Core activities create love at the individual and neighborhood levels

Here are two delightful news updates from Irvine, CA (A). The first is report of a recent neighborhood-level Nineteen Day Feast. The cohesive community of love and unity described in the report is a result of the transforming effect of core activities in that neighborhood.

Dear Friends,

We had our second wonderful Feast on Sunday in the home of one of the new believers in the neighborhood. 45 people attended.

In the beginning the host thanked everyone for coming to her house and later stated that how much she and her children love seeing us when we visit and how they feel so close to us, and that "My home is your home." . . .

We opened the Feast with Spanish and English prayers. I then talked about unity and shared a little about when and where the Bahá’í Faith started. Later the children were invited to come and perform; they sang three songs and it was SO GREAT, they got the audience singing as well. During consultation, a lot of the friends stated they would like to start Ruhi classes so they can learn more about the Faith. They also requested additional songs from the children.

We ended with a prayer and then got to know each other more closely as well as eat a lot of food. This was a great Feast with all the Bahá’ís in the neighborhood attending.

N and D

The second is an inspiring story of a new believer who is originally from Iran. As with many other seekers, he contacted the 1-800-22UNITE phone line and was put in touch with nearby believers, and then connected to core activities.

__ was very impressed with his Bahá’í friends in Iran and he wanted to know more about the Faith. But it was difficult to find much information or materials in a country where Bahá’ís are persecuted and are under constant threat. Aside from occasional conversations with his young Baha’i friends, __ knew little about the tremendous body of the Writings and the fascinating history of the Faith. His impression of the Faith was mainly due to the steadfast and kind posture of the Bahá’í community of Iran. So when __ came to the USA, he was determined to find the Bahá’ís. The 800-22UNITE number put him in touch with the friends in our cluster, and soon after he joined a Ruhi study circle and started attending various other activities in the area. A short while later, __ declared his faith in Bahá’u’lláh. Early in January, right before attending a Fireside, he gave the friends his declaration card with a big smile and a heart-felt “Allah’u’Abha”.