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Bahá’í News

May 1978

Bahá’í Year 135

The Mother Temple of the West

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Seat of the Universal House of Justice

In this photograph taken February 1, the two basement levels of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice and the first two above-ground floors are visible. The view is from the southeastern corner of the building, looking toward the Shrine of the Báb. Construction is proceeding on schedule.

In a photograph taken February 1 from the southwestern corner of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, workmen are placing the steel reinforcements for the poured concrete floor at the fifth level. The groups of columns in the center of the photo are parts of two of the piers that will support the dome. The extension at ground level on the right will house blowers for the building’s heating and air-conditioning systems. Earth fill is being placed between the basement levels and the excavation into the side of Mt. Carmel.

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Contents

The South India Project
A handful of Bahá’í teachers sets out to conquer a region	2
Sierra Leone’s first Summer School
On short notice, the friends score a resounding success	3
Teaching the Faith in Korea
In rural villages, Bahá’í teachers find love and acceptance	4
A Bahá’í pioneer reports from Honduras
Conditions are rugged, but the rewards of teaching are great	6
Around the world
News from Bahá’í communities in every corner of the globe	8

Cover

This month marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the public dedication of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, the Mother Temple of the West. The cornerstone was laid by the Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, on May 1, 1912, and the magnificent structure was completed forty-one years later and dedicated by the Bahá’ís as a gift to all the peoples of the world.

Change of address should be reported directly to Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rates: one year, U.S. $8; two years, U.S, $15. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright ©1978, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Bahá’í News is published monthly for circulation among Bahá’ís only by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to: Bahá’í News Editorial Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A.

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The South India Project

The South India Project, a joint effort of the National Assemblies of India and Malaysia, began October 20, 1977, following the All Asia Bahá’í Women’s Conference in New Delhi.

A team of Bahá’ís, initially consisting of 10 Malaysians, six Indians and one member each from the United States and Hong Kong, began its efforts in Sulur Panchayat Union. The goal: 100,000 new believers and 100 new Local Spiritual Assemblies by Riḍván 1978.

The following material is quoted or extracted from the team members’ reports to their respective National Spiritual Assemblies:

The first phase of the project, lasting 39 days, or until November 28, saw the establishment of a base of operations at Sulur. The team, consisting of between 12 and 19 members, achieved its initial goal of establishing Local Assemblies in the 23 localities of Sulur Panchayat Union District. Total enrollments reached 1,066. Activities included a “successful and well-attended” conference on November 13.

The friends took one day off before the second phase began.

“During the day off we had a short briefing session. Dr. Sree Ganesh announced the over-all plan: a total of 100 Local Assemblies and 100,000 new believers to be brought into the Faith by Riḍván 1978. The target seemed impossible, and the number of believers to be enrolled staggering, but we knew that with prayers, sincerity of motive, a little effort, and—most of all—with Bahá’u’lláh’s assistance and the prayers of the Universal House of Justice, nothing would be impossible.”

The second phase of the project opened November 29 with two aims: consolidation of the 23 new Local Spiritual Assemblies and the opening of a base for teaching at Palladam, with the aim of establishing Assemblies in that district’s 22 localities.

“The ... friends were subdivided into three main teams. One teaching team of five (later six) members migrated to the new base and was assigned to open 13 villages and establish Local Assemblies. A second team stayed in Sulur, but began to open nine localities in ‎Paladam Palladam‎ that were easier to reach from Sulur. The third team’s task was to deepen the believers in Sulur and consolidate the victories won there.

“All of us seemed pretty lonely for the first couple of days, and grieved at the separation from one another. But soon we began to be absorbed in teaching and in the challenge that lay ahead.

“We would get up every morning at 7 o’clock, have group and individual prayers, and leave for our respective areas. Sometimes the friends showed signs of fatigue and failing health; at times it would be difficult to find people to teach; but never would we return home disappointed at the end of the day.

“Doors would open and our prayers would always be answered ... people from all walks embraced the Faith—teachers, farmers, workers, women ...

“The Sulur group successfully established nine Local Assemblies by December 9 and came to Palladam the next day. Five more Local Assemblies had to be elected with exactly one day left.

“The friends divided into five groups, deciding that they would only come back home after election of one Assembly each. In the evening the groups started returning, one by one, exhausted but happy. The target had been reached—22 Local Spiritual Assemblies were successfully elected.

“To mark the last day of the second phase, a conference was held. Each of the friends said the Tablet of Aḥmad nine times for the occasion. An overwhelming number of 125 believers participated in the conference. The program consisted of the history of the Faith, the station of Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í Administration, the obligations of a Bahá’í, teaching, contributing to the Fund, and a question-and-answer session.

“The new believers pledged to bring in about 1,000 additional believers by the end of the month.”

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Sierra Leone’s first Summer School

Thirty-four Bahá’ís from 12 communities were present at Magburaka, Sierra Leone, December 27-30 for the first Bahá’í Summer School ever held in that country.

Normally, the Bahá’ís of Sierra Leone each December attend the Summer School at Bomi Hills, Liberia, but that school was canceled in 1977. Following consultation, the National Spiritual Assembly of Sierra Leone decided to conduct its own Summer School.

Although there was little more than a month in which to plan for it, the Summer School surpassed all expectations. Among those attending was Counsellor Friday Ekpe from Nigeria. Moreover, two pioneers from Liberia—Jim Traub and Jerry Evans—added to the diversity of the Summer School.

The school was opened Tuesday evening, December 27, when more than 30 friends gathered for a Unity Feast hosted by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Magburaka. Eric Dumbuya spoke at the Feast on “The Role of Youth in the Faith.”

Wednesday’s sessions included presentations on “Bahá’í History” by A.S. Momodu and Rod Rash; the first of a two-part lesson on “Bahá’í Laws and Principles” by Donald Williams; “Why the Bahá’í Faith?” by Horace Brown; “The Importance of Teaching” by Augustine Conteh, and “Practical Teaching Techniques” by N.S. Kargbo.

In the afternoon, the friends were divided into three groups for teaching trips to Mayawlaw, Makump and Masoko, villages near Magburaka. That evening the friends enjoyed two filmstrips, “Arise!” and “The Bahá’ís and the Holy Land.”

Thursday’s sessions offered a continuation of Wednesday’s topics plus “The Importance of the Nineteen Day Feast” by Sultan Harrie, and “The Holy Days” by Lamarana Bah.

That afternoon the friends distributed more than 300 invitations in Magburaka and nearby villages to a public meeting Thursday night. More than 75 non-Bahá’ís heard an inspiring introductory talk on the Faith by Francis Bangura. Afterward, a panel of five Bahá’ís including Counsellor Ekpe and Auxiliary Board member Charles Bullock answered questions from the audience.

Friday’s topics included “Bahá’í Administration” by Counsellor Ekpe; “The Role of Women in the Bahá’í Community” by Miss Elsie Nicol; “The Bahá’í Fund” by A.M. Jalloh and Koleh Kamara; “The Five Year Plan Goals” by Joseph Swarray, and “The Local Spiritual Assembly” by Musa Lahai and Lansana Kamara.

The children also were well provided for; Miss Nicol planned a special program for them each day, and several of the friends volunteered to teach children’s classes.

The following cable was sent to the Universal House of Justice:

“MAGBURAKA HOST FIRST SUMMER SCHOOL SIERRA LEONE. SPIRITUALLY RICH UPLIFTING INFORMATIVE. INSPIRED PRESENCE COUNSELLOR EKPE REPRESENTATIVES 12 COMMUNITIES 3 COUNTRIES. CHILDREN CLASSES HELD. PUBLIC MEETING OVER 100 PRESENT NEW DECLARANTS. BESEECH PRAYERS GREATLY SURPASS GOALS PLAN.”

The following reply was received:

“DELIGHTED SUCCESS FIRST SUMMER SCHOOL PRESENCE COUNSELLOR EKPE. WARMLY WELCOME NEW BELIEVERS. PRAYING HOLY SHRINES BLESSINGS CONTINUE SURROUND ALL EFFORTS PROCLAIM TEACH DEEPEN.”

As the Summer School came to an end, one could feel that all had gone well. The friends had studied, taught and proclaimed the Faith; everyone had contributed in some way to its success.

A tangible result was seven declarations! All that could be done had been done. Now, the Bahá’ís of Sierra Leone must arise and demonstrate to the Bahá’í world that they are determined to go from strength to strength.

—Horace Brown

Participants at the first Bahá’í Summer School in Sierra Leone, held December 27-30 at Magburaka. Counsellor Friday Ekpe is standing in the center wearing a jacket and white shirt.

A children’s class in session at the first Bahá’í Summer School in Sierra Leone.

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Teaching in Korea

(The following account of a recent teaching trip to Korea by Terri and Paul Stern is reprinted from the Alaska Bahá’í News of February 1978.—Ed.)

•

Would you like to do some exciting teaching? Would you like to meet people who are thirsty for the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh? Would you like to be smiled at a lot and smile back in return?

Then the place for you to go is South Korea! We have just been there, and can’t wait to go again. We’d love to have you join us.

The trip to Korea is one of the most pleasurable we’ve ever made. The people there are so friendly and open that it makes one’s heart expand with the love of God.

We arrived in Seoul on Saturday, December 24, were met at the airport by Mr. Park (secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Korea) and his son, and went immediately to the Bahá’í Center to meet new Bahá’í friends there.

One of these new friends was an old friend, Bob Thiesse, a young man from Hawaii pioneering in Korea whom we’d originally met on our pilgrimage. Needless to say, it was wonderful to see him again.

We learned that some of the friends already were out visiting villages, teaching and organizing activities for us.

The next afternoon, escorted by Mrs. Park, we left for an island off the southern tip of Korea named Haeuido (pronounced “hi-dough”), and our transportation, believe it or not, was by Greyhound bus.

We were caught in a snowstorm over a mountain pass, however, missed our connecting bus, and spent the night in a little inn that had the barest of bare necessities.

We arose early the next morning, caught our bus, but learned later that we had missed our ferry to Haeuido by an hour. So we sat in a tea shop for five hours, but the time went by fast as we were in the company of three lovely Persian girls who were also going to Haeuido and were part of our teaching team.

And what a team it was! It was composed of National Spiritual Assembly members, an Auxiliary Board member, an assistant to an Auxiliary Board member in Korea, the Haeuido Area Teaching Committee, plus the three Persian girls (one of whom is a pioneer there) and ourselves.

These people went with us everywhere and had everything so well organized that we knew exactly what the plan was for each day and how many villages we were to visit. In many cases,

[Page 5] contact had been made with the villages the week before we arrived, so we were expected.

As soon as we arrived at Haeuido (after a rather risky disembarkation from the ferry), we plopped our suitcases at the only inn on the island and were whisked off to the home of a National Spiritual Assembly member for dinner, then to another Bahá’í home for a meeting.

Haeuido hasn’t yet been touched by materialism, and the people aren’t rich, so when we went to homes our lighting was mostly candle-light and kerosene lanterns. It was a precious experience to walk into a dimly-lit home and hear many sweet “Alláh’u’Abhá’s” floating to us from across the room.

When we located the faces that went with the voices, they were the sweetest, brightest faces we had seen in a long time. They were men, women and children smiling at us and greeting us as though we were a family returning home. They showered us with love that can only be felt among Bahá’ís.

We would spend the evening relating stories about Bahá’u’lláh and the early believers, and they would keep saying, “Tell us another story, tell us another story!”

We had an excellent translator/teacher, Miss Hae Jon Chung (assistant to Auxiliary Board member Mr. Mithaquiyan). Miss Chung was at Haeuido a week before we came, and worked closely with the Area Teaching Committee as well as teaching adults and organizing children’s classes.

We noticed that the communities that were the most active were those where women were participating. There are 33 villages in Haeuido, and Paul was able to visit 11 of the 33.

There were no buses on the island, only one car (which was almost always broken down and had people bending over it), no motorcycles, and only a few bicycles. Our transportation was our own feet, and they really got a workout. So did our lungs, because we sang as we went from village to village.

People would hear us singing and come out of their homes or look over their fences and shout, “Alláh’u’Abhá!” They were fellow Bahá’ís, and it was such a joy to see their smiling faces and to meet them.

The thing we found most heartening and that added to our spiritual uplift was not only the friendliness of the people, but the fact that so many times we heard, “Tell us! Tell us so we can tell others!” These wonderful, pure village people want to know so they too can teach. We also heard, “What are the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh?” They want to know, and are asking.

Later, we learned that there is one village (not on Haeuido) of about 1,000 people who are all asking to be Bahá’ís, and the Bahá’ís must tell them, “Wait ... let us teach you first!” This truly showed us the power of Bahá’u’lláh, for He already has prepared the hearts of those people... they need only to be confirmed in His Cause. Their plea is being heard in Korea, but Korea is short of manpower. Can we help them?

And the children! Tiny, tiny ones saying their Bahá’í prayers from memory while the other children hummed a Bahá’í song in the background. Some of us had tears in our eyes listening to the little voices. But when they sang “God Is One, Man Is One” (in Korean, of course), how their little voices rang!

The first two days we visited five villages. Unfortunately, Terri contracted a fever and was unable to accompany the team to the other six villages.

They went by small boat to another part of Haeuido. The only way back, however, was to walk, and it had rained all day. The road was so muddy it was impossible to stand, so they climbed on a dike and walked on it for about three kilometers.

Imagine ... the ocean on one side, a slippery road on the other ... it is dark, and there is no flashlight. We are sure Bahá’u’lláh was guiding their footsteps and taking care of them on this treacherous walkway.

Our last night on this lovely island was Feast night, and we celebrated it with the Bahá’ís of the main village where our inn was located. We can say we left a part of our hearts on that island. God willing, in the future we can go back.

We returned to Seoul by train on December 31. On Tuesday, January 2, Paul, together with Mr. Park’s son and another young man, went to the area of Shin Chon, about three hours from Seoul.

Paul felt a noticeable difference in the attitude of the people there, as they were much closer to a large city and the materialism was more prevalent. The people seemed more indifferent and weren’t as eager to talk.

Paul and his friends visited five villages from January 3-5, and were gratified to be part of opening the village of Jang Jae Li with a declaration there.

They also were able to deepen a few people in other villages, and three men they talked to in Ho Tan Li seemed eager to learn more. They were able to give some firesides, and had an unplanned opportunity to plant more seeds when they talked to more than 30 people who were relaxing in the sun.

It has been said that the traveling teacher receives much more than he gives. This is certainly true in our case. We both feel that our trip provided us with some much-needed spiritual renewal and also served as a first-hand reminder that there really are many souls who are not only longing to be given the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, but also are longing to be deepened in the Faith so that they, in turn, can teach and deepen others. Ya Bahá’u’l-Abhá!

Two nineteenth-century ink on silk drawings depicting a Korean landscape and Korean rural life.

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An American in Honduras

Shortly after American pioneer Ron Renna arrived in Honduras last summer, the friends there received a cable from the Universal House of Justice asking them to work harder to win their Five Year Plan goals, and to send progress reports to the World Centre every two weeks.

“We started teaching right away,” says 28-year-old Ron, who is from Tampa, Florida. “About two months later, the Universal House of Justice sent a cable commending us for winning almost all of our national goals!”

Ron arrived in Tegucigalpa, the capital city, in July. Friends who met him at the airport assured him he’d have no trouble finding employment.

“I was worried about a job the first 10 days, while waiting to sign a teaching contract. Now I realize why my friends told me not to worry. If you have a teaching certificate in Honduras, you’ll be hired right away,” says Ron.

He was “lonely and depressed” at first, he recalls, because he wanted to teach the Faith and couldn’t speak fluent Spanish.

“But accidentally, I stumbled on a teaching plan when I met Angel Coca, an Auxiliary Board member,” he says, smiling.

Angel knew that Hondurans would like to practice English with Ron. “He started introducing me to people, and I was an attraction,” says Ron. “I would practice Spanish, and they would practice English. Eventually they’d ask why I was in Honduras. I’d tell them about the Faith in broken Spanish until they were interested, then Angel would take over for the next hour-and-a-half.

“After the first time this happened, Angel and I just looked at each other and agreed we’d found a way to teach,” says Ron.

Interestingly, Angel does not speak English and Ron speaks only “halting” Spanish. Sometimes they sit together with a dictionary and manage to communicate.

In compliance with the cable from the Universal House of Justice to try harder to win their goals, the friends in Honduras taught in villages surrounding their own communities.

“We would knock at someone’s door and be welcomed inside even though we were strangers,” says Ron.

The typical Honduran village usually has a square in the center, where the church is located, and in the case of one village, a shade tree.

“Irma Vasquez, whose parents’ and three sisters are Bahá’ís, sat under the tree and began to tell one or two people about the Faith. Within half an hour, 60 people were attentively listening to her.

[Page 7] “I was amazed at the knowledge that flowed from her,” says Ron. “She’s only 19 years old.”

Ron says the villagers often accept the Faith because the diverse cultures and races of the Bahá’í teachers exemplify the unity of mankind.

“The Hondurans are down-to-earth, open and loving people. They can feel the spirit of the Bahá’ís,” he says.

Ron remembers well one of his first teaching trips in Honduras: “I felt moved to say something. I spoke in broken Spanish and later asked one of the other Bahá’ís if I’d made sense. He told me I’d spoken in perfect Spanish! I must have had the help of Bahá’u’lláh, because even now I couldn’t repeat in perfect Spanish what I said that day.”

Ron explains that Honduras, the second largest country in Central America, has three centers of population: Tegucigalpa, the capital; La Ceiba, a banana export center; and San Pedro Sula, an industrial city. Most of the remainder of the country is jungle.

Pioneers generally teach in villages surrounding their home communities. Most of the pioneers are school teachers, so they are able to devote weekends and holidays to teaching trips.

“The largest obstacle for teaching trips is lack of transportation,” says Ron. “One of the pioneers recently bought a van. Fifteen people pile into it and he drops a few of us off at each village along the way, then picks everyone up at the end of the day.”

The teachers often have to travel by public transportation, sometimes by busito (van), and find the Hondurans they meet this way very friendly.

“It’s nothing for someone to get on the busito and greet everyone,” says Ron. “If someone sits next to you, he’ll start talking.”

The private bi-lingual school where Ron teaches has 1,200 students, from kindergarten through grade 11. Most of the students are Honduran; a few are sons or daughters of foreign embassy personnel.

All classes are taught in English except for a weekly Catholic religion class, Spanish, and Latin American social studies.

The majority of students’ parents, in the upper middle class, recognize the ability to speak English as a ticket to better career opportunities for their children. Virtually all students will continue their education in U.S. universities.

Ron began the school year teaching sixth graders. He had them elect a class assembly, modeled after a Local Spiritual Assembly, rather than class officers. There was no campaigning; the children were told what qualities their assembly members should have.

Ron didn’t tell them the assembly was a structure of the Bahá’í Administrative Order. He’s not allowed to proselytize. However, the children know he is a Bahá’í, and if they ask him questions, he answers them.

The owners of the school “hire Bahá’ís because they respect our social laws and know we will do a good job. They trust us,” says Ron.

Ron, a Bahá’í for eight years, has wanted to pioneer since 1971-72. He wrote the International Goals Committee in the U.S. four years ago, wondering if he should accept a job offer in Central America. They advised him to finish school and learn Spanish first.

He spent the next three years earning his B.A. in English.

He knew the time had come to pioneer when he was at the International Teaching Conference in Merida, Mexico, in February 1977. He thought, “I’ve wanted to pioneer for a long time. Now is the time to go.”

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Around the World

Niger

Chiefs commend Faith

The National Spiritual Assembly of Niger reported in December that it had received letters commending the Faith from chiefs of two villages where Bahá’ís are residents.

The translation of the letter from the village chief of Aderawa reads: “I am truly thrilled with joy at this unbelievable thing. And I thank all of the Bahá’í religion and everything concerning Bahá’í. We hope that God will protect us in every undertaking. Last, I offer you many warm greetings.”

The translated letter from the village chief of Riadi reads: “The Local Spiritual Assembly will be formed with my authorization. I am very happy that you came to visit my village, Riadi, and that you want to have a class for our children to teach about the Bahá’í Faith. Thank you, people of the Bahá’í Faith.”

Pakistan

Winter School held

Pakistan’s National Bahá’í Winter School, held December 22-26 at Hyderabad, was attended by more than 250 Bahá’ís from all parts of the country including new believers from Thar Parkar, and from Sibi in Baluchistan.

A National Women’s Conference and National Five Year Plan Conference also were held during the school. The women reviewed the activities of their sister believers throughout Pakistan and made suggestions about children’s educational activities.

An exciting moment during this period occurred when one of the women attending the conference, a traveling teacher from Kuwait, organized a teaching trip to the village of Sindies, about 64 kilometers (40 miles) from Hyderabad, where 40 people declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.

Switzerland

The National Youth Committee of Switzerland sponsored a proclamation and consolidation meeting February 4 in the Zurich suburb of Dietikon. Twenty believers brought their friends to sing with them, pray and talk about the Faith. The result of the meeting was a renewed determination to win the goals of the Five Year Plan ahead of time.

Papua New Guinea

Bahá’ís from 12 provinces attended the National Teaching Conference held November 26-27 at the new National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Lae, Papua New Guinea. Among those present were Violet Hoehnke, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Australasia, and all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Solomon Islands

Youth convene, arise

A featured speaker at the National Youth Conference held December 9-11 at Auki, Malaita Island of the Solomon Islands, was Meherangiz Munsiff of the United Kingdom, who has been on an extensive teaching trip in the Pacific area. She related stories of the services of Bahá’í youth around the world and of the early martyrs and pioneers for the Faith.

Twelve of the 50 Bahá’í youth who attended volunteered to undertake three-month teaching trips for the National Spiritual Assembly.

Three days before the conference, 70 guests attended a luncheon in Honiara at which Mrs. Munsiff spoke. It received local news media coverage.

Government officials, including the

[Page 9] chief minister of the government, the deputy governor, chief judge, chief of police, and several members of the legislature were presented with information about the Faith.

New books

Mr. Faizí authors two

The Prince of Martyrs: A Brief Account of the Imám Ḥusayn, by the Hand of the Cause Abu’l-Qásim Faizí; 80 pages; soft cover.

In this essay Mr. Faizí recounts the life of the Third Imám, grandson of Muḥammad, and underlines its significance as testified by Bahá’u’lláh.

It may be ordered from George Ronald, Publisher, 46 High Street, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 2DN, England.

Milly (A Tribute to the Hand of the Cause Amelia E. Collins), by the Hand of the Cause Abu’l-Qásim Faizí; 56 pages; soft cover.

This essay offers an affectionate, intimate portrait that brings to life the achievements, devotion and shining personality of this distinguished believer.

It is published by George Ronald (see address above.)

Flowers of One Garden, by Gloria Faizí; approximately 40 pages; soft cover.

This book serves as an introduction to progressive revelation and the principles of the Bahá’í Faith. It is suitable for children. The booklet also contains prayers and brief quotations from the Bahá’í Writings.

It may be ordered from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of India, 6 Canning Road, Post Box 19, New Delhi 110001, India.

The Training and Education of Children; 78 pages; soft cover. A compilation from the Writings on the subject of the education of Bahá’í children and youth.

It is available from the Bahá’í Distribution Service, 7200 Leslie Street, Thornhill, Ontario L3T 2A1, Canada.

Divine Springtime, by Daniel Nelson Wegener; 135 pages; photographs; soft cover.

The book recounts the stories of the early days of the Faith in Central America and Panama, as told by Louise Caswell, a pioneer to the area since 1939.

It may be ordered through the National Spiritual Assembly of Honduras, Apartado Postal No. 273, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

North West Pacific

Sisan and Susanna Suda of Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands, and their 10 children get together with Sisan’s cousin, Sichuo Sipa, Sichuo’s wife, Resen, and their nine children before the Sipias embarked on a teaching trip to Truk in the East Carolines. Eight of the Sipias’ nine children stayed with the Sudas while their parents went on the teaching trip, bringing the total number of children in the Suda household to 18.

In Saipan, traveling teaching becomes family affair

With nine young children of their own, plus an adopted child, Sisan and Susanna Suda of Garapan Village, Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands, had their hands full.

Still, they longed to go pioneering or traveling teaching in their former home district of Truk in the Eastern Caroline Islands. But the large family responsibility and Sisan’s job at the Trust Territory headquarters in Saipan made such plans impossible.

Finally, the Sudas found a solution to the problem that enabled them to go teaching after all—by proxy.

Sisan’s cousin, Sichuo Sipia, and his wife, Resen, of Tanapag Village, Saipan, also have nine small children, and, like the Sudas, they wanted to teach, especially in Truk where there are island goals yet to be won. Although living in Saipan, they, like Sisan, are originally from Truk and speak fluent Trukese.

The answer came for all four with an offer by Sisan and Susanna to take care of the Sipias’ children, enabling the latter to go teaching in Truk.

The Sipias left Saipan December 24, 1977, with the specific assignment to teach in the islands of Tsis, Param, Fefan and Fanapengas in the Truk Lagoon. When the time came to leave, they decided to take their youngest child with them. This meant there would be a total of 18 children in the Suda household.

Bahá’í children’s classes became easy to assemble, and were held regularly at the Suda home with the help of Bahá’í friends from Saipan’s two communities with Local Assemblies, Garapan and Tanapag.

When at home in Saipan, the Suda and Sipia families are active in teaching and Bahá’í community life. Sisan Suda also is treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the North West Pacific Ocean.

(A new pillar of the Universal House of Justice is to be established in May when Saipan and the other islands of the Northern Marianas will be united with Guam in the Southern Marianas to form the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Marianas Islands.)

—Cynthia R. Olson

[Page 10]

Australia

Australian Bahá’í Eric Bowes (center) is congratulated by David Tonkin, opposition leader of Parliament, on the dedication of a library bearing Mr. Bowes’ name at Urrbrae Agricultural High School near Adelaide, Australia. Mr. Bowes, for many years a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia, and now an Auxiliary Board member, served the school for more than 30 years. He was cited for his energy, devotion and humility. Mrs. Bowes is on the left.

The Netherlands

Music program a success

The Voorschoten Bahá’í community in The Netherlands, in cooperation with UNICEF, co-sponsored an evening of musical entertainment on October 29 at the local cultural center. An estimated 175 people attended, and seven newspapers printed accounts of the event.

As a part of the program, the Bahá’í chairman told about some of the goals and aims of the Faith and its reasons for cooperating with the United Nations.

The musical program included artists—most of them Bahá’ís—as diverse as an American jazz pianist, a Persian santour player, a Dutch folk singer, a group that performed music and dance from Surinam, and a musician who played European classical music.

The guests, who stayed until midnight, were hoping that a similar event would be held next year.

South Africa

35 declare during school

During the week of December 26-January 1, while the second South African Bahá’í Summer School was in session in Cape Town, 35 people declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh. Twenty-three of the declarations came when some of the 150 participants at the summer school spent a day teaching.

On hearing of the success of the school, the Universal House of Justice cabled:

“DELIGHTED SUCCESS SUMMER SCHOOL. CONVEY WARM WELCOME NEW BELIEVERS ASSURE PRAYERS.”

Among those present were Continental Counsellor William Masehla and believers form Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana.

Sierra Leone

Assembly goal surpassed

The National Spiritual Assembly of Sierra Leone joyously reports that its assigned Five Year Plan goal of establishing 15 new Local Spiritual Assemblies has been exceeded by two.

The National Assembly now plans to request additional goals for the remainder of the Plan, increasing the number of Local Assemblies to 25.

20 declare after talk

More than 20 students and one teacher at the Women’s Teacher’s College in Port Loko, Sierra Leone, asked to become Bahá’ís after hearing a talk by Auxiliary Board member Charles Bullock at a proclamation meeting there.

Still more declarations

There weren’t enough declaration cards available to accommodate the students who wished to become Bahá’ís following a talk on the Faith at the Government Secondary School for Girls in Mathora.

The Bahá’í speaker was Isatu Hyde-Forster, from West Germany, who spoke to 150 students and three teachers on the need for spiritual development and the equality of men and women.

Later that day, Ms. Hyde-Forster gave a similar talk at the Government Secondary School for Boys at Magburaka. Discussions with the students lasted far into the night.

As a result of her visit, enough interest in the Faith was generated to begin holding regular Bahá’í classes at the school.

Iceland

Counsellor presides

Counsellor Adib Taherzadeh, a member of the Continental Board for Europe, conducted a three-day institute December 9-11 at a resort in Iceland. Mr. Taherzadeh spoke five times during a two-day period, and conducted another informal session in which he shared stories of the development of the Faith.

The Counsellor talked mainly about teaching, pointing out that the first obligation of a Bahá’í is to teach the Faith. He said teaching helps remove the barriers between a person’s soul and God, and that God’s assistance is cut off when we do not teach.

During the institute, three Bahá’ís volunteered to pioneer to the town of Kopavogur, a jeopardized Local Assembly that the National Spiritual Assembly had designated a national goal to be won by January 25. The three pioneers, with a youth who will become 21 before Riḍván, assure the continuation of the Kopavogur Assembly.

[Page 11] Earlier, the National Spiritual Assembly had adopted a new policy of focusing on each goal individually—a policy change that followed a special meeting of the National Assembly called to discuss the progress of the Five Year Plan in Iceland.

Its first announced goal was Neskaupstadur, and all Local Assemblies and Groups in Iceland were asked to “search their hearts” and find what they could contribute to the goal of establishing an Assembly in Neskaupstadur.

The response was gratifying. One Assembly began a 24-hour prayer watch, inviting others to join in, and offered the services of a traveling teacher. Another Assembly joined the prayer watch and also had noon and midnight prayers for nine days, finally offering two pioneers and a slide program. A third Local Assembly joined the two 24-hour prayer sessions, and sent a traveling teacher to Neskaupstadur.

An Auxiliary Board member’s community prayed for six hours before the Board member left for Neskaupstadur to teach, and prayed while she was there. One person joined the Faith while the Board member was in the goal city, and a pioneer volunteered to move there shortly thereafter. The formation of a Local Spiritual Assembly seems assured.

The National Assembly reports that all communities in Iceland held special meetings to deal with the national goal, and also notes that a significant side effect has been a great increase in donations to the National Fund.

Benin

First Northern Institute

On February 4-5, twenty-five believers from four of the six provinces in Benin, West Africa, journeyed to Parakou to attend the country’s first Northern Bahá’í Institute, sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of Benin and conducted by its National Teaching Committee.

Prior to 1975, when Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Van Deusen, American pioneers to Benin, settled in Parakou, the principal city in the area, there were no Bahá’ís in the country’s two northernmost provinces, Atacora and Borgou. The first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in 1975. Within three years, seven Local Assemblies were formed and many more localities in these provinces were opened.

The growth of the Faith in this area has been assisted further by Vincent Aguémon, who, as Benin’s first home-front pioneer, has been in Parakou since 1976.

In addition to presentations at the Institute on the life of Bahá’u’lláh, the Administrative Order, the importance of children’s classes, equality of men and women, the Fund, and teaching, a filmstrip was shown, and Bahá’í songs animated each of the sessions.

—Kiser D. Barnes

Six-week plan launched

The National Spiritual Assembly of Benin, West Africa, has launched an intensive six-week teaching campaign in three of the country’s six provinces, designed to establish 13 new Local Spiritual Assemblies, open 30 localities to the Faith, and find at least 600 new believers.

A special institute, held December 23-31 in Porto-Novo and conducted by Continental Counsellor Thelma Khelgati, began the project.

Six teachers who will give their full time to the program were joined by 23 other Bahá’ís to study such subjects as the lives and missions of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and the Guardian; teaching; Bahá’í Administration; Bahá’í Laws; living the life; the Fund; and the importance of prayer.

Five members of the National Spiritual Assembly and Auxiliary Board member Frederic Hodonou attended much of the institute and assisted in presentations.

Alaska

Winter Weekend held

Shoghi Effendi said: “Just one mature soul with spiritual understanding and a profound knowledge of the Faith can set a whole country ablaze—so great is the power of the Cause to work through a pure and selfless channel.”

This opening devotion set the pace for the annual Winter Weekend in Wasilla, Alaska, December 31-January 1 attended by 156 Bahá’ís.

The theme centered on finding 1,000 new believers to complete Alaska’s goals of the Five Year Plan.

Speakers at the conference included Auxiliary Board members Ray Hudson and Lauretta King.

A youth panel presented ideas on how adults and youth can help one another teach the Faith.

During the conference more than $1,400 was raised for the Fund.

Germany

Drs. Guenther and Anneliese Mayer-Harnisch, a German-American Bahá’í couple from San Luis Obispo, California, pause in front of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Langenhain during a five-week teaching trip to eight cities in their native land that began in December. Since the Mayer-Harnisches had prepared a German program that included an introductory talk on religious cycles and progressive revelation followed by a filmstrip, they also were able to present it to their relatives and friends.

Barbados/Windward

Pioneer reports good news

“We can report joyous news from here,” says Edith Segen Johnson, a U.S. pioneer to the Windward Islands in the West Indies.

She wrote on January 8 that she had just returned from a weekly visit to St. Joseph Village, where a Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in December, “and another enrollment took place today.

“There are now five Local Spiritual Assemblies on the island; some of the friends on Dominica are rising forth and teaching;

[Page 12] one Carib Indian believer, quiet and dignified, is serving the Faith well; the weekly display we have at the open air market each Saturday morning has attracted many souls for the past eight months; the Bahá’í correspondence course being offered by our National Spiritual Assembly is being undertaken by both Bahá’ís and inquirers.

“Our goal of 10 Local Spiritual Assemblies needs to be achieved by Riḍván this year. Daily prayers from the friends are surely needed.

“We have the bounty of many wonderful visitors who have greatly assisted us in accomplishing so much — Counsellor Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadiyyih, Counsellor Rowland Estall, three friends from Barbados, National Spiritual Assembly members Emily Kramer and Leroy Wharton, National Teaching Committee member Saritta Chadderton, plus a rather unexpected visit from Lorana Kerfoot, a former secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Leeward, Windward and Virgin Islands, who brought such love and inspiration from the World Center where she has been serving for two years. We feel so blessed that this tiny remote island has had all this outside help.”

India

Winter School held

Counsellors Dipchand Khianra and Borhanuddin Afshin and Auxiliary Board member Mrs. Tahirih Vajdi were the distinguished speakers at the annual Bahá’í Winter School December 23-25 sponsored by the New Era High School in Panchgani.

The Bahá’í schools, which were encouraged for every Bahá’í by the beloved Guardian as “a precious opportunity so to enrich through lectures, study and discussion his knowledge of the fundamentals of his Faith,” this time enabled more than 200 friends, both pioneers and local believers, young and old alike to participate in four days of Bahá’í fellowship and study.

Morning classes, afternoon workshops, and a unity feast each evening helped the participants to deepen their knowledge and to stimulate their interest in the three major topics of study: (1) Bahá’í Administration, (2) the history of the Faith in India, and (3) teaching the Faith, especially in the villages.

Each morning the friends would gather for dawn prayers. In the late afternoon, teaching trips were taken into the surrounding villages with much success.

A Bahá’í children’s conference for those ages 2 through 9 also was held at Panchgani. More than 60 children attended the three-day conference where they learned prayers and songs, heard stories and participated in games and other activities.

A junior youth conference for those from ages 10 through 13 was held in neighboring Mahableshnar, also for three days, and was directed by members of the New Era School staff. More than 50 youngsters studied the Bahá’í life at this conference.

Bahá’í children performing a skit at the Bahá’í Winter School in Panchgani, India.

More than 200 of the friends gathered at the New Era High School in Panchgani, India, December 23-25 for the annual Bahá’í Winter School.

[Page 13]

Bahá’ís in Prayer Day

The National Spiritual Assembly of Barbados and the Windward Islands reports that the government on the island of Grenada recently sponsored a National Day of Prayer.

A Bahá’í served on the National Day of Prayer Committee, and recommended that drinking and alcohol be banned for that day. The committee agreed with the recommendation.

The first and last prayers read on the radio for the National Day of Prayer were Bahá’í prayers.

United States

Classes held on Faith

By the end of February, one person had declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh while attending a series of seven ongoing classes on the Faith held each Saturday afternoon at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.

The first in the series of self-contained classes was begun on January 14 of this year.

Classes are limited in attendance to non-Bahá’ís, and are seen as an opportunity for seekers who are reluctant to go to someone’s home for a fireside to learn about the Faith in a more public setting.

South West Pacific

Teacher attracts interest

An extensive visit to New Caledonia, in the South West Pacific Ocean, by Meherangiz Munsiff, a Bahá’í from Great Britain, attracted considerable publicity for the Faith.

In Noumea, Mrs. Munsiff participated in a one and one-half hour television broadcast on the role of women, mentioning the Faith and its teachings on the subject. The program was transmitted via satellite to the Hawaiian Islands, New Guinea, the British Solomon Islands, Fiji, the New Hebrides, Tonga, American Samoa, Western Samoa, the Cook Islands, the Gilbert Islands, New Zealand, and even to California.

On the same day, she was able to mention the Faith during interviews at the local radio and TV stations. Earlier, an article about her was printed in the local newspaper.

Continuing on to Australia, Mrs. Munsiff was interviewed at two university radio stations and by two newspapers in Perth. She spoke at three universities there, and also introduced the speaker at a United Nations Week observance.

United Kingdom

A goal of the Five Year Plan was achieved January 25 when the first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Isle of Man, in the United Kingdom, was formed.

Malaysia

Fozdar booklet published

Karma and the Fallacy of Reincarnation, by Jamshed Fozdar, has been published by the Bahá’í Publishing Trust Committee of Malaysia.

A pamphlet-format extract from Mr. Fozdar’s larger work, Buddha Maitrya-Amitabha Has Appeared, in which the author discusses the teaching of Buddha and the early Hindus about reincarnation and the laws of Karma, it is available from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of India.

The Gambia

Women’s Conference held

The first National Bahá’í Women’s Conference in The Gambia, a republic in western Africa, was held January 9 at the Bahá’í Center in Badjiran and was attended by 40 Bahá’í women from eight Foni and Kombo villages. Men and children at the conference brought the total attendance to about 90.

The conference included talks on the Messengers of God, famous women in religious history, the importance of women as the first teachers of their children, the need to learn prayers and to study the Writings, and a translation of a talk by ‘Alí-Akbar Furútan on “Respect for Parents.” There was considerable discussion of how women can most effectively teach the Faith to others.

Samoa

Malietoa luncheon guest

His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili of Samoa, the first monarch to embrace the Bahá’í Faith, was guest of honor December 22 at a luncheon in Apia sponsored by the Continental Board of Counsellors for Australasia under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly of Samoa for the purpose of proclaiming the Faith.

Also present at the luncheon were the Malietoa’s sister, Susuga Tooa Salamasina, and members of the United Nations and diplomatic corps. The gathering at the Tusitala Hotel was addressed by Continental Counsellor Peter Khan.

A cablegram to the World Centre said in part: “Feel results heartwarmingly effective and bid significant milestone annals Faith Samoa.”

[Page 14]

Finland

33 attend conference

Finland’s Alan Islands were the site of a weekend conference January 7-8, a joint effort of the Bahá’ís of Finland and Sweden. Thirty-three believers including two Auxiliary Board members attended.

During the conference, the friends pledged themselves to 94 separate teaching activities in the following weeks. The spirit of the conference was enhanced when 10 non-Bahá’ís attended a Unity Feast held that same weekend.

Botswana

Deepening institute held

A week-long deepening and teaching institute was held December 10-15 in the village of Nata, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Francistown in the far northwest corner of Botswana.

Four Bahá’ís—the first outside believers to visit the village in two years—spent a week there with the purpose of encouraging the Bahá’ís to begin children’s and women’s classes, adopt an extension teaching goal, and make plans for the construction of a local Bahá’í Center.

When the four visitors arrived, they were given a place to stay and began immediately to hold informal deepening sessions with the Bahá’ís in the village.

They found, as they lived the daily routine of village life, that the people continually sought them out to ask questions about the Faith.

They found also that a women’s class, begun two years ago, was still meeting regularly, and the women showed them some of the work they had done during the class sessions.

The Bahá’ís in Nata chose a nearby Bushman village as their extension teaching goal.

For several weeks before the Bahá’ís visited Nata, it had not rained in the village. The people of the village had been gathering at the Kgotla (chief’s meeting house) to pray for rain, and the Bahá’ís were invited also. Just at the end of the week-long visit, it began to rain and continued for three days!

El Salvador

‘Expedition’ is shown

The educational television station in El Salvador broadcast The Green Light Expedition twice, then, unexpectedly, three additional hours were given to the Faith when a portion later was repeated.

The National Spiritual Assembly secured the 35-millimeter color film of The Green Light Expedition and showed it to an enthusiastic audience in the auditorium at the Caja de Credita, as many Bahá’ís had not seen the television program that was aired originally in black and white.

The 16-millimeter version of the film also has arrived for showing in outlying areas.

Canada

New film honors Hand

The film Retrospective, a Ciné Bahá’í production from Canada, was made as a tribute to the Hand of the Cause John A. Robarts on the occasion of his 40th anniversary as a member of the Bahá’í community.

In that period, the prosecution of the Ten Year Crusade, the passing of the beloved Guardian, the Trusteeship of the Hands of the Cause of God, and the emergence of the Universal House of Justice stand as signal events in the annals of Bahá’í history.

In the film, Mr. Robarts shares a wealth of anecdotes and recollections that illumine the story of this stirring era with humor and poignancy.

Retrospective is suitable not only for Bahá’í audiences but for other interested persons who are acquainted with the basic history and teachings of the Faith.

Retrospective is a 50-minute, 16-millimeter color film with an optical sound track. Each print is wound on a single reel. A 2,000-foot take-up reel is included in the packaging. The purchase price is $500 (Canadian dollars), plus mailing cost.

Orders and checks should be addressed to Bahá’í Distribution Service, 7200 Leslie Street, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L3T 2A1.

Swaziland

A recent meeting at Vuvulane, in the heart of Swaziland’s sugar cane plantations, brought together several of the friends in that area including George Okullo (left), Auxiliary Board member from Kenya; pioneers Khosron Rostani and Farivar Sanei from Iran and Donna Taylor from the U.S., and youth teacher-translator Enoch Shongwe (third from left). Also at the meeting was a young Peace Corps teacher at Vuvulane High School in the northeastern section of the country.

Switzerland

Conference spurs action

Ninety Bahá’ís who met recently at the Swiss National Teaching Conference pledged that each of them would participate in teaching with the aim of winning Switzerland’s goals before the end of the Five Year Plan.

Continental Counsellor Adib Taherzadeh, who attended the conference, stressed that God is with us only when we teach.

The National Spiritual Assembly of Switzerland announced that it will be increasingly represented at teaching events, and that it will strive to improve communication between itself and the friends.

[Page 15]

Portugal

More than 130 Bahá’ís and their children from throughout Portugal gathered January 8 at Lisbon’s Hotel Embaixador for a National Teaching Conference, the third in Portugal within the last year and the largest Bahá’í gathering ever held in that country.

The conference, called to review progress of Portugal’s teaching plans and to focus attention on what must be done to win its remaining goals as quickly as possible, was blessed by the presence of the Hand of the Cause of God Ugo Giachery and his wife, Angeline.

Dr. Giachery, in an appeal to arise and win the victory, challenged the friends to sacrifice their all to win the goals of the Five Year Plan before Riḍván 1979.

After the National Teaching Committee called on the friends to consider what they could do to help win the goals, 70 Bahá’ís offered their weekends for traveling teaching, 10 more offered to go homefront pioneering, and eight arose to pioneer internationally.

The friends also heard from the Auxiliary Board members for propagation and protection of the Faith in Portugal.

The National Children’s Committee arranged a special program for the 15 children who attended the conference with their parents. In the afternoon, the children sang a Bahá’í song for the conference that they had learned in their morning class.

A touching moment came when a woman, one of the earliest Bahá’ís in Portugal and a member of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in the country, arose to tell the friends how happy she was to see such a large gathering of the friends united in spiritual love through Bahá’u’lláh.

—Jack Harmsen

Members of a Bahá’í singing group entertain the participants at Portugal’s National Teaching Conference at Lisbon.

The Hand of the Cause of God Ugo Giachery (center) was among those attending the National Teaching Conference held January 8 at Lisbon, Portugal. To Dr. Giachery’s left is his wife, Angeline.

Zaire

Regional Conference held

Close to 1,500 Bahá’ís from 131 communities attended a Regional Teaching Conference December 25-26 in eastern Zaire.

The program, presented by Auxiliary Board members of the region, addressed the duties and responsibilities of the institutions of the Faith, particularly of Local Spiritual Assemblies.

The friends also learned about Bahá’í elections, family life, the station of women, activities for youth and children, laws of marriage and divorce, and Bahá’í morality.

The Regional Teaching Committee, which arranged the conference, presented the needs for universal participation in the teaching work and for transmitting correct statistical information, and techniques for teaching.

During the conference, the committee conducted an institute for traveling teachers.

Thailand

3 new Assemblies form

Between January 23 and February 8, three Local Spiritual Assemblies were established in Thailand.

One of the new Local Assemblies, in Maekachan, independently resolved to hold a deepening conference, and immediately adopted six neighboring villages as extension teaching goals.

More than 200 believers entered the Faith in the same two weeks. A new van

[Page 16] was bought, ensuring the mobility of teaching teams.

A proclamation kit was completed as well.

Teaching Conference held

The Universal House of Justice was represented by Counsellor Florence Mayberry at a National Teaching Conference in Thailand in January.

A cablegram to the World Centre said that there was “one hundred per cent participation” in the teaching plans, and that a five-month teaching campaign began immediately following the conference.

Argentina

Ted Dodge (left), a traveling Bahá’í teacher from the U.S., spoke at a fireside in January at Comodoro Rivadavia in Patagonia, Southern Argentina. To Mr. Dodge’s left is his daughter, Janet Dodge, a pioneer for eight years to Argentina, and to her left is Maria Isabel Barosa, an Argentine believer. In the front row are four seekers; the couple on the left, Mr. and Mrs. Caicheo, became Bahá’ís shortly after the picture was taken. Mr. Dodge and his wife, Isabelle, also stopped in Peru where they visited their son, Tom, and his wife, Laurie, who have been pioneers there since April 1977.

Norway

Remodeling of the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Oslo, Norway, began in January. The building was acquired last October.

Panama

Assembly goal is won

News from its National Spiritual Assembly that Panama has surpassed its Five Year Plan goal of establishing 127 new Local Spiritual Assemblies was cabled January 29 to the World Centre in Haifa.

The National Assembly attributed the success to the support of the friends and to a concerted effort by Continental Counsellor Dr. Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadíyyih, Auxiliary Board member Ruth Pringle, and its National Teaching Committee.

A new challenge has now been set before the Panamanian Bahá’í community with a supplemental goal of raising 13 additional Local Assemblies before the end of the Plan.

Seychelles

Land given for Centers

Land has been donated in Port Glaud and Anse Boileau, Mahe; and in ‎Prealin Praslin‎ for three of the nine local Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds called for in the Five Year Plan for the Seychelles.

The Bahá’ís there have decided to provide the labor themselves to lower the construction cost.

Hawaii

Bahá’í chairs council

Tony Pelle, a member and public information officer of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Hawaiian Islands, has been elected chairman of the Broadcast Commission of the Hawaii Council of Churches.

The Broadcast Commission’s membership is drawn from Council-related churches and other religious groups. It works for quality television and radio programming in Hawaii.

The Council produces a five-minute radio show, “Observations,” heard every Sunday over radio station KHVH, Honolulu, and a half-hour TV program, “Voices of Concern,” seen on the first Sunday of each month on KGMB-TV, Honolulu.

Mr. Pelle also is a member of the board of directors of Citizens for Community Cable, a community-action group interested in the promotion of public access on Cable Television in Hawaii.

Jamaica

60 enrollments reported

A cablegram from the National Spiritual Assembly of Jamaica received January 29 at the Bahá’í World Centre said that 60 persons, including a prominent news producer-announcer, have been enrolled in the Faith and five new Local Spiritual Assemblies formed in Jamaica.

The enrollments and Assembly formations came about during a visit to Jamaica by Shamsi Sedaghat, a pioneer to Trinidad and Tobago. She and Auxiliary Board member Hopeton Fitz-Henley, National Spiritual Assembly secretary Zohoori and other believers taught the 60 who later declared and helped to establish the Local Spiritual Assemblies.

With guidance from the National Spiritual Assembly, Miss Sedaghat made

[Page 17] courtesy calls and presented books to the governor general, the mayor of Kingston, the wife of the Prime Minister, the news media, school officials and teachers, and police trainees.

Public meetings, a dinner and a reception were attended by some 80 prominent non-Bahá’í women.

During Miss Sedaghat’s visit to the nearby Canary Islands, 13 people were enrolled in the Faith and two Local Spiritual Assemblies formed.

She called on the ‎govenor governor‎, the chief magistrate, radio stations and newspaper offices, and lectured at the Kiwanis and Professional Women’s clubs.

New Hebrides

Conference at Port Vila

The first National Teaching Conference under the direction of the new National Spiritual Assembly of the New Hebrides was held December 16-18 at the Port Vila Bahá’í Center.

Work on repainting the Center was completed only hours before the conference began.

Attendance at the sessions ranged from 30 to 40 adults and around 40 children. The children had their own program of classes and games. Among those present were Bahá’ís from Efate, Santo and Tanna islands, and three New Zealand youth who were traveling teaching.

Talks were presented by Auxiliary Board members Alick Soalo and Palene Hnaolane on the Covenant and structure of the Administrative Order; by Kalman Kiri on the progress toward Five Year Plan goals; by Muna Delshad on “Do we know in what age we are living?” and by Ken Harrison on the needs of the Fund.

Perhaps the greatest inspiration came from the stirring talks given by friends who had recently returned from teaching trips. Such was the feeling of shared responsibility for the achievement of the goals that the National Teaching Committee received 10 offers for traveling teaching to goal areas and five offers of financial deputization.

Some of the friends who attended the National Teaching Conference in December at the Bahá’í Center in Port Vila, New Hebrides.

A workshop on teaching methods at the National Teaching Conference in Port Vila, New Hebrides, in December included plays, a game that tested everyone’s knowledge of the Faith, and a question-and-answer panel discussion.

Taiwan

Bahá’ís enter parade

The Bahá’ís of Hualien, an isolated town on the rugged eastern coast of Taiwan, are the first religious organization in the town to enter a float in the national Independence Day parade.

One Bahá’í in the crowd of 100,000 who witnessed the parade said that as the Bahá’í float passed, people would read its message—“Unity, Sacrifice, Service”—aloud to themselves or their neighbors.

The Bahá’ís already are preparing a float for next year’s parade.

Sikkim

Friends host governor

The governor of Sikkim was the honored guest at a recent ceremony opening a new building at Tadong Bahá’í School in the Himalayan kingdom.

The governor spoke highly both of the school, which 200 students attend, and the Bahá’í Faith.

The Tadong Bahá’í School is one of three that have brought added prestige to the Faith in Sikkim.

India

Teaching accelerates

The National Spiritual Assembly of India sent a cablegram to the Bahá’í World Centre, received there on February 2, that read:

“5,275 declarations, 170 localities including 75 Local Assemblies (achieved in) January. Bangalore Conference very successful with over 400 participants. 105 offered join South India Project for periods one to 16 months, and 55 Persian student pioneers pledged travel teach for periods ranging three to 12 months. Beseech prayers humble efforts.”

[Page 18]