Seattle Youth Conference - "An amazing experience!"

Gwen has been involved in the Baha'i community on and off for 6-7 years, and most recently attended the Seattle Youth Conference!  She first learned of the Faith from her Baha'i father-in-law when she began dating her husband.  Her husband stays involved in Baha'i activities though hasn't registered [his declaration].  At her husband's invitation, Gwen participated in Ruhi study circles while attending the University several years ago, and remained involved with the [Bahai College Club there] for some time.  After college, many of these friends moved away and her connection with the Baha'is lessened. Over the past year, Gwen has again become more involved.  She shared that she observes the Baha'i Fast and Holy Days, prays daily, and turns to the Kitab-i-Aqdas and [other] Baha'i Writings as the source of guidance for her life.  Gwen shared that attending the Youth Conference was an "amazing experience"!  It occurred to her that the only reason she hadn't registered her declaration to become a Baha'i was because she had never gotten around to it.  It was on her "to do" list today, and now is done!  Gwen is currently training to be a junior youth animator and is looking forward to attending more community activities, such as Feast with the Baha'i community.

Youth declares at conference - "I thought I was already a Bahai!"

As the 13 Youth Conferences are underway across the United States, stories about the youth who want to become members of the community are being shared.

What follows is a story about Ryan, an 18 year old who attended a recent Youth Conference, and on the last day, discovered that he hadn't yet registered his declaration to be a 'member' of the Bahai Faith. This was news to him because he had already been actively involved with the Bahais for more than 5 years and considered himself a Bahai! This story is told from the perspective of the volunteer at the regional level who follows up with those who register their declarations online for that region . . .

I wanted to share exciting news of a youth who registered as a Baha'i on his cell phone! The information came through the database and I just happened to be at the computer. I called his number and heard loud cheering in the background . . . .Five years ago when Ryan was 13, a neighbor [invited him] to the [local] Baha'i Center to help set up decorations for the Ayyam-i-Ha party. [Because] Ryan has had connection with the Baha'i community for the past 5 years [he] always thought he was a Baha'i. [N]o one told him he needed to register!

Ryan has completed Ruhi books 1, 2 and 3 and will be continuing the series after the Youth Conference. Ryan asked about the essence of God being Unknowable. He was encouraged to learn more about Baha'u'llah's life and stay connected to [his local] Baha'i Community.

This story highlights so many different attributes, from nurturing and love of the local community to technology access online.

 

 

 

Precious Souls Engaged in Community Building

In the Great Plains region of the United States, a wife and husband made the decision to study other religions besides their previous church. Living in a community where there were Baha'is, a family introduced them to the Teachings of Baha'u'llah. Even though the Baha'i family eventually moved away, the couple continued their investigation of the Faith online. The wife and her husband eventually contacted other Baha'is in the area, and decided to join the community as members.

A Baha'i friend of this energetic couple shared how these two new believers had immediately begun to serve their new community: “They are both involved in core activities with the other Baha'is in the area. They all have home visits constantly every week. There isn't a week that goes by when they don't visit their other Baha'i friends.”

Amazingly, the couple's service to the Baha'i community does not stop here. They then decided to move to another city in their state in order to become “home-front pioneers” because there were few believers there. In fact, in deciding where they would move next, they chose a community in order to help form a local Spiritual Assembly!

The same Baha'i friend related that the couple visited another community:

“...to see how children classes are handled here. They are taking all the great things they have learned back to their home community. [They] plan to start children classes with children in their [own] neighborhood. These two have done so much to help contribute back to their community and they both have emphasized how they want to continue giving back.”

“Thank you for sharing their wonderful activities,” wrote a member of the Auxiliary Board for their region. “It’s exciting that these precious souls are so engaged in the community building and learning processes.”

Stay tuned: Watch for the next story about these dynamic new community members in a few days!

A Cancer Survivor: His demeanor, faith and character—just amazing

This is a story of a cancer survivor who, sadly, witnessed a Baha'i suffering from terminal cancer. The Baha'i chose to end treatment, knowing that his body would succumb.

The cancer survivor writes about this experience:

I am a cancer survivor and I am in a cancer support group. There is a friend within my group who has cancer and has been through many treatments. The time had come where treatment is no longer helping. He has decided to end treatment. This friend is a member of the Baha'i Faith. His demeanor, faith and character—it is just amazing. I have never seen anything like this. He is ready for his passing, smiles and talks about it.

The cancer survivor then requested information on the Baha'is in the vicinity.

In the Arabic Hidden Words, Baha'u'llah writes:

O Son of The Supreme! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?

My life has changed since I found the Baha’i Faith…

Teaching the Baha’i Faith has much to do with listening to people, understanding their thoughts and needs, and knowing when and how to share.

Here is the story of a man who learned about the Baha’i Faith from a guest at the Caribbean island resort where he works. After years of struggle with substance abuse, he began a spiritual search that led eventually to several Baha’is. The story involves caring and generosity, and also ways to clearly and effectively present the Baha’i Teachings.

The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, Shoghi Effendi, referred to direct teaching as “an open and bold assertion of the fundamental verities of the Cause,” with the goal of helping “in the eventual recognition by all mankind of the indispensability, the uniqueness and the supreme station of the Baha’i Revelation.”

To this guidance, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States adds in its February 20, 2008 letter: “The choice of method lies with the teacher, who must act with wisdom in all circumstances, according to his or her perception of the seeker’s receptivity.”

The seeker describes his past substance abuse and spiritual yearning, before learning about the Baha’i Faith:

For many years I had been searching for something to make me feel whole. I had always believed in God, but only called upon Him when I was deeply afraid or in bad trouble. (One day) I asked God for help. I told Him that I couldn't go on the way I was. That night I found myself in a hospital in the detox ward. (During therapy sessions) we often spoke of a Higher Power. I chose to call mine God. I attempted on a daily basis to get closer to God using prayer and meditation, but after six years I still felt something was missing. I needed something more.

In the course of his work on the island, he met a guest who is a Baha’i. Their friendship developed over time until she shared the Faith with him. Sensing his receptivity, the lady invited the seeker to her Latin American country for a visit. The seeker writes:

I'd never heard of it before. But every detail she revealed to me piqued my curiosity even further. I began to realize that this was what I'd been looking for all of this time. There was no aspect of the Baha’i Faith that I couldn't agree with. Some of their ideas I already believed in, others simply made perfect sense to me. She invited me to visit with her and some friends at her home. They are very spiritual people who made me feel so welcome. We had prayers every evening and I could feel my faith growing. My friend gave me some literature to study, one prayer book, and a meditation book.

After returning to his island, he was eager to meet more Baha’is. He searched an old phone book, and found a listing for the Baha’is on an island over 50 miles away. A Baha’i woman living there answered his telephone call.

I called and she was quite happy to hear from me. She was very interested in how I got her number. Apparently it wasn't in the newer phone books. She said it was more than a coincidence that I was able to get a hold of her. We talked for a bit, then she said a prayer over the phone. She also told me that there were two Bahai's on the island where I live. Since there are only about 150 people living here, I already knew them. We have started Ruhi together and I've been to their house for a Holy Day celebration.

The two Baha’is on the seeker’s home island also shared “Anna’s presentation” from Ruhi Book 6. In its February 20, 2008 letter, the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly writes:

Teachers in clusters around the world are finding “Anna’s presentation” from Book 6 of the Ruhi curriculum to be a helpful model for direct teaching. As teachers gain in experience, they learn to adapt the presentation according to individual circumstances. Yet the general content—comprehensive, clear, and forthright presentation, with a loving invitation to receptive souls to embrace the Faith—remains essentially the same.

This seeker gives a sincere account of the changes in his life after meeting Baha’is and investigating the Faith:

My life has changed so much for the better since I've found the Baha'i Faith. I no longer smoke cigarettes, or have anxiety problems that require medication. I have learned how damaging backbiting is and how important it is to avoid it at all costs. I understand the importance of daily prayer. I am no longer afraid of the future; I have some new-found life goals. My interest in helping my fellow man and especially those less fortunate than me has become a priority. I still have so much to learn, but I believe that is what life is about: always striving to learn more and become a better person.

Assisting Seekers of Truth – An “Amazing Experience,” Part 1

Last year, a self-described “outgoing” woman volunteered to follow-up in her Baha'i community with a seeker that was referred to her in her community. She describes the invitation to respond to a seeker who asked to learn more about the Faith as “...an amazing experience.”

In its 2010 Ridvan message, having enumerated the main developments in the global Baha'i community, the Universal House of Justice describes “yet another advance at the level of culture,” a change with “far-reaching” implications: the importance of accompanying souls on their journey. The Supreme Institution writes about the merits of “accompaniment”:

It signals the significant strengthening of a culture in which learning is the mode of operation, a mode that fosters the informed participation of more and more people in a united effort to apply Bahá’u’lláh's teachings to the construction of a divine civilization, which the Guardian states is the primary mission of the Faith

The Baha'i reached out to the seeker, also a woman, and invited her to her home. Along with her husband, together they began a conversation like Anna (in Ruhi Book 6), sharing fundamental verities of the Baha'i Faith. After one session of looking together at the content in the “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit” (Ruhi Book 1), this Baha'i writes: “she declared.”

They met again, and this time the newly-declared Baha'i confided with her and her husband that she had a tragic, personal loss several years prior, and how the Bahai Writings provided her with comfort during a difficult time.

Later, after she had declared, she shared with us that after seven years of feeling no comfort, she felt so assisted by the Baha'i Writings and felt she was reading the Word of God. She said that in that moment she had made her decision to become a Baha'i,  it seemed as if the Concourse on High was guiding us to put what she needed into her hands.

The Baha'i writes that, “we presented her with two Writings from Abdu'l-Baha” regarding consolation.

Through accompaniment together, the journey continued for this new believer, as she later attended her first unity Feast with the Bahia community, and her own husband joined her. The Baha'i teacher shared the joy she observed about these new friends...

They were both radiant at the end and she commented that she would have a sore face tomorrow from all the smiling. They were overwhelmed with the love and the diversity of the friends.

The Universal House of Justice assures the Bahais of the transformative effect that the quality of relationships have among friends, and our communities:

In relationships among the friends, then, this development in culture finds expression in the quality of their interactions. Learning as a mode of operation requires that all assume a posture of humility, a condition in which one becomes forgetful of self, placing complete trust in God...

Through this Bahai, we can begin to see the quality of this interaction on her service to another...

I am an outgoing person and I cannot imagine a more exciting and rewarding service than assisting those who are seeking the Truth.

To be continued: Part 2 of Assisting Seekers of Truth

Junior Youth: “encouraging us all to strive for greater heights”!

A woman who coordinates a junior youth program in her home recently attended a weekend planning meeting, and went home with something unexpected—a map of her state.

At the end of the meeting during the clean-up, she writes that “the large, beautiful map” of the state “that graced one wall of our meeting room was offered to me.”

Despite friendly chuckles from fellow Baha’is at the meeting, surprised to see a rolled-up 4 foot by 6 foot map tucked under her arm, the junior youth coordinator had a plan:

My hope was that it would fit on one of the walls in my house so that I could display it and adorn it with markers of some kind to indicate where all the junior youth groups in our state are located.

Sure enough, she was thrilled “to find that it fit perfectly on one of my walls” where many young people coming to her home would be able to see the map.

In November 2012, regarding junior youth, the Universal House of Justice wrote:

The merit of the junior youth spiritual empowerment program lies, first and foremost, in its effectiveness at enhancing the power of expression and the quality of spiritual perception within its participants and in assisting them to develop the capabilities necessary for a life of meaningful service to their communities.

In addition, the House of Justice praised the power of the program “to shape character” and “bring forth the praiseworthy qualities latent in junior youth.” “By multiplying vibrant junior youth groups,” they added, communities can learn much, including “how initiating one activity can, quite naturally, lead to the emergence of others.”

In the coordinator’s home town there are currently two junior youth groups. The regular meetings are on Fridays after school, and they also have a homework group on Tuesday evenings. Over a year and a half the group has grown from five to nineteen, including several children, with 5 youth and adults supporting the group. The coordinator writes:

It has become a space in which adults, youth, junior youth and children can have meaningful interactions in the context of helping each other with homework but also socializing, sharing a meal, baking, and playing games.

On the Tuesday following the planning meeting, she was eager to see how the youth would react to the map and to seeing the locations of other junior youth groups in the state.

Several children gathered to study the map, and a discussion ensued. Why were there no junior youth groups in one half of the state? How can we have two groups in our town when the state capital has none? One junior youth noted that a certain town had a lot of groups.

And they came to a conclusion: they really needed “to grow the program all over the state.” The coordinator writes:

It was so encouraging to hear these observations and to see how the visual representation of the spread of the program across the state helped these junior youth to recognize that they are part of something bigger and that there is real value in this program beyond maintaining our own little groups.

Within this lovely story, one may see the vision of the House of Justice unfolding, how the pursuit of junior youth groups and other activities can “quite naturally, lead to the emergence of others.”

And the woman who sponsors the junior youth gathering and brought home the map sums up her experience by writing:

On the heels of our wonderfully intense meeting last weekend which focused our attention so acutely on a continental youth strategy which will manifest itself in movement of youth across our region with the aim of establishment, strengthening and intensification of the junior youth spiritual empowerment program--I wanted to share that the protagonists of this strategy certainly include the junior youth themselves who will no doubt keep encouraging us all to strive for greater heights of excellence in this regard.

The Spirit of a Pioneer

Faith in the capacity of every individual who shows a desire to serve will prove essential to the efforts of those who are to elicit from the believers wholehearted participation in the Plan. Unqualified love free of paternalism will be indispensable if they are to help turn hesitation into courage born of trust in God and transform a yearning for excitement into a commitment to long-term action. — Universal House of Justice, 28 December 2010

This is the story of a Bahá’í youth and how he became active in the Bahá’í community through embarking on a year of service:

I grew up in a Bahá’í family in Los Angeles, with both my parents dedicated to the Cause. After graduating high school and seeking direction in my life, I decided to serve a year in my father’s home country of El Salvador. Before I knew it, I was in a different country, living with an aunt whom I had never met before.

All I knew was that I wanted to serve the Five Year Plan, of which I had only a vague understanding. My only experience with core activities had been to briefly assist with children’s classes and being a prayer partner. But with the loving support and example of the Bahá'í community of El Salvador, I was nurtured into completing the main sequence of the Ruhi Institute. During the same period my capacity slowly started to grow in a spiritual sense, since I was not accustomed to really serving wholeheartedly and enduring so many trials in order to accomplish activities that didn’t always appeal to me at first.

As a result of making an honest effort in striving to understand that the Writings and service go hand in hand, God confirmed me with an understanding of the process in which we are engaged as a community, an understanding that continues to guide my life today. When I think about my year of service, it was one of the happiest periods of my life. Being given so many opportunities to serve, in capacities I would never have imagined, deeply affected my thinking about service. It wasn't something I was giving, but rather something that was necessary for the community to grow. The community was always by my side and always served alongside me. Serving also provided me with opportunities to learn from situations I was unfamiliar with. Through constant effort—especially teaching, the four core activities, and prayer—I was able to understand my place in the Five Year Plan and return home with a desire to continue serving my own community with the same spirit of a pioneer. 

The Vitality of the Training Institute

In April the Universal House of Justice wrote that “primary responsibility for the development of human resources in a region or country rests with the training institute.”

Having participated in a training session hosted by the Magdalene Carney Bahá’í Institute, the Children’s Classes Coordinator of the Baton Rouge, LA cluster (A-stage) returned home inspired to pursue new goals:

A family gathering was organized to ask for parental involvement and input into the classes. The parents suggested that we have more diversity of children in the classes.

It was requested that children’s class schedules be available for all the teachers, parents, and the community three months in advance, and that a list of substitute teachers be developed.

Visits were made to LSAs in the cluster to share the learning gained from teaching children’s classes, as well as the plans for an upcoming Bahá’í summer camp, and the types of support needed.  LSA funding support was received.

To assist with children’s classes, new resources were actively sought.  One parent was found from the Community of Interest (who is currently studying Book 3, and also helps out with the Bahá’í summer camp).  She has been able to invite other children to this summer camp, as she lives in the neighborhood and the neighbors trust her.  This parent and her Book 3 tutor have being doing home visits to attract more children to the classes.

Concrete, practical, and useful developments -- thanks to inspirational training.

“To ensure that the proper measure of vitality is pulsating through this system should continue to be the object of intense learning in every country over the course of the next twelve months.” (Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 2010)

Using Different Language to Describe Devotional Gatherings

“Responding to the inmost longing of every heart to commune with its Maker,” said the Universal House of Justice in its 2008 Ridvan Message, in a passage describing the activities of the Bahá’ís around the world, “they carry out acts of collective worship in diverse settings, uniting with others in prayer, awakening spiritual susceptibilities, and shaping a pattern of life distinguished for its devotional character.”

A believer from the South Central region who has been holding a regular devotional gathering explains how her choice of language has shifted in more recent attempts to describe these gatherings to friends and neighbors.  This shift in language, she explains in the below note to some collaborators, is due to experience that has been gained in communities that are reporting increases in the core activities.

Now: I'm inviting everyone to a get-together; and each time has a theme.  (Before: I was calling it a 'devotional'.)

Now: The purpose is to strengthen the neighborhood by focusing on friendship and unity; we have opportunities at the get-together to talk about common spiritual interests, like 'gratitude' or 'being fearless' or ‘friendship'.  Also, we read from uplifting poems, quotations, and have music.  (Before: to pray together; it kinda of felt like 'church'.)

Now:  The vision is that additional folks in our neighborhood will arise to offer a weekly or monthly devotional.  They may just do it, or they may like to have training how.  The course called Reflections on the Life of the Spirit provides the training.  I'd like to start one in Oct. or Nov. on a Friday if there is interest.  I probably will not announce this at the get-togethers, but will talk with guests one-on-one.  (Before:  I'll provide everything: refreshments, music, quotes, home.  Even though I wanted folks to play music, bring quotes, etc., it was still mostly ME being in the center.  I believe it's important that no one person is in the center, that the spirit is in the center, and our love for each other.)

Now: Focus on additional activities and service projects to bring neighbors together for the good of our families, each other, the neighborhood, and the environment.  Like the Junior Youth empowerment program.  I'm going to see if there is interest in being of service with:  Creek clean-up, erosion prevention of the creek, water catchment for the neighbors who live here, plus input and ideas and involvement from everyone will be welcome.  (Before: monthly devotional only, a stand-alone activity.)

Thank you for collaborating and accompanying me.  I look forward to continuing to learn, incorporating the learning, and seeing you very soon.

When Study and Service Are Carried Out Concurrently

That the Bahá’í world has succeeded in developing a culture which promotes a way of thinking, studying, and acting, in which all consider themselves as treading a common path of service -- supporting one another and advancing together, respectful of the knowledge that each one possesses at any given moment and avoiding the tendency to divide the believers into categories such as deepened and uninformed -- is an accomplishment of enormous proportions.  And therein lie the dynamics of an irrepressible movement. (Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 2010)

The Area Teaching Committee of California’s Monterey County cluster (A-stage) reports this story about a recent on-line declarant.

“J.” is in the US Navy and is currently stationed at _____. Following news of his on-line declaration and confirmation, the institute process was initiated with some twists due to local conditions. Since the [military base] is closed to civilians, home visits were not possible, so “J.” had home visits at the home of some nearby Bahá’ís. Bonds of friendship quickly developed through these home visits. “J.” showed great interest in advancing his knowledge of the Bahá’í Faith, so within a couple of weeks, he was enrolled in a Ruhi Book 1 course. Layers of accompaniment occurred throughout the course of study. The woman serving as tutor had recently completed Book 7, and this was her first experience as a tutor. She was accompanied by [another student] who had completed the sequence of courses and initially served as co-tutor. So not only was “J.” developing his capacities, but the capacity of a new tutor was also strengthened. Prior to completing his study of Book 1, we started talking with “J.” about hosting a devotional gathering for [his colleagues on the military base]. By the end of Book 1, “J.” hosted his first devotional gathering, and invited twenty of his colleagues! The devotional was hosted at the home of the nearby Bahá’ís, and all of a sudden the [military base], which formerly seemed to be closed, was now perceived as part of the neighborhood.  Since then, “J.” has participated in home visits in the target neighborhood for the cluster's Intensive Program of Growth, and he is planning his second devotional gathering.

“J.” will be leaving in December for his new assignment. While we will miss him dearly, he will be prepared to serve no matter where he goes. Thanks to him, we have seen what can happen "when study and service are joined and carried out concurrently."

Academic Skills Improved by Baha'i Junior Youth Group Curriculum

“Only the capacity of the Bahá’í community limits the extent of its response to the demand for the programme by schools and civic groups.”  Thus wrote the Universal House of Justice, in its 2010 Ridvan Message, about the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program (JYSEP), which is producing noteworthy results around the world.  Stories locally are emerging about the different ways in which this program is bringing out latent capacity in participants, such as how young people who engage in the JYSEP gain new perspectives that, in turn, enable them to contribute to the improvement of society.

One of the aims of this program is to assist participants to enhance their powers of expression.  The Area Teaching Committee of Amarillo, TX (A-stage) shares the following:

Students of a local JYSEP animator informed her that reading the material and answering the questions from their JYSEP book helped their comprehension and testing skills when they took their TAKS test (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, mandatory state-wide standardized testing for grade school students).

It seems that in this program the academic skills and the spiritual insights advance together.  When the school authorities hear about this, you can bet the capacity of the Bahá’í community will be further tested!