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Brilliant Star Volume 15, Issue 1

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[Page i] child’s way

march-april 1983

Brilliant Star

[Page ii] Brilliant Star

volume 15 number 1 march-april 1983 Bahá’ Splendor • Jalál Glory • Jamál Beauty 140

About the cover

Brilliant Star by Rita Leydon. Rita used brightly colored tissue paper to create this striking cover design which celebrates the transformation of our beloved Child’s Way into Brilliant Star.

Dear Children,

Yesterday I watched my young friend Goli stringing beads. While watching how the fat blue beads and the skinny yellow ones lined up with the bumpy green ones, I thought of a special talent Bahá’í children must develop: the art of consultation, which is in some ways like stringing multicolored beads, taking all the diverse points of view and making them orderly, marching along all in one direction. If you have observed people who don’t have this talent, they seem to neglect some of the ideas, like leaving all the red beads in the box. Bahá’í children are the future Assembly members, committee secretaries and chairmen. In order to build a united world community, you must begin learning how to find the point of unity in each opinion, like the hole in the bead. Without souls with this gift, how shall we assemble the many-colored jewels in the family of humanity onto the golden thread of God’s Cause?

Love,

your editor

Brilliant Star is a publication of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. It is published six times each year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Copyright © 1983 National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved.

Address manuscripts and other editorial contributions to Brilliant Star/Radpour, Suburban Office Park, 5010 Austin Rd., Hixson, Tn. 37343. Manuscripts should be typewritten and double-spaced throughout. Brilliant Star does not offer monetary compensation to its contributors. Return postage should be included if manuscript is to be returned. Single copy $2.00; 6 issues (one year) $9.00; 12 issues (two years) $17.00; foreign, surface mail, one year $11.00, two years $21.00; foreign, air mail, one year $15.00, two years $28.00. An index for the preceding year’s issues is available for $2.00. For subscriptions, change of address and adjustments write to Brilliant Star Subscriber Service, Suburban Office Park, 5010 Austin Rd., Hixson, Tn. 37343. All other correspondence should be addressed to Brilliant Star/Richards, 4 Village Dr., Yardville, N.J. 08620. Printed in the U.S.A.

Brilliant Star is intended for children of all ages and strives to:

• develop the child’s awareness of the oneness of humanity
• increase the child’s conscious awareness of his spiritual nature and the need for its development
• provide practical approaches to viewing life’s difficulties
• develop the child’s reasoning power and stimulate his love for the order of the universe
• provide a standard by which the child may learn to relate to others with love and justice
• assist parents and teachers in developing all of the child’s hidden talents and virtues

Brilliant Star Editorial Board

Mary K. Radpour Managing Director

Mary K. Radpour Editor-in-Chief

Deborah Bley Assistant Editor

Mimi McClellan Music Editor

Rita Leydon Art Director

Rita Leydon Production

Janet Richards Secretary

Keith Boehme Consultant

Lily Ayman Consultant [Page 1]child’s way march-april 1983 Brilliant Star [Page 2]

Brilliant Star

Volume 15 Number 1 March-April 1983 Bahá Splendor Jalál Glory Jamál Beauty 140

About the cover

Brilliant Star by Rita Leydon. Rita used brightly colored tissue paper to create this striking cover design which celebrates the transformation of our beloved Child's Way into Brilliant Star.

Dear Children

Yesterday I watched my young friend Goli stringing beads. While watching how the fat blue beads and the skinny yellow ones lined up with the bumpy green ones, I thought of a special talent Bahá’í children must develop: the art of consultation, which is in some ways like stringing multicolored beads, taking all the diverse points of view and making them orderly, marching along all in one direction. If you have observed people who don't have this talent, they seem to neglect some of the ideas, like leaving all the red beads in the box. Bahá’í children are the future Assembly members, committee secretaries and chairmen. In order to build a united world community, you must begin learning how to find the point of unity in each opinion, like the hole in the bead. Without souls with this gift, how shall we assemble the many-colored jewels in the family of humanity onto the golden thread of God's Cause?

Love, your editor

Publication Information

Brilliant Star is a publication of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. It is published six times each year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Copyright ©1983 National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved.

Address manuscripts and other editorial contributions to Brilliant Star/Radpour, Suburban Office Park, 5010 Austin Rd., Hixson, Tn. 37343. Manuscripts should be typewritten and double-spaced throughout. Brilliant Star does not offer monetary compensation to its contributors. Return postage should be included if manuscript to be returned. Single copy $2.00; 6 issues (one year) $9.00; 12 issues (two years) $17.00; foreign, surface mail, one year $11.00, two years $21.00; foreign, air mail, one year $15.00, two years $28.00. An index for the preceding year's issues is available for $2.00. For subscriptions, change of address and adjustments write to Brilliant Star Subscriber Service, Suburban Office Park, 5010 Austin Rd., Hixson, Tn. 37343. All other correspondence should be addressed to Brilliant Star/Richards, 4 Village Dr., Yardville, N.J. 08620. Printed in the U.S.A.

Brilliant Star is intended for children of all ages and strives to:

• develop the child's awareness of the oneness of humanity
• increase the child's conscious awareness of his spiritual nature and the need for its development
• provide practical approaches to viewing life's difficulties
• develop the child's reasoning power and stimulate his love for the order of the universe
• provide a standard by which the child may learn to relate to others with love and justice
• assist parents and teachers in developing all of the child's hidden talents and virtues

Editorial Board

Mary K. Radpour Managing Director

Mary K. Radpour Editor-in-Chief

Deborah Bley Assistant Editor

Mimi McClellan Music Editor

Rita Leydon Art Director

Rita Leydon Production

Janet Richards Secretary

Keith Boehme Consultant

Lily Ayman Consultant [Page 3]

what’s inside

Letters from our friends p. 2

A visit to the House of Worship Come with Shanti and Ananda to a very special place. p. 4

Letter to a friend “Being a Bahá’í isn’t just words you know...” p. 10

Young ‘Abbás Effendi A poem by t’isaac p. 11

The best way to fly A story by Janet Cutler Bixby Swans, bluejays, owls, canaries, hummingbirds and robins vie for the greatest of honors. p. 13

Building a House of Worship A craft activity by Kaihan Strain Fit tab A into slot B... or was it slot C? p. 18

The trouble with Mathilda A story by Michael F. Bavota A missing hamster causes a little commotion. p. 22

Complete the picture An activity by Barbara Francioso p. 26

An interview with Mr. William Foster By Sasan and Kavan Roayai p. 27

Pilgrimage A poem by Deborah Bley p. 30

Unipar p. 32 [Page 4]

Letters from our friends

Zarrin in the middle with two of her Mentawai friends.

Dear Child’s Way, I live in Indonesia. My name is Zarrin and I have two sisters Ruhiyyeh and Ileana. I am 8 years old. My mother is from Malaysia and my father is from Iran. They are pioneers.

We have 25 Bahá’í children from Mentawai Island living with us. We all sing songs in Mentawai and Indonesian. I am learning to play the organ. Love, Zarrin Tahmasebian

Dear Child’s Way, My name is Diana. I live in Mexico. It is very fun in Mexico. When my daddy goes on teaching trips I sometimes go with him. We teach indigenous people. Six indigenous people became Bahá’ís. These indigenous people fly on a pole. I like Child’s Way. Love, Diana

Dear Children, Indigenous is a big word, isn’t it? It means a person who is born in a certain place, or a native to that place. Indigenous people are very important because the world is getting smaller and smaller, with people like you and me living in every corner of it and knowing one another better. So very few people can say that their families and ancestors have lived in a certain place for a long time. Such people are indigenous people, and we Bahá’ís believe that such people have a special gift to share with us.

Because they live a simple life in a simple place, they are close to God and can teach us many new ways of seeing the world. Diana’s “flying” friends are acrobats who have learned to entertain people by hanging from the top of a pole and swinging around. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Perhaps you will someday be able to visit her in Mexico. —editor

Our friend Kandi Wiener, who is a pioneer in Bossangoa, a city in the Central African Republic, has sent us several letters from the youth in her classes, one in the Sango language and two in French. Here is a selection from one of these letters, translated, of course:

Dear Friends in America, We, your Bahá’í friends in Bossangoa, Central African Republic, send this letter of greeting to you... First, my father became a Bahá’í... in Bossangoa. He said to me, “You are my child, and I want you to know about the New Word of God for today. This new Word comes from the Bahá’í Faith.”

But I said to him, “Jesus said that after He died many false prophets would come. Those who are false tell only lies and we shouldn’t listen to them.” I told my father this.

My father said, “Listen carefully to this new Word of God... This new Word is not lies.”

I listened very carefully and my father helped me to understand things I could not understand. It was in this way that I saw the truth of the new Word, and I declared myself a Bahá’í. I asked my father to pardon me, and I said that God had sent a new Prophet to give us the Bahá’í Faith.

Thank you, Hyppolite Nambozouina and friends, Nicaise Nambozouina and Dounia Dieudonne [Page 5]BRONTO SAURUS

Naomi Auth, who is just 5½, has sent us this drawing of a brontosaurus.

Dear Child’s Way,

I am 16 years old. I have never written to you before so I think you are very happy to see my letter. I go to Bahá’í classes every Thursday afternoon at 4:30 in Bonake. I am an Ivorian. In Ivory Coast we speak French, but at school I am learning English. At Bahá’í classes we study the Bahá’í Faith, and we sing too.

I knew the Bahá’í Center through Mrs. VanDeusen, who was my English teacher at school. I like Child’s Way; I hope I can write to you again.

Alláh’u’Abhá!

Delphine Gnalla Ivory Coast, Africa

Dear friends,

Alláh’u’Abhá! I decided to write something for the Child’s Way magazine for my birthday. I hope you like it:

A GOAL

What is a goal? A goal is a decision you make to accomplish a plan or a job.

Who makes a goal? A smart individual who wants to have a good future or a group making plans for the growth of its community. For example, an individual like you and I makes a goal to be a doctor, a businessman, an engineer, or makes plans to bring someone to the Faith each year ...

Why should we have goals? Without goals we could not reach anywhere ... In any matter we have to have a goal. For instance, if you want to go on a trip you have to know where, when, and how; you have to save enough money in order to eat, get gas, and pay for a place to rest ... If we want to have one thousand or more new believers in our community every year, we can have it, but we have to have a goal ... Yes, we can do it, but before doing that let’s all make a goal of being active Bahá’ís.

Love, Herald Ostovar, age 11 [Page 6]

a visit to the House of Worship

photographs by David Smith © 1983 David Smith

I’m Shanti Drake. I’m going to visit a special place. Would you like to come along? I’m going to the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. It’s like a church, except it is open to all people who believe in God, not just some.

My sister and I race to see who can get up those stairs first. When we get to the top, we pretend to be queens surveying our kingdom and planning how we will teach our people to be united.

A friend is waiting for us. He has a special name, Qudrat, it means power. He speaks very softly and shows us how to walk quietly in the auditorium. It is beautiful there, the walls look like lace.

Reprinted by permission. Originally appeared in The Story of the Bahá’í House of Worship. [Page 7]My sister and I like to go right to the middle of the auditorium and sit down. Then we look up and see the Greatest Name. I can say that, it’s Yá Bahá’u’l Abhá. It’s on the dome above our heads. It makes us think about God. We pray, quietly.

My sister’s name is Ananda. She can read very well. Sometimes she reads the grown-up prayers. Ananda and I pray for the world to be peaceful, just like our family. [Page 8]Here is part of our family. Sometimes people are surprised when they see our whole family, with a dark daddy and a fair mommy and grandma. But at the Bahá’í House of Worship we are at home, because Bahá’u’lláh said to be like flowers of the garden, all different, all united.

When our mother says we can go outside and play in the garden we go quickly! In the garden there are fountains that splash, soft grass and lots of flowers. Ananda and I try to remember all the names, but there are too many. [Page 9]--BLANK-- [Page 10]It’s time to go to Foundation Hall. That’s the foundation, or the base, of the House of Worship. Mr. Rodriguez meets us there. I say “Buenos Días” in Spanish, while Ananda says “Alláh’u ‘Abhá”. That’s Arabic and I know how to say it too, do you?

Mr. Rodriguez showed me a model of Foundation Hall, the way it will be after they finish fixing it all up and making it beautiful.

Then he takes us to the Cornerstone Room. That’s a place I love, because ‘Abdu’l-Bahá put that very stone in place to start the construction of the House of Worship a long time ago. I love ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, so I want to say his prayer for children, and Ananda helps me when I forget the words. [Page 11]There’s a bookstore in the foundation too! We’d better tell our mother. Do you think they have Brilliant Star?

Ananda suggested that we send these pictures to Brilliant Star. I hope that someday you will visit the House of Worship too. It’s very nice. ■ [Page 12]

Letter to a Friend

Dear Ed,

... Now I have to tell you about something that happened to me the other day. You know, all my life I haven’t understood why my Mom and Dad had to stay out late every Wednesday to attend the Assembly meeting. It never made sense to me that if any of us kids were sick on Assembly night, they wouldn’t stay themselves, but would call Grandma or our aunt to come to be with us. Things got worse when my sister became a member of a committee. This committee always met on Saturday mornings. So suddenly we couldn’t go together to our local gym, something I always thought we enjoyed doing together.

I was really frustrated and could not understand my parents’ explanation when they said: “We are elected by the whole community; not going to the Assembly meetings in a way means betraying their trust.” And then when I protested to my sister, she said: “John, I am a Bahá’í. How could I not serve on a committee of the Assembly? I can’t just pray for a better world and not work for it too.” I thought she was just trying to act like a big shot.

I stayed angry, but I didn’t say anything, until something happened. A member of our Holy Day committee called our house and wanted to speak to me! It was Janet, asking me to serve with some other youth to plan a party for the Birthday of Bahá’u’lláh. Boy, was I surprised. I didn’t know that they took 12 year olds. In fact, I didn’t even know they knew who I was. But when she told me what she wanted me to do and which other guys to call, I was so excited that I said yes without a second thought. Then I called Dan to tell him about it, and he reminded me that we had promised some friends to go to the movies that day. He was right, and I never thought I would ever be repeating what my sister said to me, but I said: “Hey, man, are you a Bahá’í or not? Being a Bahá’í isn’t just words, you know; we’ve got to get in there and do something!”

Suddenly I understood why going to those meetings was so important to my parents and to my sister. And it was nice to feel the same way.

Say, what can you tell us about that island you’ve pioneered to with your family? You’d better write and keep us posted ...

Best regards,

John [Page 13]

young Abbás Effendi

by t’isaac

How did you answer, What did you say When the children called “Abbás, come out to play.”?

How did you act? What did you do When the children cursed, And threw stones at you?

What did you tell them, On that cruel day, When the Sháh’s soldiers Took your Father away?

Did you get angry? Scream that they lied? Pelt them with curses, Or run home to hide?

No, you forgave them, Prayed for them too. And gave them your love While they hated you.

You set the example. You showed us the way, Gave the directions For us for this day.

Your love is the reason, Your love is the rod, With which you guide us, Dear Servant of God.

You lived by God’s Laws. You lived the Story. Pride of your Father, Servant of Glory.

illustrated by Linda Orlando [Page 14]illustrated by Keith Kresge [Page 15]

The best way to fly

by Janet Cutler Bixby

Once in the very long ago, the Spirit of Springtime looked out over the world and saw all the sad faces of the people and animals who awaited her coming. “Poor things,” she sighed to herself. “They do not know that even now I am preparing for my visit to them.”

That gave her a very exciting idea. Immediately she called a meeting of all birds who fly south for the winter.

The birds flew eagerly to her favorite forest from every direction. They covered every tree and bush ’til it looked like the whole forest was made of feathers. No one wanted to miss what the Spirit of Spring had to say. Finally, when the last bird had fluttered into place, she spoke.

“I have decided that I must have a messenger to go before me and tell everybody that I am coming soon,” she said. “This will cheer up all the sad hearts and make the last, long days of winter seem shorter.

Now I must choose one flock of birds to be my messengers and announce my coming every year. To do this, I will have a contest. This spring, when you fly north, chart your course very carefully, because whichever flock of birds can tell me the best way to fly from south to north at our next meeting will be my chosen messengers forever and ever.”

When she had finished speaking, there was a long moment of silence. Then everybody began to tweet and twitter, warble and whistle, coo and caw, screech and squawk, chirp, cheep and chatter all at once. You never heard such a noise in your life. Even the Spirit of Springtime who was used to it, put her hands over her ears.

After that, all the flocks went their ways to plan their flights.

Now the swans were sure they could win. “We are swift and powerful,” they said, “and besides, we have the best leader. All we have to do is follow him in perfect formation and we will win.” So they did, and everyone marveled at the smooth gracefulness of their flight. They reached the forest where everyone was planning to meet long before anyone else, so they found a beautiful lake where they could have a party to celebrate their victory. Just as they were happily floating about, a man in a boat saw them. He was mean and thoughtless, and he cared nothing for life or beauty. He only cared about showing off his skill with his new bow.

“I’ll bet I can hit that bird,” he said to his friend, and he did. The beautiful leader fell dead, and all the swans mourned for him.

The bluejays started out very differently. They all chattered at once, making different suggestions in such loud voices that no one could hear anybody but himself.

“I will be the leader, of course,” said the first jay, “because I am the fastest.”

“What do you mean, you’ll be the leader?” scoffed the second jay. “I’m the one to be the leader. I’m the smartest.” [Page 16]“But I’m the oldest,” the third jay argued. “I should be the leader.”

“I should be the leader,” insisted the fourth jay. “I’m the strongest.” So the fight began, and soon all the jays were scolding each other. Finally they separated into four fighting groups and started on their way, with each group promising to show the others. They were more anxious to beat each other than to win the contest. Every time two groups met, there would be a fight, and all groups spent much time in spying on each other. As a result, many jays were killed, and when a small group of them finally came straggling in, they were very late. But at least some of them got there.

Two groups didn’t make it at all. One group was the owls. The owls were very wise. They counted all the miles they would have to go. Then they thought about how many days it would take to go that far. Then they imagined all the troubles they might have on the way. What if it was too hot? What if it was too cold? What if they couldn’t find enough food? What if they were attacked? They thought and thought, and the more they thought, the more they worried. All of them were afraid they couldn’t win the contest, and some of them who hadn’t yet made the trip north were afraid they would never be able to do it. But, of course, nobody wanted to admit they were afraid, so they didn’t talk about it. Instead, they took a very long time to be sure they elected their leaders in just the right way. Then they talked about how many feathers they had and which way the wind blew. Finally, one old owl had an idea.

“This is the wrong year for such a contest,” he said. “We should have more practice time. After all, the announcement was just made, and no one is prepared.” Then everyone took turns expressing their opinions on what the old owl had just said. Finally, after everyone had said nothing in as many words as possible, they all agreed that the old owl was right, and they sent a messenger to the Spirit of Springtime to tell her this. The owls have never flown south to north or north to south since then. For all I know, they’re still discovering the wisdom of it.

The canaries didn’t get there for a different reason. The canaries loved to sing together. They were known around the world for their beautiful harmony. This is because they always sang in perfect unity. When they first heard of the contest they made a beautiful song about it. Then they practiced and practiced it. Finally one young canary said, “I think we’d better get started. Most of the other birds have already gone. I think if we start at dawn and fly two hours extra each night, we can make up for lost time.”

“Don’t be silly,” said another young canary. “We wouldn’t have the strength for it.” [Page 17]“Now, now,” said the leading warbler, “Let’s not talk about things that cause disagreement. If we disagree, there will be discord, and that will spoil our beautiful, peaceful music.”

So the young canaries went dutifully back to singing. After a while, another young canary said, “Weren’t we supposed to be going somewhere?” But by that time, everybody was so busy playing a music game they had completely forgotten what they were supposed to be doing. A few of the older canaries remembered, but they didn’t say anything because they had learned that the best way for the group to stay happy was to keep singing and playing and avoid making plans to go places. Making plans always caused discord, and they knew they couldn’t have that.

The hummingbirds were very much like the canaries. They lived in great love and unity and were very happy together. More than anything else, they loved to play together. Less than anything else they liked to finish their jobs. For this reason, they seldom finished anything they started. When they heard the news of the contest, they were so excited that they started north immediately with no plans at all. They flitted from flower to flower on their way, dancing and humming merrily. After a while, someone said, “We have gone in a complete circle.” “Why so we have,” laughed all the others. “We really must choose a leader to keep us from doing this again.” So they tried to choose a leader, but nobody wanted to be hurt by being left out, so they decided to take turns being leader and have a new one every day. Every leader had a new idea to try, and every day they went in a new direction. In this way, they got lost so often that they almost forgot where they were going. They played and flitted and finally reached their goal very late, and then, only by accident.

The robins began their trip by consulting. One robin was chairman, but he didn’t say very much at all. His job was to see that every robin gave his idea, and everyone else listened. All the robins took turns saying what they thought the shortest way from south to north was. After everyone who wished to speak had given his idea, the robins could see that there were two good plans. One group wanted to fly straight through the mountains because the map clearly showed that this was the shortest way. The other group felt that, although this would certainly be the shortest way, it was not the best and fastest because it would be more dangerous. Also, they would have to fly [Page 18]very high, and that would slow them down. They wanted to fly around the highest mountains. Soon the leader of the through-the-mountains group and the leader of the around-the-mountains group were arguing furiously and other robins were beginning to add their voices. The noise grew and grew ’til no one could hear himself think.

“Quiet!” said the leader, banging his beak on a branch. “Do we all love the Spirit of Springtime?” he asked when he finally got everybody’s attention.

“Yes,” chorused all the robins.

“Do we all want to get to the same place the best way we can?” the leader asked.

“Yes, of course,” chorused all the robins.

“Then,” said their leader, “we must all love the Spirit of Springtime by loving each other, and we must all work together to get what we want.”

All the robins knew their leader was right, and they all calmed down. Then the leader said, “We have two good plans, and we must choose one. We will vote to see which way most robins think is best, and then everyone will work together to make it work.”

So they voted, and the through-the-mountains group won. The leader of the around-the-mountains group and some of his followers were very sad about this, but they knew that the only way to learn the truth was to work hard for the plan that the group had chosen. So, that’s exactly what they did. But when the robins began to fly through the mountains, they found that the air was too cold, and the food was too hard to find, and their flight was very slow.

Then the leader of the through-the-mountains group was very sad. He was sorry he had been wrong, and he didn’t like having to admit that he’d made a mistake, but he knew that he must do what was best for everybody. So, he turned to the leader of the around-the-mountains group and asked him to lead the way instead. When the robins finally got there, they found that other birds had beat them, but they were safe and happy and sure they knew the best way to fly.

Finally the Spirit of Springtime called all the birds together. First she called on the swans. “You were first,” she said. “Tell me how you came so fast, for surely you must know the best way to fly.”

One swan sadly stepped forward. “Our leader knew the perfect way,” he said, “but he was wickedly killed, and now none of us can tell how we came or how to go back again.”

“Poor foolish swans,” said the Spirit of Springtime. “The best way to fly is always a way that everyone has [Page 19]learned for himself.”

Then she called on the jays.

A very tired, bedraggled bird came before her. “Only a few of us made it, because we had so many fights that most of us were killed.”

“And did you find the best path to travel?” asked the Spirit of Springtime.

“The truth is that we were so busy fighting and chasing each other that we forgot what we were supposed to be looking for. We arrived from four different directions, and we can’t agree on how we came.”

“Now you know why fighting never solves a problem,” said the Spirit of Springtime. Then she called on the owls and their messenger came forward. When the Spirit of Springtime heard the message that the owls advised her to choose some later time for her contest, she was angry. “See all the smaller birds who were able to do what these foolish owls advised me to postpone because it couldn’t be done so soon?” she said. “Go tell them that they will never again be thought of in connection with spring or anything happy for I have cursed them and will have nothing more to do with them.” And so it is that, when we think of owls, we think of night, Halloween and bad luck, but never of spring.

Then the Spirit of Springtime asked where the canaries were, but none were there. Finally a mockingbird said, “I know what happened to them.” Then, imitating the canaries perfectly, he told their story.

When he had finished, the Spirit of Springtime said, “Unity and harmony are wonderful, but anyone can have them if they never go anywhere or do anything together. Since singing was so much more important to these canaries than flying, I will see that they have their wish.” She waved her hand and a host of elves appeared with cages in their hands. Now the canaries sit caged in our homes. They sing and sing about where they would like to go and what they would like to do, but they never go anywhere or do anything.

Then the hummingbirds came. “We had a wonderful time,” they said, “but we took so many side trips that we quite forgot our directions. Really, it’s quite a miracle that we are here at all.”

“Silly hummingbirds,” said the Spirit of Springtime. “You will always be loved, but you can never be depended on.” At that, all the hummingbirds felt very sad.

At last, the robins came forward and told the whole story of their trip. “So,” said the leader, “because we consulted and explored the truth and flew together as a group, we have all learned the best way to fly north.”

“So you have,” said the Spirit of Springtime, “and you will be my announcers for all springs to come.” That is why, every year, you will hear someone say, “I saw my first robin today. Spring is coming.” ■ [Page 20]DOME SUPPORT cut 1

BASE cut 1 fold fold fold fold

BUTTRESS B [Page 21]

Building a House of Worship

model designed by Kaihan Strain constructed and photographed by Rita Leydon

For Naw-Rúz you can undertake a big construction project and build a gift that your whole family can enjoy! On these pages, you can cut out and assemble a model of the House of Worship in Panama. If you have ever wanted to be involved in building a House of Worship, here’s your chance!

1. Using tracing and carbon paper, transfer these patterns to a light weight white board (such as bristol).

DOME cut 9 joined together at base

fold

fold

A

cut 9

fold

fold

fold

fold

fold [Page 22]2. Cut out all pieces very carefully. (fig. 1)

fig. 1

3. The base. Cut the slit in each square. Fold on all lines. It will be a nine-sided circle. Glue the shaded tab under the end piece. (fig. 2)

fig. 2

4. Fold the three shaded tabs on the base and glue them to the corresponding shaded squares on the dome support piece. (fig. 3)

fig. 3

5. The nine buttress pieces are the supports of the building. Slot A slips over the nine straight edges of the dome support and slot B slips into the slot in the bottom edge of the base. (fig. 4)

fig. 4

6. Fold the strip of dome sections as indicated. Fold the side tab and glue under the last section to form a circle. (fig. 5)

fig. 5 [Page 23]7. To form the dome. Use a straight pin (from the sewing box). Stick the pin into each tab and then tape it on the underside. (fig. 5 & 6)

fig. 6

8. Fold bottom tabs of the dome in and glue them to the base, matching the shaded rectangles. (fig. 7)

fig. 7

9. Stand back and admire your handiwork. [Page 24]

the trouble with Mathilda

illustrated by Louise Taylor by Michael F. Bavota

“Mommy, Daddy! Come quick!” The little red-head’s voice broke as she fell to her knees in tears. “Oh, this is terr... terrible. Just terrible. Mathilda is gone!” Daisy exclaimed as her mother and father rushed to her side.

“Oh, no. Don’t tell me your rodent has escaped again!” Her mother cried, lifting her night-gown to her knees as she excitedly scanned the floor.

“Mommy, she’s not a rodent!” Daisy insisted.

“She most certainly is. I told you Mathilda would be nothing but trouble. If she were a dog at least I could see her from a distance. But a hamster, no telling where she’ll be this time.”

“Calm down, everyone. We’ve been through a hamster hunt before. The trouble with Mathilda is that she just can’t stay put,” Daisy’s father said calmly.

“Look at Sam. He never leaves the cage. All he likes to do is roll around in those sun flower seeds and sleep,” the slender third-grader pointed out, then slid the cage door shut.

“Did you remember to put the clothes pin on the door last night, Daisy? ‎Everytime Every time‎ Mathilda gets out, it’s because you neglected your responsibility,” the mother questioned, pointing at the clothes pin on the floor. [Page 25]please turn the page [Page 26]“I did put it on, but now she can open that too.”

“All right, now is not the time or place to worry about how she got out. If you remember, Daisy, your teacher said that hamsters are nocturnal, meaning that if Mathilda plays at night, wherever she is now, you can bet she’s fast asleep.”

Together they looked in every possible place that a hamster could hide. Daisy was in charge of looking in all the shoes, while her mother stood in her usual place during an all-out hamster search, on a kitchen stool. Using a bright flashlight, her father checked under all of the furniture and dark places, but Mathilda was nowhere to be found.

Finally after an hour passed, Daisy’s father called everyone to the living room. Naturally, Daisy’s mother was last to arrive, tip-toeing into the room.

“Did you find it? Is that what you called us for?” she questioned nervously.

“I’m afraid not. The case of the missing hamster is still unsolved, and must remain so until we return from Feast,” Daisy’s father instructed as he reached out his hand to her mother.

Daisy wished that she could remain behind and search for Mathilda, but knew that any effort to do so would only make matters worse. So she quietly dressed and was ready to leave on time.

“Do you think she is gone for good this time, Daddy?” Daisy questioned sadly.

“I’m not that lucky,” her mother interrupted. “When you were very little we had a field mouse in the house and it took your father all winter to catch him. That rodent of yours is close by; believe me, I can feel it.”

“Well, at least we know she is somewhere in the house. After all, how far can a little hamster go?” her father said.

“Not far enough,” her mother added briskly. [Page 27]All during the service Daisy could not take her mind off Mathilda. As she sat in the stillness of the mass of people around her she thought of every possible place that Mathilda could be.

“Mommy, may I have a tissue ‎please. please?”‎ Daisy began to sneeze. Her mother nodded, slowly opened her handbag, then reached inside. To Daisy’s surprise, she suddenly let out an ear-shattering scream. Everyone quickly turned to see what was happening. Daisy cupped her hands over her mouth, then started to giggle.

“I think Mommy just found Mathilda,” Daisy whispered to her father sitting next to her. Daisy quietly reached over and removed the bag from her mother’s trembling hands and looked inside. Sure enough, deep down on the very bottom, all curled into a nice soft furry ball was her Mathilda. Daisy slowly reached in and pulled the sleeping hamster from the bag. Just as the shining golden-brown Mathilda was in sight Daisy wildly shouted, “Babies, we got six new babies!” Now everyone in the Feast turned their attention toward Daisy’s family, even the chairman.

“We were missing one tiny hamster this morning and as you can see we found it . . . a . . . her . . . them.” ‎her Her‎ father explained, embarrassed over the commotion.

Daisy’s mother sat stiff and quiet as everyone smiled, then turned away. Her face was red, but she had stopped trembling. When Feast was over, she went straight to the car without a word. It was not until they were nearly home that she did begin to speak. “They are kind of cute,” she said, boldly peeking into the bag that Daisy was holding.

“You mean you like them now?” Daisy anxiously questioned.

“Maybe I’ll learn to like Mathilda. After all, she is a mother now. But if those six new babies turn out to be wild and restless females instead of quiet stay-put Sams, I just don’t know. I just don’t know.” ■ [Page 28]

Complete the Picture

by Barbara Francioso

Bahá’u’lláh tells us that we should always think about the whole world rather than just ourselves. Each one of us should try to serve mankind in the best way we can. When everyone does this we will have world peace.

Design a flag for the whole world. [Page 29]

An interview with Mr. William Foster

by Sasan and Kavan Roayai

This interview is with Mr. William Foster, a well-known Bahá’í who has pioneered to many countries and served on several National Spiritual Assemblies. He has also had the privilege of meeting and working for the Guardian.

Interviewers: “Who was the first person to make you aware of the Bahá’í Faith?”

Mr. Foster: “The person that made me aware of the Faith was Fanny Knobloch. I was a youngster in high school and this was 1929. I was on an elevated platform waiting for a train, when a very elderly lady approached me (and she was dressed in a style of twenty years back) and very abruptly handed me a pamphlet saying, ‘Young man, I have a message for you.’ The pamphlet told the basic principles of the Faith. Then she left without saying anything else. On the train I couldn’t find a newspaper to read and so I decided to read the pamphlet. Being a very local boy, the name seemed very strange to me so I tried to associate the Faith with Mahatma ‎Ghandi Gandhi‎ and that was the start.”

Interviewers: “Which Bahá’í views attracted you to the Faith?”

Mr. Foster: “There were two. One was the oneness of mankind, and equal opportunities and privileges for both men and women. It so happened that at the time I became acquainted with the Faith, General ‎Kamal Kemal‎ was instigating a revolution in Turkey. In Turkey, in one stroke of the pen, they gave women equal opportunities,

photographs by Spud Grammar [Page 30]rights, and privileges, and that was something that women didn’t have in the U.S., so when I found that among the Bahá’í principles, it attracted me. Of course the oneness of mankind which embraced world peace was something everyone was interested in.

Interviewers: “When did you first meet the Guardian,‎and and‎ tell us a little about him?”

Mr. Foster: “I was invited by cable to make a pilgrimage. In 1953, right after the Kampala conference, I left for Haifa. I was accompanied by Marguerite Sears. She was on pilgrimage too. We arrived in Haifa in the morning and we proceeded to the Western Pilgrimage House, where we met Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum. We were to meet the Guardian that evening at dinner at 5 to 6 o’clock. We were to be clothed in our best and to wait upstairs. The dining room was on the ground floor. When the Guardian arrived and he was seated at the table, someone would come upstairs and tell us that the Guardian was waiting. We would get up and walk to the dining room. The newest pilgrim would lead the procession. When I came into the Guardian’s presence, I didn’t know what to do. When he opened his arms, I wasn’t going to sit there and leave him with his arms open, so I [Page 31]embraced the Guardian because he put his arms out first. That was the first time.”

Interviewers: “Could you tell us where you have pioneered and what it was like?”

Mr. Foster: “The first place I pioneered to was Liberia. There I met the President and almost all the officials. The second place was to Casablanca, Morocco. I stayed there from 1954 to 1963, a total of nine years. Then I went back to Liberia, and I stayed there until 1967...I met more people at the Kampala conference than I ever had in my life. There I met all the Hands of the Cause. Later I met many interesting people in the pioneering field.”

Interviewers: “Could you tell us about serving on a national assembly?”

Mr. Foster: “I was a member of three National Spiritual Assemblies. The first one was of North and West Africa (Tanzania and Ghana). The second one was the National Spiritual Assembly of West Africa. I was also a member of the NSA for the Hawaiian Islands. We had to listen to the peoples’ ideas and thoughts and be sensitive towards their feelings and we had to make decisions and not be bound by only what the people said.”

Interviewers: “Could you tell us how you feel towards Bahá’í youth and what role you think they should play in a Bahá’í community?”

Mr. Foster: “Of course, the Faith is the nearest and dearest thing to my heart and the people who are going to carry on the Faith are the youth. The youth will soon be the adults and they will be the ones making the policies and the decisions, so I am gravely concerned with their welfare and I always have been. Forty years ago I was active with the youth in Chicago. I know that in my generation we didn’t have too many youth and that’s one of the problems we have today. I am going to try and see what I can do about the next generation so that they will have a number of people who grew up in the Faith.”

Interviewers: “Could you tell us about your job in constructing the Collins Gate?”

Mr. Foster: “It was a wonderful opportunity. The gate was shipped from Italy to Bahjí. We had wonderful cooperation from the workmen; our relationships were just beautiful. They loved me and I loved them.”

Interviewers: “Why was the gate taken from Italy?”

Mr. Foster: “It seems that the Guardian was in Italy and he just said he liked it. But that was enough for Hand of the Cause Amelia Collins, so she ordered the gate to be dismantled and she had it shipped to Haifa. The Guardian liked the gate and had me be in charge of reassembling the gate. The Guardian decided to name it the Collins Gate in honor of Mrs. Collins.”

Interviewers: “Thank you for giving us your time for an interview.”

Mr. Foster: “It was my pleasure!” [Page 32]

Pilgrimage

by Deborah Bley for Barb Heaton

When my family made our Pilgrimage I was a little scared. I didn’t know the people who were with us and so many didn’t speak my language. I didn’t know what we would eat, so far from home, and if it would taste like Mother’s cooking. Mother and Dad were excited and happy but sometimes seemed far away. But when we walked into the Pilgrim House, I saw a Hand of the Cause. He came right up to me and shook my hand! He had twinkly eyes and smiled a lot and sometimes squeezed my shoulder. He showed us where the tea was.

Some evenings, he would visit with us children and tell stories and jokes. He would be so pleased if we could chant our prayers by heart and would tell us so in Farsi and English.

And when the time came to visit the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá he went ahead of us. I watched him carefully to know what to do. I didn’t want to make a mistake. We took our shoes off outside of the door and I put mine right next to his, so that I would be able to find them when we came out again. He smiled at me and I followed him into the Shrine.

The roses! They were so sweet and pretty that I cried a little and somehow it was fine to cry. He chanted the Tablet of Visitation in a clear voice and then went to the Threshold and placed his forehead on the snowy linen. I did the same and felt for a minute like I was resting my head in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s lap. Then, keeping our faces toward the Tomb, we both backed to the door and stepped out into the sunshine. We put our shoes back on and walked silently through the gardens. He took my hand for a little while, just like my grandfather does at special times.

I wondered how I could ever have worried about how Pilgrimage would be. This Hand of the Cause helped me know that this was my home, too.

It’s hard to understand, but because of how he loved me, I know a little more about how Bahá’u’lláh loves me. [Page 33]illustrated by Jacqueline Domin [Page 34]

Unipar

from the Office of the Treasurer

The subject of sacrifice is a very important part of life. In the world around us we can see many examples of sacrifice. The soil and water sacrifice part of themselves to help the plant grow. The plant sacrifices itself to help the fish live. Smaller fish even sacrifice themselves for larger fish, while people can then eat the fish in order to stay healthy.

Each of the Kingdoms of life - mineral, vegetable, and animal - play a part in helping the higher forms of life to survive. The lower Kingdoms give up something as a sacrifice. Without this sacrifice, the higher Kingdoms could not survive.

[Page 35]People can also make sacrifices. Unlike plants and animals though, people can decide for themselves to give up something for a more important reason!

An example we have as Bahá’ís is to help support the Bahá’í Fund. By sacrificing in order to give to the Fund we are helping to bring Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings to all mankind!

There is a special secret to this kind of sacrifice...

At first it may seem that you are giving something up, and you should be sad....

But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said that he who gives a gift to the Faith actually receives a gift!

This gift is the feeling of joy we get by knowing that we have made Bahá’u’lláh happy and helped to make His Cause strong! As a bonus we have helped ourselves to grow spiritually!

Just as a fire gets bigger when more wood is added, our spiritual nature grows bigger when we obey Bahá’u’lláh and help the Faith grow!

[Page 36]This golden owl is the creation of Krispin Leydon, age 6, from Lahaska, Pennsylvania. He made it with pieces of cut paper and glue.

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