# The Encounter

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

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Duane L. Herrmann, The Encounter, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Ré  Nua
> N e w D a y
> Magazine of the Bahá’ís of Ireland
> Spring 2016 Volume 241
> 
> Winter School
> A Fire in the Pacific
> Nabil
> In This Issue
> Winter School..........................................................................................4
> Winter School...................................................................................................................4
> The Dawnbreakers at Winter School..................................................................................5
> Core Activities..........................................................................................6
> Children’s Classes...............................................................................................................6
> The Story of Churchill................................................................................................... 6
> Junior Youth......................................................................................................................7
> Thinking About Numbers makes you THINK!............................................................. 7
> A most interesting evening.................................................................................................9
> Learning about growth in Europe....................................................................................10
> Book 4 in Galway............................................................................................................11
> National Activities.................................................................................13
> Townshend Cluster Activities...........................................................................................13
> Cork................................................................................................................................14
> Kilkenny..........................................................................................................................15
> The Yaran.................................................................................................16
> Jamaloddin Khanjani.......................................................................................................16
> A Teaching Story.....................................................................................18
> In the Holy Land....................................................................................22
> The Encounter.................................................................................................................22
> International Bahá’í News.....................................................................24
> After catastrophe, youth lead reconstruction in Vanuatu..................................................24
> A Fire in the Pacific..........................................................................................................27
> Bahá’í History..........................................................................................32
> Life of Nabil....................................................................................................................32
> Obituary...................................................................................................35
> Fire on the Hill: Remembering Peter Kay.......................................................................35
> Ruhi Books...............................................................................................37
> Provision of English Language Ruhi Books......................................................................37
> Contacts and Information.....................................................................39
> 
> The Story of Churchill                                Book 4 in Galway                                    Fire in the Pacific
> Page 6                                             Page 11                                               Page 27
> 
> Page 3
> In the Holy Land
> The Encounter                       front of him and the center of the square
> building. That room was open to the others
> By Duanne L. Herrmann                 with a large archway which opened the
> center half of the wall.
> The man entered the room from                   This center room was separated from
> outside. He was surprised to see how           the rooms surrounding it by a light,
> simply it was decorated, almost barren,        filigree lace, transparent curtain and its
> really, but not quite. The floor was richly    raised floor. The most noticeable differ-
> carpeted with ornate designs: flowers,         ence from it and the outer rooms were the
> leaves and tendrils. He could see through      contents. Whereas the outer, surrounding
> the interior doors to the other rooms that     rooms were empty, the center room was
> were similarly carpeted.                       filled with lights. It was light upon light:
> The walls were unadorned light, pale      multiple candelabras, chandeliers and
> yellow, almost white. Exterior doors and       candles. No one walked in that room.
> windows were covered with obviously            And, many of the lights had cut glass to
> thick, dark curtains with elegant edging       reflect the light: light upon light. This was
> that did not distract. He was sure they        an obvious effort to bestow in death light
> would muffle any outside sounds, as would      upon One who was denied even a single
> the two-foot-thick stone walls. The original   candle in His prison cell on dark, freezing
> structure was somewhat fortress-like, but      winter nights.
> with too many doors and windows for that.            The man stood, just to the side of
> The most interior wall, the one he        the door, and watched others come in,
> was facing as he entered, was adorned          singly, after him, slowly, reverently. Nearly
> with three items. Centered on each side        all would pause midway into the room,
> were large, framed texts. He could not         as if to catch their breath and possibly to
> read them from his distance, but he could      say a brief, silent prayer. Then they would
> recognize that one was in a script he could    approach the center room but with a
> not read. In the center of the wall, just      slower, even more reverent, pace.
> below the ceiling, was another framed                Upon reaching the threshold to the
> inscription in the same script which he        central room they would, invariably, kneel
> could not read.                                on the soft carpet, then bow their heads to
> In each of the two corners he was         the threshold in respect and tribute to the
> facing were plant stands with lamps with       One buried there. Some would touch the
> large globes which were lit from within        threshold, some would not.
> so they cast a soft, warm light. Their light         The threshold, in front of the filigree
> was inconsequential compared to the            curtain, was marked off with a thin cloth
> chandelier hanging in the center of the        of dark green, the green in respect for the
> room. None of these lights compared with       descendancy of the One buried within
> the lights in the center room directly in      from the Prophet Muhammad. Down the
> center of this cloth were carefully scattered
> Page 22
> rose petals and on each side stood a vase      surprised him, love that was deep and
> of fresh roses. The man now identified the     intense, love that he had never before
> scent of roses which greeted him upon          experienced in his life. No one had ever
> entering the room. It was powerful, but        loved him like this. No one. The power of
> not unpleasant.                                this love could not even be compared to
> The people who knelt would gener-         the love he had received from his parents,
> ally not remain there for long. They would     grandparents, wife or children. He could
> get up reverently, back themselves away,       not think, He could not reason – he felt
> then side over often to an empty space         suspended in space and time. Then he
> along a side wall of the room or in the        sobbed. His body shook and tears flowed.
> back, though some would find a spot in         He could not stop, he could only cry.
> the larger space of the room, and sit on the        Gradually the sensation ceased, as did
> carpet in whatever manner felt comfort-        his sobbing. He pulled himself up, looked
> able to them. Some would close their eyes      furtively around to see the reactions of
> in prayer, others would read silently from     the others in the room. This was not his
> a prayer book. There were several avail-       typical response to anything! There was no
> able from a small chest upon entering the      indication from any of the others in the
> portico surrounding the building. Upon         room that anything unusual had occurred.
> entering that surrounding space everyone       He backed away, as he had seen the others
> took off their shoes in respect.               do, and found a spot where he could lean
> The man decided to go forward to the      against a side wall. He was drained of
> threshold also. It seemed the most reason-     emotion and astonished that such an expe-
> able thing to do, and kneeling also.           rience could actually happen, and happen
> At first he placed his forehead on        to him!!
> the cloth on the threshold as he had seen           What had just happened?
> others do, but this did not feel “right.” He        He did not know.
> then lowered his head to the side of the
> threshold. This felt much more appro-
> priate, though he did not understand why.
> Before he could begin to wonder about
> this, he began to feel as if he was a small
> child pushing his head against the knees of
> a person sitting before him. He wanted to
> join with that person and become part of
> the One greater than himself. He pushed
> his head more firmly against the knees. He
> inexplicably wanted to be as close to this
> person as possible.
> Suddenly, in the midst of this powerful
> desire, he “felt” arms reach out above him
> to extend over his head, but not touching
> him. Before he could more than begin to
> wonder about this, he felt loved.
> He felt love of such power that
> Page 23
>
> — *The Encounter (Used by permission of the curator)*