"They were all brilliant stars"

Another gem from Loudoun County, VA (A). With prayer, a groups of teachers try to start a children’s class and one forms almost spontaneously! The openness of the families and the enthusiasm of the students are truly delightful.

While the door to door teaching was going on, 2 adults, 4 youth, and 2 children gathered at a small park on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. They set up picnic blankets in the shade under a tree and asked Baha'u'llah to send some children. Immediately, three boys approached the teachers and were invited to attend the children's class. It turns out the mother of one of the boys had declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh a couple months ago! They were very excited, so two Baha'i youth accompanied them to their homes, explained what the children's classes were, and the parents and care-givers happily agreed to sign permission slips.

A few moments later, the teachers noticed some children in the front yard of a near-by home. Two Baha'i youth approached the mother, showed them the invitation to the children's classes in Spanish, and received permission for her three children to join the class. Ten minutes later, the woman's sister brought her two daughters to the class as well. So, within 15 minutes, there was a class of 8 children, all eagerly sitting on the picnic blankets ready for the class.

The teachers used the lessons from Ruhi Book 3 and taught the children a prayer, some songs, and a quotation by Baha'u'llah about unity. They ended the lessons with cooperative games and coloring. Two mothers stood nearby and enjoyed listening to the lesson and encouraging their children to participate. One mother rushed to her home in the middle of the lesson and came back with a pitcher of juice and some cups so all the children could have something to drink.

On Saturday, the children were asked to memorize the quotation by the next day. Sure enough, on Sunday, 5 children were completely prepared to share the quotation they had ALL memorized. All 8 children who attended on Saturday came rushing back to the class the next day, ready for more, and all the children were invited to attend future classes as well. The children ranged in ages from 4 years old to 10 years old, and they were all brilliant stars!