"Yes, we have been a little too quiet."

Below is a story shared by the Area Teaching Committee of the Howard County-Laurel, MD cluster at the close of its recent expansion phase. The sentiment expressed by the seeker in the story - Where have you Baha'is been all this time? - is one that Baha'is are hearing more and more frequently across the country.

We started the weekend off by meeting with the niece of someone we met during door to door. The woman we met had said "I am not interested in converting at this time, but I do have a niece that is searching..." Well, after a few weeks of phone tag we finally arranged for a date to meet at a coffee shop. She was there with a friend who stayed to listen to all of Anna's Presentation. They both loved the presentation and joked that we had listened to their conversation ahead of time to know just what to say. The niece expressed her desire join a community that didn't judge others or think they are the only "right way." She was very excited about investigating the Baha'i Faith and just started studying Book 1 with us this morning!

At the end of our class she said to us "How come I haven't heard of the Baha'i Faith before? I mean, if you wouldn't have come to my Aunt's door, and my aunt wouldn't have been home, invited you in, listened to your presentation and thought of me, I probably would not have heard of the Baha'i Faith!" Our response: Yes, we have been a little too quiet! Friends, seekers are out there, and if we pray to be guided to find them we will; whether it be from door to door, a coworker at work, family, or friends. . .

Friends, this was a very successful expansion phase. Now we have entered the consolidation phase, where we will focus on consolidating those contacts we have. By consolidation we mean, home visits, firesides, study circles, children's classes, and most importantly, showing them the love of Baha'u'llah in anyway possible. . .

With much love,

~ on behalf of the Area Teaching Committee