“Do you have information in spanish??”

Bita from Texas wants to know . . .

“Do you have information in spanish??”

 . . . yes we do . . .

·        Primero entre los grandes principios reveladores por Bahá'u'lláh está la investigación de la realidad. Esto significa que exhortan cada individuo poner creencias a un lado supersticiosas, las tradiciones y de imitación ciegos e investigan la realidad para sí mismo. El aviso de este principio no se encuentra en los libros sagrados uces de los del pasado.

http://info.bahai.org/article-1-3-2-17.html

·        Un segundo principio es la unicidad de la humanidad. Bahá'u'lláh ha dicho, "Ye es todas las hojas de un árbol." No hay diferencias o distinciones de la raza entre usted en la vista de dios. Todos son beneficiarios de las generosidades de dios. Dios es bueno con todos. Ningunas otras escrituras contienen tal anchura y universalidad de la declaración.

http://www.bahai.org/

·        Bahá'u'lláh enseña a la unidad de la ciencia y de la religión. La ciencia sin la religión es materialismo mientras que la religión sin ciencia es superstición.

Si la creencia y la enseñanza se oponen al análisis de la razón y a los principios de ciencia, no son dignas de la aceptación. Este principio no se ha revelado en libros anteriores uces de los de la enseñanza divina.

http://info.bahai.org/science-and-religion.html

·        La religión debe ser la fuente de beca y de unidad. Si produce odio y fanatismo, la ausencia de religión sería preferible. Éste es un nuevo principio de revelación encontrado solamente en las elocuciones de Bahá'u'lláh.

http://www.bahai.us/world-religion-day-celebrates-unity

·        Todas las formas de perjuicio deben ser abandonadas. El mundo de la humanidad no y no puede lograr paz y prosperidad y calma. Este principio no se puede encontrar en cualquier otro volumen sagrado que las enseñanzas de Bahá'u'lláh.

http://info.bahai.org/article-1-3-2-14.html

·        La igualdad de mujeres y de hombres necesita ser reconocida. El cuyo corazón es el más puro, cuyo vida y carácter es el más alto y el más cercano al estándar divino es el más digno y excelente de la vista de Dios.

http://www.bahai.us/two-wings

·        La necesidad de un lenguaje universal quitará malentendidos y dificultades y fue establecida por Bahá'u'lláh en el 1800's.

http://info.bahai.org/bahais-united-nations.html

·        La educación universal debe ser establecida para quitar analfabetismo. Este principio no se puede encontrar en el texto de ninguna otra libros sagrada.

Other videos too . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfeglbCk-F0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP-AouKF6Qg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU4JCFpsxBw

A perfect storm of teaching in Rio Grande Valley

This is a breathtaking report from Rio Grande Valley, TX (B). A small group of friends had studied Ruhi Book 6, Teaching the Cause. They wanted to put into practice the skills and knowledge they had learned, and decided to do so by organizing a collective, direct teaching effort! And what an effort this was. It wasn’t just a discrete, one-time, “Let’s get the practice component out of the way” thing. Instead, it was a full-out, systematically planned endeavor with all the ingredients for success—reliance on prayer, local believers on teaching teams accompanied by visiting resource persons, adequate number of Spanish speakers, direct sharing of the Faith with interested individuals and families, immediate follow-up with new believers, strong involvement of a Local Spiritual Assembly, loving mobilization of the local community. It became a “perfect storm” of growth. (“Preparation and experience led to the desire for more preparation and experience.”) And what radiant new friends were made, new believers eager and enthusiastic to immediately start serving the Faith and participate in core activities.

Dear Valley Collaborators: Allah'u'Abha!

A joyful group of Bahá’u’lláh's loved ones participated in this weekend's unprecedented Book 6 practice intensive project. The Concourse on High joined these friends in the services they offered up for the good pleasure of Bahá’u’lláh, for how could we have succeeded unless assisted with the Breath of the Holy Spirit, and showered with His confirmations which alone could change gnats into eagles, drops of water into rivers and seas, and atoms into lights and suns? So it is with gratitude, awe, and joy that we share the following results, asking for your continued prayers and support in embracing these new members of the Rio Grande Valley Bahá’í Family: . . .

A local Bahá’í, accompanied by a visiting resource person, visited R and shared a conversation in Spanish about the Faith. R told them that she had prayed to God that morning for help. She received Bahá’u’lláh’s message with tears.

P had his first contact Saturday with a visiting resource person accompanied by a local Bahá’í. He declared the next day when another teaching team visited again and shared Anna's conversation with him. He had travelled out of town for work but returned to the Valley when he found it too lonely. We visited him at his place of work on Monday.

J had her first contact on Saturday with a team of two local Bahá’ís who spoke with her in Spanish. She asked them to return on Sunday when her husband could participate as well. A slightly different team returned the next day to share Anna's conversation in Spanish. J and her husband listened to intently and declared, registering their 3 children as well.

L was taught by two local Bahá’ís who, accompanied by a visiting resource person, were trying out for the very first time sharing a direct presentation of the Faith. She declared upon its conclusion. She expressed her desire to "volunteer for the Bahá’í Faith." She asked us to visit a few days later to be ready to receive the Baha'is and start to serve.

V, his fiancé and daughter had been visited a couple of months ago by a team of local Bahá’ís who shared Anna’s conversation with them in Spanish. They then became hard to reach consistently until a couple of days ago. They explained that V had had a trip out of town, which had interrupted the flow of communications with the Bahá’ís. They were glad to see us, glad to enroll, and anxious to start attending Bahá’í functions.

Success of the project was due to the following:

Valuable input and support from the Local Spiritual Assembly of McAllen, which shaped much of the program.

Back-to-back teaching days with 2 teaching shifts each day allowed for a total of 8 hours of teaching effort with an average of 4 teams at any given time.

2 visiting resource people were mixed and matched with the rest of us to maximize our learning from their experience. This learning was reflected in the comments in the debriefing sessions. One person said he had learned more about his religion in these two days than in the ten or so years he has been a Bahá’í.

Food hospitality generously provided by 6 households allowed us keep on task with spirits up.

Preparation and experience led to the desire for more preparation and experience

Above all, prayers ardently offered by those present as well as many not present, were answered.

Next Steps:

Take all new believers through the series of deepening themes from Ruhi Book 2 as quickly as maintaining a spiritual and friendly atmosphere permits.

In the process learn their availability for and interest in Reflections of the Life of the Spirit study circles.

Form these study circles as soon as possible.

Coordinate further consolidation with the Local Spiritual Assembly.

We have at this point 5 households with newly declared Bahá’ís, plus 12 additional households who have responded positively and given us phone numbers. Please stay tuned for updates in the steps and directions we will be taking.

Many thanks and much love,

W

After this exhilarating and successful teaching effort, the friends immediately began mobilizing the local community for follow-up:

Allah'u'Abha Friends in McAllen, Mission, and Edinburg!

Our new Bahá’ís will be getting to know us as we share and explore the Book 2 deepening themes with them in their homes. This will soon lead to study circles and children's classes for them.

We invite each of you to join in accompanying them as they start to walk from the spark of faith they declared with to the undying fire at the heart of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation. The best way to do this will be to match one of their original teachers with other members of the community and have them meet as many people as their time schedule permits.

I will be calling many of you to see if you will be able to join us in this joyous effort, and if you call or email me first, so much the easier for me. One way or another please let me know if you would like to serve in this process, and your time availability, etc.

Many thanks and much love,

W

And then they shared the initial and promising results of the consolidation efforts so far.

Allah'u'Abha Valley Collaborators!

We wish to share the joy that our initial baby steps in consolidation are bringing. Tonight was the first night we actually met with some of our new declarants.

Both new believers that we visited volunteered without being asked that they had started saying the Short Obligatory Prayer each day, as well as others from their prayer books.

Both showed radiant happiness during our visit. Heart to heart friendships were clearly in the making.

Both look forward to next steps. J asked us to call Saturday so we can make plans for a children's class and deepening theme. We also shared the first deepening theme with R, who found it very engaging.

These meetings so much exceeded our expectations. We have so much to look forward to learning in this new stage.

Many thanks and much love,

W

Two conversations and a celebration

More and more people are declaring their belief in Bahá’u’lláh in Charleston-Berkeley, SC (A). This story, shared by an individual believer, has some beautiful gems. It highlights the fact that the teaching process is an intimate conversation between the seeker and teacher. It shows the central importance of the study and use of the Word of God. And the fruit of this teaching is not just numbers but the building of a community of unity and joy.

Dear Friends:

A truly joyful Ridvan!! With a heart overflowing with love and gratitude to the Blessed Perfection, I am pleased to report that we have had another declaration in our cluster, raising the number of new believers to 5 adults, 1 junior youth and 2 children. . . .

A declared his faith this evening at B’s home. A meeting had been scheduled but the regular participants were unable to come. A started the conversation by saying, “Now that we are alone, I would like to ask a few questions.” B continued the conversation with the Word of God, and some hours later, A declared his faith and asked to be enrolled.

It is especially interesting that A and B’s conversation started with some of Bahá’u’lláh’s words about backbiting—the same words being studied and memorized at a Spanish-language study circle. Both conversations were happening on the same day.

Our 12th Day of Ridvan celebration should also be mentioned. In attendance were 51 friends including 13 individuals from the wider community. Bahá’ís came from 6 different localities in the cluster, and all of the new believers except one also attended. I wish I had words to express the joy and love that animated the celebration.

Sincerely,

D

Learning to reach out to everyone

The friends in Newark, NJ (B) are teaching up a storm! They are enthusiastically reaching out to all their contacts and striving to build connections so as to open up more opportunities to share the Message. Here is a collection of brief stories highlighting these efforts.

In the first, a friend shares with their contact the presentations they have learned from their participation in the Ruhi courses:

A friend and I made a home visit to one of my doctors, and we shared Anna’s presentation. Yesterday she told me she wants to participate in our community activities "unofficially". I plan to share the presentations on the life of The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh in the next few days; she is also coming with me to a devotional gathering. . . .

The next story shows the importance of reaching out to our neighbors and not assuming from the outset that they will not be interested:

One couple realized that none of the seekers they had invited to their monthly devotional were able to come. So, on the spur of the moment, they went to their next-door neighbors and invited them, explaining that they would be praying for religious freedom in Iran. While both neighbors showed interest, only one neighbor came. But he turned out to be a very receptive soul. He was moved by the prayers and music and showed a keen interest in the situation concerning Bahá’ís in Iran and in the Bahá’í Faith itself. The couple recognized the irony: They had known this neighbor for 15 years and had talked with him on many topics, but not Faith because they didn’t think he would be interested! In reality, all they had to do was to “unloose thy tongue.”

Here is an account of another devotional gathering:

Our community held our first public devotional to pray for Religious Freedom in Iran. There were guitars and drums and prayers chanted, recited and sung in various languages and many religions. It was beautiful and poignant, and served several purposes: raising awareness about the plight of the Bahá’ís in Iran and providing the several friends, neighbors and acquaintances who attended a chance to experience the uniqueness and diversity of the Bahá’í community. The process of reaching out to invite contacts to the gathering has opened some doors for future relationship-building and personal teaching. (About 65 people attended, including 16 friends from the wider community, including a reporter from our town paper.)

Later that day my family had dinner at our home with the parents of one of my daughter’s best friends. The conversation led to questions about the Bahá’í Faith and a 40-minute, genuine discussion about the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and spirituality in general. One bit of learning: I really need to memorize more of Anna's presentation! But I think there will opportunities for that soon.

Here is a report of a devotional gathering in Spanish; you can see how the core activities help build bonds of unity and community-building:

My family hosted a Spanish language devotional with three Bahá’ís and three seekers. We all offered prayers for healing and consolation. A wide discussion about Faith in general followed, where the precepts of the Bahá’í Faith were covered as well as talking about how, through Faith, we can begin breaking down the barriers of cultural assumption that tend to divide people from different countries. It was a beautiful, hopeful and hope-filled discussion.

This last story shows how the 1-800-22UNITE phone line connects searching hearts to the Bahá’í community, and is also a reminder to never assume who will or will not be interested!

A believer hosted a "Spirituality and Mental Health Day" at her work and invited a Bahá’í psychologist to give a presentation. After the talk, a mini devotional was held using many quotes from the Hidden Words. At least four people asked for copies of those quotes. Two weeks later the teacher received an email about a woman in her cluster who had contacted the 1-800-22-UNITE phone line. She was surprised to find that the person named in the email was her coworker! This believer had spoken of the Faith to many people at her work but never thought to speak to this particular person. It was a lesson to truly be “unrestrained as the wind” when sharing the message of Bahá’u’lláh. The seeker is planning to study "Reflections on the Life of the Spirit" along with their spouse.

Momentum building in South Salt Lake

Keep an eye on South Salt Lake, UT (B). The momentum is clearly building there. This report from one of the believers there is a delightful snapshot of a recent direct teaching activity. First you have the friends stepping forward in unprecedented numbers to participate in teaching. You have the friends offering to directly share the Faith with those who are interested. You have core activities, such as a children’s class and a study circle starting—and in a cohesive manner. You have follow-up steps that strengthen connections made. All of these are contributing to the beginnings of a breakthrough.

Friends:

As you know last Saturday we had a direct teaching activity in an apartment building in South Salt Lake.

Around 35 friends participated in the project with 6 teaching teams visiting homes to share the Message and to invite participation in a children’s class at the complex. The results were marvelous! 9 children were registered for classes, and home visits were set up to offer Anna's presentation. . . .

Yesterday, the Area Teaching Committee organized a follow-up activity. 6 friends gathered in groups of 2, and visited apartments where no one was home the previous time. One family was visited, and Anna's presentation was shared with them. They were happy to study Ruhi Book 1 in Spanish at their home. One of the friends will conduct this study circle at the same time their children are attending the children’s class.

We visited the apartments to pick up the children for the class. We had 12 children attending, of whom 10 were from the wider community! Also, we had one declaration in our Cluster this past weekend!

Friends, our cluster is on fire! Please continue to keep us in your prayers!

Much love,

M

Prayer, firesides, teaching, love and more in San Diego

San Diego, CA (A) has recently started another cycle of its intensive program of growth, and we have received wave after wave of exciting news. The friends are teaching, praying, working together, and reaching out with joy to their neighbors in all parts of the cluster. All I can say is, WOW!.

Let us first share an excerpt from a story about one of the teaching days in the City Heights neighborhood. The friends there had the bounty of a visit from one of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, who accompanied them on this particular day.

We were delighted to learn that one of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly was going to visit our cluster during our expansion phase and had requested to form part of a teaching team.

The day started with a home visit to one of the first believers in the neighborhood, a lady who had joined the Faith a little over a year ago and whose profound love for Bahá’u’lláh led her to write songs for Him. As we sat around in her backyard, in between the kind conversation of loving friends we were lulled by the sweet sounds of an Afro-Caribbean ballad, a dad pleading Bahá’u’lláh to take care of his young son, to guide him and raise him in His service. . . .

We went to visit another home. The door opened and a beautiful, radiant woman peeked her head out. “Good evening”, she greeted us. We readily answered her and introduced ourselves. We told her all about the reason for our visit, “We are in your neighborhood offering to share a presentation on the Bahá’í Faith”, we said. “It is a religion which accepts and elevates all others, and it is a wonderful way to unite the world. Could we have a few minutes of your time to share this presentation with you?”. She readily agreed. “Sure, come in,” she said.

We all sat around her dinner table, and we went through the presentation slowly and lovingly. She read along with us the creative word of God in her own sweet voice. By the time we got to showing her the picture of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, she had been so touched by the quotes and the principles that we told her that we wanted to invite her to be a member of this Faith, of a community which is working to establish a new world civilization. We also said that once she feels comfortable with her knowledge of the principles, she would be a magnificent teacher herself, helping us share this wonderful message with others. She declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh! We are planning follow-up visits with her.

A key element of this latest cycle of teaching activity was the devotional/fireside gathering. One believer gives an overview of this approach:

The area teaching committees in the Southwestern region have started formally introducing devotional/firesides as an additional line of action in the intensive teaching efforts. They are learning how to promote this activity systematically and how to accompany the friends to fulfill their goals. There are many success stories coming in from various clusters.

And San Diego is definitely home to some of these success stories! A believer who recently hosted such a gathering talks about her experience.

Our cluster has one neighborhood they had been focusing all their energies on. But this cycle they decided to try a new approach in some of the other areas of our cluster. It is called the devotional fireside.

Well, part of the process is of course to invite your neighbors. Well in my neighborhood, we don't do much more than say, "Hi", "Bye", or "It looks like another day of sunshine!" You're considered a good neighbor if you don't have loud parties or too many cars parked on the street! But I approached several of my neighbors. One neighbor I had not yet met. One who said she would see how her schedule was. And so on.

Ultimately there was not a large turnout at this gathering, but it was a positive experience for everyone involved.

After prayers and readings the host asked if any one would like to learn more about the Bahá’í Faith. She mentioned Anna's conversation. __ said she would like to hear more. P and I volunteered R to give the talk because she is in Book 6 and that would be part of her practice for the course. She gave the talk and invited __ to join the Bahá’í Faith. (bold and audacious), and she agreed! It is interesting that 5 people in the prayer chain [more on this below] were also present at this gathering.

The believer who shared Anna’s presentation states:

Since all the other friends had already finished Book 6, I took on sharing the presentation as my practice. My Book 6 facilitator, P, was there to help me if I slipped. I used the one with the flip chart and sat next to my friend. I pretty much just looked at the headings and put the ideas in my own words as much as possible. When I finished I asked __ if what she had heard was something she'd believed and if she'd like to help us build the unity of mankind and she said, "Yes."

Here is a summary of another devotional/fireside that was held in another part of the cluster.

__ and I hosted a devotional gathering at our home and we thought we would share the experience with you. We passed out invitations to all 46 units in our neighborhood by going door to door and talking with our neighbors. It was fun! Everyone was pleasant and a total number of 10 people attended our devotional.

A friend reflects on their experience with this gathering, and some of the implications for future teaching efforts:

It is much easier and sustainable to follow up with our neighbors! No driving! :) Going door to door to visit our own neighbors should be done with the objective of being their "loving friends" as the House of Justice wishes for us all to be. In just one neighborhood, 10 neighbors showed up to a Bahá’í devotional. 10!

As mentioned earlier, the believers in the San Diego cluster were engaged in a non-stop “prayer chain” throughout the entire teaching effort. This is but one example of how the friends throughout the country are starting to use prayer more systematically in their teaching activities. One friend shares their thoughts:

No wonder our teaching efforts have been so extraordinarily successful! The non-stop prayers 24/7 since the beginning of the cycle 13 and a half days ago have filled our cluster with the divine fragrances—and the scattering angels of the Almighty have been very busy. The prayer chain has also connected our hearts together in a sustained, systematic way and has created a very special unity of action for these very special 16 days. The discipline of praying together so intensively has caused some to remark that it reminds them of fasting or of going on pilgrimage. Here is one sweet thought from one of our teachers in the prayer chain:

I just wanted to share with you the joy and spiritual gratification that I am experiencing through this prayer chain. I feel a closer communion with Bahá’u’lláh by getting up at 4 a.m. to pray (although at times I do feel tired, but my spirit is still uplifted). It is teaching me a discipline that I utmost needed. I also feel the power of the prayers within the group of our prayer chain. It's amazing! I love it and would like to do it again.

Another believer reflects on the implications of the prayer chain and series of firesides:

This is proof that there is receptivity in every single neighborhood in our cluster, regardless of the strata of society, and proof of the power of the prayers that are being said 24 hours around the clock keeping our hearts centered on asking for and relying on Divine Assistance and confirmations.

Finally, here are the words of a new believer, who approached the friends expressing an interest in studying Ruhi Book 3 (Teaching Children’s Classes, Grade 1) in Spanish. In this request, she also describes her experience of becoming a Bahá’í:

I so recently became a Bahá’í and recall vividly the questions I had, as well as the time that the Bahá’ís who were loving me into this global family offered to give me this process. I was able to express fears, confusion, sadness and concern and was held throughout the process in a container of compassion and gentleness. There were even times when I reflected on my own history and related it to the new concepts I was being exposed to about the Faith. . . . It was ultimately this unconditional love that enabled me to trust my heart and its path to Bahá’u’lláh! . . . It really made me long for the ability to extend to others the same quality of discovery that I was gifted with. I have some education in Spanish and I thought doing a Ruhi course would allow me to move towards offering Spanish-speaking Bahá’ís the gift of unity.

Learning from the community

Each community, each neighborhood is unique. The friends in Monterey, CA (B) have embarked on a teaching effort in their cluster and are learning from the community with whom they are working. They are identifying the human resources they need, adapting their approaches, and looking to the longer term.

The homefront pioneer to the cluster has opened many doors. His bilingual skills have allowed for greater connection with the local community.

A good long-term solution to language issues is for bilingual residents of the neighborhood to participate in the training institute courses. . . .

Scheduling of Ruhi study circles needs to be flexible to accommodate the schedules of seekers and new believers. We should not hold up and delay some people waiting for others to be available. This usually necessitates having small, one-on-one study circles.

We have learned that in the three apartment complexes in which we are working there live many people from the same locality in Mexico, and many of them are relatives to each other. These pre-existing relationships can be a foundation for us to reach out to others in this community.

Having in place a clear and specific action plan helps us to maintain focus.

Human resources at all levels

This summary list of “lessons learned” from the recent teaching efforts in Nevada North (A) raises a number of interesting points related to human resources. They are gaining experience in making effective use of human resources from other clusters, from within their cluster, and within the specific neighborhoods and apartment complexes where they have been teaching.

Having individuals from another cluster come and assist was an energizing experience for all of us. Guests from outside the cluster should be paired up with individuals from the local area. . . .

Connecting with many of the individuals who previously expressed interest when we last visited can be challenging due to economic and personal situations requiring them to work unpredictable hours.

Prayer teams provided a spiritual atmosphere for the teaching work.

It was helpful to have available people who lived in the apartment complex we were visiting who could serve as Spanish translators.

Anna’s presentation in Spanish needs to be summarized when we introduce it.

"We are learning together"

Teaching the Faith is an act of sharing, of sharing the Message with confidence and with humility, of sharing time together with a seeker, and of sharing thoughts. What I like so much about this story from San Francisco-San Mateo, CA (A) is the true dialogue that occurred. The teachers introduced new ideas; the listeners reflected, pondered, consulted and decided. And then! Two new believers, enthusiastic about identifying with the Faith, and of course embarking on a study circle. One phrase in this story captures it all: “We are learning together.”

During the last teaching effort, we approached an apartment and were met by a man. We introduced ourselves and explained the purpose of our visit. He asked us to return the following day. Upon our return, he welcomed us in. His cousin was also home and joined us in our discussion. . . .

We started sharing Anna's Presentation in Spanish. They listened intently, and would periodically ask questions. After the first part of the presentation, they explained that they had never actively practiced any religion and preferred to connect individually to God. We asked that if there were a path to lead to the knowledge of God, would it be worth trying to seek it out? They reflected on this question, and said they agreed that pursuing a path that could lead to God was worth the effort. They asked us to please continue the presentation.

Soon after, they asked for clarification about the name of the God we believed in. We asked, "What is the name of the God you believe in?" "God", they answered. "That's the same God we believe in too. There is only one God..." We went on to reinforce the idea of the Oneness of God and of the religions. The presentation continued on with discussion on the other Central Figures.

When we discussed the Laws brought by Baha'u'llah, we asked, "If you would like to remove the problem of death or injury caused by drunk driving and the problem of domestic violence caused by alcohol abuse on a societal level, what would be the best way to do it?". After thinking a bit, they said, "To prohibit it completely". "Exactly", we said. "Baha'u'llah has brought this message to fix societal problems. Baha'u'llah's laws are lights that can guide all of humanity towards a better world".

Towards the end of our time with these two men, we asked if they believed that Baha'u'llah was a Manifestation of God. They responded that they felt that this was probably true. We explained that if they accepted Baha'u'llah's message in their hearts then they were Baha'is. The declaration cards were handed to them, and the statement at the bottom was read aloud and explained. The two cousins consulted together for a while, and reflected on the action they were about to take. Within a couple minutes they agreed they would like to make this commitment. As they were doing this, they asked, "Are we supposed to go out and teach like you now? We feel we don't know enough!" "Of course," we responded. "We will still have many opportunities to learn together."

Since this encounter, we have visited them several times. They were very eager to share with us that they had recently received their Baha'i ID cards. "We got our Baha'i cards recently. We are Baha'is now. We carry these cards in our wallets as a protection." Their enthusiasm was infectious. At one meeting we introduced the idea of a study circle and the first book in a sequence of courses that we could use to learn together. They each eagerly took a copy of Book 1 and started looking through it. We scheduled a time to start the study circle in the next few days. We can't wait to begin with them.

Sharing the message in the Center's neighborhood

A new Bahá’í Center has opened in the Long Island, NY (A) cluster, and the friends there have started reaching out to the Center’s neighbors. Here is a brief report from the area teaching committee secretary, who describes their initial experiences.

Here is some information about the teaching activities in Valley Stream, the location of the newly opened Baha'i Center by the Baha'is of Nassau County.

Everything started with the individual initiative of a few believers who decided to come together and then visit nearby homes, initially with the idea of letting people know that the Baha'i Center in their town was now open and that they were going around to meet the neighbors and share some information about the Baha'i Faith. Many people asked the Bahá’ís to come back. At present, the friends are conducting follow-up visits with those who have shown an interest in knowing more. . . .

Many things were learned through their experiences. One was that while most of the believers were initially apprehensive about going to people’s homes, it turned out that the experiences that they had were positive, and they will be willing to do it again. A great deal was learned about the town itself, one of which was that many, many people spoke Spanish, so we had a need for having more Spanish-speaking Baha'is on hand.

We are very excited about this effort and look forward to involving more of the believers, including the youth, in these activities.

Area Teaching Committee Secretary

Youth spread the message in Hampden County

In more and more places around the country, youth are arising with confidence to share the Message of Bahá’u’lláh with their friends and neighbors. Here is a report from one of the participants in a teaching effort in Hampden County, MA (B), where a spirit of openness and love has made new connections. They have also learned that some young people are eager to share the Message with others as soon as they are introduced to it.

Dear Friends,

Saturday was an exciting day in Springfield, Massachusetts. 5 youth from Franklin/ Hampshire cluster, two youth from Hampden County, one of their friends, plust two adults gathered together and prepared ourselves spiritually. We then went to visit some neighborhoods in Springfield.

Everyone had very rewarding experiences. One group met a mother who asked to hear Anna’s presentation in Spanish. During their presentation she was moved to tears by the creative Words of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Another group met some high school students who asked to be contacted for information about participating in junior youth programs. . . .

We were once again confirmed by what the youth can do for the advancement of this Cause. We also witnessed that younger generations are very open to investigate and learn about the Bahá’í Faith. The junior youth programs and neighborhood children’s classes conducted in these neighborhoods have won the admiration and interest of the participants’ parents and friends.

By the end of the day, the friend of the Bahá’ís who participated in today’s teaching declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh and signed a declaration card.

A follow-up to the above story:

Today, three of us went to home visit the new believer. She wasn’t home but another teenage family member was on the porch. She expressed an interest in listening to a presentation about the Faith. A youth gave Anna’s presentation with love, patience and confidence. The young woman listened with focused attention throughout the 40-minute presentation, and declared at the end of it. She then enthusiastically asked if she could share the Faith with her friends and bring them to a Book 1 study circle.

With love, awe & amazement,

T

A study circle takes root

Throughout the country, the friends are finding that the core activities play a key role in the consolidation process for new believers. Here is a report from Manchester, NH (A), which describes a study circle that was started with some newly-enrolled Hispanic Bahá’ís. As with teaching, prayer, focus, and an attitude of learning are all helping the friends make progress.

We introduced the study circle idea by reviewing the idea that Baha'u'llah had come to help us learn how to build a new civilization, and that all over the world people are taking these spiritual institute courses to develop the capacities to serve their fellow human beings. We mentioned that this first course was designed to help participants learn the skills to study and learn prayers with their friends and neighbors, and to offer prayer gatherings to the wider community. When asked if they'd like to participate in this course, they both agreed.

We started with the unity prayer that we had begun studying the previous week, and all recited the first couple of lines through "great purpose" so we could all memorize that much, and reviewed that the reason Baha'u'llah had come was to unite our hearts and help us to be as one human family.

The questions and answers took longer than they might have in English, but generated animated discussions.

In the course of the study, another friend we'd not met entered and sat in on the study circle, we offered him a book and he joined right in the discussion. After a few minutes we offered to interrupt the session to give a short introduction to the Baha'i Faith, which he agreed to - the first part of "Anna's presentation" through the first quote, which he said he responded positively. Then all agreed that they'd prefer to carry on with the study circle for now, rather than go more into an overview of the Faith. For the first time, I was clear in my mind that this is the consolidation phase, and we can do more expansion later.

Soon a seeker showed up who also lives in the house. We hadn't seen him for several weeks, but he had previously expressed a strong interest in the Teachings. He joined the study circle and the discussions and the questions.

There was animated discussion and deepened understanding of the teachings. We only got through the first two sections, but we are most grateful that the study circle is finally underway.

It seemed as though Baha'u'llah brought them all there. Scheduling beforehand times to meet don’t always work in the way we would expect them to, but somehow, it seems Baha'u'llah "sent out a search party" and brought them all in. This is just another example of our utter need for the confirmations of the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for all your prayers and support of these initial efforts to learn how to teach directly and join in learning about how to consolidate.

Warmest love,

Your cluster institute coordinator

Reaching out to Spanish speakers

Here is a report from Chicago, IL (A) about a direct teaching effort to reach the Spanish-speaking population in one of that city’s sectors. It is simple and to the point: preparation, action, and follow-up. And who said you shouldn’t hang around on street corners?

Bahá’ís from across Chicago launched a direct teaching campaign on April 5–13 to reach the sector’s large Spanish-speaking population. Eight Bahá’ís fluent in Spanish met several times in advance to practice Anna’s presentation in that language. On 2 consecutive weekends, 4 or 5 teaching teams went out into various neighborhoods and shared with receptive souls the healing message of Bahá’u’lláh. They knocked on doors and met individuals at busy corners or at parks. A few teams also went out during the week.

As a result, nearly 150 individuals heard about the Faith, more than 30 showed interest in learning more, and 2 declared their faith. The campaign is now in the consolidation phase, visiting both the newly declared and those who expressed an interest in learning more.

In addition to Spanish-speaking individuals, the teaching teams made contact with an incredible diversity of people from various nationalities, ethnic groups and walks of life. Those who arose to take part in this project were witness to the confirmations promised in the Writings. The experience they gained will be invaluable for future teaching campaigns across the city.

Diversity key in Miami-Dade

Here is a report from the Miami-Dade, FL (A) cluster, where among the insights they have gained are the value of being able to match human resources with the communities being visited.

Teaching efforts since December 2007 have generated 24 new declarations, 11 of which were the result of a two-weekend door-to-door, direct, collective teaching project, using Anna’s presentation from Ruhi Book 6. Some of the teachers spoke Spanish, French and Creole, a vital asset for teaching in the ethnically-diverse neighborhoods. The results are as follows:

36 teachers participated.

950 doors were knocked upon.

170 people were presented with the message.

79 people expressed an interest in follow-up visits.

11 people declared (5 adults and 6 children).

Lessons learned:

Training for the use of Anna’s presentation in direct teaching activities helps participants teach more effectively and confidently.

Teaching teams should include individuals who speak the language(s) of the people in the communities visited.

Diversity in teaching teams provides an optimum mix of skills and insights.

It is good to have available copies of Anna’s presentation in Spanish and other languages.

The power of Anna's Presentation

The friends in the Triangle NC (A) cluster are witnessing how their teaching efforts are enhanced with the use of “Anna’s Presentation” from Ruhi Book 6. Here are two brief but moving accounts (note also how children’s classes have helped prepare the ground for the teaching):

“During a collective teaching activity in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in Carrboro, a woman embraced the Faith after Anna’s presentation was shared with her in Spanish. She is the mother of three children who have participated in Bahá’í neighborhood children’s classes. After her declaration she expressed an eagerness to share her newly found Faith with others and teach.

“. . . on Feb. 2, during an expansion phase of the cluster’s most recent cycle of growth, a collective teaching campaign using Anna’s presentation was held in McDougald Terrace in Durham. The community is a predominantly African American neighborhood where Bahá’í children’s classes have been running steadily for more than five years. Results included a man who not only readily declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation, but was also enthusiastic to share Anna’s presentation with his nephew.”

Source: Bulletin Update, published by the Regional Bahá’í Council of the Southern States, Volume 7, Number 1, p. 4.