for.
> 
> Fascinating phenomena at this period was proclamation of the Faith, due to the adversarial
> actions against Bahá’ís, initiated and carried out diligently by its ardent enemies. Up until
> then, the existence of the Faith was not officially acknowledged by Iranians. In the history
> books, the Bábi Faith was demonstrated as a political uprising which was stifled by the
> Royal Army. The Bahá’í Faith was considered an obscure remnant of the Bábis in Iran,
> continuing this political movement.
> 
> Falsafi’s sermons, entertaining and comical as it was for the Muslims, created an
> awareness of a phenomenon which was much greater than what they were led to believe.
> 
> The sermons which were regularly broadcasted by Iranian Radio Stations created a new
> interest throughout the nation. People wanted to know more about this "movement," which
> was threatening Islamic spiritual and political entity.
> 
> The systemic discrimination of the Bahá’ís, administered in all governmental agencies, was
> a springboard for the Bahá’ís to clarify the ludicrous misinformation given to the nation
> through the pulpit of a Mullah. Articles and books were published by the Bahá’ís to disprove
> these allegations. Heated discussions became prevalent in different family gatherings, in
> the workplace, in the classrooms, and amongst neighbors. These events clearly led to the
> proclamation of the Faith as an independent religion, rather than a political movement.
> 
> The crown of this proclamation was the destruction of the dome of the Bahá’í Center of
> Tehran. The government assigned a General as its representative to undertake this
> abhorrent act. It was presumably a claim of victory by the Royal Army over a group of
> defenseless and innocent civilians.
> 
> The day that the majestic dome of the Bahá’í Center was desecrated was one of the
> saddest days of our lives. We were ordered by the National Spiritual Assembly not to be
> spectators of the demolition. As the regime intended to make a spectacle of the moaning
> and grieving Bahá’ís, who would gather to witness the destruction of their "Shrine." There
> were a few Bahá’í ladies, who on that gloomy and rainy day, disguised in Chadors, made
> the last farewell journey to our beloved Center, to pay their respect from a distant alley.
> 
> This driven desire to be present was not necessarily for the love of a building structure, but
> it was rather a farewell to the symbol which represented the community of the Bahá’ís and
> the limited freedom that we had enjoyed for a short period.
> 
> In recent years, certain documents written by the former leaders of the present regime of
> Iran revealed that the Falsafi era was a well-planned political move, to divert the attention
> of the dissatisfied Iranian populace from organizing a political front, inciting social unrest
> and an eventual revolution.
> 
> The Shah was wrongly advised by political experts to use the Bahá’ís as a target and
> scapegoat. Therefore, granting power to the Muslim Fundamentalists to commit genocide
> against this obscure and insignificant political group. They incited the misinformed masses
> to carry out their plan.
> 
> When the danger of systematic elimination of the Bahá’ís became prevalent, our beloved
> Guardian directed all the Bahá’ís around the world to send petitions to the Shah of Iran,
> stating their objection to the persecution of their fellow Bahá’ís. The outpourings of the
> thousands of letters addressed to the Shah, some from the most obscure corners of our
> planet, was the final blow to the miscalculation of his Imperial Majesty’s Advisors. It
> provided proof of the universality of the Bahá’í Faith.
> 
> My most favorite story which I heard in Mr. Alavi’s home, was from a letter written by an
> African believer. He wrote to the Shah; “Your Majesty, a few years ago, when I was not yet
> 
> a Bahá’í, I used to practice cannibalism as a ritual practice. If then, you happened to cross
> my path, I would not hesitate to kill and taste your flesh. But since I have been blessed to
> accept Bahá’u’lláh's teachings and embraced his Faith, my spiritual transformation
> changed my heart. I learned to love and respect the lives of human beings. Now, I am
> writing to you to vouch for the lives of my fellow Bahá’ís who are your subjects. They are a
> peace loving and gentle people, and as your subjects, you are to protect them and spare
> them from undue suffering. I beseech you to stop this senseless persecution."
> 
> The worldwide pressure and intervention of international agencies and foreign
> governments on behalf of the Bahá’ís was instrumental for a change of approach in the
> Iranian regime. There was a gradual easing in the blatant disregard of lives and rights of
> the Bahá’ís. A more subtle but unceasing approach was chosen to continue with the
> constant persecution of the Bahá’ís.
> 
> The Qamish-Dareh Bahá’í Summer School
> 
> One of the first Bahá’í Summer Schools in Iran was held in the Qamish-Dareh, the property
> of a Bahá’í friend of my father. The owner, Mr. Rahnama, was distinguished for being
> among the descendants of one of the first Zoroastrian families who embraced the Faith of
> Bahá’u’lláh in Iran.
> 
> "Qamish Darreh" or "Bamboo Canyon" was nestled deep in the foothills of the Alborz
> mountains. A cool stream was flowing through a small bamboo grove, giving the illusion of
> an oasis amid the ancient mountain range. A pomegranate garden surrounded the summer
> house of Mr. Rahnama. The sleeping quarters for the participants was the rooftop of this
> modest house. The families who attended the school were given a spot on the rooftop to
> set up their sleeping gear. My most vivid memories was when under the silvery light of the
> star-studded sky on the rooftop, we gathered around Mr. Alavi, listening to his stories about
> the bygone heroes of God.
> 
> Every dawn, we started the day by climbing the mountain, to hold our devotional -
> Mashriqul'adkar in the delightful surroundings of the Bamboo Canyon. We performed
> ablution in the sparkling cool water of the spring, and welcomed the new day by each
> offering prayers and chanting the Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh. Then it was time to head
> down towards the clearing in the pomegranate grove, to partake in a healthy and simple
> breakfast provided for us. This clearing served as our dining area and open-air auditorium
> for our classes.
> 
> The principal teachers of the school were Hand of the Cause of God Mr. A.Q. Faizi, and
> Mr. Alavi.
> 
> A group of Persian pioneers from the Arab Emirates participated in the summer school.
> They were elated to have the opportunity for once again being in a "Bahá’í" gathering,
> where they could talk freely about the Faith and feel that they were members of the larger
> "Bahá’í" community.
> 
> Our new found friends told us that these small Emirates of the Persian Gulf were ruled by
> conservative Islamic regimes. Their government forbade freedom of speech and practice
> of any religion besides Islam. Teaching the Bahá’í Faith was strictly forbidden, and any
> violation of these rules led to the immediate expulsion of the offenders and confiscation of
> their properties. The Beloved Guardian admonished the pioneers of these regions to
> practice utmost caution in teaching the Faith. The Pioneers were to fill pioneering posts
> and teach through living the “Bahá’í" life. Their primary objective was to establish a Bahá’í
> entity in these arid lands, form Spiritual Assemblies, and fulfill the Goals of the Ten-Year
> Plan.
> 
> There was no proper schooling for the children of these pioneer families, especially for
> girls. The parents had to send their young children to the Panchgani Bahá’í School in India,
> to receive a proper Bahá’í education. This was one of the reasons that there were very few
> children participating in the summer school.
> 
> All school participants volunteered to share the housekeeping and cooking responsibilities
> for the duration of the School. The school coordinator, Mr. Dhabih, decided that children
> too should have the bounty of service, by sharing some simple housekeeping
> responsibilities.
> 
> My job, which I proudly shared with my friend Jaleh, was the daily cleaning of all the
> lanterns that would be used for the outdoor lighting. One afternoon, when grown-ups were
> resting, we went to our usual spot by the small stream to do our chore. We were discussing
> the best possible way to get rid of the soot which had blackened the lamps. Suddenly we
> realized that we were not alone. The Hand of the Cause of God Mr. Faizi was standing
> close by, listening to our conversation with amusement. We showed our reverence, which
> was customary to extend to a Hands of the Cause of God. Mr. Faizi was genuinely
> interested to know us and showed an undeserving appreciation for our spirit of service. He
> bestowed upon us such fatherly love that we were completely at ease with him. We felt
> privileged to have the opportunity of spending such precious moments with one of the true
> sages of the Bahá’í Era. Although I was not aware of Mr. Faizi's true station then, that
> encounter was the onset of a long-lasting association, which weaved through the fabric of
> my Bahá’í life.
> 
> In this formative age, my innermost quest was to single out heroes to pattern my life after
> them. I was privileged to choose Mr. Faizi as my first living hero. In later years, I was
> counted as one of his numerous, but equally special, spiritual children.
> 
> Mr. Faizi was a handsome, well-built man. He had penetrating dark eyes and a melodious
> voice. Because of his long stay in the Arabian regions of Persian Gulf, and his natural
> linguistic ability, his spoken Persian had a trace of an Arabic accent. His unique taste in
> clothing; wearing dark colored shirts and jackets, accompanied by a French beret, created
> an impression of a French artist.
> 
> His manner was aristocratic and gentle. He shied away from the customary praise and
> excessive reverence which was usually lavished on personalities of his caliber. He
> 
> believed that those types of deferential treatment lead to a grave spiritual test. He firmly
> believed that Bahá’ís should strive to reach their spiritual destiny by achieving the state of
> "absolute nothingness," to find an "everlasting life," which was promised by Bahá’u’lláh.
> When Mr. Faizi was amidst Pioneers, he was exuberant. They moved him. He could not
> wait to let others know about the splendid qualities of each one of them. A small sacrifice
> became a testament to their love for their beloved Faith. He would have willingly sacrificed
> his life for the happiness of these friends. I remember years later when he came back from
> a teaching trip, he was suffering from the side effects of a chronic heart ailment. A friend
> concerned about his health wondered why he did not rest when the symptoms became
> severe. Mr. Faizi with utter sincerity said; “Because those beloved Pioneers, living in such
> remote islands, were expecting me. I could not fail them on account of my poor health."
> 
> Mr. Faizi was a multi-talented personage. He was a writer and a poet, as well as an athlete,
> an artist, and calligrapher. He loved educating others, but at the same time, he spent his
> time learning the language and culture of different nations. He was a sage in the eyes of
> the public, and a loving teacher for all. He painstaking created beautiful pieces of
> calligraphy to give to his fellow Bahá’ís as a token of his love and appreciation for serving
> the Faith.
> 
> Mr. Faizi, as a young man, decided to go pioneering to the remote villages of Isfahan - it
> was the same region that Báb spent a short period of respite before his arduous journey to
> his eventual martyrdom in Tabriz. He chose the teaching profession to enable him to train
> the minds, bodies, and souls of youth, in an area where the opportunity for education was
> scarce. Most of these youths became Bahá’í teachers and pioneered to the far corners of
> the world. Among them were our dear pioneers from the Persian Gulf.
> 
> When the Beloved Guardian asked the Bahá’ís to go to the Arabian regions of the Middle
> East, Mr. Faizi was among the first group who responded immediately to this directive. He
> never mentioned his own sufferings and hardship. However, his admiration and love for
> these dear Pioneers was an indication of his personal experience of living under strenuous
> conditions in those inhospitable lands.
> 
> My Bahá’í Neighborhood
> 
> Tehran had a large Bahá’í community, and thus children’s and youth classes were held
> within a few blocks of each Bahá’í Section. The Bahá’í curriculum was for 12 years, as was
> the Iranian school system.
> 
> I remember the excitement of going to my first children’s class when I was six. The lesson
> was memorizing the full name of the Báb. When my father picked me up, I repeated that
> blessed name “ His Holiness the Primal Point, Mirza Sayeed Ali-Mohammad, the Bab” all
> the way home.
> 
> When I was a junior youth, we moved to a new neighborhood. There were four Bahá’í
> families in our street. The Ighani family lived a few houses away. I was not usually an early
> riser, but when I had my final exams in June, I used to get up early, go to my backyard, sit
> 
> on the steps, and memorize my lessons. I always felt blessed hearing the melodious voice
> of Mr. Lagha’i chanting Bahá’í prayers, oblivious of our Muslims neighbors hearing him.
> 
> On Becoming a Bahá’í
> 
> In the barren and inhospitable spiritual environment of Iran, Bahá’í activities were the
> refuge for the young saplings of the community. It helped them grow roots and strengthen
> their Faith in Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> There was a concerted effort by the youth committee to create a positive and nurturing
> environment for the youth, to help them develop an interest in acquiring knowledge, and
> becoming firm in the covenant.
> 
> One such activity was the deepening classes, which were held at lunchtime during the
> month of the Fast. It was a symbolic substitution of spiritual food for the material one. It
> also rendered peer support which youths needed to carry out the ordinances of the Fast.
> During these sessions, some prominent Bahá’í teachers shared their ideas and knowledge
> with the young generation. When I turned 15, I started participating in these sessions.
> 
> One day in March, because of a change in my class schedule, I was late for the Fast’s
> deepening session. I walked into a roomful of Bahá’í youth, and noticed the speaker
> expounding on the "Reality of Man." He was a tall, pleasant looking man in his mid-thirties.
> I heard him reciting a verse, with a melodious voice, from the Persian "Hidden Words" of
> Bahá’u’lláh:
> 
> ‘O friend!
> In the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love, and
> from the nightingale of affection and desire loosen not thy hold.’
> 
> (Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> I was then, a student of Persian literature, delving deep into the literary work of the great
> masters, and wanting to be one of the standard bearers of my rich national heritage.
> Listening to the mystic poetry of this verse and the next that followed, stroke a chord deep
> in my heart;
> 
> ‘ With fixed and steady gaze, born of the unerring eye of God,
> scan for a while the horizon of the divine knowledge, and
> contemplate those words of perfection which the Eternal hath
> revealed, that haply the mysteries of divine wisdom, hidden ere
> now beneath the veil of glory and treasured within the tabernacle
> of His grace, may manifest unto you.’
> 
> (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 16)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> In my mind, these Divine words of Bahá’u’lláh, outshined the literary works of any Persian
> Masters. I was led to the gate of a mysterious garden and invited to enter. Then, I have
> bestowed the ecstasy of inhaling the fragrances of the Rose Garden of His Divine Love.
> The speaker was elaborating on the concept of the love of God for His creation; he was
> quoting a French philosopher in Persian, similar to the following poem:
> 
> ‘I was roaming among the ruins of the bygone past,
> 
> There, within the cracks of a broken wall, I beheld a tiny wildflower,
> 
> Overwhelmed by its exquisite beauty, I cradled its fragile petals in my
> hands and said;
> 
> O tiny creature, you are a token of God's love, your mere existence is a
> miracle, bearing witness to His splendor!’
> 
> ~ Poet, unknown
> 
> Years later, I heard Ruhiyyih Khanum likening the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh to a
> magnificent spiritual banquet that enables each seeker, to choose what best nourishes his
> spiritual needs. On that memorable day, I was destined to partake in a heavenly banquet
> that quenched my burning thirst. I found spiritual nourishment in the mystic metaphors that
> so enriches the Bahá’í Writings.
> 
> The speaker moved onto the subject of the spiritual virtue of being humble. He gave us the
> metaphor of a majestic tree with its branches shadowing the blades of grass which grew
> under it. One day, a stupendous storm surged, destroying and uprooting whatever stood in
> its path. When the winds died down, the majestic tree which had never learned to withstand
> the gale of tests had broken in half. However, the blades of grass were still standing. For
> they just swayed and bent until the storm blew away. Their flexibility and humility helped
> them survive.
> 
> I wanted to know more about this speaker, whose love for the Faith was so overpowering.
> I learned that his name was Mr. Kamal Bakhtavar. He was the author of a book entitled
> “The History of Beliefs." It entailed a depiction of ideological views of the World's Great
> Religions. This book which was published for the public had an extensive and accurate
> section on the Bahá’í Faith. The publication of this book put its author at great risk, making
> him a thorn in the eyes of notorious “Tablighate-Islami”– the followers of Falsafi. He became
> the target of a few assassination attempts. Mr. Bakhtavar radiantly acquiesced to these
> instances of risk. He tirelessly continued with his busy teaching schedule.
> 
> When I learned that Mr. Bakhtavar was conducting a weekly class on " Some Answered
> Questions," I decided to become one of his pupils.
> 
> A year passed before I attended Mr. Bakhtavar’s class. I came to respect my teacher's
> global knowledge of the literary texts of the great religions. My mother teasingly called me,
> 
> Mr. Bakhtavar’ s little disciple. I took the study of difficult passages of this magnificent book
> very seriously. I had a great admiration for what Mr. Bakhtavar stood for and considered
> him a role model. I wanted to achieve his level of commitment and courage.
> 
> Mr. Bakhtavar was not offended by having a young girl attending his " grown-up" class. He
> respected my interest and kept his sense of humor handy when I was around. He used to
> tell me that, as a Turkish proverb goes; "If you don't eat sour pickles and avoid the midday
> Sun, someday you will be somebody!"
> 
> I started my high school freshman year at Tabari School, one of the largest public school
> for girls in Tehran. Study of the “Sharia” or tenets of Islam was one of the mandatory
> courses at the high school. Our teacher, Mr. Shahandeh, happened to be one of the
> members of the notorious group of Tablighate-Islami. He was a fanatic to the bone and got
> a kick out of demeaning the female gender and the Bahá’ís. At the beginning of school
> year, he asked all the non-Muslim students to stand up and identify themselves. Then, after
> a mortifying sermon, he excused all the Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians from his class
> but not the Bahá’ís. He told us that the Bahá’í Faith was a heresy of Islam and not a religion.
> Therefore, we should attend his classes to be enlightened.
> 
> From then on, he repeatedly called upon the Bahá’í students to read and interpret different
> verses of the Quran. He intended to use any mistake that we made as a springboard to
> degrade us. I made a genuine effort to study my lessons. I repeatedly asked Mr. Bakhtavar
> to interpret difficult passages. Little by little I could answer most of the questions that Mr.
> Shahandeh asked me. Our teacher who did not regard us worthy of the subject was
> impressed. He kept calling on me to do the day's lesson for him. He criticized my
> classmates about their ignorance and laziness for letting an infidel beat them in their
> spiritual learning. He had the habit of going through a lesson quickly and spending the rest
> of the period chattering with a small group of students who clustered around him. The rest
> were free to do whatever we wanted to do.
> 
> One day, during the "chatting period," one of my classmates came to me and said: you
> must go and hear Mr. Shahandeh insulting your Messenger. She went on to say that a
> Bahá’í student joined the chatting group, and Mr. Shahandeh used the opportunity to insult
> her by calling the Báb “an illiterate youth.” To prove his point, he stated a verse from the
> Bayan, indicating that the grammar in this verse was wrong. The Bahá’í student was
> distraught, but the rest of the group was enjoying the charade immensely. I approached
> the crowd surrounding Mr. Shahandeh and heard the latter part of this conversation. As
> students of this bizarre character, we Bahá’ís learned to brush away his tongue lashings
> and put-downs. However, his blatant affront to our Beloved was a different matter. I was so
> furious that I abruptly cut him short and said; “Mr. Shahandeh you have no right to insult
> our messenger. If you think you have any valid argument, you should discuss it with a
> Bahá’í teacher who is familiar with these verses, rather than students like us!" Shahandeh
> responded that he was free to say what he pleased, and no one, not even the female
> principal of our school could stop him. Then, he continued to patronize me.
> 
> I was so angry that I stormed out of the class and into the Principal's office. In those times,
> 
> Bahá’ís never sought justice from the authorities when religious issues and freedom of
> religious practices were concerned. So, my action was not the wisest under any given
> circumstances. However, as a young and emotional person, I did not contemplate the
> consequences of my action. What I said to the principal and her deputy was not
> conventional either. I addressed the principal and said; "Mrs. Shams, Mr. Shahandeh is
> insulting my Messenger, His Holiness the Báb, who is also the Messenger to the millions
> of the Bahá’ís in the world. I saw the shock on their faces, followed by a sarcastic remark
> from the Deputy Principal about “millions of Bahá’ís?” I looked at her and said yes, it is true;
> there are millions of the Bahá’ís in the world. I looked back at the principal and continued,
> "you should not let this man use our class as a Tablighate-Islami gathering and challenge
> your authority and gender." My last statement triggered a quick response, and she followed
> me to my class. I saw a baffled shock and tension on my teacher's face. He started
> defending himself and enlisting the class to back him up. Mrs. Shams firmly asked him to
> put a stop to this discussion and prevent a further and more serious incident. I still do not
> know what she was inferring to; maybe she was afraid of “bad international publicity.”
> Because of this discussion, they decided that Bahá’ís should be excused from attending
> his class for the remainder of the year. That was the first official recognition of our religion
> (this decision was overturned the next year). When Mrs. Shams left our classroom, Mr.
> Shahandeh, who was totally agitated, delivered a fiery sermon. He elevated his own rank
> as a seeker of truth who enlightens the infidels. To rebut his argument, I challenged him
> and my classmates to meet with a Bahá’í teacher who could provide an answer to his unjust
> accusations. In an emotional state, close to mass hysteria, he and my 30 classmates
> accepted my challenge.
> 
> That evening I had a visitor who knocked on my door. He introduced himself as the teacher
> of the “Islamic Religion” for the lower division. He said that he is a Bahá’í, but no one in
> school knew about it, as it would certainly jeopardize his livelihood. He wanted to offer his
> support and appreciation. He also wanted to warn the fireside speaker and me, of the risk
> involved. Apparently, Shahandeh had been making threatening remarks in the staff room,
> and the staff was agitated.
> 
> Wednesday came, and I attended my Bahá’í class. When Mr. Bakhtawar heard my first
> remark, he affectionately humored me to break the ice. I elaborated on the classroom event
> and asked whether he was interested in participating in the promised debate. He gladly
> accepted the challenge and set a date for the meeting.
> 
> On the promised day, none of my classmates turned up. Mr. Shahandeh appeared,
> accompanied by his older brother. Both were carrying large umbrellas, to use as a weapon.
> It seemed that they were more afraid than we were. The Bahá’í teacher had decided to
> attend this meeting as a testimony to his courage. He wanted to confront Shahandeh in the
> future when he would distort the truth about this meeting.
> 
> When we arrived at the meeting place, Mr. Bakhtawar welcomed us with a humorous
> remark that instantly broke the tension. The meeting took a few hours, and all Mr.
> Shahandeh’ s accusations were answered and clarified by Mr. Bakhtavar. When no other
> issues were raised for discussion, Mr. Bakhtavar concluded the discussion by asking Mr.
> 
> Shahandeh for an oath to no longer harassing the Bahá’í youngsters in his classes.
> 
> That evening was one of the proudest moments of my Bahá’í life. I had learned how to face
> adversaries without hesitation, as did Mr. Bakhtavar, trusting the Hosts on High for
> confirmation and assistance.
> 
> The next few years in high school Shahandeh controlled his remarks. He never gave an
> accurate account of that debate, not in the presence of the Bahá’í teacher, but he refrained
> from boasting. The irony of all was that he referred his new Bahá’í students to me to find
> the answer to rebut his arguments against the Faith.
> 
> A year later, Mr. Bakhtavar responded to the call for Pioneering to Pakistan. Ten years
> later, when I was asked to speak at a youth meeting in the Hadiqueh Bahá’í Summer
> School, my session was followed by Mr. Bakhtavar’s session. It was a joy to see my first
> true Bahá’í teacher. I asked him whether he remembered me. He laughed and said, of
> course, I do. Remember when I told you that " if you don't eat sour pickles and avoid the
> midday sun.... you will become somebody?" It seems that you took my advice!
> 
> That was the last time that I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Bakhtavar. Serving in different
> pioneering fields took us to travel in different paths for our life mission. From what I learned,
> he came back to Iran before the Islamic Revolution and was eventually martyred by his old
> enemies in the western part of Iran. An ending which was not entirely unexpected for such
> a courageous lover of Bahá’u’lláh, my first Bahá’í teacher.
> 
> “Blessed is the Spot.”
> 
> ‘Lord! Give me to drink from the chalice of selflessness; with its robe-cloth me, and
> in its ocean, immerse me. Make me as dust in the pathway of Thy loved ones, and
> grant that I may offer up my soul for the earth ennobled by the footsteps of Thy
> chosen ones in Thy path, O Lord of Glory in the Highest.’
> 
> (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 318)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> Hand of the Cause of God Dr. Muhajir used to advise the youth in Iran to make a concerted
> effort to visit the Bahá’í Holy Places in our motherland. He believed that the spiritual energy
> emanating from these spots would have a lasting effect on our souls. Years before I heard
> Dr. Muhajir, I had the opportunity to make such a pilgrimage. My father became a member
> of the National Teaching Committee of Iran and visited a wide range of the Bahá’í
> Communities in Iran. My father's mission was to help each locality to develop their own
> teaching and consolidation plan. He made these visits a family affair, and we accompanied
> him on most of these trips.
> 
> In our travels, I learned how vast was my country, and how it cradles within its boundaries
> people from different ethnic origins. During the early inception of Iranian civilization, the
> Persians, Parthians, and Medians each settled in various territories. The onset of the
> 
> Persian Empire brought about a political unity within the land. However, the difficult terrain
> of the formidable mountains, and vast deserts that occupied most of the empire, always
> created natural geographical barriers. It caused separation among the people. This
> isolation continued until the late 19th Century. My mother used to tell us that when she was
> a child, there was a terrible drought in Tehran. Streets filled with beggars who were after a
> piece of bread to feed their hungry children. Most of the poor either starved to death or
> bloated by eating grass or animal feed and died. Families perished by the thousands. It
> took ten years for the drought to subside. My grandmother was in perpetual anguish
> because one of her sons left the house before the drought and no one had heard from him
> since. So, my grandmother used to go to the streets, feeding the hungry, and praying that
> a kind soul would return her kindness by feeding her starving son. The same year that the
> drought was over, my uncle returned. The family learned that he had ventured north to the
> Caspian Sea region and lived off the generosity of these people. (Núr, the hometown of
> Bahá’u’lláh is in this region.) When this brother heard about the drought and starvation in
> Tehran, he was utterly amazed. As rice crops in the Caspian region were so immense that
> storage houses were overflowing. The farmers had to throw the surplus away for lack of
> space. The northerners never knew about the plight of the people in Tehran. The Alborz
> mountains were a formidable blockade, making it impossible for the news to travel even a
> few hundred miles away.
> 
> When we study the history of the Faith, it is astounding to realize how a handful of believers,
> in less than a decade spread the Faith of the Báb like wildfire throughout Iran. His Holiness,
> the Báb, bid his disciples scatter around, unconstrained as the wind, and find the chosen
> ones of God. These devoted servants, empowered and armed with their love for their
> Beloved, journeyed on foot to the far corners of Persia. Most of them were persecuted and
> eventually drank the Cup of Martyrdom. Shedding their blood was the testament to the
> validity of their Faith. People from all walks of life ranging from nobility and scholars to
> humble peasants and traders embraced the Faith. It broke all barriers and set aside human
> differences. It was the miracle which was achieved not by the advancing technology, but
> by the tremendous acts and perseverance of the early Bábis. Dr. Muhajir used to say that
> if we touched our pulse, we would feel the blood of the martyrs flowing in our veins.
> 
> The early Bahá’í families who experienced persecution in their homeland, moved to
> different locations to start their life anew. The teaching plans of our Beloved Guardian also
> caused immigration of Bahá’í families from their homeland to new locations in Iran. Sooner
> or later tension followed the settlers. Just as the diamond is the product of the synergistic
> forces of nature, constant persecution created a new breed of Bahá’ís. There were such
> cohesiveness and support among the Bahá’ís that outsiders somehow were daunted by
> them.
> 
> The first community in my father’s schedule was in the Mazandaran Province. A lush and
> beautiful region in the north. Due to the distance and mountainous terrain, Mazandaran
> was the least influenced by Turkish and Arab aggressors. Throughout the history,
> Mazanderanis kept their ethnic custom, language, and culture intact, with a flavor of their
> Islamic beliefs.
> 
> Mulla Husayn was asked by the Báb to find his "Hidden Treasure," Quddus. Quddus was
> a prisoner of the Mullas in Mazandaran. Mulla Husayn started his journey with an ever
> increasing number of believers, from Khorasan (Persia's eastern region). His mission was
> to rescue Quddus. Their courageous stand during the sustained siege of Fort Tabarsi and
> their heroic martyrdom and or captivity made a great impression on the surrounding
> villages. It eventually led to a number of them to embrace the Faith of the Báb.
> 
> Some of the survivors of Fort Tabarsi decided to settle down in these villages and asked
> their families to join them. The result of this movement was a number of “all Bahá’í” villages
> in this region. We visited one of these in Mazandaran. It was in a lush forest. A single log
> bridge over a river was the only access to the village.
> 
> The residents were proud that Abdu'l- Baha, in one of his tablets called their village the
> "Lush Paradise." The emerald green forest was a haven for foxes, deer, and birds. The
> abundance of wildflowers and murmuring rivers and streams truly created the picture of an
> earthly paradise.
> 
> This village was a glimpse of what Abdu’l-Baha described as the future Bahá’í villages in
> the years to come. The village was divided into a Bahá’í and a Muslim section. By entering
> the Bahá’í section, one immediately noticed the care shown for the cleanliness and
> beautification by its dwellers.
> 
> Some of the families were the descendants of immigrant families from Sangesar - a city in
> the eastern region of Iran. Sangesaries were among some of the bravest Bahá’ís. They
> manifested the warrior spirit, protecting the Bahá’í community when danger was inevitable.
> They were fierce when aroused, a force for their Muslim adversaries to reckon with.
> 
> We attended a Bahá’í wedding, a beautiful Bahá’í ceremony, followed by folk dances to the
> music of the Mazandarani version of a steel band.
> 
> In this village, the Local Spiritual Assembly was the administrative body for the village
> affairs. The structured children classes and observance of Bahá’í Holy Days and social
> laws were manifested openly and with pride, not common in other parts of Iran. I felt that I
> was transformed into another place and time, far from the social melee of that time.
> 
> Despite all the social and cultural differences, we were bonded by our belief and had the
> affinity of an extended family.
> 
> Our next destination gave us a chance to visit the Shrine of Quddus. The noble soul who
> as we read the writings, if the Bábi Revelation would have been suspended for a moment,
> it would have been revealed to Quddus.
> 
> The deceptive capture of the surviving heroes of Tabarsi by the Prince, who betrayed his
> promise of safe passage if they surrendered, led to the martyrdom of Quddus. After his
> arrest, he was taken to the city, tortured, and eventually, his precious body was put on fire.
> It took a great undertaking to salvage the remains of Quddus and secretly bury him in a
> 
> simple and ordinary residential home. No tombstone or marking was permitted, in order to
> protect his remains and to prevent further desecration of his burial place.
> 
> These precautionary measures limited the believers from visiting most of the Holy Spots in
> Iran without special permission of the National Spiritual Assembly. As too much traffic
> would attract the enemies of the Faith and make their safekeeping at risk.
> 
> Unfortunately, most of these Holy Places have been destroyed following the Iranian
> Revolution. It saddens my heart that future generation of Bahá’ís will not be able to have
> the soul cleansing experience of visiting these sacred spots which were the testaments of
> the sacrifice and the greatness of the heroes of our Faith.
> 
> As a youth, I felt special affinity with Quddus who embraced the Faith as the youngest
> Letter of the Living and gained respect from the highest Mujtahids of Islam. Who took over
> the leadership of Fort Tabarsi and sacrificed his life for his Beloved when he was still in his
> early twenties.
> 
> In our journey to Zanjan, we paid homage to the ruins of its Fortress, where Hujjat Zanjani,
> the great scholar of the Heroic Age and his entire entourage gave their lives as a testament
> of their love for their Beloved.
> 
> It was a moving moment to stand on the ground where men, women, and children, who
> had realized that they had been surrounded by soldiers and a mob, fortified their homes
> and converted their humble dwellings into an impenetrable Fortress. I learned about their
> ingenuity in creating an efficient alarm system by spreading seeds on the ground, which a
> slight quiver warned them of the enemy's approach through underground tunnels. I tried
> to visualize Zaynab, a young girl who asked permission from Hujjat, to cast her veil and
> join the fighting forces in defending the fortress. Zaynab, through her faith, bravery and
> eventual martyrdom, left her mark in the history as the Joan of Arc of the Bábi Era.
> 
> It was incredible to imagine how this group of ordinary people were able to defend their
> fortress to the end, withstanding the ever-increasing onslaught of the Imperial Army. This
> group, realizing how the government troops deceived their fellow believers in Fort Tabarsi,
> into surrender by swearing on the Quran, and then mercilessly killing them after their
> surrender; never gave up. The Zanjan Fortress was seized when no able bodies were left
> to defend it, and no roofs were left to keep the innocent children safe. The vengeful force
> of the soldiers was so complete that they did not leave a stone intact to remind the world
> of the plight and heroism of its inhabitants. I was blessed and in awe to stand at that
> threshold and feel an affinity with these true heroes of the Faith.
> 
> The next leg of my fathers' trip was to the Azerbaijan province. The land of imprisonment
> and martyrdom of His Holiness the Báb.
> 
> We entered “Arq Citadel,” an imposing and gloomy structure, where his Holiness the Báb
> spent the last days of his life. Arq Citadel had been preserved as a National Monument by
> the Government of Iran for its historical value, entirely unrelated to its significance to the
> 
> Bahá’ís. There was only a part of the original structure remained. We then visited the
> Sacred Spot where his Holiness the Báb faced the firing squad. We had to be extremely
> careful to keep the appearance of being a sightseer when our heart was crying out to chant
> the Tablet of Visitation and tears were welling up in our eyes. We then visited the site which
> replaced the old moat; where after the execution, the soldiers disposed of the sacred
> remains of the Báb and his young companion Anis.
> 
> We imagined Solayman Kahn's stellar bravery in secretly carrying his Beloved’s remains
> out of Tabriz into a private residence in a remote village of Azerbaijan. We were privileged
> to visit this well-hidden and historically significant house. The villagers were quite hostile
> toward the Faith. The caretakers of this home, who were the only Bahá’í family there, were
> quite isolated from the village community life. No one sold any goods to them or bought
> their products. They were not able to find a job or work on the land. Their primary objective
> was to safeguard the house and reveal its real significance to no one. Their financial
> means, a disbursement from the National Spiritual Assembly, which my father brought for
> them, was so slim that the men of the family visited us one by one, after changing into the
> only appropriate jacket which was available to them. We shared with them their simple food
> and homemade bread, and for the first time in my life, I tasted the true meaning of sacrifice.
> 
> The house was spotlessly clean. I entered the basement, a private Persian bath where the
> sacred remains were cleansed, according to the Bábi burial laws and kept for a length of
> time. Every atom of this place was charged with such spiritual power, penetrating every
> cell of my body. It was a spiritual baptism of my soul.
> 
> We left this sacred house and its residents with heavy hearts and a renewed sense of faith.
> We hoped that as their only Bahá’í visitors for quite some time, we had given them some
> emotional support to continue with their sacrificial service.
> 
> A Poignant Remembrance
> 
> My father started a Medical Clinic in the southern part of Tehran to help its underprivileged
> residents. Meanwhile, he joined a core group of medical professionals, organized by Dr.
> Farhangi, who regularly visited villages which had a Bahá’í population. They offered free
> medical services to the Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í villagers. My father and other volunteers
> took their families with them to extend friendship and emotional support. The Bahá’ís in the
> village made all the necessary arrangements for the day of the visit. They welcomed us
> with radiant smiles and excellent hospitality.
> 
> I recently watched "To Light a Candle." This film showed the systematic imprisonment,
> torture, and killing of the Bahá’ís by the Islamic Regime of Iran. I cried in my heart when it
> showed that dear Dr. Farhangi was among those who were arrested and executed. His
> desecrated body was found in the street, with a sign on his chest, calling him an “enemy of
> Islam.” A philanthropic doctor who spent his life helping to heal underprivileged Iranians
> irrespective of their religious affiliation!
> 
> In Search of Excellence
> 
> ‘Praise be to God that the spirit of the Holy Writings and Tablets which
> have been revealed in this wondrous Dispensation concerning matters
> of major or minor importance, whether essential or otherwise, related to
> the sciences and the arts, to natural philosophy, literature, politics or
> economics, have been so permeated the world that since the inception
> of the world in the course of past Dispensations and bygone ages
> nothing like it has ever been seen or heard. Indeed if an avowed follower
> of Bahau'llah were to immerse in, and fathom the depths of the ocean
> of these heavenly teaching, and with utmost care and attention deduce
> from each of them the subtle mysteries and consummate wisdom that
> lie enshrined therein, such a person's life, materially, intellectually, will
> be safe from toil and trouble, and unaffected by setbacks and perils, or
> any sadness or despondency.’
> 
> EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS WRITTEN BY SHOGHI EFFENDI
> (13 January 1923 to the Bahá'ís of Adhirbayjan)
> (Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 204)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> When I was sixteen, I was savoring the things of youth, becoming aware of my identity,
> and dreaming about my future. I followed fashion, enjoyed listening to music and going to
> movies.
> 
> I also had serious thoughts about the purpose of my life on earth and the true meaning of
> death. I was hoping that in this mortal world, I would make my mark and my legacy. My
> vision for the future was to travel around the world, visiting remote jungles and foreign
> lands.
> 
> I had just completed Mr. Bakhtavar’ s class and felt a void in my heart for not being able to
> continue my course of Bahá’í studies. One summer evening as I was sharing my feelings
> with my friend Jinous, she told me about the " Public Speaking Class of Dr. Ghadimi." She
> had heard from her brother that the students had to go through intensive training by
> studying the Bahá’í Writings in Persian and Arabic.
> 
> A large group of participants usually attended the orientation, but only a fraction continued
> to graduate the Three-Year Course. Dr. Ghadimi demanded the trainees to follow strict
> rules of conduct and dress code. He had no hesitation in dismissing those who would not
> meet the high standards of the class. I welcomed the challenge, and we set off to attend
> the upcoming orientation session.
> 
> We joined fifty-three other participants who were eagerly waiting to meet Dr. Ghadimi. The
> two of us were among the youngest in the group and somehow felt our age. The sudden
> silence informed us that our future instructor was among us. The figure standing in front of
> 
> us was a handsome, well-groomed man, who was immaculately dressed. He looked at
> each participant with a calculating gaze and sometimes with amusing smile, as was the
> case when he looked at the two of us.
> 
> I instantly remembered that face from the past when as a youngster I attended a few
> sessions of a Youth Meeting which were held in our neighborhood. The coordinator of
> these meetings was Dr. Ghadimi, who attended those sessions in a dashing uniform as an
> Army medical officer.
> 
> I vaguely recalled his comments about one's spiritual path to excellence. He stated that he
> believed in a learning boot camp. As a teacher, he likened himself to a drill sergeant who
> helped the trainees to set goals and achieve them through hard work. The primary purpose
> was to develop an understanding of the true station of the Central Figures of the Faith and
> with passion, reverence, and humility to walk in their footsteps.
> 
> Dr. Ghadimi told us that this class was for those who had a high level of commitment, a
> select group who could withstand the pressure and enjoy the challenge. As the Beloved
> Guardian instructed; to thoroughly familiarize ourselves with the history and teaching of the
> Faith, to study the text by ourselves and not rely on the interpretation of others, to
> painstakingly and conscientiously learn the Bahá’í literature, to "delve into its teachings,
> assimilate its laws and principles, ponder its admonitions, tenets, and purposes, commit
> to memory certain of its exhortations and prayers, master the essentials of its
> administration, and keep abreast of its current affairs and latest developments."
> 
> There were 23 of us who were left by the end of the first year – the largest number who
> survived in the history of the class. Most were in their twenties, a few like me in our teens,
> and one with graying hair that we affectionately called the grandfather of the class.
> 
> We were a conglomerate of different social, educational, and ethnic backgrounds, with
> diverse individual characteristics. The uniqueness of this assemblage was that throughout
> the years of constantly working together, we kept this individuality intact, but developed a
> spiritual bond which we treasured throughout our lives.
> 
> The duration of this class was three years. Every two weeks the students completed the
> study of an assigned book and successfully pass the test with a minimum score of "B" or
> above. Each test was stand alone. More than two below-standard scores would be a cause
> for dismissal.
> 
> The students were to memorize the entire Persian and Arabic Hidden Words of Baha'ullah,
> a compilation of at least 300 quotations from the Central Figures of the Faith, a number of
> Tablets revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, and the Kitabi Aqdas in its entirety.
> 
> This preparation was to enable the trainees to become effective public speakers. We were
> given a topic every two weeks to research, compose, memorize, and deliver. The speakers
> delivered their talks in class and received upfront and matter of fact feedback from the
> 
> instructor, who graded them based on their performance. Any substandard performance
> was not treated lightly by the Instructor and would be the cause for dismissal.
> 
> Classes were held once a week for four hours. Punctuality and perfect attendance were a
> must in this class. Tardiness was treated as absenteeism, and three absences sufficed to
> be the reason for dismissal.
> 
> We spent the first segment of our class with a young teacher who was one of the graduates
> of Dr. Ghadimi's class. During this part, we took our tests and reviewed our assignments.
> We also studied Arabic language and grammar.
> 
> In the second segment, Dr. Ghadimi trained us in public speaking principles and discussed
> in depth issues from the assigned book that we were currently studying. During this period,
> Dr. Ghadimi covered a wide variety of subjects, which included discussion of our spiritual
> mission as a Bahá’í. He believed firmly in the power of the Pure Word. With mastery, he
> quoted and elaborated on the meanings of the Bahá’í Writings, teaching us to strive to
> practice what we had learned and to stand steadfastly for what we believed. He never
> imposed on us his opinions but helped us to choose independently what was best for us if
> it was within the framework of the Bahá’í teachings.
> 
> Each session was an inspiration to ponder on the writings with a new dimension, assessing
> the options to serve our Beloved Faith. These sessions gave us the feeling that after a
> strenuous climb, we had reached the peak of a mountain. A new horizon was revealed to
> us as a reward for our hard-earned achievements. These unusual and indescribable feel-
> ings which we shared, kept us attending the sessions week after week. All of us were
> determined to climb higher mountains and reach higher peaks. Sometimes if our
> performance was not up to par, we got a serious reprimand from our trainer and sustained
> a bruised ego, but most of us knew that it was a price to pay to keep us going, rather than
> being left behind and losing the company of the peers. There were some who decided they
> were not ready to continue this path and quit. It was a sad moment to contemplate upon
> these departures and then, gathering our strengths to continue our journey. There were
> nineteen of us who eventually graduated the extended fourth year of the course; the largest
> and lengthiest training program of the Public Speaking Class of Dr. Ghadimi.
> 
> This new and exciting period of my life demanded a tremendous amount of self-discipline.
> I had to count every waking hour of my life and budget my time wisely. As I was facing the
> last few years of High School and the University Entrance Exam, I was determined to do
> my best not to fall behind on my schoolwork. As the students of this class, we learned
> study skills in note taking and speed reading, which were unheard of in the public education
> system of Iran.
> 
> The Bahá’í Writings published in Persian and Arabic were hard to find. There were some
> early editions that we could only borrow, quite reluctantly, from Bahá’ís with an extensive
> library. Sometimes it took us more than one week of going door to door of the Bahá’í
> houses, to borrow the book which was assigned to us. It gave us only a few days to study
> and complete the assignment. There were only a handful of copies of the Persian Bayan
> 
> in Tehran. I was able to find a copy in my college library. It was donated to the library a
> long time ago and had been forgotten in a dusty vault. Holding this precious book in my
> hands, touching its leather cover, and reading the old manuscript was like traveling into the
> past and being in the company of the Dawn Breakers of the Bábi Era.
> 
> The greatest effect of studying the Bahá’í Writings was reliving the historical events of the
> Faith. I could feel the mystic power that transformed seemingly ordinary men and women
> into spiritual giants, performing majestic acts of courage and self-sacrifice.
> 
> Reading the memoirs of those who were blessed to meet the principal figures of the Faith
> or spending time with them, made my heart leap with joy and ecstasy. There was a moment
> while reading the memoir of Dr. Afrookhteh about the life of the Master in Akka; that I could
> feel Abdu’l-Baha’s presence in my room. I was ready to give my life to be Blessed by His
> presence for a short moment. The history of the Faith unraveled the essence and the
> purpose of existence for me.
> 
> I experienced the bliss of growth by memorizing and reading the pure words. As Dr.
> Ghadimi encouraged us to do so. He gave an example of the Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh:
> The verses so delicate that like a nightingale, we could only touch their beauty with our
> heart. Any attempt to analyze or interpret them would be like holding a nightingale so tight
> that it would stifle its splendor.
> 
> My conceptual abilities increased through studying the theology and philosophy of the
> Faith. It became an integral part of my life and influenced my decision to become a
> Philosophy Major in my undergraduate studies. For me, Abdu'l-Baha was the greatest
> philosopher in existence. He could elaborate the most complex concepts with clarity and
> depth so that it was understandable by any layperson.
> 
> This period of my emotional and spiritual transformation was the happiest time in my life.
> Some in the Bahá’í community voiced in an unflattering way that the Public Speaking class
> was raising Bahá’í elites. It was not the message that we were receiving in class. We felt
> fortunate to drink from the elixir of the Bahá’í Revelation and reach an ecstasy that no
> material means could achieve. Experiencing this powerful energy made an apparent
> transformation in our way of life, that in my case, my immediate family and relatives could
> not fathom. It created a prolonged and challenging test that dominated my life for the years
> to come.
> 
> Due to the tremendous task of completing all my class and school assignments, I decided
> to reduce my social time. I carefully planned hours needed to finish a book, memorize a
> passage, and work towards my weekly goals. My newly found world of learning changed
> my attitude towards the material world. I spent most of my time in my room studying and
> enjoying every minute of it. My parents considered this style of life for a sixteen-year-old
> girl, unacceptable and somehow abnormal. It created a serious conflict in my family.
> 
> Dr. Ghadimi taught us to be perfectionists. We learned how to dress and act as a
> professional public speaker. This transformation discouraged behaviors, like dancing or
> 
> partying that, may have compromised our social standing. I became a matron at the age of
> sixteen. This change of demeanor totally confused my parents and took a long time for
> them to figure out how to handle my new image.
> 
> The first year of my study in Dr. Ghadimi’s class was overshadowed by the constant
> pressure from my parents to quit the class and become the girl that I used to be. I had to
> plead with my parents to at least finish the first year. The sad point was that I had no one
> at home to give me emotional support or acknowledge my achievements. However, the
> pressure made me more determined to pursue my new path.
> 
> The teacher who was conducting the first portion of the class was a young medical student.
> We called him Dr. Sadeghzadeh. This energetic teacher was quite enthusiastic to follow
> Dr. Ghadimi's footsteps. He had great respect for his former teacher and present mentor.
> His job was to shape us up and lead us through the process of socialization. My first
> personal encounter with him was within the few weeks of the start of the class. While we
> were discussing assignments, I made a remark regarding my disappointment of not having
> Nabil's Narratives as one of the assigned books for that year. This comment amused him,
> and with a sweet smile, he gave me a special assignment to study this book in two weeks
> and then deliver a summary report of Nabil’s Narratives. He made it clear that this was in
> addition to my given assignment in class. It was a symbolic death sentence that turned out
> to be a turning point for my progress in class. Noting all speeches had to be memorized by
> heart, we were not allowed to have any written notes to refresh our memory.
> 
> On the day that the assignment was due, Dr. Sadeghzadeh asked me to deliver the speech,
> guessing that I might not be ready. Nabil's inspirational narratives greatly influenced me. I
> started my speech by reciting a passage on the journey of the Báb through the desert of
> Karbala:
> 
> ‘From Mecca, the Báb proceeded to Medina. It was the first day of the month of
> Muharram, in the year 1261 A.H., when He found Himself on the way to that holy
> city. As He approached it, He called to mind the stirring events that had immortalized
> the name of Him who had lived and died within its walls. Those scenes which bore
> eloquent testimony to the creative power of that immortal Genius seemed to be re-
> enacted, with undiminished splendour, before His eyes. He prayed as He drew nigh
> unto that holy sepulchre which enshrined the mortal remains of the Prophet of God.
> He also remembered as He trod that holy ground, that shining Herald of His own
> Dispensation. He knew that in the cemetery of Baqí’, in a place not far distant from
> the shrine of Muḥammad, there had been laid to rest Shaykh Aḥmad-i-Ahsá’í, the
> harbinger of His own Revelation, who, after a life of onerous service, had decided
> to spend the evening of his days within the precincts of that hallowed shrine. There
> came to Him also the vision of those holy men, those pioneers, and martyrs of the
> Faith, who had fallen gloriously on the field of battle, and who, with their life-blood,
> had sealed the triumph of the Cause of God. Their sacred dust seemed as if
> reanimated by the gentle tread of His feet. Their shades seemed to have been stirred
> by the reviving breath of His presence. They looked to Him as if they had arisen at
> His approach, were hastening towards Him, and were voicing their welcome. They
> 
> seemed to be addressing to Him this fervent plea: ‘Repair not unto Thy native land,
> we beseech Thee, O Thou Beloved of our hearts! Abide Thou in our midst, for here,
> far from the tumult of Thine enemies who are lying in wait for Thee, Thou shalt be
> safe and secure. We are fearful for Thee. We dread the plottings and machinations
> of Thy foes. We tremble at the thought that their deeds might bring eternal
> damnation to their souls.” “Fear not,” the Báb’s indomitable Spirit replied: “I am come
> into this world to bear witness to the glory of sacrifice. You are aware of the intensity
> of My longing; you realise the degree of My renunciation. Nay, beseech the Lord
> your God to hasten the hour of My martyrdom and to accept My sacrifice. Rejoice,
> for both I and Quddús will be slain on the altar of our devotion to the King of Glory.
> The blood which we are destined to shed in His path will water and revive the garden
> of our immortal felicity. The drops of this consecrated blood will be the seed out of
> which will arise the mighty Tree of God, the Tree that will gather beneath its all-
> embracing shadow the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Grieve not, therefore, if I
> depart from this land, for I am hastening to fulfill My destiny.’
> 
> (Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 140)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> I had composed this speech with tearful eyes, and when I had finished delivering it, I noticed
> the same effect on my classmates. Dr. Sadeghzadeh was apparently pleased, and a bit
> surprised that a rookie could give a speech without any point to critique. When Dr. Ghadimi
> arrived, I was happy to hear a few words of praise uttered on my behalf. I received more
> positive reinforcement from Dr. Sadeghzadeh because of my high test scores which were
> among the top in the class. The year was coming to an end and my appeals to continue
> next year came to no avail with my parents. The end of the year ceremony was an important
> event for all of us. In addition to our parents, most of the appointed or elected members of
> the Bahá’í Institutions were invited. Each of us was given a topic for a speech to prepare
> and practice in class, but none of us knew who would have the honor to deliver the
> graduation speech. Dr. Ghadimi, during his opening remarks, emphasized that any of his
> students could be called upon and was ready to rise to the occasion.
> 
> That year, the Lunar Calendar made the Muslim Fast period coincide with the Bahá’í Fast.
> Every evening during the Muslim break of the Fast, Tehran Radio broadcasted a verse of
> Quran, chanted in a heavenly Arabian melody; supplicating the Almighty to accept the
> sacrifices of the faithful, as an offering for their belief and for enabling them to transcend
> this mortal world and achieve the everlasting pleasure of their Lord. In Nabil’s Narrative,
> the same verse was chanted by Quddus, Mulla Hussein and their small army while
> defending Fort Tabarsi:
> 
> ‘He (Quddus) would sometimes ask his Iraqi companions to chant various passages
> of the Qur'an, to which he would listen with close attention, and would often be
> moved to unfold their meaning. In the course of one of their chantings, they came
> across the following verse: "With somewhat of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth
> and lives and fruits, will We surely prove you: but bear good tidings to the patient."
> "These words," Quddus would remark, "were originally revealed with reference to
> 
> Job and the afflictions that befell him. In this day, however, they are applicable to
> us, who are destined to suffer those same afflictions. Such will be the measure of
> our calamity that none but he who has been endowed with constancy and patience
> will be able to survive them.’
> 
> www.bahai-library.com/books/dawnbreakers/chapters/19
> 
> Hearing this verse every day from Muslims who were the descendants of the Army who
> martyred these heroes, filled my heart with tenderness and awe for my beloved Mullah
> Hussein and Quddus. As it was a testament, to their ultimate sacrifice that transformed
> them into the spiritual giants that they became.
> 
> I was assigned to give my graduation speech on “Radiant Acquiescence, while facing trials
> and tribulations” In class rehearsal, I taped this chant and played it at the end of my speech,
> asking the audience to remember the verses which were uttered by the Martyrs of Fort
> Tabarsi, while facing their own tests and difficulties.
> 
> Deep in my heart, I was hoping to be called upon to deliver my speech so that my parents
> would understand my goal and the path that I was taking to achieve my higher self. When
> the time came for the graduation speech, I heard my name called upon to deliver my
> speech. I stood in front of nearly two hundred Bahá’ís and delivered a ten minute
> presentation. In closing, my friend played the chanted verses of the Heroic Age. It filled the
> room and penetrated the souls of the audience. Shortly after, I was surrounded by the
> tearful eyes and embraces of the audience. There were dear Bahá’í friends who knew me
> since my childhood and those who I had met only for the first time. Among them,
> Ghodsyyieh Ashraf who embraced me gently, with great affection. At that moment, I was
> aware that my parents understood!
> 
> ‘Glad Tidings! For everlasting life is here! O ye that sleep, awake O ye heedless
> ones, learn wisdom! O blind, receive your sights! O deaf, hear! O dumb, speak! O
> dead, arise! Be happy! Be full of joy!’
> 
> - November 26th, 1911. Message to the London Bahá’ís for the Day of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
> Specially given to Mrs. Enthoven. Page 127
> reference.bahai.org/en
> 
> This occasion was the turning point of my life when through His bounty and guidance, I
> found my destiny in this mortal life and rose above worldly attachments, connected to the
> greater power in the universe. Support and sustenance were bestowed upon me by the
> great scholars and dedicated servant of God, who continually showered their love upon
> me, without any demand or condition. The inner child within me was continuously beckoned
> by my spiritual father, Abdu'l-Baha, to follow his chosen path despite my lowliness and lack
> of greatness.
> 
> What we achieved in the Speech Class was going through the process of growth and
> maturity which was beyond the capability of our normal social environment. We learned a
> 
> strong sense of belonging to the Supreme Being. We felt responsible for making changes
> in the world, no matter how small or insignificant. As Dr. Ghadimi said, we felt that in "a
> gentle way we could shake the world."
> 
> Through studying the Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, we realized that God has created us
> noble, a gem that requires polishing and refinement to be worthy of reflecting the Sun of
> Reality. We worked hard to manifest our hidden potentials and be worthy of the station that
> God had ordained for His loved ones. Our goal is to achieve His pleasure through serving
> and loving Him and His creation, to achieve excellence in whatever we endeavor to do.
> 
> As we discovered our purpose in life, we found the pleasure and the joy of hard work to
> achieve it. We knew that tests and difficulties were challenges that God had presented to
> us on this journey, and He would have never given us any test that we were not capable of
> handling.
> 
> Dr. Afrookhteh, in his “Memoir of Nine Years in Akka,” wrote about the times when the
> Master was in imminent danger of being exiled and ultimately crucified. This young medical
> student was anxious about the upheaval when he visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. However, the
> Master was the embodiment of calmness and solace for his companions. He advised the
> young student to focus on his studies with a singleness of purpose. The Master likened the
> power of concentration of the mind, as the magnifying glass to the sun; it burned away the
> impediments placed in its way to achieving its objective. He advised his young disciple to
> set goals and to act upon them with perseverance and singleness in purpose. The Master
> advised the young student to concentrate then act. As “the bounties of God and His
> confirmations, revolve around Action.” Moreover, when the Master found his pupil ready to
> start his life's journey, he asked him to leave Akka and set out for his lifelong service. The
> young disciple sadly abided by his beloved's bidding.
> 
> “Come to the edge," he said.
> "We can't, we're afraid!" they responded.
> "Come to the edge," he said.
> "We can't, We will fall!" they responded.
> "Come to the edge," he said.
> And so they came.
> And he pushed them.
> And they flew.”
> 
> ― Guillaume Apollinaire
> www.goodreads.com/quotes
> 
> My second year in Dr. Ghadimi’s class was a period of gradual and continuous progress in
> my studies. The teacher for the second year was a serene scholar who was completing his
> degree in the field of engineering. His name was Mr. Sedigh. His mastery was in the Arabic
> language. The members of my class got to know each other better and established a
> network of the students of the first and second year of the Public Speaking class.
> 
> This networking created deep friendships, and in some instances, romance and marriage.
> Sometimes later, Dr. Sadeghzadeh married one of my classmates, and both left Iran for
> the United States for further study. On their return to Iran, Dr. Sadeghzadeh was elected
> as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran. During Khomeini revolution, he
> was abducted by the Revolutionary Guards, and eventually tortured and martyred in prison.
> Shortly after his martyrdom, his wife Jaleh gave birth to their son whom I heard had a
> striking resemblance to his father.
> 
> My other classmate was Mr. Assadollah-Zadeh. He married Shiva Mahmoodi. During the
> Islamic Revolution, Shiva was arrested, and eventually martyred.
> 
> I would also like to mention my dear friend Farnoosh, who replaced Dr. Sadeghzadeh as
> the teacher for the first-year Public Speaking class, after the Dr.'s departure. During the
> revolution, Farnoosh was arrested and martyred, leaving a young family behind.
> 
> During those happy years of comradeship, it was inconceivable for us to imagine what God
> had ordained for some of us. Looking back to this period of bliss I can only utter my
> salutation to these blessed heroes of God and thank Him for the chance to know and love
> these martyrs for a short but intensive period of my life.
> 
> Most of the members of this network chose the path of pioneering and scattered to the far
> corners of the planet, serving our Beloved Faith with sacrifice and undying zeal. Many of
> them have achieved the ranks of appointed and elected bodies of the Institutions at their
> pioneering posts.
> 
> Khomeini's Failed Coup
> 
> While I settled into the routine of my Public Speaking class, I was facing the monumental
> task of graduating from High School and preparing for the university entrance exam.
> Education was the key to a better life and better social standing in Iran. Although public
> education was free in Iran, there was always hurdles to pass to achieve higher education.
> There was no mainstreaming in the education system of Iran. Final scores determined who
> would move to the higher level of education and who would leave school to start an
> occupation.
> 
> The High School Diploma was presented to the students who had passed an independent
> battery of tests, which was administered at a location out of their school district and scored
> by a designated group of testers who did not have access to the sealed names of the
> students, to prevent bias and favoritism.
> 
> The evening before the last day of the external examination two of my high school
> classmates and my best Bahá’í friends joined me in my house for an all-night test reviewing.
> In the morning, my father drove us to the examination site, and after completing the tests,
> we headed back to my house by bus. Our house was in an old and established part of
> Tehran. It was in proximity to the Royal palaces, the Prime Minister palace, the Senate,
> 
> and the Royal Court Office. The Royal Military Academy was in our immediate
> neighborhood also.
> 
> When the bus entered, the main avenue leading to my house, we sensed an eerie feeling
> of a catastrophic happening. The usual bustling thoroughfare was empty. The street tarmac
> was deeply marred by the imprint of armored tanks which surrounded the Palaces. When
> we walked down the streets, we picked up one of the leaflets that littered the road. It was
> an open letter from a Mullah called Khomeini, inciting the true believers to rise and cleanse
> the motherland from the ideology of the infidel. Among the mandates of the uprising was
> the annihilation of the Bahá’ís in Iran.
> 
> There was very little news by the public broadcasting about this unsuccessful coup. What
> we heard was a short official statement followed by rumors regarding the uprising in Qum;
> where a group of Muslim clergies with an obscure Mullah as their leaders were in the
> process of a coup to overthrow the Shah, and enforce its mandates, including the
> elimination of the Bahá’ís .
> 
> The Savak – secret police were tipped off, and the Royal Army was sent to siege the
> theological school in Qum. An unknown number of students and their leaders were killed
> and arrested, and Khomeini was exiled immediately to Iraq. Thus, elimination of the source
> of the instigation made it impossible for the Tehran coup to succeed. The uprising was
> stifled in less than twenty-four hours.
> 
> Most Iranians never realized what went on in Tehran, and in our neighborhood. We
> believed that the Khomeini and his Revolution was history. How little did we know what the
> future had in store for us and fatal events that followed in the later years.
> 
> The uprising of Khomeini was the result of a series of reforms initiated by the Shah to
> modernize the social structure of Iran. It reached its peak in 1963, with the events leading
> to the referendum to pass his Charter of the White Revolution. Progressive Iranian women
> now found a rare opportunity to unite and assert their rights to vote and to have a voice in
> determining the future of their country.
> 
> The station of women in Iran was the most frustrating issue for me as a young girl. Being
> raised under the banner of Bahá’í Principles and Doctrines, I was proud of my God given
> rights and privileges. What I observed in the non-Bahá’í world around me was a different
> picture. The Islamic-oriented Iranian laws were repressive and sometimes inhumane.
> Women had only a partial inheritance if a male sibling existed. The father, brother, husband,
> or her son, were the keepers and guardians of females. If a wife was not able to bear a
> child, sometimes she herself, arranged for her husband to take a second wife. The man
> had the right to marry numerous wives permanently or temporarily. The man could divorce
> his wife on a whim without consulting her. The only possession that she could take after
> the divorce was what she had brought in as her dowry or a fiduciary gift stated in her
> marriage contract. This financial arrangement after 20 or 30 years did not have the
> monetary value that it used to have when it was initially arranged, because of inflation.
> 
> The custody of the child was granted to the mother for three to six years based on the sex
> of the child; the former for boys and the latter for girls. Then the father was the sole guardian
> of the child, with no legal rights of visitation for the mother. In the court of law, a woman
> was not equal to a man regarding testifying or presenting evidentiary issues.
> 
> The most preposterous legal right of men was their privilege to be able to kill a female blood
> relative, or his wife if he suspected that the said female was sexually involved with a man
> who was not her husband. So many innocent girls lost their lives in the heat of passion, or
> under this law, and their murderer was set free without trial. I vividly remember the case of
> a twelve-year-old boy who killed his mother under this pretense, based on hearsay, and
> was proud of it.
> 
> The predominant thought in the mind of Muslim fundamentalists was the sinfulness of
> sexual thoughts and desires. The sin of the female gender was solely for being a “woman.”
> Her presence was the reason for unclean thoughts and acts. By hiding women behind a
> closed door and under the layer of the veil, the true believer was protected. In another
> word, the woman was the primary source of evil.
> 
> The duty of a woman was to be submissive, meek, and obedient. If a girl was a victim of
> rape, sexual molestation, or sexual act, the unwritten law mandated her to have an
> honorable suicide. The worse scenario was murder by a member of her family, or her
> running away from home and becoming a prostitute. Most of the Persian dramas were
> revolving around these themes. Contemporary Iranian women with careers and university
> degrees, wearing the latest European fashions, had to cope with these repressive and
> archaic civil and religious laws.
> 
> It was inconceivable for the general populace who observed this rigid culture to believe that
> in the Bahá’í gatherings, members of the opposite sex could work and worship together,
> that there was no segregation, and all observed the law of chastity. I always heard
> innuendoes from Muslims about sexual orgies in our Feasts and Bahá’í meetings. The
> emotional issue for the masses, who murdered the Bahá’ís during the Islamic revolution,
> was the allegation of prostitution and whoremongering by the members of the Bahá’í
> Administration.
> 
> After the Shah regained his power of sovereignty, he gradually changed this course of
> action. I would like to touch upon his so-called "White Revolution" and the unprecedented
> role of women in this time of Persian history.
> 
> The Shah's logic was that the nation was ready to start a revolution for change in the
> political and social structure of the country. As the ruler of Iran, he was willing to initiate
> these changes and enforce a bloodless Revolution.
> 
> The focal point of the White Revolution was the mandate of land reform and the
> appropriation of land to the farmers who had toiled on those parcels of land for generations;
> nationalization of the Iranian forest; the formation of Education and Health Corps for
> draftees, which was loosely patterned after the American Peace Corp. He offered to
> 
> purchase land from the feudal lords, with oil money, and sell it to the farmers for a symbolic
> token.
> 
> The Shah asked for a national referendum to pass the resolution for the White Revolution
> charter. This concept of democracy was too new and foreign to Iranians. The Shah
> personally distributed all the royal landholdings that his father had acquired during his time.
> 
> The royal mouthpiece for persuading the nation to vote favorably for his Charter was his
> Agriculture Minister, a charismatic and highly educated man called Dr. Rafsanjani. He was
> a great communicator who used the mass media to have an ongoing dialogue with the
> public.
> 
> The land reform Charter instigated a bloody civil war in the large feudal and tribal states.
> The prediction for a favorable result of the national referendum was gloomy. The night
> before the poll, Dr. Rafsanjani appeared on TV, appealing to the delegation of Women
> organizations to persuade their men to vote for the betterment of the country. The
> representatives presented the hypothesis that if women had the right to vote, they would
> be voting for this Charter. Then asked bluntly whether their votes would be counted.
> Minister knew that there was no Constitutional provision for women to vote, and he had no
> authority to sanction it. So, he tried with all his charm to wiggle out of this sticky situation,
> but the women shrewdly stuck to their question and did not let go. Finally, the Minister said
> that if women decided to set up their voting centers and tally them, they would be free to
> do so. Whether their votes would be counted as a part of the national referendum was not
> for him to decide.
> 
> The next day thousands upon thousands of women went to their voting centers and cast
> their votes for the White Revolution. The wave of the suffrage movement was unstoppable.
> Although their vote was not legally counted, it made a statement for the freedom of rights
> of women in Iran. In the future, the Constitutional Law of Iran was changed for women.
> They received their right to vote, to be represented in the Family courts for divorce
> proceedings, and for custodial and financial settlements. There was a sudden leap into the
> 20th Century within a short period of time. The Muslim clergy and fundamentalists were not
> ready for this.
> 
> The University of Tehran
> 
> Pursuing a college education in Iran, was a privilege which was given to a select few of
> Iranian youth. The University of Tehran, then the only national university, was highly sought
> after in Iran. The University entrance exam was designed to select less than 10 percent of
> the thousands of candidates who took the exam.
> 
> A fascinating phenomenon was the freedom of expression that existed in the university
> culture. Iranians considered students as a select elite, who were the hope and the heralds
> of political change in Iran. Most of the revolutionary ideas were disseminated from the
> University campus.
> During the early reign of the Shah, there had been an unsuccessful, but nearly fatal
> 
> assassination attempts on his life when he was attending the graduation ceremony at the
> University. This incident created much chaos, with an indiscriminate shooting of the
> graduating students leading to the injury and killing of some. The subsequent arrest and
> disappearance of several students and professors sent a shock wave through Tehran and
> justified the ever-present existence of the SAVAK – secret security agents within the
> university campus life.
> 
> It seemed that the concentration of political activities was in the College of Humanities and
> Literature, and among some members of the Faculty. Despite numerous arrest and
> imprisonments, a handful of dissident professors, who were the remnant of Mossadegh
> movement, intermingled their lectures with their political views. In the meantime, the
> majority of the political figures in Iran were also ex-professors, who had taken a sabbatical
> leave to serve in the Shah's Cabinet.
> 
> The social status of the professors was high, and within their academic domain, they were
> considered as gods. They were the elite of society and therefore not responsible to the
> higher authorities in the land. If a student fell from the grace of a given professor, no higher
> power could persuade that professor to change his judgment and give a passing grade to
> the disfavored student; his fate was doomed.
> 
> My highest professional aspiration was to become a therapist. However, I learned that the
> University of Tehran only offered a degree in Philosophy and Educational Sciences, with
> minor in Psychology. I was aware of Abdu'l-Baha’s view on Disputative Philosophy, as a
> wasteful endeavor of the human mind - as it starts with words and ends with words, with
> no empirical application. I also read Abdu'l-Baha’s praise of the spiritual philosophers such
> as Socrates and Plato, who were educated by Jewish sages, and used their knowledge to
> prove the existence of God and the spiritual realm of the universe.
> 
> After reading “Some Answered Questions,” and “Selected Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha,” I truly
> believed that Abdu'l- Baha was the most significant philosopher of all ages, who unfolded
> the most profound philosophical phenomenon which had puzzled the great thinkers of the
> history of mankind.
> 
> My preparation for the College Entrance Exam was self-taught, as we did not have a
> knowledgeable teacher to help us learn what was required. I passed the University
> Entrance test and checked only for one Department for my college entrance - I had the
> choice of three in case I was not accepted by my first or second Departments. This College
> Entrance Test comprised of two essay questions which carried a 100% weight. While
> taking the test, I misunderstood the second question and wrote an entirely unrelated
> answer. I realized this devastating mistake later and was convinced that I had blown my
> chance for a university placement that year. I prayed fervently for a miracle that I was sure
> would not come through. A week later to my surprise, I was informed by my sister that I
> was ranked 19th, out of the 20 successful candidates.
> 
> One year later, when I was taking a class, the professor was discussing the methodical
> application of the Philosophical essay. He related to us that during the review of one of the
> 
> exam papers, he noticed that the writer totally misunderstood the question. While reading
> the wrong answer, he found the structure and the logic were sound and convincing. The
> professor decided to accept the paper based on its merit. The Faculty then accepted his
> judgment and gave the student another chance. I never revealed the identity of that student
> to my professor, but truly believed in the power of prayer, as stated by Abdu’l-Baha:
> 
> ‘Rely upon God. Trust in Him. Praise Him and call Him continually to mind. He verily turneth
> trouble into ease, and sorrow into solace, and toil into utter peace. He verily hath dominion
> over all things. If thou wouldst hearken to my words, release thyself from the fetters of
> whatsoever cometh to pass. Nay rather, under all conditions thank thou thy loving Lord,
> and yield up thine affairs unto His Will that worketh as He pleaseth. This verily is better for
> thee than all else, in either world.’
> 
> ~ ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Page 177/78
> http://reference.bahai.org
> 
> Although I had not reached the primal condition of detachment, God, in His absolute mercy,
> had answered my prayers.
> 
> The Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Dr. Mahdavi, was a Sorbonne University alumnus,
> with a refinement attributed to his aristocratic lineage. His great-grandfather was mentioned
> in the contemporary history of Iran, as the equivalent of Finance minister and the trustee
> of the mint for the Kings of Iran. Dr. Mahdavi had ample opportunity to rise to the highest
> level in the civil service. However, he decided that he could build his “kingdom” in the
> university, without any political hassle. As he was blessed with wealth, he served the
> Faculty as an Honorary Professor. He ruled the department with a subtle iron fist, and a
> quiet intellectual approach, which was impeccable and impenetrable.
> 
> His lectures were well prepared, and his class well-disciplined and subdued. He did not
> have to exert his authority, as his reputation preceded him. His nickname was the
> "Serpent." We were told that any student who failed to meet his approval would face dire
> consequences. The unfortunate student would fail year after year to make the grade and
> therefore to graduate. The rumor was that one of the students who had failed Dr. Mahdavi's
> course pulled a gun, during his last oral examination and threatened to kill the professor.
> Dr. Mahdavi calmly asked his test questions and dismissed the student, giving him a final
> failing grade.
> 
> Dr. Mahdavi's Chair had three Associate Professors, whom together as a team, decided
> on the destiny of their students. One of them was Dr. Davoudi. I met Dr. Davoudi in some
> of the Bahá’í meetings and introduced myself to him. We developed an interesting and
> unusual relationship. I never had a chance of being in Dr. Davoudi’ s class, but we always
> exchanged a few words in the hallways. If he was alone, I greeted him with the Greatest
> Name. He always enjoyed expressing our comradeship under the Banner of Bahá’u’lláh in
> different ways which were unique.
> 
> I had a great admiration and respect for Dr. Mahdavi. I always prepared well for his class.
> My Bahá’í studies made it easy for me to present logical and philosophically sound papers
> for this course. One day, Dr. Davoudi saw me in passing and called me to talk to him alone.
> I had just received the highest score on Dr. Mahdavi's test. Dr. Davoudi congratulated me
> for my achievement and said, when the Faculty members were discussing my paper, Dr.
> Mahadevi stated that my writing style was unusual for a student of my age. Dr. Davoudi
> proudly, and with an underlining humor said; Miss Behroozi is a Bahá’í and a student of the
> Bahá’í Writings. This statement brought a disappointing sigh from Dr. Mahdavi, uttering; it
> was sad that any bright minded student in this Department was a Bahá’í. I noted a sense
> of satisfaction in Dr. Davoudi’ demeanor. Typically, most of the Professors did not know
> the names of a few hundred students in their classes. However, because of this
> conversation, I was well known by the Faculty.
> 
> Dr. Davoudi, with his loving and open approach to the students, was always a favorite. He
> often was surrounded by a cluster of students carrying on, an academic conversation. I
> used to join the crowd and enjoy observing my favorite Bahá’í Professor. One day when I
> was passing by, I noticed him talking to the students, I did not know what they were
> discussing, but stood on the edge of the crowd and listened. He saw me standing there
> and said to the group: `It’s good that Miss Behroozi, the "Greatest Philosopher," has joined
> us!’ Everybody looked at me with amazement. It was only Dr. Davoudi and me who were
> chuckling at this Bahá’í humor. I thanked him for his kind word; knowing that the “Greatest
> Philosopher” was a metaphor for “Cows,” referring to the materialistic philosophers, as
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reported to have said:
> 
> ‘It is no proof of intelligence to reject everything which does not strike the senses. Nay,
> rather, such a one is a brother to the animal. The cow has no idea of God; she does not
> know the soul. So, the only difference between her highness the cow and a materialistic
> philosopher is that the latter takes a great deal of trouble! It is not a special or exclusive
> privilege to be the prisoner of one’s senses; the cow is the example of this theory.’
> ~~ Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, page 94
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> My college performance was somehow inconsistent and erratic. The strenuous Bahá’í
> studies left me little time for too much concentration on my University subjects. There were
> courses that I appreciated their relevance to the Bahá’í principles and did extremely well in
> those classes. There were others that I could not relate to, or we had Professors who were
> not able to attract my attention. Those classes, I barely scored above standard.
> 
> In the last year of my college, I enrolled in a class conducted by an old Professor, who was
> a companion of the late Shah of Iran. He was suffering from the early stages of senility and
> was kept on the job due to his history and political connections. He had a habit of going
> down his memory’s lane instead of teaching the relevant subject. He was also notorious
> for failing the majority of the student or passing them with the minimum required score,
> irrespective of their performance. Because it was mandatory to attend these impersonal
> and bizarre lectures, students found ways to amuse themselves. It happened that I sat
> beside a graduate student who had an amusing sense of humor, which kept us entertained.
> 
> He had delicate features and a resonant and melodious voice. When we got to know each
> other, I learned that he was a member of the Afnan, who was related to the family of the
> Báb. His physical resemblance to the Báb was astounding, and from what I knew, his voice
> also was like the Báb. As he was not familiar with the Bahá’í community of Tehran, I
> introduced him to the University gatherings and meetings. He graduated the same year
> and left for the States to continue his studies. Years later, I heard from his friend that sadly,
> he was killed in a car accident.
> 
> Dr. Ghadimi’s Class Graduation Ceremony
> 
> ‘Faith comes to a man through submission to God. The surrendering
> of self with all its accomplishments renders the soul free of attachment
> to this mortal world. It drives the stranger away from the heart and
> enables him to receive the "friend" within its sanctuary.’
> 
> (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh v 2, p. 220)
> 
> When the second year of Public Speaking class was ending, all of us were eagerly getting
> ready for the graduation ceremony. The excitement was heightened when Dr. Ghadimi
> informed us that the Hand of the Cause Mr. Faizi would be our honored guest.
> 
> I had not seen Mr. Faizi for years. I had read several of his books and was more aware
> of his station than when I first met him as a little girl. This visit had a special meaning for
> me. I was proud to let him know about my efforts in the path of scholarly enrichment in
> the field of Bahá’í Studies. Dr. Ghadimi selected topics for our speech and told us that he
> would submit the themes to Mr. Faizi, at the ceremony, to choose whatever topic that he
> deemed appropriate. My topic was on Islamic Philosophy, and I tried my best to develop
> a scholarly speech.
> 
> I sought the help of Dr. Khonsari, one of my Professors, who was also an associate of Dr.
> Mahdavi, and a counterpart of Dr. Davoudi. Dr. Khonsari was a Professor of Logic, Islamic
> Philosophy and Arabic Literature. Dr. Khonsari was a staunch Muslim, proud of his Islamic
> heritage. Because of my Bahá’í studies I showed a keen interest in the topics that he
> covered and therefore was one of his favorite students. When I approached him with my
> questions regarding references to Islamic Philosophy, he shed his usual reticence and
> expressed his amazement for meeting a young lady who was showing interest in such a
> topic. As he was well known for his religious affiliation, I did not reveal my being a Bahá’í
> and thanked him for his compliment. I relayed this conversation to my best friend who
> was a Muslim. She had been having a rough time in this professor's class and was a bit
> envious of the attention that I was getting. She jokingly said that she would love to see
> Dr. Khonsari's face when he learned that I was a Bahá’í. I laughed and said that I would
> surely get a failing grade due to his disappointment. Not long after this conversation, in
> our class, Dr. Khonsari was expounding on the Mystic Valleys of Creation; Journey from
> the Creator to the Created. According to Dr. Khonsari, there was no inference in the
> Islamic Philosophy, regarding the distinction between the “Knowledge of God” and the
> 
> “Will of God,” emanating the world of “Being.” When I asked for a definition, he responded
> that no philosopher had defined these stations and they were interchangeable. At that
> time, I was reading a compilation of the Bahá’í Writings, where Abdu’l-Baha, in the Tablet
> of “Hidden Treasure,” defined these stations as a movement (journey) within the “Divine
> Essence”, of the attributes of God. I was so excited to learn the concept that I shared it
> the next day with my Muslim friend. When the final oral exam approached, I went through
> the grueling process with confidence. But my friend was uncertain of her fate. I saw her
> coming out of Dr. Khonsari’s class beaming with joy. I was happy for her and asked what
> had happened? She told me that her test question was to elaborate on the Seven Stations
> of Creation. She gave the exact account of Abdu’l-Baha’s interpretation, as I relayed to
> her before. The Professor was astonished and asked where she found this explanation.
> My friend responded that it was from the Bahá’í Writings, and she learned from Miss
> Behroozi, who is a Bahá’í. A shock wave went through my spine in the reaction to the
> betrayal of a close friend. I was sure that my final scores would be doomed. I had learned
> a lesson not to expect much from anyone, as everyone has human frailties. I licked my
> wound for a while. The final scores showed that although my friend passed the subject, I
> had received the highest mark in the class.
> 
> When Dr. Ghadimi’s Graduation day came, Mr. Faizi honored us with his presence. He
> chose the topic of “Teaching the Faith,” for the graduation speech. When his time came
> to deliver his talk, it was an admonishment that changed the course of our lives and moved
> our souls to an unseen realm. Mr. Faizi directly addressed us and opened a new door
> and showed us the way to “ACT” on what we had learned. He told us that the fruit of
> learning is teaching and pioneering. That we should prepare ourselves for the field of
> service and that the Master and the beloved Guardian expected us to serve. That all the
> praise and applause that we had received were placing our souls in mortal danger. He
> lovingly addressed us: ‘My dear ones, when you hear the crowd cheering for you beware
> of the consequences. It is like tempting you to climb the highest steps of a ladder, then
> having it pulled out from under you.’ It was a tremendous spiritual awakening to
> contemplate for our future endeavors.
> 
> When it was time for the class picture, with a tenderness that brought tears to our eyes,
> Mr. Faizi addressed us: My dear ones; “I am sorry for my harsh words! I love you all so
> much, and your lives are so precious to me. I wish your talents will brighten the remote
> corners of this world, and that you will achieve the greatest happiness you deserve.” This
> graduation was a turning point in the lives of many who heeded his advice. Some chose
> the field of pioneering, and some, the path of martyrdom!
> 
> Graduation picture of Dr. Ghadimi’ s class
> 
> Back row from left: 1st - Dr. Ghadimi, 3rd - Behin Paravarpisheh,
> 5th - Dr. Sadeghzadeh, Second row from left: 1st - Farnoosh,
> 2nd - Mehran Ighani, last - Shahla Behroozi - Gillbanks.
> 
> The First Teaching Trip to Mashhad
> 
> The Public Speaking course was generally of two years duration. However, when our
> class was getting close to the last graduation date, we requested to extend the class for
> one more year. Dr. Ghadimi accepted the request and developed a curriculum that
> required each student to complete two teaching and consolidation trips to a Bahá’í
> community in Iran; one before the third year graduation and one after. I chose Mashhad,
> the capital of Khorasan, where Mulla Husayn established the House of Bábíyyih, the first
> Teaching Institute in the history of the Faith. He engulfed this most sacred Islamic center
> of Iran, with a flame of Divine Love, as described by the Beloved Guardian:
> 
> ‘The audacity of Mulla Husayn who, at the command of the Báb, had attired his
> head with the green turban worn and sent to him by his Master, who had hoisted
> the Black Standard, the unfurling of which would, according to the Prophet
> Muhammad, herald the advent of the vicegerent of God on earth, and who,
> mounted on his steed, was marching at the head of two hundred and two of his
> fellow-disciples to meet and lend his assistance to Quddus in the Jaziriy-i-Khadra
> (Verdant Isle) -- his audacity was the signal for a clash the reverberations of which
> were to resound throughout the entire country.
> 
> The contest lasted no less than eleven months. Its theatre was, for the most part,
> the forest of Mazindaran. Its heroes were the flower of the Báb's disciples. Its
> martyrs comprised no less than half of the Letters of the Living, not excluding
> Quddus and Mulla Husayn, respectively the last and the first of these Letters. The
> directive force which however unobtrusively sustained it was none other than that
> which flowed from the mind of Bahá'u'lláh.
> 
> It was caused by the unconcealed determination of the dawn-breakers of a new
> Age to proclaim, fearlessly and befittingly, its advent, and by a no less unyielding
> resolve, should persuasion prove a failure, to resist and defend themselves against
> the onslaughts of malicious and unreasoning assailants. It demonstrated beyond
> the shadow of a doubt what the indomitable spirit of a band of three hundred and
> thirteen untrained, unequipped yet God-intoxicated students, mostly sedentary
> recluses of the college and cloister, could achieve when pitted in self-defense
> against a trained army, well equipped, supported by the masses of the people,
> blessed by the clergy, headed by a prince of the royal blood, backed by the
> resources of the state, acting with the enthusiastic approval of its sovereign, and
> animated by the unfailing counsels of a resolute and all-powerful minister.
> 
> Its outcome was a heinous betrayal ending in an orgy of slaughter, staining with
> everlasting infamy its perpetrators, investing its victims with a halo of imperishable
> glory, and generating the very seeds which, in a later age, were to blossom into
> world-wide administrative institutions, and which must, in the fullness of time, yield
> their golden fruit in the shape of a world-redeeming, earth-encircling Order.’
> ~~ Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, page 37
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> I traveled with my mother to Mashhad to be the guests of an old friend of the family. I was
> carrying a letter of introduction from Tehran. My itinerary was to hold a public meeting, to
> stress the importance of the first Nine Year Plan of the Universal House of Justice. In
> addition to offering an intensive study class on Some Answered Questions for the youth.
> However, when I met with the committees, I felt an unusual vibe. I was told that the
> community was dealing with protection issues; a young pioneer who spent a few years in
> a mass teaching country and had success in attracting a large group to the Faith was
> back visiting his relatives in that region. His two uncles who saw a gleam of vain glory
> decided to work on the ego of this young man and convinced him that he could foolishly
> claim the station of a new manifestation of God. As absurd was this claim, it was affecting
> the Bahá’í community like an infected sore, leaving behind an unpleasant stench.
> 
> The Hand of the Cause of God Dr. Muhajir and an Auxiliary Board Member Mr. Vahdat,
> (who was later martyred during Islamic Revolution), were in Mashhad to heal the ill and
> protect the Bahá’í community. Although Dr. Muhajir had close family who lived in that city,
> he decided to stay with Mr. Vahdat at the Bahá’í Center and focus on this grave task. He
> was not having any visitors or was holding any social meetings.
> 
> I felt sad not to be able to have the bounty of meeting the Hand of the Cause, and even
> more depressed to walk into a tense environment where the gravity of the situation made
> my humble teaching project infinitesimal.
> 
> I turned to prayers for His assistance and guidance. I also found a new friend who opened
> my eyes to one of the purest forms of devotion and trust in the Almighty. This friend was
> an old and materially humble lady who lived in the basement of the home of our host. This
> precious soul was illiterate, poor, and homeless. She had very few belongings in that
> spotless basement. As her mind sometimes wavered, people did not often strike a
> conversation with her. I could hear her melodious voice chanting numerous prayers and
> tablets that she knew by heart. She was often scolded for chanting so loud that agitated
> their Muslim neighbors. However, even the threat of eviction did not stop her from the only
> solace that she had. I visited her in the basement every day and purified my soul with her
> unconditional and undemanding love for the Beloved. She told me that she was a
> descendant of one of the companions of Bábu’l-Báb at the Fort Tabarsi, who was
> martyred and left his young family behind. She believed that her ardent prayers were her
> contribution for the cleansing of the ills which had to befallen the Mashhad community
> and she had no choice but to continue with her prayers. I begged my hosts to be kind to
> this precious soul, and they graciously accepted to let this lady stay in the basement.
> 
> Meanwhile, I had the bounty to visit the House of Bábíyyih, a humble but spacious abode
> with a large courtyard, where a staircase led to two upstairs room, designated as the
> temporary residence of Mulla Husayn and Quddus. It had the usual characteristics of all
> the Mulla Husayn's residences; simple furnishing to provide basic comfort for the
> occupant. The Bábu'l-Báb’s room had an annex for storing the bedding and belongings
> of the owner. In this windowless storage, we were shown a small opening in the earthen
> floor, where the Holy Writings of the Báb used to be hidden to protect them from frequent
> raids of Moslems. Mulla Husayn used to take them out at night and study them in that
> 
> storage room. Having access to all the Bahá’í books, and the relative freedom to read
> them in the privacy of my home, this blessed spot was the dearest and most touching
> place in that house. Rendering prayers in that sacred spot and a heart to heart spiritual
> communion with my hero were not only a soothing balm for my despondent soul but for
> the outpouring assistance for my humble project.
> 
> I was informed that the Assembly had scheduled me to address the audience at the Bahá’í
> Center for a gathering which was arranged for Dr. Muhajir. As under those difficult
> circumstances, no other meetings could be held. It was my only chance to complete what
> I traveled hundreds of miles to achieve. It created high anxiety for me to deliver my humble
> speech after the intense and potent lecture of a Hand of the Cause of God. So, I asked
> my hero, Bábu’l-Báb, to give me courage and strength to fulfill my humble mission to
> serve the Beloved.
> 
> In that historic meeting, hundreds of Bahá’ís were present. When I found my way to the
> front row of the great hall, I had a glimpse of one of the youngest Hands of the Cause of
> God. Each member of this august body had a unique attribute; This Hand was the
> embodiment of humility, pure devotion, and passionate love for his Faith. It would take a
> stranger a lifetime to pass beyond the layers of his unassuming demeanor and
> comprehend a fraction of an exceptionally brilliant mind. Dr. Muhajir, in any country, could
> set into motion a most revolutionary and bold teaching plan and mobilize a corps of
> diverse people to achieve its goals. His unique talent was to nourish the souls of the
> Bahá’ís and make them each feel “noble in the eyes of God.” Then, he would unlock the
> potential of each soul and help them to choose their path of service. He asked us to act
> with determination and conviction, without questioning whether we were successful or
> not. As each act of service had the potential to live in the timeless realm of God and come
> to its fruition at any given time.
> 
> When the chairperson introduced Dr. Muhajir, she addressed him as “our spiritual father.”
> Dr. Muhajir responded with a smile that he could not be a spiritual father, as his daughter
> was only a few years old and he was in his early forties.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir did not want to assume the station granted to the older Hands, like his father
> in law Mr. Furutan. I remember once he told me that he did not consider himself a sage
> like Mr. Faizi, or a charismatic orator like Mr. Furutan. His strength was to mobilize the
> believers to teach and to bring "new blood" into the Faith.
> 
> In that gathering, I was so nervous to remember what Dr. Muhajir said, but I had the
> distinct feeling that I had no right to open my mouth after that talk. His talk was followed
> by a potent speech by Mr. Vahdat. The chairperson announced another speaker who was
> then in her eighties. She was Ms. Ghudsieh Ashraf, who was one of the first Persian
> female students who had gone to the U.S. for further education. She attended the
> groundbreaking of the House of Worship as a young and shy girl in western clothing.
> Abdu'l-Baha asked her to come forward and partake in the ceremony as the
> representative of the Eastern women. Ms. Ashraf was a pioneer most of her life and had
> just returned from her pioneering post. By the end of her speech, I was on my nerves'
> 
> ends. I heard my name as the next speaker, I gave my short speech, concluding with
> following “call to action” passage from the Nine Year Plan of the Universal House of
> Justice:
> 
> ‘From the beginning of this Dispensation the most urgent summons of the Word of
> God voiced successively by the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, has been to teach the Cause.
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in His own words, "spent His days and nights in promoting the Cause
> and urging the peoples to service." Shoghi Effendi, discharging the sacred mission
> laid upon him, raised the Administrative Order of the Faith, already enshrined within
> the Sacred Writings, and forged it into a teaching instrument to accomplish through
> a succession of plans, national, international, and global, the entire Divine Plan of
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and he clearly foresaw in the "tremendously long" tenth part of the
> process already referred to a series of plans to be launched by the Universal House
> of Justice, extending over "successive epochs of both the Formative and Golden
> Ages of the Faith.
> The first of these plans is now before us. Opening at Ridván 1964, while the
> memories of the glorious Jubilee of 1963 still surge within our hearts, it must, during
> its nine-year course, witness a huge expansion of the Cause of God and universal
> participation by all believers in the life of that Cause.’
> 
> ~~ THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
> 6 Announcement of the Nine Year Plan OCTOBER 1963
> http://bahai-library.com/uhj_messages_1963
> 
> I am not sure if many among the audience heard my talk after the two hours of speech by
> the prominent Bahá’ís who preceded me. What I know is that I found a spiritual mentor
> and friend whose constant guidance and friendship impacted every stage of my life.
> 
> As soon as I uttered my last words, I was surrounded by the previous speakers. Dr.
> Muhajir showered me with loving praises, and Ms. Ashraf embraced me. I was
> overwhelmed by the intensity of this undeserving love and felt the presence of Mulla
> Husayn in that gathering! Years later, Dr. Muhajir told me that in that meeting, he had to
> focus on the issues relating to the Covenant and protection of the Faith. He would have
> loved to talk about the teaching goals of the Nine-Year Plan. So, when he heard, my (short
> and humble) talk about the Nine-Year Plan, it was like a “breath of fresh air” wafting
> through that somber gathering.
> 
> In that memorable meeting when I first had the privilege of meeting with my spiritual mentor,
> I had no idea about the far-reaching consequences of his impact on my young life. Dr.
> Muhajir’s kindness towards me helped the Mashhad Assembly, to allow me to hold a class
> on "Some Answered Questions" for the youth. I received other invitations to speak at the
> Feasts and other gatherings.
> 
> Before Dr. Muhajir left Mashhad, he held a meeting for the youth and discussed our roles
> and responsibilities for the future of the Bahá’í community. He shared with us his goals and
> aspiration when he was young and asked us to develop our individual plan for our spiritual
> progress and teaching the cause of God. He told us that when he was young, he set a goal
> to visit all the Bahá’í Holy Places in Iran. He explained that the inherent spiritual energy that
> emanates from these spots impacts the lives of the pilgrims forever. He asked us to do the
> same, bearing in mind that some of these Holy Places would not last on this earth for long.
> 
> He concluded his talk with this statement; "On the onset of the Heroic Age, a young man
> from this region (Mulla Husayn), knelt in front of his Beloved - the Báb, and pledged his life
> to serving him. Let us hope that you will follow the footsteps of your spiritual ancestor and
> offer your services for the progress of His Faith. For the years to come, I always remembered
> this statement of faith and tried my best to follow this advice.
> 
> The wayward youth, who made the unlikely claim to be the new Manifestation of God, did
> not acquire any followers. He decided to go back to the Far East, hoping to gather a flock
> among those who had accepted the Faith through his teaching efforts. But his hopes
> vanished when no one in that region recognized his claim. Not many people have heard
> from him since then. This claim of vain glory reminded me of the story that beloved Mr.
> Bakhtavar told us regarding the misconceptions of the Covenant Breakers about their
> station: In the early period of Islamic Era, when the grandson of Muhammad and the second
> Imam of Shi’at, Imam Hassan was reigning the Shi’at Community, he lived a simple life and
> did not have many worldly possessions. The believers presented a cow to the Imam as a
> gift. The cow of Imam Hassan developed the habit of roaming in the neighborhood yards
> and gorging on what it could find. The Moslems tolerated the cow's transgressions because
> of their love and respect for their Imam.
> 
> Hard times fell on the Shei'at community, and Imam Hassan decided to sell his cow. The
> next day the cow, ignorant of changes in its fate, set off in its usual round, but anywhere it
> went, was faced with hostile owners, who mercilessly shooed it off. The cow did not
> comprehend that the bestowal of love and privileges that it had received was because of its
> connection to Imam Hassan. When that relationship ceased to exist, so did the status of that
> cow. Mr. Bakhtovar’s humorous metaphor was an analogy of the station of the believers
> who broke the Covenant. Bahá’u’lláh, as promised in the writings, would call upon the
> cohorts on High to assist those who arise to serve Him. The privilege bestowed upon these
> servants is for their selfless endeavor to serve God. A covenant breaker who misconstrues
> his station with that of self-importance, assuredly loses confirmation from God. His action
> leads him to the path of self-destruction.
> 
> Some Precious Memories of Dr. Muhajir
> 
> Dr. Muhajir had a great admiration for Mulla Husayn. A man who lived his life with absolute
> devotion to the Cause of his Beloved. When the Báb addressed the Letters of the Living
> to be as “unrestrained as the wind," he obeyed. He did not marry and had no earthly
> possession when he was martyred at the age of 36.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir, years later told me that on one of his journeys to Mashhad, he asked
> permission to spend a few nights in the House of Bábíyyih. As a Hand of the Cause, his
> request was granted. He arrived late and went straight to Mulla Husayn's room. He felt
> Mulla Husayn’s spirit present. So, he whispered; “It is late, and I am too tired. So, I will go
> to bed now and will be having a heart to heart talk with you tomorrow”. Next morning, he
> was able to meditate and have a spiritual conversation with the Bábu'l Báb.
> 
> In one of my conversations with Dr. Muhajir, he told me how visiting the house of Mulla
> Husayn in Boshruyeh, inspired him to go pioneering. In this simple room where Mulla
> Husayn spent his youth, there was a wall hanging of his handwritten poetry, describing
> his longing to seek his Beloved:
> 
> ‘As waves of the sea, life is an expression of motion
> 
> We cease to exist when we stand still!
> 
> Hearkening to the Call of the Beloved, I traverse this earthly realm to attain His Mystic
> Presence.’
> (Author’s translation)
> 
> Soon after, the young Dr. Muhajir and his bride left for Indonesia and became the Knights
> of Bahá’u’lláh; a title granted by the Guardian to those who opened virgin territories to the
> Faith.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir talked about some of his experiences in that exotic land. His first assignment
> was a government doctor in the remote villages of Indonesia. He remembered one time
> when he was traveling in a rowboat to see his patients. It was so hot that he used his
> straw hat repeatedly to fetch water from the river and pour it over his head. He then
> realized that the top of his hat had fallen apart, so he lost his only protection against the
> blazing sun. The boatmen had to navigate the river while fending off crocodiles with their
> oars. To have some distraction the young doctor averted his eyes to the branches of the
> trees, arching above their head. Then he saw snakes hanging from the trees with their
> mouths open.
> 
> I heard another story about Dr. Muhajir’s days in the jungles of Indonesia. On one of his
> trips, he had a severe case of malaria but continued with his journey. On the way to visit
> a remote village in the jungle, he had to cross a river. While he was getting out of the
> water, he realized that his body was covered with leeches. Suffering from a high fever, he
> was too weak to rid himself of those blood-sucking creatures. As the leeches feasted on
> his blood, he lost consciousness. He woke up a while later, feeling the fever was gone
> and his energy renewed. When he got up, he noticed some dead leeches around him. By
> the grace of God, the leeches had sucked the infected blood out of his body and cured
> his ailment.
> 
> In 1957, Dr. Muhajir was appointed by the Guardian to the distinguished rank of the Hand
> of the Cause of God. He told me that he never envisioned leaving his pioneering post.
> 
> However, his function as a Hand was the protection and propagation of the Faith
> worldwide. Therefore, he had broadened his arena of service to all the territories around
> the world. The Beloved Guardian was aware of this devotion and called Dr. Muhajir a “true
> Pioneer,” as the literal translation of “Muhajir” in Persian is “Pioneer.”
> 
> A reporter once asked Sir Edmund Hillary why he climbed Mt. Everest. He answered
> because it was there. For Dr. Muhajir, pioneering and teaching seemed as Mt. Everest
> was, for Edmund Hillary. The ecstasy and exhilaration of doing what he loved did not need
> any justification. His mastery was his ability to tap into the inner souls of the youth like me
> and emanate his boundless spiritual energy within us; to empower us to follow his vision
> to the end. All throughout this process he was a hollow reed, transmitting the unconditional
> love of the Almighty, without leaving a trace of self, serving his Beloved with absolute
> humility and devotion; "just for the love of Him."
> 
> One of the unique attributes of this “Father of mass conversion”, was his compassion for
> the floundering people who were trying to undertake the noble task of reaching the hearts
> of strangers and transforming them through the love of Bahá’u’lláh. Sometimes when we
> were troubled about the inappropriate conduct of a Bahá’í, we asked Dr. Muhajir for his
> advice. He listened intently to our concerns and then described the goodly deeds and
> attributes of that person. He advised us to help the “poor soul” overcome his/her tests,
> and let the Assembly handle the situation. He was counseling us with such kindness and
> sincerity that we felt empowered to act constructively to resolve the conflict and
> concentrate on the task of joyful service.
> 
> During my training with Dr. Ghadimi, I learned to be a perfectionist and very disciplined.
> Dr. Muhajir helped me through the years to come, to be gentle with myself. He taught me
> to take the time to enjoy good food, have a walk in a park, have a good talk with friends,
> and even enjoy an occasional good movie. It created an essential balance in my life that
> prevented burnout and stress while I was in my pioneering posts.
> 
> His advice for the Bahá’ís was to follow what Bahá’u’lláh asked the believers to do in the
> Tablet of Hikmat; that, ‘Let each morn be better than its eve and each morrow richer than
> its yesterday.’ Then, put this goal into practice one step at a time. The way the Master
> admonished the Bahá’ís to act; "Little by little, day by day...”
> 
> THE TURNING POINT
> 
> After my years of training in public speaking and my studies at the University of Tehran, I
> had a definite plan of action. I loved Persian literature and was considered by my peers to
> be a young scholar. My aspiration was to pursue my doctorate and become a University
> Professor. I did not see any obstacle to my level-headed plan, which won the approval and
> admiration of my parents. Although my two elder brothers were residing in the United States,
> I had no desire to join them. However, a few incidents drastically altered my plans. One was
> the graduation speech of Mr. Faizi, which opened my eyes to new horizons. The other
> entailed my soul awakening encounter with Dr. Muhajir and his larger than life perspective
> of spiritual life. The excitement of a pioneering life and mass teaching enkindled a fire in my
> 
> inner being. I felt that there was once in a lifetime chance for me to live like the early believers
> and follow their footsteps. It was at first just a dream, but the harsh realities in this period of
> my life, made this dream become my utmost goal and desire.
> 
> The turning point of my life occurred during the last semester of my University study. I have
> already graduated from Dr. Ghadimi’s class and could spend fulltime to prepare for my final
> exams. I was still anxious about the incident with Dr. Khonsari and expected some retaliation
> from him. The customary procedure for Dr. Mahadavi's oral exam was that he had his four
> Associates, including Dr. Khonsari and beloved Dr. Davoudi present in the room, and
> together they would ask questions and evaluate the poor student who had his/her turn to be
> tortured in that chamber. As usual, the oral exam was during the Bahá’í Fast period. My
> throat was dry, and my blood sugar was low. I entered the room and expected the worse.
> Dr. Mahdavi turned his stern face to his Associates and asked them to give their assessment
> of my class performance. The gentle and friendly face of Dr. Davoudi was my only comfort.
> Dr. Khonsari gave his opinion of me by mentioning that I was one of his best students, who
> not only attended his class but took the time to attend his Arabic classes and studied books
> which were not a part of the curriculum. I was astounded. I placed my hand on the picture
> medallion of Abdu’l-Baha, under my lapel, and felt warmth going through my veins. I have
> previously shared my concern with Dr. Davoudi, about Dr. Khonsari’ s reaction to knowing
> that I was a Bahá’í. I noticed my beloved friend leaning back in his chair, so not to be seen,
> smiling with a wink. I could hardly control my response to this friendly gesture, but the
> situation was so tense that I was quickly brought back to the “torture chamber.”
> 
> The other associate gave a similar account of my performance which made the Professor
> grin with amusement. When the first question was asked. I gathered my thoughts and started
> to answer. Halfway through the answer, I noticed that Dr. Davoudi had moved his chair back
> and gestured that my answer was wrong. I swiftly changed course and maneuvered to give
> the correct answer. I saw a nod of approval from Dr. Davoudi. Upon completion, Dr. Mahdavi
> inquired about the sudden change. I told him that I was giving a comparison for further
> elaboration. My quick wit made everybody smile. I passed a significant crisis with my trust in
> God and a little help from my beloved Bahá’í Professor.
> 
> I was not so lucky in what happened next. Sociology was one of the subjects which were
> dreaded by everyone because of our Professor Dr. Sadighi, who was a bitter and extremely
> obnoxious human being. He was a close associate of Dr. Mossadegh, during his short-lived
> revolution. When the Shah was restored to power, Dr. Sadighi was arrested, tortured, and
> imprisoned for a long time. When he got out, he was left with only half his stomach and was
> in so much pain that he had become addicted to opium. His miserable life had one comforting
> feature, which was expressed by using his class as a platform to air his political views and
> to humiliate and ridicule students to their breaking point. He had a passionate hatred for the
> Faith and did not spare the Bahá’ís of his vicious insults.
> 
> He had a routine of asking students to present their term paper on the life and work of
> different philosophers. At at the mid of their delivery, he used to halt the presentation to lash
> out the most obnoxious criticism at the presenter. One woman was so offended that she
> dropped out of college due to the Professor’s humiliation. She could not face the hundred or
> 
> so, students who heard Dr. Sadighi’ s comments about her. When it was my turn, I took the
> podium and started my speech. He stopped me cold, after the first paragraph and poured
> out his criticisms about my statement about the time period when William James was living.
> He thought that it was ludicrous to call this period oppressive, compared to the time when
> Genghis Khan was making towers from the decapitated heads of the captured men. His
> sarcastic comments were hilarious; I laughed as much as anybody else in the class, and it
> amused him tremendously. Fortunately, the bell rang, and class was dismissed. The next
> session I was ready to resume my presentation, but the professor decided to devote his time
> to a new lesson. He was totally involved in his lecture when he heard a noise and stopped
> dead. He was furious with the wisecracking that he heard and showered us with unpleasant
> remarks about being worthless and undeserving of his lecture. He looked at his roster and
> called me to finish my presentation. I said a prayer in my heart, gathered my strength and
> delivered a 45 minutes presentation. During my talk, there was dead silence in the class and
> no disputing remarks from the Professor. At the end of my presentation, the class was
> dismissed. A month had passed, and it was time for the torture of another poor student at
> the podium. The student was a tall, well-built man who, after a sarcastic remark from the
> Professor, responded that he was so unnerved that he could not continue with his presen-
> tation. Dr. Sadighi was aghast at his statement. He searched for me in the class and asked
> me to stand up. Then he said; “Look at her size and then look at yours; if she could deliver
> her talk so well, you should not have any problem, being twice her size!” This was the closest
> to any semblance of a compliment ever uttered by this bitter man.
> 
> The next semester we were relieved to have a new Sociology Professor who was Dr.
> Sadighi’s Associate. I was looking forward to having Dr. Rasekh as my Professor since he
> was a distinguished Bahá’í and was well respected in the community. Dr. Rasekh was a
> gentleman with a quiet and reserved disposition. I did not have any previous personal
> contact with him except sitting in his lectures. His calm and professional demeanor was well
> liked and respected by his students. His wife, Dr. Rasekh was also my Psychology
> Professor. She was favored by the Empress for her knowledge in child psychology and was
> appointed as the Educational Advisor and consultant for the Crown Prince and his royal
> siblings. The reputation of this scholarly couple was so impeccable that it earned respect
> from other members of the faculty. Dr. Sadighi had a dislike for his Associate, Dr. Rasekh
> and his success in society. He used to make snarling remarks about Dr. Rasekh in class,
> and of course, his being a Bahá’í was a good excuse for justifying his dislike.
> 
> In the last semester of my BSC Degree, as I have already graduated from Dr. Ghadimi’ s
> class, I had more time to study for my college courses. Therefore, I was sure that graduating
> as a Summa Cum Laude, was within my reach. I was planning to take my entrance exam
> for the graduate school in the summer and start my Master’s Degree in Psychology by the
> Fall Semester. My last test was in Sociology. Dr. Rasekh told the class that he was attending
> a seminar in Switzerland and since he would be away, he would ask Dr. Sadighi to administer
> the test. I was confident that I would be able to gain a high score in this class. On the day of
> the exam, we took our seats and got ready to start the test. Dr. Sadighis, instead of the
> customary roll call before the test, called out every other name from the list. I happened to
> be one of them. He asked us to stand up, gather our belongings and leave the class. He
> explained that by the written directives of Dr. Rasekh, all of us were deprived of our rights to
> 
> take the test. We were to report back at the end of the summer to take the test. This was the
> usual time that repeat students were given a second chance to make- up for their failing
> grades. The shock wave in the class was indescribable. This action automatically deprived
> us of participating in the graduation ceremony or sit for the Graduate Entrance Exam. Our
> future was a house of cards crumbled before our eyes. When some of the braver students
> raised the question for the reason of this deprivation, Dr. Sadighi curtly answered that there
> had been no explanation given by Dr. Rasekh, and we could take it up with him at the end
> of summer. The anger and frustration were directed at Dr. Rasekh. I was personally hurt and
> confused of this unjust action of a Bahá’í.
> 
> I saw my classmates graduating and starting their professional lives or passing their
> Graduate Entrance Exam. I found myself hopelessly lost in a maze of uncertainty and indeci-
> sion. These painful few months passed. The time for the repeat test arrived. A group of
> despondent students gathered in the hall and grudgingly took what was a straightforward
> test. No one could look at Dr. Rasekh in case he would notice the hurt and anger, causing
> further retaliation. When I got out of the class, I saw a few students approaching the
> Professor. They politely asked the reason for this atrocity. A look of shock and disbelief
> appeared on Dr. Rasekh’ s face. He responded that he did not give such directives. In fact,
> he was surprised by noticing such a large number of students taking the repeat test. I could
> see the pain and agony on his face for what had been done by his deceitful colleague, in his
> name. He uttered words of apology and sympathy for such a misunderstanding. He was
> regretful for not being present during the Summer to remedy the situation. He told us that
> following an investigation, he was going to put us on the graduating list of the last Spring
> that at least it would not affect our overall performance. But of course, it was too late to do
> anything else. Dr. Sadighi had succeeded to stab him in the back, and we paid the price.
> 
> As it showed in the future, the miserable act of this hateful person did not affect Dr. Rakesh’s
> progress. Dr. Rasekh went on to become the Executive Director of Social and Economic
> Planning Department of Iran, which was one of the most influential positions in the country.
> He was later, appointed by the Universal House of Justice, as a member of the Continental
> Board of Counselors.
> 
> In the last tumultuous year of unrest, before his overthrow, the Shah was desperately trying
> to appease the progressive revolutionaries. He invited the leaders to meet with him and
> offered Dr. Sadighi to be his Prime Minister. Dr. Sadighi refused and shortly after, died, still
> bitter and unhappy.
> 
> After Graduation, I faced a trying time of uncertainty and frustration. Dr. Sadeghi’s action of
> depriving me of timely graduation had a rippling effect. It caused me to miss the deadline for
> taking the Graduate Entrance Exam, thus denying me of entering the Master’s Degree
> Program. I tried to get a job in a public sector, but as I had to state my religion as Moslem,
> which I would not do, I was sure that my application would be outright rejection. I felt useless,
> rejected, and unwanted in my country because of my belief. A few Bahá’í owned companies
> that employed most of the Bahá’ís were in the production industry and did not have a position
> that suited my qualifications.
> 
> The gloom intensified when my parents decided to go through a separation, I was left to take
> over the role and responsibilities of my father. I felt that I was living in a nightmare, longing
> to wake up. The only consolation was my weekly class with Mr. Ishragh-Khavari. It was said
> that the Beloved Guardian called him “the Philosopher of the East; a sage that there will be
> no other like him in the Bahá’í Era.” Mr. Ishragh- Kahvari, due to poor health, was not holding
> any regular classes. However, when Dr. Ghadimi asked him to have a deepening class for
> the graduates of his course, Mr. Ishragh- Khavari made an exception and agreed. We had
> the bounty of having him exclusively for our group. We were able to delve into the depth of
> the ocean of the Bahá’í writings, having this savant as our guide. What we encountered was
> unequal to any other learning experience I have had before. In Speech Class we read the
> Writings, now we could study them in depth, and discover the hidden treasures gleaming in
> each verse.
> 
> Mr. Ishragh-Khavari was in the same Islamic Clerical School as Mr. Alavi. They had a friendly
> rivalry with each other. It was told that Mr. Ishragh-Khavari lightheartedly said that if Mr. Alavi
> became a Bahá’í, he would join him in this "misadventure." When the former learned that
> the latter had become a Bahá’í, he had no choice but to investigate this unbelievable
> happening, and he too became a Bahá’í. Mr. Isragh-Khavari then lost his teaching position
> in the clerical school and was ostracized by his former colleagues. Since then he had
> devoted his life and talents to the Faith. He developed volumes of in-depth study of the
> Bahá’í writings based on painstakingly lengthy and comprehensive research. His specialized
> field was a compilation of Bahá’í writings based on specific topics. Then systematically
> researching references to the names, terminologies, and quotations mentioned in the Tablet.
> His research product was an encyclopedia revolving around that Tablet. He not only cited
> the literary references to each topic but also expanded on their historical and religious
> connotations. He then quoted other explanations and interpretations of the same theme from
> any other tablets by the Central Figures of the Faith. His research on the Book of Certitude
> alone constitutes six volumes of cross-references.
> 
> Mr. Ishragh-Khavari was keenly aware of the Islamic opposition, and their efforts in
> misinforming the public about the tenets of the Faith. He followed Abul-Faza’el's undertaking
> to write weighty answers to abate the ills, which was created by their accusations. His writ-
> ings and face to face meetings with the representatives of this group was a force to be
> reckoned with. It worked as a deterrent to their effort to harm the Faith. His mastery of the
> Arabic language and Islamic laws and tradition helped to compile documents on most of the
> issues that needed explicit and forceful repudiation. His existence was a threat to the
> enemies of the Faith, and therefore his life was in constant danger of being extinguished by
> their hands.
> 
> When I had the privilege of knowing this sage, he was in his late sixties, suffering from a
> serious heart ailment and was legally blind. However, none of these problems had a
> diminishing effect on his vibrant and compelling spirit. It was difficult for such a savant who
> was intellectually in another plateau compared to the rest of us, to deal with a group of
> stumbling youth who were trying to grasp the depth of his lessons. But our efforts were
> appreciated, and his sense of humor kept us hopeful. I was fortunate to have basic
> knowledge of the Arabic language and Philosophy to show some signs of comprehension.
> 
> He showed his satisfaction by jokingly mentioning that I was one of the few who showed
> some signs of comprehension. My connection with him was that of an apprentice to the
> Maestro. I was aware that this motherlode of knowledge would not be with us for long, and
> I treasured this fragile and ephemeral connection while it lasted.
> 
> Mr. Ishragh-Khavari’s class
> 
> Front row: Left to Right: 2nd; Shahla Behroozi,3rd: Behin Paravarpisheh, Center; Mr.
> Ishragh- Khavari. Back row: 3rd from right; Hashem Farnoosh.
> 
> That year of forced “sabbatical,” gave me an ample time to meditate on the real purpose of
> life. I knew that I had done my best to acquire knowledge and understanding of the Faith.
> However, I also realized that while it was comforting to live in this secure environment, it
> would not be fulfilling for my soul. I realized that I had to take the next step and put my
> knowledge into action, to break the cage of confinement and soar in the unknown field of
> pioneering. That was what expected of me, and that was what I had to accomplish. The more
> I thought, the less I was satisfied with my life. I talked to my mother about it, and she agreed
> that together, we move to Greece to start a new life there.
> 
> ‘O OFFSPRING OF DUST!
> Be not content with the ease of a passing day, and deprive not thyself of everlasting
> rest. Barter not the garden of eternal delight for the dust-heap of a mortal world. Up
> from thy prison ascend unto the glorious meads above, and from thy mortal cage
> wing thy flight unto the paradise of the Placeless.’
> (Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> THE HOLY LAND
> 
> In January 1967, we received our invitation to go for the Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. My
> mother and I chose this opportunity to take a tour of Europe and visit Greece, in preparation
> for our upcoming pioneering.
> 
> As a young girl, when I was reading the “Memoirs of Dr. Afroukhteh,” I imagined traveling
> through time and being in the presence of Abdu’l-Baha. Now being in Israel, I had the
> opportunity to walk the earth, blessed by his footsteps and breath the air which was perfumed
> by his presence. Attaining his pleasure was my heart desire. He had always been my spiritual
> father and the Perfect Exemplar. Now I had the blessing of praying at his Shrine to guide me
> on my path of service. During the past year, I used to go to a quiet room in my house, facing
> His picture, with tearful eyes, beseeching Him to help me to achieve God's pleasure. Now
> he had given me the gift of paying homage to his Father and also the blessing of being in
> the most Potent Blessed Spot, where every prayful soul faced to utter his/her obligatory
> prayer. I was in a state of ecstasy, as I was attaining my heart's desire to offer my pledge of
> sacrifice at His threshold.
> 
> The beloved Guardian likened the heart of a pilgrim to a sponge. The pilgrim may absorb
> an ocean or a thimbleful from this spiritual experience. If the heart is full, it will quench the
> thirst of that soul for years to come. There were some, whose hearts were set on fire after
> their pilgrimage and those whom this blessing had little effect on their spiritual progress.
> I have had the blessing of going on pilgrimage six more times since then, and each one had
> a unique impact on my life. My first one was an invigorating ecstasy for this youth to reach
> the threshold of her Beloved.
> 
> The newly established Universal House of Justice still observed the tradition set by the
> beloved Guardian for the Pilgrimage. Nine eastern and nine western Pilgrims were invited
> for nine days to be the guests of the House of Justice in the Holy Land.
> 
> The Eastern Pilgrims House was at the entrance to the Garden Gate of the Shrine of the
> Báb. The cypress trees in the garden brought back the memory of these magnificent trees
> famous in Shiraz, the birthplace of the Báb. The Eastern Pilgrims House was where the
> Master and later, the beloved Guardian met with the all the pilgrims. The air was perfumed
> with the memories of their presence. From the balcony of this house, Abdu'l-Baha revealed
> one of his Tablets. Standing on that blessed spot was an electrifying experience. There, on
> the wall of the receiving parlor, hung a portrait of the Master. We were told that the artist
> masterfully captured the likeness of the beloved. His powerful but gentle gaze followed the
> beholders as they moved.
> 
> Haifa Pilgrim House.
> 
> ‘Soon after the entombment of the remains of the Báb, one of the believers from ‘Ishqábád, Mírzá Ja‘far
> Rahmání, begged ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to allow him to build a Pilgrim House in the precincts of the Shrine for the
> convenience of visiting pilgrims. The request was granted, and this believer personally supervised the
> construction work and paid for all expenses.
> 
> “During the ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, many meetings were held in His Presence with the pilgrims and
> members of the local community. Later, when Shoghi Effendi became Guardian, he too met the assembled
> friends and talked to them in this Pilgrim House before leading them in prayer when visiting the Shrines of
> the Báb and of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.’
> 
> ~~ Visiting Bahá’í Holy Places;
> (2003) by Bahá’í World Centre
> 
> The Western Pilgrims, who resided in the Western Pilgrims House, joined us for the formal
> meals which were prepared by the same staff who served the beloved Guardian. We had
> the bounty of having lunch each day with a member of the Universal House of Justice and
> each dinner with one of the residing Hands of the Cause of God.
> 
> For the Persian Bahá’ís who had experienced the loss of beloved Shoghi Effendi, the
> Guardian who has protected them from the winds of persecution and sedition, seeing these
> vibrant and mostly young members of the Universal House of Justice was exhilarating.
> Although due to language barriers we were not able to communicate directly with some of
> them, their sheer presence was enough to generate a cohesive and invincible bond between
> us.
> 
> Dr. Hakim was the oldest member of the House. As a longtime companion of the Guardian,
> he shared precious memories of him during our mealtime visits.
> 
> Our guide was Hand of the Cause of God Mr. Furutan. He was one of the most beloved and
> popular Hands among the Iranian Bahá’ís. His charming personality, his fantastic sense of
> humor, his anecdotes, his unmatched knowledge of the Holy Places and history of the Faith,
> made the pilgrimage a rich, happy, and loving experience. He was able to relate to each
> pilgrim whether young or old and guide us to follow the proper protocol while visiting the Holy
> Places.
> 
> Mr. Furutan asked the Pilgrims to always silently meditate when entering the garden path to
> the Shrines, remembering the names of those who had requested prayers on their behalf.
> One early morning, I dreamed of a beloved Bahá’í, who I did not know personally. He had
> served as the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly for years and had passed away
> recently. In my dream, he was standing by my door, asking me to get up and join him to go
> to the Shrine of the Báb. I woke up, got ready and joined the group for my visit to the Shrine
> of the Báb. On the garden path, I repeated this gentleman’s name and offered a prayer for
> him at the Shrine. When Mr. Furutan came for the morning session, I told him about my
> dream. He relayed to me that this dear Bahá’í has been longing to come for pilgrimage.
> However, as an Iranian Army officer, he was not able to travel to Israel. After his retirement
> last year, he was planning his pilgrimage when he passed away. Now, he had come to your
> dream that you make the pilgrimage for him.
> 
> One of the most unforgettable events of this journey was the night that we spent at the
> Mansion of Bahji. Ethereal, could be the description of what I felt during this encounter. We
> were going to spend a night in the abode of the Manifestation of God. From the great hall,
> we could see the room of Bahá’u’lláh and felt his presence encompassing the surroundings.
> It was overwhelming for some and awe-inspiring for others.
> 
> The Guardian designated a room to Abu’l-Fażāʾel. A larger than life portrait of this great
> teacher and a library of his manuscripts dominated the room. There was a single bed in the
> room, and I decided that I would spend my night in that room. I had spent weeks reading his
> books, so I felt a spiritual bond that made us connect beyond the material and tangible world
> of existence.
> 
> Late into the night, I quietly found my way to the room of Bahá’u’lláh. There, it laid a simple
> white bed where the Beloved Ascended from this ephemeral world to the Abha Kingdom. A
> pair of slippers were placed beside his bed. An awesome feeling came over me that if I
> touched his slippers, I would cease to exist. The experience was not dissimilar to that of the
> last moments on earth when one knows that the end is in sight. I noticed some red rose
> petals inside the slippers. I gently touched a petal and felt a surge of pure white light going
> through my veins. Then, I chanted Tablet of Ahmad. A river of tears flowed down my face, I
> was so immersed in my meditation that I did not notice the presence of another pilgrim in
> this room. I was completely alone with the greatest power in the universe. Reminiscing about
> the sufferings that the Blessed Beauty had endured while in this desolate mansion.
> Recounting the majestic power which had emanated from his words when the Mouthpiece
> of God addressed Professor Browne in this same room. It revealed to me that the essence
> of a lover's life is to endure suffering in His path. That the elixir of everlasting life is clinging
> to the hem of the robe of His grace, and that the true lover should never be dismayed, nor
> lose hope when the winds of tests are blowing. That I was, but a mere instrument for the
> promotion of His Cause on this earth. In my inner being I recited His assurance for His
> servants:
> 
> Verily, We behold you from Our realm of glory, and shall aid whosoever
> will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of the Concourse
> on high and a company of Our favoured angels.
> 
> ~ Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas (Haifa: Baha'i World Centre, 1992
> edition) pp. 38-39. http://reference.bahai.org
> 
> I found the purpose of my life on this earth that night when I was alone with my Beloved.
> 
> When visiting the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and Mansion of Bahji, Mr. Faizi was our guide. During
> this time, a spiritual bond developed between the two of us. I was overwhelmed by
> indescribable emotions, and Mr. Faizi intuitively tapped into this whirlwind of emotion and
> offered me a balming affection. When we entered the Shrine, Mr. Faizi chanted the verse of
> "Ya Elaha'l Mostaqas" nine times, a supplication which was revealed by the Báb. Then, he
> proceeded with the Tablet of Visitation. I knew that God was answering my prayers at that
> sacred threshold. Later, I had the rare privilege of talking to Mr. Faizi alone. Describing my
> plans for pioneering and my doubts about my mother’s wholehearted commitment. Mr. Faizi
> was so pleased that he spoke to my mother and uttered words of praise and encouragement
> for my lofty aspiration. He then went on to share this news with the Persian members of the
> House. I had the exhilarating experience of discussing these plans with Mr. Nakhjavani and
> Mr. Fatheazam. They came to know me personally, and this rapport impacted the future
> events of my Bahá’í life.
> 
> This period of ecstasy was drawing to a close. The ninth day was upon us, and it was time
> to bid farewell to the Holy Land. The last night of our stay was exceptional. As the Bahá’ís
> of the Holy Land and the Pilgrims accompanied the Hands and members of the House to
> the Shrines. Late into the night, after completing our homage to the Shrine of the Báb, we
> 
> gathered in the Shrine of Abdu'l-Baha. There was absolute silence; then a most heavenly
> voice chanted the Tablet of Visitation. At the beginning of this Tablet, Abdu'l-Baha indicates
> that chanting this Tablet has the effect of being in His presence and meeting Him. This was
> the only occasion in my life that I had a vision of Abdu’l-Baha, standing on the roof of the
> Most Great Prison, with tears running down his face, chanting. I was overwhelmed with
> exhilarating emotions. When the chanting was over, and we left the Shrine, I found out that
> my beloved Mr. Faizi chanted that prayer.
> 
> I was always envious of those pure souls who have had the privilege of dreaming of the
> Central Figures of the Faith, as I never had. The vision of Abdu'l-Baha was the one and only
> extraordinary experience of my life. It was an answer to my heart’s desire. All those past
> years, while reading the memoir of Dr. Afrookhteh, I prayed to offer my life for a glimpse at
> Abdu'l-Baha. He responded to my supplications that evening. Now, it was time for me to
> fulfill my pledge.
> 
> From Israel, my mother and I set out to visit our future pioneering post, Greece. We had the
> address of the only Persian pioneers in Athens. A young couple with two small children. In
> 1967 pioneering in Greece had a lot a common with pioneering in the Arab Emirates. The
> pioneers were not allowed to teach the Faith, but they were free to practice their religion.
> This young couple who knew little of the Greek language, could not communicate with their
> neighbors and therefore, could not establish any friendship with the local community. As
> there were no working opportunities for foreigners, they were living on their small savings
> which demanded real material sacrifice for their young family. The generous hospitality of
> this precious couple was heartwarming. Although we had a hotel reservation, they asked us
> to spend the night with them. We had the most tender moments of friendship with our
> newfound kindred in spirit. When we left them, we promised to see them soon. However,
> this promise never materialized. Years later I heard that they were still living in Greece. Their
> dedication and perseverance led to their success in serving as members of the Bahá’í
> Institutions, in addition to finding employment with the Iranian Embassy. God showers His
> Confirmation on those who rise and persevere to serve Him.
> 
> Our journey was culminated by paying homage to the resting place of the beloved Guardian
> in London. We walked through a misty path which was lined with magnificent trees. There
> stood the majestic testament to the embodiment of unconditional love and absolute
> detachment of our Faith. The monument of the beloved Guardian, as described by Ruhiyyih
> Khanum:
> 
> ‘A single marble column, crowned by a Corinthian capital, surmounted by a globe, the
> map of Africa facing forward - for had not the victories won in Africa brought him the
> greatest joy during that last year of his life? - and on this globe, is a large gilded
> bronze eagle, a reproduction of a beautiful Japanese sculpture of an eagle which he
> greatly admired and which he had placed in his own room. No better emblem than
> this symbol of victory could have been found for the resting-place of him who had won
> so many victories as he led the hosts of Bahá'u'lláh's followers on their ceaseless
> conquests throughout the five continents of the world.’
> https://bahai-library.com/khanum_guardian_bahai_faith&chapter=14
> 
> The grave of the Guardian, the one who created the magnificent Bahá’í monuments and
> gardens on Mt. Carmel, was standing alone far from his beloved Holy Land. It manifested
> the true meaning of his love and selfless service. Now, it was time for me to follow his
> example and dedicate myself to the path of serving my Beloved Faith. The time for action!
> 
> RETURN
> 
> On our return to Iran, we were set to sell all our belongings and leave for Greece. Announcing
> this news was not welcomed by my family. There was a concerted effort to work out a
> reconciliation with my parents. I had no objection to this action and welcomed the chance to
> leave independently for my pioneering post.
> 
> The Naw-Ruz festivity was upon us. As the traditional Persian New Year, my brother who
> was not a Bahá’í invited all the extended family for the Naw-Ruz gathering. I arrived late,
> carrying a keychain that I bought in Israel. It was a brass medallion with the engraving of the
> Shrine of the Báb. One of my relatives who was like a father to me noticed it in my hand and
> asked to have a look. I handed it to him, explaining what it was. He curtly threw it back at
> me. It landed on the floor. I heard him say; get this filthy thing, I do not want to touch it. It is
> defiling my hand. I was in total shock, I slowly got up, picked it up, and said; “You should be
> honored to have the bounty of holding this in your hand.” Everyone noticed the encounter
> with shock. I left the room in complete silence. My brother took me to a room and started to
> scold me for being so impolite and rude to his guests. I told him that I would not allow anyone
> to insult my religion. If he were upset with my conduct, I would gladly leave his house. I
> walked into the dark and cold street. I did not take my purse or jacket with me. Therefore, I
> could not take a taxi. I felt alone and rejected. I was aware that it was difficult for people
> around me to understand my love and the extent of my conviction. My family was usually
> perplexed by the unconventional demonstration of my faith. My mother never accepted, nor
> showed any desire to understand. My father usually showed respect for my undying devotion
> but had to fend off the objection of the rest of the family. I, therefore, was alone and fiercely
> protective of my spiritual identity. I heard my father calling me from behind. He was short of
> breath. He told me that he had just arrived and heard what happened and had come to find
> me. We walked together; it was one of those rare occasions that he was lost for words. So,
> he did the best thing that he could by keeping his silence and to listen to my side of the story.
> I was hurting and choking on my emotions. I could see his pain in seeing me so upset. By
> his being with me and listening to me, he gave me the rare gift of affirming the conviction of
> my faith. I suspect that he was feeling guilty for not being there to protect his girl from
> adversity. It was a turning point for him to make up his mind and come back to our house.
> He told me that he did not think my mother was interested in leaving Iran. It was just a pie in
> the sky, an idea to keep me happy. But he promised that he would do his best for me to go
> alone to a country where a young girl could go and continue her studies. He did not ask me
> to go back to my brother’s house. He handed me my jacket and some cash for a taxi. Then
> saw me off and did not go back to the party either.
> 
> The next few months were full of excitement for me. I contacted the Pioneering Committee
> of Iran and started corresponding with different countries and individual pioneers. I was
> reading and talking about them all the time while waiting for a response that never came.
> 
> I regularly wrote to Mr. Faizi - I still treasure the collection of his letters and the gifts of
> calligraphies that he sent me during these trying times. They were like crystal clear water
> quenching my thirsty spirit. He wrote in one letter how pleased he was to see a young soul
> willing to dedicate her life to her faith. Because usually, people who are in the winter of their
> life would decide to be the ones to offer their service to reap the rewards in the next world -
> as the saying goes: “offering spilled oil to ignite the lamp in the Muslim shrine.”
> 
> In another letter, he counseled me to be patient and not to insist on what God may not desire.
> However, he was always encouraging me to persevere. In one letter, he showered his
> affection as a father, addressing me genuinely as his daughter, assuring me of special
> prayers at the Shrines. In another time, he wrote that he had just come back from the Shrine,
> after especially praying for the success of my endeavor. These correspondences sustained
> my courage to persevere and stay on course.
> 
> In this period, I consulted with Dr. Muhajir, about my options for pioneering. He always
> treated me with affection as a friend, helping me to stay on course. He shared with me the
> plan of the Universal House of Justice, which called upon the youth to study in the Goal
> Countries of the Nine-Year Plan. Dr. Muhajir recommended that I explore the possibilities of
> pioneering to the Philippines, as it was the country that he and his family were residing. So,
> when he found out that I was planning to go to the Intercontinental Conference in New Delhi,
> he suggested that since Mrs. Muhajir would be attending, I should take my documents and
> ask for her help for my university application. This would enable me then to become a student
> pioneer in the Goal country of the Philippines. This plan was quite agreeable to my father,
> who valued higher education. My father told me that he could not think of me going to a
> remote country and just be a pioneer without any plan for my future. But he would do his
> best to support me if I would continue my education. I was happy to find a way to achieve
> my heart's desire with the blessing of my parents and Dr. Muhajir. I started the preparation
> for my trip to India.
> 
> The Intercontinental Conference of India
> 
> The India Conference was my first exposure to the sphere of mass conversion and its impact
> on the Bahá’í Community at large. It was held in the gardens of the Bahá’í Center in New
> Delhi. In the Eastern tradition, a large tent was set up which provided seating for thousands
> of participants. The radiant faces of Indian Bahá’ís with their colorful costumes which
> represented their region were like a sea of colorful flowers decorating that massive tent. Mr.
> Faizi represented the House of Justice. The most entertaining event was the singing of the
> students of Panchgani Bahá’í School. The Olinga children were among those that brought
> applause from the audience. Two of these children were murdered with Mr. and Mrs. Olinga
> in Uganda years later.
> 
> I met Mrs. Muhajir briefly and gave my transcript to her. Gisu, the precious little daughter of
> the Muhajirs, was with her mother. It was the only time that I had a chance to meet Dr.
> Muhajir’s family. It helped me to have a point of reference in the years to come, to understand
> the intense love and devotion that he had for his family.
> 
> This Conference gave me a chance to witness the impact of mass conversion on the Bahá’í
> world community. It prepared me for my future endeavors in the mass conversion arena of
> service.
> 
> MAZANDARAN
> 
> The following summer after returning to Iran, I had the joy and privilege of visiting the “Fort
> of Shaykh Tbarsi.” The Youth Committee had asked me to make a consolidation trip to
> Mazandaran and hold classes for the youth. This time I went alone. I had the joy of visiting
> friends from the past and have an uneventful and enjoyable trip, fulfilling my itinerary with
> ease. I was the guest of a wonderful family, who lived a simple and quiet life in a house
> among citrus orchards. The Fort was in a remote area of Mazandaran. There was no road.
> Therefore, we had to travel for miles on foot. As it was still a Moslem Shrine, extreme caution
> was observed to not attracting the attention of the villagers. We wore chadors, and I left the
> talking to my companions lest my Tehrani accent gave us away.
> 
> We arrived at that blessed spot, where the Báb designated its circumference as a
> consecrated ground. Amidst the jeering of villagers who noticed our intentions, I knelt by the
> shrine of Tbarsi and paid my respect to the burial site of beloved Mulla Husayn. I dug my
> hand deep into that cool and dry soil and took a handful which I treasured and carried halfway
> across the world. I dedicated this consecrated soil to be placed at the future temple of the
> Philippines - as Dr. Muhajir asked me to do so. I sat in that humble shrine and felt the spirit
> of Mulla Husayn, Quddus and the Bábis who lived and gave their lives in that Fort.
> 
> I cried remembering Nabil's Narratives description of the last moments of the Báb'u'l- Báb's
> life:
> 
> ‘I have heard the following account from Mulla Sadiq and Mulla Mirza Muhammad-i-Furughi:
> "We were among those who had remained in the fort with Quddus. As soon as Mulla Husayn,
> who seemed to have lost consciousness, was brought in, we were ordered to retire. 'Leave
> me alone with him,' were the words of Quddus as he bade Mirza Muhammad-Baqir close
> the door and refuse admittance to anyone desiring to see him. 'There are certain confidential
> matters which I desire him alone to know.' We were amazed a few moments later when we
> heard the voice of Mulla Husayn replying to questions from Quddus. For two hours, they
> continued to converse with each other. We were surprised to see Mirza Muhammad-Baqir
> so greatly agitated. 'I was watching Quddus,' he subsequently informed us, 'through a fissure
> in the door. As soon as he called his name, I saw Mulla Husayn arise and seat himself, in
> his customary manner, on bended knees beside him. With bowed head and downcast eyes,
> he listened to every word that fell from the lips of Quddus and answered his questions. "You
> have hastened the hour of your departure," I was able to hear Quddus remark, "and have
> abandoned me to the mercy of my foes. Please, God, I will ere long join you and taste the
> 
> sweetness of heaven's ineffable delights." I was able to gather the following words uttered
> by Mulla Husayn: "May my life be a ransom for you. Are you well pleased with me?"
> 
> A long time elapsed before Quddus bade Mirza Muhammad-Baqir open the door and admit
> his companions. “I have bidden my last farewell to him,” he said, as we entered the room.
> “Things which previously I deemed it unallowable to utter I have now shared with him.” We
> found on our arrival that Mulla Husayn had expired. A faint smile still lingered upon his face.
> Such was the peacefulness of his countenance that he seemed to have fallen asleep.
> Quddus attended to his burial, clothed him in his own shirt, and gave instructions to lay him
> to rest to the south of, and adjoining, the shrine of Shaykh Tabarsi. “Well is it with you to
> have remained to your last hour faithful to the Covenant of God,” he said, as he laid a parting
> kiss upon his eyes and forehead. “I pray God to grant that no division ever be caused
> between you and me.” He spoke with such poignancy that the seven companions who were
> standing beside him wept profusely, and wished they had been sacrificed in his stead.
> Quddus, with his own hands, laid the body in the tomb, and cautioned those who were
> standing near him to maintain secrecy regarding the spot which served as his resting place,
> and to conceal it even from their companions. He afterwards instructed them to inter the
> bodies of the thirty-six martyrs who had fallen in the course of that engagement in one and
> the same grave on the northern side of the shrine of Shaykh Tabarsi. 'Let the loved ones of
> God,' he was heard to remark as he consigned them to their tomb, 'take heed of the example
> of these martyrs of our Faith. Let them in life be and remain as united as these are now in
> death.’
> 
> ~~ Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, page 381
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> I humbly knelt at that blessed spot and communed with my spiritual hero, asking him to help
> me to be worthy of the love that we both shared for our Beloved Faith.
> 
> THE JOURNEY
> 
> ‘Be not content with the ease of a passing day, and deprive not thyself
> of everlasting rest. Barter not the garden of eternal delight for the
> dust-heap of a mortal world. Up from thy prison ascend unto the glorious
> meads above, and from thy mortal cage wing thy flight unto the paradise
> of the Placeless.’
> 
> (Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> The events of the past year patterned my future life. A seed had been planted in my heart
> and it had grown into a sapling. My faith was the sunshine which brought it to fruition. I had
> no misconception of my capacity and no sense of egotistic pride or self-importance. What I
> believed was that I should follow His Command so that His Confirmation would be bestowed
> upon me. I was convinced that I would be able to handle any challenges in a pioneering post
> and overcome any barriers that would hinder progress towards my goal. I was not aware
> 
> that my parents did not share this view with me. Although they agreed to my plan and gave
> me their blessings, in private, they considered my plan a youthful whim which would go away
> with time. This was not out of viciousness, but out of concern from overprotective parents
> for their daughter.
> 
> Although I thought that there was no discrimination in my family between girls and boys, my
> mother, due to her upbringing, had a different standard for me than for my brothers.
> Therefore, as a girl, I was dictated to either join my brothers who lived in the States or marry
> and have my husband’s protection. I had no intention to go to the States, which was not a
> pioneering post, neither did I believe that I should marry a man just for the sake of going
> away with him. I felt that it was a step in the wrong direction, as I was aware of the stress of
> the pioneering life, and its effect on a marriage of convenience. Also, my path had not
> crossed with a man who had warmed my heart and shared my desire for pioneering.
> 
> These undercurrent events created a period of vain hope and disappointment for me. I kept
> waiting for a response from Mrs. Muhajir but heard nothing. In the Fall of that year, the new
> Post Graduate Department of Educational Sciences invited students for the Graduate
> Entrance Exam. My mother insisted that I take the test. I responded that I was expecting any
> time to leave for the Philippines. We got into a heated discussion, then she revealed what
> she really felt about my going to a far and strange island, and her fears of what could happen
> to me there. She told me that she and my father both shared the same concern, so they
> concealed letters addressed to me regarding pioneering. They also destroyed some. To
> prove her point, my mother pulled out a letter from her pocket from the Philippines which
> contained my admission to the University of the Philippines. She handed it to me and told
> me now it is the time to come down from the cloud, settle down and start my real life in Iran.
> 
> I was shaken and enraged by what I considered to have been a senseless betrayal. In
> despair, I went to my meditation room with my favorite picture of the Master. At that intense
> moment, I was not able to pray or meditate, I just cried my heart out and repeatedly asked
> Why! Why!
> 
> I knew that Bahá’u’lláh had ordained the station of divine authority for parents, and
> commanded children to obey their parents as they obey God. Children were to have the
> permission and blessing of one's parents for every endeavor in their life. Now, it became
> apparent to me why there was only one exception, that of pioneering. God ordained
> parents to put His work ahead of what they thought logically sound for their children. As
> God’s confirmations goes beyond logical consequences.
> 
> Although pioneers may suffer, or sacrifice their life in this path, they will achieve an
> unfathomable spiritual station. That is why the Guardian of the Faith ordained that a
> pioneer who dies in the pioneering path, shall have the station of a Martyr. This is the
> universal principle of sacrifice; of enduring suffering and sometimes death, to be a part of
> the greatest force in the universe, the Cohorts on High.
> 
> In those agonizing moments, I adopted a new way to fight back. It was not a healthy attitude,
> but that was all I could do; to show a passive resistance. I decided to set myself up for failure.
> I paid the fee for my graduate entrance exam and took the test without any preparation. So,
> I responded to some questions accurately and the rest without any thoughts. Then I
> submitted my paper ahead of the allotted time and left the examination hall. I was quite sure
> that I had failed miserably. I asked my mother to be present when I called the Institute to get
> the result of my test. The clerk checked the record and said, congratulation you just made it.
> I was speechless; my mother was ecstatic. I was told that the Director wanted to have a
> follow-up interview with me. At the appointed time, I met with this young doctor who had a
> weekly National Radio Broadcast, which was a favorite program of young people like me.
> 
> The Director, after reviewing my test paper wanted to see me personally to discuss the
> inconsistent pattern of my responses to the test questions. Some were answered in depth
> and were scholarly, and the rest was done haphazardly. When the result was brought to his
> attention, he decided to review my undergraduate manuscript. He was impressed that I
> received an "A" from Dr. Mahdavi, since, although he was an honor student, he only got a
> "B" for the same course. He had never heard that Dr. Mahdavi has given an "A" to any
> student before. So, he concluded that maybe I felt sick that day and deserved a second
> chance. Therefore, he approved my admission as a conditional student. I was impressed by
> his frankness and sense of fairness. So, I went along with his recommendation. I started the
> program half heatedly and in semi seclusion. As all my classmates were educators, who had
> taken this course for their professional advancement, and I was the only one who had no
> job. It gave them the impression that something was wrong with me. I also had no interest
> in pursuing the field of education for my future career and had little in common with the rest
> of the class. The only subject that interested me was “Education and Mass Media," which
> was taught by the same doctor. One of my assignments was writing a paper on the symbolic
> interpretation of a movie called the “Snake Pit.” I elaborated on the frame of mind of the
> character who was a young schizophrenic patient in a mental ward. To everyone’s
> amazement, the professor praised my analytic approach demonstrated in my paper. He
> mentioned that it was beyond the level of that class, thus helping me gain respect from my
> classmates. The Director called me to his office and told me that he was right in his initial
> assessment of my academic ability. He asked me to be his Intern and assigned me to work
> on a project for the National Broadcasting Agency. He promised it would pave the way for
> my future career in that field. I took the position and had so much fun. What I learned during
> that short period, helped me a great deal in my professional life and serving the Faith.
> 
> I took unusual steps in pursuing my goal of pioneering. While my mother was convinced that
> I had given up on my childish dreams, I broadened my network of friends to help in changing
> my parents' minds. I had regular communication with Mr. Faizi, and although he was
> pessimistic, he advised me to be patient and not to insist on what God may have ordained
> 
> for me. He, like a kind father, felt my pains and prayed for me at the Shrines. He never
> stopped writing to me even when he was traveling in different parts of the world. I was a
> regular “customer” of the Pioneering Committee of Iran. In one of my negotiation attempts
> with my parents, when they had insisted that they were not going to support me financially,
> I asked that if I did not need their financial backing whether they would permit me to go. They
> said yes. I rushed to the Pioneering Committee to ask for their sponsorship. They sighed
> and told me that my parents just called and stated that they would not allow me to leave Iran.
> I was humiliated and despondent. Years later, when I was in Africa, in my conversation with
> Miss Gooran, who used to be the Secretary of the Committee, she told me how their hearts
> bled to see me suffering from all these conflicting and humiliating statements of my parents,
> and how they felt utterly hopeless in giving me a helping hand. Their policy was not to
> alienate parents by sending their children to a pioneering field when they did not wish for
> that to happen.
> 
> During the Fasting period of 1968, Dr. Muhajir made a visit to Tehran. I went to see him. As
> usual, he acted as a long-life friend. He inquired after my pioneering plans. I briefly told him
> about my parent's objection and pleaded with him to make a short visit to our house and talk
> to my parents. Now, when I think about it, I can imagine the degree of selflessness and
> compassion of this precious Hand of the Cause of God, when he accepted my invitation. As
> the norm dictated the believers to pay homage to the Hands, not the other way around. He
> jokingly told me that he would hope that I was not putting him in an awkward position. I
> assured him that my parents would respect his presence. We planned the next day, to
> accompany him to my house. That evening, when I told my parents about this visit, my father
> agreed, but my mother vehemently objected. My father promised me that he would talk to
> my mother and everything would be all right.
> 
> The next day I took Dr. Muhajir and his two sisters to my house, which as he told me later,
> was one of the most challenging encounters of his life. When we entered the house, my
> father informed me that my mother was refusing to come to the lounge and did not want to
> talk to Dr. Muhajir. My heart stopped a beat, as I did not know how to handle this unpleasant
> situation. Dr. Muhajir sensed the tension and continued with small talk with my father. Finally,
> my mother gave in to the pressure and put on an overcoat over her house dress and came
> to welcome her distinguished guests. The conversation was short and abrupt. My mother
> did not want her young daughter to go to a strange island, but she would let me leave when
> I got married. Dr. Muhajir looked at me and said; Shahla Jan (dear Shahla), if this were a
> court of law, my verdict would be in your favor. However, as she is your mother, I can’t rule
> against her. Then he stood up and graciously left the room accompanied by his sisters. My
> mother was so upset that she did extend the courtesy of walking them out, but my father did.
> When we reached the main entrance, Dr. Muhajir held my father in both arms, looked him
> directly into his eyes and said: “Dr. Behroozi, your daughter has been entrusted to you by
> God, with the main purpose of serving Him. If you do not fulfill your obligation, you will be
> answerable to Bahá’u’lláh in the next world!” Then, he said goodbye and left my father
> pondering about his next move. No immediate change came out of this potent statement.
> 
> At that period, my father had a severe eye problem, due to glaucoma. He had lost a great
> deal of his eyesight and needed immediate medical treatment in England. The family
> 
> encouraged him that since he had to go abroad, it would be good for him to go on Pilgrimage.
> His request was accepted, and he was set up for his journey. I was aware of the impact of
> the Pilgrimage on the spiritual transformation of the pilgrim. I prayed for my father, and his
> change of heart and wrote a letter to Mr. Faizi, imploring him to talk to my father and help
> him understand the significance of pioneering in my life. I received a letter from him, the day
> that my father left the Holy Land. Mr. Faizi assured me that not only him, but Mr. Furutan,
> and members of the Universal House of Justice; Mr. Nakhjavani, and Mr. Fatheazam, all
> counseled my father and encouraged him to let go of me, and help me achieve my heart's
> desire, which in fact should be the highest aspiration of every Bahá’í youth.
> 
> When my father came back from his journey, in private, he told me how privileged he felt in
> having such special treatment from such esteemed personages. He repeated his promise to
> them that he would let me go as soon as he could convince my mother.
> 
> Unfortunately, my mother was unyielding. This issue was a personal cause for her to prove
> her authority, and it veiled her sense of fairness and justice. As I could not comprehend her
> claim of love and concern for my well-being, I was not able to relate to her in a warm and
> considerate way. I became aloof and quiet and most of the time
> uncommunicative.
> 
> My father could not tolerate my suffering much longer. One night when he came home and
> saw my misery, he pulled me into a corner and told me that he had made up his mind. He
> asked me to pack my bag and to go and live with my brother, who incidentally was married
> to my best friend. He told me to start preparing for my trip to the Philippines and to leave as
> soon as possible. He advised me not to mention my intention to anyone for fear of them
> blocking my departure. He was aware of the consequences of this action and knew that it
> might cost his marriage. But he believed that what I was doing was right, and as a father, he
> was ready to go through this suffering to let me serve God. He said, to just remember him
> while I was doing God's work, and in this way, he might have a chance to do his share by
> helping me. It was an incredibly hard and emotional situation. What he had predicted was
> not half as hard as what happened, but his help also brought about a resounding honor for
> him that he cherished for the rest of his life, among them, fulfilling the pledge that he had
> made in the Holy Land.
> 
> When I left my home, I knew it was a point of no return. I was leaving a part of me behind in
> that house. It was also sad that I could not to share my fears and anxieties with anyone who
> was close to me. My sister in law was aware of my intentions, but my brother never took it
> seriously. I was twenty-two, with an English vocabulary of close to a hundred words. I had
> never handled a significant amount of money or paid for my expenditure. Above all, I had to
> single-handedly deal with the complicated bureaucracy of obtaining a passport, exit visa,
> travel arrangements, purchasing provisions for my trip, and collecting the required
> documentation and medical certificate, for my student visa.
> 
> I was always questioned by the authorities as why I was going to an Island that they could
> not pronounce its name, nor they could locate it on the map. I was aware of the delicacy of
> my response, and that by antagonizing a single public servant I would bid farewell to all my
> 
> plans. So, I was patient and quiet, until the last day that I was to collect my passport. The
> officer told me that his manager wanted to see me. I entered a large room with little
> decoration; there were at least ten men who were sitting around the room, drinking tea.
> There was no chair for me to sit. I felt like being summoned to a Court Hearing. The manager
> who was a middle-aged man stated that my passport was ready, but he wanted to see this
> girl who was going to a God forsaken Island. He asked me why I chose the Philippines
> instead of Europe or the United States. I calmly stated that I had chosen the Philippines as
> a pioneering post to help the Bahá’í community. The humorous tone vanished. I heard a few
> chortles, and a sarcastic remark that; “As if these Bahá’ís have already saved us and now
> moving to other countries to save them.” The supervisor curtly gestured the speaker to be
> silent. I calmly informed him that there were thousands of Bahá’ís in that country and millions
> in other parts of the world. A gasp followed my comment. The director curtly ended the
> conversation and dismissed me. I had a sense of elation that finally, I had become unfettered
> from the chain of oppression; that I could openly express my opinion to whoever asked me
> about my Faith. At the same time, I kept watching my back to see if I was followed.
> 
> I made an appointment with the Director of my master’s degree program to let him know that
> I was leaving the Institute to study in the Philippines and ask him for a letter of
> recommendation. He was quite surprised and asked me for a reason. I told him about my
> pioneering plan. He appreciated my honesty and gave me an excellent letter of
> recommendation.
> 
> One of my last unfinished business was obtaining a letter of recommendation from the
> University. It was a strange feeling to step into the past after being away from my college for
> more than a year. I requested to see Dr. Mahdavi. I entered a classroom where my old
> professor and my beloved Dr. Davoudi, were sitting side by side. They greeted me with
> warmth and listened to my request. Dr. Mahdavi mentioned that he had never written a
> recommendation for any student (or maybe no one dared to ask for one.), and asked me for
> what university in the States I was applying? I told him that I was not planning to go to the
> States, but to the Philippines. His eyes wide opened and said; how on earth I found this
> unknown spot on the globe. I told him that I was going to serve my Faith by helping the
> Bahá’í community in those islands. I noticed a most endearing expression on Dr. Davoudi’s
> face. Dr. Mahdavi was silent, recovering from the shock. He said, do you think that you have
> served your country enough to leave it for a far off island? I smiled and said, there are enough
> scholars in this land to do my share. He paused for a minute and said, I am not in the habit
> of writing these sorts of letters. Therefore, I am going to delegate it to Dr. Davoudi to write it
> for me. Whatever he writes I would approve and sign it. He then wished me luck in my future
> endeavors and asked me to wait outside. I still have that wonderful letter of recommendation,
> which highlighted the qualities of a scholar, rather than an ordinary undergraduate student.
> An affirmation for what my Professor envisioned me to become, rather than my actual
> achievements. This letter was instrumental in opening doors for me in a foreign land when I
> needed it most. Dr. Mahdavi kindly signed the letter, relying on Dr. Davoudi’s judgment and
> his own fairness to me. Then, Dr. Davoudi shook my hand, commending me for my courage
> in revealing my pioneering plan, and bade farewell. I left an era behind me...
> 
> ‘There are certain pillars which have been established as the
> unshakable supports of the Faith of God. The mightiest of these is
> learning and the use of mind, the expansion of consciousness, and
> insight into the realities of the universe and hidden mysteries of Almighty
> God.’
> 
> (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 126)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> In the years preceding the Islamic revolution, Dr. Davoudi had been a member of the
> National Spiritual Assembly of Iran. After the revolution, he was kidnapped and presumed
> martyred. His precious body was never recovered.
> 
> One of the most touching moments of my life was my last session of Mr. Ishragh-Khavari
> class. I was certain that I would not be able to see this old maestro again and my heart was
> aching not to be able to say farewell to him and my classmates who had traveled a long
> journey of learning together for five years. We shared a unique spiritual bonding and
> comradeship, and soon I would be out of this circle forever. Behin and Mehran were the only
> ones who knew what went on in my life, and they were pillars of support and strength for
> me. They were the only ones who saw me off at the airport, representing all the precious
> friends that I left behind. For years, they kept me abreast of what went on in Iran. Both
> become successful pioneers in Africa. Mehran was appointed as an Auxiliary Board in
> Cameroon. Behin is still a faithful Pioneer in Africa.
> 
> In the last week of my stay in Iran, I went to see Dr. Ghadimi in his clinic. I conferred with
> him about my immediate departure and asked for his emotional support. He told me that I
> was a handmaiden of God, and I would be under His Protection. Dr. Ghadimi promised that
> he would help me in any way he could and told me that he would come to the airport to see
> me off. He was not able to do the latter, but he stood by his promise of support in the very
> confusing times that followed my departure. He told me years later, that when my mother
> learned that I had left the country, she sent a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran,
> asking to order me to return to Iran. Dr. Ghadimi, who was a member of the Assembly,
> explained my circumstances. The National Assembly wrote a letter to her that I had
> responded to the call of the Universal House of Justice, and that the beloved Guardian had
> granted an exception to parental permission when it came to pioneering. Therefore, the
> National Spiritual Assembly would be praying for my success and hoping that my mother
> would realize her blessing to be the mother of such a devoted youth.
> 
> The night before my journey was heart wrenching and bittersweet. My brother suddenly
> realized that I had meant what I said, and it dawned on him that I was really leaving the next
> day. He told me to go home for a visit and say goodbye to my parents, without divulging the
> exact day of my departure. When we called on my mother, we were amidst a confusing
> situation. My hosts from Mazandaran had paid a special visit to my parents a few days
> before, asking for my hand in marriage to their eldest son. My mother thought that it was the
> best opportunity for me to go Homefront pioneering by marrying me off to this precious
> family. The arrangement was made for all of us to visit them in Mazandaran, and the entire
> 
> families had made preparation for this visit. My heart was bleeding from their disappointment,
> but I could not tell them that I was about to leave that week. My mother was under the
> impression that I was calling on her to mend the past and to negotiate to come home and
> get ready for the trip. So, she did not take me or my brothers' words seriously. I left the house
> without her blessing or letting me kiss her goodbye. My father accompanied me to the door.
> We had seen each other frequently for travel arrangements. That night he kissed me
> goodbye for the last time and gave his blessing. We knew that he would not be able to come
> to the Airport because of my mother, so, in the dark of night, I bid farewell to him and to a
> home that I would never see again.
> 
> The day that I left Iran was a beautiful and sunny day in Spring. Mount Damavand was
> majestically dominating the blue skies. The spirit of Ridvan was in the air. My brother took
> me to the airport, said goodbye and left. I saw my two close friends, Behin and Mehran,
> waiting for me at the departure gate. I decided to call my sister and say farewell. We usually
> were very close to each other, but I did not want to put her in a predicament. She was still in
> bed, she was taken by surprise and told me that she was on her way to the airport and hung
> up. I was past customs when she arrived. She looked disheveled and hurt. I noticed that she
> was alone, so, I got out of the enclosure for a minute to embrace her and receive the gifts
> that she had picked up in a hurry from her little treasure box. I walked to the plane, found my
> seat, and sat down with a potpourri of emotions. I was free at last, weightless, with nothing
> to hold me back. I also felt uprooted and exposed. I was alone, facing an unknown world.
> When the plane was taking off, I prayed for His guidance and confirmations. I also fervently
> supplicated for what the beloved Guardian commanded all the pioneers; to destroy all the
> bridges behind them and stop any thoughts of return.
> 
> This was the most potent pact I made with my God. In the years to come, anytime I wavered
> and changed my mind about returning to Iran, He ordained for me the most powerful tests
> and difficulties. To remind me of the pledge that I made with Him in that memorable and
> exhilarating morning, when at the age of twenty-two, I destroyed all the bridges behind me.
> 
> ‘Never lose thy trust in God. Be thou ever hopeful, for the bounties of God never
> cease to flow upon man. If viewed from one perspective they seem to decrease, but
> from another, they are full and complete. Man is under all conditions immersed in a
> sea of God's blessings. Therefore, be thou not hopeless under any circumstances,
> but rather be firm in thy hope.’
> 
> (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 205)
> 
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> CHAPTER 2
> 
> THE PHILIPPINES
> 
> 1968 - 1971
> 
> JOURNEY TO INDIA
> 
> In 1968, the Philippines did not have a diplomatic relationship with Iran. The closest
> Embassy was in New Delhi. Therefore, in order to obtain my student visa, I had to go to
> India. I contacted the National Spiritual Assembly of India and was granted permission to
> stay at the New Delhi Bahá’í Center. I did not know anyone in India, but my previous trip
> helped me feel confident that I could make it. When I arrived at the New Delhi airport, I took
> a shuttle bus to the Bahá’í Center. My English was limited, but I overheard a group of
> passengers talking about the Universal House of Justice and the Holy Land. I asked if they
> were Bahá’ís. They smiled and told me that they were members of the National Spiritual
> Assembly, returning from the International Convention at the World Center. One of them
> was Shirin Boman who knew Farsi. So, I was able to a have a conversation with her about
> my trip. She expressed concern for me as a young woman, staying at the Bahá’í Center,
> which was a mansion surrounded by a massive garden. There was only a male caretaker
> living in the building. So, she talked to Mr. Shah, the Secretary of the Assembly, and asked
> him to look after me.
> 
> Mr. Shah’s office was at the Bahá’í Center. He made sure I was safe and asked some of
> the Bahá’í ladies to visit me. He also asked Sidd, a Bahá’í young man, to accompany me
> to my appointments at the Embassy.
> 
> When I met with the Consul, he was concerned that my English would not meet the
> standard of the elite University of the Philippines, Diliman. He informed me that he would
> communicate his concerns with the authorities in Manila and let me know of the result in a
> few weeks. I was devastated by the possibility of having to return to Iran. So, I kept praying,
> beseeching God for a miracle.
> 
> I spent the next two weeks in prayer, practicing my English, and visiting Sidd’s family. I
> also had quality time with Dr. Mounji, one of the learned Bahá’í teachers in India. He was
> usually in the Center’s extensive library, which gave me a chance to have deepening
> sessions with him in English. Years later, his daughter, Dr. Ross, became a good friend of
> mine in Kenya.
> 
> I also had a bit of mishap in my first week at the Center! I found out that the Bahá’í Center
> did not have a water heater. So, I thought it would be better to take a shower in the
> afternoon when water was getting warm. However, when I tried to rinse the shampoo out
> of my hair, the water turned into scalding hot. I had no choice but to get out of the shower
> and use the little water in the bucket to rinse off. That evening, when I talked to a lady about
> my ordeal, she laughed and said that the water tank was on the rooftop and the tropical
> 
> sun made it boil by noontime. Therefore, she advised me to always shower in the morning
> when the water was still cool.
> 
> The appointed time came to meet with the Consul. He told me that the authorities talked to
> my guardian in the Philippines, and they were assured that I would be enrolling in an
> English class first, before taking courses for my master’s degree program. He handed me
> my visa and wished me luck! I was grateful for this miracle, and the guardian angel who
> made it happen.
> 
> ‘Know ye that the world is even as a mirage rising over the sands, that the thirsty
> mistaketh for water.
> 
> ...Abandon it to those who belong to it, and turn your faces unto the Kingdom of your
> Lord the All-Merciful, that His grace and bounty may cast their dawning splendours
> over you, and a heavenly table may be sent down for you, and your Lord may bless
> you, and shower His riches upon you to gladden your bosoms and fill your hearts
> with bliss, to attract your minds, and cleanse your souls, and console your eyes.
> 
> O ye loved ones of God! Is there any giver save God?
> 
> ...Your Lord is verily the Compassionate, the Merciful.
> 
> He will come to your aid with invisible hosts, and support you with armies of
> inspiration from the Concourse above; He will send unto you sweet perfumes from
> the highest Paradise, and waft over you the pure breathings that blow from the rose
> gardens of the Company on high.’
> 
> (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 186)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> JOURNEY TO THE PHILLIPPINES
> 
> When I boarded the plane at the New Delhi airport, I felt my dreams were coming to fruition.
> I pledged to attain the station of martyrdom that the Beloved Guardian, bestowed upon
> pioneers in the Formative Age.
> 
> My knowledge of the Philippines was minuscule. I knew that my new home was in the Far
> East, somewhere near Japan. I was attracted to the Japanese culture and people, mainly
> because of the movies that I had seen. I have never seen a movie that featured the
> Philippines. In 1968, there were no economic or cultural ties between the Philippines and
> Iran. In fact, no one in my country could locate the Philippines on a map. I was a fledgling
> bird, flying from her sheltered and overly protected nest, towards a vast, exciting, and
> unknown world. When Dr. Muhajir talked to me about the Philippines, I asked him to
> describe this country to me. He replied that it was beautiful and verdant, with mild
> temperature, and educated, friendly people. I wholeheartedly accepted his description of
> my future home country.
> 
> The plane had a stopover in Hong Kong and landed late at night. The passengers departed
> to enjoy the haven of duty-free shopping and good food. My knowledge of this island was
> from watching the TV series; "Hong Kong." It featured Bill Cosby and his partner, fighting
> off criminals in every episode. I was scared witless to get off the plane. So, I remained
> seated on the plane, while the cleaning crew working around me. In the next few years, I
> developed a close friendship with a student from Hong Kong. I then, realized how much I
> misjudged the Chinese. I could not wait to revisit Hong Kong, and later, I did.
> 
> I arrived at the Manila International Airport late at night. I smelled the warm, humid and
> unfamiliar tropical air. When I stepped out of the plane, I was welcomed by a tropical
> cockroach. Since childhood, I had a phobia of roaches and spiders. This tropical cockroach
> was a flying and fast-moving monster, compared to the smaller, slow-moving ones at home.
> I watched this creature with apprehension; not knowing that its mates would be my constant
> companions for the years to come.
> 
> I gathered my courage and walked toward the terminal. Before leaving India, I had sent a
> telegram to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Philippines, informing them of my arrival.
> However, I was not sure if someone would meet me at the airport. I was hoping to see Mrs.
> Iran Muhajir. When I approached the gate of the terminal, I heard from above, the shouts
> of Allah’u' Abha. It was an electrifying experience because, in my country, we could only
> whisper this greeting in public. I looked up and saw a group of smiling Bahá’ís , waving at
> me from the balcony. I waved back and with enormous relief shouted back Allah’u’Abha.
> 
> At the airport, I handed my passport and travel documents to the immigration officers. While
> reviewing my papers they started asking me questions, but I could not understand what
> they were saying. Their melodious Filipino accent, in addition to my limited English,
> hindered our communication. I felt dumb, and I knew it was showing. The only thing I could
> do was to smile and nod. I was saved by the arrival of the Bahá’í friends who noticed my
> language problem and helped with my immigration process. When I was taken to a
> 
> chauffeur-driven Mercedes Benz, I realized that I had not collected my passport from the
> immigration officer. I kept saying, “my passport, my passport,” but no one understood what
> I was trying to say. I finally gave up and left everything to Bahá’u’lláh and the honesty of
> the Filipino authorities. I retrieved my passport a few days later, from a bewildered Officer,
> who admonished me to never leave my passport with strangers.
> 
> We arrived at a grand, seaside bungalow. An elegant elderly lady welcomed me. She was
> wearing a traditional Filipino costume, resembling a delicate butterfly. Despite her age, she
> had jet-black hair, fashioned after a Flamenco dancer. She was holding a large, hand-rolled
> cigar between her teeth. She had a strong voice, and her manner was regal. Everybody
> addressed her as "Momsu." Later, I learned that it meant “Dear Lady,” which was more of
> a traditional title of respect, than a term of endearment.
> 
> My host was Mrs. Louisa Gomez, the first Bahá’í in Manila. Momsu was the matriarch of
> one of the oldest and most influential families in the Philippines. The Gomez family were
> the Sugar Barons of the island of Negros Occidental. One of her sons was the Governor of
> Negros, and the other was the inventor and owner of the well known Manila paper factory.
> Neva Dulay, her daughter, was the owner of a sugar plantation, and a member of the
> National Spiritual Assembly.
> 
> Momsu had an affection for the Muhajirs. She considered Dr. Muhajir as her Iranian son in
> law. Her love for her adopted Iranian couple was the reason that she sponsored Iranian
> pioneers to study in the Philippines. As an Alumnus of the University of the Philippines,
> Diliman, she was instrumental in granting my student visa, and my admission to the UP
> Diliman. She took her role as my guardian seriously, and as her ward, I had a special place
> in her heart. In return, my love and respect for Momsu have never ceased.
> 
> She took me to a well-furnished guest room, which was usually reserved for Dr. Muhajir.
> When I was alone, deep in my heart, I knew that I was in a safe haven. I did an unexpected
> act. I knelt and kissed the ground of my pioneering post.
> 
> The Philippines at a Glance
> 
> My new home country was a fascinating place. Momsu told me, on different occasions; that
> Filipinos were the only Christian nation in the Far East, and mostly Catholic. The only
> exception was the citizens of Mindanao, who believed in a unique version of Islam. That
> the Philippines was the only country in Asia, which was matriarchal, by its culture and
> tradition.
> 
> The Filipinos had been consistently dominated by different nations, such as Spaniards,
> Japanese, and Americans. Nevertheless, they learned to keep their loyalty as a nation.
> Their national hero, Jose Rizal, was a freedom fighter, poet, and scholar. He was revered
> by a devoted group of intellectuals, who spearheaded the liberal movement in the political
> arena of the country. This was a nation, striving for the independence and national identity.
> I entered a period of political awakening among the Filipino youth and intellectuals and
> experienced the 1960’s social unrest in the Philippines.
> 
> In my conversation with the early Bahá’ís in the Philippines, I learned that the inception of
> the Faith occurred, in 1937, when Loulie Mathews’ boat docked for a few hours, in Manila.
> She left a few Bahá’í pamphlets in a college library before her departure. The first Filipino
> Bahá’í, Felix Maddela, embraced the Faith after reading these pamphlets and
> corresponded with the Publishing Trust of the United States. He was so consumed with the
> fire of love for this new Faith that he decided to become a Bahá’í. He wrote a letter to the
> Publishing Trust, announcing his Declaration to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. In the following
> years, quite a few Bahá’í teachers visited him. By that time, he taught his family to become
> Bahá’ís and offered his property as the Bahá’í Center. Hand of the Cause Ms. Alexander
> was among those who visited and inspired the Filipino Bahá’ís.
> 
> Mass teaching in the Philippines
> 
> Dr. Muhajir visited the Philippines and found fertile soil ready for spiritual harvest. He
> launched his first mass teaching plan in the Philippines. I met two of his early teaching
> companions; Jack Davis, an American pioneer, and Mr. Anunsacion, an older Filipino
> teacher, whom Dr. Muhajir, affectionately called “Tatang," (father).
> 
> Dr. Muhajir used a simple and effective method for teaching the Faith. He believed in total
> detachment from worldly things and complete trust in God. The teaching teams started
> their trips by first praying, then walking to the most remote villages in the region. They were
> in search of the pure-hearted souls, who were fresh and still untouched by the outside
> world. Dr. Muhajir believed that we should teach the Faith by following the example of
> Abdu'l-Baha, as demonstrated in the “Paris Talks.” He encouraged to apply the analogies
> of the Master when teaching the tenets of the Faith. This loving and straightforward
> approach not only attracted people in villages and tribes, but also highly educated and
> prominent individuals.
> 
> When the Teaching Team entered a village, they found a space to gather the villagers and
> took the following steps:
> 
> •   Teachers used their own personal scrapbook to introduce the Bahá’í Faith. While
> showing each page, they explained the Bahá’í Teachings: the12 Spiritual Principles,
> Progressive Revelation, the Message of Bahá’u’lláh and the Covenant.
> 
> •   The next step was clarifying and responding to the participants’ questions.
> 
> •   In conclusion, they showed pictures of different Bahá’í communities, including the
> Philippines, handed each seeker a Declaration card, and invited them to join the Bahá’í
> Faith.
> 
> •   The final step was deepening the new Bahá’ís on the Central Figures of the Faith, Living
> the Bahá’í life, Obedience to the Covenant, the basic Bahá’í Laws, and Bahá’í
> Administration.
> 
> •   Teachers then gave the new believers literature in their language, identified the key
> individuals who could carry on with the teaching, deepening and administrative tasks.
> 
> Then, it was time for the teaching team to move on to a new location. In less than a decade
> the Philippines had thirty thousand Bahá’ís.
> 
> Dr. Arbab, who accompanied Dr. Muhajir during his teaching trips in South America,
> developed the booklet of “Anna's Presentation” based on Dr. Muhajir’s teaching method
> and scrapbook. It is a component of the Ruhi Book 6 and is used as a presentation tool for
> direct teaching.
> 
> Bahá’ís in the Philippines
> 
> A fascinating quality of the Filipino Bahá’ís was their detachment, sense of obedience, and
> sacrifice, in matters relating to their Faith. A significant number of the new Bahá’ís had left
> their homes to become travel teachers. In every village, one could find a Bahá’í who would
> leave everything behind, to help with the teaching work. In my years in pioneering posts, I
> have never seen this widespread intensity anywhere else.
> 
> An example of this devotion was Dr. Vincente Samaniego. Vic was a young professor at
> the University of the Philippines, Los Banos Campus - this agricultural college later became
> the nucleus for the Bahá’í teaching in the Central Luzon.
> 
> Vic once told me that when he first heard the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, he became so
> enamored with the Holy Writings that he devoted all his time to reading and reciting the
> Holy verses. He was unable to rest, eat or sleep. Vic continued with a twinkle in his eyes,
> to say that he swiftly journeyed through the “Seven Valleys,” and seemed to be intoxicated
> without touching a drink! He felt compelled to give this life-saving message to anyone who
> had crossed his path. So much so, that his family and friends thought he had lost his mind.
> He was lucky that his wife Fe had the same devotion and love for their new Faith. Vic left
> his job and became a full-time Bahá’í teacher. Dr. Muhajir had a great affection for Vic. He
> used to say that Vic's breath would turn iron into the red hot fire; because anyone who
> heard Vic, could not help but become a Bahá’í.
> 
> Vic had an innate capacity to motivate people. He became my confidant and mentor in the
> Philippines. In my many lonely and bewildering hours, when I doubted my ability to go on,
> he was there for me and for many others. He always had a warm and friendly smile to
> comfort and soothe troubled souls. Vic never judged others or argued with anyone. He was
> a good listener, showing his undivided attention. During the consultation, Vic always replied
> by saying; you are right but, how about looking at it in this way; then, he offered his point
> of view as an option to consider. I never saw him angry or ill-tempered. With this quality,
> Vic was the trusted friend of anyone who needed his help.
> 
> Vic and his wife Fe were among the friends who welcomed me at the airport. He was an
> Auxiliary Board member for protection, and she was the Secretary of the National Spiritual
> Assembly. They lived in a house across from the National Bahá’í Center. Their life was
> simple and detached. It was centered around taking care of the affairs of this vast,
> scattered, dynamic and ever-changing Bahá’í community of the Philippines. Later, Vic
> became a member of the Continental Board of Counselors. He passed away recently,
> joining his beloved Dr. Muhajir!
> 
> Bahá’í Pioneers
> 
> The Bahá’í pioneers, besides the Muhajir family, were mostly Americans. I met Jack Davis
> and his wife Tyson Clark soon after my arrival. The couple lived in the guest house cottage
> of Momsu and were expecting their first baby. Toni Mantel was a young American who was
> an Auxiliary Board member for propagation. She was stationed in Mindanao and could
> speak Tagalog and Cebuano dialect. Both these ladies and Jack were a dynamic trio who
> kept the mass teaching going. Toni was a symbol of selfless sacrifice and detachment. She
> was wholly absorbed in the Filipino culture. She spent her life living and traveling in the
> remote villages of the Philippines. At the age of 23, she had the maturity and experience
> of a much older person.
> 
> When I arrived at Momus’s house, Toni was visiting the Davis's. I met the three, the next
> day, during breakfast. Toni told me years later that in those early days she was trying to
> have a conversation with me, but I did not respond and just kept smiling. So, she thought I
> was a bit dumb. Not knowing that since I did not understand what she was saying, I masked
> my anxiety and lack of comprehension with a smile. A trend which was common among all
> the Iranian students who came after me. We tried to show that we were polite and friendly,
> but we gave a wrong impression that we were a bunch of happy go lucky airheads.
> 
> I never had a chance to see Mrs. Muhajir in the Philippines, as the family had just left for
> India. Although their home was still in Manila, Mrs. Muhajir never returned. They decided
> to settle in India.
> 
> A few years earlier than my arrival, Mahshid Iqani, a sixteen-year-old Iranian, pioneered to
> the Philippines. She enrolled in the U.P. Los Banos. She spent most of her time in the
> villages, teaching the Faith. The Muhajirs and Mahshid were the only Iranians in the
> Philippines. In 1967, the Universal House of Justice launched the Student Pioneer Plan. It
> encouraged Bahá’í students to choose a college in countries like India and the Philippines
> to study. Dr. Muhajir greatly supported this plan. He believed that student pioneers could
> teach future leaders of those countries. A golden opportunity that should be planned, and
> executed, with care, and tact. I was the first student who came under this plan. Thanks to
> Mrs. Muhajir and Momsu, I was admitted to Diliman, the most prestigious U.P., with alumni
> such as president Marcos and most of his Cabinet. It put me in a bind, as everyone had
> high expectations of me.
> 
> Picture: At the first Bahai Center 1966 - Pol Antipolo, first
> pioneer to Laos, Momsu, Belen Panis, and Toni Mantel.
> 
> THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, DILIMON
> 
> A few days later, Momsu’s driver, took me to U.P., Diliman, in Quezon City. This campus
> is in the hillside suburbs of Quezon City, which is the capital of the Philippines. Diliman
> campus is a university town, nestled in a vast rainforest. One could live on the campus for
> weeks without needing to leave. In contrast with the modern University of Tehran, this
> campus was old and built in a natural setting. Classrooms resembled schools in the rural
> areas of Iran. It took me time to relate to the informal interaction between professors and
> students. There was no reverence to the rank of the professors and their status.
> 
> I fell in love with magnificent tropical trees. Their flowers adorned with such colors and
> shapes that I had never seen before. Cotton trees were plentiful, and when the pods
> opened, the silky cotton was carried away by the breeze, resembling snowflakes falling on
> Diliman. I loved the noisy, colorful birds which flew into my classroom, hopping around and
> pecking on my desks. There were times, in those early days, when I silently communicated
> with the birds, telling them that I was sure they could understand the lectures more than I
> did.
> 
> I never got used to the tropical humidity and the heat. Years later when people asked me
> about the weather, I used to say earnestly, that there were two seasons in the Philippines;
> one was the rainy season which was hot, the other was the dry season which was very hot.
> When I was in Iran, I asked Dr. Muhajir, how was the weather in the Philippines? He
> responded that it was always mild. Once in the Philippines, I reminded Dr. Muhajir of his
> remark. He laughed and said, if he would truly have told me about the weather, I would
> have never come! However, he was sure that after getting there; I would stay no matter
> what. As usual, he was right.
> 
> Upon my arrival, I was enrolled for a few Summer courses and was housed in a dormitory.
> Then, I was left to fend for myself, with no mentor, friend, or advisor. My major problem
> was communication. I felt like a hearing-impaired person in an unfamiliar environment. I
> shared a room with three other girls. There were a bunk bed and a student desk for each
> of us. No fan or air conditioning, no refrigerator or water cooler. The dorm provided us with
> three basic meals. I put a picture of Abdu’l-Baha on my desk, set up my mosquito net, and
> settled down. There was no T.V. or radio in the dorm. Most of the entertainment was talking
> with the other girls. I was the only non-Filipino in the dorm. So, I was the center of attraction.
> I should say with all honesty that I never felt alone in that dorm. These girls were loving,
> gentle, and compassionate. They told me later that they could not understand anything that
> I was telling them. However, they showed such interest and friendliness, that I was
> encouraged to keep talking until they could make sense of what I was trying to say to them.
> My dormmates adopted me as their friend and took care of me. One amusing pastime of
> mine was to sit by the screen window, observing an army of mosquitoes that had found an
> opening to enter the room. They formed a line and patiently waited for their turn to pass
> through the hole. I was impressed by their perseverance and determination to accomplish
> their task. This observation helped me to overcome one of the greatest tests that I have
> encountered, in the months ahead.
> 
> Student Pioneers
> 
> I was in U.P. for a month when I was told that I had a visitor. I went down and saw a
> vivacious young girl, with the most contagious laughter. It was Mahshid. At first, she could
> not put her Persian words in order. Because she had not spoken it for more than a year.
> Mahshid was the most down to earth, detached, and exuberant girl that I have ever met.
> She was genuinely in love with pioneering and teaching. She never thought twice about
> leaving everything at hand and going to the villages at the drop of a hat. She was in love
> with Filipinos and learned Tagalog as much as English. She dressed, ate, and lived like
> Filipinos and enjoyed every minute of it. She accepted lack of amenities and hardship as a
> fact of life and set her mind to handle it. Mahshid told me that once, she went travel teaching
> to a remote area and lived with a family who could only afford rice and tomatoes. She was
> on this diet for months, and genuinely loved it and could not have had enough of it when
> she came back. This was amusing as Mahshid truly relished good food and preferred it to
> any other material pleasure.
> 
> Mahshid became my mentor. She transformed me from the lifestyle of which I was
> accustomed, to this new and exciting way of life. In turn, I became a mentor to Jila
> Samadani, who came one year later, and Jila became the mentor of the next student, and
> the process continued for years to come. The strong networking and support system of the
> student pioneers was the backbone of the success of this project. The majority of student
> pioneers were between the ages of 17 to 23. None of us had any prior pioneering
> experience, and most had never left our families before. The first group established a sense
> of loyalty and obedience to the Bahá’í institutions. Although all of us were self-supporting,
> we accepted the recommendation of the National Assembly regarding our placement. In
> the year span of 1968 to 1972, there were fifty students pioneers in the Philippines. All of
> them were scattered around 70 universities on different islands. Mostly alone, some as a
> pair. Some of these locations did not have a Bahá’í community. Therefore, most of these
> students were on their own, with very little knowledge of the language or culture of their
> new homes. I always believed that the power of God and love for Bahá’u’lláh was the
> miracle that kept most of us safe and sheltered. The sense of comradeship was solid. We
> helped each other financially when our allowances were late. We gave a crash course of
> culture and essential survival skills to the newcomers. We acted as educational advisors,
> counselors, a friend in need, and source of support for each other. During my stay in the
> Philippines, most of us would see each other during conferences or visits of Dr. Muhajir
> and other dignitaries. When we gathered, we formed an active support group. We shared
> intimate joys and pains, laughed at our goof-offs, and rejoiced at our victories.
> 
> The source of energy and guidance among us was Dr. Muhajir. He was well aware of the
> conditions of the students on the Islands. So, he always insisted on seeing us all when he
> came to Manila. He wanted to give us a chance to be a group of joyful youths. So, he would
> treat us to lunch in one of the best restaurants in Manila. Then we went to Luneta Park by
> Manila Bay for a leisurely stroll, watching the dancing fountains or enjoying a free concert
> at the Bowl. During this time, he listened to our stories, jokes, and concerns. Motivating,
> encouraging, and guiding us to the right path, giving the option to choose what we felt was
> right for us. Many had such an intense devotion to this beloved Hand of the Cause that we
> 
> would gladly sacrifice whatever we had, to carry out his wishes. Since we believed that he
> would do the same for our Beloved Cause. In each visit, Dr. Muhajir lifted our spirit and
> boosted our courage to scatter and fill the teaching goals. This youthful and small army of
> Bahá’u’lláh, opened new territories and helped in the consolidation of many mass teaching
> regions. They helped with the election of the Local Spiritual Assemblies when most were
> too young to be eligible for membership themselves.
> 
> The commander of this army was Dr. Muhajir. In each visit, he called members of the
> Institutions, pioneers and active believers to meet for an intensive teaching conference. He
> helped to develop plans, set deadlines, and assigned tasks for each team to carry out.
> Then, Dr. Muhajir would leave and let the National Assembly and its Teaching Committee
> take care of the details. After a day of hard work in these institutes; Dr. Muhajir used to tell
> me that he had never considered himself as a Bahá’í scholar like Mr. Faizi, or a motivational
> speaker like Mr. Furutan. He believed his strength was in having a vision, developing plans
> to achieve objectives, and inspire the souls who would carry forward ever advancing
> victories for Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir always told me that he would have loved to be one of those soldiers in the
> forefront, but due to his ever-increasing responsibilities as a Hand, he could not be one.
> Therefore, he was satisfied to plant the seeds and mobilize friends to bring them to fruition.
> 
> I had the privilege and responsibility to look after the new arrivals. As I was the first one
> who lived in the Capital city, close to Manila and the National Bahá’í Center. I was also
> appointed to the National Teaching Committee and gave my input regarding students’
> placement and their safety. Throughout my stay in the Philippines, I took this
> responsibility very seriously.
> 
> Despite the hard work and difficulties that the students faced, when we came together, we
> were known for our joy and laughter. Bahá’í friends always wondered what made us laugh
> for hours. It was our sense of humor that kept us going. We joked about riding rural buses
> which were open on both sides, and how we shared our seats with chickens and piglets.
> We laughed about mosquitoes that were so persistent that they would drill through layers
> of clothing into our skins. We told stories about dreaming of snow and ice cream when the
> temperature was way over ninety degrees with no fans or air conditioning. We recalled
> difficult times when we could not understand a word of English while talking to Immigration
> personnel, but kept smiling and nodding to the Officer, so that we could obtain our visa.
> We were light-hearted about every obstacle. I guess it was the miracle of youth, and our
> total trust in God, believing that everything would be all right, and if not; “it too shall pass.”
> This humor turned into serious concern, when any of us was sick, injured, or faced a difficult
> situation. At that time, we were there to help each other, as we were genuinely kindred in
> spirit.
> 
> The inception of this kinship germinated the day that I came face to face with Mahshid. We
> spent the day together and left for one of the first Bahá’í Summer Schools in the Philippines.
> It was held in Baggio City, known as the summer capital of the Philippines. The town is
> nestled in a mountainous area, close to the Rice Terraces, which are considered the eighth
> 
> wonder of the world. The regions’ moderate climate is coolest in the Philippines. Mahshid
> lived in this city. During my short visit, I enjoyed meeting with the Bahá’í participants from
> different communities.
> 
> My First Teaching Trip
> 
> We also visited the Clark Air Force Base, which was the largest American Base outside the
> U.S. We were the guests of the only American Bahá’í family at the base. Firesides were
> held every night in their home, and there was a stream of seekers who came to hear about
> the Faith. I met a G.I., who had just become a Bahá’í and was on fire with his enthusiasm.
> This was the heaven that I had envisioned. So, I wanted this way of life to last forever, to
> go to the villages and spread the Faith and sacrifice my life for my Beloved Cause. I could
> not understand why after all the struggle to come pioneering, I should live on campus and
> have a normal life as a student. Therefore, when I returned to my dormitory, I prayed day
> and night:
> 
> ‘Thou knowest, O God, and art my witness that I have no desire in my heart save to
> attain Thy good pleasure, to be confirmed in servitude unto Thee, to consecrate
> myself in Thy service, to labor in Thy great vineyard and to sacrifice all in Thy
> path. Thou art the All-Knowing and the All-Seeing. I have no wish save to turn my
> steps, in my love for Thee, towards the mountains and the deserts to loudly proclaim
> the advent of Thy Kingdom, and to raise Thy call amidst all men. O, God! Open
> Thou the way for this helpless one, grant Thou the remedy to this ailing one and
> bestow Thy healing upon this afflicted one. With burning heart and tearful eyes, I
> supplicate Thee at Thy Threshold.
> 
> O, God! I am prepared to endure any ordeal in Thy path and desire with all my heart
> and soul to meet any hardship.
> 
> O God! Protect me from tests. Thou knowest full well that I have turned away from
> all things and freed myself of all thoughts. I have no occupation save mention of
> Thee and no aspiration save serving Thee.’
> 
> ~~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> www.bahaiprayers.org/teaching9.htm
> 
> I could not wait for Dr. Muhajir to come to Manila and help me to overcome this obstacle,
> but Dr. Muhajir was not there. So, I consulted with Vic and tried to express myself in broken
> English. Dear sweet Vic understood the language of my heart, despite the lack of adequate
> words to describe my thoughts. Vic recommended a plan of action. He told me to drop my
> classes, leave my belongings at his house, and join a teaching team which was going to a
> virgin territory in the Mountain Province. The people of the mountains, known as the Igorot
> tribes, were untouched by the outside world. The rugged mountains had isolated them from
> the rest of the population. I even heard from some people that the Kalinga tribesmen were
> headhunters, and I should not venture to their land. I learned later that it was just a myth
> and had no factual basis.
> 
> Vic asked me to report to Mr. Dominador Anunsacion, who was one of the original team
> members of Dr. Muhajir. Everyone addressed him as “Tatang” (Father in Tagalog). In my
> initial training to become a mass teaching travel teacher, I was directed by Vic, to "Obey
> Tatang in every way." I was so excited about this venture that in one week I put my affairs
> in order and joined Mr. Anunsacion and his team. My buddy was Carol Baris, the only other
> girl in the team. She was a Filipina, almost my age, but a seasoned travel teacher. Carol
> became my mentor and my link to survival. We set up for a few weeks trip on foot, covering
> 45 Kilometers of rugged terrain. We usually climbed the misty mountains early in the
> mornings when it was cool. The first day, after walking for a while, so much mud had stuck
> to my shoes that the weight made it impossible to walk. So, Carol advised me to switch to
> flip-flops; the problem was solved. Our rest stops were mainly to clean the flip-flops. Each
> of us carried a light bedspread, a few pieces of clothing and items for personal hygiene.
> Tatang was like a general, unyielding to the inefficiencies of the rookies like me. We usually
> stopped each day late in the afternoon, soon after we spotted a bamboo house, one of the
> many, which were scattered here and there on the mountain range. These homes were
> built high above the ground. From the gap between the bamboo slats, one could see the
> ground below and the outside surroundings. They had no entry doors or windows;
> therefore, they were exposed to the external elements. The food was scarce; mainly tea,
> corn, or rice, cooked with some wild vegetable. The Kalinga’s were scantily dressed, in
> their colorful loincloths and skirts. They reminded me of the Amazon Indians. They were
> sweet, gentle, and hospitable, who invariably fed us and offered their houses to sleep in.
> My job was mainly to attract them to attend the firesides. Mr. Anunsacion opened the
> meetings by telling them that this lady had come from a distant land to bring an important
> message. I gathered that I was the first outsider who had ever visited these gentle people.
> They came in small groups, as the area was not densely populated. I had painstakingly
> memorized a Bahá’í pamphlet in English. It explained the teaching of the Faith and the
> station of the manifestations of God. As they listened to me without understanding, I
> gradually gained confidence in my English delivery. After my short introduction, the rest of
> the group translated my talk, answered questions and had a follow-up discussion. Usually,
> the fireside went well into the night. After my ten minutes’ talk, I sat for hours smiling and
> gently showing my interest in the conversation which I did not understand. Usually, the
> majority of our audience became Bahá’í. When it was time to sleep, we went to these wind-
> swept shelters and laid down on a handmade straw mat. We had no pillows, and our cover
> was the thin bedspread that we had carried with us. Most of the nights I was too cold to
> sleep and too tired to stay awake. So, I drifted in and out of a dreamlike state till morning.
> At the end of the teaching campaign, 44 members of the Igorot tribes embraced the Faith
> of Bahá’u’lláh. I shared with them the most primitive way of life and captured the spirit of
> mass teaching. However, I came to the realization that I could do this for short intervals
> between my normal day to day life. I think Vic had the same notion when he set me off on
> this trip. When I went back to Manila, I found out that I made history, not only because I
> was a member of the team who had opened the territory of Mountain Province, but because
> there were a few telegrams from the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, and the Universal
> House of Justice, urging me to go back to the U.P. and continue my studies. I had no choice
> but to obey.
> 
> From left: Fe Sameniego, Naomi Geollegue, Shahla Behroozi, Carol Baris
> 
> Being a Student Pioneer
> 
> When I returned to U.P., I decided to make changes and gain control of my life. First and
> foremost was my accommodations. I chose to move to the International Center - IC. It was
> an endowment of the Rockefeller Foundation, which served a cultural center and dorm for
> the international, as well as affluent Filipino students. The IC was a modern building
> composed of two wings, one for the women’s dormitory and the other for men. Both sides
> were connected by a joint Recreation Center. I shared a room with two Filipino students.
> As we had our own kitchen, we could cook what we wanted, instead of going to a cafeteria.
> There was no curfew, and as long as we followed the rules, we could come and go as we
> pleased. So, I could attend the Bahá’í activities in Manilla. The community center held a
> series of social and cultural events which helped the residents to feel at home and share
> their culture with each other. Later, other student pioneers resided at this Center, making
> it a home away from home, and a venue for Bahá’í activities. It brought the true meaning
> of the International Center to the IC.
> 
> I learned to live a multifaceted life as a student pioneer. One aspect was living a modern
> life at the IC while teaching the Faith to the students who would one day become leaders
> in their countries. The other was spending all my holidays and semester breaks in remote
> villages where life was simple, and modern amenities were scarce. I felt happy and content
> in both environments.
> 
> I had my heart set to continue my dream of becoming a Psychologist. I was directed by my
> University advisor to take a few prerequisite courses in Sociology, Economics, and English
> Literature. I enrolled in these courses, purchased the textbooks and attended all my
> classes. I put my heart and soul into my studies but could hardly understand the lectures.
> When I took notes, since I did not have the correct spelling, I could not read my own
> handwriting later. During the mid-term test, I locked myself in my room with a dictionary
> and studied for three days. I was supposed to review six chapters of my Sociology book
> but could only read 16 out of 500 pages. I had never felt so inept in my entire life. I was
> ashamed of my inability to study in English and believed that I was doomed. Early Monday
> morning, I left my dorm in a state of hopelessness. Instead of going to my class, I walked
> among the woods, in order “To lose my mind and find my soul.” I did not want to take the
> test which I would have failed miserably. My self-esteem was so low that I could not imagine
> I was the same person who left Iran a few months ago. I was communing with Abdu'l-Baha
> and asking for a sign to show me the way to salvation. Then, I remembered the army of
> mosquitos who were streaming to come through a hole in the window screen of my former
> dormitory. They just carried on the task the best they could. The little hole was a path to
> their survival. Therefore, they kept pushing forward, marching on and on till they
> succeeded. I decided to spare myself the agony of defeat and go back to my dormitory.
> 
> A few days later, I was in my room at the Center when I was told that I had a visitor. It was
> Dr. Iraj Ayman. I had heard of him in Iran and knew that he was the founder of the
> Psychological Research Institute of Iran. Vic told me that Dr. Ayman was the United Nations
> Consultant to the University of the Philippines. I was amazed at his prestige in U.P. Now, I
> was meeting a man who was my professional role model. Dr. Ayman was a real gentleman,
> 
> with the aura of an Iranian University Professor. I was awed by his presence. He stated
> that he heard about an Iranian student pioneer in U.P. So, he came to find out what on
> earth I was doing in this corner of the world. I was overwhelmed by the kindness and lack
> of pretense of this distinguished personage. I felt warmth in my heart that he had taken
> time to come to my dormitory and reach out to touch the heart of a youth in a foreign land.
> He was the answer to my prayers. I told him about my difficulties. He inquired about my
> future plans. I replied that I wanted to be a pioneer for the rest of my life. He advised me to
> choose Social Work as my profession. He said that U.P. Diliman had a distinguished MSW
> – Master of Social Work program, which was recognized worldwide. Therefore, when I
> obtained my degree, I could find a job in any country that I would go as a pioneer. He
> advised me to drop my present courses and enter full time in the MSW program. I followed
> his advice and sent my application to the Institute for Social Work and Community
> Development. I had an interview with the faculty advisor and enrolled as a conditional
> student. Dr. Ayman helped me focus on the positive and enhanced my self-esteem by
> showing his support and much-needed friendship. He continued to see me in his
> occasional visits to the Philippines. He also mentioned my name to the U.P. President,
> Ambassador Lopez, who invited me to his office to meet me. I used this golden opportunity
> to present him with a copy of the Proclamation Book; “Tablets to the King,” which was
> recently published by the Universal House of Justice. My mission as the student pioneer of
> U.P. had officially started.
> 
> A year later, Dr. Ayman became a member of the Continental Board of Counselors. I shared
> my joy of hearing this news with Dr. Muhajir. He was pleased that Dr. Ayman, a high-level
> scholar, was now a high-ranking officer of the Bahá’í Administration. His hope for the
> student pioneers was to produce more of this new class of Bahá’ís.
> 
> My Memories of Manila
> 
> I learned to find my way to Manila and Quezon City. It was an hour by bus from U.P. to
> downtown Manila. Downtown was on the bank of a river and had the flavor and smell of
> South-East Asia. Vendors were selling their products ranging from roast pig to Siopao
> (dumplings), sweets, clothing, cosmetics, etc... Buses continuously transported a sea of
> passengers going in and out of the crowded streets. The primary source of transportation
> was these buses which had wood benches, and wooden shutters as their windows. When
> approaching a bus stop, the drivers did not stop for the passengers to embark. They just
> slowed down to let people jump in and out of the moving vehicle. Those who were getting
> on tried to find a foothold and hang on to the railing. Some passengers were quite
> accommodating and let four people sandwiched on two-seat benches. I learned that
> passengers had to move around and squeezed together, to accommodate the incoming
> and outgoing passengers. No one stayed on the boarding steps, as that would block the
> traffic. Everybody followed this rule. In case they did not follow, the crowd’s justice was
> imposed. If a woman entered the bus, men who were seated got up and offered their seats.
> I learned to make a hissing sound to stop the bus as it was not customary to shout “Stop,”
> or ring the bell.
> 
> Downtown was not necessarily safe. In fact, during the student demonstrations, these
> busses were the target of the angry crowd. They threw rocks at them or turned them over
> with all the passengers in them. The tropical rain was another interesting phenomenon. I
> used to write home, that when it rained, God scooped up the ocean and dumped it on
> Manila. When caught in the rain, even with an umbrella, we were soaked in a minute. The
> streets of downtown turned into a river. We walked knee high in the puddle and could not
> see what was under our feet. If we were lucky to catch a bus, it was like entering a sauna.
> As all the shutters were down, which prevented ventilation. The good thing was that rain
> washed up everyone before boarding. So, there was hardly any unpleasant odor. Filipinos
> took great care to keep clean, one could observe this even in the remotest villages.
> 
> A few months after my arrival, Luzon started to shake. There were close to three hundred
> earthquakes in the span of one or two months. We experienced tremors day and night; in
> the Jeepney (mode of transport), while walking, in classrooms, and in bed. Most of the
> Filipino houses are made of wood. For this reason, fatalities were limited to a tenement
> building in Manila. Three hundred people were injured and died in that old and overcrowded
> building. My parents were horrified. They begged me in their letters to return home. A month
> after the Philippines’ quake, Iran was shaken by a magnitude of 7.9 which killed 20,000
> people. The Iranian earthquake happened at night. People were asleep in their adobe and
> brick houses. The roofs collapsed and buried them alive.
> 
> My First Manila Visit with Dr. Muhajir
> 
> A short while after nature had a rest from the quakes, I had a call from Fe Samaniego that
> Dr. Muhajir was in town and asked me to go to his house for dinner. I was so happy that I
> wanted to fly like a bird to get there but instead, took a bus. I arrived late in the afternoon.
> Dr. Muhajir and a maid were at his house. I had a chance, at last, to pour out all the strange
> and exciting happenings in my life. He asked me how I got to his house. I told him that I
> took a bus from downtown. He was amazed and said; you know Shahla, God is preparing
> you for a new way of life. He is breaking you into pieces and putting you back together, to
> make a new Shahla; the one who could serve His cause like Miss Martha Root. In this life,
> we should forget the material things and pursue what is expected from us by God. I am a
> Doctor, but it has been years since I practiced medicine. I am continually reading and
> learning how to promote the Cause. My favorite books are written by the missionaries who
> sacrificed everything to serve their missions. We should learn a lot from them. Also, learn
> from their mistakes. They tried to change people and their culture, and by doing so, they
> gradually alienated themselves from the indigenous population. Now it is hard to go where
> that missionary has been, because these people either are apprehensive to trust us or
> expect to receive material rewards to serve God. We should always show acceptance of
> the way that people live their lives. Sometimes what they practice is not right based on the
> Bahá’í standard. However, we should remember that this has been the way these people
> were brought up. We should concentrate on the future rather than the past. Tell them that
> up until now you have lived this way, but it is time you should try to change. We should
> never criticize new Bahá’ís who make a mistake. We should show compassion, love, and
> understanding. We should support them rather than chastise them. This is their country
> and their way of life. We should not show a trace of discontent. Accept and love them for
> 
> their faith in God. Look at the early Bábis; most of them did not have the time to read Báb's
> writings before they gave their lives for their Faith. The judge of people's Faith is God, not
> man. Refer the matters to the Administration and do not get involved in the personal
> struggles of Bahá’ís. Dr. Muhajir was the embodiment of his advice. I never heard a word
> of criticism from him about anyone's shortcomings. His famous phrase was "poor soul,"
> then he went on to advise us to be kind to that person.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir presented a blueprint of his plan for the student pioneers. He wanted us to use
> every opportunity to get acquainted with dignitaries, professors, and students. He was
> happy that I was residing at the International Center. He believed that these future leaders
> needed to know about Bahá’u’lláh and become friends of the Faith. He told me to find new
> ways to proclaim the Faith: To volunteer to speak in different meetings and tell them about
> my belief as a Bahá’í. To write my papers, about the Faith. To be sociable, friendly and to
> constantly broaden circles of my friends and tell them about the Faith. To enroll in an
> English Lab elocution course, in order to deliver speeches in English, as eloquently as I did
> in Persian. To never lose heart or be disappointed by the result. As every word uttered in
> His path would live forever. He told me that Martha Root always prayed in the parks and
> believed that after she was gone, that spot would be blessed forever. I firmly believed in
> this powerful doctrine of Dr. Muhajir. This was the key to his unceasing energy and
> motivation. He was never dismayed or disheartened. He believed that he was doing his
> best and did not worry about tangible results, as his reward came from God, not human.
> He constantly taught these principles to all his loyal protégés; that every step we took, by
> itself was an achievement. We should not concern ourselves with immediate results. He
> used to say that Bahá’í teachers are achieving their mission by letting others know about
> the Faith. Bahá’u’lláh stated that people who have not heard of the Faith are not responsible
> for their actions. However, as soon as they hear about the Faith, God would make them
> accountable for accepting Bahá’u’lláh. Our job was to act as a vessel and let people know
> about the Faith. It might take a moment or years before this act of Faith manifest itself. Our
> duty was to let people know diligently. Others who would follow would complete the
> mission. We were not responsible for other people's souls, as it is the personal obligation
> of each human being. The Bahá’í teachers should never say that they were not successful
> because no one came to the meetings or listened. They had done their job and as Martha
> Ruth used to say; “Let God take over!”
> 
> Dr. Muhajir also believed that we should enter every place of worship and quietly utter a
> few Bahá’í prayers for the guidance of its worshipers. Once, Dr. Muhajir decided to go to
> one of the provinces for a teaching trip. He told me that when he arrived, things were not
> going smoothly. So, he went to a church, said a few prayers, and went home. He believed
> that his prayers would open the way for future travel teachers. After a while, that town
> became a center of mass teaching. Dr. Muhajir’s prayers were answered.
> 
> That evening was the onset of the unfoldment of the Student Pioneering Plan. It gradually
> developed and flourished stage by stage within the next few years in the Philippines. Then
> it branched out to other countries such as India.
> 
> When Dr. Muhajir informed us that his family was settling in India, it saddened the Bahá’ís
> like Momsu, who had a particular affinity with Mrs. Muhajir. However, the Philippines had
> a special place in Dr. Muhajir’s heart, and he visited Manila as often as he could. We made
> the visits of Dr. Muhajir an exceptional event. As he was our motivator and spiritual teacher,
> a link to the outside world. There was always a welcoming party at the airport any time he
> arrived. We would spend as much time with him as possible, then accompany him to the
> airport to see him off. Once one of the students told us about a song that Dr. Muhajir
> arranged when he was young. It was the hymn that Bábu’l-Báb chanted in the Fort Tabarsi.
> Dr. Muhajir arranged the lyrics to replace a classical Russian song. Shoghi Effendi, in The
> Dawn-Breakers, p 351, translated this momentous event:
> 
> ‘The news of the impending arrival of Quddus bestirred the occupants of the fort of
> Tabarsi. As he drew near his destination, he sent forward a messenger to announce
> his approach. The joyful tidings gave them new courage and strength. Roused to a
> burst of enthusiasm which he could not repress, Mulla Husayn started to his feet
> and, escorted by about a hundred of his companions, hastened to meet the
> expected visitor. He placed two candles in the hands of each, lighted them himself,
> and bade them proceed to meet Quddus. The darkness of the night was dispelled
> by the radiance which those joyous hearts shed as they marched forth to meet their
> beloved. In the midst of the forest of Mazindaran, their eyes instantly recognized the
> face which they had longed to behold. They pressed eagerly around his steed, and
> with every mark of devotion (p)aid him their tribute of love and undying allegiance.
> Still holding the lighted candles in their hands, they followed him on foot towards
> their destination. Quddus, as he rode along in their midst, appeared as the day-star
> that shines amidst its satellites…... The forest of Mazindaran re-echoed to the sound
> of their acclamations. As the company slowly wended its way towards the fort,
> there broke forth the hymn of glorification and praise intoned by the band of
> his enthusiastic admirers. "Holy, holy, the Lord our God, the Lord of the
> angels and the spirit!" rang their jubilant voices around him. Mulla Husayn
> raised the glad refrain, to which the entire company responded.’
> 
> Bahá'í Reference Library - The Dawn-Breakers: Nabíl’s, page 352
> 
> The song was powerful and nostalgic, reminding us of the bygone heroes of the Faith. So,
> all of us, including our Filipino friends learned it. When we heard that Dr. Muhajir was
> arriving very late in the night, we went to the airport and quietly waited on the balcony.
> When he arrived, he looked around and did not see any friends. He was slowly walking
> toward the gate, with his head down, when suddenly our voice boomed in the dark above
> him, chanting this song. He stopped in his place astounded. He looked up with a beautiful
> smile, then he shook his head in amazement and went inside. We kept chanting until he
> joined us. He lightheartedly asked us to stop as everybody would think we were a bunch
> of nuts. Later, he told me that he was a bit down on this trip. Because when he left India
> for this journey, his little girl was very sad that her daddy was leaving again. Seeing her
> face with tears in her eyes made it hard for him to continue this long journey. Our chanting
> at the airport uplifted his spirit. He felt he was surrounded by love. When I saw him off, he
> asked me to chant a prayer to help him continue his journey. I saw a vulnerable side of Dr.
> 
> Muhajir, differerent from the great motivator that he was known to be. He told me how much
> he admired his wife, Iran Khanum. She accepted the hardship of him traveling for most of
> their married life. Holding the fort, taking care of their home and family, while being a pillar
> of the Bahá’í community. She was always helping and supporting Bahá’í activities and
> projects, never asking anything in return. He believed that if there was a medal of honor for
> perseverance and sacrifice, it should be given to her. He wished me to have a family life
> like his.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir was a firm believer in pioneers having a family. He believed that Bahá’í
> marriage helped the pioneers to feel emotionally and physically fulfilled. Therefore, it
> enabled them to concentrate on their Bahá’í activities. Otherwise, the feeling of being in
> the void gradually would affect the pioneering spirit and create a nagging feeling that they
> were missing out on life, for serving God. This belief made Dr. Muhajir an excellent
> matchmaker. He always tried to find a match for lonely men and women pioneers. He gave
> the address of prospective partners and encouraged them to write to each other.
> 
> My Struggles and Joys
> 
> My first year in U.P. was an uphill battle, because of my English. So, I developed a strategy
> to cope. As I had taken most of my first-year courses in Psychology and Sociology, during
> my undergrad studies in Iran, I could comprehend the general concept of the lectures, find
> the translation of the keywords, and subsequently, learn the subjects in English. My
> professors were understanding and patient with me. However, no one explained to me
> about requirements for course completion. When we were close to the finals, my
> classmates were discussing their term papers and asked me about my topic. I responded
> that I had no clue what they were talking about. They explained that at the beginning of the
> year; we were given an assignment for a term paper. We were required to choose a topic,
> conduct extensive research, complete, and submit the assignment by the end of the year.
> The deadline for the term papers submission was next week. With my limited grasp of
> English, I had missed this critical assignment. So, within one week, I frantically started
> working on my term papers. I was able to write some from memory of my previous life in
> Iran, and a good portion from the Bahá’í viewpoint. I wrote about the organizational
> management and Bahá’í Administration, and the Bahá’í perspective on social change.
> Furthermore, for my class on Cultural Anthropology of Small Communities, I wrote about
> the Bahá’í village that I had visited in Mazandaran. Because of this tactic, my professors
> who read my papers learned about the Bahá’í Faith and its multi-faceted models for solving
> social problems. I passed all my subjects, and all my term papers were accepted.
> 
> Later in that year, I met a student from Baggio, who happened to be the sister of a Bahá’í
> friend. She told me that as a peer counselor for foreign students, she was assigned to me
> as my surrogate sister. However, as I was deeply involved with Bahá’í activities, spending
> all my free time in the villages or with indigenous people, the advisors decided to leave me
> be. They were sure that I had a network of support and did not need surrogates to make
> me feel wanted.
> 
> During my first year in the Philippines, I had to face another test that I never knew existed,
> financial crises. When I arrived in the Philippines, I wrote to my father and gave him my
> address for sending my allowance. My father told me that he had sent a check for me and
> I would receive it in six weeks. Three months passed, and I had not received my check. I
> wrote to him, and he cabled another amount. I did not get that one either. I was penniless
> and frightened. I was so desperate that I visited every bank in Manila, that had a foreign
> transaction branch. The results were disappointing. There were no banks that had dealings
> with Iranian banks. I was frantic. During this period, I was visiting Momsu on the weekends.
> She saw me worried and anxious. She took me aside and asked what was wrong, I
> explained my problem. She said that her granddaughter was studying abroad, and her
> heart would sink when she thought something like this could happen to her. So, she lent
> me the money, hoping that someone would do the same for her granddaughter if she
> needed help. Since then, any time that I was indeed desperate, I used to go to her house.
> One look at my long face, and amidst the cloud of smoke from her cigar, she would say;
> Young lady how much do you need? I received the cash from her without a single word. I
> was ashamed but profoundly grateful. I borrowed so much money from Momsu that when
> I finally got my allowance, it all went to pay my debt, and had to borrow from her till my next
> check.
> 
> My poor father was frantic. He sent a third lot, and I did not receive that either. Josie Lava,
> my Filipino Bahá’í friend who was a banker, took me to the main branch of a major bank to
> find out if they had received my money. When we arrived, they took us to the President
> office. My friend explained the situation. The President made the necessary inquiries and
> told us that regretfully his bank had not received the money. However, since he was a U.P.
> alumnus, he was going to lend me that amount, till my money arrived. He wrote a personal
> check and wished me good luck. I was speechless and had a lump in my throat. I could not
> believe the generosity and trust of a total stranger. It took months before my money arrived.
> I went back to him to pay my debt and presented him with a copy of the Centennial
> Proclamation Book of “Tablets to The Kings.” He was surprised by my visit. He laughed
> and said that he mentioned to his wife that he wouldn’t expect to see me or his money
> again. I thanked him for his kindness and gave him the book and told him that my honesty
> was because of my Faith, and I would like to let him know about it. He promised that he
> would read the book and placed it in his office library with a note attached, stating: “a gift
> from an honest student.”
> 
> My life out of U.P. was primarily consulting with Vic, attending committee meetings, or
> occasional visits with Mahshid. When Mahshid was around, it was the time to relax and
> have some fun. Which was mainly going to the wealthy section of Makati, where the
> prestigious business offices, shopping center, restaurants, and hotels were located. The
> additional bonus was that all the buildings were air-conditioned. We enjoyed going to the
> hotel lobbies, having a cold drink, and seeing the riches of the world. We went to the
> restaurants and ordered the famous Magnolia ice cream and banana split. Then went to
> the Bahá’í Center and talked until midnight. The Bahá’í Center at that time was an old and
> rickety wooden building. The floorboards were eaten by termites and gave way to pressure.
> Here and there, we could see large gaps on the floor. At night, roaches were crawling out
> of these holes and roamed around. There was no screen on the windows. So, mosquitos
> 
> had a feast on the blood of visiting Bahá’ís. The main hall had a ceiling fan which was
> ancient and noisy. However, it did wonders for keeping the mosquitos away. If we had
> planned to sleep there, we would have brought a mat and a sheet with us. However
> sometimes, in the spirit of the moment, without provisions, we stayed overnight. On these
> occasions, we improvised. In one of these nights, we decided to use a sheet of manila
> paper for our bedding. We spread it under the fan and slept. Both Mahshid and I were late
> sleepers and woke up late in the morning. However, on that fateful morning, I woke up after
> six, and since my bedding was uncomfortable, I decided to get up and go next door to the
> Sameniego’ s to have a wash. A few minutes later, Mahshid woke up. She too decided to
> go next door. As soon as she reached the door, she heard a loud noise and saw the ceiling
> fan had crashed onto the floor, landing where our heads were resting a while ago. The
> blades were still moving, and the motor was smoking. This, was a miracle, an answer to
> prayers of those who prayed for our safety. It gave us a day of contemplation on our
> mortality. Mahshid told me that a palm reader predicted that she would die young. So, it
> was an omen that by the grace of God had passed without striking.
> 
> From left: Javanshir Sobhani, Fe Sameniego, Mahshid Iqani
> 
> A group of Bahai’s in the Philippines 1969 -1970
> Seated: Abbas. Standing in the front raw, from left to right: Fred Ramirez, Carol
> Baris, Delia Pareja, Lina Sanchez, Shahla Behroozi, Josie Lava, Vic Samaniego,
> Farhang Mazidi, Grace Madella Boehnert. Back raw: Jack Davis, Ali Sheidaie, Jamie
> Ingertson, Counselor Momtazi, Firouz Tolouie, Javanshir Sobhani
> 
> Within the next year, a group of student pioneers joined us in the Philippines. Among them
> were; Jila Samadani, Hayedeh Rowshangah, Firouz Tolouie, Farhang Mazidi, and
> Javanshir Sobhani. Most of them found themselves in the Los Banos Laguna, where U.P.
> College of Agriculture was located. This U.P. campus was in a rural setting. Therefore, it
> was easier for students with language difficulties to start in this more relaxed and less
> competitive environment. In a few years, most of them transferred to U.P. Diliman. In the
> close by village of Los Banos, there was a Bahá’í Center, bustling with activities. The
> Center was the residence of the Pareja's. A loving Bahá’í family who had dedicated their
> house and their everyday life to the Faith. Every night there was a fireside in progress.
> There were students, members of the faculty and the residents of surrounding villages who
> used to come regularly to these meetings, and quite a few became Bahá’ís.
> 
> I remember the first time that Dr. Muhajir was in Manila, we took a trip to Los Banos. There
> was a crowd at the Center awaiting to hear the talk by the Hand of the Cause of God. When
> we were ready to start, Dr. Muhajir asked me to get up and talk instead. I was horrified and
> pleaded with him not to disappoint the group by having to listen to my broken English. He
> told me with a serious look that he was ordering me to talk. I obeyed his order and did the
> best I could do. Then the session was open for questions and answers with him. Later, I
> 
> inquired about the reason for his directive. He replied that I should do my best to rise to the
> occasion. Being shy and embarrassed by my limited language ability would hinder my
> activities. Instead, I should try my best to excel. He earnestly humored his own English
> while giving a talk, but it never deterred him from elaborating on issues which were
> important to him and his audience. I remember vividly his opening remarks that evening.
> He said, if we were in a city for the first time, we would need a map in order to reach our
> destination. Otherwise, we might take a few wrong turns, end up in the wrong streets and
> run out of time. The messengers of God and for this age, Bahá’u’lláh, came to this world to
> reveal to us a Divine Map. The wise would treasure this map and would follow its
> guideposts to reach their life's destination. The ignorant would resist and get lost in the dark
> alleys of life. We are here to share this Divine map with you. This was an example of the
> practical, simple, and effective manner of Dr. Muhajir’s teaching techniques.
> 
> Sablayan Penal Colony
> 
> After one year in the Philippines, Vic asked me to take a teaching trip to Mindoro Island. I
> teamed up with Jila Samadani, a newly arrived student pioneer from Iran. We flew to
> Occidental Mindoro. First visiting San Jose, a pleasant little town, with a group of wonderful
> Bahá’ís. My hostess was Nida Aniversario, a dear Filipino friend, who had a neat and
> spacious house. Nida had the sweetest way of showing her warm hospitality. One of her
> special treats every morning was placing a garland of Jasmines on our pillows. We woke
> up smelling this heavenly fragrance, feeling well cared for and safe. Nida’s house was the
> meeting place for the Bahá’ís, and we had a stream of dear Bahá’ís visiting us daily. We
> made a few teaching trips to the mountains, attempting to visit an all Bahá’í Mangyan tribe.
> Unfortunately, after reaching the mountain peak, we found out that they had migrated to a
> new location. We decided to return to the city that night. It took us hours of walking in the
> dark to arrive at Nida's house.
> 
> A few days later, we set off on our eventful journey to Central Mindoro, to visit the Sablayan
> Penal Colony. We knew that the Assistant Superintendent was a Bahá’í and quite a large
> group of the prisoners had embraced the Faith through his efforts. They had built their own
> Bahá’í Center and had regular meetings there. There was no public transport to that
> location. So, the two of us rented a rowing boat. The trip took more than three hours. Jila
> and I were alone with the two boatmen who did not know a word of English. We were sailing
> by the shore of a dense rainforest, inhabited by Indian tribes. We were saying prayers
> under our breath, knowing that God was our only protector. As it was easy for our boatmen
> to do whatever they wanted with us, then throw our bodies into the swampland, where
> nobody could find us. With the grace of God, nothing bad happened!
> 
> We arrived at a little harbor in Calintaan. We knew that Five years ago, a group of travel
> teachers had come to this place and a few became Bahá’ís. We had the name of one
> family. We asked for their address and headed toward their home. This family had not
> heard of the Bahá’ís since their declaration and did not remember much about signing their
> membership cards. We refreshed their memories and told them about our plan. They said,
> due to the heavy security of Penal Colony, it would be the next morning before Mr. Marco
> could send us a boat. As we did not have any place to stay overnight, they invited us to
> 
> stay with them. It was Christmas time, and they had a tree branch, decorated with the
> flowers of the cotton tree. They sent us to our room, which was a small storage room on
> the second floor. There, we saw creatures that frightened both of us to death: an army of
> non- poisonous tarantulas. We set up our mosquito net and crawled under it. We had a
> fitful night, as there were crowds of Christmas revelers in the street, sounding like angry
> mobs. So, with tarantulas inside and noisy people outside, it felt like being in a scary movie.
> 
> The next day, being grateful to be safe and alive, we boarded the boat for the penal colony.
> It was one of the most unforgettable, and exhilarating memories of our life. This place was
> set as a commune with rows after rows of thatched-roof cabins that prisoners had built for
> themselves and their families. This penal colony was self-supporting. The inmates earned
> their living by working in the fields, harvesting crops, fishing, and hunting wild pigs. They
> were allowed to keep their share of food and trade the rest in the prison stores. There was
> no restriction to move around the colony, no cells with bars or heavy security. Most of the
> prisoners did not want to leave. So, some detainees whos sentences were completed and
> were soon to be released, made fake attempts to escape in order to lengthen their stay.
> 
> The Marco house was a little haven. This devoted family had such happiness and
> contentment, which made it difficult to believe they were living in a penal colony. We had
> one of the greatest teaching trips of our life. We had meetings with the prisoners every
> evening. As soon as we finished our talk, a large group of prisoners, lined up to sign their
> Declaration Cards. We had forty-three new believers. All of them continued their activities
> by attending follow up Baha’i meetings and teaching the Faith to others. This event was
> covered in the American Baha’i News as a successful endeavour of the student pioneering
> initiative.
> 
> It was time to leave this little paradise and return to the harbor. We decided to make the
> best of the opportunity and teach the Faith in this town. We went to the market and
> distributed pamphlets, inviting people to a fireside at our host’s home. That evening, we
> waited for a crowd to show up, but no one came. We felt let down and went to bed with a
> heavy heart. Next day we were getting ready to go back to San Jose. Just when we walked
> down the stairs to leave, there was a knock on the door. An elderly man wanted to see us.
> As he could not speak English, our host acted as his interpreter. He said: “I am almost
> ninety years old. Yesterday in the market, I noticed these young foreign girls, pouring their
> hearts out to tell people about this Faith. They gave me a pamphlet which I could not read.
> I came today so that you can explain it to me.” We sat down and with great difficulty tried
> to tell him about the tenets of the Faith. Our host told us that she had decided to be a
> Christian. So, she was not eager to fully interpret our discussion. The old man stood up
> and said; it was difficult for us to communicate with each other, but one point was obvious
> to him: If we came such a long distance to give this vital message, then it should be the
> truth. He was ready to become a Bahá’í and make our heart happy. We were astounded.
> We knew that this was not the right way for somebody to embrace the Faith. But who were
> we to judge the faith of another human being? We gave him a card, and he signed it. We
> said goodbye to the only Bahá’í in that town and left for Manila.
> 
> Months later, Vic told me the old man who had become a Bahá’í was the head of a large
> 
> and influential family in that town. He went back to his family and taught them about the
> Faith, and all of them became Bahá’ís. He passed away a few months later. The family
> started the first local spiritual assembly in their town. All because of an old man who wanted
> to make the hearts of two strangers happy. The event of this trip was published in the
> American Bahá’í News.
> 
> I stayed friend with Flora Stefan, a Bahá’í who is originally from Mindoro and now living
> in Tampa.
> 
> Bahá’í Activities at U.P. Diliman
> 
> During the first few semesters, I developed a reputation for being somewhere between a
> missionary and a rebel. They knew my priority was Bahá’í activities, and I could easily forgo
> my study for that purpose. Therefore, they just let me be. However, I made a great effort in
> meeting the requirements to stay in the program, by scoring a “B” plus average.
> 
> In my second year, I became more interested in my courses. Since some professors had
> revolutionary ideas, they used their classes as a platform for teaching Social Action and
> reform. I learned from them the true meaning of democracy in the third world. UP was the
> center of student riots and demonstrations that spread to other colleges in Manila. Once, I
> joined my roommates and went to the “welcoming ceremony” for President Marcos. When
> he arrived, I found myself in the middle of a student demonstration, soon turning into a riot.
> It was scary and exciting at the same time. One of my roommates was the daughter of a
> foreman of a sugar baron. As a sign of solidarity with the masses, she spent her school
> holiday planting rice alongside farmers on a rice plantation.
> 
> The anti-Vietnam War sentiments of the Sixties were at its height in the Philippines. My
> Canadian professor, to show solidarity with his students, participated in a demonstration at
> the American Embassy. However, demonstrators, thinking that he was an American turned
> against him. If not for his Filipino wife, he would have been killed or seriously injured.
> 
> I had friends in the dormitory, from Vietnam and Cambodia, who had never experienced
> peace in their young lives. Hearing their stories about the horror of war and its carnage,
> helped me to offer Bahá’í solutions as an alternative to the violence and riots. Sometimes
> I became a target, because of providing the message of unity and peace. There were times
> when the Filipinos cringed when they heard that I was studying in Diliman, a center for
> revolutionary ideas. In the meantime, I was warned that UP students were going to attack
> our dorm, as the International Center was housing a “bunch of rich foreigners.”
> 
> My field placement for Community Organization was in Tondo. It was a community like
> Watts, in Los Angeles. It was a dangerous place, where bloody riots occurred on a daily
> basis, on numerous occasions, Jeepneys or buses that I was in, were bombarded by flying
> rocks. I experience firsthand poverty and chaos around me. Affirming this powerful
> message:
> 
> ‘The violent derangement of the world's equilibrium; the trembling that will seize the
> limbs of mankind; the radical transformation of human society; the rolling up of the
> present-day Order; the fundamental changes affecting the structure of government;
> the weakening of the pillars of religion; the rise of dictatorships; the spread of
> tyranny; the fall of monarchies; the decline of ecclesiastical institutions; the increase
> of anarchy and chaos; the extension and consolidation of the Movement of the Left;
> the fanning into flame of the smouldering fire of racial strife; the development of
> infernal engines of war; the burning of cities; the contamination of the atmosphere
> of the earth -- these stand out as the signs and portents that must either herald or
> accompany the retributive calamity which, as decreed by Him Who is the Judge and
> Redeemer of mankind, must, sooner or later, afflict a society which, for the most
> part, and for over a century, has turned a deaf ear to the Voice of God's Messenger
> in this day -- a calamity which must purge the human race of the dross of its age-
> long corruptions, and weld its component parts into a firmly-knit world-embracing
> Fellowship -- a Fellowship destined, in the fullness of time, to be incorporated in the
> framework, and to be galvanized by the spiritualizing influences, of a mysteriously
> expanding, divinely appointed Order, and to flower, in the course of future
> Dispensations, into a Civilization, the like of which mankind has, at no stage in its
> evolution, witnessed’
> 
> (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Bahá’í World - 1950-1957)
> 
> (Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 70)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> My most touching experience is regarding a young American G.I., who came to the
> International Center, asking if there was a Bahá’í residing there. So, they called me to go
> and see this visitor. He was a young American in his twenties. He told me that he was on
> leave from Vietnam and needed to connect with fellow Bahá’ís. As he did not know anyone,
> he thought he could find one, in the International Center. He told me that he was a medic
> in Vietnam and had seen so much death and suffering that his heart was broken. The final
> blow was watching his close friend killed in front of him. He talked, and I listened, pouring
> his heart out to a friend, and I was that friend. After a while, I offered to take him to the
> Bahá’í Center. We took a bus to downtown. When I got in, a passenger offered his seat. I
> sat and saw my Bahá’í friend standing on the boarding steps. The conductor had to close
> the door and asked him in Tagalog to move up. He was tall, and this made it difficult for
> him to stand inside the bus. So, he thanked the conductor and told her that he would stay
> where he was. I could hear the rumbling among the passengers. A riot was brewing. I heard
> people making remarks about these two Americans, who considered the Filipinos primitive
> like Vietnamese. My heart was pounding fast. I started conversing with a mixture of English
> and Tagalog, telling them that I was from U.P. and we held Filipinos in high regard. My
> affiliation to U.P. calmed them down. I did not tell them that I was not American and kept
> my connection with my friend in focus. I knew by doing so, my life was in danger, but I did
> not mind. Finally, I let them know that he was too tall to stand in the bus. A man offered my
> friend a seat, and he sat down. The remarks continued for the next half an hour, while both
> 
> of us were quietly praying. I was beseeching God to give my friend the wisdom not to
> respond. He sat with his eyes closed. It was not uncommon for Filipinos to carry a gun and
> to use it in an argument. The ringleader of this group had a gun and was infuriated. He
> would have welcomed an encounter to use his gun and shoot us. However, my friend’s
> silence and outward calm did not give him the opportunity. I was sad to see this tormented
> soul who wanted a respite in this land, encountered such hatred and danger. We got out
> of the bus and decided to take a taxi. When the cab driver started venting about Americans,
> we both sat quietly and did not say a word.
> 
> Years later I found out that he was related to Dr. Ruhe, a member of the Universal House
> of Justice. I saw him featured in a film about American youths pioneering in different parts
> of the world. God bless his endeavor.
> 
> The first student who became a Bahá’í in Diliman was from Ghana. Alex was an exchange
> student who lived in International Center. He was the first African that I had met. The day
> that he declared was the most exhilarating moment of my pioneering life. We were
> attending a meeting at the Bahá’í Center. Dr. Muhajir was present. After his talk, Alex got
> up, faced the audience, and declared that he was a Bahá’í. Mahshid and I, ran toward him
> and held his hand and cried. We were laughing and crying at the same time. Dr. Muhajir
> watched us with an approving smile. He told me that now, I could see the fruit of my labor.
> 
> The second person who embraced the Faith was an artist and a professional pianist. Later,
> she became the recreational director of the International Center. She used to put quotations
> from the Bahá’í writings on our bulletin board. She arranged international nights where
> each nationality hosted the event for U.P. We learned about each other’s food,
> celebrations, costumes, and dances. Although there were a few non-Bahá’í older students
> from Iran, Bahá’ís always found creative ways to present the Faith in these events.
> 
> The non-Bahá’í Iranian students were an interesting group. They were mostly older
> professionals who had scholarship to complete a graduate course. One of them happened
> to be a descendant of a famous Bábi - she did not acknowledge this fact to us. There were
> others who were fanatic Muslims and smelled of trouble. However, none of them showed
> apparent hostility toward us. They somehow felt overwhelmed by our bold and liberated
> spirit. The most memorable event relating to these students was the visit of Mr. Furutan.
> 
> The Visit of Mr. Furutan
> 
> Hand of the Cause of God Mr. Furutan visited Manila to inspire the Bahá’ís and to proclaim
> the Faith among dignitaries. I was delighted to see Mr. Furutan again. He was kind to me
> in my quest for pioneering. He spent the time to console me and persuaded my parents to
> let me go. He was glad to see me achieving my heart's desire. Through his son in law Dr.
> Muhajir, he kept abreast of my activities. When he saw me in the Philippines, he asked me
> to arrange a meeting for him with the UP professors and students. This was an epic
> undertaking, as UP policy was not to intermingle religion with university life. Most of the
> universities in the Philippines were affiliated with various Catholic organizations. UP. was
> the only secular institution. I prayed for God’s assistance to enable me to pay my debt to
> 
> my beloved Mr. Furutan. I contacted the Vice President of U.P., who was also the Dean of
> the College of Education. I had met her before and given her Bahá’í literature. I told her
> that a Russian educated scholar was visiting the Country and was interested in having a
> meeting with her. She gave us an appointment for a short meeting. However, when we
> met, it lasted for an hour. She was captivated by Mr. Furutan’ s knowledge and his sense
> of humor and invited him to a follow-up meeting with the faculty members. Mr. Furutan
> accepted her invitation and asked if he could also talk to the college students. She
> accepted the offer and set up a general meeting for Mr. Furutan, to talk at the Lecture Hall
> of the College of Education. I could not believe this miraculous sequence of events. Mr.
> Furutan was delighted. I promised to accompany him to the lecture hall. I also cautioned
> Mr. Furutan about two Iranian students who might cause some disturbance. On the day of
> the lecture, I asked permission to miss my class to attend Mr. Furutan’ s lecture. My faculty
> Advisor warned me that I had maxed out my absences. I knew that my Bahá’í activities had
> prevented me from regularly attending my classes but did not know how serious it was. I
> told her about the important lecture and my excuse to be off. She bluntly informed me that
> if I missed my class, I would be deprived of taking my final tests. I was distraught but had
> no other option. I had to let Mr. Furutan go alone. I sat in my boring class, envisioning what
> was happening in that lecture hall. When I caught up with Mr. Furutan for lunch, I explained
> my painful decision. He understood my dilemma and thanked me for giving him this
> exceptional opportunity for proclamation. He was pleased, as there were close to five
> hundred students and faculty members in that hall. Mr. Furutan had a standing ovation
> after his two hour lecture. The Iranian students came and respectfully shook his hand. It
> was an incredibly successful event in the history of U.P. Diliman. I felt terrible for missing
> the opportunity, but content for being a humble vessel for its occurrence. In the next
> decades, anytime I had the chance to talk to Mr. Furutan, he recalled that event and
> expressed his sadness for my absence.
> 
> Mr. Faizi visited the Philippines
> 
> Dr. Muhajir made a preliminary trip to Manilla to help us prepare for the upcoming tour of
> Mr. Faizi. He wanted the trip to be a full-scale publicity event for the Faith. We planned a
> proclamation campaign, sending news releases to the media, inviting reporters and
> dignitaries to a brunch to be held in his honor, at the Hilton. Dr. Muhajir always used a small
> hotel facing his favorite Luneta Park, but this time he booked rooms at the Hilton. He told
> me that both Mr. Faizi and he always traveled frugally for the Faith. However, the Faith was
> entering a new phase in the Philippines, and it was essential to leave a lasting impression
> on the public. He asked us to be the ushers for the event. There were eight Iranian and
> young Filipinas, who were selected for this job. We made a great effort to look presentable
> and dignified. The transformation from our usual teaching outfits to elegant gowns, made
> from handwoven Filipino fabrics was fascinating. It showed the multifaceted life of pioneers.
> When Dr. Muhajir saw us that evening, he was delighted.
> 
> I never stopped communicating with Mr. Faizi, my spiritual father. When he was arranging
> his itinerary, he made a special effort to come to the Philippines. He wanted to meet this
> group of youths who became student pioneers. Dr. Muhajir mentioned that he talked about
> me with Mr. Faizi, who he was looking forward to seeing me in my pioneering post. All 23
> 
> students came from all over the Philippines for this special occasion. We went to the airport
> to welcome Mr. Faizi. I was chosen by Dr. Muhajir to place a Jasmine Garland around his
> neck. Mr. Faizi held my head with both hands, brought me closer to his chest while
> repeatedly whispering the Greatest Name. It was his unique way of greeting. Dr. Muhajir
> was beaming with joy. He told Mr. Faizi that these kids had been away from their fathers
> for such a long time. Therefore, Mr. Faizi could be a father for all of us and give us a fatherly
> hug. Although it was not the formal norm of Persian culture, Mr. Faizi obliged. He held each
> student close to his chest. It was a warm and glorious moment.
> 
> We worked very hard to make this visit a success, and our efforts brought positive results.
> For my part, I invited UP officials and professors. The Director of my Institute, plus quite a
> few faculty members attended the reception. The attitude of my professors changed by
> hearing Mr. Faizi's talk. They developed respect for the Faith. At the end of the trip, all the
> Iranian students invited the Hands of the Cause to a luncheon. We wanted to honor these
> precious souls who had showered so much love in return for our humble service. We had
> a wonderful time. When we were saying good-bye Dr. Muhajir called me and gave me a
> large amount of cash to cover the expenses. I refused to accept. He told me that he was
> ordering me to take the money and I had no choice. I told him this time; I was not going to
> obey, as this was our way of showing our love, and gratitude. He smiled and said if it would
> make you all happy. I assured him that it would.
> 
> As a part of the Proclamation Campaign, I made appointments for Mr. Faizi to meet a
> number of U.P. professors in different colleges. It included a Syrian professor, who later
> helped me to meet my foreign language requirement for graduation.
> 
> Visit of the Hand of the Cause, Collis Featherstone
> 
> Life in the Philippines was going through peaks and valleys. The peaks were events
> centered around visiting dignitaries of the Faith. We were blessed to have the pleasure of
> meeting Hands of the Cause, Collis Featherstone, and John Robarts. Most of these
> beloved friends were giving particular attention to the issues concerning the Iranian student
> pioneers. For example, one dilemma for us was the subject of dancing. As it was not
> encouraged for the Bahá’í youths in Iran. Therefore, most of us chose not to dance or
> attend parties where dancing was involved. We preferred not to go, so we don’t stand alone
> when others were dancing. However, in the Philippines dancing was an expression of life.
> Their culture was expressed through their beautiful dances. Western dances in the parties
> were a norm. Even in the villages they usually held a party for the visitors, and as the guest
> of honor, we were supposed to dance with the dignitaries. We had lengthy discussions with
> Vic and other Filipinos regarding our cultural differences. The response was that by not
> participating in dancing, we were separating ourselves from the rest of the group.
> 
> Hand of the Cause of God Mr. Featherstone held a consultation meeting with us, and we
> reached to an agreement that we would dance if there were no physical contact between
> our dancing partner and us. We also decided to participate in cultural nights by performing
> Persian dances. I became one of the performers. I loved dancing as a child and was very
> good at it. Now with the mandate of Mr. Featherstone, I decided to put my talent to a good
> 
> cause. I performed on T.V. programs, at the graduation galas and other cultural activities.
> I learned to sing a Filipino song and sang it on the radio programs. So many doors opened
> for proclaiming the Faith by performing my amateur dancing and singing. I also used every
> opportunity to speak as an international student. Some were important occasions at
> schools. One time, I talked at the graduation ceremony of an elite Catholic school, when
> talking about the Faith was frowned upon. I was invited to go back. On another occasion, I
> spoke at one school, where 2000 students packed the courtyard to see the beauty queen
> of the Philippines. The magic of my five minutes’ talk was my opening statement in Tagalog.
> As soon as the audience heard my greeting in their language, they broke into applause. I
> went on to say that I had come from Iran but had a more important message for them and
> gave a short talk on the unity of mankind and introduction to Bahá’í Faith. It was difficult for
> anyone to chastise me for getting off the track when the audience applauded by hearing
> my farewell in Tagalog.
> 
> Veterans Memorial Hospital
> 
> One of the requirements of my MSW. was an internship program. In consultation with my
> faculty advisor, I was placed in the Veterans Memorial Hospital, an endowment of the US,
> Government for the Filipino Veterans of World War II, and Vietnam war. The reason for this
> placement was that the Hospital’s formal communication was in English. In addition, my
> field supervisor, Miss J, was a graduate of a British university.
> 
> I was not aware that Miss J. as a supervisor, had a reputation for being “hard as nails,” an
> ill-tempered perfectionist, and unforgiving of the others’ shortcomings. She had several
> unflattering nicknames; the one that I could mention is the “Dracula.” When Miss J. called
> me to her office, she was polite and professional. She asked me to describe the application
> of “Social Casework Method” in a hospital setting. As I did not catch the meaning, she
> continued by elaborating on her question. I responded that I had not yet taken a course in
> “Social Casework Method.” She was so enraged that I felt steam was coming out of her
> ears. I was terrified of her reaction. Miss J. told me that it was not acceptable to have an
> internship before completing basic course requirements. Therefore, I had to leave and
> come back the next week after she had a chance to talk to my Advisor. I went directly to
> my Advisor and told her about my problem. She directed me to keep my weekly internship
> schedule until she sorted it out with Miss J. A week later, I went back to the Hospital. Miss
> J. called me to her office and stated that my advisor did not answer her calls. I learned later
> from my advisor that she deliberately did not respond so that I could continue my internship.
> Miss J. told me that since she was stuck with me, she was demanding that I spend every
> free moment in the Hospital library to read a list of books that she had assigned to me. I
> rushed to the hospital library and had a crash course on the major texts from the vanguards
> of Social Work. I was fascinated by these ideas that were so close to the doctrines of the
> Faith. From then on, anytime I went back to my supervisor I could quote her chapter and
> verse on theories and principles of Social Work. There were times when she covered her
> mouth to hide her amused smile. My efforts paid off, and I became her shining star intern.
> She was the one who helped me to understand Social Work and love my new profession.
> My U.P. professors were disappointed that their efforts to make me a full-fledged student
> had failed and this rival outsider had become my professional role model. I guess my old
> 
> habits were difficult to break. Miss J.’s no-nonsense commitment to learning, reminded me
> of Dr. Ghadimi, and I reacted to it like a duck taking to water. She told me that her most
> pressing challenge was to bring me down from the idealistic clouds of Philosophy to the
> earth, and to the practical field of Social Work. Her remarks reminded me of the advice of
> my Baha’i teacher, Dr. Ghadimi, that we should “walk the mystical path with practical feet.”
> 
> My professional baptism by fire took place at the end of my internship placement. I was
> called to finish the intake process for a young girl who had congenital heart failure. She
> was alone by herself. A quiet, sick girl who was extremely depressed. I tried to talk to her,
> but she refused to answer. I kept visiting her a few times a day and noticed a twinkle in her
> sad eyes. It showed that she was looking forward to my visits. I was told by doctors that
> she was not eligible to be admitted to this hospital. However, as her condition was grave,
> they were making an exception and classified her as a case for the clinical experiment.
> However, they needed her full cooperation to comply with her treatment plan. She was not
> an amicable person and had no regular visitors. My intervention helped to improve her
> attitude and her connection to her family. In my last visit, I saw her mother, brushing her
> long hair. She was sitting up and looking good. I told her that she was scheduled to have
> her heart surgery. She was scared, but I assured her that I was going to be at her side. So,
> she accepted to have the procedure. The next week when I went back to the hospital, I
> found out that they had discharged her without having the surgery. The file indicated that
> she had not cooperated, and they had to let her go. I felt a volcano of rage erupting within
> me. I rushed to my supervisor, tears welling in my eyes. I gave Miss J. an emotional speech
> about our mission to respect the dignity and life of human beings. She treated me with
> genuine sympathy and asked me to go and pay that girl a visit and see what had happened.
> 
> I went to their small wooden house in a slum area outside U.P. Her mother led me to a
> storage room. She was lying on a straw mat. Her body was swollen. She did not want to
> talk to me, but I sat down and told her that I was concerned about her, wondering what
> went wrong. She looked at me with teary eyes and asked why I broke my promise, like
> everyone else in her life. I wondered what she meant. She said that I had promised that I
> would be with her when they came to take her to the operation room. My heart dropped a
> beat. She did not agree to the surgery because I was not there. I explained that the date of
> her surgery was changed, coinciding with the time that I was not working in the hospital.
> She told me that all her life she has been rejected by her family. Even now, no one cared
> for her except me. We sat and talked like two friends. A friend that she never had in her
> short life. She asked me what I thought about death and life after death. I told her about
> my Baha'i belief, as I was not allowed to teach her about the Faith, I shared with her my in-
> depth thoughts. It was such an intimate exchange that did not seem to be happening in this
> world. I convinced her to go back to the hospital. Then, I went back to my supervisor,
> pleading to save the life of this girl. Miss J. picked up the phone and talked directly to the
> Chief of the hospital. They arranged for an ambulance, to take me to her house and bring
> her back to the hospital. It was late when we arrived back at the hospital, and I had to go
> home. She held my hand and asked me to visit her as soon as possible. I promised and
> told her to take care. I went home exhilarated, as I had bent all the rules to save this girl’s
> life. This was what advocacy was all about. Two days later I went to the hospital, everybody
> seemed upset and a bit apprehensive to talk to me. Miss J. called me to her office and told
> 
> me that my young patient died the same night. I was shocked with grief. She consoled me
> for a long time and said that her action to bring that patient to the hospital was more for my
> benefit. As the doctors knew that this girl was terminal when they sent her home. They did
> not want to be responsible for her funeral expenses. However, when Miss J. observed my
> emotional state, she knew that I had to learn how to cope with the inevitable tragedy
> inherent in our work. Accepting that even when we do our best, there was a limit to what
> we could do for our patients. It was my supervisor’s parting gift to her young protégé. It took
> me months in my state of grief, to reach the stage of acceptance. My only consolation was
> my last talk with her about the other world. I somehow envied that she experienced it much
> sooner than I did.
> 
> Life in the Villages
> 
> My school holidays were times to shift from 20th-century modern living to the down to earth
> and unsophisticated life of travel teaching in the villages. It was a cleansing process to
> purify the soul and go back to the basics. I traveled to different regions in Luzon, Mindoro,
> and Panay islands. My village clothing and traveling gear were plain and neat. Vic insisted
> that we should not look shabby. He believed that we should keep our appearance attractive
> and be presentable. It entailed wearing nice, but simple clothing and jewelry. I used to get
> the itinerary of my trip from Vic, including a list of one or two families who could be my
> potential hosts. Most of these communities had not been visited for quite a few years. I set
> off by taking buses and jeepneys to reach my destination. I invariably found the families
> who invited me to stay with them. Filipinos are very proud and hospitable people. They
> were insulted if we would offer them money to cover our expenses. Almost all of them were
> poor, with enough resources to support their families. However, we could not take our food
> with us and eat separately. So, we became a member of their family during our stay and
> sharing their food. Usually, there was rice and fish or vegetables. Sometimes there was
> only rice and fried onions. There was no dairy products or meat. Occasionally, they were
> creative and cooked some shrimplike insects caught from a close by pond. I remember
> Jack Davis used to say that on these occasions he used to close his eyes and recite the
> Greatest Name when swallowing the unfamiliar insects. Occasionally, I used the same
> technique.
> 
> Teaching Trip to Central Luzon
> 
> One of my memorable trips was to the rural area around San Jose, in Central Luzon. My
> assignment was to help with the election of 19 Local Spiritual Assemblies, on the First Day
> of Ridvan. I went to the first village and made it my base. My host family lived in a “Bahay-
> Kubo” - a stilt house built of bamboo. I slept in a small room, with a sliding wooden window,
> which had to be closed every night. However, the gap between the slats made the room
> cool. I slept on a straw mat on slats and covered my body with a cotton bedspread. The
> small hallway between the two wings served as the kitchen and dining area. We ate on the
> bamboo floor, each having a plate and spoon for utensils. I liked watching a few chickens
> roaming underneath the slats, pecking grain from the ground. The back porch had a hand
> operated water pump and was used for washing dishes, laundry, and bathing. When family
> 
> members wanted to bathe, they covered the openings with sheets, converting it to a
> bathroom. The open field was the natural restroom for all the inhabitants.
> 
> At nights, we used a primitive wick lamp; it consisted of a small kerosene container and a
> wick. As there was no glass globe, when lit, it diffused fumes and smoke. We used to sit
> outside and talk. I did not understand the language of my hosts, except when their
> daughters who worked in the city visited once a week and translated our conversation.
> When I sat on that veranda, under the dim glow of the kerosene lamp, I felt I had time
> traveled back, a few hundred years. I was in that area for 21 days. I found a young and
> active Bahá’í who could speak English. He took time off from his work and accompanied
> me on my trips to different villages. As there were no roads, we had to walk through the
> open fields. I learned that we could walk 3 km per day. So, we made a daily plan for the
> number of nearby villages that we could visit. To escape the heat, we used to start at dawn
> and return late in the evening. We visited all the villages that were to elect their Local
> Spiritual Assemblies on April 21st.
> 
> We always started with a refresher for the Bahá’ís, who could not remember much about
> the tenets of the Faith. If there were non-Bahá’í families and friends, we combined it with
> direct teaching. It was incredible that a majority remembered they were Bahá’ís and
> greeted us with the Greatest Name. At first, my companion used to translate my talks, but
> as he learned the subject, he held the sessions by himself. I was delighted to see the
> progress of this young man. I noticed the ability of these beautiful souls who, with care and
> encouragement, were empowered to teach the Faith. At the end of the day, we stopped
> by a vendor and bought a local delicacy, a cup of shaved ice, with toppings of coconut and
> dried fruits. At first, it tasted strange, but then, I looked forward to having it as a reward for
> a day of hard work. Before discovering this delicacy, I used to dream of eating Magnolia
> ice cream.
> 
> Once a week we went to the San Jose market, where I bought eggs and vegetables for my
> host family. The mother cooked the most delicious dish, made of roasted eggplants, which
> were dipped in the whipped egg and fried. In the past, when I was in Iran, I used to detest
> eggplants. Now it was manna from heaven. When, later, I wrote to my mother that I learned
> to make a delicious eggplant dish, she responded: My heart bleeds for you for eating
> eggplants, you must be starving! I assured her that I had plenty to eat and truly loved that
> dish.
> 
> After two weeks in that village, one evening, when I was returning from my daily trip, I had
> a surprise visit from Vic. He said, in his usual calm way, that since no one had heard from
> me, Bahá’í friends were concerned, so he came to check on me. He left the next day,
> having been assured of my safety.
> 
> As all the Assemblies needed to be elected on the First Day of Ridvan, we developed a
> plan to make it happen. We selected a key person in each locality to hold the election and
> collect the ballots. Then, within twenty-four hours, we visited all those locations, tallied the
> votes, and registered the members of the new Assemblies. I was so involved in that
> process, that knew the names of all the elected members by heart.
> 
> This trip was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. However, months later, I
> started suffering from headaches and had a problem with my eyesight. The diagnosis was
> a severe allergic reaction to the fumes of the wick lamp. It stayed with me for the years to
> come.
> 
> Trip to Negros Occidental
> 
> The International Center dormitory had two separate wings for women and men. When I
> applied first, the women’s dormitory was full. There were two other applicants with the same
> dilemma. As they were daughters of wealthy families in Negros Occidental, the
> management found a solution, by giving us a vacant unit in the men’s dormitory. They
> partitioned our unit, which was the last on the second floor, with a separate stairway. We
> were completely isolated from the rest of the residents.
> 
> Because of this unique situation, the three of us developed a strong friendship. My
> roommates were patient when I tried to talk to them in broken English. We were together
> the next semester when we moved to the women’s wing. One of my sweet roommates
> decided to quit U.P. and go back home to Negros. She invited me to her house for the
> Christmas Holidays. I accepted the invitation so that I would introduce her parents to Neva
> Dulay, who had a Sugar Plantation in that area. I also knew that her mother, Momsu would
> be there. I spent a few days with my roommate and made the introductions. Then, Neva
> invited me to her house for the rest of my Holiday. I felt a bit guilty that I was living in luxury,
> while other students were travel teaching in the villages. Then I found my Filipino friend,
> Naomi Geollegue, who was staying in the guest house. Together, we arranged a few
> teaching trips around Negros.
> 
> In one of these trips, while visiting a Bahá’í family, Hayedeh Rowshangah, one of the
> Iranian students, came to see me. She asked me to go to her place in Iloilo, Panay Island.
> We took a ferry boat to the island, an enjoyable trip. While there, we planned a teaching
> trip to a coastal village that had no Bahá’ís. We prayed and armed with the love of God,
> our Teaching Scrapbook, and a few pamphlets in their language, visited people who were
> outside their houses. We made a presentation and started a dialogue, responding to their
> questions. A few declared. It was exhilarating that the two of us had opened a new locality
> to the Faith.
> 
> Trip to the US Naval Base, Subic Bay
> 
> Jamie Ingerson, an American Bahá’í, invited me and Josie Lava, my Filipino friend to her
> home at Subic Base. They were one of the two Bahá’í families stationed in the Philippines.
> One in Clark Base, and the other, in Subic Base. The American Bases were quite extensive
> and self-contained. The residents were not encouraged to venture out of their Bases.
> Therefore, these families had little contact with the Bahá’ís in the Philippines. So, to be
> connected, they invited some of us to visit. While there, we had the opportunity to meet the
> Bahá’ís who lived outside the Base.
> 
> When we arrived, my host told me that an Iranian Naval warship was anchored in the Bay
> for repair. She met the commander in the Base and told him about an Iranian girl who
> would be visiting her. The commander was quite interested in meeting me and invited us
> to have lunch aboard the ship. I was quite amazed, as it would have never happened in
> normal circumstances.
> 
> We graciously accepted the invitation for the next day and asked if Josie could have come
> with us. The response was affirmative. The next day, when we boarded the ship, we were
> formally welcomed by the commander, the officers, and sailors. We were then, ushered
> into the Commander’s dining room to have lunch with him and his officers. We were all
> sitting around a stately table, having a conversation about my life as a student in the
> Philippines. The whole event seemed like being in a movie. After lunch, I presented the
> commander, the “Tablets to The Kings” Proclamation Book. The Commander thanked me
> and asked me for a favor. He told me that his crew, have been at sea for the past six
> months, and have not seen an Iranian lady. So, it would be a boost to their morale If I said
> hello to them in Farsi. I gladly accepted and went on the deck. The crew was called to
> attention, and I was introduced to them as an honored guest. I said a few words in Farsi,
> and they eagerly listened and responded with shy and respectful smiles. We left quite
> touched by this remarkable experience. It showed that there was goodness and kindness
> in Iranians when the occasion arises. I considered this trip a proclamation success.
> 
> My last year in the Philippines
> 
> By this time, I was thoroughly adjusted to the pioneering life in my new homeland. Life was
> full and exciting. I never felt homesick, as there was always a family who welcomed me to
> their house and offered me hospitality. My professors came to terms with my unique
> lifestyle. They respected my beliefs and noticed my efforts to meet my academic
> obligations, along with my Bahá’í activities. I could communicate in English and make
> sense when submitting my exams or Term Papers. I was a fully-fledged MSW student and
> was chosen to be the representative of the Student Body in the Curriculum Development
> Committee. I made constructive suggestions and took my responsibilities seriously. Now
> and then I gave the faculty members a jolt. One of these incidents was a luncheon
> celebration for the completion of the Committee's mission. I attended the luncheon, but
> since I was fasting, I explained that I could not partake of food. I saw a resigned acceptance
> in their faces, as once again, I had manifested an affirmation of my Faith.
> 
> I was also a Student Body delegate, participating in the 3 International Conferences of
> Social Work, Schools of Social Work, and Social Welfare, in Manila. It cemented my
> commitment to my new profession. Especially in the Social Welfare Conference, where
> some Civil Rights Icons, such as Dr. Andrew Young, and the Secretary-General of the
> United Nations were keynote speakers. I developed a passion for the United Nations, and
> the Charter of Human Rights. As they reflected the Bahá’í principles, expounded by Abdu’l-
> Baha, in the Tablets to The Hague. I aspired to be a United Nations Consultant and
> achieved this goal in the future.
> 
> In the Schools of Social Work Conference, I met Sattareh Farman Farmaian, the Director
> of the School of Social Work in Iran. When she found out that I was a Bahá’í, she told me
> that she was a student of the Tarbiyát Bahá’í School, and had a few Bahá’ís working for
> her. She encouraged me to join the faculty of the Tehran School of Social Work. I joined
> the Faculty a few years later.
> 
> During the Conference, Manila was hit by a strong tropical storm. As flooding in the streets
> made them impassable, I could not go back to Diliman. So, one of the American delegates
> offered me a bed in her hotel room. A keynote speaker had to swim through the flooded
> streets to get to the Conference hall. Although this was an unusual phenomenon for the
> delegates, I had experienced a much worse condition before. The year prior to the
> Conference, a strong typhoon devastated Manila. Most of the inhabitants of the close by
> villages had sought shelter in the main hall of the International Center. In the evening, we
> went for a walk and found an eerie situation, most of the faculty houses were blown away,
> and the home appliances and furniture were scattered among the ruins. For a week, we
> had no water or electricity. All the shops and supermarket were closed. I went to Momus’s
> house and saw a cargo ship which had washed ashore, and landed on the banks of Manila
> Bay Blvd. As we had no choice, a few of us decided to go to Mahshid’s little house in
> Baggio. There, we commemorated the Ascension of Abdu’l-Baha together.
> 
> I was a member of the National Teaching Committee and based on Dr. Muhajir’s
> recommendation, the liaison and advisor for the Iranian students. Some came primarily for
> pioneering, and some to join their sisters, brothers or friends. However, all were eager to
> fulfill the goals of the student pioneers in the Philippines. They had a crash course in
> pioneering and were sent to their respective posts. Each found a unique way to adapt. I
> was impressed by a few, such as Farzbod Taefi. He was only 19 when he was sent to study
> in U.P. Mindanao. It was situated in one of the most remote islands in the Philippines. The
> majority of people in Mindanao were Muslims. They had a unique culture and different
> political view than the rest of the Filipinos. They were naturally suspicious to see strangers
> coming to their Island. Farzbod lived in an area where not so many Bahá’ís lived. He had
> no support system; socially or Bahá’í-wise. So, he took it upon himself to survive. He was
> cautious and calculated. Mindanao was hot and humid, but despite that, Farzbod always
> wore a dark suit. He grew a black beard that he trimmed immaculately. By his appearance,
> he gave the impression of being a traditional learned man. He became friends with the
> Mullah’s, and since his Arabic was better than most, he would recite appropriate verses of
> the Quran, followed by a Bahá’í interpretation of each verse. His original approach gained
> him their acceptance and protection in this tumultuous region which reeked of political
> unrest and civil war. Consequently, he was able to mix with local people and teach the
> Faith in an entirely different light.
> 
> Farzbod shared his concern with me about sending new Iranian students to this Island,
> without supervision and support of the institutions. I informed the Assembly about this
> matter.
> 
> My Dissertation on: The Role of the Bahá’í Faith in the Social Development of the
> Bahá’í Youth in Los Banos, Laguna
> 
> When I completed all the required coursework for the M.S.W. program, I found another
> hurdle to my graduation. I should have taken a foreign language course and have passed
> the proficiency test. I told my advisor that English was my foreign language, but it was not
> acceptable to the Board. I told her that I could pass a proficiency test in Arabic. The problem
> was that there was no Arabic language faculty in UP. I then remembered the Syrian
> Professor who met with Mr. Faizi. My Advisor said that although he was not a language
> professor, if he were willing to administer the test, the Institute would accept the result. I
> went to his home office and told him about my predicament. He said that he had no Arabic
> books to use as a text for my language exam. I told him that I had an Arabic edition of the
> Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh that I could lend him. I gave him the Book, a few days before the
> test. On examination day, he told me that since the Writings was in abjad, and there were
> no vowels on consonants, he was not able to understand the content. It indicated that my
> Arabic was better than his. So, he arbitrarily opened the book and asked me to translate
> that page into English. He read the translation and gave me an “A” for my language test.
> 
> Now, I needed to work on my dissertation. The Director of the Institute offered to be my
> thesis advisor. She invited me to her house to discuss the topic of my research. I had not
> made up my mind and did not want to make a hasty decision. My advisor was the one who
> came up with a brilliant idea. She asked me why I was not writing my thesis about the
> Bahá’í Faith. She still remembered what she learned from Mr. Faizi's public meeting at the
> Hilton. I welcomed her suggestion and developed a proposal to study: “The Role of the
> Bahá’í Faith in the Social Development of the Bahá’í Youth in Los Banos, Laguna.”
> 
> This golden opportunity enabled me to do my first scholarly work that integrated my study
> and the Faith. My constant companion for one year, was the letters of the Guardian to the
> youth, addressing us as his coworkers; encouraging us to excel in every endeavor. Holding
> our hands and helping us to move forward, overcoming barriers, and attaining our potential.
> The youthful years and energy of the Guardian was a powerful source of inspiration for me.
> I was fortunate that I could read and sufficiently understand his writings and messages in
> English.
> 
> In my research, I found that the Bahá’í approach to leadership is unique. It does not select
> a few and train them to become leaders. Instead, it nurtures every youth to achieve their
> unique leadership abilities. It promotes “Universal Participation,” not exclusion. The only
> qualifying measure for youth would be their motivation to work hard, to have selfless
> devotion, and to have firm commitment to excel in the service arena.
> 
> I based my thesis on "The Renewal of Civilization,” a book by David Hofman. He was a
> member of the Universal House of Justice. I remembered having lunch with him in the
> Pilgrim House in the Holy Land. He was a British gentleman who always wore a sports
> jacket and a bow tie, like Dr. Mahdavi, my professor at Tehran University. I was not able
> to communicate with him in English then. Now, I spent hours studying his theory on social
> development.
> 
> Excerpts of a letter from my Thesis Advisor to the Dean of Graduate of UP Diliman,
> recommending approval of my Thesis:
> 
> ‘The thesis is unique in the sense that it has suited one of the major religious institutions,
> the Bahá’í Faith, which originated in Asia (Iran), while considering how religion, as a social
> institution, can be drawn and utilised as an interrelated and supportive resource for
> individual and social development. Moreover, it has sought to define that the youth can
> play in today’s affairs, while regularly considering the support and inspirations adults can
> give in a shared partnership with them. Since high ideals are consideration of youth, religion
> properly interpreted to them, can be one of the most challenging sources of inspiration.
> Through its structure and administration, religion can be a social institution that can be an
> integrative force in our rapidly challenging world filled with constant shifts and uncertainty.
> Since the profession of Social Work is primarily concerned with the enhancement of man’s
> social functioning and the development of social groups and institutions for human and
> social ends, the study has attempted to enlarge Social Work knowledge and practice.’
> 
> Excerpts from the Thesis Abstract:
> 
> ‘This study attempts to determine the import of Bahá’í teaching, through Bahá’í
> Administration, on its young members in a Bahá’í community in Barrio Batong
> Malake, Los Banos, Laguna. Specifically, it attempts to find out:
> 
> 1) The participation of the youth in the planning, organization, and
> implementation of the tenets of the Bahá’í Faith;
> 
> 2) The role of Bahá’í Faith in facilitating the development of a sense of
> belonging and self-awareness among the Bahá’í youth.
> 
> The Study revealed the following:
> 
> •   There appeared to be a strong sense of belonging to the Bahá’í community. The
> youth viewed their group activities as a preparation for adult roles. They were keenly
> aware of their role as a Bahá’í, which had affected their moral and social life. The
> Bahá’í Faith, through its Bahá’í Administrative system, can be a means for spiritual
> satisfaction.
> 
> The interview was used as the principal instrument. It was supplemented by the
> case studies and observation of different youth activities.’
> 
> Among the Case study subjects were my long-life friend Delia Pareja, and two young
> professors who had recently become Bahá’ís ; Fred Ramirez, who became an Auxiliary
> Board, and his future wife, Zenaida, who later became a Counselor of the International
> Teaching Center in the Holy Land.
> I dedicated my Thesis to the Supreme Body of the Bahá’í Faith, the Universal House of
> Justice, and sent a copy to the World Center. Unfortunately, I lost my original copy while
> 
> sending my luggage out of Iran, during Islamic Revolution. However, in my subsequent visit
> to the Holy Land, I was honored to find a copy of my thesis in the Supreme Body’s library.
> It is also included in the Bahá’í Library Online, the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies
> Bulletin Online, the National Library of the Philippines Online, and a flipbook on the UP
> College of Social Work and Community Development Library Online.
> 
> My Trip to Iran
> 
> After submitting my Thesis for review, I had a waiting period of 2 to 3 months, for the
> approval by the Review Board. Since I had nothing to do, I decided to use the opportunity
> to go to Iran for a short visit.
> 
> My mother welcomed my visit and was proud of my achievements. She told me that
> anytime she has been around the Bahá’í youth, they asked her if she is my mother. Then
> they said that they were planning to go pioneering and told their parents if they did not allow
> them, they would leave just as Shahla did.
> 
> I felt this enthusiasm anytime I attended a meeting. Once in a large youth meeting in Tejeh
> Garden, after the devotions, the Chair surprised me by welcoming me and asking to say a
> few words about my pioneering experience. I also had an interesting time when attending
> my mother’s weekly meeting. I grew up with these wonderful ladies, all my mother’s age,
> who, for the last decades, held these gathering in response to the National Bahá’í
> Campaign for the Advancement of Women. It combined a program focusing on fellowship,
> deepening, and fireside. They invited me to one of their meetings to talk about my
> pioneering experience. In that meeting, the non-Bahá’í, married daughter of the hostess
> was present. She was antagonistic towards the Bahá’ís and always made disparaging
> remarks about the Faith. The ladies, out of respect for her mother, tolerated her insults.
> This time, after the Chair welcomed me back from the Philippines, this person accused the
> pioneers of going to a primitive Island, feeding its poor, ignorant people, and paying them
> to become Bahá’í. I calmly responded that I have been one of these pioneers. An Iranian
> student who had no home or money to spare. In fact, Filipinos were the ones who fed us
> and invited us to their homes. In addition, we had University Professors and prominent
> people who became Bahá’ís. She lowered her voice and said no one had told her about
> this. I noticed the approving faces of my mother’s friends, appreciating my remarks.
> 
> I made a short trip with my sister to Shiraz. There, I met Dr. Ahamadieh, an Auxiliary Board
> from Belize. We attended a youth meeting at the Bahá’í Center, who were eager to know
> about my pioneering adventure. We had the bounty of visiting the resting places of the
> Báb’s wife and their infant son, Ahmad.
> 
> In our pilgrimage to the House of the Báb, while praying ardently for my future service, I
> was quietly approached by the guide, asking to recite the Tablet of Visitation. I was quite
> surprised. When we proceeded to the courtyard, the guide told me that he was one of the
> students of Dr. Ghadimi.
> 
> Trip to the Holy Land
> 
> In Tehran, I had the pleasure of meeting the parents of some of the student pioneers. I
> heard that Hayedeh was visiting too. We connected, and she told me of her plan of going
> for a nine-day pilgrimage. I was happy for her and asked my mother if I could go for a three-
> day pilgrimage with Hayedeh. She offered to pay for my trip. I was excited and asked the
> Samandari agency, to request a three-day permission for my pilgrimage. I was told that it
> was such short notice that they doubted my request would be granted. However, they would
> contact the World Center. The next day, I had a call from the agent to see him. The
> surprised agent showed me the telegram from the World Center, stating: Shahla Behroozi,
> the pioneer from the Philippines is welcome for the nine-day pilgrimage. The travel agent
> sated; “this had never happened before, what did you do which was so important?” With
> tears in my eyes, I replied; just being a humble pioneer.
> 
> Hayedeh and I traveled together to Haifa. We checked in a hotel downtown and joined the
> other pilgrims at the Eastern Pilgrim House. Mr. Furutan was our guide, and Mr. Faizi joined
> us later. They showered us with their love, telling others about our humble pioneering life
> in the Philippines. Meanwhile, we consulted with Mr. Faizi about the new Iranian students
> in the Philippines and our concern about their wellbeing. After a few days, we were asked
> to meet with two members of the Universal House of Justice. We had the bounty of meeting
> with Mr. Fatheazam and Mr. Chance and consulted about the welfare of student pioneers
> in the Philippines. When the meeting was adjourned, Mr. Fatheazam turned to Mr. Chance
> and said, last time, when Shahla was here, she could hardly put a few sentences together
> in English. Now she can have a consultation with us in fluent English. I replied, I am
> indebted to him and other beloved friends, who had made this venture possible.
> 
> I had a chance to shake hands with Mr. Hofman, during the Universal House of Justice
> meeting with the pilgrims. I told him about my dissertation and my use of his book as my
> source. He was pleased to hear that and asked me to send a copy to the House. I obliged
> and dedicated my Thesis to the Universal House of Justice and sent a copy to the World
> Center. I received a letter that the Supreme Body had received my Thesis, and it was
> placed in the House Library. I also thanked him and the Supreme Body, for granting me
> permission for the Nine-day pilgrimage. Mr. Hofman playfully pulled on my necktie and said
> pioneers are dear to the House.
> 
> I also had a chance to tell Dr. Ruhe, about my meeting with the young US medic in Manila.
> He was happy to know about that. We expressed our gratitude for the pilgrimage. Dr. Ruhe
> suggested that we would be enriching our experience by going on foot to the Shrine, and
> other Holy places in Haifa. We took his advice and seldom took a taxi or bus for the rest of
> our time in Haifa.
> 
> My ardent prayers at the Holy Shrines was for Divine guidance for my future path of service.
> 
> Return to the Philippines
> 
> I returned to the Philippines spiritually revitalized and emotionally replenished. I was told
> by Vic, that the Institutions had received guidance from the Universal House of Justice,
> regarding the safeguards for the well-being of Iranian student pioneers in the Philippines.
> 
> I passed my thesis oral presentation and received my master’s degree Diploma. By this
> time Farzbod had also completed his degree and came to Manila. Mahshid was also in the
> process of leaving the Philippines. It coincided with a visit of Dr. Muhajir, who called for a
> teaching conference in Manila.
> 
> The primary objective was consultation on the August 1970 Message from the Universal
> House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies. An urgent call for pioneers “to ensure
> the success of the Nine-Year Plan in the pioneer field.” The Message stated:
> 
> ‘…. After a recent review of pioneer needs we find it is necessary to call upon the
> valiant, constantly swelling community of believers throughout all continents to fill
> yet another 204 pioneer posts where manpower is desperately needed, in some
> territories in order to win the minimum number of Assemblies or localities called for
> in the Plan, and in others where vast new mass teaching areas have been opened
> to the Faith, thus necessitating additional reinforcements who must arrive soon if the
> precious gains are to be retained…’
> 
> Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986:
> Third Epoch of the Formative Age
> by Universal House of Justice
> compiled on behalf of Geoffry W. Marks.
> Wilmette, IL: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1996
> 
> This conference was a call to action meeting. Dr. Muhajir listed the pioneering posts
> designated to the Philippines and asked for volunteers to fill the posts. When he finished
> the Filipino pioneer’s assignments, he turned to us and asked Farzbod and me, to fill the
> goals for the Pacific Ocean, in New Zealand and Samoa. He joyously announced that we
> had fulfilled the final goals for the Philippines.
> 
> I knew very little about New Zealand and recalled reading a paragraph about it in my high
> school geography textbook. Later, when Dr. Ayman’s visited me, I told him about my new
> pioneering post. Dr. Ayman smiled and said, Abdu’l-Baha called New Zealand the verdant
> Island, and Dr. Muhajir was rewarding me by sending me to a paradise. I was excited to
> hear that. However, I was anxious about my financial situation. When I was in Iran, I noticed
> my father’s problem with his vision. As he was not able to drive or treat patients, he was
> retiring and selling his clinic. Therefore, he could no longer support me. I had sufficient
> funds to purchase a return ticket to Iran and a limited amount of cash.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir, who soon was leaving for the Pacific, told us that the Filipino volunteers would
> be deputized by allocated funds for the Philippines. Farzbod and I needed to receive
> funding from the National Assembly of Iran. He was communicating with Iran for the funds,
> 
> but since he was leaving for the Oceanic Conference in Fiji, we would need to join him
> there for the follow-up planning.
> 
> The funds did not arrive, and we held a prayer meeting with the Bahá’ís to find a way.
> Orpha Daugherty, one of the early American pioneers who knew me well, told me that she
> had just received a gift from her son, to purchase a plane ticket and visit him in the US.
> She was willing to postpone the trip and lend me, the money for my trip. In turn, I lent my
> money to Farzbod for his ticket. In 1971, we put our trust in Bahá’u’lláh, bid farewell to our
> dear friends and our adopted home, and began our new venture to the Pacific.
> 
> Mahshid
> 
> Mahshid left the Philippines for India. She then pioneered to Nepal, married a Nepalese
> man, and started a family. I last met her In Iran with her new baby son. She was happy and
> content with her life. She later became an Auxiliary Board Member and was actively
> involved in preparation for the inauguration of the Bahá’í Temple in India. Shortly after, she
> winged her flight to the Abha Kingdom. I remembered when she mentioned that a palm
> reader had told her that she had a short life. Sadly, this prediction came through.
> 
> A decade later, when I was living in California, my friend Kayvan, called me and said that
> a young Nepalese student was in her town, living with his non-Bahá’í aunt. He had
> contacted the Bahá’ís and told Kayvan that his mother, Mahshid, was a Bahá’í, and he
> would like to connect with the Bahá’ís. Kayvan asked if they could come to meet me. I was
> delighted to see him and invited them for lunch. When I saw this young man, I held him
> tight in my arms, crying, and remembering my dear Mahshid. He told me since he was very
> young when his mother passed away, he did not know much about her. We spent the rest
> of the day, recalling stories about Mahshid, his mother, and my beloved friend!
> 
> The Martyrdom of the three Iranian Students
> 
> Hayedeh and Jila became the liaisons for the Iranian students after I left. They told me the
> poignant story of the three Iranian students who, in 1972, were pioneering in Mindanao.
> They decided to go travel teaching to an isolated rural area. They never returned, and no
> one ever heard from them. As no active search was taking place, Jila and Hayedeh,
> requested to meet with Imelda Marcus, the First Lady of the Philippines. They pleaded to
> send a search party to find the missing students. Mrs. Marcus immediately took action and
> asked the authorities to search. After a few days, the First Lady met with them, and with
> tears in her eyes, told them that the mutilated bodies of the students were found in a shallow
> grave. She stated that the authorities would be taking care of removal of their remains and
> their funeral.
> 
> The following is an excerpt from the Message of the Universal House of Justice:
> ‘With feelings of deep sorrow, we relate to the Bahá'í world the distressing
> circumstances surrounding the murder of three Iranian Bahá'í students, pioneers
> to the Philippine Islands.
> 
> Parviz Sadiqi, Faramarz Vujdani and Parviz Furughi were among a number of
> Iranian Bahá'í youth who answered the call for pioneers. With eleven others they
> registered at the Universities in Mindanao with the intention of completing their
> studies and proclaiming the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. These three had conceived the
> plan of making teaching trips to a rural area inhabited by Muslims. When on July
> 31st the authorities of Mindanao State University were notified that they had left
> the campus the previous day and had not yet returned, search parties were
> immediately formed and the assistance of the police and local authorities obtained.
> After inquiries and search led entirely by President Tamano of Mindanao State
> University, the bodies of the three young men were found in a shallow grave. They
> had been shot, grievously mutilated and two had been decapitated. The bodies
> were removed and given Bahá'í burial in a beautiful plot donated for the purpose.
> 
> Immediately upon receipt of the tragic news, Vicente Samaniego, Counselor in
> Northeast Asia, in close cooperation with the National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Philippines, acted vigorously on behalf of the Bahá'ís and was given the utmost
> cooperation and sympathy by the authorities, police, military and civil. A convocation
> was called, attended by more than 900 students, faculty members and University
> officials. Prayers were said in English, Arabic and Persian. The President of the
> University gave a talk in which he said that the murdered Iranian students are not
> ordinary students, for with them is the Message of Bahá'u'lláh which is the way to
> unity. The Council of the Student Body asked that their new Social Hall be renamed
> Iranian Student Memorial Hall. Three thousand people marched in the funeral
> procession and six hundred went to the burial site to attend
> 
> the interment. A dignified burial was conducted by the Bahá'ís in the presence of
> University authorities and friends.
> 
> The relatives and friends of these three young men, who gave their lives in the
> service of the Blessed Beauty, are assured of the loving sympathy and prayers of
> their fellow believers. The sacrifice made by these youth adds a crown of glory to
> the wonderful services now being performed by Bahá'í youth throughout the world.
> Bahá'u'lláh Himself testifies: They that have forsaken their country in the path of
> God and subsequently ascended unto His presence, such souls shall be blessed
> by the Concourse on High and their names recorded by the Pen of Glory among
> such as have laid down their lives as martyrs in the path of God, the Help in peril,
> the Self-Subsistent.’
> 
> Martyrdom of Three Iranian Bahá'í Students in the Philippine Islands 19
> SEPTEMBER 1972 To the Bahá'ís of the World
> Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986: Third Epoch of the Formative
> Age by Universal House of Justice compiled on behalf of Geoffry W. Marks. Wilmette, IL:
> Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1996
> 
> CHAPTER 3
> NEW ZEALAND
> 1971-1973
> 
> The SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN CONFERENCE
> 
> On May 1971, I left the Philippines for Suva, Fiji, to attend the first South Pacific
> Conference. When I arrived at the airport, I did not find any Bahá’í to guide me to the
> Conference accommodation site. So, I took a taxi to the Suva Bahá’í Center. There, I met
> the caretaker of the Center, who was surprised to see a “young sweet girl” – as the dear
> Bahá’í called me, arriving at her doorstep. So, she asked me to stay in the small guest
> room at the Center. I later found out that all the Conference participants, including Farzbod,
> were staying at a hostel.
> 
> The first day of the conference was quite exciting, seeing beautiful Pacific Islanders in their
> colorful customs; joyful for coming together, united in working for one Common Cause.
> Every day, we had the pleasure of hearing the prayers and songs in the melodious
> languages of Pacific Islanders. That included the Maori of New Zealand and the Aborigines
> of Australia.
> 
> The Conference commenced with reading the following message from the Universal
> House of Justice:
> 
> ‘To the Friends of God assembled in the Conference of the South Pacific Ocean
> 
> Dearly loved Friends,
> 
> We send our warmest greetings and deepest love on the occasion of the first
> Conference in the heart of the Pacific Ocean. Praise be to God that you have
> gathered to consult on the vital needs of the hour!
> 
> Recalling the promise of Bahá’u’lláh “Should they attempt to conceal His light on the
> continent, He will assuredly rear His head in the midmost heart of the ocean and,
> raising His voice, proclaim: ‘I am the lifegiver of the world!’” we now witness its
> fulfillment in the vast area of the Pacific Ocean, in island after island mentioned by
> the Master in the Tablets of the Divine Plan. How great is the potential for the Faith
> in localities blessed by these references!
> 
> At the inception of the Formative Age, the Cause was little known here. Agnes
> Alexander had brought the Teachings to the Hawaiian Islands. Father and Mother
> Dunn had only recently arrived in Australia. Later the name of Martha Root was to
> be emblazoned across the Pacific. Still later, at the beginning of the Ten-Year
> Crusade, a vanguard of twenty-one Knights of Bahá’u’lláh raised His call as they
> settled in the islands of this great Ocean. The names of these valiant souls, together
> with the names of the army of pioneers and teachers who followed, will be forever
> enshrined in the annals of the Faith.
> 
> Their mighty endeavors brought about the enrollment of thousands of the peoples
> of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia under the banner of the Most Great Name,
> the opening in Australasia of more than 800 centers and the establishment of ten
> pillars of the Universal House of Justice. We can but marvel at such triumphs
> attained despite great difficulties imposed by the vast expanse of ocean separating
> the island communities, especially when it is recalled that in many of these islands
> even the Christian Gospel was unknown as late as the 1830s.
> 
> How great is the responsibility to continue spreading the Word of God throughout
> the Pacific. It was in the Tablets of the Divine Plan that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá called for
> teachers “speaking their languages, severed, holy, sanctified and filled with the love
> of God,” to “turn their faces to and travel through the three great Island groups of the
> Pacific Ocean - Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia … With hearts overflowing
> with the love of God, with tongues commemorating the mention of God” to “deliver
> the Glad Tidings of the manifestation of the Lord of Hosts to all the people.”
> 
> The Nine-Year Plan, the current phase of the unfoldment of the Divine Plan, is now
> approaching its final stages. It is incumbent on the friends to assess what has been
> accomplished and to anticipate and plan for such rapid acceleration of the teaching
> and consolidation work as is necessary to win all goals by 1973. Time is short; the
> needs critical. No effort must be spared; no opportunity overlooked.
> 
> Our prayers ascend at the Holy Threshold that every session of this historic meeting
> will attract Divine blessings, and that the friends will go forth, armed with the love of
> God and enthusiasm born of the Spirit, fully prepared to scale the heights of victory!
> 
> With loving Bahá’í greetings,
> 
> [signed: The Universal House of Justice]’
> 
> ~ Message to the South Pacific Oceanic Conference- May 1971 To the Friends of
> God assembled in the Conference of the South
> 
> https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-
> justice/messages/19710501_002/1
> 
> Dr. Muhajir was one of the Hands of the Cause who represented the Supreme Body. They
> expounded on the objectives of the Message and helped the delegates in developing
> strategies to achieve the remaining goals of the Nine-Year Plan.
> 
> After each day of consultation and planning, the evenings were filled with the music and
> dances, representing the culture of each nation. In addition, we had the wonderful Bahá’í
> music and choir, some conducted by Russ Garcia, and accompanied by the solo
> performance of Gina Garcia. Russ was a well-known Hollywood composer, and Gina, a
> lyric writer, and singer. In 1969, the couple decided to become travel teachers. They left
> their glamorous life behind, and sailed in their trimaran; “Dawn Breaker,” to the islands in
> the Pacific.
> 
> I had the pleasure of going to their boat one evening, with the New Zealand friends. The
> Garcia’s eventually settled in New Zealand and graced the Bahá’í meetings with their
> wonderful music. They had taught the Bahá’ís to sing their soul-stirring songs and thus,
> fulfilling the following wishes of the Master:
> 
> “Therefore ... set to music the verses and the divine words so that they may be sung
> with soul stirring melody in the Assemblies and gatherings, and that the hearts of the
> listeners may become tumultuous and rise towards the Kingdom of Abha in
> supplication and prayer.”
> 
> ("Bahá'í World Faith: Selected Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and Abdu'l-Bahá", rev. ed.
> (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,1976), p. 378)
> 
> In between the sessions, Dr. Muhajir met with Farzbod and me, to inform us that Mr. Sabet,
> a prominent Iranian Bahá’í, had agreed to deputize both until the funding from the NSA of
> Iran was approved. Dr. Muhajir asked me to go with him to the New Zealand consulate to
> obtain a tourist visa. Then, we purchased our plane tickets for New Zealand. He advised
> me to stay in Auckland until his arrival, to consult with the National Spiritual Assembly about
> my stay in the country.
> 
> New Zealand at a Glance
> 
> New Zealand is an island nation, in the southern hemisphere. It is comprised of 2 major
> islands of North and South and several smaller ones. The South Island is the last landmass
> before Antarctica. Therefore, although within the Pacific region, the New Zealand climate,
> geography, and culture, vastly differs from its neighboring islands of Fiji, Tonga, and New
> Caledonia.
> 
> Due to the isolation from the continents, there are animals and plants unique to New
> Zealand. One of them is the national bird of New Zealand called the Kiwi, a flightless,
> nocturnal, and shy bird. New Zealanders call themselves Kiwis and use it as a brand
> name for their sports teams, products, and the Kiwi fruit.
> 
> New Zealand was the last land mass in the world which was occupied by humans. The
> Maori nation originated from the Eastern Polynesian seafarers, who settled in New Zealand
> in the mid-13th Century. They adapted to their new environment and developed their own
> unique culture and language. In 1642, Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer, was the first
> European, who reached the Islands that he called New Zealand. In 1769, James Cook, a
> British Explorer opened the Islands to the British and other European settlers. The history
> of the New Zealand settlers and Maori is not dissimilar to the American Indians and
> European settlers. It eventually led to the Treaty of Waitangi, in 1841, which made the
> New Zealand a British Colony. In the early 20th Century, New Zealand became a member
> of the British Commonwealth of Nations. The system of government is Constitutional
> Monarchy, with Parliamentary Democracy. The Queen as the Head of State appoints a
> Governor General on the advice of the NZ Prime Minister, as her representative.
> 
> History of the Bahá’ís in New Zealand
> 
> Excerpts from the “Bahaikipedia.org/ New Zealand.” website:
> ‘The first New Zealand Bahá’í, Margaret Stevenson, was born in Onehunga on 30
> November 1865. She initially heard of the Bahá’í Faith through reading an article in
> The Christian Commonwealth sent to her by her sister, Amy, who was studying
> music in London. Margaret, though, later admitted that she “did not think any more
> about it.”
> However, in 1913 Miss Dorothea Spinney, a professional actress who performed in
> many parts of the world, arrived in Auckland from California and stayed at the
> Stevenson home in Devonport. During that visit, there were many opportunities for
> Miss Spinney to tell the Stevenson family about the Bahá’í Cause.
> After embracing the new Faith, Margaret began to speak to others of her new-found
> beliefs – a courageous act for a middle-class woman in the then conservative society
> where following a new religion was considered odd. As New Zealand’s only Bahá’í,
> she held on steadfastly to her faith for many years.
> Finally, after the visit of the first Bahá’í traveling teachers to New Zealand in
> December 1922, a handful of individuals from Margaret’s social circle also became
> Bahá’ís. A class was established at her home in Parnell to study the Teachings in
> more depth and was held there regularly for 10 years. In January 1923, the first
> Bahá’í Nineteen Day Feast, which is a gathering of the Bahá’ís to pray, consult and
> socialise together, was held at her home.
> Margaret held various administrative roles within the Bahá’í community and
> remained an active and dedicated Bahá’í until her passing in Auckland on 11
> February 1941. She is buried in Hillsborough Cemetery
> … 1948. The first person of Māori descent, Albert Tikitu White, became a Bahá’í in
> Whangarei. His wife, Florence also joined the Faith. Albert, who descended from the
> Ngatiawa tribe, and Florence naturally taught their children about their new Faith
> and four of their six children who reached adulthood became Bahá’ís.
> 
> Some New Zealand Bahá’ís of the past whose names stand out are Hugh Blundell,
> Ephraim Te Paa, and Shirley Charters. These are just a few names among many
> early, influential Bahá’ís who spread the message of Bahá’u’lláh and strived to put
> His teachings into practice by serving their communities and working towards
> fostering unity among the diverse peoples of Aotearoa
> 
> …. In October 1958, a prominent Bahá’í from Uganda, Mr. Enoch Olinga, met with
> Māori chiefs at Mangatoatoa Pā during a six-day visit to New Zealand, the main
> purpose of which was to meet the Māori people. He went to Ngaruawahia where he
> met with King Koroki’s advisers, and to Rotorua where he was welcomed onto
> several maraes and met Guide Rangi. During his visit, Mr. Olinga spoke to a
> gathering of two hundred Māori at Kihikihi.’
> 
> Journey to New Zealand
> 
> I arrived at the Auckland airport in June, the New Zealand’s Winter. It was late at night and
> cold for me, having lived in the tropics for the past three years. I was recovering from a cold
> virus that afflicted most of the conference participants in Fiji, wearing a woolen coat and
> pants. My dear host, Wayne Lindsey, welcomed me, barefooted, dressed in a pair of shorts
> and a T-shirt. He drove me to his home in Howick, a suburban city of Auckland. I stayed
> with Wayne and his wife Lisa, for the first few weeks and went through a learning curve of
> getting to know my new pioneering post.
> 
> I learned that the New Zealand language and culture was more British than American. In
> the Philippines, I took a language lab to learn the correct pronunciation of the American
> English. Now, I had to start adapting to the Kiwis English, dialect, idioms, and spellings. It
> felt like re-experiencing my first few months in the Philippines; I had problems
> understanding Kiwis, and they found it hard to understand me!
> 
> At that time, New Zealand had no relationship with Iran, and most of the Kiwi’s thought Iran
> was in the Arabian desert; that I rode camels for transport and was not familiar with the
> “city life,” such as shopping in supermarkets.
> 
> I remember one time; I was invited to a neighbor’s home. She offered me British Tea, which
> was always served with milk and sugar. As in Iran we always had black tea, I politely turned
> down the offer. She laughed and said I should be a camel for not drinking tea. Then, later
> in the afternoon, she got up and announced that she was going to prepare “Tea.” I smiled
> and stated that I was okay and didn’t need any. She seemed surprised and asked, “you
> are not going to have dinner?” I then realized that for Kiwis, “Tea” also meant dinner. I
> responded, of course, I would have dinner and thanked her for the offer.
> 
> Auckland Bahá’ís
> 
> Auckland was the largest city in New Zealand; a smaller version of London. The National
> Bahá’í Center and Office were in Parnell, where the National Spiritual Assembly met every
> month. Most of the Bahá’ís in Auckland were my parent's age, accustomed to the formal
> Bahá’í Feast and meetings. While the suburban communities like Howick had a younger
> generation of Bahá’ís and were more vibrant. I was taken to the Bahá’í Center to meet
> with the National Spiritual Assembly’s Secretary. She shared with me the Assembly’s
> concern, of my coming to New Zealand with just a tourist Visa. As the country’s immigration
> policy was strict, and there was a risk of my deportation like many others who came and
> were not able to stay. Therefore, the National Spiritual Assembly was in a predicament and
> would be consulting with Dr. Muhajir about my precarious situation. I spent the next few
> weeks with my young Howick friends, including Margaret and Chris Wright, praying
> anxiously, waiting for Dr. Muhajir’s arrival, to help me with this predicament.
> 
> Shirley Charters
> 
> I met Shirley Charters, a dynamic and dedicated Bahá’í teacher, who was unlike her other
> middle age compatriots. In that period, New Zealand was going through the subcultural
> revolution of the “New Age” youth movement. Shirley was in tune with these young people
> and attracted quite a few of them.
> 
> She believed in teaching the Faith by reciting the “Pure Words.” Therefore, she always
> carried a few books of the Bahá’í Holy Writings and knew most of the verses by heart.
> Each section was highlighted in different colors, and there were notes on the bookmarks
> for various topics. She used to go to the coffee shops, sat at a table and observed the
> customers. When she spotted the “receptive souls,” she went to their table, opened the
> book to a highlighted section, and started the conversation by reading the quotation and
> talking about the subject that interested the listener. She was always right in answering
> what they were seeking. Quite a few youths, along with their family and friends,
> embraced the Faith. These young Bahá’ís considered Shirley as their spiritual mother.
> They became close-knitted friends and the driving force in the mass teaching campaign.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir’s Visit
> 
> Dr. Muhajir’s visit was the start of the new age of mass teaching in New Zealand. I
> remember his vision for New Zealand was to become the first Bahá’í nation in the world.
> As the probability of reaching a Bahá’í majority, in the 3 Million population of New Zealand
> would be achievable. He carried the message of the Universal House of Justice to the New
> Zealand Bahá’ís, stating:
> 
> ‘It is incumbent on the friends to assess what has been accomplished and to anticipate
> and plan for such rapid acceleration of the teaching and consolidation work as is
> necessary to win all goals by 1973.
> 
> Time is short; the needs critical. No effort must be spared; no opportunity overlooked.’
> 
> (The Universal House of Justice, May 1971, To the Friends of God assembled in the
> Conference of the South Pacific Ocean.)
> 
> bahai-library.com/uhj_messages_1968_1973
> 
> I was invited to meet with Dr. Muhajir and the members of National Spiritual Assembly, at
> the Bahá’í Center. One member was Manoo Ala’i, a brother of Mrs. Gloria Faizi. He was
> among a few Iranian Bahá’ís in New Zealand. Manoo always treated me as his younger
> sister and offered me advice and support throughout my stay in NZ. The two other
> members; Ron Pratt and John Giffin, were both American pioneers, residing in Napier and
> Gisborne. They both played key roles in the implementation of mass teaching in New
> Zealand.
> 
> I was relieved to learn that the Spiritual Assembly of Iran would be deputizing me until I
> found a job and supported myself. I was informed that based on that assurance, the
> National Assembly would sponsor me for my visa application. I also received reference
> letters from prominent professionals in Iran, such as Dr. Ayman, the director of
> Psychological Institute, and Dr. Rasekh, my professor, who was the CEO of the Social
> Planning and Development Agency of Iran.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir asked the National Assembly to send me to Wellington, the Capital of New
> Zealand, in order to contact the government agencies for employment. Brian Smart, an
> Assembly member, offered me hospitality, to stay with his family in Wellington. Pam
> Ringwood, another Assembly member, who was a lecturer of Family Law at Auckland
> University, offered to be my character reference in New Zealand. I felt empowered to arise
> and serve!
> 
> ‘Heed not your weaknesses and frailty; fix your gaze upon the invincible power of
> the Lord, your God, the Almighty … Arise in His name, put your trust wholly in Him,
> and be assured of ultimate victory.’
> ~ The Báb
> 
> (Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 94)
> 
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> Later that day, I had a consultation with Dr. Muhajir. He said that he had asked the National
> Assembly to appoint me as a member of the National Teaching Committee, with the
> objective of coordinating and implementing a mass teaching plan in New Zealand’s North
> Island. He wanted me to transfer my mass teaching experience from the Philippines, with
> modifications to adapt to the New Zealand culture. Dr. Muhajir stated that he was aware
> of the New Zealand immigration policy and knew that the only way for me to obtain a
> working visa, would be to personally meet with the Director of the Social Welfare agency.
> The strategy was to call and make an appointment, to present my resume and reference
> letters and ask for a suitable position. I told him that I would do my best, but asked; what
> would happen if I could not make it? Dr. Muhajir said, emphatically: “Shahla, you are the
> pioneer of the Universal House of Justice, if you cannot stay in your post, no one else would
> be able to do so!” He asked me to pray, to cast away my doubts and act as if it had already
> happened. I followed his advice, and repeated 19 times each day, the verses that Mr. Faizi
> had recited at the shrine of Bahá’u’lláh:
> 
> ‘O Lord! Open Thou the door, provide the means, prepare the way, make safe the
> path, Yá Allahu’l-Mustaghath! ‘
> 
> http://bahai-library.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=69
> 
> Dr. Muhajir’s Teaching Campaign
> 
> Dr. Muhajir had a meeting with the young Bahá’ís in the Auckland region and was pleased
> to observe their energy and enthusiasm for service. He asked us to participate in a teaching
> camp which was going to be held on the outskirts of Raetihi, by Mt. Ruapehu. I was able
> to attend this meeting on my way to Wellington. Hooshang Mosaed, a cousin of Manoo
> Ala’i, was the organizer of this gathering. I stayed at his home, with his family for a few
> days, then went with him to the campsite. It was a rustic mountain lodge, composed of
> sleeping halls with bunk beds, and a common room that served as a dining room and
> meeting hall. I learned from other participants where to set up my sleeping bag, then joined
> Dr. Muhajir in the meeting hall. That night, after dinner, Doctor Muhajir slept on a cot by the
> wood burning stove in the meeting hall.
> 
> The surrounding area of the lodge was covered with snow. I felt like being back in Tehran
> by Mt. Damavand. I had never experienced this type of camping before. It was the first of
> many other occasions when all the Bahá’ís came together; prayed, ate, women and men
> slept on the opposite sides of a hall, planned teaching activities, and joyfully served the
> Faith. It was the beginning of a strong bonding among us, joining in spirit, and becoming
> the members of “One Bahá’í Family.”
> 
> This was the first of many teaching conferences that Dr. Muhajir held throughout New
> Zealand. In this meeting, the members of the new National Teaching Committee for the
> North Island, and a few members of the National Assembly were present. He urged us to
> plan and implement a mass teaching campaign, concentrating on street teaching, coffee
> shops, community centers, and other public places.
> 
> Journey to Wellington
> 
> I bade farewell to Dr. Muhajir, and my new Bahá’í friends and took a train to Wellington.
> Brian met me at the station and took me to his house to meet his wonderful wife, Janice,
> and their beautiful children. It became my home for the next few months. The house was
> on a hill overlooking Wellington Harbour. Brian used to be a headmaster in the Cook Islands
> prior to coming to Wellington. Therefore, he and Janice could understand my anxiety for
> facing the unknown. Janice became a loving friend who helped me to contact government
> agencies and took me around Wellington to get familiarized with the city. I became
> independent by learning to take the cable car and buses to go to town for appointments
> and shopping. I could go on my own to the homes of young Bahá’ís, such as Barbara Hunt,
> who lovingly, invited me to meet her friends and enjoy an evening of food and friendship.
> It was at that meeting that I was first introduced to the sparkling grape juice/apple cider.
> The young Kiwi Bahá’ís dubbed it as the “Bahá’í Champagne”; they raised their glasses
> with that, instead of refusing to drink and standing out like a sore thumb among the public.
> I remember in the Kaye and Paul Vessey’s wedding, young Bahá’ís at our table had so
> much fun and laughter, that others presumed that we had too much to drink - the bottles of
> the nonalcoholic “Bahá’í Champagne” was very much like the real one. We jokingly
> admitted that we were drunk from the “Wine of Astonishment.”
> 
> I fell in love with Wellington, a more European city than Auckland. It was built on the hills
> of the southern tip of the North Island and was usually compared to the city of San
> Francisco. Wellington is a cosmopolitan city, bustling with people from different
> nationalities. In downtown Wellington, there are an array of Greek, Polish, French and
> German shops, and cafes, adding to its international flavor.
> 
> As soon as I was settled, I followed Dr. Muhajir’s advice and called the Office of Child
> Welfare Services, requesting an appointment with the Director. I received a call from Mr.
> K, the Deputy Director, to meet with him the next day. I took a cable car to the Government
> Office for the meeting. Mr. K. was a professional social worker, who later became a
> consultant to the future Prime Minister of New Zealand. He was impressed by my resume
> and reference letters and mentioned that there were very few social workers with master’s
> degrees in the country. He then, wondered why I had chosen to work in New Zealand. I
> responded that I was invited by the Bahá’í community and was hoping to serve the people
> of New Zealand. The interesting point was that Mr. K. was Jewish, and as a member of a
> minority, he welcomed diversity. He promised to find a suitable position for me in the
> Department. I was quite excited and relayed my conversation to Janice. She asked me to
> invite Mr. K., and his wife, for a Persian dinner at her house. When he accepted my
> invitation, I started searching for the ingredients for making a Persian dish. However, I could
> only find some Japanese eggplant in a Mediterranean shop. So, I ended up making my
> least favorite Persian dish. The dinner was a success, and my Kiwi friends enjoyed the
> novelty of tasting a new recipe. We had a warm and friendly dinner, and as a parting gift, I
> gave Mr. K., a copy of the “Tablets to Kings,” the Centennial Proclamation book of the
> Universal House of Justice.
> 
> At the follow-up meeting, Mr. K. told me that there was an entry-level position available in
> the Child Welfare Office in Pukekohe, in the Auckland region. If I were interested, I had to
> report to the office in 2 weeks. He said that since the job required driving for home visits, I
> would need to exchange my International Driver’s License for a New Zealand one. I stated
> that I had never driven a car before and had no International Driver’s License. The
> Department arranged for me to go to a Driving School, for two weeks, and pass my test to
> obtain a Driver’s License. The driving school assigned its best instructor, a middle-aged
> Englishman, with a Cockney accent. He tried his best to teach me using a stick shift, to
> start and stop on a steep road, do a 3-point turn and parallel parking. In addition, I had to
> learn the New Zealand traffic regulations. The hardest part for me was driving on the wrong
> side of the road – British rules of the road. The instructor told me that the pressure had
> made him a chain smoker!
> 
> I passed my written test by the deadline. The next day, I took my driving test with an Officer
> who was overdramatizing his reactions to my way of driving. As I did not have my own car,
> I was driving the School’s VW Bug. While I was gingerly driving uphill, on a narrow road,
> out of nowhere, a vegetable truck turned and hit me side on, totaling the little car. I
> screamed “O my God!” covering my face with my hands. I was sure it was my fault, but the
> Officer took me by my shoulders and said, “sweetheart, it was not your fault!” He ordered
> me to leave the scene, then ran out of the car, yelling at the other driver, for not using his
> signal, and looking for oncoming traffic. I was in shock, knowing for sure that my job was
> 
> in jeopardy. I spent the rest of the day, wandering in a shopping mall, trying to calm my
> nerves. When I got home, Janice seemed quite worried. She told me the driving school
> had called and gave her the news. They wanted me to know that they had informed the
> Department, about my no-fault accident. However, it was not advisable for me to take the
> test, as I had the traumatic experience and their car was totaled. Mr. K called and asked
> me to meet with him the next day.
> 
> I went to our last meeting, feeling quite despondent! Mr. K. was empathetic and stated that
> he asked the supervisor in Pukekohe Office, to enroll me in a driving school for the extra
> practice, so that I obtain my license in Auckland. Then, he handed me my working visa,
> which granted me a permanent status.
> 
> He also gave me my employment papers, indicating that I was officially hired on that day.
> Therefore, the Government was covering my settlement expenses, including my
> transportation and hotel accommodation in Pukekohe. I thanked him for his help and got
> ready to leave for my new job and new life. I thanked God for the Ocean of His Mercy and
> that within a few months, I was able to overcome so many obstacles and achieve the far-
> reaching goal of being a self-supporting pioneer in my new post.
> 
> ‘He, verily, will aid everyone that aideth Him, and will remember everyone that
> remembereth Him.’
> ~ Bahá’u’lláh
> (Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 203)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> My New Life
> 
> I said goodbye to the Smarts and thanked them for their loving support in making my new
> life possible. Then I took a train to Pukekohe, 50 Kilometers south of Auckland. It was a
> small town, serving a large rural area. My hotel and the Child Welfare Office were both
> located on the same street, along with the other major shops and government agencies. It
> was the first time in my life that I was living in a small rural town.
> 
> The small Child Welfare office consisted of a Supervisor, 2 Child Welfare Officers, including
> me, and a few clerks. Mr. C, my supervisor told me that I would be attending a Staff
> Development Training in Wellington. However, it would be after the 6 months of
> probationary period. Meanwhile, I would be learning my job by riding along with him and
> shadowing my coworker, Mr. F. No one was happy to see me, a foreigner and stranger,
> joining them in that tightly knit office. However, Mr. F. took me under his wing and became
> my mentor. He was an ex-insurance salesman and knew very little of social work methods.
> We were serving the horticultural community of Pakehas (whites) and Maori. After one
> week stay in the hotel, I boarded with Mr. F’s mother, an elderly New Zealander.
> 
> Mr. C. told me that since there was no driving school in that town, he would help me
> practice, in order to get my license. He also said that he wanted me to be stationed in
> 
> Papakura, a small urban city, 23 Kilometers from Auckland. He thought, rightly so, that I
> would be more suited to the clientele population of that area. So, a few days after my arrival,
> he asked me to drive the latest model office car, a brand-new Ford, to Papakura. He sat
> beside me and showed me the entrance to the highway that connected Pukekohe to
> Papakura. I was nervous and tried my best to follow the traffic rules while listening to Mr.
> C’s one-way conversation. After a long and uneventful drive, we arrived at Papakura’s first
> intersection. However, I did not notice that we were there. So, when Mr. C. abruptly told
> me to turn right, I did so, without slowing down! I went straight toward the cars parked on
> the side of the street. My car went over the back bumper of a new, little sports car. I was
> devastated, and Mr. C. was in a panic. The accident happened in front of the Court and
> Police Department of Papakura, where Mr. C. was taking me to be introduced as their new
> Child Welfare Officer. The Police Officers rushed out to inspect the accident. From then on,
> I became the butt of jokes among the Law Enforcement Officers. Everybody knew of my
> accident, and anytime they saw me, they teased me by saying: “Watch out! The dangerous
> driver is coming!”. The owner of the sports car was the Clerk of the Court. When I was
> introduced to him, he blurted: “what did you do to my beautiful car?”. It was one of the most
> embarrassing times of my life. Mr. C. told me that it was his fault to put me in such a
> precarious position. He should have known better, as my supervisor, to ask me to drive a
> new car in an unfamiliar area. He arranged for me to commute to Auckland, for driving
> lessons. I got my license at the Papakura DMV, where I had my accident. The Officer was
> joking that he was licensing me to operate a lethal weapon! I may have broken the record
> of having 2 major accidents before getting my driver’s license! Since then, I was always
> given the oldest car while working in that office.
> 
> After a month, I found a modern, one-bedroom, furnished apartment in Papakura. I spent
> most of my time in Papakura and went only once a week to the Main Office for reporting
> and submitting my paperwork. Mr. F. continued to be my mentor. After a while he helped
> me to buy my first car, a used Hillman. I then became an independent working woman.
> 
> My Bahá’í Life:
> 
> I was the only Bahá’í, in both Pukekohe and Papakura. The closest Bahá’í was an isolated
> believer in Waiuku, a farming town close to Pukekohe. Diane Mc Allen Smith lived in a
> beautiful, modern ranch house with her children and her husband who was not a Bahá’í.
> They had a sprawling sheep farm. Diane and I developed a close friendship, we both valued
> our spiritual connection.
> 
> The other Bahá’í close by, was Farivar Bashir-Elahi, a Persian pioneer who lived as an
> isolated believer in Manukau, a town close to Auckland. His wife was not a Bahá’í, and
> we enjoyed our new-found friendship.
> 
> After moving to Papakura, I was able to go to the Auckland Bahá’í Center for Bahá’í
> activities. I heard from the National Office that Mr. Furutan was visiting Auckland and was
> asking about me. Although I did not have a car at that time, I was able to take a bus to the
> Bahá’í Center to meet him. I was so delighted to see that precious soul again. He told me
> that Dr. Muhajir had asked him to find out how I was doing and if everything was okay with
> 
> my stay in New Zealand. I told him about my life, and he was pleased that things were
> working out for me. I said that I had been trying very hard to follow his advice, as he stated
> in this story:
> 
> ‘The Blessed Beauty often remarked: 'There are four qualities which I love to see
> manifested in people: first, enthusiasm and courage; second, a face wreathed in
> smiles and a radiant countenance; third, that they see all things with their own eyes
> and not through the eyes of others; fourth, the ability to carry a task, once begun,
> through to its end.'
> ~ Ali-Akbar Furutan, Stories of Bahá’u’lláh
> 
> http://bahai-library.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5017
> 
> Implementation of Dr. Muhajir’s Teaching Campaign in the North Island
> 
> The National Spiritual Assembly appointed four members to the National Teaching
> Committee of the North Island, to initiate the implementation of Dr. Muhajir’s teaching
> campaign: Margaret Wright and Caroline Joseph, who were my age, both married with
> small children. The fourth member was John Milne, a devoted Bahá’í, who despite his
> physical disability, was committed to travel extensively with us, to the teaching events
> throughout the North Island.
> 
> In the beginning, when I did not have a car, John used to pick me up from the bus station
> for the NTC meetings. The other three members were New Zealanders from Auckland, all
> of us were committed to giving it all, to make the campaign a success.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir asked the National Spiritual Assembly to publish 1000 proclamation
> pamphlets, like the ones that were used in the Philippines and other mass teaching
> countries. It explained in simple and concise language the 12 Spiritual Principles of the
> Faith; emphasizing the Oneness of God, Oneness of Humanity, and Oneness of Religion;
> expounding on progressive revelation, the station of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, and a short
> explanation of the Bahá’í Teachings. It was attached to a self-stamped interest card, which
> invited the readers to investigate the Faith by checking the boxes, to either attend a Bahá’í
> meeting or to be contacted for further information.
> 
> We contacted the Assemblies, National Youth Committee, active Bahá’ís, and pioneers,
> asking them to join us in a Teaching Campaign, by developing their own teaching plans,
> and sending us the dates and locations for its implementation. The National Teaching
> Committee compiled the reports and sent out the Master Plan and Calendar, to the North
> Island Bahá’í communities, urging and encouraging everyone to participate.
> 
> The National Spiritual Assembly members in each area helped with mobilizing the
> community and galvanizing the teaching teams to carry out the plan.
> 
> Each community, in their designated month, implemented the following plan:
> 
> For the first three weeks;
> • They frequented coffee shops and community centers, made contacts and developed
> friendships with the interested individuals.
> 
> •   They went to the receptive neighborhoods and distributed proclamation pamphlets by
> either placing them in their mailboxes or handing copies to those who were out in the
> gardens or on their porches.
> The last weekend of the month was the time of Intensive Teaching Campaign. A hall was
> rented in a central location and accommodation was provided for travel teachers and their
> families who converged from across the North Island. The NTC members, pioneers, and a
> few NSA members joined the group and supported each teaching project throughout the
> year.
> 
> During each weekend, all the travel teachers gathered in the hall, ate meals together,
> prayed together, and had a crash course on the mass teaching techniques. They formed
> the teaching teams, and went to their assigned locations, mainly on major streets. Team
> members started offering proclamation pamphlets to people. If their offer was accepted,
> the teacher started sharing the contents with the seeker. The other members, observed
> and silently prayed. If the seeker showed interest, the rest of the group joined in the
> discussion and at the end, asked the seeker to become a Bahá’í. The teacher then
> accompanied the new Bahá’í or interested seeker to the meeting hall to join the Bahá’ís for
> further discussion and fellowship.
> 
> In the meeting hall sometimes, simultaneously, we held several firesides to meet the needs
> of those who were arriving at different times. A more experienced teacher who was
> conducting a small group fireside, welcomed the new seeker, and based on their inquiries,
> started a fireside discussion. Thus, there was no rigid program, as each fireside was
> unique, creative and loving, to meet the needs of the individual seekers.
> 
> We embraced the new believers as members of the Bahá’í family. The next 3 weeks, the
> members of the teaching team continued deepening the new believers, visiting their
> families and developing friendships with their family and friends. The emphasis was on an
> all-encompassing approach so that we did not isolate the new believers from their families.
> Most of the new Bahá’ís were youth, they joined the travel teachers in the upcoming mass
> teaching events across the North Island.
> 
> At the end of each teaching activity, we had a feedback session. We prayed and lovingly
> consulted on what had worked, and what needed improvements. We were all open to the
> new ideas which made us more effective teachers.
> 
> The Qualities of the Teaching Teams
> 
> The Dr. Muhajir Teaching Campaign, for the period of 1971-73, resulted in attracting 779
> new believers, 500 of them were youths.
> 
> The most noteworthy aspect of this campaign was the “can do attitude” of the team
> members, the enthusiasm, and energy of the young Bahá’ís, the active involvement of the
> Assemblies and the overall support of the National Spiritual Assembly. We usually had 20
> to 50 travel teachers, mostly young, who carpooled from a driving distance to the event,
> carrying a sleeping bag, a small overnight bag, and their prayer books. Some brought a
> guitar to help with singalongs which filled the meeting halls with the love and joy of being a
> Bahá’í among our extended family.
> 
> I membered the urging of Dr. Muhajir to spend every ounce of my energy teaching the
> Faith. So, like other teachers, I spent the weekends traveling to the target areas and helping
> the teaching teams with the campaign. I usually coordinated the street teaching and helped
> with the small group firesides in the hall.
> 
> The travel teachers, besides the National Teaching Committee members and their family,
> were a blend of pioneers and New Zealanders:
> 
> •   From New Plymouth, we had Ron and Jan Pratt, with their young family; Pat Doyland
> and her teenage daughters, Alice, and Anita;
> •   From Gisborne, we had John and Valerie Giffin;
> •   Barbara Hunt joined us from Wellington;
> •   From Taupo, Peter and Keni Suchnigg and Ian Schutz joined us;
> •   The key organizer in Wanganui was Doug Weeks;
> •   We always met in the community meeting halls which attracted the neighborhood
> population, including a number of Maori Maraes. Chuck Aranga, a young Maori, and a
> new believer joined us for a Maori teaching weekend in Taumarunui Marae. Rochelle
> Brader, a new Bahá’í, joined us from New Plymouth.
> •   In Hamilton, the Teaching Committee worked closely with the participants of the
> National Youth Conference, in organizing a weekend of Mass Teaching activities. It led
> to the involvement of a group of enthusiastic youth, who actively participated in most of
> the teaching events. Among them were, Sytze and Gayl De Boer, from Hamilton; Kaye
> and Paul Vessey, Peter King, Ian Cookson, Peter Manins, Bos O Sullivan, and Chris
> Wright, from Auckland.
> 
> We were all united in our love for Bahá’u’lláh, and followed the guidance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
> in acquiring the true qualities of a Teacher:
> 
> "Ye are all torches that I have lighted with mine own hands. Go forth, light others
> till all the separate waiting servants are linked together in a great Unity.
> 
> Those who are working alone are like ants, but when they are united, they will
> become as eagles.
> 
> Those who work singly are as drops, but, when united, they will become a vast
> river carrying the cleansing water of life into the barren desert places of the world.
> 
> Before the power of its rushing flood, neither misery, nor sorrow, nor any grief will
> be able to stand.
> 
> Be United! It is rather dangerous to be an isolated drop. It might be spilled or blown
> away."
> 
> ~ 'Abdu'l-Baha, as recorded in Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway
> 
> Remembrance of God: A Meditation, https://wilmetteinstitute.org/
> 
> A newsletter from New Plymouth, courtesy of Rochelle Brader
> 
> Fiftieth Commemoration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> 
> Message of the Universal House of Justice:
> 
> ‘We have noted with deep satisfaction that some National Spiritual Assemblies have
> already initiated plans to befittingly commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of the
> passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the inception of the Formative Age of the Bahá’í
> Dispensation.
> 
> We feel it would be highly fitting for the three days, November 26 to 28, during which
> the Day of the Covenant and the Anniversary of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> occur, to be set aside this year by all National Spiritual Assemblies for specially
> arranged gatherings and conferences, convened either nationally or locally or both,
> on the three following main themes: The Bahá’í Covenant, The Formative Age, and
> The Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
> 
> We hope that these gatherings will serve to intensify the consecration of the workers
> in the Divine Vineyard in every land, and provide them with the opportunity,
> especially in the watches of the night of that Ascension, when they will be
> commemorating the passing hour of our Beloved Master, to renew their pledge to
> Bahá’u’lláh and to rededicate themselves to the accomplishment of the as yet
> unfulfilled goals of the Nine Year Plan.’
> 
> https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-
> justice/messages/19710712_001/1
> 
> I joined the Bahá’ís from Auckland to commemorate this historic milestone, in Whangarei,
> a city north of Auckland. Hylton and Helen Grigor helped with organizing this event. I was
> asked to chant the Tablet of Visitation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Arabic, “in the watches of the night
> of that Ascension.” When I lifted my head, there was no dry eye among the participants.
> Then, we all prostrated to rededicate our pledge, and beseeched the Beloved Master to
> aid us in achieving the goals of the Nine-Year Plan. A public meeting was held, featuring
> Gina and Russ Garcia and their famed “Dawn Breakers fireside.” It was one of the
> highlights of my time in New Zealand.
> 
> Kaikohe Summer School
> 
> Kaikohe is in the far northern district of New Zealand. Manoo Ala’i had a sprawling sheep
> farm close to that town and was the coordinator of the Summer school. It was held at the
> Northland College, that contained a hostel, swimming pool, and a recreation area. As it
> was during the Christmas holidays, I had time to spend a few days with the Ala’i family.
> Manoo’s wife, Margaret, was hospitable as the wife of a Persian; caring as a New
> Zealander, and gracious as a Maori Princess- she was descendant of a Maori Chief.
> We had a large number of young, enthusiastic Bahá’ís who attended the Summer School.
> We all spent a part of the day in the streets, teaching the Faith, and bringing the interested
> individuals to the firesides. Suzanne and Paree, the teenage daughters of the Ala’i’s, were
> 
> instrumental in bringing a large group of friends to my firesides. These friends enjoyed our
> lively conversations, and after each declaration, they applauded the new believer for
> accepting the Faith, hugging them, and going out to bring other friends to the fireside. It
> was an amazing experience to see the love and excitement of these youth, who decided
> to participate in the remaining sessions of the Summer School.
> 
> I was asked to teach the Dawn Breakers at Summer School. I found it rewarding to help
> the young souls, to take a glimpse of the Heroic Age. To learn about its heroes, mostly
> young, who gave their all to their Beloved Báb, who was also in the prime of his life. I was
> amused when Terry, a young Bahá’í came to me and asked to tell him more about “this
> chap, Bahá’u’lláh!” That was my first encounter with Terry Gillbanks. I heard from Ron Pratt,
> that when he held a public meeting in New Plymouth and was planning to show a Bahá’í
> film, he prayed for help in using the projector. When Ron was on street teaching, he met
> a young man, who, after learning about the Faith, signed his declaration card, and
> accompanied him to the meeting hall. Terry, the young man, was an elementary school
> teacher and offered to run the projector - Ron’s prayers were answered. Terry started
> attending Bahá’í activities and decided to come to the Bahá’í Summer School in Kaikohe.
> 
> One day, Manoo Ala’i asked me to let everybody know that they should not walk on the
> new lawn. As the School officials were complaining that the participants were not using the
> pathways and had been trampling the new grass. I always walked on the pathway and was
> not aware of anyone walking on the lawn. So, that afternoon, while I was on my way to the
> swimming pool, I noticed Terry, walking on the grass. When he saw me, he happily greeted
> me by saying “Good Day!” I was still concerned about Manoo’s directives. So, I responded;
> “Good Day to you! Please use the pathway and don’t walk on the grass, as the school
> officials have been complaining to Manoo.” I continued giving this message to all the
> participants. However, Terry said that he resented me for telling him off. So, we started our
> relationship on the wrong foot. Terry still talks about this anecdote, after 45 years of
> marriage.
> 
> Kaikohe Summer School, courtesy of Suzanne Mohan
> 
> Front row standing: First from right, Kaye Vessey, Fourth – Suzanne Ala’i, Sixth - Shahla
> Second row standing: Fifth from right - Paul Vessey
> Back row: second from left – Terry Gillbanks
> Standing on stairway: first step - Russ Garcia
> Top of stairs: from left, first - John Milne; fourth- Manoo Ala’i, fifth - Ron Pratt
> 
> Life in Auckland
> 
> I was in Papakura for nearly six months, trying to find my footing in my new job, dealing
> with issues of child abuse, in an unfamiliar culture. Most of the New Zealanders that I came
> across asked how, as an Iranian, I could work with clients from a different culture. On one
> occasion, when I was in an interagency gathering, I was asked the same question. I
> responded that as human beings we are all the same, with the same basic needs and
> problems. One person in the group was Mr. C’s sister, a Salvation Army Officer, who was
> in her sixties. I heard later from my supervisor, that his sister was upset, complaining that I
> was presumptuous to think that I was the same as New Zealanders! I responded, of course,
> I was the same and would have expected more empathy from a Salvation Army Officer.
> This encounter manifested the duality of my life in New Zealand. In one aspect, when I was
> with the Bahá’ís on the weekends, we were all one big, happy family. On the other, while
> 
> dealing with the general population, I had to struggle with the stigma of being a stranger in
> a foreign land.
> 
> Somehow, life had an exciting adventure in store for me. It occurred when I had a
> conversation with Pam Ringwood, the NSA member and a Lecturer in Family Law, at
> Auckland University. I was sharing my challenges as a Child Welfare Officer when she told
> me about a position with the Auckland City Council. She heard they were advertising for a
> Community Advisor, in the Town Planning Division. She thought about me and was willing
> to make a recommendation to the Deputy Mayor. I thanked her for thinking of me and asked
> her to help me with my application. I was quite excited, and since my MSW major was in
> the Community Organization, I believed that I had a chance to succeed. I sent them my job
> application and received a date for a job interview.
> 
> At that time, Auckland City Council building was the tallest skyscraper at Queen Street,
> downtown. My interview was in the Deputy Mayor’s office, on the top level of the building.
> The Interview panel was composed of the Deputy Mayor, Dr. Ferguson, an aristocratic
> medical doctor; the director of town planning division and P, the present community
> advisor, who really wanted an assistant, rather than a coworker. When I sat in that office,
> waiting for my turn, I was overwhelmed with the magnitude of the situation and was sure
> that I had no chance as a newcomer to the country, with no relevant job experience, to get
> that position. I silently chanted a prayer. At once, I felt the presence of Abdu’l-Bahá, placing
> his hand on my shoulder and telling me: “I am with you always!” I knew at that moment that
> there was no greater power in that chamber equal to Abdu’l-Bahá; I entered the room
> smiling, confident that under His protection, all was well! I told them about my thesis on the
> Social Development of the Youth, my Bahá’í beliefs, my education, my international
> experience, and my meetings across the North Island. P., later told me, that Dr. Ferguson
> was impressed with my interview, and wanted me for the job, despite P.’s, insistence to
> employ a Maori applicant, who had extensive community organization experience. This
> man got the third position after six months. I could not think of any reason for my selection,
> but the love of Abdu’l-Bahá for this humble maidservant. So, within eight months of my
> pioneering to New Zealand, I had one of the highest managerial positions in the richest and
> most powerful city councils in New Zealand. When I gave my notice to Mr. C, he told me
> that he just received my registration form for the Staff Development Training Course, in
> Wellington.
> 
> Within two weeks, I found a one-bedroom apartment in Auckland, and stepped into my
> corner office, on the top level of the Council building, with a panoramic view of Auckland
> Harbor Bridge. I chose my own office furniture and had a secretary and receptionist.
> 
> P., who was politically savvy, helped me through the whirlwind of local politics. The previous
> year, in a predominantly Maori area, he had established the first Citizens Advice Bureau –
> CAB. Therefore, he recommended hiring a Community Advisor, who would be familiar with
> Maori culture. Since my appointment, he had to make an adjustment to his overall plan. He
> decided to start a new office in Glen Innes, a low-income State Housing suburb of
> Auckland. The CAB was a community service neighborhood center, staffed by volunteers,
> who offered free advice to the citizens to connect to community resources, receiving legal
> 
> advice, budgeting, and financial planning. My role as the Community Advisor was
> promoting CAB, recruiting, and coordinating suitable professionals to volunteer their
> services, and fundraising. The unique position of Glen Innes was in its proximity to
> Remuera, one of the most affluent suburbs of Auckland. When the Council publicly
> announced the establishment of the new CAB, I was placed in the forefront of publicity. I
> was interviewed and featured in the New Zealand Herald, the largest newspaper in the city,
> followed by articles in local newspapers. There was a flood of volunteers, mostly wives of
> affluent residents of Remuera, including Councilmen, who wanted to be involved. I spent
> most of my evenings speaking in service clubs, such as Lions, Rotary, and Jaycees. I was
> usually the only female in these “all gentlemen” club gatherings. I was also regularly invited
> to lecture for free, in the University.
> 
> As the publicity continued, it aroused backlash from the political figures. First, from Sir
> Robert Muldoon, the powerful leader of the National Party, who later, became the Prime
> Minister of New Zealand. In a press interview, he expressed his dissatisfaction with not
> being informed of the establishment of a CAB in his district. P. helped with damage control
> by releasing a public statement from the Council about its full cooperation with Muldoon. I
> received a call from Muldoon’s office to meet with him in his district office in Glen Innes. I
> was extremely anxious and intimidated by his reputation. We had a pleasant meeting, and
> he stated that he just wanted to be acknowledged for his role in the betterment of the
> constituents in his district.
> 
> The second backlash was from the Mayor of Auckland, Sir Dove - Myer Robinson, known
> as “Robbie.” He was also a powerful political figure, who was elected for the second time
> as the Mayor of Auckland. As I was reporting to the Deputy Mayor, Robbie was not happy
> that he was not mentioned in articles about the CAB. His office called and asked me to
> accompany the Mayor to an official Maori ceremony. Again, knowing his reputation as
> being a colorful political character, made me anxious for the upcoming meeting. On that
> day, I wore a full-length Persian lambskin coat; embroidered leather, with fur trimming. A
> gift from my mother, fashionable among the young hippies in the 70’s. I met the Mayor, and
> we were escorted to the backseat of the mayoral limousine. I sat beside him, exchanged a
> few words, and soon after, he fell asleep for the rest of the trip. When we arrived at the
> destination, we got out of the car and received by the ceremonial Haka; a Maori welcome
> dance. It lasted for half an hour, followed by speeches from the Mayor and other dignitaries.
> There was full media publicity of the event, and later, I learned that I was dubbed as the
> “Queen” of “Queen Street,” because of my lambskin coat, and the Council’s location in the
> Queen Street.
> 
> Bahá’í life in Auckland
> 
> As there were no Bahá’ís in Papakura, and being a member of NTC, I was practically a
> member of the greater Auckland community. When I found out that the Bahá’í Center at
> Parnell, was only open during Bahá’í activities, I volunteered to open the Center two
> evenings a week. It gradually attracted young people to come to the Center for a cup of tea
> and discussion. Hugh Carden offered to keep the Center open for other evenings. We had
> regular “drop-ins,” who came for informal discussions, or using the library.
> 
> Soon after my residency in Auckland, I was elected to the Assembly, as the youngest
> member. The wonderful Assembly members were quite interested in learning about our
> mass teaching efforts, and supportive of any creative ideas to be implemented in Auckland.
> A few ladies who were older than me somehow adopted me as their Bahá’í daughter and
> a member of their family.
> 
> Terry had moved to Auckland and was living in a flat with Paul Vessey and Bos O’ Sullivan,
> as his flatmates. Terry offered to help with driving when we carpooled for weekend trips to
> the teaching activities. Paul and Kaye became our close friends, and these friendships
> sparked romances that led to Bahá’í marriages.
> 
> Recently, I requested friends to share memories of this period. Paul Vessey wrote:
> 
> ‘The Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Whangarei: Kaye and I were there - we had just
> become engaged (I proposed to her at Sytze and Gayl’s wedding in November.) On
> the way to Whangarei, we were in the back seat of Hylton Grigor’s car, and Hylton
> was driving and talking to Kaye – he said he’d heard that she had recently become
> engaged and wanted to know who – hopefully a ‘nice Bahá’í boy’ - (not realising it
> was me!!). She said, “he’s sitting right next to me.” Hylton was so surprised, he
> turned around (while he was driving) to shake my hand…! We nearly went off the
> road…!! Very funny.
> 
> We named a daughter, Shahla, after you – we wanted to make a statement and give
> our first born a non-Christian name. (Just to wind up my family, we said we were
> going to name our first-born Ahmad…!! They were freaking out…!!). You were
> hugely influential on many of us – up till we met you, most of the Bahá’ís were either
> old or middle-aged, and the only youth were the children of the Bahá’ís . Caroline
> Josephs was a bit older than us, but still youngish and more importantly, she had
> some “spark” ‘
> 
> The interesting point is that Terry and I announced our engagement at Kaye and Paul’s
> wedding! First, we were thinking to hold our wedding where they held their reception.
> However, when announcing our engagement, we found out that our Bahá’í friends across
> North Island wanted to attend. Their number exceeded the limit for our budget. When
> consulting with friends, we ended up having the most unusual wedding. My friend Diane,
> from Waiuku, offered to have the wedding at her beautiful ranch house. The house was
> modern and spacious, settled in the middle of a sprawling farm. We sent out invitations to
> all the Bahá’ís, asking them to bring a cushion to sit on. Manoo Ala’i offered a rack of lamb
> for Persian Kebab. Caroline and her mother Jean offered to bake a beautiful wedding cake.
> Our wedding was planned for July 22nd, which was winter in NZ. The motherly ladies in
> Auckland offered to make me the wedding bouquet. I told them that I wanted a single red
> rose, instead. They searched for a red rose at quite a few glass houses of growers and
> finally found a few roses that they kept in the fridge until the wedding day.
> 
> I asked my mother to send me a wedding dress, with a white velvet robe. When it arrived,
> it was too big. So, my Lebanese Christian friend from Papakura altered it for me. Her
> husband who was a professional Opera singer and pianist offered to sing at my wedding.
> 
> On the wedding day, Terry, and a dear Iranian pioneer, Taraz, spent the entire morning
> barbequing Persian Kebab, and I made Persian Rice. One by one, close friends came and
> helped with the setup. More than 60 friends from across the country came, it was a beautiful
> and lively wedding. Gina, Caroline’s daughter, on the spot, accepted to be my flower girl.
> Sytze and Gayl took a turn to recite a letter from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, on divine love:
> 
> Love is the mystery of divine revelations!
> 
> Love is the effulgent manifestation!
> 
> Love is the spiritual fulfilment!
> 
> Love is the breath of the Holy Spirit inspired into the human spirit!
> 
> Love is the cause of the manifestation of the Truth (God) in the phenomenal world!
> 
> Love is the necessary tie proceeding from the realities of things through divine
> creation!
> 
> Love is the means of the most great happiness in both the material and spiritual
> worlds!
> 
> Love is a light of guidance in the dark night!
> 
> Love is the bond between the Creator and the creature in the inner world!
> 
> Love is the cause of development to every enlightened man!
> 
> Love is the greatest law in this vast universe of God!
> 
> Love is the one law which causeth and controleth order among the existing atoms!
> 
> Love is the universal magnetic power between the planets and stars shining in the
> loft firmament!
> 
> Love is the cause of unfoldment to a searching mind, of the secrets deposited in the
> universe by the Infinite!
> 
> Love is the spirit of life in the bountiful body of the world!
> 
> Love is the cause of the civilization of nations in this mortal world!
> 
> Love is the highest honor to every righteous nation!
> 
> - Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas, P 526
> 
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/TAB/tab-573.html
> 
> Kaye and Paul read the wedding prayers. Nui Tuataga, the Auxiliary Board from Samoa,
> gave a short talk about Bahá’í marriage, then, recited what used to be called the “Marriage
> Tablet.” An eye-opener for Terry’s family to learn about this new religion of their son. Dear
> Farivar, the Iranian pioneer, officiated the wedding.
> 
> The loving advice, attributed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, then known as the “Marriage Tablet”,
> became the beacon, guiding us through the peaks and valleys of our married life:
> 
> ‘The bond that unites hearts most perfectly is loyalty. True lovers once United must
> show forth the utmost faithfulness one to another. You must dedicate your
> knowledge, your talents, your fortunes, your titles, your bodies and your spirits to
> God, to Bahá'u'lláh and to each other. Let your hearts be spacious, as spacious as
> the universe of God!
> 
> Allow no trace of jealousy to creep between you, for jealousy, like unto poison,
> vitiates the very essence of love. Let not the ephemeral incidents and accidents of
> this changeful life cause a rift between you. When differences present themselves,
> take counsel together in secret, lest others magnify a speck into a mountain.
> Harbour not in your hearts any grievance, but rather explain its nature to each other
> with such frankness and understanding that it will disappear, leaving no
> remembrance. Choose fellowship and amity and turn away from jealousy and
> hypocrisy.
> 
> Your thoughts must be lofty, your ideals luminous, your minds spiritual, so that your
> souls may become a dawning-place for the Sun of Reality. Let your hearts be like
> unto two pure mirrors reflecting the stars of the heaven of love and beauty.
> 
> Together make mention of noble aspirations and heavenly concepts. Let there be
> no secrets one from another. Make your home a haven of rest and peace. Be
> hospitable and let the doors of your house be open to the faces of friends and
> strangers. Welcome every guest with radiant grace and let each feel that it is his
> own home.
> 
> No mortal can conceive the union and harmony which God has designed for man
> and wife. Nourish continually the tree of your union with love and affection, so that
> it will remain evergreen and verdant throughout all seasons and bring forth luscious
> fruits for the healing of the nations.
> 
> O beloved of God, may your home be a vision of the Paradise of Abha, so that
> whosoever enters there may feel the essence of purity and harmony, and cry out
> 
> from the heart: Here is the home of love! Here is the palace of love! Here is the
> nest of love! Here is the garden of love!
> 
> Be like two sweet-singing birds perched upon the highest branches of the tree of
> life, filling the air with songs of love and rapture.
> 
> Lay the foundation of your affection in the very center of your spiritual being, at the
> very heart of your consciousness, and let it not be shaken by adverse winds.
> 
> And, when God gives you sweet and lovely children, consecrate yourselves to their
> instruction and guidance, so that they may become imperishable flowers of the
> divine rose-garden, nightingales of the ideal paradise, servants of the world of
> humanity, and the fruit of the tree of your life.
> 
> Live in such harmony that others may take your lives for an example and may say
> one to another: Look how they live like two doves in one nest, in perfect love, affinity,
> and union. It is as though God had kneaded the very essence of their beings for the
> love of one another.
> 
> Attain the ideal love that God has destined for you, so that you may become
> partakers of eternal life forthwith. Quaff deeply from the fountain of truth and dwell
> all the days of your life in the paradise of glory, gathering immortal flowers from the
> garden of divine mysteries.
> 
> Be to each other as heavenly lovers and divine beloved ones dwelling in a paradise
> of love. Build your nest on the leafy branches of the tree of love. Sail upon the
> shoreless sea of love. Walk in the eternal rose-garden of love. Bathe in the shining
> rays of the sun of love. Be firm and steadfast in the path of love. Perfume your
> nostrils with the fragrances from the flowers of love. Attune your ears to the soul-
> entrancing melodies of love. Let your aims be as generous as the banquets of love,
> and your words as a string of white pearls from the ocean of love. Drink deeply of
> the elixir of love, so that you may live continually in the reality of Divine Love.’
> 
> http://core-curriculum.bahai.us/downloads/MFL2006%20couples.pdf
> 
> After the ceremony, everyone enjoyed the food, while the photographer took half an hour
> to take our wedding pictures. By the time that we came back, the food was finished, and
> the guests were gone - We forgot to ask the friends to leave a plate or two for the bride and
> the groom.
> 
> We packed and cleared everything and went back to my flat early evening. I changed and
> since we were starving, made some omelet before leaving for our one-night honeymoon.
> We arrived at the rustic lodge in Waitakere Ranges, late at night. The owner was quite
> upset and told us that if we were not newlyweds, he would not have allowed us to stay.
> 
> That weekend, the National Assembly had its monthly meeting, and the members could
> not come to our wedding. However, they asked us to meet with the Assembly for lunch on
> Sunday. Therefore, the next morning, we had to check out of the resort, early in the
> morning, to go to the meeting with National Assembly in Parnell. The Resort owner was
> flabbergasted by this unconventional act.
> 
> As I had just started my job, I did not have any vacation time. Therefore, except for P, who
> attended the wedding with his wife, the rest of the Council did not know that I was getting
> married that weekend. They learned about it on Monday, when they read the article with
> my wedding picture in New Zealand Herald, courtesy of one of the dear Bahá’í ladies.
> 
> We had a wonderful honeymoon later, after the South Island Summer School. We took a
> cruise to Milford Sound, visited the Te Anau Glowworm Caves; stayed at Mt. Cook Lodge,
> and flew to the Franz Josef Glacier. They were the most pristine and stunning natural
> wonders that I had ever visited in my life.
> 
> Our wedding ceremony with Farivar, the officiator and Gina, our Flower girl.
> 
> The First South Island Bahá’í Summer School
> 
> I was invited to be one of the speakers at the Summer School, which was held at Lincoln
> College, Christchurch. It was an amazing time to be with the vibrant Bahá’ís of the South
> Island and become familiar with their mass teaching efforts. I could see first-hand the
> success of the Doctor Muhajir’s Teaching Campaign and the maturity of the new believers.
> It led me to believe that I had accomplished my mission as the Nine-Year Plan pioneer to
> New Zealand. This realization helped me to resolve a dilemma that I was facing; keeping
> my job or starting a family. In that time in New Zealand, the social norm dictated that a
> married woman in my position left her job and stayed home during her childrearing period.
> Mothers received Child Welfare allowance to compensate their family income. They re-
> joined the workforce after their children were older. I could not envision this life for me,
> putting my career on hold for 10 years or longer. I thought about Iran, where professional
> women, worked through their pregnancy, and child-rearing years, and hired nannies while
> they were at work. I corresponded with the director of the Tehran School of Social Work,
> whom I met at the Manila conference, about a teaching position. She sent me an
> encouraging letter, offering me a position as an Associate Professor. My family was quite
> happy to have us back in Tehran and meet Terry for the first time.
> 
> In 1973, I was elected as a delegate to the National Convention. The following Message
> from the Universal House of Justice brought joy to my heart, and an affirmation that I
> would be able to leave my pioneering post:
> 
> ‘We announce with joyful and thankful hearts the completion in overwhelming victory
> of the world-encircling Nine Year Plan. The Army of Light has won its second global
> campaign; it has surpassed the goals set for expansion and has achieved a truly
> impressive degree of universal participation, the twin objectives of the Plan. With
> gratitude and love, we testify to the unceasing confirmations which Bahá’u’lláh has
> showered upon His servants, enabling each and every one of us to offer Him some
> part of the labor, the devotion, the sacrifice, the supplication which He has so
> bountifully rewarded. At this Centenary of the Revelation of the Most Holy Book, the
> Community of the Most Great Name lays its tribute of victory at His feet,
> acknowledging that it is He Who has bestowed it.’
> 
> ~ Riḍván 1973 – To the Bahá’ís of the World
> https://www.bahai.org/library/
> 
> It was not easy to leave this beautiful country and wonderful Bahá’í friends who had
> become my extended family. I pledged to abide by the bidding of Abdu’l-Baha in my days
> to come!
> 
> ‘In brief, let each one of you be as a lamp shining forth with the light of the
> virtues of the world of humanity. Be trustworthy, sincere, affectionate and
> replete with chastity. Be illumined, be spiritual, be divine, be glorious, be
> quickened of God, be a Bahá’í.’
> 
> (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace) P 453
> 
> https://www.bahai.org/library/
> 
> CHAPTER 4
> RETURNING TO IRAN
> 1973-1974
> 
> Journey to the Philippines
> 
> On the way to Iran, Terry, and I, had a stopover in Manila, to have a glimpse at my former
> life as a student pioneer in the Philippines. We checked into the YMCA, and in the
> afternoon, went to visit Vic and Fe Samaniego, at the Bahá’í Center. Vic was out of the
> country, so, we had a lovely meeting with Fe, who told us that Hayedeh’ s parents, Mr. and
> Mrs. Rowshangah, were pioneering in Manila. I knew the couple in Iran, so I called them
> to ask if we could come for a visit. They invited us to lunch for the next day. We spent the
> rest of day, touring UP Diliman during torrential rain, which made me nostalgic but entirely
> overwhelmed Terry. We had a Filipino dish in my favorite cafe on the Campus.
> 
> Dear Momsu invited us to her home and was so happy to see us both. She talked to Terry
> about me, being her first ward, and how proud she was that I graduated from UP. She gave
> us a bamboo tray, with an embedded map of the Philippines. I still have that gift after 45
> years.
> 
> The next day, Hayedeh and Jila joined us for lunch at the Rowshangah’ s. We had a lovely
> time reminiscing about the old times and getting an update on what was happening in the
> Philippines. By late afternoon, I started feeling nauseous, and feverish. I felt so sick that
> my hosts insisted on staying with them that night, so that they could take care of me. Months
> later, I learned that I had contracted Toxoplasmosis, a blood infection caused by a parasite,
> mostly found in the tropics. It had flu-like symptoms and did not require any treatment.
> However, if the patient were to get pregnant within the first six months, it would have
> catastrophic effects, such as miscarriage or birth defects. My first test was on its way!
> 
> We left for Hong Kong the next day. I was feeling much better by then. I was happy to see
> Hong Kong and get together with Mae, my Chinese college friend. We stayed at the Bahá’í
> Center in Hong Kong, with Mr. Tehrani, a dear pioneer whom I met a few years before
> when he came to Manila to help with acquiring property for the Bahá’í Temple in the
> Philippines. After a tour of Hong Kong with Mae, and some shopping, we flew to Mehrabad
> Airport in Tehran.
> 
> A Glimpse at Iran in the Early 1970’s
> We arrived, at the height of the prosperity of modern Iran. Since 1969, the Nixon
> Administration considered the Shah of Iran as the “stabilizing force in the Middle East” and
> the Shah, as its most trusted ally. To ensure the American vested interest, the Shah was
> given the power to use the Iranian oil revenues to buy armament to safeguard the Middle
> Eastern sovereignty. In 1972, this support was extended, when the US agreed to empower
> 
> the Shah to give military help to the Kurd’s, fighting for their independence from Iraq. The
> Shah also used the oil revenue to boost the economic growth of Iran and strengthen his
> position as one of the most influential leaders in the world.
> 
> The White Revolution was an agent of change for the Shah to forcibly modernize Iran. He
> redistributed the feudal lands to more than 4 million farmers and nationalized water and
> forests. Shah called it enforcing a “new original kind of socialism.” The Shah, in addition to
> modernizing the Imperial Armed forces, created a military division to enforce his White
> Revolution initiatives in provinces and rural area in Iran. The military draft produced a flow
> of soldiers to serve in the “Army of Knowledge,” or “(Sepahe Danesh,)” “Army of
> Development,” or (Sepahe Tarvij and Abadani), and “Army of Health,” or (Sepahe
> Behdasht). The enlisted soldiers, based on their qualifications, helped in building schools
> and teaching children; creating medical clinics and offering health services; or working on
> rural development projects. College graduate of both sexes, who were under 30 years old,
> had to serve in one of these divisions. The term of service was for 18 months, and they
> received a stipend of less than $50.00 a month. If the enlisted woman were married, she
> could serve her military service in her hometown. The government also offered free nutrition
> program for all school children in Iran.
> 
> The Shah had decisively replaced traditional Islamic culture, with a pre- Islamic Persian
> identity. In 1971, after restoring ancient Persepolis, the seat of the Archimedean Empire,
> he held a lavish “Light and Sound” celebration, to demonstrate the might of the Persian
> Empire. Most of the world leaders attended this outlandish ceremony, staying in air-
> conditioned tents by the ruins, feasting on peacocks and pheasants. He declared himself
> as “Shahanshah Aryamehr,” the King of Kings, the Light of the Arians. He stated in an
> interview that Iranians were proud of their heritage which bonded their glorious past to the
> rapid modernization of the last 10 years.
> 
> The Shah became a dominant force in OPEC, and although Iran did not participate in the
> 1973 Arab oil embargo, he pushed to increase oil prices 470% in one year. The Shah used
> the revenue to promote his status as the most successful leader in the world. The US,
> Japan and Western countries all courted Iranians for investment.
> 
> The Bahá’ís of Iran in the Early 1970’s
> The Bahá’í community in Iran enjoyed relative freedom in this period. Despite the systemic
> discrimination, such as employment, there was no overt persecution of the Bahá’ís. As the
> Shah was aware of the Bahá’í doctrine of loyalty to government and noninvolvement in
> party politics, he gave trusted positions in his Court and Administration, to qualified Bahá’ís.
> His personal physician had always been a Bahá’í with military rank. His physician currently,
> was Dr. Ghadimi, my beloved teacher. The educational consultant for the Shah’s children,
> was Dr. Mehri Rasekh, my Psychology Professor at the University of Tehran. The influence
> of Bahá’í teachings was present in the charter of Shah’s White Revolution. However, he
> had no real love for the Bahá’í Faith or the Bahá’ís and mainly used them for his grandiose
> self-promotion.
> 
> According to “Bahá’í World,” in the late 1960’s and early 70’s more than 1500 Bahá’í youth
> became homefront pioneers in Iran. The White Revolution Army, which was also
> compulsory for Bahá’ís, enabled young people to fill pioneering goals while serving in their
> military posts. Local Youth Committees were established, to coordinate the efforts of the
> youth to fulfill the goals of the Nine Year and Five-Year plans.
> 
> The “Bahá’í World” reported that by 1973, illiteracy among Bahá’í women under the age of
> 40 was eradicated in Iran. Women became more and more involved in a broad spectrum
> of Bahá’í activities. Hadiqa, the permanent site of the Bahá’í Summer School, was
> established on the outskirt of the Alborz mountains, near Tehran.
> 
> Life in Tehran
> I was warmly welcomed by my family, who were excited to meet Terry, and showed him
> Persian hospitality and affection, which was entirely different from his New Zealand
> upbringing. For example, it is customary for Persian men to embrace and kiss each other
> on the cheek. While Kiwi men, including members of the same family, just shook hands.
> 
> I remember once, I was invited to talk to the youth at the Hadiqa Summer school. While we
> were waiting in the dormitory, Terry went to a large window, overlooking the mountains. He
> sat on the ledge, with his legs hanging from a second story building, deep in his thoughts.
> A few young men who were horsing around and having fun, happy to see a western Bahá’í,
> approached him from behind, gave him a bear hug, then lifting him up and taking him to
> the middle of the room. They were laughing and talking to him in Persian, asking him to
> join their friendly horseplay. Terry had no idea what was happening, he turned red and
> started defending himself by fighting back. Everybody was in shock. I had to explain to both
> sides on what has gone wrong. It took time for everybody to understand and start acting
> friendly towards each other.
> 
> When my turn came to go to the youth session, I introduced Terry and talked about our
> teaching activities in New Zealand. Then, I told them about Seals and Croft, the Bahá’í
> musicians, and played their song “Hummingbird,” a tribute to Bahá’u’lláh. The hundred and
> so participants got on their feet dancing and clapping. It was a great joy for them to know
> the popularity of a Bahá’í band and their songs in the west, in contrast with the stifling
> atmosphere of Iran.
> After my session. I had a chance meeting with my first Bahá’í teacher, Mr. Bakhtavar.
> He was pleasantly surprised to hear the enthusiasm of the youth participants in my class.
> He said; I told you that if you didn’t sit in the sun and didn’t eat sour pickles, you would
> become “somebody”! It was a Turkish proverb to humor his young, enthusiastic student.
> That was the last time that I talked to my beloved teacher. I also met Farnoosh, my
> classmate from Dr. Gahdimi’s class and his young wife. Who could have thought that both
> precious men would be drinking the cup of martyrdom shortly?
> 
> Soon after my arrival, I met with Sattareh Farmanfarmaian, the founder, and Director of the
> Tehran School of Social Work. The School was in a modern building in the northern part of
> 
> Tehran. The Director had a close relationship with the Empress, Farah Pahlavi, and the
> Royal Court. It was the only institution that offered Social Work education in Iran and
> received financial support from the government. It trained staff for the Community Welfare
> Centers in Iran, which provided family health education, literacy classes, childcare, nutrition
> and related social services.
> 
> I soon learned that the School of Social Work was practicing discrimination against its
> Bahá’í employees. It was a norm for my Bahá’í colleagues to receive salaries lower than
> their coworkers. I first accepted this discrepancy, but later, I demanded to receive equal
> pay, as was promised to me by the Director. When I threatened to resign, the Human
> Resources agreed to my terms.
> 
> Terry secured a teaching position with the Tehran American School, affiliated to the US
> Embassy. The Bahá’í National Office referred us to Steve Foster, an American who was a
> long-term resident of Tehran. He knew a network of western Bahá’ís, and together, we
> convened the East and West Committee. We held monthly gatherings for interested
> Iranians and Westerners, who were either stationed in Iran or had Iranian spouses. It was
> a wonderful support system for all, a social space for fellowship, deepening, and firesides
> with non-Bahá’í friends.
> I was eager to share with Terry my Iranian and Bahá’í heritage. We were blessed to take a
> pilgrimage to the House of Bahá’u’lláh in Tehran, which for its safeguard, only Western
> Bahá’ís could visit. After years of restoration, the palatial House was considered as a
> historical landmark by the government. However, for the faithful, it was the birthplace of the
> Blessed Beauty and Abdu’l-Baha; where the Holy Family lived, where Mulla Husayn
> delivered the message of the Báb to Bahá’u’lláh, where Tahirih the Pure one, met with the
> Bábi leaders and encouraged them to arise. The Blessed Beauty returned to this house
> after his imprisonment in the Black Dungeon and departed from it for his 40 years of exile.
> 
> The House of Bahá’u’lláh in Tehran
> 
> bahaihistoricalfacts.blogspot.com/2014/11/house-of-bahaullah-in-tehran.html
> 
> We made a trip to Shiraz, foremost for a pilgrimage to the House of the Báb. The House
> had been restored to its original beauty and like a jewel emanated the spiritual power of
> the Beloved. We left the House finding our way to the Ilkhani Mosque, where Mulla Husayn
> and his companions undertook a vigil to encounter the Promised One. I noticed some
> “Tablighate Islami’s” were following and harassing us in English. They were targeting Terry,
> as it was evident that he was a foreigner on pilgrimage. I told them adamantly, to leave us
> alone. They did not expect such reaction and left immediately. It was Terry’s first encounter
> with hostility against Bahá’ís.
> 
> On this trip, we visited the historical Persian landmarks in Shiraz and Isfahan and
> attended the “Sound and Light Show” in Persepolis. An epic display of ancient Persian
> history.
> 
> In Tehran, we found a modern apartment in the northern part of Tehran, close to our work.
> We occupied the first floor, with an enclosed courtyard and a fishpond. We went to the
> carpet bazaar and purchased beautiful Persian carpets for the house. We bought furniture
> in the Persian style of the Safavieh period, which was fashionable at that time, and
> decorated the house with antique Persian tapestries and heirlooms from my mother. We
> felt that we were all settled to start a family. As I learned from my recent visit to Dr.
> Ghadimi’s clinic, that I was expecting our first baby.
> 
> I was in my third month when we made a trip to Mazandaran and Ramsar, on the shores
> of the Caspian Sea. While on the train, I realized that I was losing the baby. We immediately
> returned to Tehran and checked into the hospital. My miscarriage was a blow to my family
> and us. The biopsy of the fetus and my blood test showed traces of Toxoplasmosis. Only
> then, I realized that my sickness in the Philippines five months before was Toxoplasmosis.
> The doctor told me that maybe it was a blessing in disguise to miscarry a baby, instead of
> having one with severe birth defects. He assured me that after a few months we could try
> again and have a healthy baby.
> 
> A few months later, I was with child again. Gradually recovering from the trauma, and
> despite bouts of morning sickness, I was coping with my daily activities and work.
> 
> One Friday – the Iranian weekend, we were planning to visit a new exhibit at the Persian
> Archeological Museum. When I was ready to leave, a man came to the door and asked for
> a donation to a children’s charity. While I went inside to get my purse, unbeknown to me,
> he managed to unlatch one side of the double paneled entry door. I gave him the money,
> and we left the house to go to the Museum. When we returned, the door was open, and
> our valuable belongings were stolen. The police told us that we were the victim of an
> organized scam, and the apartment supervisor had colluded with the robbers. As this
> supervisor was living next door to us, we did not feel safe to stay in our half-empty
> apartment. So, we temporarily moved to my mother’s house.
> 
> Soon after, I received a notice from the Government that since I was still under 30 years
> old, I had to enlist in the White Revolution Army for 18 months. I should start my service
> after my delivery and serve in one of the Welfare Centers in Tehran. I would be receiving
> the military stipend, which was less than $50.00 a month. A fraction of what I was earning
> as an Associate Professor.
> 
> At the same time, Terry learned that since he was not an American Citizen, he could not
> teach in the American Embassy School, with a US salary. He found a teaching position in
> the “Iranzamin International School,” where he received an Iranian salary.
> 
> We took the following quotation to heart and prayed for His mercy and steadfastness:
> 
> ‘O thou servant of God! Do not grieve at the afflictions and calamities that have
> befallen thee. All calamities and afflictions have been created for man so that he
> may spurn this mortal world -- a world to which he is much attached. When he
> experienceth severe trials and hardships, then his nature will recoil, and he will
> desire the eternal realm -- a realm which is sanctified from all afflictions and
> calamities. Such is the case with the man who is wise. He shall never drink from a
> cup which is at the end distasteful, but, on the contrary, he will seek the cup of pure
> and limpid water. He will not taste of the honey that is mixed with poison.
> Praise thou God, that thou hast been tried and hast experienced such a test. Be
> patient and grateful. Turn thy face to the divine Kingdom and strive that thou mayest
> acquire merciful characteristics, mayest become illumined and acquire the attributes
> of the Kingdom and of the Lord. Endeavour to become indifferent to the pleasures
> of this world and to its comfort, to remain firm and steadfast in the Covenant and to
> promulgate the Cause of God.
> This is the cause of the exaltation of man, the cause of his glory and of his salvation.’
> ~~ Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, P 320
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAB/sab-198.html
> 
> A New Door Opened
> Terry and I were resigned to cope with the adversities of life, praying for His guidance and
> relying on His mercy. Then, I learned that beloved Dr. Muhajir was visiting his family in
> Tehran. It was a personal visit, and therefore, he was not receiving any visitors. I gathered
> my courage to call and request a visit. He graciously accepted and invited me to his family’s
> home. It was a delightful visit. He told me that he was not aware that I was in Iran and
> married to a New Zealander. Then he said that he really liked Terry and told me that I had
> made a good choice and found a “patient” husband. I did not want to bother him with our
> problems and did not bring it up. He shared with us that he truly loved Tehran and used
> every opportunity to visit his family. Then, he said: “Shahla, it was a wonderful idea to bring
> Terry to Iran, visiting the Holy Places, and making him acquainted with your family and
> Persian Culture. Since you have done that, it is time to leave for a pioneering post as a
> family”. He told us that Kenya needed pioneers from Iran and was a nice place to raise a
> family. He encouraged us to contact the Pioneering Committee and offer to fill the Persian
> goal for Kenya. Although until then, we did not envision such plan, we realized that it was
> the answer to our prayers! Dr. Muhajir chanted a prayer, wishing us success in our new
> endeavor.
> We made an appointment with the Pioneering Committee and received their approval to
> be deputized for six months by the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran. They told us that
> 
> the African Pioneering Coordinator, Hassan Sabri, would be taking care of us in Kenya.
> They also informed the Counselors and the National Spiritual Assembly of Kenya of this
> plan.
> 
> My family was flabbergasted to learn that I was planning to pioneer once again, to leave
> for a far-off country while pregnant. They asked me to get the approval from my doctor.
> They were sure that with my previous complications, the answer would be a definite no!
> The doctor, after learning that we were going to Kenya, which had modern medical facilities,
> approved my travel. The conditional approval was to leave by my seventh month and stay
> in Nairobi until the delivery. My brother, who was not a Bahá’í, and was still being blamed
> for my first trip, asked for a serious meeting with us. He explained the risks of going to
> Africa, the unforeseeable medical complications, and raising a baby in Africa. Terry listened
> to his arguments, thanked him for his concerns and stated that we were proceeding with
> our plan. My brother was shocked, he told him; “before we had one crazy person in our
> family – which was Shahla, but now we have two – pointing at Terry.”
> 
> My Work at the School of Social Work
> I gave my notice to the Director, to leave my job at the end of the Academic year. Within
> that year, as an Associate Professor, I was teaching the Senior level students on
> Community Development and Social Planning. I also teamed up with the visiting
> professors, such as the Director of a School of Social Work in Manila, a rival to the UP
> Diliman’s. Although we have never met before, she was proud that a graduate of one of
> Philippine’s universities was holding such a high position in Iran. She always mentioned
> me in her lectures as a credit to the Social Work education in the Philippines.
> 
> I was the School’s representative to the organizing committee of a conference sponsored
> by the UNDP- United Nations Development Programme. It was my first involvement with a
> United Nations organization that I had always been aspiring to join.
> In my last day of School, one of my master’s degree students dropped by my office to say
> farewell. She was a young woman who had been dealing with her father’s end-stage
> Cancer. I had been offering her personal counseling by sharing my Bahá’í belief, such as
> what Abdu’l-Baha had described in the following quotation:
> ‘A friend asked: “How should one look forward to death?”
> `Abdu’l-Bahá answered: How does one look forward to the end of any journey, with
> hope and expectation. It is even so with the end of this earthly journey.
> In the next world, man will find himself freed from many disabilities under which he
> now suffers. Those who passed on through death, have the sphere of their own. It
> is not removed from ours: Their work of the kingdom is ours; but it is sanctified from
> what we call time and place.
> 
> Time with us is measured by the sun. When there is no more sunset that kind of
> time does not exist for man.
> Those who have ascended have different attributes (conditions) from those who are
> still on earth, yet there is no real separation.
> In the prayer, there is a mingling of stations, a mingling of condition. Pray for them
> as they pray for you.’
> ~ Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p 96
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/ABL/abl-52.html
> 
> At the end of the visit, she handed me a box, containing a gift for my unborn child. To my
> amazement, it was a Greatest Name gold pendant. She mentioned that she searched quite
> a few jewelry stores to find the one who was selling Bahá’í jewelry to the public. She knew
> that it had a great spiritual value for me. I was deeply touched, as it reflected the respect
> of an Iranian Muslim for my Bahá’í beliefs.
> 
> The 3 Day Pilgrimage
> When making provision for our journey, once again, I decided to seek advice from Mr.
> Nakhjavani, a member of the Universal House of Justice. He and his wife Violette were one
> of the early pioneers to Africa. He responded to my letter, encouraging Terry and me to
> make a 3-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was the start of summertime when pilgrimage
> tours were suspended. However, as pioneers to Africa, we were granted special permission
> for a 3-day visit. We flew to Tel Aviv, while I was in my seventh month of pregnancy.
> 
> As soon as we checked into the hotel, I called Mr. Nakhjavani, who informed me that the
> Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh would be closing for the summer the next day. Therefore, that
> afternoon was our only chance to go there for pilgrimage. He offered to call the caretakers
> of the Shrine, Mr. and Mrs. Zabih, and let them know of our permission for visitation. Mr.
> Nakhjavani told me that Mrs. Nakhjavani was now in Haifa and we would meet both the
> next day. I was excited to hear the news, as Mrs. Nakhjavani had been traveling as the
> companion of Amatu’l-Baha, Ruhiyyih Khanum, in the Amazon Basin and Andean
> Highlands. So, it meant that they were back from the Green Light Expedition.
> 
> When I was in Tehran, I had read Ruhiyyih Khnum’s Manual for Pioneers, preparing myself
> for my new pioneering post. This manual is a textbook of practical information for the
> pioneers. It contained suggestions for decorating homes to meal recipes. It gave advice on
> how to cope with the culture shock, and ways to adapt to a new culture. I had met Amatu’l-
> Baha during my last two pilgrimages, but after reading her book, I felt a special affinity with
> her and would have loved to seek her advice in person. However, Mr. Nakhjavani told me,
> as Ruhiyyih Khanum had just arrived, she would not accept any visitors.
> 
> That afternoon, although we were not settled yet, or recovered from the jet lag, we took a
> taxi to Bahji and arrived at the Collins Gate. We then walked the long path reverently, to
> the Harami-Aqdas. Dear Mrs. Zabih, was at the gate of the Shrine. She had a look at me
> and said; dear girl, you seem exhausted! Generally, the 3-day pilgrims do not come to the
> reception area of the Mansion, but I believe you could do with some respite. So, after your
> pilgrimage come to the Mansion’s courtyard for some refreshments. We were grateful for
> this invitation.
> 
> When I entered the Shrine, I beseeched the Blessed Beauty for success in our pioneering
> post, then for the health of my Baby, and lastly, to be granted the privilege of having an
> audience with Amatu’l-Baha!
> 
> While praying for my baby, I remembered this Hidden Word of Bahá’u’lláh in Persian, and
> deep in my heart, I knew that “Anisa,” would be the baby’s name. I later talked it over with
> Terry, who was happy to have a Bahá’í name for our child.
> 
> ‘O MY FRIENDS!
> 
> Have ye forgotten that true and radiant morn, when in those hallowed and blessed
> surroundings ye were all gathered in My presence beneath the shade of the tree of
> life (tree of Anisa in Persian), which is planted in the all-glorious paradise? Awe-
> struck ye listened as I gave utterance to these three most holy words: O friends!
> Prefer not your will to Mine, never desire that which I have not desired for you, and
> approach Me not with lifeless hearts, defiled with worldly desires and cravings.
> Would ye but sanctify your souls, ye would at this present hour recall that place and
> those surroundings, and the truth of My utterance should be made evident unto all
> of you.’
> ~ The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, P 28
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/HW/hw-92.html
> 
> Collins Gate and the path leading to the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh
> 
> http://pinterest.com/pin/409616528578094357/
> 
> After the visitation, Mrs. Zabih ushered us into the reception room of the Master. A room
> that Beloved Abdu’l-Baha used to rest and receive faithful believers when visiting the
> Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, as the Mansion was occupied by Covenant Breakers.
> Terry and I were overcome by the heat and exhausted from jet lag. So, as soon as we sat
> in that cool and delightful haven, we fell asleep. I woke up a while later and found a tray of
> refreshments on the table. I woke Terry up and stepped out into the courtyard. I noticed
> Mr. Zabih was on the phone. When he finished with his call, he came to the room, joining
> his wife. I apologized profusely for falling asleep in that sacred room. Mrs. Zabih told me
> when she came back with refreshments and found us asleep, she wanted to wake us up
> and let us know of our inappropriate behavior. However, knowing about my condition, she
> knew that the Master would have forgiven us. So, she allowed us to sleep for a while. Then,
> Mr. Zabih asked if I knew who was on the phone. I surely didn’t. He said it was Amatu’l-
> Baha, asking about the couple who would be pioneering to Kenya. She had heard from the
> Nakhjavani’ s that we were there and wanted to invite us to the House of the Master for
> lunch. She first wanted to know if we had any children, as it was not appropriate for children
> to come to the House of the Master. Mr. Zabih responded, just half a child, in her belly. She
> laughed and said that would be okay! I was in tears from this joyous news, explaining how
> my humble prayer was answered by this call! They were amazed and said, if we had not
> 
> had our “improper siesta,” we would have left before the call from Amatu’l-Baha was made.
> Therefore, missing the opportunity of having lunch with her! It showed that God works in
> mysterious ways!
> 
> The next morning, we made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Báb and then proceeded to
> the House of the Master. We were ushered into the reception room, where Mr. and Mr.
> Nakhjavani were expecting us. We told them how grateful we were for this wondrous visit.
> Violette responded that African Bahá’ís were close to the heart of Ruhiyyih Khanum, and
> she wanted to have time with pioneers going to Kenya. Amatu’l-Baha joined us shortly. She
> was dressed informally, and her countenance reminded me of the Spring breeze; light and
> invigorating. She told us that when she left for her long trip, everything was packed in
> boxes and placed in storage. Now, she was in the middle of unpacking and putting things
> back in their place. As she really wanted to meet us, she had freed her lunchtime for this
> visit. She took us to the breakfast nook adjacent to the kitchen. We sat around a small
> table, where Amatu’l-Baha told us, that Shoghi Effendi after his work at the Bahá’í Gardens,
> used to join her for meals. The faithful maid of Amatu’l- Baha, served us lunch, while
> Amatu’l- Baha shared with us her fond memories of Kenya and the Nairobi coffee shops.
> In the future, anytime I went to a coffee shop in Nairobi, I remembered Ruhiyyih Khanum.
> She assured me that I was going to a city with modern medical facilities for delivering my
> Baby. She mentioned that African culture is very much family oriented, and we needed to
> let our child intermingle with Kenyan children and should teach the Faith as a family unit.
> We took to heart her valuable advice in our teaching endeavor in Africa.
> 
> I noticed a screeching noise coming from the back garden and wondered what it was.
> Ruhiyyih Khanum explained that there were peacocks, the last from the ones kept by the
> Master. Later, we had the pleasure of seeing these magnificent birds. During dessert,
> Amatu’l-Baha left us to take care of some business. Upon her return, she told us that she
> intended to give us a gift from the Holy household to bless our home in Kenya. However,
> everything was still in boxes. She could only find a metal template of the Greatest Name,
> probably used by Shoghi Effendi for the granite carvings at the Bahá’í Gardens. She
> handed us that precious gift and told us to keep it as an heirloom for our family. I was in
> tears and offered my sincerer thanks for her gracious gift and this intimate visit. I later
> covered the metal with a layer of gold and mounted the Greatest Name on a mirror. In the
> years to come, we have lost most of the pictures, books and precious decorations, while
> traveling, but miraculously, have not lost this precious gift.
> 
> The Greatest Names Template, a gift from Amatu’l-Baha,
> to bless our home in Kenya
> 
> ‘O YE coworkers who are supported by armies from the realm of the All-Glorious!
> Blessed are ye, for ye have come together in the sheltering shade of the Word of
> God, and have found a refuge in the cave of His Covenant; ye have brought peace
> to your hearts by making your home in the Abhá Paradise, and are lulled by the
> gentle winds that blow from their source in His loving-kindness; ye have arisen to
> serve the Cause of God and to spread His religion far and wide, to promote His
> Word and to raise high the banners of holiness throughout all those regions.’
> ~ Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, P 320
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAB/sab-43.html
> 
> CHAPTER 5
> KENYA
> 1974 -1978
> 
> ‘O ye homeless and wanderers in the Path of God! Prosperity, contentment, and
> freedom, however much desired and conducive to the gladness of the human
> heart, can in no wise compare with the trials of homelessness and adversity in the
> pathway of God; for such exile and banishment are blessed by the divine favour,
> and are surely followed by the mercy of Providence. The joy of tranquillity in one’s
> home, and the sweetness of freedom from all cares shall pass away, whilst the
> blessing of homelessness shall endure forever, and its far-reaching results shall be
> made manifest.’
> 
> Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAB/sab-223.html
> 
> We arrived at the Nairobi airport, spiritually charged and determined to serve the Beloved
> in our new pioneering post. We were welcomed by a young Kenyan Bahá’í who took us to
> a quaint hotel to stay, until we meet with Hassan Sabri, from the Continental Pioneering
> Committee. We met another pioneer family, Vi Gilbert, and her two teenage children, from
> Alaska, staying at the same hotel. Together, we explored Nairobi and learned about its
> geography and people.
> 
> A Glimpse at Kenya. Past and present
> 
> The Country: The Equatorial Belt is the cause of a tropical and humid climate in vast
> territories of Kenya. It extends from the coastal regions of Indian Ocean in the south to the
> Lake Victoria region in the west. However, the high elevation in the Central and western
> Kenya, home to the snowcapped Mt. Kenya and forested ranges, has created a moderate
> climate in Nairobi and the Highlands. Once driving on a mountainous road, it was amazing
> to see hail falling on the sign marking the “Tropical Equator.”
> 
> The East African Rift Valley, ranging from Lake Victoria to Lake Turkana, is active and
> gradually breaking the crust of the earth apart. The terrain has created a fertile land for tea
> and coffee plantations, one of the primary sources of revenue for Kenya economy.
> 
> The People: Kenya is the homeland to a number of major tribes: Bantu’s, living across the
> country; Kikuyu’s, in Nairobi and the central highlands; Luhya’s, in the western region;
> Swahili’s, in coastal area; Maasai’s and Samburu’s, in the plains; and Lou’s who live along
> the greater Lake Victoria and Lake Turkana. Each having their own distinctive culture,
> language, and tribal identity.
> 
> From the early modern period, Europeans and Arabs dominated the coastal area of the
> Indian Ocean, including Mombasa and Malindi. The Bantu slave trade run by the Omani
> Arabs was expanded from Zanzibar and Oman to Portugal and the British empire. The
> common language of Kiswahili, a mixture of Bantu, Persian, and Arabic, became their
> 
> language of trade. Now, it is the official language of Kenya. From 1888, the Imperial British
> East Africa Company gradually took possession of the Kenya territories, which was once
> dominated by the rulers of Germany and Zanzibar.
> 
> The British, brought skilled Indian workers to Kenya, to help with the construction of Kenya
> - Uganda railways. Their families migrated to East Africa and formed a distinctive Asian
> community. Their descendants thrive in business, educational field and a variety of other
> professions. In the mid 70’s, because of their wealth and status, they were targeted by
> some East African rulers for persecution. As their safety was at risk, many Asians migrated
> to Canada, Australia, US, and Britain.
> 
> The Government: From early 20th Century, the British colonials settled in the Central
> Highlands of Kenya and occupied the land which was initially belonged to Kikuyus. The
> white farmers established vast coffee and tea plantations and started a lucrative trade with
> England. Their economic power made them a powerful voice in the political system of the
> colony. They took away the right of the Kikuyu’s to farm on their tribal land and made them
> serve as laborers in the European plantations.
> 
> At the same time, the British East Africa authorities established its Colonial Government
> Headquarter in Nairobi. It was a centrally located train depot, which connected Uganda and
> Kenya railway system. The authorities gradually expanded the city into the Maasai land.
> They transformed Nairobi into a tourist attraction for the European game hunters. The
> wealthy farmers built spacious houses in Nairobi and enjoyed the convenience of first-class
> hotels, clubs, and restaurants in the city.
> 
> At the end of WWII, the “Mau” rebellion started by the Kikuyus and the Maasai, who were
> angered at losing the right to their land in the south of Nairobi. The uprising was quite
> violent, and there were stories of the entire families of white farmers indiscriminately killed
> by Mau Mau. From 1952 to nearly a decade, Kenya was placed under a state of emergency
> by the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. It was supported by the British and African
> Armed Forces counter-insurgency operation. During this period, more than 4,600 Mau Mau
> rebels were killed. The Nairobi Africans suspected of involvement in Mau Mau uprising
> were sent to the detention camps. This included Jomo Kenyatta, the future president and
> national hero of Kenya, although there was no proof of his involvement in the Mau Mau
> uprising.
> 
> The famous book of “Out of Africa,” depicts the colonial culture of that period. For example,
> the book describes the elegance of the Norfolk Hotel and restaurant, as an idyllic place to
> have an afternoon tea with friends. However, during this period if an African, without a valid
> permit, were walking in front of the hotel, he or she would have been shot on sight.
> 
> The Mau Mau offensive ended in 1956, followed by a series of land policy changes by the
> colonial government. In 1957, the Kenyans elected their first democratic legislative council,
> and by 1963, Kenya was granted independence. In1964, Kenya became a Republic and
> elected Jomo Kenyatta as its first president.
> 
> We moved to Kenya, just a decade after her independence from Britain, and during the
> final years of Jomo Kenyatta’s presidency. At that time, Kenya was unique for being the
> only stable country, and thus a refuge, for the distressed people of her neighboring nations
> of Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, and Ethiopia. All these countries were undergoing political
> changes which impacted drastically, their social and economic stability.
> 
> Kenya and the Bahá’í Faith:
> 
> The Bahá’í Faith in Kenya started with two British Bahá’ís. The following is an excerpt of
> their service as depicted in the passages of “Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the
> British Bahá’í Community”:
> 
> ‘R. St. Barbe Baker: “On his return from Kenya in 1924 where he had served as
> Assistant Conservator of Forests since 1920, R. St. Barbe Baker was asked to
> speak on the faiths of the Kikuyu under the title: "Some African Beliefs" at the
> 'Conference of Living Religions within the Empire', and was approached afterwards
> by Claudia Stewart-Coles who exclaimed "You are a Bahá'í". He subsequently
> accepted the Faith and has introduced it to many thousands of people in all walks
> of life in many lands, for more than half a century. The Guardian became the first
> Life Member of the Men of the Trees in Palestine in 1929. Later, for twelve
> consecutive years, he sent an official message to St. Barbe's World Forestry Charter
> Gatherings attended by Ambassadors from up to sixty-two countries each year. St.
> Barbe took an active part in the Committee celebrating the Centenary of the
> Declaration of the Báb in 1944. After his first Sahara University Expedition carrying
> out an ecological survey of 9,000 miles in 1953, and in response to the Guardian's
> desire, St. Barbe attended the First African Conference in Kampala. In 1975 St.
> Barbe was called upon to advise on tree planting of the site of the Tihran House of
> Worship in consultation with Quinlan Terry, the architect. Afterward, in collaboration
> with architect Hossein Amanat, he recorded his observations for the Universal
> House of Justice for the landscaping of their site on Mt. Carmel and for tree-scaping
> at Bahji. St. Barbe attended the Intercontinental Conference Nairobi, in October
> 1976 and still (1979) at almost 90 is introducing or teaching the Faith in many lands
> and would be content to "lay down his bones in service to the Faith" in his beloved
> Africa.”
> 
> Mrs. Margurite Peterson: “Became a Bahá'í in 1936, was a member of the National
> Assembly for three and a half years during the period 1939 to 1945. She married
> Terence Preston, a Kenya tea grower, in August 1945 and settled in Kenya where
> she was the only Bahá'í until the pioneers began to settle under the Two-Year Plan.
> Her husband died unexpectedly in July 1951 leaving her with three young children,
> and she and her eldest child were killed in an aeroplane crash when she was
> returning to Kenya after a short holiday in England, in February 1952.’
> 
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/UD/ud-660.html
> 
> Mass teaching in Kenya
> 
> Excerpts from the “Custodians, Ministry of the Custodians”:
> ‘Among the many outstanding advances in Africa may be cited the
> extraordinary number of enrolments February 11, 1960
> 
> Dearly Beloved Friends:
> 
> The Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land have received many requests for news
> direct from the World Centre, and it has been our hope for some time to share with
> the believer's selections from the glad-tidings which reach us here.
> 
> The two years which have elapsed since the passing of our dearly beloved Guardian
> have imposed such heavy burdens that it has been impossible hitherto for us to
> undertake this informal newsletter to the friends, which we hope to be able to send
> out from time to time in the future in Uganda and Kenya, which are now on such a
> scale as to present a serious problem to the administrative bodies responsible.
> There are just not enough Bahá'ís to keep up with the work of checking the
> declaration cards that come in! The mass conversion desired and foretold by the
> beloved Guardian is now taking place in this area, as well as in the Malayan
> Archipelago and other areas of the Pacific. It presents a great challenge and a
> wonderful hope for the future. Schools run by Bahá'ís for the Africans are perforce
> increasing throughout the continent as the Faith spreads and the Bahá'í
> membership increases so rapidly.”
> 
> “In the African continent, the onward march of the Faith bears eloquent testimony to
> the spiritual receptivity of its inhabitants, so strongly emphasized by our beloved
> Guardian, and reflected, even before his passing, in the beginnings of that mass
> conversion confidently predicted by him. As a result of the intensive teaching
> campaigns launched by the four African Regional Assemblies, the number of
> declared believers throughout this vast continent has risen to well over fifteen
> thousand, seven thousand having been added since last Ridvan. In Central and East
> Africa, the number of enrolled believers has more than doubled in the short space
> of a year. Over four thousand new declarations have been recorded in Uganda alone
> since April 1959, nearly twelve hundred in Kenya, and well over two hundred in
> Tanganyika. In the Belgian Congo, also, the beginnings of mass conversion are
> becoming evident. In the far-flung territories under the jurisdiction of the Regional
> Assembly of South and West Africa, a gain of over sixty percent has occurred during
> the past twelve months in the total number of adherents of the Faith. The zeal of the
> now believers in this area is well illustrated, by the recent settlement of the Island of
> Sesse in Lake Victoria, an accomplishment of nature ever dear to Shoghi Effendi's
> heart. The number of Local Spiritual Assemblies in the whole of Africa has reached
> a total of three hundred and seventy-six, an increase of well over two hundred since
> the passing of the beloved Guardian. Representatives of two hundred and seventy-
> three different African tribes are now included in the membership of the Bahá'í
> Community. Noteworthy among the many new instances of official recognition
> 
> accorded the Faith during the past year are: The establishment and registration of
> the first Bahá'í Publishing Trust in Africa, in Kampala, Uganda; the inclusion of
> "Bahá'í' on the official census sheet as one of the religions of Swaziland; and the
> registration of the Haziratu'l-Quds of Port Victoria, Seychelles as a religious
> property, thereby exempting it from all taxation.”
> 
> “After the completion of the local one year plan in 1973 -- 1974, the Five-Year Plan
> was launched in Kenya by the beloved Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga when he
> read the messages from the Universal House of Justice at the 1974 national
> convention.’
> 
> Ministry of the Custodians: An Account of the Stewardship of the Hands of the
> Cause 1957-1963, by Universal House of Justice
> http://bahai-library.com/uhj_ministry_custodians&chapter=4
> 
> Noted Pioneers in Kenya:
> 
> According to the Bahá’í World:
> 
> ‘The Mau Mau rebellion had begun two years before the first Bahá'í pioneer set foot in
> Kenya, and the country was torn with bitter strife, ruled by stringent emergency
> regulations, and race relations were at the lowest ebb. The churches which used to
> overflow with enthusiastic Christians were half empty as the attendance dwindled
> Sunday after Sunday. Many of those in authority looked at the Bahá'í Faith with dislike,
> and most of the rebel Christians were very skeptical about anything to do with religion
> because they had identified Christianity with the decadent Colonial rule, but they gave
> a very sympathetic hearing to the wonderful message of the Bahá'í Faith.”
> 
> •   “The Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga, the only native African to have been
> appointed a Hand of the Cause, traveled in many countries in both East and West
> Africa during the years 1963 to 1968, transferring his residence to Kenya in 1963.
> Admired and loved as he is by his fellow African believers, he was spectacularly
> successful on other continents.”
> 
> •   Mr. Aziz Yazdi was one the early pioneers in Kenya. His name was always
> mentioned by the Bahá’ís with love and respect. He served in the National Assembly
> of East Africa, and later, the National Spiritual Assembly of Kenya. In 1954, he was
> appointed as an Auxiliary Board, and 1968, as the Counselor for East and Central
> Africa. When he left Kenya to serve in Holy Land, his house, which was also the
> Continental Board of Counselor’s Headquarter, became the residence of Isobel
> Sabri, the newly appointed Counselor, and her husband Hassan Sabri, the
> Secretary of the Continental Pioneering Committee for Africa.
> 
> •   Dr. Jamsheed Samandari was the cousin of Dr. Mihdi Samandari, the Counselor
> and the son of Hand of the Cause, Mr. Tarazu’llah Samandari. In 1961, Jamsheed
> and his wife, Parivash, were pioneers in Somalia, but due to the political unrest,
> moved to Tanzania and then Nairobi.
> 
> (BW - Baha'i World Volumes, Volume 14, p. 272)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> Starting a New Life
> 
> We learned from our meeting with the Sabri’s that our most important task as pioneers was
> consolidation; helping with the deepening of African Bahá’ís and developing their
> administrative skills. This also entailed my involvement in developing activities for women
> and children and Terry’s national coordination of the correspondence courses.
> 
> I was soon introduced to Dr. Samandari, who offered his services free of charge as my
> Gynecologist. Jamsheed and his wife Parivash took us under their wings and helped us to
> settle in a furnished one-bedroom apartment close to their home in Westlands. Cecily
> Trent, a pioneer who lived in their guest house, took the role of my surrogate mother.
> 
> As we settled in our home, we realized that there were no electric home appliances, and
> we had to hire a maid or houseboy to manually do the chores. That was an added
> expenditure to our limited budget. With the help of new Bahá’í friends, including Giti
> Rouhani, another Persian pioneer, we managed to shop for the Baby and get ready for the
> delivery. Meanwhile, Terry applied at the Nairobi City Education Department for a job and
> started teaching at the Nairobi Primary School, which was conveniently located in
> Westlands. As Terry was hired in Kenya, he did not have the privileges given to expatriates.
> Therefore, he received a local salary with no housing, health or other fringe benefits.
> 
> Most of the Bahá’í activities took place at the Nairobi Bahá’í Center. There was a well-
> attended devotional and deepening program every Sunday. An opportunity to meet the
> Kenyan Bahá’ís and pioneers. Hassan Sabri was the coordinator of the program. It was
> also where visitors, including Hands of the Cause and Counselors, would talk and consult
> with the Bahá’ís. The National Office was located at the Center, and Mr. Wafula, the
> Secretary of the Kenya National Spiritual Assembly, and his family lived on the property. A
> dormitory accommodated Kenyan Bahá’ís who were attending meetings or conferences at
> Nairobi. I was appointed as a member of the National Teaching Committee and helped to
> organize the National Teaching Conference in Nairobi.
> 
> Excerpts from: BW - Baha'i World Volumes, Volume 16, p. 144:
> 
> ‘In 1974 a National Teaching Conference was held to discuss the goals of the Five
> Year Plan, following which seventeen regional conferences were held with a total
> attendance of approximately 1,000. Teaching work aimed at winning the goals of
> the plan was carried out through such means as the inspiration of national and local
> 
> teaching and consolidation conferences; the attempted strengthening of the work of
> the Regional Teaching Committees; the extension teaching undertaken by several
> Bahá'í communities, particularly Nairobi; and the work of local Bahá'í travelling
> teachers in many parts of the country, as well as of travelling teachers from other
> countries, notably Iran. As a result, more than 4,000 new believers were added to
> those on record, but the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies dropped considerably
> before beginning to rise again. In 1976, it was reported that the first member of the
> Turkana tribe to become a Bahá’í had declared his belief. The goal of opening two
> or more islands in Lake Victoria, in cooperation with the National Spiritual Assembly
> of Kenya.’
> 
> ‘The Hand of the Cause Dr. Rahmatu'llah Muhajir played a key role in inspiring the
> Bahá'ís of Kenya to greater teaching efforts. Mrs. Florence Mayberry of the
> International Teaching Centre addressed a well-attended meeting in Nairobi in
> September 1974. Among those attending were several new blind believers. As a
> result of the teaching activity of a pioneer who settled in Kenya, approximately fifteen
> blind individuals from a school near the pioneer's home embraced the Faith.’
> 
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> I delivered my baby after the conference. It was a difficult childbirth and, after 14 hours of
> labor, I had to have a Cesarean Section. It took me a while to come out of the general
> anesthetic. I remember having a near death experience; going through a tunnel of intense
> lights, while entering the world of consciousness. My doctors were relieved to see me back,
> as complications from general anesthetic were one of the leading causes of death in Kenya.
> Since then, I have had premonitions while dreaming, of significant events that will happen
> to me or those close to me.
> 
> Some Light-Hearted Anecdotes
> 
> 1) When our beautiful daughter Anisa was born, due to the complication of my surgery,
> we spent a week in the hospital and a month at home to recuperate. I tried to be a good
> mother. However, since my own mother and family were not around, I used Dr. Spock’s
> book “Baby and Child Care,” to be my guide for taking care of my newborn. Thankfully
> I had my new Bahá’í friends to help in the process. Among them Dr. Radha Rost, the
> daughter of Dr. Munji, a distinguished Bahá’í that I had met in New Delhi. Radha, a
> medical doctor, was married to Dr. Tim Rost, a College Professor in Thika. She had
> small children and was one of my best friends. When she was visiting me, I had just
> finished breastfeeding Anisa and was overwhelmed by her restlessness and continuous
> crying. I asked Radha for help. She made a quick examination and said; “Dear Shahla,
> you are not producing enough milk which makes Anisa frustrated and hungry. You must
> start bottle feeding the Baby to supplement your milk.” It was the best advice that I ever
> heard as a new mother.
> 
> 2) I also had a crash course in becoming a real Persian cook. In the past, I used to make
> a Persian dish with whatever ingredients were available in the market. One day, Mrs.
> Samandari, invited me to her home, to have lunch with Counselor Mihdi Samandari and
> other Bahá’í friends. I offered to make a traditional Persian herb dish. When lunch was
> being served, Parivash acknowledged that I cooked the Ghomeh Sabzi (the herb dish.)
> Dr. Mihdi complemented me and asked how I prepared it. I described the ingredients
> that I used, such as Cilantro. A Persian lady smiled and said that Cilantro was not the
> right herb for that dish. I was surprised and a bit embarrassed. Dr. Mihdi intervened and
> said; maybe that is why this food is so delicious! Since then, I always checked with my
> Persian friends about Persian customs and traditions.
> 
> 3) We became close friends with Parviz Sultani, a young Persian pioneer who was taking
> his master’s Degree in Kisumu, western Kenya. As he was our age, we spent a great
> deal of time together when he visited Nairobi. Parviz told us when he first arrived,
> Hassan Sabri took him on a sightseeing tour of the residential estates of Nairobi. Parviz
> noticed that most of the spacious houses had a chain linked fence with a sign written in
> red: “MBWA KALI.” Parviz commented that this Mbwa Kali should be a wealthy man to
> own all these mansions! Hassan laughed and said the Swahili sign means: “FIERCE
> DOG.” It was warning the intruder: “Enter at your own risk.”
> 
> Life in Nairobi
> 
> Nairobi in 1974, was a modern and beautiful city. The commercial center housed many
> international companies in East Africa. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
> headquarters and the United Nations Office for Africa was in Nairobi. They provided funding
> for many of the United Nations projects in Africa.
> 
> The climate was always moderate, we never needed air-conditioning or heating systems
> in our home. The Nairobi National Park and Animal Orphanage were located just outside
> the city, and tours to other National Parks were organized in Nairobi.
> 
> As newcomers, we noticed a stark difference in the standard of living between upper-class
> residential areas, where wealthy Kenyans and expatriates were residing, and the slum
> areas, where 50% of Nairobi population lived. There were recent apartment housing
> developments for middle-income professional Kenyans, such as Jamhuri Estate.
> 
> Most of the pioneers in Nairobi had to live in upmarket neighborhoods, either in the
> expensive houses, which had fences and sometimes private guards or in the apartment
> buildings nearby. As the slum areas such as Kibera were not safe for the foreigners, and
> the government-sponsored Housing Estates were for the Kenyans only.
> 
> Safety was an issue for the residents. Public transportation was not available for most of
> the neighborhoods, and it was not safe to walk in the evenings. Therefore, we needed to
> buy a car, which was quite expensive in Kenya. We could only afford to pay for a used car,
> 
> which consumed most of our savings. The rental for our small apartment was equivalent
> to Terry’s monthly income. As our six-month deputization was up, we were facing financial
> crisis. So, Terry went to the Nairobi City Education Department, asking for help with
> housing allocation. The Department agreed to give us the only free housing available at
> that time. It was the headmaster’s house of Jamhuri Primary School. There was a gas
> explosion in the house, and the Asian Headmaster was sure that there had been an attempt
> on his life. Therefore, he refused to go back to the house after repair. Terry, although still
> teaching in Nairobi Primary School, accepted the offer. We immediately packed our
> belongings and moved to our new home.
> 
> Jamhuri Estate Home
> 
> Our first home in Nairobi was a small 3-bedroom bungalow, located across the street of the
> Jamhuri Estate, an apartment housing development for Kenyan professionals. The house
> was the only building in an African savannah, extending to the Jamhuri Showground, and
> Ngong Forest Sanctuary. There was no backyard fence to safeguard the house from the
> intruders or wildlife. At night, the sound of nature, including crickets, played a full orchestra
> at our doorstep. The house had slanted cathedral ceiling in the living room which was
> cracked after the explosion. The crack was left open for months, exposing the tiled floor to
> the elements of nature. When they filled the gap, they did not paint it over or clean the floor.
> When I entered the room, I had an eerie feeling that I stepped into a war zone after an
> enemy attack. We soon realized that the explosion damaged the water and gas pipes in
> the house, and no repair had been done to restore water or gas connection. As the kitchen
> stove ran on gas, we could not use it for cooking. We were lucky to have electricity and an
> outdoor water faucet. It was a weekend, and the offices were closed. We had no choice
> but to go into a survival mode to take care of Baby Anisa and our necessities. Fortunately,
> Anisa had a Baby basket carriage with mosquito net. We found a large blackboard and a
> few concrete blocks, which we converted to a base for our bed. We went to the African
> market and bought a couple of 2-inch foam mattresses to place on the blackboards and
> made a makeshift bed. We had an electric frying pan from Tehran to use for cooking. As
> our house was not far from the Sabri’s, they graciously allowed us to use their facilities to
> shower. We filled up jars with clean water, and brought them home, placed them outside
> to warm up, to use for Anisa’s bath. It took a few weeks before we had our utilities restored.
> Isobel Sabri once told me; “You have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous!” She did not
> know how true this comment was, not having visited our house.
> 
> For our living room, I used our only valuable possession, a small Persian rug that my
> mother had insisted on bringing with us. It was large enough for me to sit and feed my
> Baby. A Chinese lacquered lantern that we had bought in Hong Kong gave out subdued
> lighting. One evening, when sitting on the rug, in that bare and unfinished room, feeding
> my innocent Baby, I was overwhelmed by a feeling of self-pity and abjection. However, it
> soon turned into enlightenment, as I remembered the words of Bahá’u’lláh in the Tablet of
> Ahmad. Just then, Terry returned from work. I noticed as he entered the room and observed
> our condition, tears welled in his eyes. So, I comforted him by reciting the verse:
> 
> ‘O, Ahmad! Forget not My bounties while I am absent. Remember My days during
> thy days, and My distress and banishment in this remote prison. And be thou so
> steadfast in My love that thy heart shall not waver, even if the swords of the enemies
> rain blows upon thee and all the heavens and the earth arise against thee.
> 
> Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved
> ones, and be not of those who doubt.
> And if thou art overtaken by affliction in My path, or degradation for My sake, be
> not thou troubled thereby.
> Rely upon God, thy God and the Lord of thy fathers…….’
> 
> (Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 206)
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> Little by little, we were able to buy some furniture from expatriates who were leaving the
> country. We also furnished extra bedroom and offered hospitality to a stream of pioneers
> from Iran, on their way to other African countries. They had to stop over in Nairobi to consult
> with the Pioneering Committee. Our guests were mainly single ladies with limited finances
> and language skills. We offered them a safe environment, in addition to emotional support
> in coping with challenges of their life as a pioneer.
> 
> We developed a close relationship with the Bahá’í residents of Jamhuri Estate. One of
> them was dear Jan, an American Bahá’í, who was married to a Kenyan. Her husband, a
> corporate manager, was not a Bahá’í. He was not interested in having his family participate
> in Bahá’í activities, but Jan took her children to the Bahá’í Center every Sunday.
> 
> We also became friends with another American Bahá’í who was also married to a Kenyan.
> This lady was quite unhappy with her married life and wanted to leave her husband and
> take her children back home with her. However, legally, her children were Kenya citizens
> and could not leave the country without their father’s consent. So, she contacted the US
> Embassy for help. They issued a US passport for the family and arranged for their transport
> to the States. No one knew about their departure until she called Jan from her parents’
> home in the States.
> 
> In contrast, Jan was a patient wife and loving mother. We visited her often and helped her
> with transportation, to go to her appointments and Bahá’í activities. Years later, when we
> were in the States, we heard the sad news that Jan had passed away after surgery, due to
> the complications from the anesthetic. She left behind her young children, who were not
> allowed to have any contact with the Bahá’ís.
> 
> A Poignant Memory
> 
> In 1991, I was on a Pilgrimage with my daughter, Anisa. While sitting in the Pilgrim House,
> conversing with Jila, my old friend from the Philippines, a young lady approached us and
> asked if I was in Kenya when her mother Jan was alive. She introduced herself as Esther
> 
> and told us her story. She relayed that after her mother had passed away, her father
> remarried and removed all the pictures and memorabilia of Jan. The children were not
> allowed to talk about their mother or contact any Bahá’í who knew her. When she was a
> teenager, her American grandparents convinced her father to send Esther to the States.
> There, she learned about the Bahá’í Faith and her mother’s life in the States. After
> graduation, she joined the staff at the World Center. She always prayed at the Shrines to
> meet people who knew about her mother. The night before our meeting, Jan came to her
> dream and told her that she would be meeting a friend the next day. I embraced her crying
> and shared all my precious memories of Jan. We both felt her presence and said a prayer
> for her soul at the Shrine.
> 
> From the left, Esther, Shahla, Anisa
> 
> Lavington Estate home
> 
> At the beginning of the new school year, Terry was called to the Nairobi Education
> Department and was told that we had to vacate the house so the new Headmaster of
> Jamhuri School could move in. However, the Headmaster’s house of the Lavington school
> was available, and they were promoting Terry to be the Deputy Headmaster of that school.
> Lavington was an upper-income residential estate in the suburb of Nairobi.
> 
> The house was on the elevated site of the school property. Down the slope, was the
> Lavington Primary School campus. We moved into a spacious 3-bedroom stone house,
> 
> with wood flooring, a small vegetable garden on the side, adjacent to the servants’ quarters.
> A full veranda on the back of the house was overlooking to 13 acres of green, speckled
> with African native trees. Among them an iconic Baobab tree, also known as an upside-
> down tree; because its leafless branches looked like roots spreading in the air. As the tree
> stores water in its branches, and rains down droplets of clear water, it was also called the
> “Rain Tree.” In the distance, we could see a tree grove and a brook flowing through it. The
> idyllic environment was like a scene from the movies, which depicted Africa.
> 
> This welcome change reminded me of this quote from the Báb: “Say, this earthly life shall
> come to an end, and everyone shall expire and return unto my Lord God Who will reward
> with the choicest gifts the deeds of those who endure with patience.” I was not sure that I
> deserved the reward in this world, but it motivated me to plan the next stage of my life and
> my career. Anisa was six months old and could stay home with a nanny. So, we hired a
> live-in nanny (Aya), a gentle natured woman from Uganda. Since everything was done
> manually - laundry, house cleaning, cutting grass with a machete, we also needed a male
> servant (houseboy). I followed the advice of Ruhiyyih Khanum, in her Manual to Pioneers,
> to be the source of employment for domestic help.
> 
> In Search of Employment
> 
> I soon learned that Social Work courses were not offered at the Nairobi University or any
> other colleges. Hassan Sabri suggested that I explore possibilities with Kenya Institute of
> Administration. KIA was a government institution, which was established for the
> development of public servants in the East African region. Therefore, I had to go to the
> Government Ministry to apply for a faculty position. I was painfully aware that I had no one
> in the Ministry to vouch for me. That morning, I ardently prayed for Divine assistance and
> drove to the Government Center. When I parked my car and started walking, I noticed an
> elegant African lady passing by. I politely asked her for directions. She responded that I
> might walk with her, as she was going the same way. I thanked her, and sincerely told her:
> “you are so beautiful”! She chuckled in surprise and returned my compliment. This started
> a conversation with her, asking me what my business was, at the Ministry. I told her who I
> was and my hope to have a job interview with the Head of the Division, in charge of KIA. I
> continued by saying that I did not know the person, nor did I have an appointment. When
> we arrived at the entrance of the building, she asked security to take me to the office of the
> Director. Then, she handed me her card to give to the Director and instructed me to ask
> him to call Mrs. G. She wished me luck and walked in a different direction. I never saw
> Mrs. G. again!
> 
> The security guard accompanied me to the Director’s office. There, I handed the card to a
> surprised secretary and conveyed the message from Mrs. G. The secretary immediately
> informed the Director and asked me to wait for him to finish his call to Mrs. G. Then, I was
> ushered into his office for a short interview. He informed me that based on the
> recommendation of the Minister, I would be hired as a lecturer at KIA. He asked me to go
> to the HR for the hiring process, then report to the Director of KIA. I later learned that Mrs.
> G. was the wife of the Minister. She was also the Deputy Minister, in charge of innovative
> social development projects. I left the Ministry a while later, with my employment papers,
> 
> and directions to KIA. While driving home, I could not contain tears of joy rolling down my
> face…I was singing His praises and thanking God for bestowing His ocean of Mercy upon
> this humble maidservant!
> 
> ‘O thou candle of the Love of God!
> I ask God to grant thee by His favor and grace that which is thy utmost desire; that
> the closed doors become opened, the uneven roads become even, thy face shine
> by the love of God, thy sight become brighter by witnessing the signs of God; that
> thou mayest attain spiritual joy, eternal happiness and heavenly life.’
> 
> - Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/TAB/tab-157.html
> 
> Kenya Institute of Administration - KIA
> 
> KIA campus was in Kabete, 10 miles out of Nairobi. Next day I drove on a country road,
> passing through a beautiful rural area. The new and modern Administration Building was
> an addition to the older structures which housed students’ dormitories and classrooms. I
> did not see the Director, but the Head of Faculty for Social Development, Mr. J. interviewed
> me. Going through my documents, he informed me that there was no position open in his
> department, and no office space available in the building. However, he found an empty
> office out on the campus. He wanted me to read papers relating to the courses offered in
> the department until he met with the Director and decided on my job description. Then, he
> took me to an old, stone building, quite a distance from the Administration Building. I
> learned later that my colleagues jokingly called that building, Bangladesh, as it was far from
> the modern campus of KIA. My office furniture was composed of an old chair and a desk.
> My office supplies were a pad of paper and a few pens. I had an old telephone, which was
> connected to the operator for outside calls. The only other office was occupied by a young
> Kenyan from the Accounting department. Both of us were new and waiting for future
> instructions from the Director. For more than 2 weeks, I dutifully came to work and left at
> the end of the day. On the third week, Mr. J. called me to his office to reprimand me for not
> having attended the general staff meeting when the director called my name to welcome
> me to KIA. I responded that I had been in my office and had not received any
> communications about such a meeting. He realized that he had neglected to give me a
> 
> proper orientation and informed the Director. The directive was to move me right away to
> the new Office Building and schedule a weekly supervisory meeting with Mr. J. Since there
> was no office available yet, my only option was to share one with the same young man who
> was with me in Bangladesh. I accepted the offer, and we both moved to our new, modern,
> second-floor office. The other offices were occupied by two Lecturers from Kenya, who
> were teaching a two-year course in Social Services. I gradually met the other East African
> colleagues in the same office complex. They were lecturing General Administration,
> Accounting, and Management Courses. They came from Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Uganda.
> The European expatriates had their offices in different buildings.
> 
> In the late 1970’s Kenya still had ties with England as a Member of the British
> Commonwealth. The citizens of the British Commonwealth countries had the right to live,
> own properties and work in Kenya. I obtained my New Zealand citizenship in Iran, through
> the British Embassy, which gave me the right to enter and work in Kenya. There was an
> underlying tension and mistrust among the Kenyans, Africans, and the European
> “expatriates.” The expatriates who were hired by the Kenya government, had the
> advantage of receiving much higher salaries, in addition to free housing, travel expenses,
> and other fringe benefits. These privileges were not extended to their Kenyan and other
> African counterparts. Therefore, this systemic discrimination added to the element of
> resentment in the interaction between Kenyans, other Africans, and Europeans. I was in a
> peculiar position, as I was considered European, but not an expatriate. It gave me a rare
> opportunity to be with my African colleagues and gain their trust and friendship.
> 
> My first test was handling the situation in the Break Room, where the staff gathered during
> break and lunch to mingle. When I first entered, I noticed two separate seating
> arrangements, one section on the far right, and one on the far left. At the middle, there
> were serving tables for tea, coffee, and refreshments. All the British expatriates were sitting
> on the right section, and all the Africans were sitting on the left. This was an unwritten
> norm that everyone observed. I handled my predicament by alternating each break; sitting
> once on the African side, and the second time on the expatriate side. I offered friendship
> to each group and tried my best to teach the Faith based on my conduct as a Bahá’í. I
> continued getting closer to my African colleagues, and they trusted me more. Finally, they
> told me with amusement: “You are a strange animal, your name is English, but you act like
> one of us!” It was the warmest compliments that I had ever received from my African
> 
> colleagues! After six months or so, I noticed that my intervention started to work. As some
> African staff deliberately crossed over the invisible line and sat in the European section.
> 
> The mistrust was also showing among my trainees. Once, when I was teaching the unity
> of mankind in my Human Growth and Development class. I was explaining how human
> species, which was originally from East Africa, through migration and adapting to new
> environments, branched out to become all the different races around the world. I saw quite
> a few trainees whispering to each other. I asked them to share their thoughts with the rest
> of the class. One took the floor by saying that I was not totally honest since I really believed
> that Africans descended from monkeys and Europeans from humans. I was shocked to
> hear that, and spent the rest of my lecture to expound on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s explanation of
> human evolution:
> 
> ‘To recapitulate: as man in the womb of the mother passes from form to form, from
> shape to shape, changes and develops, and is still the human species from the
> beginning of the embryonic period—in the same way man, from the beginning of his
> existence in the matrix of the world, is also a distinct species, that is, man, and has
> gradually evolved from one form to another. Therefore, this change of appearance,
> this evolution of members, this development and growth, even though we admit the
> reality of growth and progress, does not prevent the species from being original.
> Man, from the beginning was in this perfect form and composition, and possessed
> capacity and aptitude for acquiring material and spiritual perfections, and was the
> manifestation of these words, “We will make man in Our image and likeness.” He
> has only become more pleasing, more beautiful, and more graceful. Civilization has
> brought him out of his wild state, just as the wild fruits which are cultivated by a
> gardener became finer, sweeter, and acquire more freshness and delicacy.
> 
> The gardeners of the world of humanity are the Prophets of God.’
> 
> - Bahá’í World Faith—Selected Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
> Section Only)
> 
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/BWF/bwf-23.html
> 
> My Scope of Responsibilities at KIA
> 
> As a faculty member, based on my understanding of the Kenyan cultural and social norms,
> I developed a course on Human Growth and Development, which is still being offered at
> KIA.
> 
> I was an advisor and supervisor for student’s field placement. In that capacity, I traveled to
> a variety of urban and rural areas, where I was officially received as a government dignitary.
> The most memorable trip was to Maasai Mara, where I was welcomed by the Maasai in
> their formal regalia, performing their traditional dances.
> 
> Infant mortality was quite high, and most of the families had close to 9 children. It was to
> ensure that some would survive to take care of their parents. In one instance, I observed
> the harsh reality of poverty, when I accompanied a trainee to visit a family in a small town.
> I was told that during a recent famine, when the family was on the brink of starvation, the
> mother could not produce milk to feed her infant. So, when her Baby died, she cooked his
> flesh to feed her starving family.
> 
> The high rate of pregnancy caused a short life expectancy for women. I was once in a panel
> to evaluate the student’s field placement. One of the trainees was reporting his intervention
> in helping an old lady to find placement in a home for the aged. He repeatedly emphasized
> that this very old client was not able to take care of herself and was lucky to find a placement
> in a senior facility. At the end of his report, my colleague asked how old was the client? He
> responded; “Very old, she was 46 years old!” We both gasped, as my colleague was 45
> years old. He was right since statistics showed that the average life expectancy for women
> was 45 years.
> 
> I acted as a National Advisor for Workshops sponsored by IPPF – International Planned
> Parenthood Federation, and a consultant, for early childhood development centers,
> sponsored by UNICEF. These international programs were focused on the health and well-
> being of mothers and their children.
> 
> African women shoulder significant responsibilities for raising their family, with little financial
> means. In addition to their household duties, they care for generations of children and
> grandchildren, whom their mothers live in a distant location, either to work or finish their
> education – this included some of the female KIA trainees. They also work in the fields,
> 
> grow and harvest crops; and barter their produce and crafts, to provide for their family. The
> need for economic empowerment was sorely required for these hardworking women.
> Therefore, a few international women organizations developed cottage industry Co-Ops to
> train and then employ a group of neighborhood women, to make exquisite African jewelry,
> tie-dye Batiks, and basketry. Their products were sold in the US and European markets for
> a considerable profit. A portion was distributed among the Co-Op women, and a
> percentage was deposited in the Co-Op saving account. All the qualified members took
> turns in receiving a lump sum for either purchasing the required household item, paying for
> their family’s education, or starting a business. I supervised field placement of my female
> social workers assigned to these Co-Ops. They were conducting support groups to enable
> the members to be socially and financially self-sufficient.
> 
> Bahá’í Proclamation
> 
> In my contacts with the United Nations organization, I was able to contribute to the
> proclamation projects of the Bahá’í community. Terry and I both helped with setting up
> booths for the annual Nairobi Show. Following is an excerpt from (BW - Baha'i World
> Volumes, Volume 16, p. 144):
> 
> ‘The Faith was proclaimed and brought to the attention of the public in Kenya in
> several ways. Each year at the Nairobi Show, the attractive Bahá'í booth drew
> hundreds of enquirers. Bahá’í activity at the Rachuonyo Agricultural Show was quite
> fruitful. Nationwide radio and television programmes had Bahá'í participants on
> several occasions. Bahá'í efforts in support of United Nations activities in Kenya
> were successful, with Bahá'í observances of World Environment Day, United
> Nations Day, and Human Rights Day being held in both urban and rural
> communities. Ties were strengthened with the United Nations Environment
> Programme, which has its headquarters in Nairobi; this strengthening resulted
> particularly from Bahá’í activities in connection with UNEP Governing Council
> sessions.’
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> Bahá’í Correspondence Course
> 
> Terry devoted his service as a tutor for the National Bahá’í Correspondence
> courses. Following is an excerpt from BW - Bahá’í World Volume 16, page 45:
> 
> ‘Deepening of the knowledge of the friends was carried out to a considerable
> extent through conferences, courses, and seminars organized largely by
> national committees, with particular success during the one year plan when
> more than 800 friends participated in deepening courses. A series of
> conferences designed to aid the friends to form new Local Spiritual
> 
> Assemblies and reclaim lost ones was held in 1973 -1976; some of these
> were highly successful.
> Teaching and deepening activities took place at the three permanent Bahá'í
> institutes, with Menu Baha Institute being the most effectively utilized. The
> marked expansion and growing effectiveness of the Bahá'í correspondence
> courses during this period not only led to the deepening of many believers
> but helped to attract enquirers to the Cause. Courses were given in English
> and Swahili.’
> 
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> Travel Teaching Activities
> 
> Terry and I, fulfilled the consolidation goal, by traveling to several Bahá’í communities in
> Kenya. The regular weekend visits were to Machakos, and Thika, both within a day’s driving
> distance from Nairobi. During school holidays, we traveled to Kisumu, in western Kenya,
> met with the Auxiliary Board member and visited the surrounding Bahá’í communities. In
> Mombasa, a coastal city by the Indian Ocean, Dr. Rouhani, a member of the Auxiliary
> Board, facilitated our meeting with the Bahá’ís in the area.
> 
> Visiting Bahá’í Dignitaries
> 
> In addition to the visits from Hands of the Cause, Enoch Olinga, John Robarts, and Dr.
> Muhajir, we also had the blessing of regular visits by the members of Continental Board of
> Counselors. Mr. Hushang Ahdieh, from Ethiopia, and Mr. Peter Vuyiya, from Kenya.
> 
> Dr. Ayman, my beloved mentor, and Dr. Rasekh, my professor from Tehran University,
> both Counselors for Asia, had talks at the Bahá’í Center. The concept of deepening Bahá’ís
> on principles and importance of Bahá’í Administration was the focal points of talks by Hands
> of the Cause and the Counselors. I always remember Dr. Rakesh’s analogy on the Sea of
> Covenant. He asked us to visualize a school of fish, swimming and receiving life-giving
> sustenance from the sea. He then asked us to think of the individual Bahá’í, living in the
> ocean of God’s mercy, receiving spiritual nourishment from the Bahá’í community and its
> institutions. As the fish would not survive out of the water, an individual Bahá’í would not
> sustain a spiritual life, without the protection of Bahá’í institutions and care of the Bahá’í
> community.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir emphasized the role of the pioneers in teaching the Faith and deepening
> Bahá’ís on Bahá’í Administration. He likened the connection of the individual Bahá’ís to
> Bahá’í Administration as leaves attached to the stems of the Tree of the Covenant. If a leaf
> falls from the tree, it will eventually wither and die.
> 
> The Circumstances of Bahá’ís in some Neighboring Counties
> 
> Uganda: In 1951, Mr. and Mrs. Musa Banani, their daughter Violette, and her husband, Mr.
> Ali Nakhjavani pioneered to Kampala. Later that year Enoch Olinga declared his Faith. In
> 
> 1953, Mr. Olinga went to Cameroon, and became a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, to open the Faith
> in a new territory. He was appointed by the Guardian, as a Hand of the Cause, in 1957.
> 
> The Faith spread in Uganda, and the Beloved Guardian called the Ugandan Bahá’í
> Community, the spiritual heart of Africa. The first Bahá’í House of Worship for Africa was
> dedicated in 1961 in Kampala. The same year several permanent Bahá’í Schools were
> established in the country.
> 
> In 1970, when Idi Amin became the President of Uganda, the members of the newly formed
> Uganda National Spiritual Assembly, attended a meeting with the President. They
> presented a statement, which included the core tenants of the Faith, and their obedience
> to the government. In 1971, Idi Amin attended the celebration of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh
> and made positive statements about the Faith. Subsequently Mr. Olinga and the Bahá’í
> community continued to be active in a variety of social development endeavors. However,
> in 1972, when the Ugandan exiles attempted to invade the country, Idi Amin took retaliatory
> actions against the tribes which he considered his enemies. He gradually broadened his
> persecution to the members of ethnic groups, and political dissidents, including the
> professionals, students, and non-Muslim religious leaders. The number of deaths
> according to Amnesty International, were estimated at 500,000.
> 
> The action of Idi Amin recruits, which comprised of South Sudanese soldiers, mercenaries,
> and a small group of Ugandan Muslims, created terror in a once peaceful and progressive
> Uganda. Although we had a regular visit of Ugandan friends in Nairobi, it was not safe for
> us to travel to Uganda. Therefore, we missed the valuable opportunity of visiting the first
> African Bahá’í Temple in Kampala. Eventually, in 1977, Idi Amin banned the Bahá’í Faith
> in Uganda.
> 
> Ethiopia: After the overthrow of Haile Selassie, the country was entangled in political
> upheaval and civil war. Asmara, the capital city of Eritrea, where Counselor Ahdieh lived,
> had one of the largest Bahá’í communities in the nation. However, Eritreans were on the
> brink of starvation due to famine and food shortage. Although the international relief
> organizations were sending planeloads of food to Addis Ababa, they never left the airport
> and reached starving Eritreans. The Counselor’s office in Nairobi appealed to the UN Relief
> Organization to resolve this crisis.
> 
> The Ethiopian Bahá’ís were not able to attend Bahá’í conferences out of their country.
> 
> Tanzania: We made a trip to Tanzania, visiting some Bahá’ís and pioneers in the country.
> Tanzania, under President Nyerere’s regime, was going through an African Socialism
> experiment. The social unrest erupted when in 1970, Nyerere forced small farmers to
> transfer their farms to collective farms. Because the government was not providing
> resources, the collective farms produced acres after acres of corn and nothing else. It
> created a nationwide food shortage. Store shelves were mostly empty and carried only a
> few old cans of tomato sauce and other inconsequential commodities. In 1976, we
> witnessed the widespread poverty in places we visited. American pioneers who were
> 
> primary school teachers used to come periodically to Nairobi, to stock up on food and
> personal items, and take them back to their home in Tanzania.
> 
> Among visitors from Uganda, were George Olinga, the son of Hand of the Cause, his
> Iranian wife, Forough, and their little girl Nasim, who was the same age our daughter. We
> became close friends and had the pleasure of having them at our house, with the two new
> pioneers from Iran, Miss Gouran, and Mrs. Gandomi. Miss Gouran used to be a member
> of the Pioneering Committee in Iran, supporting me when I was first trying to go pioneering
> to the Philippines. Mrs. Gandomi was also an acquaintance from Tehran. We worked
> together in the Women’s Committee in Kenya.
> 
> The picture was taken at Lavington Estate house
> L- George and Forough Olinga, Mrs. Gandomi,
> Third from right, Miss Gouran, and Terry, on the right.
> 
> Bahá’í International Teaching Conference:
> 
> In the midpoint of the Five-Year Plan, the Universal House of Justice called for a series of
> International Teaching Conferences, to be held in eight locations around the world. The
> Nairobi Conference was planned to take place in October 1976. The indigenous African
> Bahá’ís were encouraged to attend as the guests of the Conference. All the pioneers and
> active Bahá’ís in Nairobi were eager to participate in the preparation efforts to make the
> conference a success. I was one of the members of the organizing committee.
> 
> Close to sixteen thousand Bahá’ís, from 61 countries, gathered in an atmosphere of love
> and unity, at the Nairobi Conference Center. Mr. Olinga, representing the Universal House
> of Justice, officially opened the conference. He introduced the other three Hands of the
> Cause, who were present: William Sears, John Robarts who were both pioneers to Africa,
> and Dr. Muhajir, who extensively traveled in the continent.
> 
> Mr. Sears took the stage to deliver the Message from the Universal House of Justice. He
> informed us that the Conference was now being linked to the Members of the Supreme
> Body at the World Center. At the culmination of the message, The Universal House of
> Justice members would be praying on our behalf at the Holy Shrines. He then read the
> followings:
> 
> Message to the International Teaching Conference, Nairobi, Kenya -- September 1976
> ‘To the friends gathered at the International Conference in Nairobi
> 
> Beloved friends, The flames of enthusiasm which ignited the hearts of the followers
> and lovers of the Most Great Name in Helsinki, in Anchorage and in Paris are now
> being kindled in a city which occupies a central and envied position at the very
> crossroads of the vast African mainland and are destined to illumine its horizons.
> This Conference marking the imminent approach of the midway point of the Five-
> Year Plan which coincides with the anniversary of the birth of the Blessed Báb, will
> no doubt go down in Bahá'í history as a further landmark in the irresistible march of
> events which have characterized the impact of the Faith of God upon that continent.
> 
> We recall that in addition to Quddus the only other companion of the Báb on His
> pilgrimage to Mecca was an Ethiopian and that he and his wife were intimately
> associated with Him and His household in Shiraz. During the Ministry of Bahá'u'lláh
> a few of His stalwart disciples reached the north-eastern shores of Africa, and under
> His direct guidance, announced the glad tidings of the New Day to the people of the
> Nile, thus opening to the Faith two countries of the African mainland. Soon
> afterward, His blessed person approached those shores in the course of His exile
> to the Holy Land. Still, later He voiced His significant utterance in which He
> compared the coloured people to "the black pupil of the eye," through which "the
> light of the spirit shineth forth." Just over six years after His ascension, the first
> member of the black race to embrace His Cause in the West, who was destined to
> become a disciple of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, a herald of the Kingdom, and the door through
> which numberless members of his race were to enter that Kingdom, came on
> 
> pilgrimage to the Holy Land with the first group of Western friends who arrived in
> 'Akká to visit the Centre of the Covenant. This was followed by a steady extension
> of the teaching work among the black people of North America, and the opening to
> the Faith, by the end of the Heroic Age, of two more countries in Africa, under the
> watchful care of the Master, Whose three visits to Egypt have blessed the soil of
> that Continent. Prior to the conclusion of the first Bahá'í century the number of
> countries opened to the Faith had been raised to seven, and the teaching work
> among the black race in North America had entered a new phase of development
> through the continuous guidance flowing from the pen of Shoghi Effendi, who
> himself traversed the African continent twice from south to north, and who, in the
> course of his ministry, elevated two members of the black race to the rank of Hand
> of the Cause, appointed three more believers residing in Africa to that high office,
> and there raised up four National Spiritual Assemblies.
> 
> By 1944, the seven African countries opened to the Faith were Abyssinia (Ethiopia),
> Belgian Congo, Egypt, South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, Sudan, and Tunisia.
> Shoghi Effendi traveled in Africa circa September -- October 1929 and in 1940. The
> two black Hands of the Cause of God were Louis Gregory of the United States,
> appointed posthumously in August 1951, and Enoch Olinga of Uganda, appointed
> in October 1957. The additional three Hands appointed while living in Africa were
> Musa Banani (29 February 1952, Kampala, Uganda), and William Sears and John
> Robarts (October 1957, South Africa). The four National Spiritual Assemblies
> Shoghi Effendi raised up are those of Central and East Africa, North East Africa,
> North West Africa, and South and West Africa.]
> 
> At the beginning of the Ten Year Crusade, the number of countries opened to the
> Faith had reached twenty-four, including those opened under the aegis of the Two
> Year African Campaign coordinated by the British National Spiritual Assembly. The
> Ten Year Plan opened the rest of Africa to the light of God's Faith, and today we
> see with joy and pride in that vast continent and its neighbouring islands the
> establishment of four Boards of Counsellors, thirty-four National Spiritual
> Assemblies -- firm pillars of God's Administrative Order -- and over 2800 Local
> Spiritual Assemblies, nuclei of a growing Bahá'í society.
> 
> Africa, a privileged continent with a past rich in cherished associations, has reached
> its present stage of growth through countless feats of heroism and dedication.
> Before us unfolds the vision of the future. "Africa," the beloved Guardian assures us
> in one of the letters written on his behalf, "is truly awakening and finding herself, and
> she undoubtedly has a great message to give, and a great contribution to make to
> the advancement of world civilization. To the degree to which her peoples accept
> Bahá'u'lláh will they be blessed, strengthened and protected."
> 
> The realization of this glorious destiny requires that the immediate tasks be
> worthily discharged, and the pressing challenges and urgent requirements of the
> Five Year Plan be wholeheartedly and effectively met and satisfied. As the forces
> of darkness in that part of the world wax fiercer, and the problems facing its
> 
> peoples and tribes become more critical, the believers in that continent must
> evince greater cohesion, scale loftier heights of heroism and self-sacrifice and
> demonstrate higher standards of concerted effort and harmonious development.
> 
> During the brief thirty months separating us from the end of the Plan, Africa must
> once again distinguish itself among its sister continents through a vast increase in
> the number of its believers, its Local Spiritual Assemblies and its localities opened
> to the Faith, and by accelerating the process of entry by troops throughout its length
> and breadth. The deepening of the faith, of the understanding and of the spiritual life
> of its individual believers must gather greater momentum; the foundations of its
> existing Local Spiritual Assemblies must be more speedily consolidated; the number
> of local Haziratu'l- Quds and of local endowments called for in the Plan must be
> soon acquired; the Bahá'í activities of women and of youth must be systematically
> stimulated; the Bahá'í education of the children of the believers must continuously
> be encouraged; the basis of the recognition that the institutions of the Faith have
> succeeded in obtaining from the authorities must steadily be broadened; mass
> communication facilities must be used far more frequently to teach and proclaim the
> Faith; and the publication and dissemination of the essential literature of the Faith
> must be given much greater importance. Above all it is imperative that in ever greater
> measure each individual believer should realize the vital need to subordinate his
> personal advantages to the overall welfare of the Cause, to awaken and reinforce
> his sense of responsibility before God to promote and protect its vital interests at all
> costs, and to renew his total consecration and dedication to His glorious Faith, so
> that, himself enkindled with the flames of its holy fire, he may, in concert with his
> fellow-believers, ignite the light of faith and certitude in the hearts of his family, his
> tribe, his countrymen and all the peoples of that mighty continent, in preparation for
> the day when Africa's major contribution to world civilization will become fully
> consummated.
> 
> We fervently pray at the Holy Shrines that these hopes and aspirations may soon
> come true, and that the "pure-hearted" and 'spiritually receptive" people of Africa
> may draw ever nearer to the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh, and may become shining examples
> of self- abnegation, of courage and of love to the supporters of the Most Great Name
> in every land.’
> The Universal House of Justice
> (The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986, p. 340)
> bahai-library.com/uhj_messages_1963_1986
> 
> The program continued with inspirational talks by the Hands of the Cause, followed by a
> series of panel discussions, facilitated by the Counselors and Auxiliary Board Members. All
> deliberated and consulted on the vital points of the message of the Universal House of
> Justice.
> 
> Mr. Aziz Yazdi represented the International Teaching Center, and St. Barbe Baker, “Man
> of the Trees,” and one of the first Bahá’í teachers in Kenya, offered a historical perspective
> of the Faith and the early Bahá’ís in Africa.
> 
> Beloved African Bahá’ís in their colorful tribal customs, lifted the spirit, by their traditional
> dances and music. It was especially moving when after the welcome address by the Kenya
> Cabinet Minister, Mr. John Osogo, the African friends filled the auditorium with their
> melodious voice, chanting Alláh-u-Abhá, to bless the occasion.
> 
> The Conference held a series of evening programs, starting with a Unity Feast. It was held,
> the night before the formal opening, at the Jamhuri Show Ground. In attendance, a large
> number of indigenous African Bahá’ís who were accommodated in the Show Ground
> facilities. The rest of the participants from Nairobi Hotels took buses which were rented full
> time for the duration of the Conference. Just before the start of the program, we lost our
> electricity, and the entire park went dark. However, the mishap did not diminish the
> electrifying atmosphere of the gathering. The Conference busses turned on their headlights
> and brightened the open-air meeting area and stage. Beloved Dr. Muhajir, used his
> wonderful sense of humor to lighten the atmosphere. He talked about successful teaching
> projects in other Bahá’í communities and urged us to consult and develop our own teaching
> plans to fulfill the remaining goals of the Five Year Plan.
> 
> I was the coordinator of a public meeting, held in one of the Nairobi hotels. It was filled with
> creative performances by youth from different nationalities around the world. A joyful
> occasion for the Bahá’ís and a large number of guests who were not Bahá’ís.
> 
> My delight was seeing once again, my friends from Iran, including Behin, who was then
> married to John Newport and were pioneering in Zaire.
> 
> My Son, Faran
> 
> During my trip to Tanzania, I was in early stage of pregnancy. One day, when I was
> resting to recover from morning sickness, I had a vision and remembered this Hidden
> Word of Bahá’u’lláh:
> 
> ‘O, My Friends! Call ye to mind that covenant ye have entered with Me upon Mount
> Párán (in Persian, Faran), situate within the hallowed precincts of Zamán. I have
> taken to witness the concourse on high and the dwellers in the city of eternity, yet
> now none do I find faithful unto the covenant. Of a certainty pride and rebellion have
> effaced it from the hearts, in such wise that no trace thereof remaineth. Yet knowing
> this, I waited and disclosed it not.’
> 
> ~~ The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/HW/hw-144.html
> 
> I knew in my heart that I would be having a son and would be calling him “Faran.” I shared
> that with Terry, and he liked the Bahá’í name, which sounded like western names. In the
> Bahá’í writings, I found that:
> 
> •   “Anisa” is referred to the Greater Covenant, the of God’s promise of the new
> manifestations, and
> 
> •   Faran, to the Lesser Covenant, the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, appointing Abdu’l-Baha,
> as his successor.
> During the Nairobi Conference, I was in the last trimester of pregnancy. However, it did not
> prevent me from doing my best in helping with the smooth running of the conference and
> facilitating different activities. When Dr. Muhajir saw me busy with my numerous
> responsibilities, he lovingly whispered; “Dear, you need to be careful in your condition!” I
> assured him that I would be okay. However, I had a complicated pregnancy, with a
> prolonged sickness that drained our savings. My natural delivery had complications and
> put Báby Faran and me at risk, but with the grace of God, we both survived.
> 
> 1977 National Teaching Conference
> 
> As a follow-up to the International Teaching Conference, Kenya held a National Teaching
> Conference, to implement a comprehensive plan of action. We had the bounty of the loving
> guidance of beloved Dr. Muhajir. He particularly emphasized the following points:
> 
> •   Training the Kenyan Bahá’ís to become teachers in their community.
> •   Deepening both men and women, on the Bahá’í principles and Administration.
> •   Facilitating involvement of women in teaching the Faith, and Administrative
> functions of their Bahá’í communities.
> •   Education of children and youth, especially young girls to teach their peers.
> 
> Women Workshops
> 
> In response to the call of Dr. Muhajir, I offered to hold two Women Institutes in Western
> Kenya. Mrs. Gandomi accompanied me and held art and craft classes for women and
> children. We journeyed to Kisumu and stayed with a wonderful Kenyan family. The mother
> was a public-school teacher, who took care of her 9 children. It was my first experience to
> live with a Kenyan family and have a heart to heart talk with the mother. I learned first hand
> about the strengths of women in overcoming their challenges. We traveled each day to the
> Institute location, where participants attended classes, cooked, and prepared delicious
> local dishes. A truly enriching experience. I still remember with delight, a song that children
> sang to welcome us. It goes like this:
> 
> ‘We are happy, we are happy,
> like the monkeys on the branches,
> we are happy, we are ….!’
> 
> When I returned home, I sang it to Anisa and later, she learned to sing it along with me.
> 
> The second location was in the rural areas, where the living conditions were harsher.
> However, it did not hinder the enthusiasm of the women participants. After our return, we
> 
> heard wonderful feedback about the impact of our seminars on the women participants.
> They felt being respected and recognized by the Bahá’í community. A few went on to serve
> on the Administrative institutions.
> 
> Last Year in Kenya
> In one of his trips, Dr. Muhajir, hearing from the Sabri’s about our difficulties, offered to
> come to our home, for a heart to heart consultation. We truly appreciated his guidance to
> navigate our last year of pioneering in Kenya. He enjoyed playing with our young children
> and offered to have a picture taken with them. I treasure this picture and the wonderful
> memory of my beloved spiritual mentor.
> 
> Dr. Muhajir with Faran and Anisa. Terry Gillbanks on right
> 
> Before the start of the new school year, in 1978, Terry, who has been the acting
> headmaster, learned that Nairobi Education Department will be appointing a Kenyan lady
> as the Headmistress of Lavington School. Therefore, we would need to vacate the house
> for her to move in.
> 
> My job was also in jeopardy for a different reason. My only mean of transportation, the
> second-hand car that we bought, was having mechanical problems. I was stranded quite a
> few times on the country road and had to hitchhike to get home. I was lucky each time, to
> find a safe driver. However, all my colleagues warned me of the dangers of being harmed
> or killed. We were not able to repair the car, as the spare parts were no longer available,
> and we could not afford to buy a new car. Another breakdown would have cost me my job.
> 
> As the acting Headmaster of the school, Terry was invited with his spouse, to attend the
> Jamhuri Day Celebration at the Kenyatta’s Palace grounds. When the President passed
> 
> by, we noticed that he was braced by his aides, looking frail and out of sorts. We then
> realized that rumors were true about him not being in control. Riots were breaking out
> across the country and in Nairobi. Once, when we were coming back from the kid’s doctor’s
> appointment, shooting and a pandemonium happened around us. Terry, holding Faran,
> and me with Anisa, ran towards the alcove of a building and took cover. That was the final
> warning that convinced us to leave Kenya and move to Iran. Since it was the culmination
> of the Five Year Plan, we were comforted that we had fulfilled our pioneering pledge. It was
> a sad decision to leave our wonderful life behind and uproot our family, but we had no other
> choice. Alas, we did not know that as the saying goes: we were jumping from the frying
> pan into the fire!
> 
> A Tribute to Kenya
> 
> After the passing of Jomo Kenyatta, despite the dire prediction of unrest, Kenyans kept the
> integrity of their Democratic Government and unity of their Nation.
> 
> Kenya was one of the first African countries that banned game hunting. The only shooting
> which was allowed was through camera lenses. The government banned exporting and
> trading ivory, to discourage poaching elephants and rhinos. The Animal Orphanage in
> Nairobi National Park rescued the wildlife orphans and gave them a second chance to live.
> 
> There were vast National Parks, throughout Kenya. We used to drive through the Tsavo
> National Park for days, enjoying majestic elephants, herds of wildebeest, zebra, rhino, lion,
> cheetah, deer, and other magnificent wildlife in their natural habitat. We learned about
> them and respected their natural order of life. Once, when we parked at the Mzima Springs
> to view its famed hippos, I noticed a family of giraffes nearby. I was so excited to show
> Anisa the Baby giraffe, that I held her in my arm and cautiously approached the wild
> animals, standing at a close distance. I instantly remembered that the mother giraffes were
> protective of their calves and would attack the intruder. At that point, I saw the mother
> giraffe, was observing me with my Baby and showing no aggression. I sensed an affinity
> between the two mothers from different species. We stayed for a while, unhurried and
> calm. Then, slowly moved away. These experiences instilled the love of animals in my
> children, which in turn, colored their perception of the world.
> 
> As my children were born in Kenya, they had become naturalized Kenyan. In years to
> come, they proudly called Kenya as their birthplace. They had the gentle care and
> undivided attention of their Aya, who dressed them and took them in their stroller, to
> Lavington Green, a park where all the nannies brought their charges for an afternoon of
> play and fun. They learned Swahili words like Baba, for Daddy, which is originally from the
> Persian language. They still call their father Baba, as adults.
> 
> The nostalgic memory of Kenya, her people, her wildlife, her natural beauty, and above
> all her Bahá’í community, always have a special place in our hearts.
> 
> CHAPTER 6
> DARK TIMES IN TEHRAN
> 1978-1979
> 
> ‘O God, my God! Thou seest Thy loved ones turning their hearts to Thee, and
> holding fast unto the cord of Thy ordinances and laws. I beseech Thee by the waves
> of the sea of Thine utterance, and by Him through whom Thou didst adorn the
> heavens of Thy might, to graciously protect them by the aid of Thy hosts.
> 
> O God! Thou beholdest Thy lovers in Iran in the clutches of hate and enmity. I beg
> of Thee, by Thy mercy which hath preceded the contingent world, to raise up from
> the earth those who will be moved to aid and protect them, and to preserve their
> rights and the restitution due to them by those who broke Thy Covenant and
> Testament, and perpetrated such acts as made the inmates of the cities of Thy
> justice and equity to lament. Thou art, verily, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the
> All-Wise.’
> - Bahá’u’lláh
> https://www.bahaiprayers.org/triumph8.htm
> 
> Arriving in Tehran
> 
> In June 1978, we left Nairobi for Mehrabad International Airport, in Tehran. We rented the
> first floor of my mother’s apartment building. It took us a month or so to settle, furnish the
> house and find employment. It was the first time that we had to take care of the kids without
> the help of a nanny. An adjustment for the kids and us as parents. We managed to find a
> daycare a few miles from the house. Terry was able to get a teaching job at his old school,
> Iranzamin. I found employment as a Selection Tester with GTE, Iran, a subsidiary of
> American GTE, providing a telecommunication system for the Iranian government. The
> Training Department of GTE was contracted to train Iranian engineers and technicians for
> the new system. Our job was to develop and administer a battery of aptitude tests for the
> applicants. The job was not exciting or rewarding. However, I was paid the Stateside salary
> in US dollars, which was much higher than any job with Iranian companies. I found
> friendship and support from my Iranian colleagues during the difficult times ahead.
> 
> A GLIMPSE AT HISTORY
> Excerpts from Britanica.com/ Iranian Revolution of 1978-79
> 
> Prelude to revolution
> 
> ‘Mounting social discontent in the 1970s in Iran, which culminated in revolution at
> the end of the decade, had several crucial dimensions. Although petroleum
> revenues continued to be a major source of income for Iran in the 1970s, world
> monetary instability and fluctuations in Western oil consumption seriously
> threatened the country’s economy, which had been rapidly expanding since the
> early 1950s and was still directed in large part toward high-cost projects and
> programs. A decade of extraordinary economic growth, heavy government
> 
> spending, and a boom in oil prices led to high rates of inflation and the stagnation of
> Iranians’ buying power and standard of living.
> 
> In addition to mounting economic difficulties, sociopolitical repression by the regime
> of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi likewise increased in the 1970s. Outlets for
> political participation were minimal, and opposition parties such as the National
> Front (a loose coalition of nationalists, clerics, and noncommunist left-wing parties)
> and the pro-Soviet Tūdeh (“Masses”) Party were marginalized or outlawed. Social
> and political protest was often met with censorship, surveillance, or harassment, and
> illegal detention and torture were common.
> 
> Many argued that since Iran’s brief experiment with parliamentary democracy and
> communist politics had failed, the country had to go back to its indigenous culture.
> The 1953 coup, backed by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), against Prime
> Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq, an outspoken advocate of nationalism who almost
> succeeded in deposing the Shah, particularly incensed Iran’s intellectuals. For the
> first time in more than half a century, the secular intellectuals—many of whom were
> fascinated by the populist appeal of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, a former
> professor of philosophy in Qom who had been exiled in 1964 after speaking out
> harshly against the shah’s recent reform program—abandoned their aim of reducing
> the authority and power of the Shīʿite ulama (religious scholars) and argued that,
> with the help of the ulama, the Shah could be overthrown.
> 
> In this environment, members of the National Front, the Tūdeh Party, and their
> various splinter groups now joined the ulama in a broad opposition to the shah’s
> regime. Khomeini continued to preach in exile about the evils of the Pahlavi regime,
> accusing the shah of irreligion and subservience to foreign powers. Thousands of
> tapes and print copies of Khomeini’s speeches were smuggled back into Iran during
> the 1970s as an increasing number of unemployed and working-poor Iranians—
> mostly new immigrants from the countryside, who were disenchanted by the cultural
> vacuum of modern urban Iran—turned to the ulama for guidance. The shah’s
> dependence on the United States, his close ties with Israel—then engaged in
> extended hostilities with the overwhelmingly Muslim Arab states—and his regime’s
> ill-considered economic policies served to fuel the potency of dissident rhetoric with
> the masses.
> Outwardly, with a swiftly expanding economy and a rapidly modernizing
> infrastructure, everything was going well in Iran. But in little more than a generation,
> Iran had changed from a traditional, conservative, and rural society to one that was
> industrial, modern, and urban. The sense that in both agriculture and industry too
> much had been attempted too soon and that the government, either through
> corruption or incompetence, had failed to deliver all that was promised was
> manifested in demonstrations against the regime in 1978.’
> 
> Iranian Revolution of 1978–79 | Timeline, Causes, Effects, & Facts | Britannica.com
> https://www. britannica.com/.../Iranian-...
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> We witnessed the situation in Tehran getting tense and worsening every month. Eventually,
> social unrest and demonstrations led to the tragedy of Black September. An event that took
> place in the (Shah) Statue Square, close to the Tehran University Campus. It happened
> when a large group of student demonstrators was attacked, injured and killed by the Iranian
> Army. This brought on the outrage of the public and shocked the core of the intellectuals in
> Tehran.
> 
> In a visit to Dr. Ghahdimi’s clinic, I found him pensive and concerned. He cautioned me not
> to stay in Tehran. Then shared the content of a letter from the Universal House of Justice,
> urging the friends to leave for pioneering, while the gates to exit, were still open. He
> mentioned that he was responding to this call and was leaving the country soon.
> 
> When we went to the Bahai’ National Office, to process our transfer from Kenya, we were
> told that there was a burglary the night before. Law enforcement and the National Office
> security team were inspecting the scene of the crime and making a list of what was stolen.
> Later, we found out that one of the Bahá’í caretakers of the Office building was a
> “Tablighate-Islami” infiltrator. He opened the doors to the thieves to steal the Bahá’í
> membership files, containing the names and addresses of all the Bahá’ís in Iran. The
> consequence of this theft was catastrophic. Since based on that list, the Islamic Republic
> arrested the Bahá’ís and anyone who was related to them. They interrogated them,
> persecuted those who did not renounce their Faith, confiscated their properties, imprisoned
> and executed the members of the Bahá’í institutions. The immediate impact of that theft
> was felt in the prerevolutionary months of my time in Tehran. They spot marked the Bahá’í
> houses in red, for the mob to attack innocent Bahá’ís, including women and children. The
> following is a message from the Supreme Body:
> 
> ‘The Grave Peril Facing Bahá'ís and Holy Places in Iran
> 15 December 1978
> To National Spiritual Assemblies
> FRIENDS IRAN AND MOST HOLY PLACES IN SHIRAZ AND TIHRAN IN GRAVE
> PERIL. BAHÁ'ÍS HAVE BEEN THREATENED OVER SEVERAL WEEKS MOST
> PARTS IRAN WITH IMMINENT DANGERS. THIS THREAT IS NOW
> MATERIALIZING IN FORMS OF LOOTING, BURNING BAHÁ'Í HOUSES AND
> FURTHER THREATS OF ASSASSINATION. IN NAYRIZ 25 BAHÁ'Í HOMES
> BURNED, IN SHIRAZ 60 HOMES LOOTED. SIMILAR ATTACKS REPORTED IN
> OTHER PROVINCES. IN SARVISTAN BAHÁ'ÍS TAKEN TO MOSQUES AND
> FORCIBLY REQUIRED TO RECANT THEIR FAITH. ... URGE FRIENDS JOIN US
> PRAYERS PROTECTION FRIENDS HOLY PLACES CRADLE FAITH.’
> ~~ UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE’
> 
> https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-
> justice/messages/19781215_001/1#087552932
> 
> The gentleman who took care of our transfer at the Bahá’í National Office informed us that,
> due to the critical situation, we could not visit any Bahá’í Holy places. It was sad that we
> 
> were not able to do so. However, later we received an unexpected blessing, while visiting
> the father of a Bahá’í friend from Kenya. He told us that the high rise building of his office
> was adjacent to the Siyáh-Chál (the Black Dungeon) where Bahá’u’lláh was held for four
> months and received the Hidden Revelation from God (See Part Two, for further
> information.) We went down to the landing of the second floor and looked down from the
> window. We saw the hallowed ground, which was the roof of the Dungeon. We silently
> prayed, filled with poignant feelings, remembering the suffering of the Blessed Beauty and
> his companions who shed their blood for their Beloved.
> 
> The entrance to Siyáh-Chál
> 
> http://bahaihistoricalfacts.blogspot.com/2013/02/blog-post.html
> 
> The infiltration of the Bahá’í gatherings by “Tablighate-Islami’s,” was quite disruptive. Once,
> I attended a meeting that my beloved Professor, Dr. Davoudi was the speaker. His talk was
> disrupted by a few hecklers from this group. Dr. Davoudi finished his talk and went to an
> adjoining room. I followed him to say hello and noticed a few Bahá’í youths were guarding
> him until he left the building. He was looking out from a window, observing a group of
> Tablighate-Islam’s, waiting for him in the street. The situation was so tense that I decided
> to leave. When walking with Terry towards our house, a few of these agitators started
> harassing us in English. I turned around and ordered them to stop. They dispersed and let
> us take a taxi and leave the area. That was the last time that I saw my dear Professor.
> Soon after, he was abducted from his home and disappeared. His precious body was never
> found.
> 
> A Tribute to My Father
> 
> We went to visit my father, who had remarried and lived in a city by the Caspian Sea. He
> was a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly, a Homefront pioneer and active in the
> Bahá’í community. Not long after the revolution, he was diagnosed with cancer and had to
> return to Tehran for treatment. While he was undergoing chemotherapy, he was arrested,
> 
> imprisoned and interrogated extensively. As I was his only Bahá’í child, they placed me on
> their wanted list. Eventually, they confiscated his savings and properties and released him
> on bail to complete his treatment. When his cancer was in remission, he received a warrant
> for his arrest. He fled to Pakistan and eventually lived as a refugee in France. Throughout
> his ordeal, to protect his family, he was incommunicado, and we had no news from him
> until his death. The Bahá’í community in France contacted my brother and let him know of
> his passing, who in turn, informed me of the sad news.
> 
> One night, when I was in despair for not being able to say farewell to my father, I had a
> dream. I dreamed that I was with him in my favorite spot as a child; the Galandoak garden
> in the suburb of Tehran. In my early childhood, my father was stationed, as the Head of the
> Galandoak Medical Clinic, while the family lived apart in Tehran. As kids, we looked forward
> to visiting him in that garden during weekends and summer holidays. Back in my dream in
> the garden, the two of us were waiting for the rest of the family to arrive. We sat by a stream,
> and my father put my head on his chest and started chanting a lullaby. When he was alive,
> he did not have a good singing voice, but this time his chant was so melodious. I
> complimented him on his chant and told him that I have never heard this lullaby before. He
> replied: I used to sing it to you when you were little. Then, he rested his head on my lap
> and quietly said; Shahla dear, I am leaving you now!
> 
> I was sobbing in my sleep when Terry woke me up. I told him that my father was saying
> goodbye to me in my dream. Six months later, when I was attending a conference in
> Arizona, I purchased a tape of a Persian singer. One of her songs was the lullaby that my
> father chanted. The lyrics were by Naeem, a beloved Bahá’í poet. The lullaby was
> dedicated to Shoghi Effendi when he was still an infant. Although no one knew that the
> child would be the future Guardian, Naeem sensed it from his communications with ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá. I felt in my heart that my father communicated with me from the beyond, that he was
> granted mercy and forgiveness in the Holy Precincts! Decades later, returning from the
> Holy Land, I visited the lonesome grave of my father in Lyon. I blessed it with the rosewater
> that I brought from the Holy Shrines and prayed for the progress of his soul.
> 
> The Peak of Social Unrest in Iran
> 
> As the discontent of the nation was faced with the oppression of the mighty army of the
> Shah, the revolutionary strategy resolved to public strikes and regular blackouts. Shops
> opened for a limited time, and people had to wait in line for hours to purchase bread and
> groceries. As the cold months approached, and widespread regular blackouts continued,
> we were forced to use kerosene lamps and heaters at home. The dispensing centers
> were only open in the evenings, rationing the distribution to two canisters of kerosene per
> family. So, everyone had to stay in line for hours to get their ration. The daily routine for
> us was to get home and have an early dinner. Then, Terry went out in the dark of night to
> line up for kerosene, while I took care of the kids at home in semi-darkness. As there was
> strong animosity against Americans and British, Terry was cautioned not to speak English
> or start a conversation with anyone. However, the Iranians who were next to him in the
> line always protected him from hostile elements. They put his canisters next to theirs,
> 
> running a string through the handles to mark their place. Then, they took turn with one
> person guarding the canisters, and the rest going home to warm up and have a cup of
> tea. Sometimes they took Terry to their homes when it was close by. In turn, Terry invited
> a couple of this kind people to our home to meet his Iranian wife. When we were
> introduced, I recognized their last name and asked the mother if she was the principal of
> the private school that I attended in my third grade. She acknowledged that she was, and
> we had a wonderful time reminiscing the good old times.
> 
> All the shopkeepers in our street knew that Terry was married to an Iranian. He always
> told them in Farsi that he was a New Zealander - clarifying that he was not British or
> American. They were amused by Terry’s greeting in Farsi, saying: “Salam Agha, Hali
> shoma chetorh?” (Hello sir, how are you?) Since the norm was for the shopkeepers to
> greet their customers first. One fond memory was when I asked Terry to buy some chicken
> feet from our neighborhood butcher. Since there was no cat food in Tehran, I used to cook
> chicken feet for our cat. So, I asked Terry to buy it on his way home. Terry practiced in
> Farsi all day long to say: “I want to buy chicken feet for my cat.” However, he mixed his
> words and said: “I want cat’s feet for my chicken.” As he saw the confused expression of
> the shopkeeper and his laughter, he felt embarrassed and left the shop. Later, I went back
> with him to complete the transaction. The butcher chuckled and said, your husband asked
> me if I had cat’s feet for his chickens! In normal circumstances, the butcher would have
> been offended to be accused of selling dead cats, but knowing Terry, he understood. In the
> months to come, this kindness of Iranians helped to save our lives.
> 
> On Thanksgiving Day, GTE management invited us to its HQ building for the traditional
> Thanksgiving Dinner. That office was in one of the main business streets in Tehran. After
> lunch, we were told that there was a riot in the Statue (Shah) Square, and we needed to
> return to our office. My two colleagues and I, could not find a taxi or any other public
> transport. So, we started walking back to the office. On our way, we realized that the mob
> had been looting the banks and destroying properties along the main street. They were a
> few blocks ahead of us, so we experienced the destruction with every step which we took.
> The streets were covered with broken glass and debris. We could see the smoke from a
> fire in the Statue (Shah) Square. It was a frightening experience. When we arrived at our
> office, were told that due to the imminent danger, the building was shut down and we had
> to go home.
> 
> Terry generally had the car to commute to school which was a long distance from home.
> As my office was close by, I used to take a taxi. Usually, Terry transported our children to
> the daycare. However, that day, I decided to pick up the kids. When I arrived at the daycare,
> I found the provider in panic. All the children were in a storage room on the top floor, utterly
> terrified. She told me that a group of men, who were clad in funeral shrouds and carried
> swords, attacked the daycare center. The manager took all the children to the storage room
> and bolted the door. She was holding a copy of Quran in both hands and repeating the
> verse of Allah’u’Akbar (God is most Great), begging the mob to spare her and the children.
> The mob was objecting to the center for being open and not observing the strike. They
> finally left. The manager told me that she could only take care of the few babies and not
> the older children like Anisa. Faran was too young to understand, but the impact on Anisa
> 
> was long-lasting. Years later, anytime she heard a loud chanting, like Christmas Carols,
> she used to scream “they are coming.” And run to hide. Later that week, Terry, enrolled
> Anisa in the Kindergarten of his school.
> 
> The mass chanting of Allah’u’Akbar occurred every evening, coinciding with the
> widespread power outage in the city. An effective plan to instill fear in the hearts of the
> residents, hearing the chants booming from loudspeakers in their street. In total darkness,
> no one knew where the mob was and when they would be attacking their neighborhood.
> 
> One day, when I arrived home from work, I had a call from Jila, my old friend from the
> Philippines. She was a member of the Youth Committee and was usually apprising me of
> the events happening in the Bahá’í community. She told me that there would be an attack
> on the Bahá’í houses that night. She asked me to check the wall by the entry door of our
> house. If it had a red mark with coded letters, it meant our building would be targeted for
> an attack. Therefore, it would be advisable to leave the house. I checked the wall and
> noticed a red mark. I came back and informed Terry. Both of us went to a separate room
> and prayed for guidance. Later, we got back together to consult and decided we would not
> run away. If we were attacked, we would face the mob resolutely. We stayed together in
> the dark, listening to the chant from the loudspeaker and prayed for the protection of our
> family. Later, we learned that there were numerous attacks, but we were spared.
> 
> A GLIMPSE AT HISTORY
> IRANIAN REVOLUTION
> 
> Excerpts from: Britannica.com/ Iranian Revolution of 1978-79
> ‘In January 1978, incensed by what they considered to be slanderous remarks
> made against Khomeini in Eṭṭelāʿāt, a Tehrān newspaper, thousands of young
> madrassa (religious school) students took to the streets. They were followed by
> thousands more Iranian youth—mostly unemployed recent immigrants from the
> countryside—who began protesting the regime’s excesses. The shah, weakened by
> cancer and stunned by the sudden outpouring of hostility against him, vacillated
> between concession and repression, assuming the protests to be part of an
> international conspiracy against him. Many people were killed by government forces
> in anti-regime protests, serving only to fuel the violence in a Shi’ite country where
> martyrdom played a fundamental role in religious expression. Fatalities were
> followed by demonstrations to commemorate the customary 40-day milestone of
> mourning in Shīʿite tradition, and further casualties occurred at those protests,
> mortality, and protest propelling one another forward. Thus, in spite of all
> government efforts, a cycle of violence began in which each death fueled further
> protest, and all protest—from the secular left and religious right—was subsumed
> under the cloak of Shi’ite Islam and crowned by the revolutionary rallying cry Allāhu
> Akbar (“God is great”), which could be heard at protests and which issued from the
> rooftops in the evenings.
> 
> During his exile, Khomeini coordinated this upsurge of opposition—first from Iraq
> and after 1978 from France—demanding the shah’s abdication. In January 1979, in
> what was officially described as a “vacation,” the shah and his family fled Iran. The
> Regency Council established to run the country during the shah’s absence proved
> unable to function, and Prime Minister Shahpur Bakhtiar, hastily appointed by the
> Shah before his departure, was incapable of effecting compromise with either his
> former National Front colleagues or Khomeini. Crowds in excess of one million
> demonstrated in Tehrān, proving the wide appeal of Khomeini, who arrived in Iran
> amid wild rejoicing on February 1. Ten days later Bakhtiar went into hiding,
> eventually to find exile in France.’
> 
> Iranian Revolution of 1978–79 | Timeline, Causes, Effects, & Facts | Britannica.com
> https://www.britannica.com/.../Iranian-...
> 
> EXCERPTS FROM THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE MESSAGE
> Announcement of Decision to Launch a Seven Year Plan
> 
> 26 December 1978
> To all National Spiritual Assemblies
> ‘AS THE TURMOIL OF AN AGITATED WORLD SURGES ABOUT THEM THE
> SUPPORTERS OF BAHÁ'U'LLÁH'S MAJESTICALLY RISING FAITH MUST, AS
> THE BELOVED GUARDIAN SO CLEARLY INDICATED, SCALE NOBLER
> HEIGHTS OF HEROISM, SERENELY CONFIDENT THAT THE HOUR OF THEIR
> MIGHTIEST EXERTIONS MUST COINCIDE WITH THE LOWEST EBB OF
> MANKIND'S FAST DECLINING FORTUNES.’
> ‘FERVENTLY SUPPLICATING BAHÁ'U'LLÁH BOUNTIFULLY BLESS
> STRENUOUS EFFORTS HIS DEVOTED SERVANTS EVERY LAND WIN GOAL
> FIVE YEAR PLAN ENSURE FIRM FOUNDATION NEXT STAGE WORLD-WIDE
> DEVELOPMENT GOD'S HOLY CAUSE.’
> 
> https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal-house-of-
> justice/messages/
> 
> LAST MONTHS IN TEHRAN
> 
> The period of civil war encompassed imminent danger for foreigners in Iran. GTE informed
> us that they were accelerating the process of turning over their system to the Iranian
> government and closing their company in Iran. Therefore, my employment was terminated.
> Terry, as a foreigner, was not safe to stay in the country. The New Zealand Consul called
> us to let us know that a civil war was erupting, and they were closing the Consulate. The
> Consul told Terry that he should safeguard his family by leaving for New Zealand. At that
> time, no commercial flights were operating in Iran, and we were offered to fly on a military
> carrier from Iran to New Zealand. A 15-hour flight with no proper heating, in the cold of the
> winter. It coincided with Faran having a severe case of pneumonia, and in consulting with
> 
> the doctor, she advised us not to risk the life of our baby. The other option was flying aboard
> a Canadian military Hercules plane, from Tehran to the US Military Base in Ankara. Then
> taking a commercial flight to the US. As my brothers were living in the States, we chose
> that alternative route. The Consul made an appointment for us with the US Embassy to
> obtain our US visa. We arrived at the Embassy, passing the long line of desperate
> applicants who were waiting days and nights for weeks, to get a visa. We were issued a
> conditional visa, subject to obtaining a permanent refugee visa in the States.
> 
> Our house was a few blocks from the Statue Square, the center of riots and
> demonstrations. It was also a few miles away from Jamsheed Abad Military Base, where
> soldiers were deployed to suppress the riots. The Philippines Consul building was on the
> same street, across from our house. There was a large group of Filipinos living close by,
> who were working for the Iranian Telecommunication Agency.
> 
> When the news of Shah’s departure reached the public, violence broke out in the city. On
> that day, when we were driving home, we saw people running in streets, banging on the
> cars and demanding the passengers to shout, “Death to Shah.” I told Terry not to say a
> word and just show an agreeable expression. Our street was covered with burning tires,
> and there were military tanks in every corner, with the barrel of their guns facing the crowd.
> We barely made it to our doorstep, when the street vendor who knew us from buying our
> daily fruit from him, called me and whispered; Ma’am, you need to save your husband and
> kids. They are killing all the foreigners. They just attacked the Philippines Consul and killed
> a bunch of Filipinos in the street.
> 
> We rushed home and called my sister, who lived on the outskirts of the City. She told me
> to pack up and go to her house. We left the house in a hurry and tried to get out of the
> center of the civil war in our neighborhood. The situation was so hazardous that we took
> the risk of taking the exit, rather than the entrance to the freeway. We finally arrived at my
> sister’s house. They had central heating, and my brother in law who was a doctor could
> treat our very sick child. We stayed there, until our departure from the military airport. We
> left Iran two days after Khomeini’s arrival in Tehran. As we could only take the bare
> necessities with us, we sent all our valuable belongings, including family photos,
> documents, and memorabilia with a friend who worked for Bell Helicopter. Unfortunately,
> all were lost on the way to the States. On the day of departure, we rode a bus provided by
> the Embassy, directly to the plane and boarded the Hercules troop carrier. Although our
> kids had no seats, we were charged the price of four tickets for the commercial flight from
> Tehran to Ankara. When we arrived, we took a bus to a hotel in the city. Faran was so
> traumatized that he could not stop crying all the way to the hotel.
> 
> The ordeal continued when we traveled to New York for a connecting flight to Indianapolis.
> A blizzard grounded all the flights in New York, and we had to stay in a hotel overnight,
> with little baby supplies for Faran.
> 
> A GLIMPSE AT HISTORY
> IRANIAN REVOLUTION
> 
> Excerpts from: Britannica.com/ Iranian Revolution of 1978-79
> 
> ‘On April 1, following overwhelming support in a national referendum, Khomeini
> declared Iran an Islamic republic. Elements within the clergy promptly moved to
> exclude their former left-wing, nationalist, and intellectual allies from any positions
> of power in the new regime, and a return to conservative social values was enforced.
> The Family Protection Act (1967; significantly amended in 1975), which provided
> further guarantees and rights to women in marriage, was declared void, and
> mosque-based revolutionary bands known as komītehs (Persian: “committees”)
> patrolled the streets enforcing Islamic codes of dress and behaviour and dispatching
> impromptu justice to perceived enemies of the revolution. Throughout most of 1979
> the Revolutionary Guards—then an informal religious militia formed by Khomeini to
> forestall another CIA-backed coup as in the days of Mosaddeq—engaged in similar
> activity, aimed at intimidating and repressing political groups not under control of the
> ruling Revolutionary Council and its sister Islamic Republican Party, both clerical
> organizations loyal to Khomeini. The violence and brutality often exceeded that
> which had taken place under the shah.
> The militias and the clerics they supported made every effort to suppress Western
> cultural influence, and, facing persecution and violence, many of the Western-
> educated elite fled the country. This anti-Western sentiment eventually manifested
> itself in the November 1979 seizure of 66 hostages at the U.S. embassy by a group
> of Iranian protesters demanding the extradition of the shah, who at that time was
> undergoing medical treatment in the United States (see Iran hostage crisis).
> Through the embassy takeover, Khomeini’s supporters could claim to be as “anti-
> imperialist” as the political left. This ultimately gave them the ability to suppress most
> of the regime’s left-wing and moderate opponents. The Assembly of Experts
> (Majles-e Khobregān), overwhelmingly dominated by clergy, ratified a new
> constitution the following month. The new constitution created a religious
> government based on Khomeini’s vision of velāyat-e faqīh (Persian: “governance of
> the jurist”) and gave sweeping powers to the rahbar, or leader; the first rahbar was
> Khomeini himself. Moderates, such as provisional Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan
> and the republic’s first president, Abolhasan Bani-Sadr, who opposed holding the
> hostages, were steadily forced from power by conservatives within the government
> who questioned their revolutionary zeal…’
> 
> Iranian Revolution of 1978–79 | Timeline, Causes, Effects, & Facts | Britannica.com
> https://www. britannica.com/.../Iranian-...
> 
> A PERSPECTIVE OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS PERSECUTION IN IRAN
> Excerpts from the Yale News:
> https://news.yale.edu/2017/05/23/memoriam-firuz-kazemzadeh-scholar-russian-history-
> former-davenport-head
> 
> ‘Firuz Kazemzadeh, professor emeritus of history at Yale and former head of
> Davenport College, died on May 17, in California. He was 92 years old.
> Kazemzadeh was a leading member of the American Bahá’í community and an
> ardent champion of international religious freedom.
> 
> Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, a wave of violent, state-sponsored
> persecution was unleashed on the Bahá’ís of that country. Kazemzadeh
> spearheaded the American Bahá’í community’s strategy to defend its suffering sister
> community. Due primarily to his tireless outreach to government officials — many of
> whom were his former students — he successfully gained official U.S. and
> international support for the plight of the Bahá’ís of Iran. By the mid-1980s, this
> support resulted in a dramatic reduction in the worst abuses, particularly executions
> of Bahá’ís, carried out by the Iranian regime.
> 
> As a result of this work, in 1998 the former Yale professor was appointed by
> President Clinton as a commissioner to the newly-established U.S. Commission on
> International Religious Freedom, on which he served until 2003. In this capacity, he
> was able to extend his advocacy for religious freedom beyond the Bahá’ís of Iran
> to many other faith groups facing persecution based on their beliefs.’
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> Author’s Notes from an interview of Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, by Shahpour
> Daneshmand:
> 
> The persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran was rooted in that the clergies were threatened
> by the Bahá’í beliefs of independent investigation of truth, without reliance on the
> dictates of the clergies. There was only one universal truth emanating from all the
> religions of God, including those nonSemitic religions which were not mentioned in
> Quran, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrians. Also, by believing in two
> manifestations of God; Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, who came after Prophet Muhammad.
> 
> Shah’s of Qajar were so dependent on the clergies that they gave in to them in
> attacking and persecuting Bábis and the Bahá’ís.
> 
> Reza Shah curtailed the power of mullah and did not let them persecute the Bahá’ís.
> The reason was creating a stable society, free of violence, in order to carry on with
> his social reform.
> 
> Historically, the majority of early Bábis were educated. 14, out of 18 Letters of Living,
> the first disciples of the Báb, were clergies. The Bahá’ís believe in an independent
> 
> investigation of truth. Therefore, they need to get an education to find the truth.
> Education is a part of the fabric of the Bahá’í beliefs, with special emphasis on the
> education of women and children. Therefore, a large proportion of the Iranian
> Bahá’ís is are educated.
> 
> Reza Shah did not like the Bahá’ís, but allowed them to exist, because they were a
> large proportion of educated and professional Iranians. The shah needed them for
> carrying his progressive mandates.
> 
> The persecution of the Bahá’ís in 20th Century, under Qajar and Reza Shah, was
> unsystematic. They were not universal and were directed against certain groups of
> Bahá’ís. Reza Shah fired Bahá’ís from public service positions, and closed Tarbiyát
> school because they were not observing the Bahá’í Holy Days – see Chapter One
> of this book.
> 
> After the fall of Reza Shah, clergies regain their power, and the State gave in.
> Mullah’s were threatened by the modern and western ideologies. Therefore, they
> took advantage of the nationalistic movement of Iranians and branded the Bahá’ís
> as unpatriotic and the invention of enemies of Iran. First, they created documents to
> show that the Bahá’í Faith was invented by the Russians. Later, they changed their
> version and branded the Bahá’ís as British agents and changed it again to be an
> element of Zionism and the CIA.
> 
> It should be noted that for the Bahá’ís, Iran is a sacred country, as the birthplace of
> the Bábi and the Bahai Faith. As Jerusalem is for the Jews, Christians, and
> Muslims.
> 
> As it is documented that Dr. Mossadegh did not condone persecution of the Bahá’ís,
> the clergies changed side to bring Mohammad Reza Shah back to power. After
> Shah’s return, he gave in to the clergies, allowed the Hojjatieh to operate during his
> reign. His Secret Service, Savak, was also in contact with the Hojjatieh. – See
> Chapter One for more information.
> 
> In 1979 – 80, the same group that was against the Shah, was against the Bahá’ís.
> Although the Bahá’ís were not involved in either anti or pro Shah movement. This
> caused the Bahá’í community to be concerned about the wellbeing of the Bahá’ís of
> Iran. Before Khomeini’s return and taking power, during the revolutionary struggle,
> certain groups of revolutionaries, started attacking the Bahá’ís in Shiraz. They were
> beating the Bahá’ís and attacking their homes.
> 
> Once the regime was established, all 9 members of the National Spiritual Assembly
> of Iran disappeared, no one heard from them again. The Bahá’ís elected the second
> National Spiritual Assembly. All the members but one was disappeared. Once again,
> the Bahá’ís elected the third National Spiritual Assembly. This time, several
> members were arrested, and 4 or 5 were executed.
> 
> The National Spiritual Assembly oversees the affairs of the Bahá’í community, this
> includes registering birth, death, and marriage of the members. As there is no church
> in Bahá’í Faith, the NSA is the elected administrative body to perform these
> significant functions. However, at this point, the Chief Prosecutor of Iran, issued a
> statement, officially prohibiting Bahá’í institutions. Bahá’ís obeyed this law, even
> when was unjustly executed. Subsequently the Bahá’ís suffered tremendously
> without institutions. They formed an appointed group of Yaran, who were also
> arrested and sentenced to prison.
> 
> Two hundred and fifteen members of various national and local Bahá’í institutions
> have been executed under the present regime. The elimination of the Bahá’í
> institutions however, did not suppress the strength and steadfastness of the Bahá’ís.
> 
> In 1992, a document was signed by the authorities which prohibits the Bahá’ís to be
> educated and prosperous, so that they do not influence the Iranian society. The
> persecution of the Bahá’ís, both physical and psychological, aims at the complete
> destruction of the Baha’is. The regime also wants to undermine the Bahá’í Faith
> outside Iran.
> 
> The Bahá’ís secretly started the underground BIHE – the Baha’i Institute of Higher
> Education. (An “informal arrangements through which they could have access to
> university-level studies.” - From the Bahá’í World News Service, p. 338)
> 
> The steadfastness and strength of the Bahá’ís, the international public opinion, and
> the heart of some mullahs are factors which forestalled the mass execution of the
> Bahá’ís. There is a change in a large group of Iranians who are equitable to Bahá’ís
> and other minority groups. There is a hope that Iranians will be initiating a social
> revolution, to have freedom and different social structure, to ensure the prosperity
> of all the Iranians.
> 
> EXCERPTS FROM THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE MESSAGES REGARDING
> THE PERSECUTION OF BAHÁ’ÍS IN IRAN
> https://bahai-library.com/uhj_messages_1963_1986
> 
> 20 September 1979
> To National Spiritual Assemblies
> ‘FRAMERS NEW CONSTITUTION IRAN APPROVED CLAUSE RECOGNIZING
> MINORITY RELIGIONS SPECIFYING JEWS CHRISTIANS ZOROASTRIANS
> BUT OMITTING MENTION BAHÁ'ÍS. ...’
> 
> ‘Refutation of Accusations against Iranian Bahá'ís
> 17 October 1979
> IRANIAN GOVERNMENT AGENCIES OUTSIDE IRAN HAVE APPARENTLY
> ADOPTED A UNIFORM STAND IN THEIR REPLIES TO APPEALS BEING MADE
> ON BEHALF OF THE IRANIAN BAHÁ'ÍS. THEY SAY THAT BAHÁ'ÍS IN IRAN,
> UNLIKE BAHÁ'ÍS ELSEWHERE, HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN POLITICS,
> CONSPIRED WITH AND WERE FAVOURED AND SUPPORTED BY THE
> PREVIOUS REGIME, AND WERE PROMINENT MEMBERS OF SAVAK. IN
> SUPPORT OF THESE STATEMENTS THESE OFFICIALS NAME AS BAHÁ'ÍS:
> FORMER PRIME MINISTER ABBAS AMIR HOVEIDA, A FORMER MINISTER OF
> AGRICULTURE MANSOUR ROUHANI, A SAVAK SENIOR OFFICER PARVIZ
> SABETI, AND THE PHYSICIAN TO THE SHAH DR AYADI
> THE FACTS ARE THAT HOVEIDA'S GRANDFATHER WAS A BAHÁ'Í, HIS
> FATHER WAS EXPELLED FROM THE BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY BECAUSE HE
> BECAME INVOLVED IN POLITICAL ACTIVITY, AND HOVEIDA HIMSELF WAS
> NEVER A BAHÁ'Í. ROUHANI'S FATHER WAS A BAHÁ'Í, HIS MOTHER A DEVOUT
> MUSLIM, BUT ROUHANI WAS NEVER A BAHÁ'Í. SABETI'S PARENTS WERE
> BAHÁ'ÍS, AND THEY REGISTERED HIM IN THE COMMUNITY AS A BAHÁ'Í
> CHILD. HOWEVER, WHEN HE CAME OF AGE HE DID NOT HIMSELF REGISTER
> AS A BAHÁ'Í AND NEVER BECAME A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY. UNLIKE
> CHILDREN OF OTHER RELIGIONS, BAHÁ'Í CHILDREN DO NOT
> AUTOMATICALLY INHERIT THE FAITH OF THEIR PARENTS. WHEN THEY
> COME OF AGE THEY MUST OF THEIR OWN VOLITION EXPRESS THEIR
> BELIEF IN BAHÁ'U'LLÁH AND HIS TEACHINGS. DR AYADI, HOWEVER, IS A
> BAHÁ'Í HE HELD TWO POSITIONS: ONE AS DIRECTOR OF THE ARMY
> MEDICAL SERVICE; THE OTHER AS PRIVATE PHYSICIAN OF THE COURT.
> NEITHER OF THESE TWO POSITIONS WAS REGARDED BY THE BAHÁ'Í
> COMMUNITY AS POLITICAL IN NATURE.
> 
> ALTHOUGH SOME BAHÁ'ÍS WITH UNIQUE QUALIFICATIONS WERE PLACED
> IN POSITIONS OF TRUST BECAUSE OF THEIR ABILITY AND INTEGRITY, IT IS
> NOT TRUE TO SAY THAT BAHÁ'ÍS WERE FAVOURED BY THE PREVIOUS
> REGIME. ON THE CONTRARY, THEY WERE DENIED CIVIL RIGHTS, SUCH AS
> PERMISSION TO REGISTER THEIR BAHÁ'Í MARRIAGES, PRIVILEGE TO HOLD
> BAHÁ'Í RELIGIOUS ENDOWMENTS IN NAME OF BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY, AND
> FREEDOM TO PUBLISH BAHÁ'Í LITERATURE OR ESTABLISH BAHÁ'Í
> 
> SCHOOLS (INDEED DURING THE REIGN OF MUHAMMAD REZA SHAH'S
> FATHER, OVER THIRTY BAHÁ'Í SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
> WERE PERMANENTLY CLOSED). MANY OF RANK AND FILE OF BAHÁ'ÍS
> WERE DENIED JOBS AND SOMETIMES EVEN THEIR RIGHTS TO PENSIONS
> BECAUSE OF THEIR REFUSAL TO DENY THEIR FAITH.
> AS TO THE ALLEGED ROLE OF BAHÁ'ÍS IN SAVAK, THIS IS LIKEWISE
> UNTRUE. FOR EXAMPLE, IN JANUARY 1979, THROUGH THE MACHINATIONS
> OF SAVAK, AN ORDER WAS GIVEN TO SYSTEMATICALLY LOOT AND BURN
> OR OTHERWISE DESTROY HUNDREDS OF HOMES OF BAHÁ'ÍS. THIS IS A
> FACT ATTESTED TO BY MUSLIM CLERICS BELONGING TO THE PRESENT
> REGIME WHO, DURING THAT PERIOD OF TERROR AND VIOLENCE AGAINST
> THE BAHÁ'ÍS, WERE AMONG THE FIRST TO TRY TO DISSUADE THE MOBS
> FROM PARTICIPATING IN THE SAVAK PLAN, SINCE THE CLERGY KNEW
> THAT THE AIM OF THIS PLAN WAS TO GIVE EXCUSE TO SAVAK TO
> DISCREDIT AND SUPPRESS THEM.
> SUMMARIZING THE FOREGOING -- IT IS FEARED THAT THE PRESENT
> REGIME, AS INDICATED BY THE SIMILARITY OF THE STATEMENTS BEING
> GIVEN OUT BY IRANIAN DIPLOMATIC AGENCIES, IS ATTEMPTING TO
> JUSTIFY ACTIONS BEING TAKEN AGAINST THE BAHÁ'ÍS BY ASSERTING
> THAT THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH IS NOT A RELIGION BUT A POLITICAL PARTY, AND
> THAT THE BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY SUPPORTED THE PREVIOUS REGIME AND
> THEREBY BECAME POWERFUL AND WEALTHY. THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER
> CAN BE FOUND IN THE BAHÁ'Í PRINCIPLE AND PRACTICE OF COMPLETE
> ABSTENTION FROM PARTICIPATION IN PARTISAN POLITICS WHICH WAS
> DEMONSTRATED IN IRAN IN 1975 WHEN BAHÁ'ÍS EVEN IN THE FACE OF
> THREATS REFUSED TO BECOME MEMBERS OF THE RASTAKHIZ PARTY
> PROMOTED BY THE PREVIOUS REGIME. IN ONE CASE WHEN A BAHÁ'Í
> ACCEPTED A CABINET POST UNDER DURESS HE WAS DEPRIVED OF
> MEMBERSHIP IN THE BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY. AS TO THE ALLEGATION THAT
> THE BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY REAPED FINANCIAL REWARD BECAUSE OF ACTIVE
> INVOLVEMENT WITH THE PREVIOUS REGIME THE FACT IS THAT THE VAST
> MAJORITY OF IRANIAN BAHÁ'ÍS ARE OF THE POORER CLASSES LIVING IN
> VILLAGES. FEW ARE WEALTHY, AND AMONG THEM A NUMBER WERE
> BUSINESSMEN WHO PROVIDED FACILITIES FOR EMPLOYMENT OF
> THOUSANDS OF WORKERS. THE FEW WHO RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY ARE
> BEING ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION AND OTHER OFFENCES SHOULD NOT
> BE REGARDED AS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BAHÁ'Í COMMUNITY AS A
> WHOLE. IT IS AN INJUSTICE TO HOLD ANY RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY
> RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ILL-DOINGS OF ANY ONE OF ITS MEMBERS WHO
> FAILS TO REFLECT THE PRINCIPLES PROMULGATED BY THAT RELIGION.
> AS THE NEW CONSTITUTION MAKES NO REFERENCE TO THE BAHÁ'ÍS,
> WAYS AND MEANS SHOULD BE SOUGHT TO EXTEND TO THE BAHÁ'Í
> COMMUNITY PROTECTION OF ITS INTERESTS, AND TO ENSURE FOR ITS
> INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS BASIC CIVIL RIGHTS THUS AVOIDING FRICTION AND
> FRUSTRATION IN SUCH OFT-RECURRING PERSONAL PROBLEMS RELATED
> 
> TO REGISTRATION OF MARRIAGES         AND   BIRTHS,   EMPLOYMENT,
> TRAVELLING DOCUMENTS, ETC.
> 
> UNLESS THESE DISABILITIES CURRENTLY AFFLICTING IRAN'S LARGEST
> RELIGIOUS MINORITY ARE REMEDIED, FANATICAL ELEMENTS WILL BE
> GIVEN FREE REIN TO REPEATEDLY RESORT TO MOB VIOLENCE AGAINST
> THE BAHÁ'ÍS, EMBARRASSING THE GOVERNMENT AND PREVENTING
> HOPED-FOR PEACE AND TRANQUILLITY IN THAT COUNTRY. ...
> ONE OF THE OFT-REPEATED ACCUSATIONS AGAINST BAHÁ'ÍS IS THAT
> THEY ARE ENEMIES OF ISLAM. THIS CHARGE ASSUMES NOW NEW
> PROPORTIONS AS MANY RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES IN NEW CONSTITUTION
> APPLY ONLY IF INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES CONCERNED ARE NOT
> REGARDED AS ANTI-ISLAMIC. HENCE OFFICIAL BRANDING BAHÁ'Í FAITH AS
> ANTI-ISLAMIC MAY BE CONVENIENT DEVICE TO DENY BAHÁ'ÍS ESSENTIAL
> HUMAN RIGHTS. FURTHERMORE, SOMETIMES DISTINCTION IS MADE
> BETWEEN BAHÁ'Í FAITH AND OTHER RELIGIONS BY STATING THAT OUR
> FAITH APPEARED AFTER ISLAM AND THEREFORE IS NOT CONSIDERED BY
> MUSLIMS AS A RELIGION ENTITLED TO RIGHTS OF OTHER RELIGIONS.
> SUCH THEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES SHOULD NOT BE CAUSE DENIAL CIVIL
> RIGHTS. SAME SITUATION APPLIES TO MUSLIMS WHO RESIDE IN
> CHRISTIAN COUNTRIES AND ENJOY FULL RELIGIOUS AND CIVIL RIGHTS.’
> 
> CHAPTER 7
> 
> THE CARIBBEAN - THE BRITISH WEST INDIES
> 
> 1979-1982
> 
> ‘O LORD! Thou art the Remover of every anguish and the Dispeller of every
> affliction. Thou art He Who banisheth every sorrow and setteth free every slave,
> the Redeemer of every soul. O, Lord! Grant deliverance through Thy mercy and
> reckon me among such servants of Thine as have gained salvation.’
> 
> ~ The Báb
> https://www.bahaiprayers.io/prayer?id=228080
> 
> Indianapolis
> 
> When we left Iran for the State of Indiana, we hoped to find a safe harbor for our young family
> to settle and once again live in a stable environment. However, God had a different plan for us.
> My brother and his wife took us into their home and helped us to recover from the arduous
> journey. As we were not allowed to take more than a few hundred dollars out of Iran, the New
> Zealand Consul offered to take our money in Tehran and send it to the States upon our arrival.
> However, the Consulate closed shortly after, and it took almost six months for the New Zealand
> Foreign Ministry locate our fund and forward it to us. Therefore, we were left with very little
> financial support in the US. My family and the Bahá’ís of Indianapolis were extremely helpful
> and kind. When we rented a small apartment, a Bahá’í doctor who was retiring and leaving the
> city, gave us what we needed to furnish our home. Each of us was dealing with post-traumatic
> side effects of the civil war in Iran, especially our little girl Anisa, who was old enough to
> remember, but too young to cope with the symptoms. Fortunately, we found resources through
> my brother, to seek professional help.
> 
> As soon as we arrived, we contacted the US Immigration Office to receive a landed immigrant
> visa as refugees. However, the Immigration Officer for reasons unknown to us refused to grant
> us the visa. His excuse was that since we were New Zealand Citizens, we could go back to
> New Zealand. He showed no empathy toward our extraneous circumstances and demanded
> that we needed to be self-supporting and not a burden to the government. I found out that my
> Thesis Advisor from the University of the Philippines was a manager at the State Department
> of Health. She wrote a letter to Immigration Department, offering me employment in her
> Division. The Officer rejected her offer and demanded that I leave the country and apply for
> work visa outside the United States. Meanwhile, I was in contact with the National Bahá’í Office
> in Wilmette, asking for their help to resolve this situation. They informed me that they had
> contacted the main Immigration Office, which was then in Hammond, Indiana, to consider my
> family’s application. I received a call from the Director who was sympathetic to our cause. He
> offered to grant us visa, but since his office was far from us, he would be asking the Indianapolis
> 
> office to process it. However, when I went to the office, the same officer treated us with hostility
> and resentment for going above his head. He refused to grant us the visa and ordered us to
> leave the country when our conditional visa expired.
> 
> When I received the final answer, I consulted with the staff of the Bahá’í National Office. They
> offered to send us to Barbados, as the US special pioneers for children’s education. We gladly
> accepted this privilege and the invitation to go to Wilmette to attend the Pioneer Training
> Institute.
> 
> Once again, we folded our little household and left with a few suitcases for Wilmette. We
> learned that all the Institute participants had hotel accommodation except us, who were the
> National Assembly’s guests at the Amelia Collins home. The Hand of the Cause had endowed
> her home to the House of Worship. This blessed house was located across the street from the
> Temple, and we had a panoramic view of the House of Worship from every window. Our host
> was dear Magdalene Carney, who later became the counselor for America. While we were
> having afternoon tea, little Faran found a stuffed toy in the room, laid down on the floor, and
> used it as a pillow to rest his head and fell asleep. It was quite endearing for our host who told
> us that till then no small child was allowed to stay in that house. We were truly blessed. During
> the next few days, the children were taken care of, by loving volunteers who took them to the
> park and offered them a much-needed respite.
> 
> We participated, in the pioneer training institute, enriching experience with informative talks from
> members of the Institutions, including Mr. Glenford Mitchell, who was then the Secretary of the
> National Spiritual Assembly. He was later elected as a member of the Universal House of
> Justice. It was the only time that I had the bounty to meet and listen to the loving guidance of
> Hand of the Cause, Mr. Jalal Khazeh. We learned about the latest troubling news from Iran,
> which reaffirmed our commitment to serve our Beloved Faith. We took the following
> commandment to heart and made it a beacon of hope for the uncertain times to come:
> 
> ‘I say unto you that anyone who will rise up in the Cause of God at this time shall
> be filled with the spirit of God, and that He will send His hosts from heaven to help
> you, and that nothing shall be impossible to you if you have faith. And now I give
> you a commandment which shall be for a Covenant between you and me: that ye
> have faith; that your faith be steadfast as a rock that no storms can move, that
> nothing can disturb, and that it endures through all things even to the end; even
> should ye hear that your Lord has been crucified, be not shaken in your faith; for I
> am with you always, whether living or dead; I am with you to the end. As ye have
> faith so shall your powers and blessings be. This is the standard -- this is the
> standard -- this is the standard.’
> (Dated Collection, 1898, Maxwell - Early Pilgrimage)
> 
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> We were originally deputized for six months by the US National Assembly, for pioneering
> to Barbados. However, with the confirmation of “hosts from heaven,” I was able to travel to
> a number of Caribbean islands of the British West Indies. Then, with the approval of the
> US National Assembly, pioneer to the Cayman Islands with my family.
> 
> The British West Indies
> Excerpts from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> http://www.thefullwiki.org/British_West_Indies
> 
> ‘The term British West Indies refers to the former English and British colonies and
> the present-day Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom in the Caribbean.
> In the history of the British West Indies, there have been several attempts at
> political unions. These attempts have occurred over a period of more than 300
> years, from 1627 to 1958, and were carried out, or sometimes imposed, first by the
> English and then the British government. During this time, some of the attempted
> unions were true federations of colonies and others involved attaching various
> colonies to a major, nearby colony for cheaper, efficient government or because the
> attached colonies were too small to justify a governor and administration of their
> own.
> The initial federal attempts never went so far as to try to encompass all the British
> West Indies (BWI) but were more regional in scope. The historical regional
> groupings were the British Leeward Islands, the British Windward Islands, and
> Jamaica with other nearby English/British colonies such as the Cayman Islands,
> British Honduras and the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
> 
> BAHÁ’Í FAITH IN THE BRITISH WEST INDIES
> Excerpt from the BW - Bahá’í World Volume 15
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> ‘The Windward Islands and Barbados visited as early as 1927 by the Hand of the
> Cause Keith Ransom-Kehler, are part of the Lesser Antilles to which 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> directed attention in His Tablets of the Divine Plan. In the early years, the
> development of the Faith in the Lesser Antilles was under the direction of the
> National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. At Ridvan, 1967, the National
> Spiritual Assembly of the Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands was established
> under whose jurisdiction the Windward Islands remained until Ridvan, 1972, when
> an independent National Spiritual Assembly was formed in the Windward Islands
> with its seat in St. Lawrence, Barbados.
> 
> The geographic location of these islands in the southern Caribbean, together
> comprising an area of one thousand square miles, including four large and ten
> smaller islands, presented many challenges to traveling teachers and pioneers alike.
> "That the Faith grew from two believers in 1953 to more than 2,500 believers with a
> 
> National Spiritual Assembly and twenty-seven Local Assemblies by the end of the
> Nine-Year Plan is testimony to the Divine Grace of Bahá'u'lláh and the persistent
> efforts of stalwart pioneers, travelling teachers and new friends," the National
> Assembly reported.
> 
> In this period the first indigenous believers arose as pioneers to establish the Faith
> in other islands; mass teaching projects were inaugurated; the first Teaching
> Institute was held; the enrolment of the first Carib Indian indigenous to St. Vincent
> was recorded; widespread newspaper, radio, and television publicity was achieved;
> and The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh was presented to the Governor-General, His
> Excellency Sir Winston Scott, who accorded cordial audiences to the Hands of the
> Cause Amatu’i-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum (who represented the Universal House of
> Justice when the National Spiritual Assembly was formed at the inaugural
> Convention in 1972) and Enoch Olinga.’
> 
> THE AMERICAS
> Excerpt from the BW - Bahá’í World Volume 15
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> “The progress of the Faith in the territories within the jurisdictions of the thirty
> National Assemblies which existed there at RIDVAN 1976 is described below, the
> national communities being set out under the three zones established as the
> spheres of service of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, namely:
> 
> BARBADOS AND THE WINDWARD ISLANDS
> 
> 'The year 1973 was highlighted by the visits of the Hand of the Cause Dr. Alí-
> Muhammad Varqa, and Mrs. Carmen de Burafato, Mr. Rowland Estall and Mr.
> Artemus Lamb of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Central America. Mr. Estall
> also visited Grenada and St. Vincent where he met the friends. While in St. Vincent
> he presented Bahá'í books to Premier Mitchell.
> 'Significant activities in 1973 include the satellite conference in August and a nine-
> day teacher training course in December, both held at Martin's Bay, St. John,
> Barbados.
> 
> 'The National Spiritual Assembly acquired its national Haziratu'l-Quds in Bridgetown,
> Barbados in April 1974 with the assistance of the National Spiritual Assembly of
> Canada. The first resident, Auxiliary Board member, was appointed -- Miss Shirley
> Ann Yarbrough -- and Dominica was added to the territory of the National Spiritual
> Assembly. In the summer of 1974, the friends of Barbados welcomed the Hand of
> the Cause Jalal Khazeh on his first visit to the area. The first Bahá'í wedding in the
> national area took place in St. Vincent in the month of June when Allister Phillips
> and Evelyn McFay were married. A Bahá'í correspondence course was initiated in
> July 1974, and in September another "first" was registered when the Bahá'í youth
> organized and conducted a Baha youth meeting at the National Centre.
> 
> The Hand of the Cause Dr. Muhajir and Counsellor Estall visited Barbados in
> November 1974. The following month a National Teaching Conference was held in
> St. Vincent, attended by Mr. Artemus Lamb of the Continental Board of
> Counsellors in Central America:
> 
> TEMPLE SITE IN BARBADOS: 'One of the goals of the Five-Year Plan for this area
> was achieved in 1975 through the purchase of ten acres of land for use as a Temple
> site in St. Lucy, Barbados. Other significant events which occurred in 1975 include
> the visit of the Hand of the Cause John Robarts who conducted a two-day deepening
> institute in Barbados; the appointment in February of the first two assistants to the
> Auxiliary Board member; the formation of a Bahá'í Youth Club in St. Vincent in
> February and in Barbados in April; the arrival of Mrs. Hazel Lovelace, an Indian
> believer from Alaska, who launched a two-month teaching project in Newbury, St.
> George, which attracted a number of young people to the Faith, before continuing
> her travelling teaching in St. Vincent and Union Island; the holding of a National
> Teaching Conference at the national Centre in Barbados in July; the attendance of
> Bahá’ís from Barbados at the teaching conference called by the Continental Board
> of Counsellors and held in Antigua in August; the presentation by Bahá'ís of
> Barbados of a copy of Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era to Mas Clam, the Carib Indian
> Chief of Dominica thus fulfilling another Five Year Plan goal; the passing in
> November 1975 of Mrs. Elsie Snyder, the first pioneer to die at her post in Barbados;
> the first visit to Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and Dominica of Mr. Paul Lucas of
> the Continental Board of Counsellors in Central America; and the incorporation of
> the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of St. Michael, Barbados, the first Local
> Assembly to achieve incorporation in this national area.’
> 
> 'In a cablegram dated 15 April 1975 the INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF BAHÁ'Í
> ACTIVITIES Universal House of Justice approved the recommendation of the
> National Assembly that its name be changed from the National Spiritual Assembly
> of the Windward Islands to the National Spiritual Assembly of Barbados and the
> Windward Islands to facilitate the National Assembly's efforts to secure recognition
> by Act of Parliament.’
> 'In April 1976 Cora Oliver visited Barbados and Grenada as a traveling teacher.
> 
> The national convention in 1976 was held in St. Vincent. It was the first time that this
> event took place outside Barbados since the formation of the National Spiritual
> Assembly. In attendance was Mr. Alfred Osborne of the Continental Board of
> Counsellors in Central America and friends from Grenada, Barbados, and
> Dominica.'
> 
> ‘At Ridvan 1981, three new National Assemblies came into being: Bermuda with its
> seat in Hamilton, the Leeward Islands with its seat in St. John's Antigua and the
> Windward Islands with its seat in Kingstown, St. Vincent. Ridvan 1983 saw the
> establishment of the National Spiritual Assembly of Dominica with its seat in
> Roseau and of St. Lucia with its seat in Castries.’
> 
> Additional Note from Pat Paccassi, Manager of “Bahá’í History of Caribbean website.”
> ‘In 1981 Barbados formed its first own National Spiritual Assembly. The reason for
> the NSA name change was that Barbados did not consider itself as part of the
> Windward Islands, but an entity by itself. So, as we had to put through the
> incorporation of the NSA in Barbados, the official change of the NSA had to be
> made.’
> 
> Pioneering to Barbados
> 
> We left for Barbados after completion of the Wilmette Pioneer Training Institute. I had little
> knowledge of Barbados or any other Caribbean islands. A group of Bahá’ís, including
> Shirley Yarbrough, the Auxiliary Board member, welcomed us to the Island and took us to
> a small wooden cottage, owned by a Barbadian Bahá’í. It was in Christ Church, in the
> southern part of the Island and not far from the airport. We could see the Caribbean Sea
> across the road, its beaches popular with local bathers. They usually carried a piece of
> Aloe Vera plant, to use it as a natural sunscreen and moisturizer. Our first exposure to
> Island life was when a few of them entered our backyard to cut leaves of the Aloe plants or
> pick all the ripe fruits from our mango tree. There was no air-conditioning or any fans in
> the cottage. So, we had to open the windows to allow the sea breeze to cool the house. As
> there were no screens on the windows, we had hosts of tropical insects visiting us day and
> night. We used the small bed in the bedroom for us, and the living room for the kids to
> sleep. Because of the heat, little Faran was wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Soon
> most of his body was covered with insect bites that got infected and turned into Impetigo -
> a highly contagious skin condition common among children in Barbados. To stop the red
> sores from spreading, I had to cover the infected areas with gauze. Soon most of his body
> was covered with bandages; my heart ached to see him in that condition. To lighten his
> spirit, I adoringly called him my wounded soldier. Despite that, he remained resilient and
> happy, showing no sign of distress.
> 
> We lived in that cottage for a few months and became acquainted with the new
> environment. It took us a while to meet with the National Assembly, which met once a
> month, as some members had to travel from other Islands. However, the Barbadian
> National Assembly members and Shirley Yarbrough were great in helping us to settle in
> our new home. Shirly was an American pioneer who participated in the first mass teaching
> project in the Caribbean. We developed a close friendship. She was a uniting force for the
> Bahá’ís who were scattered across the Island.
> 
> Most of the Bahá’ís were in other Parishes, which were not close to Christ Church.
> Therefore, we developed a plan to visit different communities regularly, accompanied by
> Shirley and the National Assembly members. Meanwhile, we focused our efforts on looking
> for a job and finding a place to live. Terry soon found a teaching position with St. Winfreds
> school in Bridgetown. We enrolled Anisa in kindergarten, going with her father to the same
> school. She was amazingly adaptable to her new environment and soon started speaking
> in a true Bajan (Barbadian) accent. Bridgetown is the capital city of Barbados; where the
> main government departments are located. I started calling different offices, inquiring about
> the Social Welfare Agencies. I was told that there was no such Division in Barbados, and
> 
> the university was not offering any Social Work courses. They all suggested that I seek a
> job with the United Nations Agency in Bridgetown. I called them as my last resort and was
> transferred to Mrs. K, who was an Advisor for PAHO - the Pan American World Health
> Organization, stationed in Barbados. Mrs. K. was a health educator from India. She knew
> about the Bahá’í Faith and was sympathetic towards the plight of the Iranian Bahá’ís. She
> reviewed my resume and conducted an in-depth interview, focusing on my training skills.
> Then, she informed me that there was no permanent job for me in PAHO, but there is a
> need for a UN short-term consultant to train government professionals in the British West
> Indies. As a UN Consultant for the Caribbean Region, I would be stationed in Barbados to
> plan and develop workshops on communication and counseling techniques. Then, travel
> to St. Vincent, St. Kitts, and Antigua, to conduct training sessions for government officials.
> When returning to Barbados, I would create Summary Evaluation Reports on each island
> for the WHO, UN. Each assignment was for three weeks, and I received my salary in the
> US dollar. She then gave me a book on facilitating experiential workshops for professionals
> and asked me to develop a course outline by next the week. I got out of the office excited
> and overwhelmed. While waiting for the bus, a car pulled over and the driver, who was in
> a pilot uniform, told me that there was no bus at that time of the day, and since he was
> going to the airport, he could give me a ride. I got into the car and told him that I was going
> to conduct training on the islands that I had never heard their names before. He laughed
> and told me that since he had been flying to all these islands, he could give me general
> information about them. As a pilot, he added useful information which helped me with my
> travel planning: Such as always book my flights for the mornings, since there was no
> lighting at the airports and if the flights were delayed, the planes would not land or take off
> in the dark. This happened a few times to Mrs. K. and other colleagues but not to me, as I
> took his advice to heart.
> 
> As Terry’s school and the PAHO office both were in Bridgetown, we had no choice but find
> a house in Christ Church. Eve Johnson, a National Assembly member, and a Real Estate
> Agent suggested a rental home, not far from the cottage that we were staying. It was a
> spacious house with the American classic style furniture. Anisa and Faran both had their
> own bedrooms. We had a front porch with ornamental iron bars which allowed for the kids
> to play safely, and a large backyard. There was no air-conditioning, but with keeping the
> windows open, we had a windward breeze circulating and cooling the house. Once again,
> the Divine confirmation was upon us, and Abdu’l-Baha’s promise;
> 
> ‘…. for I am with you always, whether living or dead; I am with you to the end. As ye
> have faith so shall your powers and blessings be. This is the standard -- this is the
> standard -- this is the standard.’
> 
> (Abdul Baha) Star of the West, Vol. 12, No. 16, December 31, 1921, page 250.
> 
> We were delighted to learn that our next-door neighbor was a Bahá’í couple. Roger Gibbs
> was a Barbadian musician who was married to Reissa, a Canadian. Their child was in the
> same age group as our kids. Together, we formed a team to strengthen the community
> spirit of the Bahá’ís in our area. Our network was gradually extended to other friends such
> as Keith and Stephanie Bloodworth and their child, a young pioneer family. Eve Johnson,
> 
> Frank Fernandes, Frank Farnum and Yvette Clark, were other friends who joined us and
> helped in the teaching endeavors.
> 
> We were blessed to host Bahá’í gatherings on a regular basis, some for visiting Bahá’ís ,
> such as Paul Lucas, the Counselor for America, Ruth Pringle, who was later appointed as
> a Counselor, and Beverly March, the Auxiliary Board Member from St. Lucia.
> 
> I consulted with the National Office, about my UN mission and offered to travel teach in
> those Islands. Laurie Sealy, the National Assembly’s Secretary, was helpful in contacting
> the Institutions in each respective community to facilitate my visits.
> 
> The First Tour with PAHO, WHO, UN
> 
> I started my work as a UN Consultant in September. The preliminary work of organizing
> the workshops was an interagency coordination between PAHO and the Ministry of Health
> on each Island. As the guest of the respective governments, I was welcomed and received
> hospitality from their officials. Most of the times there were press coverage and radio
> interviews. The UN provided hotel accommodation, per diem and transport for each tour.
> 
> I planned, developed and facilitated workshops on counseling techniques for teachers,
> counselors, health educators, nurses, community development workers, social workers,
> and other government officials.
> 
> The objective of workshops: To introduce and enhance the worker’s role and
> responsibilities as members of a professional team which acted as “agents of change” for
> their community.
> 
> The specific focus was on interpersonal relationships between the team members and
> communities, families and individuals.
> 
> The areas to cover: Maternal and childcare, youth empowerment, family life education,
> health education, and care for the environment.
> 
> St. Vincent Assignment
> 
> I held my first workshop in September, in Kingstown, St. Vincent. There were 28
> participants from various helping professionals. The heterogeneous nature of the
> participants and their varied age, sex, educational background and back-home experience
> helped the dynamics of the workshop to be a success.
> 
> St. Vincent is a lush and forested volcanic island. The largest active volcano is La Soufrière,
> which erupted in 1979. In October of that year St. Vincent became an independent country.
> Don Providence, a member of the National Assembly of Barbados and Windward Islands,
> coordinated my visit with the Bahá’ís of St. Vincent. I was welcomed by the warm hospitality
> of his family and the Bahá’í community. While having gatherings after work, I also had a
> 
> chance to visit a community in the rural area, on the weekend. I remember the beautiful
> faces of the Bahá’ís, including youth and children, who gathered on a porch by the river,
> overlooking a lush forest.
> 
> One day, when I was on my break during the workshop, I received a call from Don, sharing
> the sad news of the murder of beloved Hand of the Cause Mr. Olinga and his family. My
> heart ached as I recalled Mr. Furutan saying that the aging Hands of the Cause would be
> departing from this earth soon, but the two youngest of them, Mr. Olinga and Dr. Muhajir,
> would be living on, to inspire future Bahá’í generations. I later heard that the news sorely
> affected Dr. Muhajir who loved Mr. Olinga. That evening we had a memorial with the
> Bahá’ís, and I shared with them my memories of meeting that precious soul in Nairobi. That
> was the beginning of a series of sorrowful events that occurred in 1979.
> 
> Excerpt from an article by Richard Francis on Olinga, Enoch
> - Bahá’í Library online:
> ‘In September 1977, the Bahá'í Faith was banned in Uganda by the new dictatorial
> government headed by Idi Amin. All administrative institutions had to be closed. In
> March of the same year, Enoch was in a terrible automobile accident when his car
> was rammed and knocked down the side of a hill by a troop transport; he was
> subsequently robbed by the soldiers and left for dead. He commented that if it
> weren't for Bahá’u’lláh, he would have died in that accident. ….
> Kampala was heavily bombarded, and Enoch was persuaded to seek refuge on the
> Temple property. He made his way there on foot, under extreme pain, struggling
> against the crowds of people trying to flee the city. That night, a fierce artillery battle
> raged around the Temple where he spent the night in prayer. The next day, the
> temple still stood, undamaged. He soon returned to his house, finding it being
> looted. He was accused of being one of Idi Amin's men but somehow was able to
> convince the mob otherwise. He returned to the Temple and assisted in its
> protection.
> Gradually, the conditions improved, and the Universal House of Justice was able to
> appoint an interim administrative body to reorganize the Bahá'í activities and
> properties. Enoch spent his days working at the Bahá'í Temple and assisting the
> Administrative Committee. He refurbished his home in Kampala, and his family
> joined him there.
> It was on Sunday, September 16, 1979, five soldiers in unmarked uniforms knocked
> on the door.
> The houseboy recalled: "At about 8:30, I heard someone shaking the gate to the
> compound and, looking through the window, saw five armed men walking towards
> the back door leading to the kitchen. They shouted `open' and banged on the
> door. Lennie opened the door, and there was a sound of shots. I fled over the fence
> to hide in the neighbor's bushes and remained there in terror all night. I wasn't able
> to see anything but heard shooting and other sounds going on for about two
> hours. At dawn, I ventured out of hiding and went to the house, seeing the body of
> Enoch lying in the courtyard and inside, all in an inner bedroom, the bodies of
> Elizabeth, Tahirih, Lennie and Badí, heaped on the floor where they had fallen when
> shot to death."
> 
> On September 24, 1979, Enoch Olinga was laid to rest in a burial plot near the
> Temple, next to that of Musa Banani, his fellow Hand of the Cause of God; one
> was designated the `Spiritual Conqueror of Africa' now joined by the `Father of
> Victories'.
> 
> http://bahai-library.com/francis_olinga_biography
> 
> Return to Barbados
> 
> Iranian Pioneers: When I returned to Barbados, I was told that four young ladies had
> arrived from Iran, to consult with the National Assembly about pioneering in the West
> Indies. As none of them could understand English, they asked Anisa, my 4-year-old
> daughter to translate. However, my little girl did not know how to translate the consultation.
> When they asked her whether she could understand what they were saying, she responded
> yes and repeated what they said in Farsi. However, she did not know the dynamics of
> converting the conversation into English. They finally gave up and decided to wait for me
> to return.
> 
> The result of the consultation with the National Assembly was that since they were single
> girls with little knowledge of English, they would need to go to a country where they could
> live with a Bahá’í, to take care of them and act as their mentor. So, they stayed in Barbados
> till they found a reasonable accommodation. On my trip to Antigua, one of them
> accompanied me and stayed with a dear pioneer, Hope Hubbert. Hope offered to share
> her home with the other three, who were in Barbados. The arrangement worked well, and
> they initiated successful teaching projects. I was told later, that due to the political situation,
> Hope and the other western pioneers had to leave the country. However, the three Iranians
> were allowed to stay, and one remained at her post till 1986.
> 
> News from Iran: On October that year, we heard the devastating news of the destruction
> of the House of the Báb in Shiraz, and the ongoing persecution and martyrdom of the
> Bahá’ís in Iran. My mother joined me in Barbados and tried to get a US visa to go to my
> brother in the States. However, the US Consulate refused to give her a visa. Since I was
> with her, I decided to talk to the Consul about reactivating my family’s application for the
> Green Card. They reviewed my records and by taking into consideration that I was a UN
> Consultant, processed my application. My mother stayed with us for a few months then
> returned to Iran.
> 
> St. Kitts Assignment
> 
> My second UN assignment was for St. Kitts, a country in the Leeward Islands. The Island
> was still coping with the aftermath of Hurricane David. So, there were issues with electricity
> and water in the city. Therefore, we had only 15 participants at the workshop.
> 
> One evening, the St. Kitts Bahá’ís held a meeting out on the veranda of a friend’s house.
> There was no electricity, and the lighting from the kerosene lamp made the gathering
> 
> intimate. It reminded me of my visits to the Philippine’s villages. Since there was no pioneer
> on the Island, I was their only outside visitor. It was a blessing for me to have the opportunity
> of meeting the Bahá’ís.
> 
> On the last day of my visit, the Minister of Health invited me to have lunch with her in a
> hotel, overlooking the ocean. Due to the Hurricane, the establishment was closed. They
> opened the restaurant only for the Minister and her guest. However, they could only serve
> sandwiches. I ordered a chicken sandwich and had a pleasant conversation with the
> Minister. I got back to my hotel and did my packing for my trip the next day. Unfortunately,
> that night I developed a severe case of food poisoning. I was up the whole night, feeling
> miserable. In the morning, Mrs. K. came to see me and insisted on going to Barbados for
> treatment by the UN medical team. I made it back home and was treated for the next few
> weeks. However, the bacteria impacted my internal organs, including my gallbladder. I
> started having intermittent relapses, off and on for the next 20 years.
> 
> Antigua Assignment
> 
> Antigua is a rich and beautiful country on the Leeward Islands. Due to my sickness, Mrs.
> K. booked me in a first-class hotel. I enjoyed having my breakfast on an open-air deck,
> overlooking the harbor. One morning, I noticed a group of professionals in formal business
> attire, having a company breakfast. When Mrs. K., joined me, she whispered that they were
> members of a gambling cartel, attending a conference at the hotel.
> 
> One night, when I was asleep in my hotel room, I went through my first shock, due to the
> gallbladder enzyme imbalance. I felt I had an out of body experience, looking down at
> myself from the ceiling. These shocks persisted for years to come, quite frightening and
> out of my control. I was finally diagnosed 20 years later as having a lazy gallbladder. I was
> cured after removing it and taking the required medication to balance my enzymes.
> 
> Antigua had a vibrant and active Bahá’í community. The pioneers and local Bahá’ís worked
> hand in hand to teach the Faith through social development projects. Among them a
> flourishing youth empowerment program which was initiated by John Rushford, an
> American pioneer. Alan and Magda Smith, Hope Holbert, Julie Armbruster, and Doris
> Francis, all welcomed me and introduced me to different Bahá’í communities. I also met
> Vivian Estall, the wife of Counselor Rowland Estall, who was living in Antigua. The
> community held a well-publicized meeting which showed slides of the House of the Báb
> and its recent destruction. I could not hold my tears back while witnessing the atrocities
> which were committed to one of the Holiest Places of the Faith.
> 
> Shahla with the Bahá’ís of Antigua
> Back row, from left: John Rushford, John Yates, Hope Holbert, --, Cedric Nathan
> Second on the front: Shahla Gillbanks, last on the right: Vivian Estall
> 
> Barbados Pioneering Highlights
> October 79 – June 1980
> 
> Dr. Muhajir’s last meeting
> 
> Upon my return from Antigua, in October, I had a phone call from Shirley Yarbrough,
> informing me that Dr. Muhajir was visiting Barbados. When Shirley told him about a Shahla
> Gillbanks, who is on assignment with the United Nations, Dr. Muhajir wanted to come to
> my home for a visit. I was delighted and invited them to dinner the next day.
> 
> My family was overjoyed for this blessing, including my mother, who’s attitude, and
> demeanor was quite different from the first time Dr. Muhajir came to our house in Tehran.
> I prepared a Filipino dish and salad for dinner. When Dr. Muhajir arrived, he humored me
> by saying that; he wanted to see this UN Consultant, who is “casting a long shadow” - which
> in Farsi, was more of a tease than a compliment. He then continued; joking aside, he was
> happy for me to find an opportunity to serve at that level. He wanted to know about my
> findings which could be implemented in the Bahá’í community. I mentioned about “the
> buddy system,” a team approach when a mentor and a new Bahá’í would work together in
> implementing a service project. He expressed that hopefully in the future it would be used
> as a community building tool by the Bahá’ís. He then discussed his teaching campaign in
> Boston, a systematic approach to holding 19 firesides in 19 days, and the success of the
> program.
> 
> My little Faran woke up and insisted on being with us. Dr. Muhajir put him on his lap and
> held him for an hour. When we were having dinner, Dr. Muhajir complimented me on my
> cooking and mentioned that he was watching his diet because of diabetes but was enjoying
> the food. He asked my mother if she was happy now with my pioneering. My mother
> responded: “Yes, Dr., I am grateful for your advice.”
> 
> When the visit was ending, and Dr. Muhajir was saying goodbye, he held my hands and
> said: “Shahla, we have come a long way together; serving the Faith from the Philippines to
> New Zealand, and Kenya to the Caribbean. Presently we are serving one generation
> together. When I pass on, I hope you serve two more generations. Pray for me as I pray
> for you!”
> 
> The next evening, we attended a public meeting with beloved Dr. Muhajir as the speaker.
> On the last day, Shirley told me that when she was taking him to the airport, Dr. Muhajir
> asked her to repeatedly play the song “Prisoner” by Seals and Crofts, while pensively
> whispering the lyrics along the way.
> 
> One day in December, Shirley called and told me that she had bad news and insisted that
> I sit down. Then she informed me that Dr. Muhajir had passed away! A tremendous grief
> came over me, as I had lost my spiritual mentor and a dear friend. I was grateful for our
> last meeting, destined to be his last farewell; sad, that he would not be among us to inspire
> the present generation of Bahá’ís. I followed his advice in my life, to always serve the
> generations of Bahá’ís. In the years to come, anytime I felt lost and despondent, Dr. Muhajir
> 
> would come to my dream and guide me to the right path. I have always been praying for
> his soul and asking for his prayers, and taking solace in the following quotation:
> 
> ‘A friend asked: “How should one look forward to death?
> `Abdu’l-Bahá answered: How does one look forward to the end of any journey,
> with hope and expectation. It is even so with the end of this earthly journey.
> In the next world, man will find himself freed from many disabilities under which he
> now suffers. Those who passed on through death, have the sphere of their own. It
> is not removed from ours: Their work of the kingdom is ours, but it is sanctified
> from what we call time and place.
> Time with us is measured by the sun. When there is no more sunset that kind of
> time does not exist for man.
> Those who have ascended have different attributes (conditions) from those who
> are still on earth, yet there is no real separation.
> In the prayer, there is a mingling of stations, a mingling of the condition. Pray for
> them as they pray for you.’
> 
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/ABL/abl-52.html
> Page 95-97
> 
> A Day with Mr. and Mrs. Robarts
> 
> Shirley called me one day to let me know that Hand of the Cause John Robarts and his
> wife were in Barbados. Mr. Robarts had completed his visits in the Caribbean and had
> decided to have a respite in a secluded hotel in Barbados. As it was their private time, they
> did not plan to have any visitors. However, when Shirley told them about my family, who
> had pioneered in Kenya, they invited us to have lunch with them on the weekend. We were
> delighted to accept this great privilege.
> 
> When we were in Kenya, we were friends with their son Patrick and his wife, Geraldine
> Robarts. We attended meetings at their home when Mr. and Mrs. Robarts were visiting
> Nairobi.
> 
> The Robarts were staying at the Villa Nova hotel, which in 1965 was the winter residence
> of the former British Prime Minister, Anthony Eden. He called this tropical refuge his Garden
> of Eden. We traveled to the east coast of the Island, passing through tropical jungle to
> reach this peaceful paradise, far from the tourist crowds of the west coast. Mr. and Mrs.
> Robarts were gracious hosts who treated us with care and acted as loving grandparents
> for our kids. There was no formal conversation or meetings. We had lunch, strolled through
> the garden and talked about their travels to Cuba and other Caribbean Islands. We were
> rewarded a day of respite and fulfillment by these two precious souls.
> 
> Building Community Spirit
> 
> Terry and I found the most effective way to serve the Cause was traveling to different
> Parishes, holding meetings and visiting the Bahá’ís. We encouraged friends to connect
> with each other as one community. We visited St. Andrews Parish, where Pat and Frank
> Paccassi were pioneering, and St. Lucy Parish, where the Carlton family were residing.
> Cynthia Carlton later moved to Riverside California, where we found each other again
> and continued our friendship.
> 
> Meeting with the Barbadian Bahá’ís in St. Andrew
> L- Shahla, Shirley Yarbrough, Laurie Seely
> Front right - Pat Paccassi, far right – Kenneth Bloodworth.
> Second on R -Terry Gillbanks
> 
> As the team of the Bahá’ís, with the help of Shirley Yarbrough, unified the Bahá’í
> community, we launched a few Island-wide events. To celebrate Naw Ruz, we suggested
> the Barbadian community gather at the Temple site in St Lucy for a devotional, and to plant
> a tree, as a symbolic replacement of the orange tree which was planted by the Báb at his
> home and had been uprooted during the destruction of the House of the Báb, a year before.
> It was one of the largest gathering of the Bahá’ís from all the Parishes of Barbados. The
> resilient spirit of the Bahá’ís was manifested when the tree was planted. It brought tears of
> joy to the faces of participants.
> 
> Above pictures: Planting a tree, symbolic of the Orange Tree destroyed at the House of
> the Báb at Temple site in St. Lucy, Barbados.
> 
> The picture below: Ridvan Celebration
> 
> The momentum of community spirit
> continued with a Ridvan celebration. We
> planned a family-oriented activity at a
> Beach in Christ Church Parish. Children
> and their families gathered from the larger
> community, for a devotional, fellowship
> and a Ridvan chocolate egg hunt. It was
> wonderful to observe children working
> together to find their treasure and share
> them with each other.
> 
> Dominica Assignment
> 
> Due to the success of my first assignments, Mrs. K. planned additional tours to be held in
> the spring of 1980. The first one was a part of the curriculum of the 14 weeks training
> program for the Community Health Workers of the Ministry of Health in Dominica.
> 
> It was the largest group of participants for my workshops. 30 participants attended the
> workshop at the Princess Margaret Hospital of Roseau. I left for Dominica on April 28 th,
> after the Ridvan Celebration.
> 
> In August 1979, Hurricane David, one of the strongest and deadliest hurricanes hit the
> Atlantic coasts. We experienced the brunt of David in Barbados, but the eye of the
> hurricane was at sea and did not do great damage inland. However, it continued to strike
> Dominica as a category 5 hurricane. A major road, connecting one side of the island to
> another, fell into the sea and cut off transportation. The utility plants were destroyed, and
> there was no running water or electricity in the homes.
> 
> When I arrived at the end of April, I witnessed the destruction and how the resilient
> population was coping with the devastation. Only major hotels like the one that I was
> staying, provided electricity and water. I found Dominica had a unique natural beauty. The
> lush rainforests and waterfalls were breathtaking. One of the officials who acted as my host
> gave me a tour of the Island. We had a picnic in the forest, and I was amazed to see African
> Violets growing wild under the trees. Colorful tropical birds were flying around us, and the
> trees made a cool canopy. We sat by the river and had a Caribbean dish of rice and beans
> cooked in coconut juice. It was so delicious that I asked for the recipe and made it at home
> for my family.
> 
> The Bahá’ís were warm and wonderful. I
> was able to meet Albert Segen, an
> American pioneer, working at the same
> hospital, where I was conducting my
> training. However, due to the aftermath
> of Hurricane David, it was not feasible to
> have a meeting in the city. So, a group of
> young Bahai’s arranged a gathering at the
> Island’s hot spring. They asked me to join
> them at their weekly bathing, as there was
> no hot water in their homes. It was an
> enjoyable and refreshing experience which I
> never forget.
> 
> St. Lucia
> 
> I did not have a UN assignment for St. Lucia
> but was invited by the Bahá’ís to visit. Since
> it was on my way to Dominica, I arranged
> for my return ticket to travel to that country
> for a few days of travel teaching. There was
> a dynamic community in St. Lucia.
> Beverley March the Auxiliary Board
> member and Keith and Stephanie
> Bloodworth, the pioneers whom I
> knew from Barbados, arranged for a
> number of firesides and Bahá’í
> gatherings. I was also interviewed by
> the press, regarding my visit to the
> Caribbean Islands. I had the pleasure
> of meeting Ester Evans, the Knight of
> Bahá’u’lláh for the Windward Islands.
> From L to R: Stephanie Bloodworth, Ester
> Evans, Shahla Gillbanks, with a group of
> Bahá’ís of St. Lucia, standing third on the
> right: Beverly March
> 
> The Cayman Islands
> 1980-1982
> 
> As my contract with the United Nations was ending, so was my source of income. Terry’s
> salary was not enough to support our family, and there was no other job opportunity for me
> on the Island. I shared my dilemma with Mrs. K, who offered to help in finding suitable
> positions for us when visiting government officials in the Caribbean countries.
> 
> Sometimes in April 1980, Mrs. K, informed me of my new assignment in the Cayman
> Islands, a multidisciplinary training for the prevention of genetic disease in the country. She
> told me while consulting about this joint PAHO, WHO project with the government of the
> Cayman, she discussed the possibility of hiring Terry and me after the workshop. The
> Ministry of Education offered a two-year contract to Terry, to be the deputy headmaster of
> a primary school. I was hired as a non-contracted spouse, to run the Education Counseling
> Department of the Ministry. Although my new job was not on par with my United Nations
> position, we would be receiving expatriate salaries and fringe benefits, in the prosperous
> Cayman Island. I consulted with Terry, and both agreed that it was an excellent opportunity
> to bring stability to our life. The US Pioneering committee was pleased that we could extend
> our pioneering for another two years in the Caribbean. We accepted the offer, and I set out
> to prepare for my new UN assignment, to facilitate workshops in Genetic Counseling.
> 
> The Cayman Islands at a Glance
> Taken from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayman_Islands
> 
> ‘The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean Sea.
> The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little
> Cayman located south of Cuba, northeast of Costa Rica, north of Panama, east of
> Mexico and northwest of Jamaica. Its population is approximately 60,000, and its
> capital is George Town.’
> ‘The Cayman Islands remained largely uninhabited until the 17th century. While
> there is no archaeological evidence for an indigenous people on the islands, a
> variety of settlers from various backgrounds made their home on the islands,
> including pirates, shipwrecked sailors, and deserters from Oliver Cromwell's army in
> Jamaica.
> The first recorded permanent inhabitant of the Cayman Islands, Isaac Bodden, was
> born on Grand Cayman around 1661. He was the grandson of the original settler
> named Bodden who was probably one of Oliver Cromwell's soldiers at the taking of
> Jamaica in 1655.’
> ‘England took formal control of the Cayman Islands, along with Jamaica, as a result
> of the Treaty of Madrid of 1670. Following several unsuccessful attempts at
> settlement, a permanent English-speaking population in the islands dates from the
> 
> 1730s. With the settlement, after the first royal land grant by the Governor of
> Jamaica in 1734, came the perceived need for slaves. Many were brought to the
> islands from Africa; this is evident today with the majority of native Caymanians
> being of African and English descent.’
> ‘The islands continued to be governed as part of the Colony of Jamaica until 1962
> when they became a separate Crown colony while Jamaica became an independent
> Commonwealth realm.’
> ‘The Cayman Islands historically have been a tax-exempt destination. … The
> government of the Cayman Islands has always relied on indirect and not direct
> taxes. The islands have never levied an income tax, capital gains tax, or any wealth
> tax, making them a popular tax haven.’
> ‘The Cayman Islands have more registered businesses than people. In mid-2011
> the Cayman Islands had an estimated population of about 56,000, representing a
> mix of more than 100 nationalities. Out of that number, about half are of Caymanian
> descent. About 60% of the population is of mixed race (mostly mixed African-
> Caucasian).”
> ‘With an average income of around KYD$47,000, Caymanians have the highest
> standard of living in the Caribbean. According to the CIA World Factbook, the
> Cayman Islands GDP per capita is the 14th highest in the world. The islands print
> their currency, the Cayman Islands dollar (KYD), which is pegged to the US dollar
> 1.227 USD to 1 KYD.”
> 
> ‘In 2010, the country ranked fifth internationally regarding the value of liabilities
> booked and sixth regarding assets booked. It has branches of 40 of the world's 50
> largest banks.’
> 
> Bahá’ís of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands
> Taken from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia/the “Bahá’ís of Jamaica.”
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahá%27í_Faith_in_Jamaica
> 
> ‘In 1942 Dr. Malcolm King, a dentist of Jamaican background who had been living
> in the United States for some time, and who had embraced the Bahá’í Faith there,
> came to Jamaica with the express purpose of teaching the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh to
> his fellow Jamaicans.
> 
> Dr. King held meetings at 190 Orange Street in Kingston. By 1943, five people had
> embraced the Faith after having been taught by him. After he had left the island, the
> nucleus of Bahá’ís taught the Faith and by April 1943 were able to form a Local
> Spiritual Assembly in Kingston. The Jamaican community was by 1961 sufficiently
> strong to elect its National Spiritual Assembly.
> 
> In 1965 partly through the efforts of a Jamaican Bahá’í teacher who moved to there,
> ten persons in the Cayman Islands became Bahá’ís and later a Local Spiritual
> Assembly was formed.’
> 
> JAMAICA
> Excerpts from: THE BAHÁ'Í WORLD, Volume 15
> https://bahai-library.com/jones_ocean
> 
> ‘In 1961 the National Spiritual Assembly of Jamaica was established with its seat in
> Kingston. The visits of the Hands of the Cause Ugo Giachery and Rahmatu'llah
> Muhajir in 1969, the National Spiritual Assembly commented, resulted in an
> awakening of the Baha community to the challenges of the Nine-Year Plan and a
> fresh infusion of inspiration and determination. A constant flow of pioneers, traveling
> teachers, members of the Board of Counsellors and its Auxiliary Board, youthful
> singing groups -- these assisted in turning the tide. The National Assembly achieved
> its goal of incorporation at Ridvan, 1970, and in a jubilant mood received a welcome
> visit from the Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga in August of that year. Early in 1971,
> a mass teaching project in which visiting Bahá'ís from the deep south of the United
> States worked closely with local native teachers resulted in the enrolment of
> approximately one thousand new believers.’
> 
> Cayman Islands UN Assignment
> May 28 – June 19, 1980
> 
> A joint multidisciplinary project was developed for the prevention of “Genetic disease” in
> the Cayman Islands. One of the components was the training of the professionals involved,
> in dealing with the problems arising from Genetic diseases in the community and
> developing strategies in Genetic Counseling based on a Caymanian Social and Cultural
> Context.
> 
> A multidisciplinary committee of professional expertise of medical, educational and social
> welfare disciplines, worked with Mrs. K, the PAHO WHO advisor for implementation of this
> project. They organized a series of workshops for professionals and their portfolios. A
> number of professional experts were involved in conducting panel sessions, delivering
> lectures and helping with the organization and evaluation of the workshops. Mrs. K. helped
> with the organization of the workshops and coordinating the panel sessions. I was
> contracted to facilitate the Genetic Counseling workshops. Twenty-seven participants from
> Cayman and the University of West Indies, Jamaica, participated.
> 
> During my stay in Georgetown, I contacted JoAnn Gilman; a Caymanian, married to Bud,
> an American. A wonderful Bahá’í couple, living with their family in Bodden Town. JoAnn
> arranged my meetings with Cathy McCloud, a Canadian nurse working in Georgetown.
> Cathy was the only pioneer in the country at that time. The only other active Bahá’í was
> Beverly Brandon, who lived with her family near Georgetown. Although the community was
> small, their warmth and close relationship were noteworthy.
> 
> The last day before the culmination of my workshop, I had a severe attack, caused by the
> damage to my gallbladder from food poisoning. I was taken to the hospital ER and treated
> for dangerously low blood pressure and blood sugar. As I came back to my hotel room,
> Cathy came and took care of me for the evening. Mrs. K. took over my training and
> 
> completed the workshop the next day. After she left, the hospital director, ordered a few
> days of recuperation for me before traveling back to Barbados. JoAnn and Bud took me to
> their home until I recovered. As there was no air-conditioning in the house, I asked if I could
> sleep in the Lanai by the swimming pool. That night I had a dream; I was standing on the
> roof of my house in Tehran, it was dark, and I could hear the chanting of Allah’u’Akbar –
> God is most great, echoing around me. Then, I heard a voice warning: They are coming! I
> woke up paralyzed and could hardly breathe. In the morning, I had a dreaded feeling that
> something terrible was going to happen to the Bahá’ís in Iran, but felt helpless to do
> anything about it.
> 
> On my last days of the trip, I met with officials of Ministry of Education and obtained the
> required employment documents for myself and Terry.
> 
> In the months ahead, my premonition came true; soon I heard the news of the martyrdom
> of my dear friends, mentors, and many Bahá’ís. I mourned the loss of Dr. Davoudi, Mr.
> Bakhtavar, Farnoosh, Dr. Sadeghzadeh and many other friends. The loss of loved ones
> and close friends usually happens when we are older, but in my case, it had happened
> when I was in my thirties. It was also the time that I heard of my father’s arrest and
> imprisonment. As I lost most of my mentors, I heeded to the last wish of Dr. Muhajir, to
> become resolute in serving the present and future Bahá’í generations.
> ‘This handful of days on earth will slip away like shadows and be over. Strive then
> that God may shed His grace upon you, that you may leave a favorable
> remembrance in the hearts and on the lips of those to come.’
> 
> ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> 
> Bahá'í Reference Library - The Secret of Divine Civilization, Pages 101-116
> 
> Pioneering to the Cayman Islands
> 
> In the early Summer of 1980, we left Barbados for the Cayman Islands. The flight to
> Cayman had a stopover for changing planes in Atlanta. In my previous trips, it was a
> pleasant few hour to spend at the airport and do some duty-free shopping for the kids.
> However, this time, we were informed that Hurricane Allen had just struck Grand Cayman
> and all flights to the Island were canceled. We had to stay overnight and take off the next
> day. As it was a natural disaster, the airline did not cover the emergency accommodation.
> Since we did not have a US Visa, we had to stay at an airport hotel without leaving the
> premises.
> 
> Allen was a powerful hurricane which struck the Caribbean, Mexico, and Texas. It was the
> first and strongest hurricane of the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season. It reached Category 5
> status, with winds of 190 mph. Due to the severity of impact, in 1981, the name Allen was
> retired from the list of Atlantic tropical cyclone names for six years.
> We felt the impact of Allen when we arrived at Grand Cayman. The calm blue Caribbean
> Sea, which normally resembled a lake, was more like the angry and the gray Atlantic
> Ocean. The whole Island was in emergency status. The clearing of debris and structural
> repairs were happening everywhere. We were taken to a first-class hotel on the famed
> Seven Miles Beach for the first week. After years of hardship, my family enjoyed the luxury
> of the hotel and its restaurant, courtesy of the government.
> 
> As a blessing in disguise, due to the Hurricane evacuation, the executive secretary of the
> Governor of Cayman, had to leave her two-bedroom seaside unit, at a luxury resort. Since
> she refused to go back, and it was the only accommodation available, we stayed there for
> the first three months. As it coincided with the school holiday, we enjoyed a dream vacation.
> 
> Beverly Brandon, my Bahá’í friend, happened to be the manager of the same resort. She
> lived with her three sons in a unit not far from us. They offered to supervise our kids at the
> Kiddy pool while we went snorkeling amid the magnificent corals and colorful tropical fish.
> Once again, undeservedly, God had showered His Grace and Mercy upon us!
> 
> We established our contact with the Bahá’ís and started getting to know some, who were
> not active in the community. Soon we heard that Dr. Ahamadieh, from Belize, whom I
> previously met in Iran, was visiting for a few days. He was recently appointed as a
> Counselor for America and was making a tour of the Caribbean Islands. The short visit was
> helpful in developing our pioneering plan.
> 
> For the new school year, we eventually moved to a 3-bedroom house in George Town. It
> was ideal for our pioneering goal to be closer to the Caymanians as our neighbors. My
> office was at the Cayman High School. The Principal and vice principal, the department
> heads and some teachers were British expatriates. The rest, including school nurses, were
> either Caymanians or Jamaicans. I noticed right away, the systemic discrimination that I
> had experienced in KIA- Kenya Institute of Administration. The British staff had better office
> locations than the rest, including me. When I approached the principal to ask for an office
> 
> in the Administration Building, he bluntly told me that I was not British and could not have
> that privilege. It was also a deja vous when I entered the staff break room. Just as at KIA,
> all the British were sitting on one side and the rest on the other side of the hall. So, I did
> exactly what I practiced in KIA. One day I sat with the British and the other day with the
> rest of the staff. I was making a statement to the British that I was equal to them, and to
> the Jamaicans and Caymanians that I was the same as them. I gradually developed a
> relationship with all of them on equal terms. It made a positive impact on the non-British,
> and by the end of the year, the segregated line was crossed, and they started sitting on the
> British side. I invited my Caymanian colleagues to the firesides at my home and developed
> a close friendship with a few.
> 
> In my new position, acting as an advisor for the Ministry, I established Education
> Counseling, and a Social Education Program for the school system. In addition to
> integrating the subject in the High school curriculum, every year a week-long program was
> offered for the entire high school student body. It was a multidisciplinary approach to
> educate the high school students in interpersonal relationships, public health, family life
> education, fire, and road safety. I coordinated speakers from different agencies to make
> presentations to the students. It was well received by the professionals, students, and their
> parents. The press covered the event as a progressive approach to educating the young
> generation of Caymanians. The Ministry asked me to offer the program on Cayman Brac,
> which gave me the opportunity to visit that Island’s Bahá’ís.
> 
> My Caymanian colleagues recommended private schools where their children were
> attending for Anisa and Faran. The schools were walking distance from the High School.
> So, Faran, who was in kindergarten, could walk to my office for lunch. We usually had a
> lovely talk about his day, and when I was not around, he would go to the health clinic and
> have a nice visit with the Jamaican nurses.
> 
> In a decade of pioneering in foreign lands, the Cayman Islands were pleasantly the most
> comfortable experience. Although the country was a British Colony, it was very much
> connected to the American way of life. Georgetown resembled an American city with all the
> conveniences. Once a week a shipment of fresh groceries from Florida was delivered to
> one of the city stores. As the Cayman dollar was worth more than the USD, it was quite
> reasonable to do supermarket shopping from this shop. There was no TV station in
> Cayman. However, there were VHS copies of all the US, TV programs which we could rent
> daily. The kids thrived in school, especially little Faran who started at the age of four and
> by the time he was five, he could read any newspaper or book fluently. As a family, we
> spent our free time on a rubber dinghy, snorkeling among the corals and colorful tropical
> fish. The kids were delighted to see starfish, lobsters, octopus, and other sea creatures
> that could only be seen in big city aquariums. It instilled the love of nature and conservation
> in our kids at very young age.
> 
> During school holidays we frequently visited Jamaica and established contact with the
> National Assembly and the Auxiliary Board member, Tony Lewis. Tony was an American
> residing in Kingston. In my consultation with him as a pioneer, he expressed the need for
> an Assistant ABM, in the Cayman Islands and appointed me as his Assistant. In that
> 
> capacity, I initiated locating and nurturing inactive Bahá’ís. In addition to nurturing a new
> Bahá’í mother, who had two young children. We developed a close relationship with her
> and started a children class for our kids. Her husband, who was not a Bahá’í, took a three-
> month course in Panama. She asked if we could take care of her kids so she could surprise
> her husband for a weekend visit. That would also give her an opportunity to take her
> husband to the Panama Temple. We offered to help, and she took off for Panama without
> informing her husband of her surprise visit. When she came back, she did not seem happy.
> She said that when she arrived at Panama, she gave her husband’s address to the cab
> driver who let her know that it did not exist. She called her husband to find out why. The
> husband responded that he was in Panama City, Florida, not Panama. Although she was
> upset about this mix-up, she decided to visit the Bahá’í Temple before returning to Cayman.
> According to her, it was an exhilarating spiritual experience, worth the travel. I heard years
> later that her perseverance paid up and her husband became a Bahá’í.
> 
> Ruth Pringle, the Counselor for America, visited us in Georgetown to consult about
> strengthening the Bahá’í community and Institutions in the Cayman Islands. We developed
> an action plan, with JoAnn Gillman, Beverly Bandon, Cathy McCloud, Terry and I, to set
> the groundwork for building a united and strong Bahá’í community. The goal was to
> establish a Spiritual Assembly in Bodden Town, and a Group in Georgetown. In one of our
> Group meetings, we heard the sad news of the passing of Mr. Faizi. The beloved Hand of
> the Cause who was a beacon of hope and love for me since my childhood. I was privileged
> that he considered me as his daughter and had continued his communication with me until
> he departed to the Abha Kingdom.
> 
> A loving letter from Mr. Faizi, before my pioneering to the Philippines, offering
> encouragement and support in my endeavor to serve.
> 
> As the Jamaica Bahá’í community included the Cayman Islands, we participated in most
> of their national activities and events. That included the Summer School and the visit of
> Ruhiyyih Khanum. It was a blessing to listen to her talk and being inspired by her vision for
> the progress of the Faith in our region. We had a chance to participate in an informal picnic.
> Dear Violet, Nakhjavani, was happy to see us again in a pioneering post and took us to
> Ruhiyyih Khanum, reminding her of the time that we had lunch with her at the House of
> Abdu’l-Baha. I kept the picture of Khanum at the picnic as a wonderful reminder of that
> occasion.
> 
> Visiting Hand of the Cause Mr. Varqa:
> 
> Since Grand Cayman was a small Island, it was easy to have what was called “Rock Fever,”
> a condition of being confined to a small space. Therefore, during the school holidays, we
> made frequent trips to Florida for vacation. On one of these trips in Broward County, we
> contacted the Bahá’ís to know if there were any Bahá’í activities in which we could
> participate. We were told that not much was happening in that period. However, when Dr.
> Varqa, Hand of the Cause, heard that we were pioneers from the Cayman Islands, he
> invited us to his house that evening. I was so happy to see the beloved professor of my
> sister, who we adored. We spent that evening with Mr. and Mrs. Varqa and a few Bahá’í
> friends. It was a memorable milestone in our blessed life.
> 
> As Terry’s contract was coming to close, we started planning for our future. When we heard
> that the US Consul from Jamaica, was visiting Cayman, we made an appointment to follow
> up on our Green Cards. The meeting was productive, and since we were the employees of
> Cayman Government, the Consul approved the final process and arranged for an interview
> at the US Embassy in Jamaica. It was our last trip to that country. The interview was friendly
> and pleasant. As we had adequate capital that we saved from our present employment,
> they did not ask for my brother to be our sponsor. They issued our permanent visa that
> day, and it was activated on our next trip to Miami.
> 
> When our employment ended, the government paid for our return trip to New Zealand, as
> our home country. So, we decided to go to New Zealand for a visit, before taking up
> residence in California, where my friend and colleague from Tehran lived. She was the one
> who helped us ship our belongings through Bell Helicopter, but some got lost on their way
> to the US. She kept the rest of the packages at her house in Anaheim and now, suggested
> to picking them up and settling in Orange County.
> 
> We were feeling sad and a bit guilty to be ending our pioneering life. So, we sent a request
> to the World Center, requesting a 3-day pilgrimage, on our way to New Zealand. Mr. Zohuri,
> the Secretary of the National Assembly, called us to let us know that the Universal House
> of Justice granted us a 9-day pilgrimage. That was the second time that I was granted such
> privilege for merely being a humble pioneer.
> 
> We left Cayman with heavy hearts. We made a travel plan to send the children first to New
> Zealand to stay with Terry’s family. We then took a flight to London, on the way to the Holy
> Land. After the pilgrimage, we went to New Zealand to visit Terry’s family, pick up the
> children and fly to California.
> 
> In England, we visited and offered prayers at the grave of the Beloved Guardian. I called
> Dr. Ghadimi who lived in a city near London. He invited Terry and me to come to his class
> one evening. It was a pleasure to see enthusiastic Iranian youth, participating in a similar
> course of study that I took when I was young. That was the last time that I saw my dear
> teacher. He later moved to Canada and passed away while still serving the Faith by
> educating and nurturing the Bahá’í youth.
> 
> While on pilgrimage we prayed for the Divine Guidance to put us on the right path. We
> received our answer when we consulted with Hooper Dunbar, who was then the Counselor
> of International Teaching Center and later, became a member of the Universal House of
> Justice. We expressed our concern about residing in the US as there was no longer a path
> to pioneering. Mr. Dunbar responded; we did not have to be pioneers to serve the Faith. If
> that door had closed, we might find a path of service in any community we reside. We just
> needed to have faith and a total commitment to serving our Beloved Cause.
> 
> We also had a chance to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Furutan. Dear Mrs. Furutan, told me that I
> was a survivor as a pioneer and would be able to continue my path of service. Mr. Furutan
> was touched to hear of my last visit with Dr. Muhajir. He mentioned that he would have
> never thought to outlive his dear son in law.
> 
> At the Holy Shrines, while praying for the Divine guidance, I heeded to the following
> guidelines from the Master.
> 
> ‘Abdu'l-Bahá suggested that there were four wonderful qualities that could help us to
> pray:
> 
> ▪   The first is a detached spirit. It is a little like closing a window to the noises of
> the street, that the strains of the violin within the room may not be lost.
> 
> ▪   The second is unconditional surrender of our own wills to the Will of God. This is
> very subtle and very difficult, for the self is inclined to argue with God and to
> rationalize its own desires, putting them always first. How few have the singular
> purity of the child who wanted a horse more than anything else in the world and
> decided to pray for it. After a time, her father said, "God did not answer your
> prayer, did He?" "But of course, He did," she said simply, "He said no!"
> 
> ▪   Concentrated attention is the third quality, and
> 
> ▪   The fourth, true spiritual passion, that ardor and devotion which distinguishes
> the apostle from the multitude. `
> ~ The Path to God, By Dorothy Baker, Baha'i World Volumes, Volume 12, p. 898
> 
> We left the Holy Land spiritually enriched. With absolute humility, I offered my life to
> follow His commandments and be at peace with His Will.
> 
> CHAPTER 8
> 
> Professional Contribution; Teaching People with Capacity
> California
> 1982 – 1992
> 
> ‘You must live in the utmost happiness. If any trouble or vicissitude comes into your
> lives, if your heart is depressed on account of health, livelihood or vocation, let not
> these things affect you. They should not cause unhappiness, for Bahá'u'lláh, has
> brought you divine happiness. He has prepared heavenly food for you; He has
> destined eternal bounty for you; He has bestowed everlasting glory upon you.
> Therefore, these glad tidings should cause you to soar in the atmosphere of joy
> forever and ever. Render continual thanks unto God so that the confirmations of
> God may encircle you all.’
> ~ 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> The Promulgation of Universal Peace - Bahai
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PUP/pup-67.html
> 
> Thanking God for His Confirmation
> 
> We arrived in Anaheim, California, during the economic recession which encompassed
> many countries worldwide. In Southern California, most of the Counties imposed hiring
> freezes for non-essential employees, which included Social Services positions. Therefore,
> finding a job for me was next to impossible. Then, my friend informed me that when she
> shipped our suitcases from Iran, through Bell Helicopter, they lost a few of cases which
> contained my professional documents, all our pictures, my family heirlooms, and valuable
> belongings.
> 
> The 1979 – 1980 hostage crisis, created a great hostility towards Iranians in the States. As
> Iranian Baha’is, we painstakingly had to describe to the public, the plight of the Baha’is in
> Iran, and our spiritual belief for peace and harmony with all the nations in the world.
> 
> We rented an apartment in Anaheim and enrolled Anisa and Faran in a primary school.
> Terry registered at a Technical college to become a Computer Technician. Nine months
> passed until I found a temporary position as a Child Protective Service Worker, in the
> Department of Social Services - DPSS, Riverside County. This was an entry-level position
> like my first job in New Zealand, decades ago.
> 
> It was a challenging time for me to adjust to my new job: first adapting to the American
> English, it's spelling, and idioms, which was different from British English. Then,
> familiarizing myself with the culture, demography, and geography of the County. I
> remember once when I was on Emergency Response phone duty, the caller gave her
> address as Perris, Riverside. I repeated what I was written to her for accuracy, stating Paris
> as the city. She corrected me, saying; it appeared that I was new and didn’t know Riverside
> 
> well. I was embarrassed and apologized for my mistake. She laughed and told me that she
> would have wished to live in Paris, France.
> 
> A drawback for the temporary workers like me was that we did not go through an Intensive
> Induction, which was a six week training for all the newly hired employees. This course was
> offered by the Staff Development, mandated for the workers to develop knowledge and
> skills in working with clients, the legal system and court procedures, the Federal and State
> policies and regulations, DPSS organization, casework process, and recording. Therefore,
> I had to rely on Mr. T., my supervisor to train me during our weekly supervisory meetings.
> As he was the one who hired me based on my professional background, he understood
> my dilemma and struggles to adjust. We gradually developed a good professional
> relationship, where he treated me as an equal rather than a subordinate.
> After six months, when my temporary contract was coming to an end, Mr. T. informed me
> that there was a DPSS internal hiring for the position of Staff Development Officer. He
> stated that since I was still a DPSS employee, and highly qualified, I should apply. He
> explained that although it was a sought- after position for the Social Service supervisors, I
> should be aware of the tension between the two divisions. Mr. T warned me that if I got the
> job, I would be in an adversarial position with my present co-workers and managers. I
> decided to seize the opportunity and apply for the job. My application was accepted, and I
> was scheduled for the selection interview.
> 
> The interview panel was composed of the Deputy Director of DPSS, the Staff Development
> Manager, and the Personnel manager. After reviewing my resume and an in-depth
> interview, they gave me 5 minutes to review a lesson plan which had already been printed
> on a flip chart. Then, I had to deliver a 10-minute presentation, based on the lesson plan
> outlined on the flipchart. I later learned that it was from a highly structured “Training for
> Trainers” Management Training program. Since I was the only applicant who delivered the
> lecture in 10 minutes, I was hired as the Staff Development Officer for the Social Services
> Division. From the onset of my hiring, I faced resentment from my previous coworkers and
> present colleagues. As quite a few managers and trainers who applied for the position
> begrudged me as an outsider and an Iranian, who snatched the job from them.
> 
> I was given a heavy workload which included management and administrative training for
> the entire Departmental staff. It was in addition to my Social Services workload. I was also
> supervising the university student interns and coordinating in-service training for the Social
> Services Division. It entailed hiring national consultants who were experts in their field. In
> order to offset the cost and generate income, I opened the sessions to other southern
> California Agencies. My training program became so popular that many participants from
> outside agencies paid the registration fee and traveled a long distance to attend the
> sessions.
> 
> We bought a house and settled in Riverside. Soon, I was elected as a member of the
> Spiritual Assembly, and Terry helped with conducting Children’s classes. The highlight of
> our activity was participation in the Black History Month parade. I made a connection with
> my friends from Iran, Barbados, New Zealand, and the Philippines. We were also
> 
> involved with the Baha’i activities in the Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Bernardino
> Counties.
> 
> Professional Contribution; Teaching People with Capacity
> 
> The Ridvan Message of the Universal House of Justice stated:
> ‘Thus far, we have achieved a marvelous diversity in the large numbers of ethnic
> groups represented in the Faith, and everything should be done to fortify it through
> larger enrolments from among groups already represented and the attraction of
> members from groups not yet reached. However, there is another category of
> diversity which must be built up and without which the Cause will not be able
> adequately to meet the challenges being thrust upon it. Its membership, regardless
> of ethnic variety, needs now to embrace increasing numbers of people of capacity,
> including persons of accomplishment and prominence in the various fields of human
> endeavour. Enrolling significant numbers of such persons is an indispensable
> aspect of teaching the masses, an aspect which cannot any longer be neglected
> and which must be consciously and deliberately incorporated into our teaching work,
> so as to broaden its base and accelerate the process of entry by troops. So important
> and timely is the need for action on this matter that we are impelled to call upon
> Continental Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies to devote serious
> attention to it in their consultations and plans.’
> Riḍván 1990 – To the Bahá’ís of the World | Bahá’í ...
> https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal...
> 
> Training Program on the Elimination of Prejudice
> 
> Professionally, I found a number of platforms to integrate Baha’i teachings to some of my
> training programs. One opportunity arose when I was given the responsibility for offering
> Civil Rights and Cultural Awareness training to all DPSS employees. A federal and State
> mandated training for all the newly hired and present employees, to be taken every few
> years. It was usually a difficult training, as it stirred up deep-rooted feelings and conflicts
> among the diverse participants. I took a different approach by including a session on
> prejudice, using Shoghi Effendi's writings on this challenging subject as the basis of my
> training. The objective of this course was to learn about the impact of prejudice and
> discrimination. The course outline included:
> 
> •   Exploring personal attitudes and beliefs – an experiential activity
> •   The impact of biases and discrimination - Life lessons and their cumulative effects
> on people
> •   The importance of self-awareness in modifying own attitudes and behaviors
> towards differences
> •   Steps in Becoming a Diversity Change Agent
> I started the session by introducing myself and my cultural background as an Iranian. Then
> asked participants to share what was their first impression of me. At this point, I was
> 
> invariably noticing their uneasy expression of biases toward Iranians. One time, when I was
> conducting the session in a small town, as soon as I introduced myself, one of the
> participants slapped her hands on her desk and stormed out of the class. The participants
> were shocked, but I just continued with my training, with a calm voice, asking for their
> feedback.
> 
> The trainee’s responses usually ranged from my being an Iranian woman, but not wearing
> a veil, to the more extreme of being a terrorist. I then told them that I was a Baha’i and
> described the Baha’i teachings about equality of men and women, elimination of prejudice,
> believing in the unity of mankind and universal peace. Then went on to explain the plight
> of the Iranian Baha’is like most of my friends and family members who had been imprisoned
> or killed because of their belief.
> 
> There was a group exercise to develop self-awareness about one’s own prejudices. The
> participants realized that prejudice is prejudging a group of people based on their race,
> nationality, gender, religion or disability.
> 
> The workshop addressed the causes of prejudice, as a set of values and beliefs that we
> learn as a child from our parents, teachers, and authority figures. As we grow up, we
> continually form new biases by what we learn from our family, in-group, peers, mass media
> and government propaganda.
> 
> It described the dynamic of prejudice, which is “us” versus “them”; which makes “us,” the
> majority group, superior to “them,” who are the minority group, As the minority is inferior,
> they don’t have the feelings and emotions of the superior human beings. Therefore, as they
> are less human, we may hurt and kill them without any sense of guilt or shame.
> We had a discussion on how prejudice may manifest itself, through jokes, insults and
> verbal abuse. It then progresses to violent behavior, attacking, injuring and killing, initiated
> either by individuals or a group of people. The next progression would be “Systemic
> Discrimination,” when the governing policies discriminate against the rights of the minorities
> to employment, housing, education, equal pay, freedom of expression, worship, marriage
> and raising their children. I encouraged participants to share their life experiences, then
> shared mine as an Iranian Baha’i, as described in Chapter One of this Memoir.
> 
> Then I stated that the final manifestation of prejudice is Genocide, defined by Amnesty
> International as systematic persecution, leading to the eventual elimination of a group of
> people by the government, based on their race, ethnic origin, culture, and religion. The
> greatest and most horrifying genocide was the Holocaust, the genocide of 6 million Jews
> by Nazi Germany. After the war, when the world learned about the atrocity of Nazis, the
> outcry of humanity was “never again.” However, it has been happening in our time,
> including the Genocide of the Baha’is in Iran by the present regime. I cited that based on
> the documents gathered from the government authorities, there had been a policy for the
> total elimination of the Baha’is in Iran. It started first with the arrest, imprisonment, and
> execution of the prominent Baha’is and members of the governing bodies – to eliminate
> the leadership of the community. Then, economic sanction, by firing the Bahai’s from their
> jobs, discontinuing their pensions, closing their business and confiscating their properties.
> 
> They destroyed Baha’i cemeteries and Baha’i Holy places, then banned the Baha’i
> community from holding administrative and religious meetings – elimination of their right to
> worship. Recently, they prevented the Baha’i children and youth from attending school and
> colleges – elimination of their right to education. They were now removing some of the
> Baha’i children from their homes and placing them with the Muslim families – elimination
> of their right to family units.
> 
> The focus of the training was on ways to prevent the progression of prejudicial acts. It
> encouraged the participants to be responsible for stopping the prejudice and becoming a
> Diversity Change Agent. Sharing a famous quote by-- Martin Niemoeller, a Pastor of the
> German Evangelical (Lutheran) Church. He was a Holocaust survivor, who advocated
> personal responsibility. He said:
> 
> ‘In Germany, the Nazis first came for the communists, and I did not speak up
> because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak
> up because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not
> speak up because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics,
> and I did not speak up because I was not a Catholic. Then they came for me... and
> by that time, there was no one to speak up for anyone.’
> First, they came ... - Wikipedia
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came
> 
> Therefore, as an Agent of Change, we should strive to eliminate prejudice. We would
> need to go beyond the standard stereotypes, believing that prejudice is caused by
> ignorance since there are educated people, who are prejudiced. We would need training:
> • To develop self-awareness
> • To consciously modify the biased beliefs and behaviors
> • To develop empathy towards people who are different from us. To believe that
> they have the same basic human needs and aspirations
> • To respect and accept the differences of others.
> • To view the diverse people like the flowers of one garden, that their different colors
> and shapes are beautifying and enriching the world of humanity.
> The impact of the training was quite visible. Participants’ feedback indicated that the
> discussion and interactions helped them to take steps towards becoming a diversity change
> agent. I had a few trainees who came to me after the class and told me that they were
> going to find out more about the Baha’i teachings. A Palestinian Social worker invited my
> family and other Baha’i friends to his house for dinner. We started discussing the Faith,
> and he wanted to become a Baha’i. I informed the National Office, as he was from the
> Middle East. He eventually became a Baha’i.
> 
> I was invited to conduct this training in different organizations including Pomona College,
> and the Baha’i Club of the University of Southern California, Riverside.
> 
> “CalWORKs: Greater Avenues for Independence” (GAIN)
> 
> After I established successful training for Social Services, I was assigned to take over the
> training for the GAIN Division. GAIN was a Welfare to Work program, created under the
> W.H. Bush administration.
> 
> The Riverside County DPSS Website states: ‘This division assists applicants and recipients
> of CalWORKs temporary assistance to become self-sufficient. Adults who receive
> CalWORKs temporary assistance and have the ability to work are registered with GAIN
> when their aid is provided.’
> 
> In addition to the existing training program, I invited the consultants under the federal grant
> to offer in-service training for the entire GAIN staff, its managers, and supervisors. I also
> invited outside agencies to participate. The most notable trainers were from the GOALS
> Program, which was developed by the Foundation for Self Esteem. Jack Canfield, its
> President, was a member of the “California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem,” and a
> well-known motivational speaker. The GOALS Program was a series of training for GAIN
> participants (clients), to make a successful transition from being a welfare recipient to
> gainful employment. Through GOALS Program, I was introduced to Jack Canfield and the
> Self Development movement in California.
> 
> The GAIN Program achieved national recognition and was the winner of the Innovations in
> American Government Awards Program. President W. H. Bush came to the GAIN Office in
> Riverside for the award ceremony. All the managers and staff were invited to attend except
> me. The Director assigned my responsibility of videotaping the ceremony to another
> colleague. Many GAIN managers and supervisors were disappointed and unhappy about
> this exclusion. They told me that the decision was based on my being an Iranian, a threat
> to the security.
> 
> Although I was disappointed, I tried to accept life with Radiant Acquiescence:
> 
> ‘The afflictions which come to humanity sometimes tend to center the consciousness
> upon the limitations. This is a veritable prison. The release comes by making of the
> will a door through which the confirmations of the spirit come. They come to a man
> or woman who accepts his life with Radiant Acquiescence.’
> 
> Reported to have said in: 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy - Baha'i Library -
> bahai-library.com/abdulbaha_divine_philosophy
> 
> Self-Empowerment Program – Teaching People with Capacity
> 
> When coordinating a Statewide GAIN conference, I invited Jack Canfield as the keynote
> speaker. His talk on the Principles of Success led me to explore the popular self-
> development movement in California. I attended the seminars of several motivational
> speakers and obtained their self-help audio-visual materials. I realized that there were
> 
> thousands of people who were following these leaders to help them overcome their life
> challenges and achieve self-empowerment. So, I made it my mission to develop a program
> which reflected the Baha’i principles and teachings on self-development. The result was
> writing an unpublished book on “Empowering Your True Self.” I also conducted workshops
> on that theme in a number of Baha’i communities, for their teaching and proclamation
> campaigns. The highlights of the program are as follows:
> 
> Self Empowerment Workshop
> Course Outline:
> 
> •   Introducing the principles of Self Empowerment as described by the experts in the field
> of Self Development:
> 
> ▪   Learning the concept - When we spend time and energy in resenting other people
> and responding to anger, the object of our anger and resentment will end up
> controlling our behavior and emotions. We get distracted from our goals and process
> of growth. We should take back our power by forgiving and letting go…
> 
> ▪   Practicing the process of moving from “Being the Victim” to the “Empowered Self,”
> by:
> ➢ Making the right choices
> ➢ Taking control of your life - taking ownership of your feelings
> ➢ Changing what needs to be changed, Act,” and move on . . .
> 
> •   Continue the journey of Self-Discovery, by advancing into the spiritual world, guided by
> the Baha’i Teachings, based on the following principles:
> ‘Man has two powers and his development two aspects, one power is
> connected with the material world, and by it, he is capable of material
> advancement. The other power is spiritual, and through its development, his
> inner potential nature is awakened.’
> 
> ‘Nobility is the true station of man. Spiritual progress is the advance toward
> this.’
> ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> The Promulgation of Universal Peace - Bahai
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PUP/pup-24.html
> 
> Empowering Your True Self - A Baha’i Perspective
> 
> Self Empowerment is treading the path of spiritual discovery. A journey from the lower self
> to the higher self.
> 
> •   Our lower nature has been programmed to reach for the material world, in order to
> nurture us, protect us and help us to survive. Attachment to this world may bring us pain
> and unhappiness.
> 
> •   Our higher nature is continuously striving to approach God to attain the everlasting life.
> Living in the spiritual world brings us perpetual joy. The divine teachings of Baha’u’llah
> reveal the mysteries of the Higher Source. They enlighten us to receive the gift of holy
> attributes, such as truthfulness, love, fidelity, compassion, and forgiveness. We receive
> the gift of spiritual qualities through God’s mercy.
> 
> ‘Through volition, man can achieve what God prescribed as a preordained
> measure in all men by God.’
> ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> 
> The purpose of our life on earth | The Baha'i Faith
> https://bahaifaithbeliefs.wordpress.com/home/the-life-of-the-soul/...
> 
> As the spiritual world is perfect, and we are not, we should strive daily to overcome
> challenges through our volition and action.
> 
> ‘Strive, then, that thou mayest forsake the path of illusion and imitation and gain
> admittance into the realm of inner vision and the kingdom of spiritual discoveries.’
> 
> ~ Bahá’u’lláh
> 
> Days of Remembrance | Bahá’í Reference Library
> https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/days...
> 
> We transform the holy attributes by volition, then reflect it through the virtuous acts.
> For example, an acorn transforms into a tree by its volition. Then, the tree bears fruit
> through its action. The tree achieves perfection when its fruits are ripe. The fruit of our
> faith is our action.
> ‘Regard thou faith as a tree. Its fruits, leaves, boughs and branches are, and have
> ever been, trustworthiness, truthfulness, uprightness, and forbearance.”
> 
> ~ Bahá’u’lláh
> 
> Trustworthiness - Baha'i Library
> 
> bahai-library.com/compilation_trustworthiness
> 
> ‘In brief, let each one of you be as a lamp shining forth with the light of the virtues of
> the world of humanity. Be trustworthy, sincere, affectionate and replete with chastity.
> Be illumined, be spiritual, be divine, be glorious, be quickened of God, be a Bahá’í.”
> 
> ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> 
> The Promulgation of Universal Peace - Baha'i Reference Library
> 
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PUP/pup-133.html
> 
> Words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to guide us through our journey
> 
> ‘I myself was in prison forty years -- one year alone would have been impossible to
> bear -- nobody survived that imprisonment more than a year! But thank God,
> during all those forty years I was supremely happy!
> 
> Every day, on waking, it was like hearing good tidings, and every night infinite joy
> was mine. Spirituality was my comfort, and turning to God was my greatest joy. If
> this had not been so, do you think it possible that I could have lived through those
> forty years in prison?’
> 
> ‘Thus, spirituality is the greatest of God's gifts, and “Life Everlasting' means
> “Turning to God.” May you, one and all, increase daily in spirituality, may you be
> strengthened in all goodness, may you be helped more and more by the Divine
> consolation, be made free by the Holy Spirit of God, and may the power of the
> Heavenly Kingdom live and work among you.’
> ‘The progress and development of the soul, the joy, and sorrow of the soul are
> independent from the body. Thus, when the spirit is fed with holy virtues, then is the
> body joyous; if the soul falls into sin, the body is in torment.’
> 
> ‘When we find truth, fidelity, and love we are happy; but if we meet with lying,
> faithlessness and deceit, we are miserable.’
> 
> ‘Today the seed is sown, the grain falls upon the earth, but behold the day will come
> when it shall rise a glorious tree and branches thereof shall be laden with fruit.
> Rejoice and be glad that this day has dawned, try to realize His power, for it is indeed
> wonderful! God has crowned you with honor and in your hearts, has he set a radiant
> star; verily thereof shall brighten the whole world.’
> 
> Bahá'í Reference Library - Paris Talks, Pages 109-112
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PT/pt-35.html
> 
> How do we attain this station? What are the means to obtain these merciful gifts?
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá shows us the steps:
> 
> Step 1. Through Knowledge of God
> 
> Step 2. Through Love of God
> 
> Step 3. Through Faith
> 
> Step 5. Through Service
> 
> Step 6. Through Self-Sacrifice
> 
> Step 7. Through Severance from this material world
> 
> Step 8. Through Sanctity and holiness
> 
> ‘By what means can man acquire these things? How shall he obtain these merciful
> gifts and powers? First, through the knowledge of God. Second, through the love of
> God. Third, through faith. Fourth, through philanthropic deeds. Fifth, through self-
> sacrifice. Sixth, through severance from this world. Seventh, through sanctity and
> holiness. Unless he acquires these forces and attains to these requirements, he will
> surely be deprived of the life that is eternal. But if he possesses the knowledge of
> God, becomes ignited through the fire of the love of God, witnesses the great and
> mighty signs of the Kingdom, becomes the cause of love among mankind and lives
> in the utmost state of sanctity and holiness, he shall surely attain to second birth, be
> baptized by the Holy Spirit and enjoy everlasting existence.’
> 
> ~~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> Soul, Life of the - Baha'i Library
> bahai-library.com/warwick_life_soul
> 
> Words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to guide us:
> 
> ‘Let us, like candles burn away; as moths, let us scorch our wings; as the field larks, vent
> our plaintive cries; as the Nightingales, burst forth in lamentations. Even as the clouds let
> us shed tears, and as the lightning flashes let us laugh out our coursing through east and
> west. By day, by night, let us think but spreading the sweet savors of God. Let us not keep
> on forever with our fancies and illusions with our analyzing and interpreting and circulating
> of complex dubieties. Let us put aside all thoughts of self; let us close our eyes to all on
> earth, let us neither make known our sufferings nor complain of our wrongs. Rather let us
> become oblivious of our own selves, and drinking down the wine of heavenly grace, let us
> cry out our joy, and lose ourselves in the bounty of all glorious.’
> 
> ‘Verily the most necessary thing is contentment under all circumstances; by this,
> one is preserved from morbid conditions and lassitude.
> 
> Yield not to grief and sorrow; they cause the greatest misery. Jealousy consumeth
> the body and anger doth burn the liver; avoid this as you would avoid a lion’
> 
> ‘If any differences arise amongst you, behold Me standing before your face, and
> overlook the faults of one another for My name's sake and as a token of your love
> for My manifest and resplendent Cause.’
> 
> ‘Lift up your hearts above the present and look with eyes of faith into the future!’
> 
> Bahá'í Reference Library - Selections From the Writings of ...
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAB/sab-196.html
> 
> ****************************************************************
> 
> Stress Management Training Program – Teaching People with Capacity
> 
> As I was given the responsibility of managing all the Federal and State Mandated training,
> I recommended to establish an Administrative Training Program, to address the
> Department’s Human Resources compliance to Safety in the Workplace, Sexual
> Harassment, Equal Employment Opportunity, Civil Rights and Customer Service. It
> entailed training of the entire DPSS employees, from the director to the managers,
> supervisors, professional, administrative, and clerical staff. I was training close to 1000
> trainees per year, and all my training programs were subjected to the external audits by the
> State and Federal agencies. Most participants historically resented attending these
> mandated training and showed their dislike by not being engaged in the discussions. So, I
> tried to use a different approach. I based my training on the nationally known training
> packages which were interactive, using video vignettes, small group exercises, and role-
> playing. In a non-judgmental environment, the participants were learning by doing, rather
> than a lecture.
> 
> I developed training on managing stress: To enhance self-awareness and develop skills to
> deal with stressful situations. To exert self-control and make the right choices while facing
> a crisis. They learned about their own personality traits and temperament in handling
> difficult people. I also integrated relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and stretch
> up exercises. In one of the staff meetings, my manager announced that there was an
> external survey about the Staff Development training, and all the employees mentioned
> 
> Shahla’s training as their favorite. They described the training productive and fun, which
> addressed their personal development and empowerment while teaching the policies and
> regulations. In another external survey, for the first time in history, DPSS clients, ranked
> their interaction with the DPSS frontline staff, as satisfactory and humane.
> 
> I offered a Baha’i workshop on stress management, relaxation, and meditation, free to the
> public. The following pages are part of its PowerPoint presentation:
> 
> O           God! Refresh and
> gladden my spirit.
> Purify my heart. Illumine my
> powers. I lay all my affairs
> in Thy hand. Thou art my
> Guide and my Refuge. I will
> no longer be sorrowful and
> grieved; I will be a happy and joyful
> being. O God! I will no longer be full of
> anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass
> me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant
> things of life.
> O God! Thou art more friend to me
> than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to
> Thee, O Lord.
> 
> - Baha’i prayer
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/BP/bp-127.html
> 
> Refresh and gladden my spirit.
> Purify my heart. Illumine my powers
> Thought awareness: Helps to observe our
> thinking and spot negative thoughts.
> Examples of Negative thoughts:
> Worries about how you appear to other people
> A preoccupation with the symptoms of stress
> Dwelling on the consequences of poor
> performance
> Self-criticism
> Feelings of inadequacy
> 
> Positive thinking: helps to counter negative thinking, and build self-
> confidence. Counter negative thoughts with positive affirmations.
> Examples of affirmations:
> All is well! I can make it!
> I feel the fear and do it anyway!
> I am in control of my life!
> I learn from my mistakes. I’ll do it better next time.
> I am a worthwhile and loveable person.
> Our "Supreme honour and real happiness lie in self-respect, in
> high resolves, and noble purposes, in integrity and moral
> quality, in immaculacy of mind."                - Baha’i Writings
> Bahá'í Reference Library - The Secret of Divine ...
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SDC/sdc-1.html
> 
> I lay all my affairs in Thy hand.
> Thou art my Guide and my Refuge
> 
> Notice the gifts and lessons in life,
> especially in bad situations.
> "Verily the most necessary thing is
> contentment under all circumstances; by
> this one is preserved from morbid conditions
> and from lassitude. Yield not to grief and
> sorrow: they cause the greatest misery.
> Jealousy consumeth the body and anger
> doth burn the liver: avoid these two as you
> would a lion."         – Baha’I Writings
> Bahá'í Reference Library - Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era ...
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/je/BNE/bne-89.html
> 
> “Peace of mind is gained by the centering of the spiritual
> consciousness on the Prophet of God; therefore you should
> study the spiritual Teachings, and receive the Water of Life from
> the Holy Utterances. Then by translating these high ideals into
> action, your entire character will be changed, and your mind will
> not only find peace, but your entire being will find joy and
> enthusiasm."
> – Baha’I Writings
> Compilation on Change and Importance of Transformation
> https://bahai-library.com/change_transformation_bayat
> 
> "The more we search for ourselves, the less likely we are to
> find ourselves; and the more we will search for God, and to
> serve our fellow-men, the more profoundly will we become
> acquainted with ourselves, and the more inwardly assured. This
> is one of the great spiritual laws of life."
> – Baha’I Writings
> Lights of Guidance - Bahá'í Library Online
> bahai-library.com/hornby_lights_guidan...
> 
> I will no longer be sorrowful and
> grieved; I will be a happy and
> joyful being
> 
> Internally Generated Stress & Anxiety
> 
> Internally generated stress is stress that
> you cause for yourself. This can come from
> anxious worrying about events beyond
> your control, from a tense, hurried
> approach to life, or from relationship
> problems caused by your own behavior.
> 
> Avoid blaming external forces for feeling bad and
> negative thoughts.
> 
> Take a positive approach to life
> Find a good side to every situation
> Make lemonade out of lemon
> Develop a vision
> Welcome Change, Get out of your Comfort Zone
> The unfailing grace of God and the ceaseless endeavour of
> human beings and "an indomitable determination" shall
> make a visionary idea easy and practicable.
> The Secret of Divine Civilization - Google Books Result
> 
> O God! I will no longer be full of
> anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass
> me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant
> things of life.
> 
> Being in Control:
> When you are in control of your life, you
> can control the level of stress you face.
> 
> Avoid blaming yourself for not being in
> control or not doing it right.
> Determine what you want and act on it!
> 
> PERSONAL GOAL SETTING:
> 
> Set SMART Goals
> 
> Develop Action Plans
> 
> Act as if: And you will become
> 
> Persevere
> “Everything of importance in this world demands the
> close attention of its seeker. The one in pursuit of
> anything must undergo difficulties and hardships until
> the object in view is attained and the great success is
> obtained." – Baha’i Writings
> The Universal House of Justice | Bahá’í Writings for ...
> https://sadrat.wordpress.com/tag/the-universal-house-of-justice/page/6
> 
> Listen to Feedback
> 
> Celebrate Your Success
> 
> O God! Thou art more friend to me than I
> am to myself.
> I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord
> 
> Reducing Uncertainty and Fear
> "Let not the happenings of the world sadden
> you. I swear by God! The sea of joy yearneth to
> attain your presence, for every good thing hath
> been created for you, and will, according to the
> needs of the times, be revealed unto you."
> -Baha’I Writings
> Ridvan 2002 - Baha'i Library
> bahai-library.com/uhj_ridvan_2002
> 
> "O my servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this
> earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been
> ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of
> heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you. Worlds, holy
> and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes. You are
> destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their
> benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their
> sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no
> doubt, attain." -Baha’I Writings
> Bahá'í Reference Library - Gleanings From the Writings of ...
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GWB/gwb-153.html
> 
> "This is the time for growing; the season for joyous gathering!
> Take the cup of the Testament in thy hand; leap and dance with
> ecstasy in the triumphal procession of the Covenant! Lay your
> confidence in the everlasting bounty, turn to the presence of the
> generous God; ask assistance from the Kingdom of Abhá; seek
> confirmation from the Supreme World; turn thy vision to the
> horizon of eternal wealth; and pray for help from the Source of
> Mercy!"
> -Baha’I Writings
> ‘‘Abdu’l-Bahá - Baha'i Reference Library
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/BWF/bwf-40.html
> 
> CHAPTER 9
> 
> THE HOLY YEAR - CZECHOSLOVAKIA
> 1992 - 1993
> 
> Excerpts from the Ridvan Message of Universal House of Justice:
> ‘Ridvan 1992 will mark the inception of a Holy Year, during which the Centenary of
> the Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh will be observed by commemorations around the world,
> and the inauguration of His Covenant will be celebrated, in the City of the Covenant,
> by the holding of the second Bahá'í World Congress.’
> 
> ‘The Plan's end will mark the beginning of the Holy Year, 1992- 1993, a conscious
> year-long pause to allow His followers to pay befitting regard to the Centenary of the
> Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh and of the inauguration of His world-unifying Covenant. As
> has already been announced, major observances are being planned to reflect the
> distinctive character and world-shaking importance of the two occasions.’
> 
> ‘A year charged with happenings of such sacred import is bound to yield
> consequences of unimaginable potency. The immediate outcome is, however,
> impossible to predict, nor can it be fruitfully speculated about. Rather should we
> direct our thoughts to the meaning of the solemn occasions which this year is set
> apart to memorialize. For the purpose of the Holy Year is not fulfilled by public
> memorials alone, befitting as they will be. Essential to its purpose is the opportunity
> it offers for inner reflection on the part of every Bahá'í individual.’
> 
> ‘Our very dear brothers and sisters: Witness how the Beloved One has answered
> our entreaties. See how He has enriched our lives with new brethren and new
> institutions in lands hitherto closed to His healing Word. Consider with what potency
> His divine prescriptions are being affirmed as guidelines for the behaviour of nations
> large and small. Surely such abounding benedictions have imbued you with
> indomitable courage and with confidence to face a challenging but brilliant future.
> Indeed, you have embarked on this auspicious year poised for the ultimate triumph
> of the Six Year Plan.
> 
> May you continue, through your selfless deeds in His service, to be blessed from
> the inexhaustible treasury of His love and tender care.’
> Six-Year Plan, 1986 - Bahá’í Library
> bahai-library.com/uhj_six-year_plan_1986
> 
> “Bring Thyself to Account”
> I studied the message in depth and was tremendously impacted by its following passages:
> ‘Indeed, this is a special time for a rendezvous of the soul with the Source of its light
> and guidance, a time to turn to Bahá'u'lláh, to seek to obtain a deeper appreciation
> of His purpose, to renew allegiance to Him. This is a time of retreat to one's
> innermost being, to the dwelling-place of the Spirit of Bahá, that interior to which He
> 
> summons us when He says: "Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me
> standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.”
> 
> This is a time for recommitment to the Covenant, for rededication to duty, for
> revitalizing the energy for teaching, the "most meritorious of all deeds.”…’
> 
> One night I had a dream, I dreamed that I was called to attend a meeting with Dr. Muhajir.
> I knew that my beloved mentor was not in this world and was surprised to see him entering
> the room. He was happy to see me and greeted me with open arms. Then he said: “Shahla,
> where have you been? I was looking for you for a long time!” I woke up with bittersweet
> feelings, trying to interpret this dream. By bringing my life into account, I realized that in my
> struggle to overcome personal and professional challenges, I had lost sight of my true self
> and life’s mission. Dr. Muhajir reached me from the beyond to put me on the right path.
> 
> ‘How laudable it would be if, imbued by this desire to blazon abroad His Name, and
> as a demonstration of our special love for the Abhá Beauty, we could each of us
> mount a personal campaign of teaching, such that the collective force and results of
> it throughout the world would bring to a resounding conclusion the sacred exercises
> of this Holy Year and set the stage for the launching of the impending Three Year
> Plan at Ridván 1993’
> ‘through your selfless deeds in His service, to be blessed from the inexhaustible
> treasury of His love and tender care.’
> ~ Ridvan Message 1992
> Riḍván 1992 – To the Bahá’ís of the World | Bahá’í ...
> https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal...
> 
> A few days later, I had a chance encounter with Neda Amoui, a young Bahá’í who left our
> community and was pioneering in Czechoslovakia. She has just come back for a short visit
> and was talking about the wonderful spirit of the young Bahá’ís in that country. She
> mentioned about the Call of Universal House of Justice for American Bahá’ís to travel-
> teach in Eastern Europe.
> 
> For the next few months, I studied the major objectives and goals of the Six-Year Plan
> and its subsidiary Plan for Eastern Europe.
> 
> History at a Glance
> Taken from the Wikipedia
> ‘Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia[ was a sovereign state in Central Europe that
> existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-
> Hungarian Empire, until its peaceful dissolution into the Czech Republic and
> Slovakia on 1 January 1993.
> From 1939 to 1945, following its forced division and partial incorporation into Nazi
> Germany, the state did not de facto exist, but its government-in-exile continued to
> operate.
> 
> From 1948 to 1990, Czechoslovakia was part of the Soviet bloc with a command
> economy. Its economic status was formalized in the membership of Comecon from
> 1949, and its defense status in the Warsaw Pact of May 1955. A period of political
> liberalization in 1968, known as the Prague Spring, was forcibly ended when the
> Soviet Union, assisted by several other Warsaw Pact countries, invaded. In 1989,
> as Marxist–Leninist governments and communism were ending all over Europe,
> Czechoslovaks peacefully deposed their government in the Velvet Revolution; state
> price controls were removed after a period of preparation. In 1993, Czechoslovakia
> split into the two sovereign states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.’
> Czechoslovakia - Wikipedia
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovakia
> 
> Bahá’í History in Czechoslovakia
> Taken from the website of the Bahá’í Community of Prague:
> ‚The history of the Bahá’í Faith in Prague dates back as far as the years immediately
> preceding the outbreak of the First World War.
> 
> The real blossoming of the Bahá’í Community of Prague occurred during the first
> Czechoslovak Republic when famous American Bahá’í teacher, Esperantist, and
> journalist, Ms. Martha Root, visited Prague for several times and helped establish
> and advance a flourishing Bahá’í Community there. The members of the Prague
> Bahá’í Community at that time consisted mainly of young active Esperantists. The
> most prominent among these first Czech Bahá’ís from Prague were a noted
> Esperantist, translator and linguist, Mr. Vuk Echtner, and another Esperantist and
> translator, Mrs. Juliana Bendová. Both of them dedicated the whole of their long
> lives to valuable and admirable services to the development of the Bahá’í Faith in
> Prague and Czechoslovakia.
> 
> Martha Root was granted official audiences with the first Presidents of
> Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, and Edvard Beneš, at the Prague Castle
> in 1928 and 1936 respectively. During the audiences, both Presidents made very
> admiring statements on the Bahá’í Faith which appeared in the leading international
> Bahá’í magazines in the 1920s and 1930s.
> 
> In 1932, Martha Root settled in Prague for 18 months. Because of Martha’s
> presence in Prague and the 1932 release of the Czech edition of the well-known
> Esslemont’s book “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era,” a number of articles on the
> Bahá’í Faith appeared in Czech magazines and newspapers.
> During the Nazi occupation between 1939 and 1945, all activities of the Czech
> Bahá’í community were ceased.
> 
> A renewal and further development of the activities of the Bahá’í community of
> Prague started after the Second World War. During the tough Communist regime in
> the early 1950s, the Bahá’í community of Prague (approx. 20 to 30 people) was
> enlarging. There were held regular meetings of the community, and the Czech
> 
> Bahá’ís were visited by several Bahá’í friends from abroad. The public activity of the
> Bahá’í community was not then, unlike other religious communities in
> Czechoslovakia, officially banned. In the latter part of the 1950s, the teaching activity
> of the Prague Bahá’í community started spreading even to other relatively far-off
> parts of the Czech lands, namely to the north of Moravia in the Ostrava region.
> Juliana Bendová and Vuk Echtner were the chief organizers of these activities. At
> that time, the Prague Bahá’ís even asked the Communist authorities for an official
> registration as “The Spiritual Assembly Bahá’í” and for an allocation of a place for
> regular meetings.
> 
> These active steps towards official recognition excited the oppressive measures of
> the Communist authorities and actual cessation of Bahá’í activities in
> Czechoslovakia for the long 31 years. The members of the Prague Bahá’í
> community were arrested by the Communist Secret Police (9 July 1958). The police
> made perquisition in their homes. The Bahá’ís including Vuk Echtner and Juliana
> Bendová were tried in a mock trial (25 September 1958) for their participation in “the
> banned religious sect Bahá’í” that was connected to “hostile foreign capitalist
> countries.” Vuk Echtner was sentenced to a three-and-half-year imprisonment. He
> was released after two years. Juliana Bendová and other Bahá’ís were not
> sentenced to prison but were under constant police surveillance until the end of the
> Communist rule in 1989.
> 
> At the turn of 1989 and 1990, the first Bahá’í groups from abroad came to
> Czechoslovakia to establish and re-establish Bahá’í communities here. It was the
> beginning of ordinary work of the Bahá’í community in Czechoslovakia and in
> Prague.
> 
> In June 1990, the Bahá’ís of Prague elected the first Bahá’í Local Spiritual Assembly
> of Prague which thus became the first Bahá’í Local Spiritual Assembly to be
> established in former Czechoslovakia. Since then, this Local Spiritual Assembly has
> been administrating the affairs of the Prague Bahá’í Community.
> In April 1991, in Prague was elected the first Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly on
> the territory of Czechoslovakia. The seat of the National Assembly was in Prague.
> In 1993, after the break-up of Czechoslovakia into two independent states, the
> National Spiritual Assembly of Czechoslovakia was renamed The Regional Spiritual
> Assembly of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The seat of the Regional
> Assembly was in Prague.‘
> https://praha.bahai.cz/information-in-english
> 
> Mounting My Personal Campaign and Teaching Plan
> 
> I contacted the National Pioneering Office and offered to go to Czechoslovakia, for the
> month of October. I planned my trip based on the following excerpts from the Universal
> House of Justice Messages:
> 
> ‘Be alert to opportunities for international collaboration with other Bahá'í communities
> in the promotion of the Faith through: border teaching projects; the sending of travelling
> teachers; and the teaching of special groups such as those temporarily abroad for study
> or work, particularly those from countries which are difficult of access, such as China or
> countries in Eastern Europe
> 
> •   Foster association with organizations, prominent persons and those in authority
> concerning the promotion of peace, world order, and allied objectives, with a view
> to offering the Bahá'í teachings and insights regarding current problems and
> thought.’
> 
> Six-Year Plan, 1986 - Bahá'í Library Online
> bahai-library.com/uhj_six-year_plan_1986
> 
> To reach this objective, I informed the management of GAIN Program, that I was invited by
> the Bahá’í community of Czechoslovakia to visit that country and would like to contact their
> Ministry to offer my services and learn about their program. They approved my working
> vacation, and I left for my trip on the last day of September. As there was no direct flight to
> Prague, I had a stopover in London to have a connecting flight and obtain a tourist visa for
> Czechoslovakia. I was told by the British authorities that I would be granted a visa upon
> my arrival at Prague airport. My overnight stay in London gave me the opportunity to make
> a pilgrimage to the resting place of the Guardian and pray for Divine confirmation.
> 
> Prague
> Taken from Wikipedia/Prague
> ‘Prague has been a political, cultural, and economic centre of central Europe with
> waxing and waning fortunes during its history. Founded during the Romanesque and
> flourishing by the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque eras, Prague was the capital
> of the kingdom of Bohemia and the main residence of several Holy Roman
> Emperors, most notably of Charles IV (r. 1346–1378). It was an important city to the
> Habsburg Monarchy and its Austro-Hungarian Empire. The city played major roles
> in the Bohemian and Protestant Reformation, the Thirty Years' War, and in 20th-
> century history as the capital of Czechoslovakia, during both World Wars and the
> post-war Communist era.
> Prague is home to a number of famous cultural attractions, many of which survived
> the violence and destruction of 20th-century Europe. Main attractions include the
> Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square with the Prague astronomical
> clock, the Jewish Quarter, Petřín hill and Vyšehrad. Since 1992, the extensive
> historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage
> Sites.’
> Prague – Angloville
> https://angloville.com/portfolio.../prague/
> 
> I arrived in Prague on October 1st and received a tourist visa at the airport. It was my first
> experience in an Eastern European country, which was transitioning from the Communist
> block to the Western European society. My first challenge was the language. The majority
> of Czechs did not know English, and their Slavic language and alphabet were different from
> the Latin-driven languages. As all the signs were written only in Czech, I frequently got lost
> in the airports, train stations, and streets.
> 
> I was welcomed by Nikan, a dear Iranian pioneer, and her Norwegian husband. They drove
> me to their house through the beautiful and historic streets of Prague. Their apartment
> building was from the pre-World War II period. They had a one-bedroom apartment and a
> small office on the top floor which was given to me. I felt transported in time to the Ann
> Frank annex described in her memoir.
> 
> I learned that Nika was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Golmohammadi, the caretakers of the
> Shrine of Baha’u’llah. She was an opera singer, with the famous Conservatoire of Prague.
> As there were not any family who could accommodate me, she was kind to let me stay with
> her for one month. As she knew English and Czech, she offered to be my interpreter for
> contacting government officials. She arranged quite a few meetings at her house for me to
> meet the Bahá’ís in Prague.
> 
> I found out that under the Supplemental Teaching Plan of the Universal House of Justice,
> a group of youth from Iran and Scandinavian countries pioneered to different cities in
> Czechoslovakia, learned the language and started a teaching campaign. As a result, a
> large number of youths embraced the Faith. In fact, most of the members of Institutions,
> including the Auxiliary Boards and Assembly members were in their 20’s. They were eager
> to have an in-depth knowledge of the Faith. So, every new believer was encouraged to
> study at least two Bahá’í books, including the Book of Certitude. It brought back the memory
> of my Bahá’í declaration process in Iran.
> 
> I met with the members of National Spiritual Assembly and developed an itinerary for
> visiting major Bahá’í communities in the Czech territory. We consulted on a plan to contact
> Social Service organizations and authorities to foster recognition of the Faith, “with a view
> to offering the Bahá'í teachings and insights regarding current problems and thought.”
> The National Assembly members provided me with the Bahá’í literature in Czech, for
> presentation to the officials. They helped with organizing my hotel booking in the cities that
> I visited. They also assigned a volunteer guide and interpreter for each location. The
> following report is a summary of my professional visit which was submitted to the
> management of the Riverside County GAIN Division:
> 
> Journey to Czechoslovakia
> ‘Last October I accepted an invitation from the Bahá’í Community of
> Czechoslovakia to be a guest speaker in their country. In my journey to Prague, I
> made contacts with the Social Services agencies and professionals; to exchange
> ideas and learn more about this nation’s emergence into the free world. My first
> contact was with the president of the Social Workers Association and a professor of
> Social Work at King Charles University. She arranged for my visit to the "Home for
> 
> the Aged," where she was recently assigned as the director -- I have made a video
> of their program and would be happy to share it with the Adult Services staff.
> 
> In our meeting, I learned that Czechoslovakia used to have a sophisticated social
> services program before the Communist invasion. But when Socialist regime took
> over, they failed to see a need for this profession. Therefore, they decided to abolish
> Schools of Social Works altogether. At this time, most of the professional Social
> Workers are either from the old school, or just returned from other free countries.
> In the past, the Communist regime, for more than forty years, exerted total control
> over its citizens; their thoughts, their properties, their income, and their labor. In
> return, the government provided all the social resources for people, including;
> employment, housing, and education. This approach created a dependency
> mentality -- The government as the benevolent father, looking after its subjects, and
> releasing them from the toil of handling their own personal affairs.
> The transformation of the Capitalist world has created another set of problems.
> Because of the present democratic government believes that people are free to
> handle their own affairs without intervention from the government. This new
> approach is extremely frustrating for a handful of professionals who are trying to
> create a new social order. These professionals are constantly juggling between
> persuading the government to act more responsibly for the welfare of people in one
> hand and in the other, educating people to assume a more active role in determining
> their future.
> I also worked with the officials of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. In my initial
> meeting with the Director of Employment Services, and that of the Vocational
> Counseling and Retraining Department, I told them about the success of the
> Riverside GAIN and training programs that we offered. Later, I was invited to visit
> the National Center for Retraining (Job Club) -- I have made a video of this visit to
> share with our GAIN staff. In my last week in Prague, the Ministry arranged for all
> the managers of the nation’s regional Job Clubs Counselors, Program Managers,
> and Training staff, to attend training that I conducted on "Motivating the
> Unemployed."
> After I was introduced to the participants, I quickly realized that none of the
> participants knew English. Also, as they came from different regions and disciplines,
> they had little in common. They were also expecting to receive a formal academic
> lecture. My interpreter helped to overcome the first barrier. I conducted the session
> by first facilitating individual and group exercises that helped participants to accept
> the concept of "learning by doing,” “relating and sharing,” and having lots of fun in
> the process.
> I also realized that some viewed the unemployed, as lazy, unmotivated and
> manipulative individuals. The therapists also believed that most of their clients were
> "sick," and in need of therapy. Therefore, they could not look for employment until
> they became "whole" again. I took time to share with them the GAIN approach in
> 
> working with the clients, considering them as the “participants”; expounding on the
> Agency’s philosophy of “having a positive opinion of people”; believing that
> everyone is "capable and lovable"; and all are “motivated to work." I told them that
> our GAIN staff sees their role as the enablers, supporters, and trainers. That They
> help the “participants” in believing in themselves, in gathering the courage to set
> personal goals, in taking risks, setting objectives and achieving their employment
> goals.
> In closing remarks, the Director, summed up the reaction of participants by stating
> that; they have had quite a few English, Danish, and American trainers, but this was
> the first, that they felt they learned some practical tools that they could take back
> with them and use it with their clients. This compliment was worth as much to me,
> as the bouquet of Orchids that she presented to me on behalf of the Ministry.’
> In my last visit, the Minister asked me how much I would charge for my training. I responded
> that it was a service that I offered as a member of the Bahá’í Faith. He insisted that I accept
> a gratuity. I suggested a letter of appreciation for my service to the Director of DPSS would
> be sufficient. After my return, I received a call from the Office of the Director to let me know
> that the Director was quite surprised to receive a letter on letterhead in a foreign language.
> It was an official statement of appreciation from the Minister. As the Director had no idea
> about this visit, he sent the editor of his monthly newsletter to interview and then, publish
> the report of my journey to Czechoslovakia.
> 
> It was my understanding that the Bahá’ís in Prague made follow-up contacts with the same
> officials and professionals that I visited.
> 
> The Olomouc Travel Teaching
> 
> Olomouc in central Moravia was one the largest and most beautiful cities in the Czech
> Territory. In addition to its significant historic sites, it was also a center of education and
> the home to Palacký, one of the oldest universities in the Czech territory.
> 
> I attended their Birth of the Bab Celebration and met with a young and vibrant Bahá’í
> community. They told me that the Faith started to flourish among the university students in
> 1991. Within one year, they formed a Bahá’í Club and were granted an office location by
> the university to hold their activities. The Bahá’í Faith was also offered as a university
> course, with the hope of establishing a Bahá’í Chair soon.
> 
> The Townshend International School
> 
> When I was in Prague, I met a young Bahá’í, who was having her Year of Service as a
> youth counselor in Townsend International School. When she learned that I was offering a
> workshop on self-esteem and empowerment, she expressed the need for having such
> training in school. As it would benefit the students as much as the youth counselors. I felt
> great sympathy for them, as my son Faran went to the Maxwell Bahá’í International School
> 
> when he was 11 years old. I accepted the offer, and she contacted the school and made
> arrangement for my visit.
> 
> ‘Townshend International School is a private, Bahá’í-inspired non-profit
> International school located in Hluboká mad Vltavou in the Czech Republic.
> Founded in 1992, the school draws some 140 students from approximately 30
> countries each year. The school uses the Cambridge curriculum at all grade levels
> from Kindergarten through secondary school and is recognized as Cambridge
> International Examination Centre. The school is named after the Irish scholar and
> humanist George Townshend, who was a Hand of the Cause of God in the Bahá’í
> Faith. Boarding students reside in one of two dormitories.
> (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
> Townshend International School - Wikipedia
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townshend_International_School
> 
> I took a train to České Budějovice, in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech territory
> and met a few Bahai’s in that city. Then, I was picked up by one of the staff of George
> Townsend School and taken to school in Hluboká nad Vltavou, a historical and beautiful
> city. The school campus was set in the forested mountains bordering Austria. It reminded
> me of scenes from the Sound of Music movie.
> 
> Most of the 30 students were Czechs. The majority were boarders and a few, day students
> from nearby towns. When I was introduced to their House Parents, the couple told me that
> they were in Maxwell International School when my son Faran was there. They reminisce
> about Faran’s time in their dorm which was valuable to me.
> 
> My time with the young students was precious. I conducted interactive workshops for them
> on Self Esteem. I also had a few sessions with the young counselors to enhance their
> counseling skills. During my daily interaction with younger students, I noticed how much
> they were missing their mothers. So, I tried to fill the gap for a few days. On the last day of
> my stay, I made a trip to Hluboká and bought some famous Czech pastries as a treat for
> them. That evening, they held a farewell party for me. It started with a candlelight musical
> devotional, then pastries for refreshment. It was followed by moving remarks about my visit.
> I was presented with a bouquet of orchids from the school and a surprise gift from the
> students and counselors; it was a Crystal vase which they purchased with their own money.
> I was so touched by this gesture that I hugged and thanked each one of them individually.
> 
> Karlovy Vary – Karlsbad
> 
> On my return trip to Prague, I made a stopover at Karlovy Vary and took a day tour of its
> healing mineral springs. I heard from the Bahá’í friends that Shoghi Effendi spent some
> time in Karlsbad during his retreat. So, I made sure to visit that city.
> 
> Karlsbad – Charles Bath, was founded by Charles IV in the 14 th Century, who discovered
> the Thermal springs while hunting. When Charles treated his bad legs by bathing in the
> 
> mineral water springs, it became a favorite spa for European aristocrats.
> 
> My tour guide explained the healing power of drinking from 13 sources of mineral springs,
> each with special properties to treat different ailments. The patients came for a prescribed
> course of treatment and were under the supervision of medical staff. The holistic approach
> also included daily baths in hot springs. The patients were encouraged to take a stroll along
> the river, under the canopy of tall and ancient trees. While walking on this path, I could
> imagine the beloved Guardian, in this serene and healing environment, breathing the air
> that I was breathing. I was rejuvenated by this experience.
> 
> The Train to Hungary
> 
> A few days after my return, Nika, my host informed me that the main water pipe to her
> apartment was broken and since she did not know when it would be fixed, we needed to
> vacate the house. We went to her brother who was married to a Czech. During dinner, they
> told me about a popular joke: a man wanted to buy a Skoda, the only manufactured Czech
> car. The waiting list to get the vehicle was 2 years. So, they gave him February 6th, in 2
> years, as a date to pick up his new car. The buyer looked at his calendar and said, that
> would be impossible, as his plumber was scheduled to come and fix his pipes on that day.
> It was a hint that Nika’s apartment would not be livable for a long time. The hotels in Prague
> were quite expensive. So I tried to find another accommodation. Just by coincidence, I
> learned that Neda was back from California and was staying with a friend. When I called
> her, she came and took me to her friend’s small apartment. When consulting about a plan
> for the next week, We decided to make a trip to Hungary. Neda called the friends in
> Budapest and arranged for them to pick us up from the train station. We purchased first
> class tickets and boarded the overnight train to Hungary. To be safe, we got the whole
> compartment to ourselves and locked the door. We settled down and got ready to spend a
> luxurious night in our comfortable sleeper beds. In the evening, there was a knock on the
> door, and officers came in to check our documents. Neda had an American passport, and
> he stamped it without any problem. However, when he checked my New Zealand Passport,
> he asked for my entry visa to Hungary. His English was not very good, and I tried to explain
> that I could get a visa upon my arrival at the border, as I had done for Czechoslovakia. He
> gave me back my passport and left. Late at night, getting ready to sleep, I went to use the
> restroom. When I opened the door to return to my seat, I saw two officers with their guns
> pointing at me, waiting to escort me to my compartment. I was not sure what was happening
> as none of them could speak English. In compartment, I saw two other officers were holding
> my suitcases. Then their superior came and told me that when traveling by train, I should
> have obtained my visa prior to entering Hungary. Therefore, I needed to get off the train
> before the border, go to the nearest city, get a visa and then continue with my trip. At this
> time the train stopped at a remote train station. We were unceremoniously escorted off the
> train, between two railway tracks, and at a distance from the station. They put our luggage
> down and took off immediately. We were still in shock of this unreal situation. It was very
> much like a scene from WWII movies. We dragged our luggage to the station, which
> consisted of a ticket booth and a few wooden benches. The ticket agent did not know
> English, a police officer was there and tried to communicate with Neda who knew their
> language a bit. They said the closest city was Storvos, which was an hour from the station
> 
> and there was no taxi until morning. We did not feel safe to stay, realizing if something
> happened, we would disappear, and no one would find our bodies. So, we decided to forget
> about going to Hungary and take a train to Bratislava. We had one hour to wait for the train
> to arrive. So, we went to have a cup of much-needed coffee in the Station’s cafe. It was a
> smoke filled room packed with men from surrounding villages. They all stopped talking,
> observing these two strangers. The only female was the bartender. It was evident that they
> served only local beer and alcoholic beverages. However, she begrudgingly poured us two
> cups of coffee. It was the local brew which was three quarter coffee grounds and the rest,
> a very strong and bitter liquid. After a few sips, we decided to leave and wait on the bench
> outside. There, we prayed for protection and for arriving at a safe destination. When I
> recently watched the videotape of that evening, I noticed that both of us were nervously
> chuckling and telling each other that it was God’s will for not going on a sightseeing tour to
> Hungary. A sign to follow His path and serve in Slovakia. Not knowing at that time that the
> most successful part of my trip happened at this juncture.
> 
> Bratislava
> 
> ‘Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is set along the Danube River by the border with
> Austria and Hungary. It’s surrounded by vineyards and the Little Carpathian
> Mountains, crisscrossed with forested hiking and cycling trails. The pedestrian-only,
> 18th-century old town is known for its lively bars and cafes. Perched atop a hill, the
> reconstructed Bratislava Castle overlooks old town and the Danube.’
> Bratislava - Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bratislava
> 
> We arrived at Bratislava at midnight and to be safe, instructed the taxi driver to take us to
> the best hotel in the city. He took us to a posh hotel and carried our bag to the crowded
> lobby. The guest service manager told us that all the rooms are booked for a conference,
> and the only available suite would be $350.00 per night. The taxi driver took us to a few
> nearby hotels, but none of them had any vacancy. Finally, he told us that he could take us
> to a safe and reasonable hotel. He assured us that he knew the manager and would vouch
> for our safety. We accepted his recommendation and finally, in the early hours of the
> morning we were able to check into our room trying to have some needed sleep.
> 
> Our trip to the capital city of Slovakia was just a few months before its separation from the
> Czech Republic. The spirit of independence filled the heart of Slovakians including the
> young Bahá’ís. They were eager to prove that they could carry on the administrative tasks
> and teaching activities without the help of the pioneers and the Czech Bahá’ís. We met at
> Farah Imani’s home, an Iranian pioneer, and had a lively consultation with the Bahá’í
> community. Neda was a close friend of Farah Imani and Farzbod Sana’i. They were both
> long-time pioneers in Slovakia, and soon were leaving to let the Slovakian Bahá’ís take
> over the administrative and teaching activities. We had a wonderful time with the
> community, which was a bit isolated, as there were few visitors who extended their travel
> to Bratislava. Therefore, it was God’s plan to divert our path to this beautiful and historic
> city and their Bahá’í community.
> 
> Brno
> 
> In our return trip to Prague, we stopped at Brno and stayed with a Bahá’í family for a few
> days. Brno is the second largest city after Prague and the capital of the Margraviate of
> Monrovia. I had traveled to Brno a few times before and met with a few pioneers and
> Bahais, but never had a chance for a meeting. This time, as they heard from Neda that my
> schedule has changed and would be staying in the city, they arranged for a Bahá’í seminar
> on Self-Empowerment for the non-Bahá’í university students. It was my first public meeting
> on this trip. The participants were quite receptive, and as I learned later, a few of them
> embraced the Faith during follow-up meetings with the Bahá’ís. I praised God for granting
> His confirmation in that remote train station when I recited the following prayer:
> 
> ‘I beg of Thee, O my God, by Thy most exalted Word which Thou hast ordained as
> the Divine Elixir unto all who are in Thy realm, the Elixir through whose potency the
> crude metal of human life hath been transmuted into purest gold, O Thou in Whose
> hands are both the visible and invisible kingdoms, to ordain that my choice be
> conformed to Thy choice and my wish to Thy wish, that I may be entirely content
> with that which Thou didst desire, and be wholly satisfied with what Thou didst
> destine for me by Thy bounteousness and favor. Potent art Thou to do as Thou
> willest. Thou, in very truth, art the All-Glorious, the All-Wise.’
> 
> ~ Baha'u'llah
> https://bahai-library.com/uhj_dutch_prayer_book
> 
> A Tribute to Czechoslovakia
> 
> My trip to Czechoslovakia was an enriching and memorable experience. At the time of my
> visit, the country was like a treasure chest which had been sealed for decades and was
> now opened to the world to discover. For a history buff like me, the historic sites in each
> city was a lesson to learn and a sight to relish. The natural beauty of the country, the
> rivers and forests were majestic and delightful.
> 
> I found the Czechs, as proud people who had paid dearly for their independence. It was
> evident in my visit to the national memorial site in Lidice, where, in 1942, the Nazi’s killed
> all the male adults and more than fifty women. They deported the rest of the population to
> concentration camps.
> 
> In my conversation with the Czechs, they usually compared their country to the United
> States and were apologetic for not being as advanced as other western countries. I always
> responded that they should look at the positive side; like not having any panhandlers or
> homeless people in streets. As everyone had a place to live and an income, which was
> provided by the government. They quite enjoyed talking to me after stating this fact.
> As the older generation was brought up under the communist regime, they were more
> reserved and set in their beliefs. In contrast, the young generation was eager to evolve,
> learn and adapt to the new state of mind and the spiritual values of the Bahá’í Faith.
> 
> ‘Lift up your hearts above the present and look with eyes of faith into the future!
> Today the seed is sown, the grain falls upon the earth, but behold the day will
> come when it shall rise a glorious tree and the branches thereof shall be laden with
> fruit.’                               ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> 
> Bahá'í Reference Library - Paris Talks, Pages 67-68
> 
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PT/pt-21.html
> 
> THE SECOND BAHÁ’Í WORLD CONGRESS
> November 1992
> 
> Soon after returning from Czechoslovakia, I joined Terry and other Bahá’í friends to go to
> New York and participate in the Bahá’í World Congress. In the Ridvan Message of 1990,
> the Universal House of Justice, called the Bahá’í around the world to plan for the second
> Bahá’í World Congress
> 
> ‘… to celebrate the centennial of the inauguration of the Covenant bequeathed to
> posterity by Bahá’u’lláh as the sure means of safeguarding the unity and integrity of
> His world-embracing Order. It is to be convened in November 1992 in New York, the
> place designated as the City of the Covenant by Him Who is its appointed Center
> and Who anticipated that “New York will become a blessed spot from which the call
> to steadfastness in the Covenant and Testament of God will go forth to every part
> of the world.”…’
> Riḍván 1990 – To the Bahá’ís of the World | Bahá’í ...
> https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/the-universal...
> 
> The planning for the Congress started in 1990 and continued its progression by the Bahá’í
> communities worldwide. Then came to fruition by following the guidance of the Universal
> House of Justice in the Ridvan Message of 1991:
> 
> ‘The World Congress scheduled to be held on 23–26 November 1992 in New York
> City, where the beloved Master revealed the implications of His station as the
> appointed Center of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh and which He designated as the
> City of the Covenant. Throughout the world, Bahá’í communities will hold
> appropriate auxiliary events to magnify the Congress’s purpose, which is to
> celebrate the centenary of the inauguration of the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh and to
> proclaim its aims and unifying power. A corollary to these activities will be the wide
> distribution of a statement on Bahá’u’lláh, prepared at our request by the Office of
> Public Information, which will serve both as a source of study and inspiration for the
> Bahá’ís themselves and as an informative publication for presentation to the public.
> In these and other ways the community of the Greatest Name will endeavor to
> blazon the Name of Bahá’u’lláh across the globe, to make it a known eminence in
> the consciousness of peoples everywhere.’
> 
> Ridvan 1991: - Bahá’í Library
> 
> bahai-library.com/uhj_ridvan_1991
> 
> Bahá'í World Congress
> From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> 1992: Second Bahá'í World Congress
> 
> ‘The Second Bahá'í World Congress from November 23–26, 1992 took place in order
> to pay homage to the 100th anniversary of the passing of the founder of the Bahá'í
> Faith, Bahá'u'lláh. 30,000 Bahá'ís attended the event in the Jacob Javits Center in
> New York City, United States, for four days of commemoration in the form of music,
> speeches, artistic performances and social gathering.
> 
> The Congress participants represented the diversity of the Bahá'ís from over 180
> different nations. The purpose of this World Congress was to "celebrate the Centenary of
> the inauguration of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh and to proclaim its aims and unifying power."
> 
> Bahá'í World Congress - Wikipedia
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahá'í_World_Congress
> 
> Program
> 
> The main sessions of the World Congress took place two hours each day at the Jacob Javits
> Center.
> 
> •   Day one concentrated on the recognition of Baha'u'llah as the Promise of All Ages.
> 
> •   Day two celebrated `Abdu'l-Bahá as the Center of the Covenant. The program
> highlighted the nature of the Covenant and New York as the City of the Covenant.
> 
> •   Day three covered some achievements of the Bahá'í community.
> 
> •   Day four explored humanity's encounter with Bahá'u'lláh as a prelude to the
> culmination of the Congress, a message from the Universal House of Justice.’
> 
> We booked a room at Marriot Marquis, in Union Square, where a group of Bahá’ís from
> South America was staying. Our room overlooked the Javits Center. There were
> designated buses that transported the Bahá’í participants from various hotels to Javits
> Center. It was an exhilarating experience to see the sea of Bahá’ís from every corner of
> the world pouring into the Congress Hall. On one side of the Center, there was the Hall of
> Banners, displaying mounted flags, representing Bahá’í communities around the world.
> Each banner was an exquisite patchwork, six square meters, mounted on a frame. They
> showed in their unique artwork, the name of the respective country or groups, and a Bahá’í
> quotation. It demonstrated the dedication and cooperation of many Bahá’ís to create that
> magnificent representation of their devotion and love for our Beloved Faith. A few of them
> chose the quotation: “O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of mankind.”
> 
> As the Center could not accommodate 35,000 participants, the sessions were held in the
> morning and repeated in the afternoon. Therefore, participants were allocated to either
> morning or afternoon programs. There were hosts of other activities to fill our days,
> 
> including visiting a magnificent pavilion at the NY Hilton. The exhibit, entitled: Abdul-Baha’s
> Mission to America”, was a time capsule, filling five ballrooms, to pay homage to Abdul-
> Baha’s historic visit to the United States. The exhibit was opened by Ruhiyyih Khanum,
> giving a guided tour to 100 dignitaries, religious leaders, and reporters from around the
> world.
> 
> Thousands of volunteers performed duties for the smooth running of the sessions, making
> the sacrifice of missing some sessions, to serve.
> 
> It was a delight to catch up with some old friends that I have not seen for the past 10 to 20
> years. Such as Tony Mantel, Josey Lava, Javanshir Sobhani from the Philippines; Mano
> Ala’i and a host of Maori Bahá’ís from New Zealand; Jo Ann Gilman, Beverly Brandon, and
> Beverly March from Cayman; Mrs. Gandomi from Kenya, and others whom I may have
> seen for the last time in my life.
> 
> One of the highlights of the Congress was its magnificent choir and musicians composed
> of professionals from around the world. When I was in Prague, I heard from my host Nikka
> that she was invited to join the choir. We also noticed Gina and Russ Garcia, singing in the
> choir.
> 
> In each session, the inspiring Bahá’í songs, music, and rendition of historical events, such
> as Garden of Ridvan, stirred the souls of participants. Especially when we were asked to
> accompany their songs, praising Baha’u’llah and his mission. We all simultaneously were
> on our feet, raising both arms, holding each other’s hands, singing His praises in perfect
> harmony. The World Congress music is a classic, which has been the favorite of
> generations of Bahá’ís for 25 years.
> 
> In the evenings, when the Congress was not in session, we were treated with a variety of
> performances of more than 100 acts from around the world.
> 
> The first day of the Congress was a reflection upon the meaning and purpose of the life
> of Baha’u’llah. The gathering was opened with the soul stirring prayers and musical
> performances. Judge Nelson, the chair of the US National Assembly, read the message
> from President George Bush to the Congress. David Dink, the Mayor of New York,
> addressed the Congress and proclaimed November the 23 rd, as “Bahá’í World Congress
> Day.” Hand of the Cause Ruhiyyih Khanum in her talk announced that the Congress was
> transmitted by satellite to the World Center and 52 countries around the World. She
> conveyed love and greetings from the Universal House of Justice, The International
> Teaching Center, and the Bahá’ís in Holy Land. She stated that “you couldn’t put your finger
> on a map of the world where there are no Bahá’ís.” Then, she read the Message from the
> Universal House of Justice to the Congress. Following is an excerpt from this Message:
> 
> ‘The second World Congress now convened is the mainspring in the launching of
> worldwide commemorative activities which will promulgate the Covenant as the axis
> of unity for all humankind and broadcast its qualities for reforming human society.
> Moreover, through these activities and other extended measures, the community at
> 
> all levels—local, national, continental, and international—will exert immense effort
> to spread across the planet the Name of the World Reformer, Bahá’u’lláh, that hearts
> may be attracted, and minds illumined.
> 
> But we speak of a proclamation which has more to do with deeds than words; and
> in this regard, we must, everywhere in our world community, attain a new awareness
> of the urgency of the times and of our sacred duties toward the Promised One of All
> Ages. A special expectation is therefore invested in you who are attending this focal
> event in the City of the Covenant. For these four special days of commemoration,
> may you all strive as never before to appreciate more adequately the life-
> transforming character and unific spirit of the Covenant, and to immediately
> demonstrate this heightened appreciation in the spiritual attitude you show among
> yourselves. May you do this with the resolve that what you practice towards each
> other during these few days will henceforth be sustained in your relations with all
> others elsewhere. Such active resolution will endow the second World Congress
> with the radiant power to impress upon the public the incontrovertible fact that the
> Bahá’í Faith is a world religion worthy of its claims and, hence, of public recognition
> 
> In a Tablet to the Bahá’ís in New York, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá expressed a hope which it is
> propitious to recall on this opportune occasion: “I eagerly anticipate the day,” He
> wrote, “when New York will become a blessed spot from which the call to
> steadfastness in the Covenant and Testament of God will go forth to every part of
> the world.…” Surely, through the auspicious circumstances afforded by this
> Congress, you will attempt thus to gratify His Spirit in the Abhá Realm, so that from
> His retreats on high you may receive the benediction of His abiding good pleasure
> and strengthening grace.
> 
> In our supplications at His blessed Shrine, we shall entreat Him graciously to secure
> and in abundance vouchsafe to the entire community of His dedicated lovers the
> favors and confirmations of the Lord of the Covenant.’
> 
> https://www.bahai.org/.../the-universal-house-of-justice/messages
> 
> The gathering was touched by the poignant reminder of much loved friends from Iran, who
> were unable to attend the congress. The unwavering message of the Bahá’ís of Iran was
> that we must not allow a minute of grief to shadow over the victories brought about by their
> sacrifices. The message of contentment to the will of God came in the form of a magnificent
> gift of flowers sent to the Congress from the friends in the cradle of the Faith. When baskets
> of flowers were brought to the stage, the heavenly voices of the choir were singing “Ya
> Baha’u’l Abha!” The flowers remained prominently on stage during the Congress.
> 
> David Hoffman, the former member of the Universal House of Justice, gave a powerful talk
> about Baha’u’llah, the Promise of All Ages. He acknowledged the Hands of the Cause
> present at the Congress: Ruhiyyih Khanum, Mr. Furutan, and Mr. Varqa.
> 
> In culmination, the uplifting music accompanied the “procession of people of the world.” It
> was announced that today, humanity in all its diversity, is representing 2000 races, tribes,
> and nations of the world. When each tribe and country was called, its representatives
> entered the Hall, many in their magnificent traditional customs, and joined each other on
> stage. Then, the narrator, upon completion of the roll call declared: We are the People of
> the World, reflecting the great transformation of human society to one unified family. At this
> time, the entire Congress raised on their feet, holding hands, many cries of joy, joined the
> choir by singing “We are the People of Baha.”
> 
> The Second Day of the Congress was on the Covenant of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Mr. Banani made
> the introductions; stating that on stage, there were friends who had the bounty to be present
> with the Master. Then each told their personal stories. Amatu’l Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum,
> recalled her childhood experience of the Master, visiting her house in Canada. Then she
> introduced the son of the first Japanese Bahá’í, who retold his story as a child in Oakland,
> California when he sat on the Master’s lap. Mr. Aziz Yazdi, who lived as a child in the house
> of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, recalled when he followed the Master to the Shrine of Baha’u’llah. The
> Master, who was aware of his presence, let him enter the Shrine and observe the sublime
> experience of the Master’s pilgrimage.
> 
> The next part of the program was to experience historic moments in the development of
> the Faith through a dramatic vignette. Four American Bahá’ís who met the Master in 1912,
> each opened their hearts to us and revealed their personal understanding of the power of
> the Covenant and obedience to its Center, the Master.
> 
> •   Juliet Thompson highlighted her time with the Master while painting his portrait. The
> Master told her, “To keep my words, obey my covenant and ye will be marveled by the
> results.”
> 
> •   Louis Gregory gave an emotional account of his life as the son of a slave mother, who
> became a black activist. How his vision was changed when he met Abdu’l- Baha. When
> he became a Bahá’í, he left his law practice and became a racial amity worker. In the
> segregated society of Washington DC, the Master ordered the Bahá’ís to have non-
> segregated meetings. When attending an all-white luncheon at the Persian Embassy,
> the Master took Louis by his hand, led him to the head of the table, the place of honor,
> to the seat beside him. Louis felt that he has been taken to a new height. The Master
> urged him to become the means whereby the black and white people will close their
> eyes to the racial differences. The Master introduced him to Miss Louisa Mathews, a
> British Bahá’í, advising them that interracial marriage is a good way to end prejudice.
> They were married in the City of Covenant in 1912. It was the time when in 38 States
> blacks and whites could not travel together. They had a loving and happy marriage.
> 
> •   Howard MacNutt shared the period of his life when his loyalty to the Center of the
> Covenant was not firm. How he was able to overcome personal challenges by obeying
> 
> Abdu’l- Baha’s command, and by passing the test which was given to him by the Master.
> He was then rewarded by Abdul-Baha to compile all the talks of the Master in the United
> States in a book entitled “Promulgation of the Universal Peace.”
> 
> •   Juliet Thompson completed her presentation by joining Lua Getsinger, to tell the story
> of Lua, who was trying desperately to stay with the Master, rather than obeying his order
> to go to California. She deliberately walked barefoot on Poison Ivy to find an excuse to
> stay. However, the Master healed her by asking her to eat a lemon and a pomegranate.
> She obeyed the Master, and when he visited her in the evening, he checked her feet
> which were healed, and he laughed. The Master rewarded her for her obedience and
> appointed Lua as the Herald of the Covenant. He asked her to rise and go to the
> gathering downstairs and proclaim the Covent. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá then followed Lua to the
> first floor and proclaimed New York as the City of Covenant. Later in her life, Lua
> traveled to India and pioneered in Egypt where she passed away in her post.
> 
> The Day 2 program was culminated by a talk on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, given by Dr. Firuz
> Kazemzadeh.
> 
> The Third Day of the Congress was devoted to the Victories of the Covenant. Groups of
> Persians, Asians, Africans, Latin Americans, New Zealand Maori, and the Americans from
> the United States, all appeared on stage, some in their traditional customs, taking turn to
> sing the Bahá’í songs in their mother tongues. Then, together, they asked the Congress to
> join in, and all singing “We Are the People of Bahá”.
> 
> The speakers talked about the Covenant in Action: the Bahá’í communities achieving
> Social and Economic projects in their countries. A number of representatives from different
> countries talked about their projects which were recognized by the United Nations and
> other International Organizations. Prominent among these recognitions was the
> persecution of the Bahá’ís of Iran, which brought the Faith out of obscurity in national and
> international organizations, such as Amnesty International.
> 
> The highlight of the day was when the Three Hands of the Cause addressed the Congress.
> Mr. Furutan talked about the blessing to witness the victories of the Faith in his life. He
> said in his youth when reading the Tablets of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he believed in
> what was revealed but was facing the dilemma on when and how this glorious promise for
> the future will be fulfilled. As it was the difficult period for the Bahá’ís, the time of Bahá’í
> persecution and martyrdom. He continued that, in 1953, in his worldwide travels to the
> Bahá’í communities, he realized that many of those promises have been fulfilled. Among
> them, mass conversion, foretold in a powerful statement by Baha’u’llah in the Tablet of
> Sultan – revealed to the Shah of Iran. Then, in 1963 election of the Universal House of
> Justice, when participating in the first Bahá’í World Congress, he witnessed 7,000 Bahá’ís
> of all races and nationalities attended the gathering. Now, the Cause of Baha’u’llah had
> spread to 125,000 communities in the world – Based on the Encyclopedia of Britannica.
> 
> Mr. Furutan recalled that as a young man, studying at Moscow University, he was banished
> by the communist regime from Russia and had to go to Iran. In 1930, Shoghi Effendi
> assured him in a letter that he will be going back to Russia. That he just needed to be
> patient. Then, in 1954, the Guardian told him that the banner of Baha’u’llah would be raised
> in Siberia. He waited patiently for 60 years until 1990, when by order of the Universal House
> of Justice he traveled to Moscow, for the election of its Local Spiritual Assembly. In 1991
> the Universal House of Justice ordered him to go back to Moscow for the election of the
> National Spiritual Assembly.
> 
> Mr. Furutan continued that he was thankful for Baha’u’llah to witness the number of Bahá’ís
> who are attending the World Congress. That all of us have work to do for the future,
> especially youth. We are obligated to teach the Cause of Baha’u’llah. The Central figures
> of the Faith are waiting for us to bring about unity to the World. He concluded that when he
> leaves this world, he will thank God that he lived long enough to witness everything that he
> had read as a youth in the Bahá’í Tablets.
> 
> Mr. Varqa talked about the Master and the Tablet of Divine Plan. That how delighted was
> the Master to see that his visions have been fulfilled through sacrifices and endeavors of
> the Bahá’ís. He mentioned that we could not anticipate what would be the results of this
> Congress. In the first Congress, we had half a million of Bahá’ís in the world and 58 National
> Assemblies. Now, we have more than Five Million Bahá’ís and 150 National Spiritual
> Assemblies. He encouraged the Bahá’ís to mobilize their resources and through their
> pioneering and teaching endeavor lead the path to achieve the Lesser Peace.
> 
> Ruhiyyih Khanum told the Congress that it was hard to take in so much emotional
> meanings all at once. She was like a sponge that sucked up all the emotions and did not
> know what to do with it all. We could absorb what we could and go out from here, with our
> cups overflowing. Therefore, when we go out and share what it all meant to us, it is
> important to remember the intimate feelings and experiences of some early believers. She
> then shared some anecdotes about her mother May Maxwell, Martha Ruth, Marion Jack,
> and others. Their love, devotion, and dedication to serving the Cause. She asked us when
> we go back to our communities, we talk about the Congress and the Faith to the public and
> Mass Media. She suggested that what the Bahá’ís lack was not devotion, love, or financial
> means. What we lacked was imagination in accepting that:
> • It is up to me to live my life and own responsibility for my life
> • Who is going to do my work for me and live my life for me in this world?
> • Who is going to answer to Baha’u’llah for me?
> • I’ve got to do it myself!
> We need to sacrifice for the service to Baha’u’llah and mankind. As the Guardian told her
> and she was relaying it to us “Your destiny lies in the palm of your hands.” She continued
> that we are all here from different backgrounds, but we are together, eager to teach the
> glad tidings of Baha’u’llah so that we can be worthy of having heard the name of
> Baha’u’llah. Marvelous things will happen all over the world through the endeavor of all the
> Bahá’ís here in the Congress. At the end of the session, the three Hands of the Cause,
> stood arm in arm on stage, facing the audience, received adulation from the Congress.
> 
> Day 4 of the Congress was on Coming Humanity’s Encounter with Baha’u’llah.
> The facilitator announced that today, we join together, with the audiences around the world,
> sharing this historic occasion in celebration of Baha’u’llah’s call for the unity of mankind,
> and for emblazoning his name across the planet. It will be through a constellation of
> communication satellites, placed 22,000 miles in space.
> 
> As a demonstration of the unifying power of the revelation of Baha’u’llah, the Congress
> exchanged greetings with the Bahá’ís gathered in conferences in every Continent:
> 
> •   The communication with Western Samoa and Australia brought back loving memories
> of the Bahá’ís from that part of the world whom I had met in New Zealand.
> The message from King Malietoa Tanumafili II, Samoa’s reigning Bahá’í monarch,
> filled our heart with pride and joy. The King conveyed his greetings to the Universal
> House of Justice and to the Bahá’ís around the world. The king wished that in view of
> the current state of human affairs, the world leaders would heed the message of
> Baha’u’llah, in order to establish world peace.
> 
> •   Just returning from Czechoslovakia, the messages from Romania and Russia, moved
> me to tears. The speaker from Bucharest, Romania was quite emotional. He mentioned
> that “you cannot imagine the thrill of this magical moment for the Bahá’ís of Eastern
> Europe, to be deprived of outside contact for 40 years, and suddenly to see the glory of
> Baha’u’llah to bring a new dawn to all our land. To see hundreds of countrymen to
> respond to his clarion call. To rejoice in the distinction of its first Bahá’í monarch, Queen
> Marie, champion the Cause of Baha’u’llah.
> 
> •   The communications with Nairobi, Kenya, Singapore, and India, took me back to those
> continents and the wonderful communities that I visited, and some that became my
> home in the bygone years.
> 
> •   The final satellite transmission was from the Bahá’í World Center when in the presence
> of the members of the Universal House of Justice, Dr. Ruhe delivered the Message of
> the Supreme Body to the Bahá’ís of the World.
> 
> The highlights of the Holy Year and World Congress were best described in the following
> excerpt of the Ridvan 150 Message of The Universal House of Justice To the Bahá’ís of
> the World:
> ‘Dearly loved Friends,
> We have come to the King of Festivals in the undiminished glow of the marvelous
> benedictions of the Holy Year through which we have just passed, confirmed,
> renewed and energized in our sacred pursuits. For it was a time when the Abhá
> Beauty shed upon His worldwide community the radiance of His grace in such
> effulgence as to invest with astonishing success the efforts of His followers to
> 
> observe so significant a double anniversary as the centenary of His Ascension and
> of the inauguration of His Covenant. It was the memorial pause that yielded a
> proclamation of the Most Great Name that resounded throughout the earth as never
> before; but what was so clearly an external phenomenon was quite markedly a
> reflection of an inner attainment to a deeper understanding of our relation to
> Bahá’u’lláh than hitherto obtained. The greater appreciation in ourselves of the
> universality of the community, of its embodiment of the first and overarching principle
> of His Faith, has left a new and compelling impression upon our hearts; the effects
> of that awareness were strikingly demonstrated at the commemoration in the Holy
> Land last May and more broadly at the World Congress last November, as if to
> confirm our assurance in these desperately troubled times that the world of humanity
> is moving inexorably towards its as-yet elusive destiny of unity and peace. Indeed,
> during the Holy Year, we were transported on the wings of the spirit to a summit
> from which we have seen the fast-approaching glory of the Lord’s immemorial
> promise that all humankind will one day be united.”
> The thrilling details of the happenings throughout the year are too numerous to
> describe here, for the workings of the Holy Spirit were universally felt, imbuing the
> activities of the friends with a mysterious force. Let it suffice, then, to recall such
> highlights as the gathering last May of the largest number of Bahá’ís to participate
> in an event in the Holy Land; the circumambulation of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh by
> the representatives of virtually every nation; the presence of the majority of the living
> Knights of Bahá’u’lláh at the time of the depositing of the Roll of Honor at the
> entrance door of the Most Holy Shrine; the unprecedented size of the World
> Congress and the vast variety of its participants, including a huge body of youth who
> engaged in their own auxiliary program; the procession of the representatives of the
> races and nations of the world on that spectacular occasion; the satellite broadcast
> which linked the Congress and the World Center with all the continents. These were
> of a rare category of experience, and they have immortalized the fame of the
> centennial commemorations.
> The innumerable, imaginative efforts undertaken by the friends around the world,
> from remote villages to great cities, in observance of these important anniversaries
> illustrated afresh the profound degree to which the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh has been
> consolidated, and they generated the teaching work in many areas, with unusual
> and surprising results. The unprecedented publicity accorded the purpose and
> activities of the Holy Year through the mass media in large and small countries, the
> notice given by legislative bodies and public officials to the centennial, the gestures
> of recognition and appreciation of the Faith by governmental agencies, the
> involvement of representatives of the Bahá’í International Community in major global
> events, including the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
> held in Rio de Janeiro last June, in connection with which a public monument bearing
> an inscription from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and a large imprint of the Greatest
> Name was dedicated—such developments gave clear indications that the profile of
> the community has been raised in the public eye.’
> Messages from the Universal House of Justice - Bahá'í Library Online
> https://bahai-library.com/uhj_messages_...
> 
> CHAPTER 10
> 
> Emblazoning the Name of Bahá’u’lláh
> 1993 - 2001
> 
> The participants of the World Congress carried the final remarks of Ruhiyyih Khanum in
> their hearts, to focus their attention on the possible future of mankind, which is the joy and
> happiness of all nations. To take the Message of the Universal House of Justice to the
> press and to the people of their communities and emblazon the name of Bahá’u’lláh on the
> planet. To give assurance that although we may be in darkness and despair, we are
> convinced of a glorious distant future. We have no fear of death, as we believe in life after
> death and the immortality of the soul. Therefore, if the immediate future is dark, we pray
> for the dead, but through our love and courage, we help to establish a glorious future for
> the entire humanity.
> 
> We pledged to arise and respond to the appeal of the Supreme Body, in the Riḍván
> Message of 150, as stated:
> 
> ‘Our appeal for immediate, redoubled and sustained action on all aspects of the Plan
> is addressed primarily to the individual believer of every locality, who possesses
> within himself or herself the measures of initiative that ensure the success of any
> global Bahá’í enterprise, and “on whom, in the last resort,” as our beloved Guardian
> plainly stated, “depends on the fate of the entire community.” The goals of the Three
> Year Plan will not be easily won, but they must be magnificently achieved, whatever
> the sacrifice. There should therefore be no hesitation or delay on the part of
> individuals or Spiritual Assemblies in attending to them, lest the problems of
> mankind pile up unchecked, or the rise of internal crises slows us down. Let it ever
> be borne in mind that we earn our victories through test and trial; we turn crisis to
> the advantage of progress by seizing the opportunity it provides to demonstrate the
> viability and winning power of our principles. In the onward surge of the Cause of
> God, crisis and victory have always alternated and have ever proven to be the staple
> of progress. As we savor the triumphs of the Holy Year, let us not forget the reality
> of this recurrent experience. Let us also remember that our blessings are equal to
> our challenges, as repeatedly shown by our glorious history.
> Beloved friends: Do not be dismayed or deterred. Take courage in the security of
> God’s law and ordinances. These are the darkest hours before the break of day.
> Peace, as promised, will come at night’s end. Press on to meet the dawn.’
> 
> https://www.bahai.org/.../messages/19930421_001/1
> 
> Corona, California
> 
> In 1993, we moved to a new housing development in Corona and soon became the
> members of the Spiritual Assembly. We joined a community of young Bahá’ís who were
> committed to fulfilling their pledge to emblazon the name of Bahá’u’lláh in Corona. We
> specifically focused on achieving the main objective of the Six Year Plan, to carry “the
> healing Message of Bahá'u'lláh to the generality of mankind” and to the “greater
> involvement of the Faith in the life of human society.”
> 
> In 1994, we launched a teaching and proclamation campaign. The first phase was
> implemented by mailing an invitation packet to the communities where Bahá’í families were
> residing. The following pages cover the flier and a summary of the packet:
> 
> You Can Make a Difference,
> was the title of the next page. It
> read:
> ‘Dear Neighbor, we are the
> sum total of choices that we
> make in our lives, what we
> choose today will take us
> where we will be tomorrow! ….
> We believe humanity has
> reached the age of maturity
> and empowerment. Therefore,
> when we make choices that
> impact our spiritual destiny, we
> are entitled to investigate the
> truth for ourselves, and not to
> walk in the other people’s
> shoes …. We invite you to
> take a moment and read the
> enclosed message (the
> proclamation pamphlet:
> “Bahá’u’lláh, God’s Messenger
> for Humanity”) … Asking you to
> contact us for further
> information.’
> 
> We had a successful workshop, and as the follow-up, we held the second event at my
> home. We invited our neighbors and all the contacts from the Self Empowerment
> Workshop. The invitation read:
> 
> It was a well-attended and fun gathering. A dear Bahá’í who just came back from a travel
> teaching trip to Russia talked about the Russian Bahá’ís, who were relishing their newly
> found freedom to practice their world embracing Faith. It led to a lively discussion about the
> Bahá’í beliefs in the oneness of humanity and unity in diversity. The most rewarding
> outcome was the declaration of Judy, a wonderful soul who became an active member of
> our community.
> 
> This campaign opened the door for establishing contact with a larger community in Orange
> County, San Bernardino, and Clairmont. I developed friendships with the non-Bahá’í
> Iranian community and was interviewed by one the Persian radio stations.
> 
> The next phase was annual participation in the Corona Fair. We set up a booth that offered
> free bottled water, art workshop, and free Face Painting. As most of our Bahá’í families
> such as the Amoui’s, Bethel’s, Vahid’s and Imani’s, had young children, it involved their
> entire family. The kids helped with the art workshop; Judy and a few youths helped with the
> 
> face painting, and adults engaged the parents who were waiting, in conversation about the
> Faith. Instead of a fee for our service, we handed them pamphlets and cold water.
> 
> In preparation for the event, each of us bought a T-shirt and on a Saturday morning, took
> it to Judy, our new Bahá’í. She taught our junior youth how to screen print the shirts with
> the following logo: “I’m a Bahá’í, ask me why.” We wore these shirts during all the teaching
> and proclamation activities.
> 
> The most endearing teaching story was told by Mr. Amoui, a pleasant elderly gentleman,
> who was imprisoned in Iran for being a Bahá’í. When finally released, he came to Corona
> with his wife to live with his daughter Neda. Mr. Amoui did not know a word of English, but
> he wore the shirt, and when people asked him “why he was a Bahá’í?” He proudly handed
> them the proclamation pamphlet.
> 
> Video Presentation on the Holy Land
> 
> In 1997, after returning from my pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I held a devotional and video
> presentation of my trip for the Bahá’ís and friends. This pilgrimage was a memorable
> experience for me, as my daughter Anisa, accompanied me on this trip. I remembered my
> 1973 visit to Holy Land, when I was 7 months pregnant with her, praying for the safety of
> my unborn child at the Holy Shrines.
> 
> This pilgrimage took place 30 years after my first visit in 1967. At that time Mr. Furutan
> used to tell us, how fortunate we were to have such intimate pilgrimage and the bounty of
> having easy access to the Holy Shrines. He recalled the beloved Guardian’s prediction that
> in the future, due to a large number of pilgrims, they would only be able to circumambulate
> the shrines in procession.
> 
> On this trip, I had a glimpse of the future foretold by the Guardian. As the lower terraces to
> the Shrine of the Báb was then completed, they opened the gate to the first terrace and
> allowed a large number of pilgrims from all over the world, climb the steps of terraces,
> leading to Shrine of the Báb. We were fortunate to witness the beauty of the lower terraces
> before the completion of the upper terraces and their official opening on May 22, 2001.
> 
> The following are excerpts from the Bahá’í World News about the history of the lower
> Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb:
> 
> ‘… Nine rudimentary terraces below the Shrine were constructed in the 1930s, and
> throughout the years other parcels of land were purchased until all the necessary
> property had been acquired. Extending beyond the immediate area of the Shrine,
> the gardens transformed the barren mountain slope into a natural sanctuary in the
> middle of the growing city of Haifa.
> 
> The decision in 1987 to complete the gardens and administrative buildings
> galvanized the millions of Bahá'ís, by then established in more than 150 countries.
> In 1990, the latest phase of development commenced, with the construction of the
> 
> 19 terraces designed by Canadian architect Fariborz Sahba, who has also served
> as project manager for the complex.
> 
> In the face of renewed persecution of the Bahá'ís in Iran during this period, the
> worldwide community gathered the necessary financial and human resources, and
> the mountain was reshaped.
> The terraced gardens magnify the spiritual significance of the Shrine of the Báb,
> who foretold the coming of Bahá'u'lláh.
> 
> The 19 Terraces represent the Báb and His first followers. The extensive lighting
> of the Terraces and of the Shrine itself contrasts dramatically with the conditions in
> which the Báb was imprisoned in a remote fortress in northern Iran. Even some of
> the flora on the Terraces is deeply symbolic to Bahá'ís. On the ninth terrace, just
> below the Shrine, stand two young orange trees that were propagated from seeds
> taken from an orange tree in the courtyard of the Báb's house in Shiraz, Iran.’
> 
> ~ Bahá’í World News Service
> The official news source of the worldwide Bahá’í community
> ww.beliefnet.com/faiths/bahai/terraces-of-the-shrine-of-the-
> bab.aspx
> 
> The poignant remembrance etched in my heart was that for the last time in this world, I was
> able to be in the presence of Ruhiyyih Khanum, Mr. Furutan, and David Hofman.
> Mr. Furutan was still inspiring us in the evenings at the Pilgrim House. He recalled the
> meeting that I arranged for him in 1969, at UP Diliman in Manilla.
> 
> As our pilgrimage coincided with the First Day of Ridvan, we had the privilege of attending
> the Ridvan celebration in Bahji. I never forget the awesome experience of taking seats on
> the garden paths of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, with all the Hands of the Cause, members of
> the Universal House of Justice, and the Bahá’ís residing in Holy Land. David Hofman, the
> former member of the Universal House of Justice, was present, sitting close to the pilgrims.
> After the Holy Day program, we followed the procession, led by Ruhiyyih Khanum, to
> circumambulate the Holy Shrine. Then, we were treated to refreshments, on the tables set
> on the garden paths close to the shrine. It brought back my childhood memory of the Holy
> Day celebrations in the National Bahá’í Center in Tehran.
> 
> Ridvan celebration in the Garden of Bahji
> Second from left: David Hofman, Shahla, Esther Kumo – daughter of Joan, from
> Kenya
> 
> The Unity Fest
> 
> A proclamation gathering was held in 1999, to celebrate Naw Ruz and the 20th anniversary
> of the formation of the Corona Spiritual Assembly. It was a well-publicized event, inviting
> the public to join us for a Fair at the Park. The organizing committee worked for 3 months
> setting up and coordinating the program. We had the cooperation of many neighboring
> Bahá’í communities as far as Rialto and Redland. I partnered with Kerry Korianski, a Bahá’í
> musician, to facilitate and conduct the program. It was a beautiful day in the park with many
> artists offering free musical performances, face painting, sketching portraits, and helping
> to make traditional African stick dolls. The bouncing tent, balloons, hula hooping and other
> games were popular among the kids. A Bahá’í stand had a banner that read: “You Can
> Make a Difference! Explore the Solution.” There were free barbeque and drinks for
> everyone, donated by a Bahá’í family who owned a restaurant in a neighboring city.
> 
> The program started by welcoming the audience to the Unity Fest and explaining its theme,
> which was “Uniting the World, One Heart at a Time.” Then, we asked anyone who knew a
> language other than English, to come forward and translate it into their own language. The
> participants volunteered to translate the theme in Spanish, Portuguese, Chines, Indonesian
> and Persian. Each one receiving applause from the crowd. A talk about the Bahá’í Faith
> and its spiritual principles emphasized the concept of building a united and sustainable
> 
> global community. We highlighted social and community development projects, sponsored
> by the Bahá’ís worldwide. Then, elaborated on the role of the Bahá’í Administration and
> the national and local Spiritual Assemblies. The program continued with introducing the
> Spiritual Assembly of Corona, asking the original members who were no longer residing in
> the city, to share stories about the community of the past 20 years.
> 
> Different speakers talked about celebrating Naw Ruz and reciting the Bahá’í readings about
> the divine springtime. We completed the program by asking the Bahá’í youth and children
> share their own poetry and sing Bahá’í songs on unity. We concluded with a prayer for
> Unity. It was a well-attended and successful gathering, bringing together many
> communities from Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties.
> 
> The Millennial party
> 
> Just before the end of the century, when the Millennial fever of doom and gloom was
> spreading and making everyone anxious, we held a Millennial party at my home.
> Approximately 40 people participated, including our neighbors. We talked about the joyous
> message of Bahá’u’lláh and the New World Order. Then, we had experiential games,
> songs, and dinner.
> 
> A poignant memory
> 
> We heard that a prayer support group was meeting weekly at the hospital. A Chaplain who
> was coordinating these sessions was also the Chair of the Interfaith Group. I consulted with
> the Assembly on whether we could co-sponsor the program, offering my services as a
> volunteer. Frank Vahid, who was both a member of the Assembly and the Interfaith Group,
> offered to set up a meeting for me with the Chaplain. In that meeting, I learned that the
> Chaplain knew very little about the Faith. So, we had an hour conversation, and then gave
> him a copy of “The Divine Art of Living,” along with a number of pamphlets and booklets
> for the support group participants. He told me that the prayer support group was quite
> informal, and he would be interested in developing a more structured program with my help.
> Meanwhile, he would be placing the Bahá’í materials on the “take one” table for the
> participants. A few weeks later, I received a voicemail from the Chaplain. He said in the
> message that he was studying the book and had a few questions, asking for a meeting to
> discuss his inquiries. He sounded genuinely interested to know more about the Faith. I
> called him back to set up a meeting, but it went to his voice mail. That evening, we had an
> Assembly meeting, and I shared the voice message from the Chaplain. Frank informed us
> that the Chaplain and his grandson were involved in a car collision and both did not survive.
> We were all saddened by this news and shared our collective thoughts that based on his
> phone message, the chaplain may have been traversing in the Valley of Search when his
> soul left this earthly abode. We prayed for the progress of his soul to the realms of the
> nearness of God.
> 
> This Life is but a fleeting Moment
> 
> In 2001, I had a dream that once again made me reexamine my life. I dreamed that I was
> traveling in the Caribbean when a Bahá’í friend asked me to visit him and pick up a package
> from Dr. Muhajir. When I arrived at his house, he handed me a box of Bahá’í books and
> said that Dr. Muhajir left this box with my name on it a long time ago. He never thought that
> I would be passing by to claim it. I opened one of the books and read the message from
> beloved Dr. Muhajir to me. He has written “Shahla, Life is but a fleeting moment!” I woke
> up thinking of the following quotations:
> 
> ‘Wert thou to consider this world and realize how fleeting are the things that
> pertain unto it, thou wouldst choose to tread no path except the path of
> service to the Cause of thy Lord. None would have the power to deter thee
> from celebrating His praise, though all men should arise to oppose thee.’
> 
> Bahá'í Reference Library - Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh...
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GWB/gwb-144.html
> 
> ‘This handful of days on earth will slip away like shadows and be over. Strive
> then that God may shed His grace upon you, that you may leave a favorable
> remembrance in the hearts and on the lips of those to come.’
> ~~ Abdu’l-Baha
> Bahá'í Reference Library - The Secret of Divine ...
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SDC/sdc-6.html
> 
> I thought about the events of my life in the past few years. My daughter Anisa was married
> and my son Faran, after serving with the US Marines, was living in the Netherland. So,
> once again, Terry and I were free to “pack our chutes” and soar into the horizon of service.
> God opened the door when I learned that after working for more than 15 years and passing
> the age of 55, I was able to retire from my job and receive a pension. It coincided with
> Terry’s phone conversation with his brother, who told him that we could live a comfortable
> life with my retirement income in New Zealand. Soon after, I filed for early retirement and
> sent out farewell emails to the DPSS staff. I was overwhelmed with the responses from my
> former trainees, letting me know how I had touched their hearts and impacted their lives. I
> had a bit of crying in the last few weeks in my office. One of them especially touched my
> heart by quoting this Irish blessing for the traveler:
> 
> ‘May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back.
> May the sunshine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields
> and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.’
> 
> CHAPTER 11
> 
> A NEW PATH OF SERVICE
> NEW ZEALAND
> 2002-2004
> 
> Initiating a New Path of Service
> 
> In January 2002, we moved to New Zealand and made it our home for the next few years,
> while keeping California as our main residence. At that juncture, my highest aspiration was
> to dedicate my knowledge and skills to serve the Faith. For the past decade, I had
> completed professional training and was certified as a Training Manager, Performance
> Consultant, and Instructional System Design specialist by some of the largest training
> companies in the United States. In addition to developing training programs, I created and
> published close to 20 training manuals for various courses. When I became familiar with
> the scope of work and training manuals of US Bahá’í Office of the Assembly Development,
> I had the vision to contribute to the work of that agency. Therefore, when the opportunity
> arose to go back to New Zealand, I consulted with Terry and decided to offer our services
> on a voluntary basis, to establish the Office of Assembly Development under the auspices
> of the National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand. I then wrote to the National Assembly
> and shared our intention to serve in that capacity.
> 
> Journey to Wellington
> 
> I had fond memories of Wellington from my first stay in New Zealand, its cosmopolitan
> nature, its scenery, and location. Therefore, this time I consulted with Terry about making
> Wellington our home. A part of Terry’s family lived in Wellington. Thus, he was happy with
> this plan. When still in Corona, we found a house which was advertised on the internet, in
> a new housing development in Newlands and arranged to visit it upon our arrival.
> Meanwhile, we shipped our car and most of our household items to Wellington.
> 
> We stayed for 3 weeks in an extended stay hotel in downtown Wellington and became
> familiar with the city, which has changed considerably within the past 30 years. Angela
> James, an old friend, was the Secretary of Wellington Assembly and was a great help in
> taking us around the city and accompanying us to see the house that we were planning to
> buy. This house was built by its owners as their dream house, but sadly they got divorced
> before its completion. Now, it became our dream house. It was a two-story house built on
> a ridgeline, overlooking Wellington Harbour. On one side we had a panoramic view of
> Wellington City and Somes Island, and on another side, the shores of Petone. From my
> office, I had a panoramic view of sailing boats racing through the mouth of Wellington
> Harbour, and the breath-taking view of sunsets and frequent rainbows. I remember a Bahá’í
> friend, once driving to our house and seeing the view, made a remark that she thought she
> died and went to heaven. It took us a few months to receive our shipment and set up our
> home. During that period, we faced a new challenge of adjusting to the weather conditions
> of Wellington, which is known as the windiest city in the world. As our house was sitting on
> a ridgeline, it had direct exposure to the constant winds averaging 26 km/h. Also, frequent
> 
> Southerly fronts, gusting between 120 to 160 km/h, rocked the house like a ship caught in
> a storm. It took us a while to get used to the constant sound of the wind blowing at night.
> However, when we had overnight guests, they always remarked about the noise disrupting
> their sleep.
> 
> Wellington generally has a moderate climate for New Zealand. However, for us who were
> used to the dry heat of southern California, it felt pretty cold. For example, when we left Los
> Angeles in January, in the winter, the temperature was around 50F. When we arrived in
> Wellington a day later, which was summer in Southern Hemisphere, the temperature was
> also in the 50’s F.
> 
> Soon after settling down, the National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand asked us to meet
> at the National Office in Auckland. Some of the Assembly members were our old friends
> from the 1970’s. The Secretary was Suzanne Mohan, the daughter of Manoo Alai. We had
> a productive consultation on our proposal to establish the Office of Assembly Development
> in New Zealand.
> 
> After returning to Wellington, we received correspondence from the National Secretary to
> let us know that: ‘… your excellent offer is warmly accepted by NSA, and we think the idea
> of an office of LSA Development is a great idea and want you to go ahead as per your
> proposal. Please feel free to get started.’
> 
> On May 30, 2002, The Assembly Development Office received the following
> correspondence from the National Spiritual Assembly:
> 
> ‘Dear Bahá’í Friends,
> 
> The National Spiritual Assembly would like to congratulate you on the proposed plan
> contained in your email of 9 May 2002, for an Office of Assembly Development. Your emails
> of 24 May and 29 May 2002 are also acknowledged, with thanks.
> 
> The excellent offer you have made to offer your services in order to run the Office of
> Assembly Development is warmly accepted. In addition to the many aspects of Local
> Spiritual Assembly development which are thoroughly covered in the proposal, the National
> Spiritual Assembly would like to mention some further considerations. An aspect which we
> feel is important to cover in the Programme is how, in practical terms, the Local Spiritual
> Assemblies may collaborate with the Auxiliary Board members and their Assistants. Please
> also take cognizance of the different cultural approaches towards "Becoming a More
> Efficient and Effective Assembly" and "Developing a Strong and Vibrant Community," when
> implementing these in New Zealand, with our varied cultural mix. Should you require any
> advice on cultural matters, please approach the National Spiritual Assembly Secretariat,
> for help in identifying Bahá’ís who could assist.
> 
> The schedule of courses which you prepared has been checked to ensure it does not
> conflict with any major training courses organised by the Aotearoa Institute, or other major
> Bahá’í community activities, and has been sent out to Local Spiritual Assemblies. (A copy
> 
> of the information, in the form it was distributed, is being emailed to you separately.) The
> National Spiritual Assembly will be very interested to see the results of the pilot programme
> in Wanganui and Wellington. We are informing the Counsellors of your offer, and the fact
> that the National Spiritual Assembly is establishing this Office, and that we look forward to
> a level of collaboration evolving between this office and the Arm of the Learned.
> 
> Your request for advice and support from Alan Wilcox for setting up the terms of reference,
> budget, etc., for the Office of Assembly Development has been accepted. Alan is happy to
> work with you on these matters. Regarding the schedule of the Aotearoa Institute, a copy
> of the latest institute information is attached to this message. We are asking the Aotearoa
> Institute to put you on the email list for future circulars. A list of all Local Spiritual
> Assemblies, with contact details, will be posted to you shortly. We will also put you on the
> mailing list for the "Gazette" and "Feast Bulletin," as per your request. Your query regarding
> the number of copies of existing course materials in stock is being looked into by the
> Aotearoa Institute Coordinator, and you should receive word about this soon.
> 
> The National Spiritual Assembly feels positive that the approach you have designed will
> provide a strong impetus for the development of Local Spiritual Assemblies which is called
> for in the Five Year Plan. The initiative that you are taking attracts our gratitude and
> admiration. We hope that your endeavours will be amply confirmed by assistance from the
> unseen realm.
> 
> Warmest Bahá’í Love
> NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
> OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF NEW ZEALAND
> 
> Suzanne Mahon
> Secretary
> *********************
> 
> The following document regarding the establishment of the Office of Assembly
> Development was submitted to the National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand:
> 
> THE OFFICE OF ASSEMBLY DEVELOPMENT
> 
> The Office of Assembly Development is being established to coordinate all major national
> initiatives in the area of Local Spiritual Assembly Development.
> 
> THE FIVE YEAR PLAN VISION OF THE OFFICE OF ASSEMBLY DEVELOPMENT:
> 
> The Office of Assembly Development will become securely established in the
> consciousness of the New Zealand Bahá’í community as a resource for the National
> Assembly, Local Spiritual Assemblies and Regional Summer Schools in the training of
> the friends in the principles and processes of Bahá’í administration.
> 
> GOAL:        To facilitate the development of “a new state of mind” on the part of Assembly
> members and the community, thereby enabling the Assemblies to rise to the
> “new stage in the exercise of their responsibilities” envisioned by the
> Universal House of Justice in the Five Year Plan.
> 
> FOCUS:       The creation of a deep understanding among Assemblies and individual
> believers of what the process of entry by troops entails and the awareness of
> the Local Spiritual Assembly’s role as “a channel of God’s grace not only for
> the Bahá’ís but for the entire village, town or city in which it serves.”
> 
> SERVICES AVAILABLE FROM THIS OFFICE:
> 
> The Office of Assembly Development will be responsible for a number of initiatives in the
> following general categories: materials development, resource development, internal
> coordination, and analysis, providing training and supplying information on resources and
> promoting their usage. Specific examples in each area are detailed below.
> 
> ❖ Materials Development:
> 
> ❑   Self Assessment Tool for Assemblies: This asks Assemblies to rate themselves
> on the basis of the roles and responsibilities outlined in the Ridván 153 message
> from the Universal House of Justice.
> ❑   Assembly Development Modules: These consist of a number of module
> workshops on a variety of topics which help Assemblies understand more clearly
> the spiritual nature of their institution, improve their performance, and attain an
> ever advancing level of maturity. When used with the general community, the
> modules heighten appreciation for the station and responsibilities of local
> Assemblies and should serve to deepen the desire to support and assist these
> institutions.
> 
> ❖ Resource Development:
> Assembly Development Representatives Training: Nationwide training for a
> group of experts who will conduct Assembly Development Workshops in the Regional
> Forums around the country. They will also make presentations at the regional schools
> and Bahá’í conferences.
> 
> ❖ Analysis and Internal Coordination
> ❑ Local Spiritual Assembly Survey: Conducting a survey of Local Assemblies
> which includes questions regarding the training they have received, their internal
> functioning and the demographics of the community. Assemblies will also be given
> the opportunity to make comments and/or suggestions to the Office of Assembly
> Development and the National Spiritual Assembly. This data may be analyzed as
> 
> input for the deliberations of the National Assembly, its agencies, and the Cluster
> Steering Committees.
> 
> ❖ Providing Training
> ❑ Assembly Development Forums: To be held in various regions across the
> country. These bring Assemblies and communities together to consult with each
> other on issues of common concern and offer a variety of the Assembly
> Development Workshops covering topics that are essential to efficient and
> effective Assembly functioning.
> ❑   Workshops at Regional Summer Schools: Available on a variety of topics and
> facilitated by the Assembly Development staff.
> 
> ❖ THE OFFICE OF ASSEMBLY DEVELOPMENT STRUCTURE:
> ❑   STAFF:
> ➢    Shahla Gillbanks, OAD Consultant; Responsible for materials development,
> resource development, strategic planning, implementation, and analysis,
> providing training and follow up a consultation with the participating LSA’s.
> ➢ Terry Gillbanks, OAD Coordinator; responsible for a) Office
> coordination: budget, training supplies, mailing, etc.… b) Liaising with
> LSA’s for setting up the ongoing Forums, supplying information on
> resources and promoting their usage.
> 
> DEVELOPING THE ASSEMBLY DEVELOPMENT FORUM COURSE MANUAL
> 
> One of the major tasks of implementing the program was developing the Forum Course
> Manual. I contacted the US Office of Assembly Development and asked for their permission
> and support in developing the New Zealand Manual. They offered me their full support and
> emailed me the US Modules of their manual.
> 
> This coincided with a visit from Counsellor Paul Lample, from the International Teaching
> Center, who later became a member of the Universal House of Justice. Mr. Lample’s
> objective for a visit was to consult with the members of the Bahá’í Institutions and the
> community, about the recent call from the Universal House of Justice, described in the
> Bahá’í OnLine Library:
> 
> ‘Creating a New Mind: Reflections on the Individual, the Institutions, and the
> Community by Paul Lample, 1999. In this creative book, Paul Lample discusses
> the influence of the human mind in shaping human reality. He identifies three
> vehicles for changing reality: the individual, the institutions, and the community at
> large. He highlights the need for study and learning and places the Bahá’í Writings
> as the pivot around which learning, and change can happen
> 
> With the conclusion of the Four Year Plan, the Faith has passed through a critical
> moment both in the “scheme of Bahá’í and world history.” During this time, the
> Universal House of Justice called upon the individual, the institutions, and the
> community to become more systematic in their efforts to advance the process of
> entry by troops, and beyond, to build a new civilization. This book reexamines the
> nature of each of these protagonists and focuses on the process of learning in the
> light of divine guidance that lies at the heart of our ability to progress toward the
> purpose intended by Bahá’u’lláh. The subjects raised are central to the progress of
> the Bahá’í world in coming decades.’
> 
> I had the privilege of consulting with Paul Lample when he was staying at our house in
> Wellington, and I followed his recommendation to develop the Assembly Development
> Forums Project. Paul Lample suggested documenting the program and its progress, in
> order to see the possibility of its implementation in other parts of the Bahá’í world. On a
> later date, I forwarded the Course Manual, The Forum report, and related information to
> the World Center for their review.
> 
> I also had the help of Paddy Payne, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Wellington,
> with the editing of the Manual.
> 
> Excerpt s from the Course Manual Introduction:
> ‘Acknowledgment
> 
> The Assembly Development Forum Manual is an amalgamation of a number
> of existing resources, such as Paul Lample’s book, “Creating A New Mind”, modules
> developed by the Office of Assembly Development of the Bahá’ís of the United
> States, segments from the modules developed by Lawrence M. Miller for
> Mottahedeh Development Services, in addition to a number of original modules
> which were developed by Shahla Gillbanks (OAD consultant).
> Sincere thanks to Terry Gillbanks and Paddy Payne, for their help in editing and
> production of the manual.’
> 
> Shahla Gillbanks
> OAD Consultant
> 
> A Message from the National Spiritual Assembly to the Assembly
> Development Forum Participants
> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
> The National Spiritual Assembly would like to warmly commend to you the
> important learning experience that you are embarking on as participants in the
> Assembly Development Forum. We are confident that you will be uplifted by a
> sense of wonder as you explore the wide-ranging implications of Bahá’u’lláh’s
> Administrative Order. At the same time, this course offers a solid and practical
> approach to becoming ever more systematic in carrying out the functions of the
> Local Spiritual Assembly, which is the bedrock of that wondrous Order.
> 
> Over the years, the beloved Universal House of Justice has repeatedly
> emphasised the important role which Local Spiritual Assemblies have to play in
> the dynamic growth process that the Bahá’í community is pursuing. The
> maturation of the Assemblies, as they come to function with ever-increasing
> competence in carrying out their duties, will have a huge influence on the well-
> being of their communities and the promotion of the teaching work. Given that
> such systematisation requires the application of skills, the development of those
> skills on the part of Assembly members, and other members of the community,
> to assist in carrying out the Assembly's work, is an unavoidable necessity. The
> weighty responsibilities of the members can be shouldered effectively if they will
> equip themselves fully for the task through conscientious study and training.
> 
> The courses offered by the Office of Assembly Development are designed
> to highlight the Bahá’í principles upon which the Local Spiritual Assembly is
> 
> based, thus empowering Assemblies to adhere ever more faithfully to principle in
> both the protection and propagation of the Faith, as it moves forward. These
> courses also prepare Assemblies to be able to respond rapidly, and in a clearly
> focused manner, to issues and challenges in the community.
> 
> The National Spiritual Assembly trusts that you will be inspired by your
> participation in this course. Whether as a member of the Local Spiritual Assembly
> or playing some other role in your Bahá’í community, the support of each
> individual believer for the work of the Assembly is essential. We would like to
> lovingly thank you for showing your support, through your participation in this
> course, and all your devoted endeavours in service to Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> Warmest Greetings
> 
> NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
> OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF NEW ZEALAND
> 
> A Note from the Office of Assembly Development
> 
> Dear Participant
> 
> Welcome to the Assembly Development Forum. By bringing this programme to
> you, the National Spiritual Assembly is acknowledging the important role you play in
> the initiation of a systematic process that will lead to the entry by troops in New
> Zealand. The Office of Assembly Development supports your growth and
> development because your contribution counts.
> By participating in this program, you will gain an edge by exploring a variety of
> tools and skills that will enable you to take a more active role in examining
> responsibilities of your Local Spiritual Assembly and to help in developing a plan of
> action to fulfill these responsibilities. The more you contribute, the more you will
> benefit. Your contribution also affects fellow LSA members, your Assembly as a unit,
> the Bahá’í community, and ultimately the citizens of the world.
> 
> Programme Objectives:
> 
> The Assembly Development Forum has been developed in support of the
> National Spiritual Assembly’s Spiritualisation campaign programme for the New
> Zealand Bahá’í community. It is aimed to enable the Local Spiritual Assemblies to
> effectively perform their sacred duties in administering the affairs of the Bahá’í
> community, in generating spiritual renewal among the believers, and in developing a
> systematic approach to the process of teaching and consolidation.
> 
> The Forum participants, within the context of their Spiritual Assemblies, will be able:
> 
> To develop a systematic approach to facilitate the growth of a strong,
> vibrant and ever expanding Bahá’í community
> To identify reasons why believers become inactive, and take proactive
> steps in motivating and empowering the believers
> To take an active role in the development of human resources of their
> communities
> To initiate a dynamic partnership between the individual believers, the
> Assembly, and the Auxiliary Board and Assistants
> To effectively implement the CAR (Consult-Act-Reflect) Model in their
> Clusters
> To identify and apply Spiritual and Administrative Principles to the
> Assembly’s decision making process
> To apply specific skills in Time Management, Agenda Planning, Delegation,
> and Process Assessment, in order to increase the Effectiveness and
> Efficiency of their Assemblies
> 
> IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WELLINGTON PILOT PROJECT
> 
> In consultation with Alan Wilcox and the Wellington Assembly, we planned to hold the first
> OAD Forum in Wellington Region, as a pilot project.
> Terry and I made real effort to meet with all the Assemblies and encouraged
> their participation in the Forum. It was quite a helpful and challenging work. We met with
> the Assemblies of Kapiti, Carterton, Upper Hutt, Masterton, and Porirua. In some
> communities, we offered to make a presentation at their Feasts. In all these occasions we
> limited our consultation to the Assembly Development project. With all these challenges it
> was wonderful to see representation from all but one Assembly.
> Overall, the Wellington Forum was extremely positive and wonderful. Some Assemblies,
> especially those with only one or two representatives, felt a bit overwhelmed to do the Pilot
> Project’s follow up work. However, we ensured them that they would be working within the
> Cluster and had the full support of the Wellington Assembly, which was taking the lead, the
> National Assembly, and the Auxiliary Board members.
> It was concluded that the Forums would have a rippling effect to start an upward movement
> in New Zealand. The feedback from the Forum participants was quite helpful in revising
> some parts of the Course Manual.
> 
> THE SUMMARY REPORT
> 
> The following report is intended to summarise the planning and implementation process
> of the pilot project for the Assembly Development Forums in New Zealand.
> 
> The Programme:
> 
> The programme was initially based on the modules developed by the Office of the
> Assembly Development of the Bahá’ís of the United States. However, after consultation
> with Mr Paul Lample, and with further review of his book, and the report of the joint meeting
> of the National Spiritual Assembly and members of the Continental Board of Counsellors,
> the programme has evolved to mirror the systematic approach to planning and
> implementation strategy of the CAR Model – Consultation, Action, Reflection. The
> sequential curriculum defined:
> 
> ▪   The vision, goals, services, and functions of Local Spiritual Assemblies, and helped
> participants to develop a Mission Statement for their Assemblies
> ▪   The Call to a new state of mind
> ▪   How to assess and respond to the needs and aspirations of the believers, by
> applying the spiritual principles of the Faith, utilising the scientific approach of
> motivation, Self Empowerment, and Performance Management
> ▪   Role of the Assembly in harmonising collective actions
> ▪   The dynamic nature of relationship of the individual believer, the Assembly, and
> the Auxiliary Board and Assistants
> ▪   The application of Spiritual and Administrative principles in the decision making
> process of the Assembly
> 
> ▪   The dynamics of consultation-skill practice
> ▪   The Effective Functioning of the Spiritual Assembly
> 
> Course Manual: Each participant received a course manual, containing the background
> information, tools, and worksheets. Quite a few Assemblies purchased additional
> manuals for the absentee members.
> 
> The Participants:
> 
> The target group of this Forum encompassed two clusters and seven assemblies.
> Within the last two months, the OAD staff met with each Assembly/ community to consult
> about the programme. There has been continuous communication with the Auxiliary Board
> members. These efforts were fruitful in getting to know the Assembly members and
> developing a partnership with them and the Auxiliary Board member, David Lew. As a result
> of this preliminary interaction, six out of seven Assemblies were represented.
> 
> In addition, the Forum had the privilege of having full-time participation of Auxiliary Board
> member David Lew, and a number of Assistants to the Auxiliary Board.
> 
> The Process:
> 
> The Forum started with an inspiring opening address by the beloved Counsellor, Judge
> Heather Simpson. The schedule was as follows:
> 
> Saturday, 24th of August 2002
> 
> 8:30–9:30         Introductions
> Call to “A New State of Mind”
> Opening Address; Counsellor Heather Simpson
> 
> 9:30 –12:00       Developing a Strong and Vibrant Community
> ▪ Unlocking the Power of Action – What is the Vision for the
> community, and how to achieve it?
> ▪ How to Awaken the Initiatives and galvanise the Community
> Members to Action?
> ▪ Systematic Approach to Human Resources Development
> ▪ The Dynamic Nature of Partnership
> 1:00 – 5:00       Executing A Systematic Plan of Action
> ▪ Building Visions of Growth
> ▪ Devising Strategies
> ▪ Establishing Lines of Action
> ▪ Motivating Dedication to Service
> 
> Sunday, 25th of August 2002
> 
> 8:30 –12:00    Applying Spiritual and Administrative Principles to the
> Assembly’s Decision Making Process
> ▪ The Administration of Justice
> ▪ The Importance of Principle
> ▪ Distinguishing between Principles and Procedures
> ▪ Identifying and Applying Spiritual and Administrative Principles
> 
> 1:00– 4:00     Becoming a More Efficient and Effective Assembly
> ▪   Consultation - Using Differences to Enhance Assembly’s
> Functioning
> - Skill Practice
> ▪   Managing the Assembly’s Time
> ▪   Planning Effective Agendas
> ▪   Delegation Within the Assembly and Beyond
> 
> 4:00 – 5:00    Reflection session on the Assembly Development Forum
> -   Review of the implementation plan of The Assembly Development
> Pilot Project – next page …
> 
> The Wellington Assembly Development Pilot Project
> 
> As the initial stage of the New Zealand Assembly
> Development program unfolds, it will be essential to
> examine the critical steps of the programme, reflecting on
> the final results, and make the required adjustments to
> enhance its effectiveness. To achieve this purpose, the
> Wellington Forum will be used as an arena to pilot the
> program.
> 
> The partnership involves the Forum’s participating Assemblies,
> The OAD Consultant, and the Auxiliary Board member and Assistants. The Pilot project
> will attempt to follow the systematic Process of CAR. The Dynamics are as follows:
> 
> Training Phase - During the Forum
> 
> ➢ Participants are encouraged to work with the Consultant and the Auxiliary Board to:
> ▪ Identify their Assemblies Developmental needs
> ▪ Set personal objectives and planned action for learning and participation in
> training
> ▪ Actively participate in training activities
> ▪ Network with the Forum participants
> ▪ Offer feedback to the Consultant about the training
> 
> The Assembly Development Project
> 
> ❖ The Consultation Phase
> 
> ➢ To be completed by the first week of September
> 
> The LSA members are asked to:
> ▪ Call for a special Assembly meeting – as soon as possible
> ▪ Review the Key Points of the Forum
> ▪ Consult on the items of the Process Assessment Sheet and
> develop strategies for their implementation.
> 
> ❖ The Action/Reflection Phase
> 
> ➢ For the months of September and October 2002
> ▪ The ongoing process of implementation and Assessment of the Assembly’s
> functioning based on the items of the Process Assessment Sheet.
> ▪ Complete a Process Assessment Sheet at the end of each month, and send a
> copy with your recommendations to OAD
> 
> The Community Development Project:
> 
> ❖   The Consultation Phase
> 
> ➢ To be completed by the 9th of September
> 
> The working units are asked to:
> 
> ▪    Invite the LSA/community members to a Focus Group Meeting. – as soon
> as possible
> ▪    Review the Key Points of the First Day of the Forum, and present the
> “Action Plan” which they have developed in the Forum,
> ▪    Consult on the key elements of the Action plan and develop a short term
> goal for the community.
> ▪    Develop an implementation strategy.
> ▪    Document the progress and send a copy to OAD.
> 
> ❖ The Action Phase
> 
> ➢ To begin on the 10th of September, and completed by the 31st of October
> 
> ▪    To initiate, implement, and complete the short term plan of the community,
> utilising the systematic process, covered in the Forum.
> ▪    Document your progress and send a copy, with your recommendation to
> OAD
> 
> ❖ The Reflection Phase
> 
> ➢    The Community Reflection Meeting -- to be held on the 10th of November
> 
> Call for a Reflection Meeting to Review the Project, Reflect on its systematic
> process of action, and consult on the following issues:
> ▪ What worked, what needed fine tuning?
> ▪ How much the process helped in harmonising the individual initiatives
> towards a collective action?
> ▪ What did you learn, and how can you apply the results to the next plan of
> action?
> ▪ What will be your next plan of action?
> ▪ Develop a Reflection Report, send a copy with your recommendations to
> OAD
> 
> ➢ The Wellington Cluster Reflection Meeting, on 12th of November 2002
> 
> Share your community report with the Cluster communities and celebrate
> your success!
> 
> TRIP TO CALIFORNIA AND HOLLAND
> 
> We had a pause in our Forum schedule, in order to go back to California for a while and
> then to the Netherlands for the wedding ceremony of our son Faran and Kim, his bride from
> Holland. I spent most of my time in California revising the Forum Manual and sent it to
> Wellington for Paddy Payne to edit. We enjoyed being with our daughter Anisa and her
> family who lived in Los Angeles. We also visited our friends and family in California. We
> had round trip tickets for Amsterdam, Singapore and Kyoto, our first time to visit all those
> countries. In Holland, Faran made all the arrangements for an American Bahá’í wedding,
> patterned after his sister’s wedding. He asked me to have the same readings from the
> Bahá’í Writings that I developed for Anisa. We had a wonderful family reunion and enjoyed
> spending time with our children. After the wedding, Faran booked us in a hotel close to the
> German border. That gave us an opportunity to go to Frankfurt and visit the Mother Temple
> of Europe and take part in the Sunday devotional. We were thrilled to visit our 3rd
> Mashriqu’l-Adhkár - Sydney, Wilmette and now Frankfurt. Before leaving Amsterdam,
> Faran and Kim consulted about moving to New Zealand. Faran always had fond memories
> of New Zealand and considered it as his home. They moved to Wellington the following
> June.
> 
> FOLLOW UP ON THE WELLINGTON PILOT PROJECT
> 
> We returned to New Zealand in October and resumed our service. On October 13th, I sent
> the following correspondence to the members of Institutions in Wellington Region.
> 
> To: Michael Holden, Lynne Holden; Ridvan Firestone; Angela James, James Firestone,
> Lida & Ramin Kousari; Maria Clayton; Paddy Payne, Patricia Wilcox; Eddie Cook; LSA
> Carterton; LSA Lower Hutt; LSA Masterton, Mike Fudakowski; LSA Porirua, Lauren
> Richardson
> 
> Cc: NZ National Secretary; Alan Willcox; Counsellor Heather Simpson; ABM David Lew
> 
> Subject: WELLINGTON PILOT PROJECT
> 
> Dear Bahá’í Friends.
> 
> It has been a blessing to have the bounty of hearing Mr. Nakhjavani's talk last night, in
> Wellington: Encouraging the New Zealand believers in striving to reach our spiritual
> destiny; aspiring to achieve the station of a "lover" of the Beloved. To dedicate our lives to
> service, and to promote the welfare and happiness of humanity.
> 
> I was delighted to hear from some of your Assembly members that the majority of the
> Wellington Forum Assemblies have been working on the processes and goals of the Pilot
> Project. We are eagerly anticipating to learn more about your success stories and
> feedback.
> 
> THE REGIONAL FORUMS REPORTS
> 
> A series of Regional Forums were held in 2002- 2003. Some of the Forum’s reports are
> as follows:
> 
> Report of the Wanganui Assembly Development Forum
> 
> The Wanganui Forum was held from November 2 to 3, 2002, in Wanganui. 24 participants
> from 4 communities of Horowhenua, Manawatu, New Plymouth, and Wanganui
> participated in the programme. In addition, Auxiliary Board member, Glenys Forsyth, as
> the guest consultant, fully participated in the program.
> 
> The programme was revised to reflect the Spiritualisation Campaign of the National
> Assembly and suggestions from the participants of Wellington Forum. Each participant
> received a Course Manual which was also revised to reflect the above changes in the
> curriculum.
> 
> The Wanganui Assembly excelled in their hospitality, by providing sleeping quarters in a
> Marae, and food and refreshments for the participants. Their hospitality was greatly
> appreciated by all participants. The energy, enthusiasm, professionalism, and sense of
> unity of participants were exemplary.
> 
> At the end of the Forum, participants of each community consulted on the effectiveness
> of the workshops and completed a Reflection Sheet.
> 
> As a follow up to the Forum, each Assembly was given a number of Action Plans for
> consultation and implementation.
> 
> Upon completion of the Forum John Wehrman accepted to work with the Auxiliary Board
> member Glenys Forsyth, in providing follow-up training within the communities of the
> Wanganui Forum area. This act of service will assuredly have positive results in the
> implementation plans of the participating Assemblies.
> 
> Wanganui Forum participants with the ABM Glenys Forsyth, standing first on the left
> 
> Back, 4th from Left: Linda McArthur; Beryl Bird; then John Werhan; next row, forward second from Left: Jeni
> Wright; Mary Martin? Jill Chivers. Terry Gillbanks, Far Right Top: Mervyn Chivers; in front of him, Santana
> Ponga. Next Row down: Glenys Forsyth. Front left: Syd Ponga; TeMo Ponga; Carwyn Taitumu Ponga;
> Chelsea Lee Ponga; mixture of Wanganui and Manawatu Bahá’ís. Second from left, back row, Barrie Forsyth
> 
> Report of the Nelson Assembly Development Forum
> 
> The Nelson Forum was held from November 23 to 24, 2002, in Nelson. 12 participants
> represented communities of Marlborough, Nelson, and Tasman.
> 
> This heart warming Forum was blessed with the participation of three of the elder Bahá’ís
> in New Zealand. The diversity of cultural background of participants was also noteworthy.
> 
> The small number of participants allowed the Forum to take a more in-depth approach to
> consultation and group discussion. It was wonderful to see the transfer of what was
> discussed in the Forum to the consultation portion of the Nineteen Day Feast of Nelson
> Community, that evening.
> 
> As a follow up to the Forum, each Assembly was given a number of Action Plans for
> consultation and implementation. In order to help the three Assemblies to implement the
> plans, Lucia Wielsma accepted to work with Jill Bonny, the Auxiliary Board Assistant, to
> 
> provide follow-up training in January. This act of service will assuredly have positive results
> in the implementation plans of the participating Assemblies.
> 
> Report of the Palmerston North Assembly Development Forum
> 
> The Palmerston North Forum was held from January 18 to 19, 2003, in Palmerston
> North. Nine participants represented Palmerston North and Tararua communities.
> 
> This make-up Forum was held in response to Palmerston North and members of other
> communities who were not able to attend the previous Forums in Wellington and
> Wanganui.
> 
> This was the first Forum held after the approval of the Course Manual by the National
> Spiritual Assembly.
> 
> Due to the small number of participants, there were more sharing of opinions,
> followed by consultation on topics that were of concern to participants. Among them was
> the concept of creating a vibrant and growing community through an increasing number of
> friends who would complete the main sequence of Study Circles, and the ability of the
> Assemblies to channel their energies and talents to some acts of service.
> 
> The concern was that this method is for the communities who have a large number of
> new believers and since presently the number of declarants in New Zealand that the
> numbers of enrolments in the Faith at that stage were not high enough to sustain it. This
> was followed by a dynamic consultation on the following quote that “Indeed, given that
> only a small fraction of the … Bahá’ís can be considered active supporters of the Faith,
> the very act of training a few thousand believers, and thus increasing the number who
> have a strong Bahá’í identity and a commitment to teaching the Cause, would in itself
> constitute an advance in the process of entry by troops.”
> 
> As a follow up to the Forum, each community was given a number of Action Plans for
> consultation and implementation.
> 
> Report of the Dunedin Assembly Development Forum
> 
> The Dunedin Forum was held from 22 to 23, February 2003, in Dunedin. 16 participants
> from the Dunedin community attended the Forum.
> 
> This Forum was unique due to a large ratio of youth participants, and a number of Farsi
> speaking participants who needed help with translation. The collective effort of community
> members who helped with translation and clarification of concepts for youth made this
> Forum an enjoyable and energising experience for all.
> 
> The other distinguishing feature was the hospitality of the Dunedin community, and
> especially a dear friend who offered her house for the Forum venue and provided
> 
> refreshment, lunch, and dinner for participants and their families. This collective effort
> showed a model Bahá’í community in action.
> 
> As a number of participants showed interest to have follow-up training, Adrian Hindes and
> Soheila Boag accepted the responsibility to arrange to follow up training in English and
> Farsi, respectively.
> 
> As a follow up to the Forum, the community was given a number of Action Plans for
> consultation and implementation.
> 
> Report of the Hamilton Assembly Development Forum
> 
> The Hamilton Forum was held from 29 to 30, March 2003, in Hamilton. 13 participants
> represented Hamilton, Matamata – Pako, Waikato, Waikato South communities.
> 
> This was the first Forum which was held at a Bahá’í Centre. The presence of a pioneer
> from Japan and the synergy created by a group of interested and enthusiastic participants
> compensated for some who did not show up for the Forum.
> 
> The participants expressed their pleasure in working in a safe and positive environment,
> where each could contribute and be energised by interacting and learning from each other.
> 
> As a follow up to the Forum, the community was given a number of Action Plans for
> consultation and implementation.
> 
> The Overall Impact of the Forums
> 
> The above Forums had a positive impact on the communities. It gave an impetus to unify
> the communities and Assemblies at a regional and Cluster level. It also energized the
> community members through individual initiatives and diverse actions to work towards a
> common purpose. Some members expressed that after years of being inactive, they
> realized that they could play an important role in the community building initiatives in their
> neighborhoods. The presence of the Auxiliary Board Members in most of the Forums
> facilitated close cooperation of the Bahá’í Institutions in the Cluster and Regional level.
> 
> FACING NEW CHALLENGES
> 
> At the onset of 2003, I encountered a few health challenges which impacted our plan to
> stay in New Zealand. Within the last few years in California, I had suffered from Meniere
> disease in my right ear. In order to release the pressure and fluid in my ear, the doctor
> punctured my eardrum. Unfortunately, this procedure impacted my hearing and caused
> recurrent ear infections. This problem intensified after moving to Wellington, by living at a
> high elevation. In 2003, I developed a severe middle ear infection which affected my
> mobility. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic to treat the infection, but I had a bad reaction
> to the medication and had to go to the Emergency Room. I was sick the entire month of
> March and lost hearing in my right ear. I was still suffering from illness while conducting the
> Forum in Hamilton. As my ability to travel was limited, we accepted the offer from Karen
> Te’o, who was a training consultant and attended one of the Forums, to facilitate the
> upcoming Forums. I decided to explore the possibility of applying for Social Security
> Disability and went to the American Embassy to receive the required documents. However,
> I was Informed that there was no reciprocal agreement between the US and New Zealand
> governments regarding Social Security payments. Therefore, I would need to be in the US
> to apply and receive Social Security Disability. At this juncture, we had no choice but to go
> back to California for an extended period. In June, right after our son and his wife arrived
> in Wellington, we left them at our home and asked them to take over the Bahá’ís meetings
> which were scheduled there.
> 
> We arrived in Los Angeles, just a few weeks after our daughter Anisa had her first son,
> Kyle. We had the opportunity to take care of her and the baby. We also got involved with
> the Bahá’í community of LA and the activities at the Bahá’í Center. Just before I left
> Wellington, I received the following correspondence from the US Office of Assembly
> Development:
> 
> ‘From: Mullen, Theresa
> Friday, June 13, 2003, 10:58 AM
> To the Office of Assembly Development of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand
> Dear Bahá'í friends:
> Thank you for sending us a copy of the Course manual for the Forum project that
> you have launched in New Zealand and for your kind words of appreciation.
> We were pleased that our materials were of some use to you in developing your
> excellent course, which has expanded greatly upon the original ideas. This manual
> will be most helpful to us as we continue to update and revise our materials. Should
> you find it convenient, we would love to hear more about the results of your program
> as you proceed, and we would be glad to reciprocate, should you so desire.
> Your kind offer of you and your husband's services during your upcoming visit to the
> United States is greatly appreciated. Please let us know more about the types of
> service you can offer and the time that you think you will have available. Should your
> visit take you to the Chicago area, we would love to meet you.
> Best wishes for the continued success of your valuable efforts.’
> 
> I offered to help with the Assembly Development project in Southern California. However,
> our stay was shortened after filing the required documents with the Social Security
> Administration and our return to Wellington.
> 
> The second trip to California was for the application interview. During this extended stay, I
> developed debilitating symptoms of a malfunctioning gallbladder. Unfortunately, it was not
> properly diagnosed, and for the next two years I could barely live a normal life or carry on
> with all my Bahá’í activities. After months of waiting, my application was rejected, and I
> was advised to file an appeal. I was not aware that it was normal process for Social
> Security application, so I returned to Wellington sick and disheartened. Somehow the
> fresh air and new diet made me reasonably functional to resume the Bahá’í activities in
> the Wellington Region.
> 
> INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE CLUSTERS
> 
> Wellington Cluster’s First Inter-Institutional Meeting
> 
> The Focus Group held on 25 September 2003, was sponsored by the Wellington
> Spiritual Assembly and coordinated by the Office of Assembly Development
> consultant, Shahla Gillbanks.
> 
> The majority of Assembly members from Wellington, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt, a
> representative from Porirua, and the majority of ABM Assistants participated in the
> meeting.
> 
> The Purpose of the meeting was:
> 
> To consult on the role of the institutions in cluster development and
> To develop strategies to facilitate the growth of the Wellington cluster, from C to B
> category.
> 
> The Group consulted and assessed the “Propitious Conditions for Intensive
> Growth*” in the Wellington Cluster as follows:
> A high level of enthusiasm among a sizeable group of devoted and capable
> believers who understand the prerequisites for sustainable growth and can
> take ownership of the programme*
> The Group concluded that the number varied from community to community.
> Considering the factor of 40% participation in Nineteen Day Feasts, close to 50%
> of the community members are actively involved in the Cluster activities.
> Goal: To increase the number of devoted and capable believers
> Some basic experience on the part of a few communities in the cluster in
> holding classes for the spiritual education of children, devotional meetings,
> and the Nineteen Day Feast*
> Based on the regional Stats, this condition exists in the Cluster. Presently there
> are 12 Devotional meetings, and 8 Children’s classes being held per month within
> the Cluster. Regular Feasts are being held in each community, with the average
> of 40% participation.
> Goal: To strengthen the existing core activities, to support the individual
> initiative through Cluster Reflection Meetings.
> 
> * Letter of the Universal House of Justice, Jan 09, 2001, Conference of the Continental Boards of
> Counsellors
> 
> The existence of a reasonable degree of administrative capacity in at least a
> few Local Spiritual Assemblies*
> This condition exists in the majority of the Cluster’s Assemblies
> Goal: Rendering support to other Assemblies- if and when requested,
> through the Cluster Task Forces for Human Resources.
> The active involvement of several assistants to Auxiliary Board members in
> promoting community life: *
> The Cluster has the benefit of active involvement of the ABM and the ABM
> Assistants within the Cluster communities.
> A pronounced spirit of collaboration among the various institutions working in
> the area: *
> The recent initiatives from Lower Hutt and Wellington
> Assemblies indicate the maturation of the Assemblies
> in developing strategies for Inter-Institutional
> collaboration.                                               WE ARE
> HERE
> Goal: To develop strategies for the Inter-Institutional
> Collaboration
> 
> Strong presence of the training institute with a scheme of coordination that
> supports the systematic multiplication of study circles. *
> 
> The recent statistical information shows that there has been considerable progress
> in this area. The Comparison Statistical chart shows that 45% of Cluster
> population is involved in the Institute process. With 17 trained tutors, who can
> facilitate more than one Book. Therefore, increasing the number to 27.
> In the light of the emerging advancement of the Institute process in Wellington
> Region, the issue was raised about re-categorisation of the Wellington Cluster
> from C to B.
> 
> Results of Consultation on Strategic Planning:
> 
> To hold periodic Inter-institutional meetings, as they create a unity of vision, a
> learning experience that bonds the member of institutions together and would
> empower them to serve.
> 
> To form a Teaching and Publicity task force, in order to identify different means of
> publicity in Wellington Cluster
> 
> To adopt the Wellington Bahá’í Community Brochure for the Cluster. This Brochure,
> developed by a task force, based on the individual initiative, was supported and
> approved by the Wellington Assembly. Community members may use it to invite their
> 
> friends to the Bahá’í activities or place them in public places, such as Citizens Advice
> Bureaux, waiting rooms, Bulletin Boards, etc...
> 
> To broaden the roles of the Cluster Coordinators in working as a team to:
> 
> Increase attendance at Reflection Meetings - by publicising and encouraging
> participation.
> Track the Cluster statistics
> Promote the Institute Process – i.e., asking graduates to take part in the
> programme.
> Communicate progress of the Cluster to the community and National agencies
> Increase fulfillment of pledges
> 
> How:
> 
> LSA’s annually elect new Coordinators – from the grassroots, young, energetic
> believers, along with the more experienced ones.
> Revisit the timing of Reflection meetings, i.e., weekend evenings
> Create a regional Calendar of events
> 
> Working towards Creating a Human Resources Taskforce
> 
> Aim:
> To plan for and set up specific community activities that can be organised
> by the individuals who are appropriately skilled.
> To encourage initiatives by those individuals who are appropriately skilled.
> To utilise “…the energies and talents of the swelling human resources
> available…” from “a community whose individuals recognise the importance
> of the institute process, who work systematically through its courses and who
> then serve the community through the skills and talents they have acquired
> as part of this training or which they might naturally possess.”
> 
> Participants of Wellington Cluster’s First
> Inter-Institutional Meeting
> 
> WELLINGTON COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
> 
> We had a wonderful and productive time with friends in the Wellington community. When
> we were not traveling, we participated in a wide range of community activities, supporting
> individual initiatives and hosting a few at our home. On a July 9 th Holy Day
> Commemoration, we had the dramatic audio presentation of Martyrdom of the Báb,
> performed by the Canadian Youth, as our program. After lunch, our guest, Layli Miller-Muro
> the founder of Tahirih Justice Center, talked about her non-profit organization which was
> dedicated to protecting women from human rights abuses.
> 
> In the year 2003- 2004, I was elected as the Secretary of Wellington Spiritual Assembly. I
> had the bounty of serving in the Assembly and joining my dear friends and dedicated
> servants of Bahá’u’lláh to implement the action plan which was developed by the Assembly
> in the AOD Forum for Wellington. The members, Paddy Payne, Patricia Wilcox, Angela
> James, Alex Maehe, James Firestone, Maria Reynen Clayton, Lynne Klap and Erica
> Zemke-Smith were all involved in undertaking different activities.
> 
> The vibrant young members of the community were actively involved in all aspects of
> Bahá’í life. When our son Faran, moved to Wellington, he helped to start the “Twenty
> Something and Youth Group,” that initiated a wide range of Bahá’í activities.
> 
> SOUL FOOD Devotional Participant
> L to R; Zafar Smith, Patricia Wilcox, Jess Jacobs, Nick Jacobs,
> Daniel Wilcox, John Wilcox
> 
> Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Wellington
> 
> EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
> 
> INTRODUCTION:
> 
> The Assembly sends loving greetings to all members of the community and thanks them
> for the support shown over the past year. Our community is growing in maturity and
> capability, and we look forward to seeing the increasingly rich fruits of this growth process
> this year.
> 
> OUR VISION:
> 
> To utilise the energies and talents of the swelling human resources available
> To create a vibrant community life and
> To begin influencing the society around us. *
> 
> OUR LONG TERM GOAL:
> 
> To contribute to the growth of the cluster of which we are a part of being C status to
> being a B cluster.
> 
> To support the pattern of growth by:
> helping an ever-increasing number of friends to move through the main sequence
> of courses offered by the institute, and
> By calling upon them to help deepen the generality of the Bahá'ís by visiting them
> regularly; teach children, arrange devotional meetings and form study circles,
> making it possible to sustain expansion. *
> 
> OUR APPROACH:
> 
> To align our goals and plans to the Five Year Plan, and ensure that all of our activities
> at a community level are contributing to the achievement of the Plan's goals
> 
> To adopt an outward-oriented systematic approach, based on a culture of
> encouragement, learning, consultation, action, and reflection.
> 
> SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC GOALS AND RELATED ACTIVITIES
> 
> Developing and supporting a culture of learning in the community
> 
> The Century of Light Study Group: The Assembly supported the individual
> initiatives to hold a series of deepening sessions on Century of Light for the
> Cluster community
> Feast Consultation on the Letters of the Universal House of Justice: Based on
> the directives from National Spiritual Assembly, the Assembly arranged for a
> series of presentations, followed by consultation on such important topics, in the
> Feasts.
> Community-wide sessions for visiting Bahá’ís and ABM: The Assembly
> sponsored cluster-wide sessions for Guy Sinclair, ABM, and John Griffin.
> Consultation meeting on Building Momentum: The Assembly held a meeting with
> its Committee members and representative, to consult on their role -- highlighted
> in the above document, and to develop implementation strategies.
> Focus Group Inter-Institutional Meeting: The Assembly, in collaboration with the
> Office of Assembly Development, sponsored the first Inter-institutional meeting for
> the Wellington Cluster, to learn and consult on the role of the institutions in the
> development of the Cluster, and to develop implementation strategies.
> 
> Creating a Vibrant Community Life
> A celebration of Nineteen Day Feasts and Holy Days: The community held
> regular Nineteen Day Feasts, with the dynamic participation of youth, who played
> an important role in creating inspirational devotional readings and atmosphere.
> There have been skits and presentations on holding firesides, Cluster
> Development, and Messages from the Universal House of Justice.
> Presently, the community agreed to form regional teams to take turn in creating
> vibrant Feasts and Holy Days for the entire community.
> Twenty Something and Youth Activities: The community has been enriched by
> the activities of two groups of energetic young adults and youth, who met
> regularly to discuss topics of significant interest, develop a social network, and
> undertake service projects in the cluster community. One of the noteworthy
> projects was the Cuba Street Carnival which was a resounding success.
> Supporting Cluster Reflection Meetings: Wellington representatives have actively
> participated in the Cluster Coordinators consultation to help in collecting statistical
> information about Cluster activities, helping to hold well attended, and dynamic
> Cluster Reflection meetings. The Assembly rendered both financial and human
> resources to support the reflection meetings. The community helped with
> encouraging participation, by creating a telephone tree to invite all the community
> members to attend. Our community helped with a successful children programme
> which went concurrently with the Reflection meeting and inspired all with their
> fundraising artworks for the Porirua Bahá’í Centre.
> Children Classes: Bahá’í Children classes offered a systematic and well
> organised programme for the spiritual education of our children. Four children
> classes were operating throughout the year. Bahá’í children participated in the
> 
> Education for Peace Programme, and Children Camp, both held in the Cluster
> communities.
> Devotional Meetings: In addition to a weekly Dawn Prayer meeting, a number of
> other devotional meetings are being held based on the individual initiatives.
> 
> Influencing the society around us
> 
> Monthly Forums: Teaching Committee sponsored a series of public forums to
> discuss the Bahá’í perspectives on current social issues. The forums that were
> publicised attracted up to 30 participants.
> 
> Soul Food: Soul Food was started based on an individual initiative as a Devotional
> Meeting and evolved into a community sponsored activity to meet the goal of
> Community Worship Meeting. The Soul Food Team were dedicated to creating a
> well-publicised inspirational programme, with a community-wide participation of
> local artists and musicians.
> 
> International Day of Peace: The External Affair Officer, initiated a heartwarming
> programme for this event, where children were involved in making a sweet offering
> of heart candies with Bahá’í quotations, to be given by the community members to
> the greater community as a “Peace Offering.”
> 
> Random Acts of Peace: The Bahá’í Youth initiated this project to offer their
> services to the public free, as a “random act of Peace.”
> 
> Cuba Street Carnival: The Bahá’í Youth helped to make the Bahá’í community
> visible to the wider Wellington.
> 
> Interfaith Forum: The Bahá’í Interfaith representative played a major role in
> organising the First National Interfaith Forum in Parliament.
> 
> Week of Prayer for World Peace: Our Representative helped in producing a leaflet
> for the interfaith observance around the country.
> 
> The External Affairs Activities: The External Affairs Officer was instrumental in
> involving Bahá’ís in a number of national and international events that were held in
> Wellington. i.e., International Federation of World Peace, Human Rights
> Workshop, Race Relations Day Celebration, International Women’s Day,
> Observance of Commonwealth Day.
> 
> BENZ: The Assembly supported the individual initiative of a group of dedicated
> teachers and parents, to start the Australian Bahá’í education programme at
> Newlands School. A brochure, describing the programme was distributed among
> parents, and 22 students registered to attend the sessions on a weekly basis.
> 
> Helping an ever-increasing number of friends to move through the main
> sequence of courses offered by the Institute
> 
> The Assembly had a number of meetings with the ABM, his Assistants, and the
> Institute Coordinators, to consult on ways and means of encouraging the believers
> to go through the sequence of Study Circles.
> 
> Recently the Assembly initiated the formation of a dedicated team to develop and
> implement strategies to facilitate the implementation of the above objective.
> 
> Calling upon them to help deepen the generality of the Bahá'ís by visiting them
> regularly; teach children, arrange devotional meetings and form study circles,
> making it possible to sustain expansion
> 
> The Assembly has called upon the graduates of Study Circles to help with:
> ▪ The devotional parts of the Feast and other community events
> ▪ The Feasts Children and Pre-Youth programme
> ▪ Visiting youth and involving them in Youth activities
> ▪ Holding Deepenings and discussion groups for youth
> ▪ Helping with the Holy Day celebrations.
> 
> LEAVING NEW ZEALAND
> 
> The year 2004, was a bittersweet year for Terry and me. We were delighted that our
> services were bearing fruit at the national and regional level. We reconnected with our old
> friends and family while finding new friends throughout New Zealand. This was the first
> time that we had served at a national level and contributed to the goals of the Universal
> House of Justice. We enjoyed the support of loving relationship of the Counselors, Auxiliary
> Board members, the National Spiritual Assembly, and its agencies. It was sad leaving all
> this behind and venture into the unknown. However, we had no other option in securing
> our future stability. I was badly in need of medical treatment, especially when I managed
> to fall and break my wrist and undergo a few surgeries. We also needed to ensure receiving
> our Social Security pensions, which was possible only, by going back to the States. I must
> admit that I had a few good cries for leaving our little haven. I found solace in prayers and
> the farewell words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, reported to have said:
> 
> ‘I am leaving Paris for the Orient though I am always with you. The place does not
> matter. Two people may be in the same room and yet not attain to a visitation. When
> I was in prison, many people came to see me. They crossed seas and deserts and
> yet remained in the city of the blind while others in far-distant lands attained the
> meeting.’
> 
> (Divine Philosophy, p. 187)
> 
> ‘I say unto you that anyone who will rise up in the Cause of God at this time shall be
> filled with the Spirit of God, and that He will send His hosts from heaven to help you
> and that nothing shall be impossible to you if you have faith. And now I give you a
> commandment which shall be for a covenant between you and me - that ye have
> faith; that your faith be steadfast as a rock that no storms can move, that nothing
> can disturb, and that it endures through all things even to the end; even should ye
> hear that your Lord has been crucified, be not shaken in your faith; for I am with
> you always, whether living or dead, I am with you to the end. As ye have faith so
> shall your powers and blessings be. This is the standard-this is the standard-this is
> the standard.’
> 
> (Star of the West, Page 251)
> 
> CHAPTER 12
> 
> TRUSTING IN THE ALL MERCIFUL LORD
> FLORIDA, 2004 – 2017
> 
> When in New Zealand, we explored the option of residing in California but realized that
> within a few years the housing market had doubled and purchasing a house was beyond
> our reach. Therefore, we decided to move to Tampa, Florida, where my extended family
> was residing. So, with a heavy heart, we bade farewell to our son, friends, and family, and
> left New Zealand in December 2004. The prospect of moving to a new area, with limited
> financial means and suffering from a broken wrist and an array of physical illness was grim.
> For once in my life, I did not have any plan of action nor had I envisioned a light at the end
> of the tunnel. I ardently asked for His mercy and recited this tablet which was revealed by
> Abdu’-Baha for a grieving mother:
> 
> ‘O thou who art turning thy face towards God! Close thine eyes to all things else and
> open them to the realm of the All-Glorious. Ask whatsoever thou wishest of Him
> alone; seek whatsoever thou seekest from Him alone. With a look He granteth a
> hundred thousand hopes, with a glance He healeth a hundred thousand incurable
> ills, with a nod He layeth balm on every wound, with a glimpse He freeth the hearts
> from the shackles of grief. He doeth as He doeth, and what recourse have we? He
> carrieth out His Will, He ordaineth what He pleaseth. Then better for thee to bow
> down thy head in submission and put thy trust in the All-Merciful Lord.’
> 
> https://www.bahaiprayers.io/prayer?id=201080
> 
> I put my whole trust in Him, let go and let God take over! One night after meditation and
> asking for guidance, I decided to take the last shot and file a final appeal for an
> Administrative Hearing for my Social Security Disability. I was sure that there was no hope,
> but as I had nothing to lose, I did it anyway.
> 
> As soon as we arrived, we started looking for a house. The housing market in Tampa Bay
> area was booming. Within one month we made a contract with a development company to
> build our new home in Land O Lakes. The property was by a pond, overlooking a Cypress
> Grove conservation area. We chose a plan with a large lounge to hold future Bahá’í
> meetings. By July, our house was ready, and our car and household items which was
> shipped from Wellington had arrived. We loved our tranquil environment, especially not
> having gusts of winds constantly blowing. There were an incredible variety of tropical and
> migratory birds in our backyard. There were those that could be seen in aviaries, such as
> Sandhill Cranes, Egrets, Cranes, Cardinals, Hummingbirds and much more. It was like
> living in a tropical paradise.
> 
> Our house was in Pasco County, but close to Tampa. Therefore, we enjoyed both
> communities and attended the musical devotionals at the Tampa Bahá’í Center. I took Book
> 2 Study Circle and developed close and lasting relationships with friends in Tampa.
> 
> We submitted the letter of transfer from New Zealand to the West Pasco Assembly. It
> included the following excerpts:
> 
> ‘Shahla and Terry's enthusiastic offer of service after they arrived in New Zealand
> enabled the establishment of an Office of Assembly Development, which the
> Gillbanks operated. They developed a training programme, based on materials from
> the Assembly development training programme in the United States, and adapted
> extensively to local requirements. The training workshops that they have held
> around the country for Local Assembly members (and other interested friends) have
> been found by the participants to be beneficial to perform their duties effectively.
> 
> We understand that it is with considerable reluctance that the Gillbanks have
> decided to leave New Zealand, which they have had to do because of circumstances
> beyond their control. The New Zealand National Spiritual Assembly expects that
> their enthusiasm and dedication will continue to be assets to the Bahá’í community
> after their return to the United States, where they intend to take up residence in
> Florida.’
> 
> The US National Assembly was quite kind to us and sent a camera crew to interview us for
> the Feast News. We soon became active members of West Pasco community and were
> elected to its Assembly. Within that year, we held a few workshops from the New Zealand
> Assembly Development Modules for the Local Assembly members and community.
> 
> In 2006, the West Pasco Assembly initiated a Teaching Campaign called “Road Map to
> Success,” and produced a Bahá’í community activities brochure. I submitted the following
> report of to the Cluster meeting, where Farah Rosenberg, the Auxiliary Board Member was
> present:
> 
> REPORT ON THE ROADMAP TO SUCCESS TEACHING CAMPAIGN
> 
> Pasco Spiritual Assembly launched a teaching campaign in order to:
> 
> Fully engage in the practices of the Institute Process
> To develop an outward-looking orientation,
> To meet people who aren't yet Bahá'ís,
> To give them an opportunity to learn about our Faith and declare their belief in its
> Founder,
> To begin reaching out systematically to more and more such potential believers
> 
> -   Taken from the Counselors gauge our progress thus far in Plan,
> Counselor Andrew’s address to the National Convention
> 
> The Plan:
> 
> To systematically, reach 2400 residents in Pasco County with the purpose of inviting
> them to the Bahá’í core activities by:
> 
> ▪   Creating 3 sectors, where the Bahá’ís of each sector, through their collective
> efforts and initiatives, take turn once every 3 months to:
> 
> 1. Hold a Devotional Meeting or Tranquility Zone within their Sector. Each sector
> may initiate other activities – mentioned in the Brochure, as needs arise.
> 
> 2. Distribute 200 “Community Activities Brochure,” with an invitation to their
> Devotional Meeting.
> 
> Achievements:
> 
> The following sectors were formed:
> 
> ▪   The Eastern Eagles for the Eastern part of West Pasco, part of Newport
> Richey, Land O Lakes, Lutz, and East Pasco County
> ▪   The Northern Nightingales for the Northern Pasco, Hudson, Port Richey,
> and Hernando County
> ▪   The Sector of Light for the Central Pasco, part of Newport Richey, Holiday
> 
> Following activities took place
> ▪ The Eastern Eagles Sector:
> • Two Sector Meetings were held
> • Regular Monthly Tranquility Zones were held in two Bahá’í homes
> • Invitation letters, along with the Community Activities Brochures were
> mailed to the neighborhood homes, in addition to personal invitations
> • Eight non-Bahá’ís attended the Tranquility Zone meetings, from
> whom one declared her Faith to Bahá’u’lláh
> • The Sector members made efforts to contact the less active
> members
> • The Sector held one of the Study groups for the Universal House of
> Justice letter and invited the Eastern Pasco Bahá’ís.
> • The Sector offered help for the formation of a Bahá’í Group in the
> Eastern Pasco.
> 
> ▪   The Sector of Light:
> • Held a Sector Meeting
> • Held a Devotional meeting
> • Made efforts to contact the less active members
> • The Sector held one of the Study groups for the UHJ letter
> • In Port Richey, regular sessions of Tranquility Zones were held.
> 
> ▪   Northern Nightingales
> • Held a Sector meeting
> • Held Regular, monthly Tranquility Zones in Hernando County - where
> they always had seekers present – they had 7 seekers in the last
> session
> • Had regular ads in newspapers
> • Created their own version of the Community Activities Brochure
> 
> The Auxiliary Board Member, Farah Rosenberg was impressed that our “C” Cluster
> community initiated such campaign which would have been the implementation plan for
> an “A” Cluster.
> 
> Overcoming Life Challenges
> 2005 – 2007
> 
> Shortly after arrival, the stress of the move and adjusting to our new life took a toll on me.
> It manifested itself by the symptoms of a heart attack and a trip to the emergency room at
> University Hospital. After performing all the required tests, I was informed that it was not
> related to a cardiac arrest. So, I was referred to the Cardiologist and Gastrointestinal
> specialist for additional tests and diagnosis. Most of these procedures like endoscopy had
> side effects which were worse than my original symptoms. All came negative, and their
> final diagnosis was that my symptoms were all stress related. We had a basic insurance
> with a high deductible. The co-pays were draining our limited savings, creating more stress
> for us. A Bahá’í friend suggested that I go to Dr. Robert Dean, a Bahá’í doctor in Tampa.
> He was an Internist and a general practitioner. His parents Pouran and Ardeshir were our
> friends from Tampa Bahá’í Center. Robert reviewed all my test results and told me that I
> should take a HIDA test which measured the gallbladder function. When I was going
> through the procedure, I experienced all the frightening symptoms of my disease. In a
> follow-up appointment, Robert told me that I had biliary dyskinesia, or lazy gallbladder
> Syndrome -, which was related to the chronic inflammation of the gallbladder. The fraction
> test showed that my Gallbladder was only releasing 20% of its content. He referred me to
> a surgeon who has operated on his father. In my appointment with the surgeon, he told me
> that in acute cases, the symptom of this syndrome was similar to that of a heart attack and
> the patients end up in the Emergency Room. In 2006, I had surgery to remove my
> Gallbladder. It took me one year to gradually find the proper medication to control the side-
> effects of living without a gallbladder.
> 
> In my opinion, Robert with his proper diagnosis saved my life. He also helped me with my
> other problem, my chronic ear infection and profound hearing loss. He referred me a doctor,
> who was one of the few specialists in this field in the country. Dr. Bartels had a series of
> MRI and other tests done to eliminate more serious conditions and told me that he would
> need to repair the eardrum of my right ear to prevent future infections and place an implant
> to fit me for a BAHA – Bone Anchored Hearing Aid. However, this procedure was extremely
> expensive, and my insurance would not cover it. He referred me to the Florida State
> Vocational Rehabilitation agency to receive counseling and apply for the medical
> assistance to cover the expenses for this procedure. It was an irony of fate that now I was
> a client in need of services from a program for which I trained the GAIN Counselors in
> California for, more than 10 years.
> 
> In February 2007, I met with a counselor who was sympathetic and accepted my
> application. She referred me to the legal team for evaluation. The legal counseling helped
> me to map my course of action for the next two years. I signed an EP- “Employment Plan”
> with the Vocational Rehabilitation. This plan provided me with resources for treatment plan
> of Dr. Bartels, while actively seeking employment opportunities. My EP contract was until
> August, which gave me time to undergo the required surgery and medical treatment. I had
> my surgery in March, a very difficult and painful procedure. Due to some injury during the
> operation, I also developed severe joint pain in my arm that limited my arm’s mobility for
> lifting and driving.
> 
> Despite these problems, I actively followed the conditions of my EP, by working with a job
> placement counselor and applying for all the available employment opportunities. I
> applied to 20 colleges and educational institutions in the greater Tampa Bay area.
> Unfortunately, I did not have any positive response.
> 
> On May 29th, my BAHA was fitted and tuned. Unfortunately, the result was somehow
> disappointing; It affected the clarity of what I could hear from my left ear before BAHA. I
> had a problem distinguishing words, as it was magnifying the background noises which
> interfered with my hearing and understanding conversations. It took me six months to adapt
> to the new device and benefit from it. By this time, my first counselor was retired, and I
> needed to sign a plan with a new Counselor in June. During this time, although I managed
> to improve my chronic conditions, my depleted financial problem was not resolved. In
> desperation, I surrendered to the will of God and followed the guidance of Abdu’l-Baha:
> 
> ‘Rely upon God
> Trust in Him, Praise Him, and call Him continually to mind.
> He verily turneth trouble into ease, and sorrow into solace, and toil into utter
> peace.
> He verily hath dominion over all things.’
> 
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAB/sab-151.html
> 
> And God fulfilled His promise. I received a letter from the Social Security Appeal Court
> indicating that I was scheduled for an Administrative Hearing the next week and needed to
> call and confirm my appointment. In reviewing the circumstances for this Hearing, I was
> doubtful of a positive outcome. I called the Legal Aide who had previously approved my
> application for the Employment Plan and was informed that they would not be handling this
> case. They suggested that I contact private lawyers who specialized in Social Security
> Disability claims. I called a number of law firms in the Tampa Bay area, and all turned me
> down, as they did not find my case viable for granting disability benefits. I was so
> discouraged that I gave up and did not call the Social Security Office to meet with a
> caseworker and confirm my appointment. A few days before the scheduled appointment I
> received a final notice. That night, in complete despair, I prayed for assistance and went to
> bed. I had a dream that I was appearing in Court and stating my case. When I woke up, I
> decided to follow my dream and prepare for presenting my case. I called the caseworker
> assigned to me. She was surprised to hear from me and told me that it was too late for her
> to work with me. She said that she would be confirming my appointment and I should
> appear for my Hearing appointment the next day. I spent that day compiling legal
> documents which were originally presented for my Vocational Rehabilitation case. It
> contained my resume, my medical history, and my efforts to pursue gainful employment.
> 
> The next day I reported to the Administrative Hearing Office. I was the only one who was
> not accompanied by a lawyer. The clerk collected my file and took me to the Hearing Room.
> The Administrative Judge was a middle age lady. The Clerk made the introduction to the
> court. The judge addressed me to verify my case and asked for my legal counsel. I told her
> that I did not have one. She stated that it was quite unusual but assured me that she would
> give the same consideration to my case as it would have been presented by legal counsel.
> The judge reviewed my job history and thanked me for my services, training Riverside
> County’s Social Services staff. Then, stated that she noted my efforts to pursue an online
> training position which would not need verbal communication, thus hindering my ability to
> interact with students. At the end of the session, she summarized her findings, stating that
> it was a complicated case that needed further deliberation. She once again assured me
> that she would equitably take my appeal under consideration and would announce her final
> verdict by the next week.
> 
> I waited for one week, praying every day for God’s Mercy. The verdict arrived as a formal
> document at the appointed time. The Judge had granted me full Social Security Disability
> benefits, including Medicare. I was also allocated a lump sum of accumulated benefits from
> the date of my first application in 2002. In reading the judgment, I lost control and screamed
> with joy. Terry rushed into the room wondering what had come over me. The Words of
> Abdu’l-Baha echoed in my ear: “I am with you Always!” I prayed for that compassionate
> Judge who helped secure our future.
> 
> BIHE – Bahá’í Institute of Higher Education
> 2006 – 2007
> 
> Norma Hemmat, a dear Bahá’í from Tampa, invited me to her house to attend a meeting
> of the BIHE faculty members, Florida Branch. Norma’s husband, Amrollah Hemmat, who
> 
> was a Bahá’í author, was a graduate of Dr. Ghadimi’s class in Iran. He initiated the
> formation of the English faculty of the BIHE in Florida.
> 
> Excerpt from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahá%27í_Institute_for_Higher_Education
> 
> ‘The Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), established by the Bahá'í
> community of Iran in 1987 to meet the educational needs of young people who have
> been systematically denied access to higher education by the Iranian government.
> Currently, through a main faculty in Iran and an Affiliated Global Faculty from
> universities around the world, BIHE offers a total of 38 undergraduate and graduate
> programs in Sciences, Engineering, Business and Management, Humanities, and
> Social Sciences. More than 80 universities in North America, Europe, and Australia
> have thus far accepted the BIHE's graduates directly into programs of graduate
> study at the masters and doctoral levels. BIHE has a decentralized and fluid
> structure and uses a hybrid approach of offline and online delivery methods which
> has enabled it to grow under unusual sociopolitical circumstances. Despite
> numerous arrests, periodic raids, several imprisonments, mass confiscation of
> school equipment and general harassment, BIHE has continued and even expanded
> its operation. BIHE has received praise for offering a non-violent, creative, and
> constructive response to ongoing oppression.
> 
> Faculty
> 
> As of 2016, the BIHE operates through the services of approximately 700 faculty,
> who are academic and professionals residing in Iran, and a network of affiliated
> global faculty that support the Institute through online courses, curriculum
> development, and other services. A significant number of faculty are BIHE
> graduates.
> 
> At the outset, the administrators and faculty of BIHE were mainly Bahá'í professors
> dismissed from Iranian universities after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Other faculty
> members included doctors, dentists, lawyers, and engineers many of whom were
> fired from their jobs by the Iranian authorities following the Islamic revolution. BIHE
> also drew on the expertise of a small and anonymous group of Bahá'í academics in
> North America, Europe, and Australia, who sent the latest textbooks and research
> papers, occasionally made visits to Iran as guest lecturers, and otherwise provided
> instructional and technical support.
> 
> With the expansion of the online capabilities of the BIHE over the past decade or
> so, has also been assisted by a large and growing number of volunteer professors
> from around the world who form its Affiliated Global Faculty (AGF).
> 
> Although catering to the Bahá'í community of Iran, the BIHE is hardly an exclusively
> Bahá'í institution. Non-Bahá'í Iranians worked with the BIHE and contributed to its
> success
> 
> Almost all of the professors and administrative staff of BIHE are volunteers who
> serve without receiving payment.’
> 
> In 2006, Amrollah Hemmat approached a group of the University educators in Central
> Florida to develop an English language curriculum for the Institute. In that meeting, I offered
> to assist the faculty in curriculum development. I worked on this project full time, writing
> articles for each module. It was one of the most rewarding ventures of my life. After
> completion of the courses, both Terry and I became online tutors for the students in Iran. It
> was heartwarming for me to spend the time to tutor the Bahá’í youth, who gathered in one
> of the centers to attend the online classes. Although there was no video, we did our best
> to communicate with these precious students through Skype audio service. Despite the
> rule to conduct the entire session in English, when students found out that I was an Iranian,
> they asked me to spend time after the lessons to counsel them in coping with their
> numerous challenges. I wholeheartedly accepted to be their mentor, helping them to
> resolve their problems. Those sessions affected me so much that for hours after each
> session, I thought about each one of them and remembered them in my prayers.
> 
> “Ring the Bells that Still Can Ring” – 2008 – 2009
> 
> In 2008, after a routine mammography, followed by a series of tests and procedures, I was
> diagnosed with having breast cancer. It was a frightening time of my life. As I had three
> dear friends in California, who had succumbed to breast cancer within the past 10 years.
> One was my old friend from the Philippines, Delia Brown. The others were two Iranian
> friends Jila Imani and Layla. I mourned their suffering and passing away and prayed for
> their souls. A few months before my diagnosis, my dear friend Jean was diagnosed with
> breast cancer and had undergone surgery and prolonged treatments. I was with her
> through every step and was astonished by her strength and courage to make difficult
> decisions. She hardly complained about her pain and discomfort. So, she became my role
> model and mentor. It was amazing how I surrendered to the Will of God and accepted my
> fate with serenity and contentment. Norma Hemmat was another friend who was a survivor
> and helped me to overcome my anxiety. In October, which was the Breast Cancer
> Awareness month, I listened to the interview of Elizabeth Edwards about how she coped
> with her end term breast cancer. Her response became my blueprint for surviving cancer.
> She said that she listened to this song called Anthem, by Leonard Cohen, and tried to apply
> it in her life:
> ‘Don't dwell on what has passed away, or what is yet to be
> Ring the bells that still can ring
> Forget your perfect offering
> There is a crack, a crack in everything
> That's how the light gets in
> That's how the light gets in
> That's how the light gets in.’
> 
> I followed her advice to think in the moment, with no regrets of the past and no fear of the
> future. To accept the “crack” of the cancer, to let go of perfect offering, and to let the light
> 
> of God’s mercy penetrate my being. My Bahá’í friends sent a request to the National Office
> to offer prayers at the Temple. The loving note from the National that they had offered
> healing prayers for me warmed my soul. The World Center granted my request for the
> Universal House of Justice to pray for me in the Holy Shrines. The love of the community
> was overflowing. There was the Regional Council Conference in Atlanta that my fellow
> Area Teaching Committee members attended. As I was recovering from my surgery, I was
> not able to go. I received a call from one of the ATC members and on the speakerphone
> was the Auxiliary Board Member Farah Rosenberg. They were having reports from the
> Clusters and wanted me to hear the entire session on the phone and receive my input.
> They also offered prayers for me at the meeting. This love helped me during my struggle
> and led me to the path of survival.
> 
> It was the Divine blessing that I lived close to the Moffitt Cancer Center, one of the leading
> cancer treatment hospitals in the country, also, having my Disability Medicare which
> covered most of the expenses. I had a double mastectomy on November 4 th, the
> anniversary of the passing of the Beloved Guardian and the election day, when Obama
> became the first African American president of the United States. The treatment continued
> for one year, consisting of painful reconstructive surgeries and procedures. I am blessed
> that I have been Cancer free for 10 years, hoping that with the Grace of God the Cancer
> will never come back!
> 
> Since then, I have been reciting the prayer which was revealed by Abdu’l-Baha for Lua
> Getsinger day and night:
> 
> ‘Thou knowest, O God, and art my witness that I have no desire in my heart save
> to attain Thy good pleasure, to be confirmed in servitude unto Thee, to consecrate
> myself in Thy service, to labor in Thy great vineyard and to sacrifice all in Thy
> path. Thou art the All-Knowing and the All-Seeing. I have no wish save to turn my
> steps, in my love for Thee, towards the mountains and the deserts to loudly
> proclaim the advent of Thy Kingdom, and to raise Thy call amidst all men. O
> God! Open Thou the way for this helpless one, grant Thou the remedy to this
> ailing one and bestow Thy healing upon this afflicted one. With burning heart and
> tearful eyes, I supplicate Thee at Thy Threshold.
> 
> O God! I am prepared to endure any ordeal in Thy path and desire with all my
> heart and soul to meet any hardship.
> 
> O God! Protect me from tests. Thou knowest full well that I have turned away
> from all things and freed myself of all thoughts. I have no occupation save
> mention of Thee and no aspiration save serving Thee.’
> 
> www.bahaiprayers.org/teaching9.htm
> 
> Tranquility Zone Devotionals
> 2006 – 2018
> 
> I learned about the Tranquility Zone when I was in New Zealand. The description of the
> program read:
> ‘The Tranquility Zone started as a community service project in 1998 and is based
> at the Health Hydro in Swindon. Tranquility Zones provide a relaxing environment
> created with flowers, candles, and soft furnishings, a programme of words and music
> and, above all, a special atmosphere where people can reflect and relax. The
> Tranquility Zone is described as "an oasis of calm and well-being for the body, mind,
> and soul" and is a place where guests can enjoy a few tranquil moments in a
> specially prepared setting. Tranquility Zones have been set up at Swindon Borough
> Council, in local businesses, the local hospital, and various other charity
> organizations. In the first 4 years, approximately 3,500 people have attended the
> Tranquility Zones.’
> The Tranquillity Zone - bahaiswindon.aoehost.de
> bahaiswindon.aoehost.de/32.html
> 
> In 2006, I adapted the basic framework of the Tranquility Zone, and with their permission,
> developed a series of guided imagery, meditation, and devotional programs for the Pasco
> community.
> 
> Terry and I wrote a joint invitation letter and mailed them to all the neighbors in our
> Development. We also advertised the activity, in the event section of local newspapers of
> Pasco, Tampa and St. Petersburg.
> 
> During the next ten years, Tranquility Zone became a monthly devotional for Pasco,
> Hernando, Tampa, and Pinellas. Friends from these areas accompanied their contacts to
> the devotional. We had between 7 to 25 participants each month, with the majority being
> non-Bahá’ís. I sent out personal invitations via email and Facebook or made calls to the
> seekers referred by the National Seekers Response.
> 
> As participation from Tampa area increased, we formed a Teaching Team with members
> from Tampa, East Pasco, and West Pasco. We called it the 3 Zones Team. Jean Philbrick
> from East Pasco, Tom Rykwalder, Jutta B. Sasse and Jutta Lever, from Tampa, supported
> Terry and me to hold these gatherings.
> 
> Personal interactions and invitations were the keys to the success of this activity. Within
> the past 10 years, Tranquility Zones created a safe space for participants to relax, meditate
> and have a friendly conversation about the Faith and overcoming their personal challenges.
> I developed more than 20 programs for the Tranquility Zones. The themes were tailored
> towards meeting the needs of participants who had RSVP’d. The platform helped 23
> seekers to embrace the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. When we had visitors from the Regional
> Council, they asked to introduce the program to the Bahá’í communities in the Southern
> Region. I responded by sending a program and pictures for their Newsletter.
> 
> Picture of 2010 Tranquility Zone with a group of participants - From the total number of
> attendees, 40% were Friends of the Faith- some are not in the picture. This devotional
> was featured in “The American Bahá’í” Magazine.
> 
> Bahá’ís sitting in front row, from left: Liliya and Ofaylia
> Gevorgian, Jay Miller, Terry Gillbanks, Jean Philbrick, Shahla
> Gillbanks.
> Back row, second from left: Jutta Lever, Sumnima Shah,
> Sharon Miller
> 
> In February 2013, we had the pleasure of having Hoda Hosseini, a member of the
> Regional Council and her husband as special guests in our Tranquility Zone. The theme
> was “Achieving the State of Radiant Acquiescence,” and “Living a Joyful and Spiritual
> Life.” The majority of the 20 participants were from Tampa. We had 6 Friends of the Faith
> from West Pasco, among them a wonderful young lady from the Seekers Response.
> Elsa, a dear Bahá’í friend who embraced the Faith earlier that year, brought a friend to
> the gathering to join our “Group”!
> 
> The devotional was followed by a fireside with Hoda as the speaker. We mentioned that
> these gatherings were a part of the Core Activities that the Bahá’ís were offering as a
> service to the community. This led to the explanation of the Study Circles. Right there, three
> of the seekers and a new Bahá’í showed interest to participate in the Book One Study
> Circle.
> 
> We started the class at our home the next Wednesday, with Tony Quinones as the tutor.
> Two of the seekers, who were now Friends of the Faith became Bahá’ís. The young lady
> from the Seekers Response attended the sessions and had memorized all the assigned
> quotations. However, she faced opposition from her father for leaving their church and
> participating in Bahá’í activities. We then lost contact, while I continued to pray for her to
> overcome her challenges. A year later, I received an email from the Seekers Response
> Office in New York, inquiring about a university student from Tampa, who was interested
> in participating in Bahá’í activities. It was the same young lady, giving my name as her
> reference. I was moved by her resilience and provided the Office with the background
> information about this wonderful Friend of the Faith.
> 
> In 2016, the following report from the 3 Zones Team meeting was submitted to the
> American Bahá’í Magazine:
> 
> The 3 Zones Team members decided to respond to the call of the Universal House of
> Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world that:
> ‘Far from disheartening you, let the world’s prejudices and hostilities be reminders
> of how urgently souls all around you need the healing balm that you alone can
> present to them.’
> 
> Therefore, we planned our upcoming devotionals on the above theme.
> • The first of this series was held at the Gillbanks on “Healing Balm to the hostiles and
> prejudices.” It was well received by the Friends of the Faith participants. The Bahá’í
> readings were on: The Causes of Prejudice and Hostility, Actions to Overcome
> Differences, Steps to Achieve the Most Great Peace, and Divine Guidelines. The
> participants from West and East Pasco and Tampa had an in-depth fireside discussion
> following the Devotional.
> 
> •   The second Tranquility Zone was on: “Finding Peace.” The topics included: The Power
> of Holy Spirit to Bring Peace, Working Towards Harmony, The Coming of Peace,
> Summoning Mankind to Peace and Amity, and Setting Examples to Reform Human
> Character. We concluded with the Prayer for Mankind. It followed by an inspirational
> 
> sharing of what touched the participant's hearts from the Holy Writings. The Friends of
> the Faith who joined us for the first time showed appreciation for the topics and the
> message of unity and Peace. One Fiend mentioned that it was the first time that her
> husband “opened up and shared his views in a meeting.” She asked to be invited to the
> future meetings, as “it will be good for both of them!”
> 
> In 2017, some of the Team members faced serious health issues. Dear Jean suffered a
> stroke, and dear Jutta Lever had to be confined in a Rehab facility. Also, I had to deal with
> my own health problems and surgeries which hindered me from hosting the meetings on a
> monthly basis. Since then, I accepted to conduct Tranquility Zone devotional in other
> communities and helped the friends in Tampa to hold a guided meditation, using my
> programs.
> 
> Recently, I posted the program on my “footprints in the sands of time” Facebook and
> received positive response from the readers across the world, who were planning to host
> this devotional in their communities.
> 
> My hope is by including the program in this Chapter, the readers will be interested in starting
> a similar program in their community. The following are sample personal invitation and step
> by step implementation for holding a Tranquility Zone:
> 
> Dear friend: you are lovingly invited:
> To:    The Tranquility Zone – Healing Balm to the hostilities and prejudices
> On:   Saturday, September 17, 2016
> From: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch and fellowship.
> At:    The Gillbanks
> The Tranquility Zone is a place where we can enjoy in a simple but dignified atmosphere
> of peace, serenity, and well-being, some unhurried moments of contemplation. To unwind
> by inspiring readings and music chosen to uplift the heart, rejoice the soul, and refresh
> the spirit. It aims to create for each person who attends a state in which:
> 
> “God shall bestow upon his heart a divine tranquility and cause him to be of them
> that are at peace with themselves.”
> - From the Bahá’í Writings
> 
> Please let us know if you will be joining us.
> We are looking forward to hearing from you and having the pleasure of your company.
> With loving Regards
> Terry and Shahla Gillbanks
> 
> The implementation process of holding a Tranquility Zone:
> 
> 10:00 - 10:30 a.m.
> Social, tea, and cookies in the living room area - for participants to get to know
> each other and have an informal chat.
> 
> Shahla distributes the Readings among a few friends and asks them to read aloud
> when their question was called.
> 
> 10:30 - 12:00
> Tranquility Zone in the Lounge area. Participants are seated in a circle, with
> flowers and scented candles on the tables - subdued natural lighting.
> 
> Terry welcomes the participants and goes over the invitation letter about the
> Tranquility Zone.
> 
> Shahla plays a soft meditation background music and starts the program, by
> asking the friends to sit comfortably and follow the guided meditation:
> Close your eyes… relax, breath in, breath out, in and …out
> 
> Imagine you are in a beautiful rose garden. Smell the perfume; enjoy the burst of white,
> red, pink, and yellow colored roses around you.
> 
> See a pair of white doves perching on a tree nearby. Listen to them as they fill the air
> with their melody. Touch them with your eyes. Feel the peace of being so close to them.
> 
> Walk to the spring nearby; immerse your feet in the cool water.
> 
> Feel the fragrant breeze on your face, as you gaze into the clear blue sky
> 
> Feel the warmth of the sun on your face, your eyes, your mouth, relaxing you and making
> you whole
> 
> Feel the light getting closer and closer until it touches your heart, and then gradually
> going through your body, relaxing you and making you feel whole: Your head… relax….
> Your eyes... relax… your ears... relax…. Your jaws… relax… your neck… relax…. Your
> face… relax… your chest… relax… your back… relax… your shoulder and arms…
> relax… your legs… relax… your feet…relax…,
> 
> Now you feel light, relaxed, and safe…
> 
> Feel the joy and tranquility in your heart and soul … Let the peace in…, knowing that all
> is well
> 
> Stay in this blissful moment for a while
> 
> Put all your cares and worries in a basket, tie it to a balloon and let it go, higher and
> higher… as they disappear…. Let God take over….
> 
> Now you are ready to meditate on important issues in your life
> 
> Your soul is connecting to the Higher Power, to God
> 
> In the next 15 minutes, you will commune with God. You join me to ask a series of
> questions from God and listen to the answers from the Bahá’í Holy Writings
> 
> Your1st question is about: Prejudices and Hostilities
> The first guest reads:
> 
> ‘Let us thank God who has drawn us together evening. It gives me great joy, for I
> see that you are seekers after truth. You are not held in bondage by the chains of
> prejudice, and your greatest longing is to know the truth. Truth may be likened to the
> sun! The sun is the luminous body that disperses all shadows; in the same way does
> truth scatter the shadows of our imagination. As the sun gives life to the body of
> humanity so does truth give life to their souls. Truth is a sun that rises from different
> points on the horizon.
> 
> In the days of old an instinct for warfare was developed in the struggle with wild
> animals; this is no longer necessary; nay, rather, co-operation and mutual
> understanding are seen to produce the greatest welfare of mankind. Enmity is now
> the result of prejudice only.
> 
> All the teaching of the Prophets is one; one faith; one Divine light shining throughout
> the world. Now, under the banner of the oneness of humanity, all people of all creeds
> should turn away from prejudice and become friends and believers in all the
> Prophets.
> 
> Then all disputes would disappear, all then would be united. Bahá'u'lláh came for
> this purpose. He has made the three religions one. He has uplifted the standard of
> the oneness of faith and the honour of humanity in the centre of the world. Today
> we must gather round it and try with heart and soul to bring about the union of
> mankind.
> 
> God has created the world as one -- the boundaries are marked out by man. God
> has not divided the lands, but each man has his house and meadow; horses and
> dogs do not divide the fields into parts. That is why Bahá'u'lláh says: "Let not a man
> glory in that he loves his country, but that he loves his kind." All are of one family,
> one race; all are human beings. Differences as to the partition of lands should not
> be the cause of separation among the people.’
> 
> Bahá'í Reference Library - Paris Talks, Pages 127-134
> 
> Shahla: You meditate for a moment and then ask the
> 2nd question: Causes of Prejudice and Hostilities
> The 2nd guest reads:
> 
> ‘One of the great reasons of separation is colour. Look how this prejudice has power
> in America, for instance. See how they hate one another! Animals do not quarrel
> because of their colour! Surely man who is so much higher in creation, should not
> be lower than the animals. Think over this. What ignorance exists! White doves do
> not quarrel with blue doves because of their colour, but white men fight with dark-
> coloured men. This racial prejudice is the worst of all.
> 
> And among the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh is, that religious, racial, political, economic,
> and patriotic prejudices destroy the edifice of humanity. As long as these prejudices
> prevail, the world of humanity will not have rest. For a period of 6,000 years history
> informs us about the world of humanity. During these 6,000 years the world of
> humanity has not been free from, war, strife, murder and bloodthirstiness. In every
> period war has been waged in one country or another and that war was due to either
> religious prejudice, racial prejudice, political prejudice, or patriotic prejudice. It has
> therefore been ascertained and proved that all prejudices are destructive of the
> human edifice. As long as these prejudices persist, the struggle for existence must
> remain dominant, and bloodthirstiness and rapacity continue. Therefore, even as
> was the case in the past, the world of humanity cannot be saved from the darkness
> of nature and cannot attain illumination except through the abandonment of
> prejudices and the acquisition of the morals of the Kingdom.
> 
> These blind imitations and hereditary prejudices have invariably become the cause
> of bitterness and hatred and have filled the world with darkness and violence of war.
> Therefore, we must seek the fundamental truth in order to extricate ourselves from
> such conditions and then with illumined faces find the pathway to the kingdom of
> God.’
> 
> Bahá'í Reference Library - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, Page 55
> 
> Shahla: You meditate for a moment and then ask the:
> 3rd question: Actions to Overcome Differences
> The 3rd guest reads:
> 
> ‘The Universal Races Congress was good, for it was intended for the furtherance
> and progress of unity among all nations and a better international understanding.
> The purpose was good. The causes of dispute among different nations are always
> due to one of the following classes of prejudice: racial, lingual, theological, personal,
> and prejudices of custom and tradition. It requires a universal active force to
> overcome these differences. A small disease needs a small remedy, but a disease
> which pervades the whole body needs a very strong remedy. A small lamp may light
> a room, a larger would light a house, a larger still might shine through the city, but
> the sun is needed to light the whole world.
> 
> These meetings teach us that Unity is good, and that suppression (slavery under
> the yoke of tradition and prejudice) is the cause of disunion. To know this is not
> enough. All knowledge is good, but it can bear no fruit except by action. It is well to
> know that riches are good, but that knowledge will not make a man rich; he must
> work, he must put his knowledge into practice. We hope the people realize and know
> that unity is good, and we also hope that they will not be content to stand still in that
> knowledge. Do not only say that Unity, Love and Brotherhood are good; you must
> work for their realization.
> 
> Knowledge is not enough; we hope by the Love of God we shall put it into practice.
> A spiritual universal Force is needed for this. Meetings are good for engendering
> spiritual force. To know that it is possible to reach a state of perfection, is good; to
> march forward on the path is better. We know that to help the poor and to be merciful
> is good and pleases God, but knowledge alone does not feed the starving man, nor
> can the poor be warmed by knowledge or words in the bitter winter; we must give
> the practical help of Loving-kindness.
> 
> I ask you all, each one of you, to follow well the light of truth, in the Holy Teachings,
> and God will strengthen you by His Holy Spirit so that you will be enabled to
> overcome the difficulties, and to destroy the prejudices which cause separation and
> hatred amongst the people. Let your hearts be filled with the great love of God, let it
> be felt by all; for every man is a servant of God, and all are entitled to a share of the
> Divine Bounty.’
> 
> Bahá'í Reference Library - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, Pages 59-61
> 
> Shahla: You meditate for a moment and then ask the:
> 4th question: Steps to Achieve the Greatest Peace
> The 4th guest reads:
> 
> ‘The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind
> and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and
> by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a
> new world, and all men will live as brothers.
> Knowledge is the first step; resolve, the second step; action, its fulfillment,
> is the third step.
> 
> To construct a building, one must first of all make a plan, then one must have the
> power (money), then one can build. A society of Unity is formed, that is good -- but
> meetings and discussions are not enough…. These meetings here in London are
> good, the knowledge and the intention are good, but how can there be a result
> without action? Today the force for Unity is the Holy Spirit of Bahá'u'lláh. He
> manifested this spirit of Unity. Bahá'u'lláh brings East and West together. Go back,
> search history, you will not find a precedent for this.
> 
> Universal Peace is assured by Bahá'u'lláh as a fundamental accomplishment of
> the religion of God; that peace shall prevail among nations, governments and
> peoples, among religions, races, and all conditions of mankind. This is one of the
> special characteristics of the Word of God revealed in this Manifestation.
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh declares that all mankind should attain knowledge and acquire an
> education. This is a necessary principle of religious belief and observance
> characteristically new in this dispensation.’
> 
> Bahá'í Reference Library - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, Pages 19-20
> 
> Shahla: You meditate for a moment and then ask the:
> next question: The Divine Guidelines
> Tow guests, together, take turn and read:
> 
> ‘When hatred and animosity, fighting, slaughtering, and great coldness of heart were
> governing this world, and darkness had overcome the nations, Bahá'u'lláh, like a bright
> star, rose from the horizon of Persia and shone with the great Light of Guidance, giving
> heavenly radiance and establishing the new Teaching. He declared the most human
> virtues; He manifested the Spiritual powers, and put them into practice in the world around
> Him.
> 
> •   First...: He lays stress on the search for Truth. This is most important, because the
> people are too easily led by tradition. It is because of this that they are often
> antagonistic to each other, and dispute with one another. But the manifesting of
> Truth discovers the darkness and becomes the cause of Oneness of faith and
> belief: because Truth cannot be two! That is not possible.
> 
> •   Second...: Bahá'u'lláh taught the Oneness of humanity; that is to say, all the children
> of men are under the mercy of the Great God. They are the sons of one God; they
> are trained by God. He has placed the crown of humanity on the head of every one
> of the servants of God. Therefore, all nations and peoples must consider themselves
> brethren. They are all descendants from Adam. They are the branches, leaves,
> flowers and fruits of One Tree. They are pearls from one shell. But the children of
> men are in need of education and civilization, and they require to be polished, till
> they become bright and shining. Man and woman both should be educated equally
> and equally regarded. It is racial, patriotic, religious and class prejudice, that has
> been the cause of the destruction of Humanity.
> •   Third...: Bahá'u'lláh taught, that Religion is the chief foundation of Love and Unity
> and the cause of Oneness. If a religion become the cause of hatred and disharmony,
> it would be better that it should not exist. To be without such a religion is better than
> to be with it.
> •   Fourth…: Religion and Science are intertwined with each other and cannot be
> separated. These are the two wings with which humanity must fly. One wing is not
> enough. Every religion which does not concern itself with Science is mere tradition,
> 
> and that is not the essential. Therefore, science, education and civilization are most
> important necessities for the full religious life.
> 
> •   Fifth…: The Reality of the divine Religions is one, because the Reality is one and
> cannot be two. All the prophets are united in their message, and unshaken. They
> are like the sun; in different seasons they ascend from different rising points on the
> horizon. Therefore, every ancient prophet gave the glad tidings of the future, and
> every future has accepted the past.
> 
> •   Sixth…: Equality and Brotherhood must be established among all members of
> mankind. This is according to Justice. The general rights of mankind must be
> guarded and preserved. All men must be treated equally. This is inherent in the very
> nature of humanity.
> 
> •   Seventh…: The arrangements of the circumstances of the people must be such that
> poverty shall disappear, and that everyone as far as possible, according to his
> position and rank, shall be comfortable. Whilst the nobles and others in high rank
> are in easy circumstances, the poor also should be able to get their daily food and
> not be brought to the extremities of hunger.
> 
> •   Eighth…: Bahá'u'lláh declared the coming of the Most Great Peace. All the nations
> and peoples will come under the shadow of the Tent of the Great Peace and
> Harmony -- that is to say, by general election a Great Board of Arbitration shall be
> established, to settle all differences and quarrels between the Powers; so that
> disputes shall not end in war.
> 
> •   Ninth.: Bahá'u'lláh taught that hearts must receive the Bounty of the Holy Spirit, so
> that Spiritual civilization may be established. For material civilization is not adequate
> for the needs of mankind and cannot be the cause of its happiness. Material
> civilization is like the body and spiritual civilization is like the soul. Body without soul
> cannot live
> 
> This is a short summary of the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh. To establish this Bahá'u'lláh
> underwent great difficulties and hardships. He was in constant confinement and He
> suffered great persecution. But in the fortress (Akká) He reared a spiritual palace
> and from the darkness of His prison He sent out a great light to the world.
> 
> It is the ardent desire of the Bahá'ís to put these teachings into common practice:
> and they will strive with soul and heart to give up their lives for this purpose, until
> the heavenly light brightens the whole world of humanity.’
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London - Baha'i Reference Library
> 
> Shahla: You are at the end of your communion with God for now …   Meditate for a
> while …. When you are ready open your eyes and share one thing from the Writings
> that has touched your heart….
> 
> The music stops, the lights turn on, and participants start sharing their thoughts, their
> inquiries, and sometimes personal issues. A friendly and warm-hearted discussion follows.
> The Bahá’í ideas and teachings take center stage of this session. The friends of the Faith
> frequently mentioned that it was the first time that they could open up and feel safe to
> discuss their personal ideas and problems and receive answers which help them to resolve
> them.
> 
> ````````````````````````````````````
> 
> At noon, we break for lunch and fellowship. At this time, a few informal firesides take place.
> I offer “Bahá’í Faith” books and prayer booklets which were placed on the tables for the
> seeker and Friends of The Faith to take. One of the dear seekers who was referred through
> National Seekers Response went home, shared the book with his wife, and in a follow-up
> meeting with friends in Hernando, told them that they would like to declare. He became an
> active member of the community and regularly attended the Tranquility Zones. He passed
> away from Cancer a few years later.
> 
> PASCO AND HERNANDO ATC – AREA TEACHING COMMITTEE
> 2006 – 2016
> 
> In 2006, following the success of the Road Map to Success Campaign of the previous year,
> the Pasco - Hernando Cluster achieved “B” status. The South Eastern Regional Council
> appointed the Cluster’s Area Teaching Committee, with members representing each
> locality within the Cluster. I represented the West Pasco community and consequently in
> 2008, was appointed as the Secretary of the ATC- Area Teaching Committee.
> 
> We had the bounty of the ongoing communication, guidance and nurturing of the Regional
> Council members and its Office of Cluster Development. Our Reflection Gatherings often
> had a special guest to guide and galvanize the community. Among them, Counselor
> Andrews, some of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly, the Auxiliary Board,
> and the Regional Council. The following excerpts from the Cluster Newsletters describe
> the progression of our Cluster to the “A” status in 2009 and beyond.
> 
> December 2006, Issue 1
> Cluster Reflection Gathering
> Our recent Reflection Gathering was a resounding success. Thirty nine participants,
> representing all areas of our cluster participated in an exciting program, aimed to fulfill the
> objectives set by the Universal House of Justice for the Reflection Phase “in which
> lessons learned in action are articulated and incorporated into plans for the next cycle
> of activity .... as much a time of joyous celebration as it is of serious
> consultation."
> We celebrated the “Tree of our Achievements and Successes, and Reflected on what
> worked and what needed to be fine-tuned.” The participants, who responded to the
> Feedback Survey, indicated that the visual displays and graphs which showed the
> Cluster progress month by month were an effective tool to make the statistical
> information easy to read and understand.
> “The Community Sharing” was the favorite part of the program, with 90%
> participation of friends sharing their success stories, or made dynamic and artistic
> presentations. Participant’s feedback stated that “there was an allowance for
> everyone who wanted to say something to do so.” They liked hearing from all aspects of
> each community in fulfilling the goals of the 5 Year Plan. They especially liked “When the
> sharing was acted out in a fun, cute and amusing way.” And “the variety, creativity, and
> efforts put forth by participants.” They found “the devotions by the children very
> moving.” And “the Pasco junior youth presentation was well done.”
> We had the bounty of the presence of the Auxiliary Board member, Santosh Kamath, who
> inspired and assisted us with serious consultation. Participant’s feedback showed great
> appreciation for this part of the program. They Indicated that the “ABM Santosh was so
> encouraging; he recognized our efforts; it was nice to hear that we are doing well.” They
> liked “the input from people and the feeling of being heard.”
> 
> Participants were involved in a skit from Book 6 on
> Unity and Cultural Diversity with ABM Santosh on the
> right.
> 
> The last part of the program was dedicated to service. We viewed an inspiring video
> presentation on the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, followed by calling on the participant’s commitment
> to “Develop the Cluster Activities Tree Charts” for the next three months. The Tree
> branches were soon decorated with colorful leaves representing Core Activities . Overall,
> the highlight of this part of the program was “the universal participation in
> consultation.”
> 
> April 2007 Issue 2
> “Month of May” Prayer Campaign
> 
> The Pasco and Hernando Area Teaching Committee is initiating a “Month of Prayer”
> Campaign for May 2007. The goal is to hold 25 neighborhood Devotional Meetings in one
> month around our Cluster.
> 
> Reflection Gathering
> 
> Our cluster had another successful Reflection
> Gathering. We had the bounty of the presence of
> Counselor Eugene Andrews, and Auxiliary Board
> David Dean, who inspired and guided 39
> participants, representing East Pasco, Hernando,
> West Pasco, and Port Richey.
> The ATC was informed by the National Spiritual
> Assembly, that Pasco/Hernando is considered #1
> cluster in the USA over the past 6 months for
> declarations of 5.31 per 100 Bahá’ís.
> Some of the highlights of topics addressed by
> Counselor Andrews are as follows:
> ▪ Look ahead toward the end of this Five Year Plan, Ridvan 2011
> ▪ 234 clusters to advance to A status in the USA. Florida currently has three A clusters:
> Broward County, Gainesville, and Tampa.
> ▪ See the end at the beginning (Seven Valleys)
> 
> Celebrating the May Month of Prayer Campaign
> At our last Cluster Reflection Gathering, we celebrated the culmination of the successful
> Month of Prayer Campaign.
> There was a total of 14 neighborhood Devotional meetings held, with a total participation
> of 100 Bahá’ís and 28 COI’s - Community of interest. An average of 9 Bahá’ís and 2 COI’s
> attended each devotional gathering.
> The hosts of the Devotional meetings shared their success stories and their experiences
> of what worked, and what needed fine-tuning for the future endeavors.
> The lessons learned:
> • Devotionals in the home were a wonderful experience and visiting each other’s homes
> was unifying.
> • Personal invitations and hand delivery yielded great results. Lilli Carson's flyer was
> effective for the Quinones.
> • Prayer has been an important preparatory procedure.
> • Devotional gatherings based on themes were effective and could serve a purpose to
> get certain populations to attend. (Pilgrimage, graduation was utilized to expose others
> to the devotional gathering.)
> • Good free food was a plus.
> • Writings from other religions make individuals comfortable (Christians).
> • Devotional gatherings serve as a place for other Bahá’ís to bring their family, friends,
> and coworkers.
> • Tranquility Zone with guided meditation and Focused questions are effective.
> 
> ❖ David Dean, the Auxiliary Board Member encouraged us to continue to hold
> devotionals, emphasizing that the May initiative should not be an isolated event.
> 
> The participants of one Tranquility Zone, one of the 14 devotionals held
> 
> A Culture of Love – Home Visit Campaign
> At the Reflection Gathering, our Cluster initiated a campaign of Home Visits: "A Culture of
> Love" for the period of June 15th - September 15th.
> 
> The ATC is delighted to report that there will be 9 Action Teams who are committed to visiting a
> friend, family, coworker, and neighbor, new or isolated Bahá’í once monthly for the next 3
> months. The purpose is to provide loving support, friendship, prayer, and spiritual themes
> of the Faith.
> 
> The ATC is praying that Bahá’u’lláh will be with you every step of the way, especially as you
> stretch new spiritual muscles in this Home Visit Campaign. Please keep track of your visits so
> you can inform the ATC of your achievements. Please call us with your questions and concerns.
> If we can provide assistance or team you with another individual for support, please contact us.
> 
> ________________________________________________________
> 
> Pasco Hernando Cluster Reflection Gathering
> 
> Our cluster had a wonderful Reflection
> Gathering on June 9th. Participation was
> incredible with 42 children, junior youth,
> youth, and adults in attendance. Everyone
> had a part to play in the success of the
> day. Prayers, songs, skits, role plays,
> celebrating our achievements, consulting
> on the future actions, encouragement,
> food, and love enveloped us.
> Our Reflection Gathering success of 40
> plus attendance is in large part due to the
> support of both the West Pasco and
> Hernando Local Spiritual Assemblies.
> 
> Our Cluster Institute Coordinator: Maaza Eshetu reported that there are approximately
> 110 Bahá’ís in the Pasco Hernando Cluster. The immediate goal is to get a critical mass
> of Bahá’ís through the complete sequence of Ruhi Books. This will create the available
> supply of human resources needed for sustainable growth of the cluster.
> Junior Youth/Youth Group meets 2 times a month at 6:30 p.m., at the Gadelha’s and or
> other scheduled locations.
> 
> Junior Youth skit presentation on Home Visit at Reflection Gathering
> 
> _____________________________________
> 
> Reflection Gathering 1ST CYCLE OF GROWTH APRIL 2009
> Thirty Cluster community members participated in an invigorating and inspiring Reflection
> Gathering on April 18th.
> 
> Erica Tousant brought us greetings from National Spiritual Assembly and suggested
> specific courses of actions that were successful in other clusters.
> John Hatcher, Chairman of the Regional Council, shared the message of the Regional
> Council and the important role of the Assemblies in helping the cluster community to
> achieve its goals.
> 
> The Auxiliary Board members, Trish Irons and David Dean, emphasized the importance of
> systematic action. The 1ST collective teaching program took place prior to the Reflection
> Gathering at Spring Hill. Seven teams, including Erica Tousant, John Hatcher, and David
> Dean, participated in the teaching event. We knocked on 114 doors and had the bounty of
> having 6 interested souls to be visited next Saturday. One team had a friend who was not
> yet a Bahá’í. They knocked on the door of an African American woman. She invited them
> in and actively listened to the entire Anna’s Presentation, reading the quotations and
> prayers and really enjoying the message of Bahá’u’lláh. She mentioned that she was going
> through a hard time and the prayer card – Refresh and Gladden my spirit, is a great help.
> She said that she was working for the Hospice and would like to have Bahá’í prayers to
> share with her dying patients. Next Saturday, we will be having a devotional, followed by a
> few pages of Book 1, at her house.
> 
> Erica Toussaint’s suggestion for success:
> 
> • Daily prayers for guiding the receptive souls to the Faith
> • Making a list of your contacts and pledging to invite them to the firesides and
> Devotional meetings
> • Forming teaching teams for direct teaching
> 
> _____________________________________________________
> 
> EXPANSION PHASE OF THE 2nd CYCLE OF GROWTH JULY 18th – AUGUST 2nd
> 
> John Hatcher, in a loving message from the Regional Bahá’í Council, praised the unified
> and collective actions of our cluster community and encouraged us to develop strategies
> to reach out to the community at large, inviting them to our Children’s Classes and Junior
> Youth Groups.
> The Reflection Gathering in Spring Hill was a wonderful platform to celebrate our
> successes of the 1st Cycle of Growth: 10 devotional meetings with, 27 COI’s participating;
> 31 teachers involved in the direct teaching endeavors; 3 Firesides, with 15 seekers
> participating; 2 Children’s class, with 4 COI’s participating; 1 Junior Youth Group, with 1
> COI participating; 3 Study Circles, with 5 COI participants.
> _________________________________________________
> 
> SEPTEMBER 2011, REFLECTION GATHERING
> 
> In our special Reflection Gathering, we had the pleasure of the presence of a Regional
> Council member, Aniela Costello, from the Cluster Development Office, as the guest
> consultant. Aniela, who has been following our Cluster’s amazing progress, traveled far to
> meet with the members of our Cluster community.
> 
> The participants from all areas of the Cluster joined Aniela for an inspiring experiential
> devotional. Then, Aniela facilitated a discussion on: Rejoicing on our accomplishments,
> The process of meaningful and distinctive conversation; Development of spiritual
> communities in the neighborhoods; The concept and purpose of the Teaching Teams
> 
> The Highlights of consultation with Aniela:
> 
> •   The importance of intensive teaching activities during the Expansion Phase.
> •   Counting how many meaningful and distinctive conversations we’ve had.
> •   Aniela told about a study circle where each person was charged with taking one quote
> to someone else to discuss and get a better understanding. These people came back
> to the study circle with more people with whom they had discussed the quotes.
> •   Pilot program of prayer partners for teachers – divide cluster into sectors; visit Bahá’ís
> who are not involved, encourage them to take part in the Expansion Phase by praying
> for the teachers. Maybe they can even pray at the same time as the teachers are
> actively teaching. Teachers can call the prayers and tell them about the teaching
> events. Encourage prayers to have a devotional, inviting Bahá’ís nearby. Prayers can
> ask the attendants of the devotional to write a list of people whom they are going to
> teach.
> •   Teaching Teams are composed of people who live in close proximity and have rapport
> with each other. Teaching Teams of Children’s classes are formed to involve the
> parents in social activities, Teaching Teams plan fun activities like movie nights or
> dinner, invite their friends and neighbors, initiate Meaningful and Distinctive
> conversation with them, inviting them to the neighborhood core activities and firesides.
> We then launched the 10th Intensive Program of Growth, with Tony Quinones’
> energizing talk, and developed a Master Action Plan.
> •   Aniela was delighted with the energy and depth of the participants’ consultation in their
> Teaching Teams and developing their action plans in the form of commitments.
> 
> ________________________________________________
> 
> In 2012, the ATC Secretary sent the following Feast message for consultation, regarding
> the dynamic of the relationship between ATC and the Cluster community:
> Beloved teachers and coworkers, The Area Teaching Committee is sending its loving
> gratitude for the wonderful service that each one of you individually and collectively is
> 
> rendering to our Beloved Cause. As a recent communication from the Regional Council
> indicates: “The efforts of the Pasco-Hernando Cluster is simply delight after delight!!!
> Keep these heartwarming stories coming! Love to you, dearest sister, Aniela” Our Cluster
> is doing an amazing job and has been maturing at an accelerated rate.
> 
> The ATC Secretary felt at this stage to share with you the process of communication with
> the Cluster: The ATC is following a few specific guidelines from the Regional Council,
> stated in the Guidelines for the Area Teaching Committees and the attached guideline for
> the Teaching Teams. The forms of communications are as follows:
> 
> ➢ NEWSFLASHES: According to the Regional Council Guidelines, the ATC
> Secretary should “Sends out to the cluster email list daily newsflash during
> the intensive expansion phase of each IPG cycle and on a weekly basis
> during the remaining of the cycle.” The ATC Secretary is doing her best to
> share with you the stories and reports of you dear friends with the email list of
> the friends who are active in teaching work and Core Activities.
> 
> ➢ The PG NEWS UPDATE AND REPORTS: The Regional Council Guidelines
> indicated that the ATC Secretary should: “Produce cluster newsletter several
> times during each cycle, sharing the victories and achievements of the current
> cycle with the Assemblies and friends at large. This is particularly effective to be
> done shortly before each Feast.”
> 
> ➢ Working with the Teaching Teams: The Regional Council Guidelines indicate that
> the ATC Secretary should: “Facilitate the formation, training, deployment, and
> sustainability of teaching teams, and setting up opportunities for sharing what they
> have learned.” The ATC Secretary, with the help of the ATC Liaisons, is carrying out
> this responsibility, with love and humility, via emails and in person, in different stages
> and with few options. The attached Teaching Teams Guidelines suggests:
> 
> ▪   The Role of the Facilitator: “The facilitator is a liaison in regular contact with
> the Area Teaching Committee secretary to share victories, observations, new
> believers and their consolidation in the Plan, and the status of the Community Of
> Interest.” The Team may appoint a Facilitator to report the information to the
> ATC Secretary, and or share the report with the community at Feasts or
> Reflection Gatherings.
> 
> ▪   “Reporting to the ATC: “Accurate lists of our contacts must be maintained, so
> the needs of the contacts are being met continuously. Part of this list1 is reported
> quarterly to the Area Teaching committee so that a count of the community of
> interest can be sent to the Regional Bahá'í Council and ultimately to the
> International Teaching Centre.” The ATC Secretary usually sends a request for
> the reports of Firesides and Core Activities periodically.
> 
> ➢ The ATC Secretary sends a request for the reports of the following Team Activities,
> right after the Reflection Gathering, during the Preparation Time, at the end of the
> Expansion Phase, and one month before the culmination of each Cycle, in the form
> of “CALL TO ACTION”:
> 
> ▪   “Planning Teaching Activities
> • The team is free to employ any direct teaching method from door-to-door
> teaching to firesides and Deepenings. The goal is to engage seekers in
> “meaningful and distinctive conversations.”
> • Each member will identify and list their circle of contacts from among their
> friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers, then create individual teaching plans
> to reach them.
> • As a team, we will also create a plan to reach our collective group of seekers.
> • We will consult on how to approach our contacts or seekers and raise their
> interest towards the spiritual teachings of the Faith by engaging in deeper
> conversations in their homes or our homes.
> ▪ Reflection on Teaching Activities
> One of the benefits of teaching teams, for its members, is having the continual
> opportunity to reflect and analyze the methods, approaches, and strategies
> of teaching, in order to become more effective teachers. Learning in action
> and reflection is an essential component of developing capacity to teach
> effectively. As team members, we will reflect after our encounters with
> seekers by simply asking ourselves a few questions. Examples:
> "How did we do?"
> "What was effective and what needs improvement?"
> "How can we bring this seeker closer to Bahá'u'lláh?" What are their
> obstacles? Spiritual obstacles are often fear; how can we remove it? Physical
> obstacles are simpler; do they need transportation? If they are busy maybe
> a home visit is better than an invitation to a meeting.”
> 
> ➢ The other important communication is “Organizing a Successful Cluster Reflection
> Meeting; The Cluster Reflection Meeting11 can be a wonderful time for the friends
> in a cluster to come together and rejoice in the achievements of the previous cycle
> and create a collective vision for the upcoming cycle. As the title implies, it should
> be a time when there can be collective, thoughtful reflection on the state of the
> cluster and the possibilities that lie ahead.” This ATC communication is done through
> the Flier, and request for the Teaching Teams facilitators and friends to contribute
> to the different segments of the program.
> 
> Dear friends, as the Counselor Eugene Andrews used to remind us, we are building a
> spiritual enterprise in each Cluster. Each one of us is contributing to this mighty
> enterprise with our love, talents, skills, and sacrificial deeds.
> 
> “This is the time for growing; the season for joyous gathering! Take the cup of the
> Testament in thy hand; leap and dance with ecstasy in the triumphal procession of
> the Covenant! Lay your confidence in the everlasting bounty, turn to the presence
> 
> of the generous God; ask assistance from the Kingdom of Abha; seek confirmation
> from the Supreme World; turn thy vision to the horizon of eternal wealth; and pray
> for help from the Source of Mercy!
> Soon shall ye see the friends attaining their longed-for destination and pitching their
> tents, while we are but in the first day of our journey.”
> 
> Bahá’í World Faith—Selected Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> (‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Section Only)
> http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/BWF/bwf-40.html
> 
> __________________________________
> 
> EXPANSION PHASE OF THE 17th INTENSIVE PROGRAM OF GROWTH
> FEBRUARY 13 TO MARCH 6TH
> REFLECTION GATHERING
> The East Pasco community hosted an inspiring Reflection Gathering at Fallah’s
> house.
> The A-Team organized a delightful Devotional, presented by their adorable
> Children’s Class.
> The youth arranged for a silent bake sale fundraiser to help them attend the Atlanta
> Youth Conference.
> The ATC Secretary shared the news of our Cluster being featured for the 3 rd time in
> the American Bahá’í.
> We celebrated the culmination of the IPG 16th, with a cake, which was decorated
> with the icing that spelled all the goals, and 16 lighted candles, and cups of sparkling
> cider and grape juice.
> 
> On Reflection on the lessons learned, it was recommended:
> To utilize the Newsflashes in seeking help from the community, e.g., asking for
> volunteers to help the teachers of children’s classes as adult supports or helping with
> art projects.
> 
> To report all the teaching and Core Activities to the ATC and Statistical Officer. As we
> don’t have the Cluster Institute Coordinator/s, we need the support of the community
> to help with the statistical reports.
> On Launching the 17th IPG, we reviewed the Guidance of the Universal House of
> Justice:
> 
> “Key to the progress of an intensive program is the phase dedicated to reflection, in
> which the lessons learned in action are articulated and incorporated into plans for
> the next cycle of activity. Its principal feature is the reflection meeting – as much a
> time of joyous celebration as it is of serious consultation.”
> 27 December 2005 - To the Conference of the Continental ...
> https://universalhouseofjustice.bahai.org/activities-bahai...
> 
> We consulted on the importance of planning the next Cycle of IPG, by setting
> realistic Goals, and by “take(ing) into account increased capacity in terms of the
> human resources available at the end of the cycle.” Our new believers shared their
> experience in being integrated into the Teaching Teams, and how the team
> members helped them to increase their knowledge and their capacity to be actively
> involved in teaching and Core Activities. Randi reported on the success of her
> neighborhood community building activities, which started with her family embracing
> the Faith; and now with having a Children’s Class, a Junior Youth Group, and a Book
> One Study Circle.
> 
> The 16th IPG’S HIGHLIGHTS OF ACHIEVEMENTS
> 1 new believer
> 60 friends were involved in teaching activities
> 50 Firesides/direct teaching events were held
> 12 Teaching Teams were formed and fully functioning
> 15 Devotional Meetings were held
> 11 Study Circles were held
> 6 Children’s Classes were held
> 1 JYEP in West Pasco
> 6 home visits to new believers
> 99 friends of the Faith and seekers participated in the Core Activities and
> Firesides
> 
> *************************************************
> 
> ATC Received the following correspondence with regards to the recent Newsflash:
> 
> ▪   From the Auxiliary Board member, Trisha Irons: Ya'Baha'ul'Abha! What
> wonderful news on all fronts. New registrations, consistent follow up on the seeker
> response line, seekers entering study circles, and regular firesides! I always love the
> sharing from the teams. Keep up the good teaching work! With love, Trish
> 
> ▪   From the Regional Seekers Response System, Fran Young: Thank you! Thank
> you! What an inspirational report! I will share this at our Reflections. Sharing like this
> is what we need from each other. I feel such joy and relief knowing the seekers are
> in good hands with happy and joyous soldiers of Baha u llah, enthusiastic about
> teaching, loving, and serving our neighbors. I feel your joy and energy! Glory be to
> God! Much love, Fran
> 
> ▪   From The American Bahá’í, Tom Mennillo: Thanks so much for this update,
> Shahla. Your teaching teams seem to be operating at such a high level in terms of
> engaging seekers and involving them in the core activities. Anything you can tell me
> about how this has evolved and what you're learning would be greatly appreciated.
> And if you can point me toward any of these individuals who members of teaching
> teams, that would be wonderful as well. Thanks. Tom
> 
> The following Report to the community was shared with Tom Menillo, for an article in the
> American Bahá’í Magazine:
> Beloved teachers and coworkers;
> During the Planning Period for 22nd Intensive Program of Growth, the Area Teaching
> Committee met and consulted on the attached Interim Report. In reviewing the amazing
> success of the community, in meeting and exceeding the goals of the IPG 21, we reflected
> on the reality of our Cluster and what has been working well in this IPG. The followings are
> the highlights:
> 1. The support of the Clusters Local Spiritual Assemblies and Groups, where the
> majority of members are either a part of the Teaching Teams or supporting the
> activities of the teams.
> 2. ATC’s evolving role in becoming a Task Force, where the majority of members,
> acting as the Liaisons for the Teaching Teams, support their respective communities
> and report their success to the ATC Secretary for Newsflashes.
> 3. The wonderful help of the Statistical Officer to collect data for all the teaching and
> Core Activities in the community and providing the data to the ATC for the final report
> and the Cluster Growth Profile.
> 4. And finally, our wonderful Teaching Teams who work diligently to follow the
> Guidelines of the Universal House of Justice and the Regional Council; to Reflect,
> set Goals and Achieve the Goals of each IPG.
> ▪ The dynamics of the Teaching Teams in our Cluster is fluid and unique. The
> membership in each team has been voluntary and has transcended beyond
> Cluster boundaries and Assemblies jurisdictions. An example is Parents Team,
> working closely with members in Tarpon Springs. The 3 Zone Team, where
> 
> members are from Tampa, East, and West Pasco. The team members support
> and attend each other’s Devotionals in all 3 zones.
> ▪   The Teams follow the Guidelines of “Unity in Goals and Diversity in Actions” -
> Team members have been setting their own individual goals for teaching and
> Core Activities while supporting other members endeavors.
> ▪   The concept of accompaniment is strong in each team. The more experienced
> members accompany other members who would like to initiate a Core Activity.
> In addition, each team has been nurturing the new believers, seekers, and the
> Friends of the Faith, accompanying them to the Bahá’ís activities within the
> Cluster.
> ▪   The majority of our new believers and some Friends of the Faith have been the
> referrals from the National or Regional Seekers Response. The ATC Secretary,
> after receiving the names from the Cluster’s Seekers Response, request the
> Team members who are in the same locality, to contact the seekers and
> accompany the seekers to Bahá’í activities. This approach has been highly
> effective in developing friendship and trust with the seekers.
> 
> *****************************************
> 
> “EDUCATION IS NOT A CRIME” CAMPAIGN
> This Memoir started with the historical perspective of the Bahá’ís in Iran and will continue
> with a loving tribute to the ongoing persecution of the Iranian Bahá’í educators and students
> best described in the article taken from the Bahá’í World News Service website:
> The official news source of the worldwide Bahá’í community
> 8 February 2015
> 
> "Education is Not a Crime" gains momentum
> 
> ‘LOS ANGELES, United States — Education is Not a Crime, a worldwide campaign
> drawing attention to the constructive response of the Bahá’í community to the
> Iranian government's systematic denial of university education to young Bahá’ís , is
> gaining momentum as it nears its global day of action, 27 February.
> 
> The campaign's website highlights the breadth of efforts by authorities in Iran to
> persecute the Bahá’ís there, and it provides historical context.
> Calling on people around the world to participate in the campaign, the homepage
> states, "Education is a crime in Iran. But we can change that".
> Launched in November 2014, the campaign, organized by Maziar Bahari, an
> Iranian-Canadian journalist, and filmmaker who was himself imprisoned in Iran in
> 2009, was inspired by the film "To Light a Candle," a documentary made by Mr.
> Bahari.
> 
> The film uses interviews, personal stories, and archival footage – often smuggled
> out of Iran at great personal risk – to explore how the Bahá’ís in Iran, in the face of
> ongoing oppression, have found creative ways to respond to injustice. In particular,
> 
> it highlights the constructive resilience of Bahá’í youth who have expressed their
> desire to pursue their education by developing informal arrangements through which
> they could have access to university-level studies.
> 
> The campaign is leading up to a major event titled Education Is Not A Crime Live
> 2015, to be held in Los Angeles on 27 February, where "To Light, a Candle" will be
> shown – one of the hundreds of screenings to be held around the world on that day.
> 
> A significant element of this campaign is the support it has received from across the
> world. Notably, a growing number of Iranians have decided to defend the rights of
> the Bahá’ís against decades-long efforts by authorities and religious leaders in Iran
> to misrepresent the Bahá’í community.
> "Many people are learning from the Bahá’ís ," Mr. Bahari said during the premier of
> his film in London this past September. He added that, in the past, Iranians "were
> indifferent to the fate of the Bahá’ís. We didn't care to care.’
> ‘Most young Iranians today have Bahá’í friends despite the fact the government
> continues to harass them and portray them in the same negative light," Mr. Bahari
> said.
> 
> The Education is Not a Crime campaign has been endorsed by many prominent
> individuals. These include Nobel Peace laureates such as Archbishop Desmond
> Tutu, Shirin Ebadi, Tawakkol Karman, Jody Williams, and Mairead Maguire. In
> addition, it has won the support of a number of other artists and intellectuals
> including Nazanin Boniadi, Abbas Milani, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Azar Nafisi, Omid
> Djalili, Eva LaRue, and Mohammad Maleki, former president of the University of
> Tehran.
> A section of the site has been devoted to providing information on how individuals
> can become involved in the initiative. In addition, numerous videos have been
> posted, both on the website and the Facebook page of the campaign, by people
> around the world who have sent messages supporting the right of the Bahá’ís in Iran
> to study.
> "Education is a basic human right," says an individual in his video posted on the
> website. "It's like...the right to livelihood, safety or work, right to shelter. It's a basic
> human right, it's not a crime. Deprivation of it is a crime.’
> 
> Responding to a Nationwide campaign:
> 
> The following press release was submitted to the American Bahá’í Magazine and was
> included in the coverage of the Education is Not a Crime Campaign:
> ‘On February 25th, the Hernando Bahá’í community showed the solidarity to the Education
> Is Not a Crime Campaign, by sponsoring a free screening of "To Light a Candle"; a film that
> depicts the Bahá’ís as the largest religious minority in Iran are systematically imprisoned,
> tortured and killed by the Iranian government. The Islamic regime bans the Bahá’ís to study
> or teach in Iranian universities.
> 
> The impact of this film was so powerful that a new seeker could not stop crying. A friend of
> the Faith commented: "Wow! What a powerful film. It was heartbreaking to see what the
> Bahá’í's have had to endure for something some of us take for granted (freedom of
> education). Yet it is inspiring to see how they have stayed strong in their faith and despite
> their many adversities, continue to find ways to further their education- even if it has to be
> in secret."
> 
> Shahla Gillbanks moderated the discussion after a heartfelt sharing of her experience as a
> Bahá’í in Iran. She mentioned how the Bahá’ís, by following the spiritual principles of the
> Faith, are always striving to gain knowledge and skills in order to serve the greater
> community. She shared a personal experience of some of the personalities in the film.
> Among them, Dr. Farahngi, who sixty years ago organized a group of doctors - including
> Shahla's father, nurses, and pharmacist, to regularly go to the remote villages in Iran and
> offer free medical service to the villagers - Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís . After the Revolution,
> Dr. Farhangi was arrested and executed, and his desecrated body was found with a sign
> depicting him as an enemy of Islam.
> 
> The other personality was Dr. Davoudi, a professor at the University of Tehran who was
> Shahla's mentor when she was a student. After the Revolution, Dr. Davoudi, as a member
> of the National Spiritual Assembly was abducted, never to be found. Professor Davoudi's
> daughter, who was featured in the film, was banned from university to continue her
> education!
> 
> Shahla mentioned that Genocide,
> according to the Amnesty
> International definition, is the
> systematic elimination of a group
> of people by the government,
> based on their race, color and
> belief, among other things. This
> happens by depriving the group of
> their source of livelihood, their
> family, their belongings, their right
> to education, freedom of religious
> practice and social interaction. This
> is in addition
> 
> to imprisonment, torture, and
> execution.
> 
> Iranian Bahá’ís are facing the genocide by peaceful resistance. The Bahá’í educators
> around the world have been supporting the BIHE. Shahla joined a group of dedicated
> educators in Florida who developed the English Language Curriculum for the Institute.
> Later, she and her husband became online tutors for a group of BIHE students in Iran. It
> was a bounty and a privilege!
> 
> In open discussion, the participants were asked to respond to 2 questions:
> 
> •   The Iranian government seems to say that the education is a crime for the Bahá’ís.
> What do you say about it?
> 
> •   What do you think Iran is losing by not allowing the Bahá’ís to study?
> 
> The lively discussion resulted in a resolution that each of us needs to take a stand and
> speak out for the Bahá’ís of Iran, affirming that Education is Not a Crime!’
> 
> ***************************************
> 
> 2017 Highlight, Celebration of Bicentenary of Birth of Bahá’u’lláh
> 
> Taken from the Bahá’í World News website:
> http://feeds.bahai.org/bwns/rss
> 
> ‘Sunset in Hawaii closes extraordinary period of worldwide celebrations
> BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTRE — With sunset in Hawaii moments ago, the period
> marking the bicentenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s birth has come to a close.
> Over the last 72 hours, a cross-section of humanity, unprecedently diverse, in
> virtually every spot on the globe, joined in a striking diversity of action to
> commemorate the birth of Bahá’u’lláh.
> Countless individuals were inspired by the festivities surrounding the bicentenary
> and were moved by their encounters with the life and writings of Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> One of the more than 27,000 visitors who viewed an exhibit on the life of Bahá’u’lláh
> held in Frankfurt said, “My wife and I were just talking before we came here about
> how life was without purpose. But then we visited this exhibition. Here we have found
> the answer to our purpose in life.”
> 
> In Suriname, Vice President Ashwin Adhin planned to attend a reception for the
> bicentenary held at the National Bahá’í Centre. After a short program which included
> prayers, a film about the history of the Faith in Suriname, and a talk, he decided to
> cancel his plans, so he would have time to speak with the Bahá’ís about community-
> building in the young country. On the same day, the Bahá’í community of Canada
> received a public message of good-will from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, one of
> the last of a wide array of such messages received in recent days from officials.
> Traditional dance performed in Bangui, Central African Republic
> Many celebrations throughout the world featured screenings of the film Light to the
> World, which tells the story of Bahá’u’lláh’s life and the impact of His teachings. A
> participant at a gathering in East Asia said, “After watching the film, everyone was
> saying ‘Bahá’u’lláh’ with so much ease and comfort...It was as if they had known
> Him for many years and He was a familiar Figure to them.”
> 
> At a national celebration in Madrid, one attendee said, “the message of Bahá’u’lláh
> is exactly what humanity needs. Listening to these principles is not just a matter of
> hearing a beautiful message, it is essential for the progress of the human race.’
> 
> Engaging with society
> 
> ‘At various gatherings attended by government leaders, NGOs, and faith groups, the
> Bahá’í community offered its contribution to pressing matters, such as the role of
> religion in society, migration, peace, the environment, education, and gender
> equality.’
> 
> ~ Bahá’í World News Service,
> The official news source of the worldwide Bahá’í community
> 2017: A momentous year for the Baha’i world | Bahá’í World ...
> https://news.bahai.org/story/1231
> 
> The Bahá’í community of Pasco had an opportunity to take part in this endeavor when the
> Seeker Response received a request from an organization to have a Bahá’í representative
> at their upcoming Panel Forum. I was asked to be the Bahá’í speaker. The following press
> release was shared with the American Bahá’í and excerpts appeared in local newspapers:
> 
> ‘The American Association of University Women in West Pasco, Florida, sponsored
> a forum on Who Is My Neighbor: A Racial & Religious Minorities Panel, to address:
> What’s it like living in America today if you’re a member of a racial or religious
> minority? Panel members represented Jewish, Bahá’í, Muslim, Latino American,
> African American, and Native American Communities. They talked about their
> personal experiences and perspectives, interspersed with brief musical
> accompaniment. A group of Bahá’ís from West Pasco and other Cluster
> Communities were present to support the endeavor. Bahá’í information brochures
> were provided for distribution.
> 
> Shahla Gillbanks, the representative of the Bahá’í community, stated:
> 
> “I was born in Iran to a Bahá’í family. My father was a medical doctor and my
> mother a teacher. I learned as a Bahá’í child that religion is progressive in nature.
> That all the messengers of God came to this world to help mankind to develop and
> receive the love of God. So, I learned about all the religions and loved all the
> messengers of God.
> 
> However, my extended family was Muslims, and some of them considered us as
> unbelievers and defiled. My old aunt used to cover my face with her veil before
> kissing me and dipping fruits that we offered her in a fishpond. It was strange for me
> that with my father being a doctor, she was treating us as unclean. But my mother
> taught me to be kind and respectful.
> 
> When I was in my teens, my father joined a team of the Bahá’í doctors who started
> a group similar to the “Doctors without Borders.” He used to take us along with other
> family members while going to the villages around Teheran to take medicine and
> treat patients free of charge, irrespective of their religion.
> 
> In 1980’s after the Iranian Revolution, the Regime captured and imprisoned my
> elderly and sick father and confiscated all his properties. When he was released on
> furlough, he fled Iran and became a Bahá’í refugee in France. Soon after, he passed
> away penniless and was buried in a cemetery for the Destitute.
> 
> During this time most of my close friends, teachers, and professors were imprisoned,
> tortured, and killed for being a Bahá’í. This included the doctor who coordinated the
> “Doctors without Borders Team.” After he was tortured and killed, his body was left
> in the street of Tehran, with a sign on his neck reading: “Here is the enemy of Islam.”
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh asks each of us to develop a sense of world citizenship. So, when I was
> in my early twenty’s, I left Iran to study and work in the Philippines, Kenya, and New
> Zealand.
> 
> When I became a United Nations Consultant for the Caribbean, I found the United
> Nations mandates reflect the teaching of the Bahá’í Faith; on Respecting Human
> Rights, Equality of the Rights of Men and Women, Universal Education for boys and
> girls, Harmony between Religion and Science, and the Elimination of the Extremes
> of Wealth and Poverty.
> 
> My husband is a New Zealander, and my children were born in Kenya. So, we truly
> believed that we were World Citizens when we moved to California. It was the same
> time that Iranian Islamic Revolution initiated a widespread policy of elimination of
> the Bahá’í community in Iran. This also coincided with the hostage crisis in Iran. So,
> the normal American reaction to me was that I was a fanatic terrorist.
> 
> I became the Staff Development Officer of Riverside County, and among other
> subjects, I trained Social Service Workers on Civil Right and the Dynamic of
> prejudice. When I walked into my classroom, I felt the tense negative reaction
> towards me for being an Iranian. So, I started my sessions by asking my trainees
> what their first impression of me as an Iranian woman was. It gave them the freedom
> to voice their opinion and stereotypes, which ended up with me being a terrorist.
> 
> Then, I mentioned that I was a Bahá’í, and told them the story of my father and
> persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran. I also explained that the Bahá’ís believe in equality
> of women and men, in the oneness of mankind and elimination of all types of
> prejudice. I concluded with telling them that Bahá’ís abhor violence and work in
> creating the Universal Peace. I felt gradually the negative reaction was replaced with
> empathy and understanding.
> 
> Then I talked about the dynamic of prejudice which starts with systematically
> spreading lies, misinformation, and stereotypes attributed to a minority group. These
> lies are targeting the primal fears of the general population. They create the feeling
> of “Otherness”: “Us” vs. “Them.” They aim to dehumanize the minority and therefor,
> as they are less than human, they don’t have the feelings that we have. So, we can
> hurt and violate them and their families.
> 
> I helped my trainees to understand that we have the same needs and aspiration as
> others. Therefore, we need to develop empathy and understanding towards them.
> To accept the differences and the individuality of each person, as far as they are not
> hurting or violating the rights of others. That we would need to be an agent of change
> and stand up for the rights of others.
> 
> Since then, it has been my mission as a Bahá’í to advocate our common humanity
> as a factor which leads us to spiritual transformation, to achieve Universal Peace.
> To go beyond racial, religious, ethnic, and cultural difference which divide us to a
> world that welcomes Unity in Diversity. I hope you join us in this quest.
> 
> At the end of the Panel discussion, a number of Panel members and participants
> mentioned that they have attended the Bicentenary of Birth of Bahá’u’lláh in West
> Pasco. Others stated that it was the first time that they heard about the Bahá’í Faith
> and expressed interest to have follow up meetings to know more about the Faith.
> 
> In response to Shala Gillbanks Facebook post, thanking the organizers and
> participants for sponsoring and supporting this enriching event, the Panel Facilitator
> wrote: “Your presentation was wonderful! A real eye opener! Please tell your
> Facebook friends about your father and the other doctor who was killed because of
> his faith, and the discrimination you experienced in California as a trainer for Cultural
> Awareness. After hearing you speak, I want to learn more and join the Bahá’ís!”
> 
> Follow up Activities
> Following the Panel forum, I was invited to a luncheon where I met the president of the
> Association, who shared with me that she and her husband were stationed in Iran during
> the Revolution. They met the Bahá’ís there and were interested in attending Bahá’í
> meetings in our area. She published a summary of my talk in the Association’s national
> newsletter and my meeting with her. In consultation with the community, I invited the
> Association members and Panel presenters to a Tranquility Zone at our home. The theme
> was on Healing Prejudices and Hostilities, Bahá’í contribution to this pressing issue. I
> publicized the event on Facebook. We had a wonderful gathering with 18 participants from
> Pasco and Tampa communities. There were 6 Friends of the Faith, including the
> Association president, her husband, and Association’s officials.
> 
> The community members established a relationship by supporting the African American
> and Jewish community events.
> 
> The third activity was holding a Workshop on Finding Peace. I integrated the messages
> from the Universal House of Justice to develop a practical framework for action in our
> community. The following is the outline of this workshop:
> ‘In our daily life, from the time we wake up, we are bombarded with negative vibes from
> people around us and from the mass media.
> It affects our spiritual and physical wellbeing. At times, we feel angry, hopeless, and sick in
> the pit of our stomach.
> The question is: How to gain control of our life?
> Bahá’í Teachings express that physical, mental, and social ills emanate from a lack of
> balance and harmony in the living organism.
> Physical illness starts with the elements that attack the immune system and organs. If not
> treated, this leads to disease and eventual death.
> In society, lack of balance affects harmony, which leads to strife, conflicts, war, and the
> eventual destruction of humanity.
> Bahá’ís believe that Manifestations of God are Divine Physicians who came to
> bring healing remedy for humanity in different ages. Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings are
> remedy for this age.
> Today, we are going to develop tools which will help us to heal and create balance and
> harmony in our life. Let us read the following quotation from the Bahá’í Writings:
> “Bahá’u’lláh is the real Physician. He has diagnosed human conditions and indicated
> the necessary treatment. The essential principles of His healing remedies are
> the knowledge and love of God, severance from all else save God, turning our
> faces in sincerity toward the Kingdom of God, implicit faith, firmness and
> fidelity, loving-kindness toward all creatures and the acquisition of the divine
> virtues indicated for the human world. These are the fundamental principles of
> 
> progress, civilization, international peace and the unity of mankind. These are
> the essentials of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, the secret of everlasting health, the
> remedy and healing for man.”
> 
> Now, let us discuss the acquisition of some of these Divine virtues which would help us to
> bring Harmony and Peace to Humanity:
> Working on a spiritual path to construct a plan of action to achieve peace.
> 
> Just as the viability of every cell and every organ depends upon the health of
> the body as whole, so should peace and prosperity of every individual, every
> family, and every people be sought in the wellbeing of the entire human race
> 
> ❖ The First Virtue: Acceptance
> 
> “God has not created men that they should destroy one another. All races, tribes, sects
> and classes share equally in the Bounty of their Heavenly Father. The only difference
> lies in the degree of faithfulness, of obedience to the laws of God. There are some who
> are as lighted torches, there are others who shine as stars in the sky of humanity. The
> lovers of mankind, these are the superior men, of whatever nation, creed or colour they
> may be. For it is they to whom God will say these blessed words, ‘Well done, My good
> and faithful servants.”
> 
> ~ Abdu’l-Bahá
> 
> Paris Talks | Bahá’í Reference Library
> 
> https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/’Abdu’l-Bahá/paris...
> 
> ➢ Key Principles:
> 
> ▪   Challenging intolerance and prejudice – to see each other first and
> foremost as human beings.
> 
> ▪   Promoting a culture of acceptance and mutual respect
> 
> Our reward is to attain God’s pleasure
> 
> ❖ The Second Virtue: Love and Unity
> 
> “Be in perfect unity. Never become angry with one another. Let your eyes be directed
> toward the kingdom of truth and not toward the world of creation. Love the creatures
> 
> for the sake of God and not for themselves. You will never become angry or
> impatient if you love them for the sake of God. Humanity is not perfect. There are
> imperfections in every human being, and you will always become unhappy if you
> look toward the people themselves. But if you look toward God, you will love them
> and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete
> mercy.”
> 
> ~ Abdu’l-Bahá
> 
> The Promulgation of Universal Peace - Baha'i Reference Library
> 
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PUP/pup-39.html
> 
> ➢ Key Principles: Ways to create love and harmony
> 
> ▪   Reaching out to people in our community – with understanding that
> different segments of society are not inherently in conflict with each
> other. They need to see their diversity as an opportunity rather than a
> threat.
> 
> ▪   Finding commonalities among different groups – ideas and principles
> based on unity in diversity
> 
> ▪   Construct a plan of action to achieve peace – community building
> activities and projects to improve the life of the community
> 
> ▪   Create Social Spaces open to new possibilities – neighborhoods,
> social groups
> 
> ❖ The Third Virtue: Confirmation
> 
> “O thou candle of the Love of God!
> I ask God to grant thee by His favor and grace that which is thy utmost desire; that
> the closed doors become opened, the uneven roads become even, thy face shine
> by the love of God, thy sight become brighter by witnessing the signs of God; that
> thou mayest attain spiritual joy, eternal happiness and heavenly life.”
> ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> 
> O Thou Candle Of The Love Of God ...
> https://iaccidentlyatethewholething.com/2017/08/17/o-thou-candle..
> 
> ➢ Key Principles:
> 
> ▪   Have faith and spiritual courage
> 
> ▪   Be selfless – Do this for the sake of God
> 
> ▪   Have empathy
> 
> ▪   Don’t let these to stop you or hold you back:
> 
> •   Fears – are a part of the journey
> 
> •   Self-doubts – replacing them with positive thoughts and believing
> in yourself.
> 
> ▪   Get out of your comfort zone
> 
> ▪   Have inner peace through prayers and meditation to receive divine
> confirmation
> 
> ❖ The Fourth Virtue: Resolve and Volition; Deciding firmly on a course of action
> 
> “There is nothing so heart-breaking and terrible as an outburst of human savagery!
> I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your heart on
> love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of
> peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love.
> Thoughts of war bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and
> content. ...
> 
> Thoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood, peace, friendship, and happiness.
> If you desire with all your heart, friendship with every race on earth, your thought,
> spiritual and positive, will spread; it will become the desire of others, growing
> stronger and stronger, until it reaches the minds of all men.
> Do not despair! Work steadily. Sincerity and love will conquer hate. How many
> seemingly impossible events are coming to pass in these days! Set your faces
> steadily towards the Light of the World. Show love to all; ‘Love is the breath of the
> Holy Spirit in the heart of Man.’ Take courage!
> 
> God never forsakes His children who strive and work and pray! Let your hearts be
> filled with the strenuous desire that tranquility and harmony may encircle all this
> warring world. So, will success crown your efforts, and with the universal
> brotherhood will come the Kingdom of God in peace and goodwill.
> 
> In this room today are members of many races, French, American, English, German,
> Italian, brothers and sisters meeting in friendship and harmony! Let this gathering
> be a foreshadowing of what will, in very truth, take place in this world, when every
> child of God realizes that they are leaves of one tree, flowers in one garden, drops
> in one ocean, and sons and daughters of one Father, whose name is love!”
> 
> ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> Bahá'í Reference Library - Paris Talks, Pages 28-30
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PT/pt-6.html
> 
> ➢ Key Principles: How to achieve that
> 
> ▪   Strive to establish a world filled with divine love and founded on
> justice, where every soul finds acceptance and fulfills the true
> purpose of life.
> 
> ▪   Visualize multitudes of talented people eagerly working together to
> create a better world. Action – Service
> 
> ❖ The Fifth Virtue: ACTION - SERVICE
> 
> “Think ye at all times of rendering some service to every member of the human race.
> Pay ye no heed to aversion and rejection, to disdain, hostility, injustice: act ye in the
> opposite way. Be ye sincerely kind, not in appearance only. Let each one of God’s
> loved ones centre his attention on this: to be the Lord’s mercy to man; to be the
> Lord’s grace. Let him do some good to every person whose path he crosseth and
> be of some benefit to him. Let him improve the character of each and all and reorient
> the minds of men. In this way, the light of divine guidance will shine forth, and the
> 
> blessings of God will cradle all mankind: for love is light, no matter in what abode it
> dwelleth; and hate is darkness, no matter where it may make its nest.”
> 
> ~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> 
> Bahá'í Reference Library - Selections From the Writings of ...
> 
> reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAB/sab-2.html
> 
> ➢ Key Principles:
> 
> ▪   Share your ideas with others
> 
> ▪   Find partners with the same vision
> ▪   Create deep friendships, inclusive of all people, consult about the
> conditions of our community and act together for our common
> benefits.
> 
> ▪   Set up the Goal: Individual, institutions, and communities, imbued
> with the spirit of Faith, through systematic action, contributing in
> meaningful ways to the life of the community
> 
> Moving forward together: persistent and systematic acts of service to create a
> healthy and vibrant community
> At this point the participants were asked to form teams which were composed of Bahá’ís
> and Friends of the Faith, to develop a service project, based on the following steps:
> 
> Path of Service – Steps to apply these remedies to impact the community:
> 
> 1. Set up Goals and measurable objectives
> 
> ➢ To progress both in the material and spiritual well-being of the
> community
> 
> 2. Find partners with the same vision and form teams
> 
> ➢ To work for building a healthy and vibrant community
> 
> 3. Define what each team member can do
> 
> ➢ What we can do to find solutions and help understanding to live in
> harmony
> 
> 4. Identify Social Spaces and groups
> 
> ➢ To come together, to transcend the traditional barriers that divide people.
> Inspired by the Bahá’í Teachings, consult on challenges facing the
> community.
> 
> 5. Become Credible Resources that people can turn to
> 6. Develop and Implement an Action Plan
> 
> 7. Visualize the Success
> 
> 8. Think of it as a journey, enjoy every step of your Achievements
> 
> 9. Celebrate your success – it will give us impetus and energy to go to the next
> step
> 
> 10. Reflect: Get feedback, change course based on the feedback
> The teams were encouraged to have follow up meetings to plan the implementation of their
> respective projects. This opened the door for the Friends of the Faith to participate in the
> future Bahá’í meetings and activities.
> 
> Recently, I was invited by the Association to a follow up meeting to the Panel Forum. My
> hope and aspiration would be to serve my Beloved, in the remaining years of my life. I
> ardently pray:
> 
> ‘I magnify Thy Name, O my God, and offer thanksgiving unto Thee, O my Desire,
> inasmuch as Thou hast enabled me to clearly perceive Thy straight Path, hast
> unveiled Thy Great Announcement before mine eyes and hast aided me to set my
> face towards the Dayspring of Thy Revelation and the Fountainhead of Thy
> Cause, whilst Thy servants and Thy people turned away from Thee. I entreat
> Thee, O Lord of the Kingdom of eternity, by the shrill voice of the Pen of Glory, and
> by the Burning Fire which calleth aloud from the verdant Tree, and by the Ark
> which Thou hast specially chosen for the people of Bahá, to grant that I may
> remain steadfast in my love for Thee, be well pleased with whatsoever Thou hast
> 
> prescribed for me in Thy Book and may stand firm in Thy service and in the
> service of Thy loved ones. Graciously assist then Thy servants, O my God, to do
> that which will serve to exalt Thy Cause and will enable them to observe
> whatsoever Thou hast revealed in Thy Book.’
> 
> ~ Bahá’u’lláh
> 
> I magnify Thy Name, O my God...
> 
> www.bahaiprayers.org/steadfast9.htm
> 
> Fact Sheet About the Author
> 
> Shahla Gillbanks holds a master’s Degree in Social Work and Professional
> Certificates as Training Manger/Director from the International Board of Training
> and Development, and Performance Consultant from the American Board of
> Training and Development.
> In her professional life, she held positions as the Community Advisor of Auckland
> City Council in New Zealand, Associate Professor in Kenya and Iran, and United
> Nation Consultant for the Caribbean.
> Shahla and her family moved to California in 1982 and for 20 years, Shahla
> managed the Administrative and Human Resources Training for the Department
> of Social Services, Staff Development Division, in Riverside County. Among the
> programmes she developed was core curriculum training on Cultural Diversity
> and Civil Rights, and a number of professional courses on Self
> Development/Empowerment, and Stress Management, where she incorporated
> the Baha’i principles into the professional training for the County employees.
> In 2004, Shahla and Terry moved to the Tampa Bay area and continue serving
> the Tampa Bay community.
> 
> Previous publications (books, magazine articles, etc.; please include titles,
> dates, publishers):
> • 1968, The University of the Philippines
> Thesis Dissertation on: The Role of the Baha’i Faith in the Social
> Development of the Baha’i Youth in the Los Banos Laguna, Philippines
> –
> dedicated to the Universal House of Justice
> 
> • 1990 – 20001 Department of Social Services, Riverside County, CA
> Series of training manuals on Stress Management, Self Empowerment, Safety
> in the Workplace, Professionalism in the Office, and Administrative Training
> 
> • 2002 – 2004, New Zealand National Assembly, Office of Assembly Development
> Assembly Development Forum Course Manual
> 
> •   2006, Baha’i Institute of Higher Education, Florida
> Writing a series of articles for the English Language Curriculum of BIHE
> 
> • 2008 – 20016 Area Teaching Committee of Pasco Hernando, FL
> •
> Developing and publishing Cluster Newsletters, News Flashes and Reports
> for the Cluster, The Regional Council and “The American Baha’i”
> Significant organizations or associations you belong to (include offices held, dates
> of office, etc.):
> 
> •   2006- 2016   Secretary of the Area Teaching Committee of Paso and Hernando
> Cluster, FL
> •   2018         Affiliated with the American Association of University
> Women, Pasco, FL
> 
> Managing Facebook Pages:
> 
> •    2018 – 2019 “Footprints in the Sands of Time” and
> “West Pasco Baha’i Community”
>
> — *Footprints in the Sands of Time (Used by permission of the curator)*