Overcoming Fears, Finding Joy

Over and over, we are receiving accounts from the friends whose initial anxiety about door-to-door teaching was replaced by enthusiasm after they participated on a teaching team. Here is a particularly moving and heartfelt account from one of the Persian friends in Portland, OR (A):

"I hope you will share the experience many of us felt about direct teaching door to door. I was most reluctant and uncomfortable about this teaching plan. . . . I felt the anguish of telling people about the Faith at their door step. However, today after prayers at the Portland Baha'i Center and the training we received, we placed our trust in His Care instead of thinking how it would affect us when someone may say 'I don't want to know,' or the effect of being rejected when we offer or share information about Baha'i. Once we started, the feeling of rejection dissipated and the feeling of love, sharing and caring for the waiting soul entered into our hearts. I forgot about those negative feelings and soon was engaged with my Baha'i coworkers in responding to the needs of the neighbor who were so confused and puzzled about religion and why God sends so many different religions to humanity? We witnessed among those we spoke to, confusion about God, religion and what to do about their lives and where to go and teach their grandchildren about God. We as Baha'is especially the Persian community must comprehend our duty and responsibility to share the information about His Messenger for this day."