I I HA' r NEWS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHA'IS OF THE UNITED STATES FOR BAHA'IS ONLY 112 Linden Av., Wilmette, Ill. 60091 Second-class postage paid at Wilmette, Illinois No. 477 BAHA'l YEAR 127 DECEMBER 1970 0 1je :Dwe((ers in the Jlightst 'Paradise I'ffocfaim unto tk cliiflren of assurance that Within the reafms of /Wfintss, ni9h unto tk cefesfia[J'aracfise, a ne,,,r !f.arden liath atfilaruf, round which circfe the denizens of t/U realm on higli anlf fk,, immortafaweffers ~ the e:raftea1araaJse. Strife, then, tftat ye ma1j attain that station, iliat ve may unraref /ht, m11sferia of /Qpe, from its wimf-fhwtrs am{ /;arn tflL, si,crd of dlrifie and consummate -wisdom from its ett~naf fruifs. S"facla are lite 91ts of the,m that tnfer andabile therein! --;The Jiilcfen Jtlords of Jjnhd'u'[[tih,~rsum /8 -- 2 DECEMBER 1970 HAND OF THE CAUSE OF GOD ENOCH OLINGA VISITS THE AMERICAS In Yucatan ... The beloved Hand of the Cause Mr. Enoch Olinga arrived in Merida, Yucatan on July 24 and was met at the airport by many believers, some of whom had come over a thousand miles to see him. He was interviewed by three reporters and a two column article appeared the next day in the Diario del Sureste and another in the newspaper Novedades. This was the first occasion on which a Baha'i had been interviewed in Merida by the press. To make the most of the precious twenty-four hours which Mr. Olinga could spend in the country, there was a meeting for the friends from the south in the Baha'i Institute Martha Root, in Muna, and a second meeting the same evening in the Regional Teaching Baha'i Center in Komchen in the north. Despite a torrential storm shortly before the time for the m eeting at Muna, many believers attended and Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga in Bolivia. Above: He tries the native altiplano pre-Columbian instrument, the guena. The rejoiced in the bounty of meeting this beloved Hand of Baha'i band is shown in the background. the Cause. Among the unforgettable words he spoke were those referring to the great Baha'i teacher and Hand of the Cause, Miss Martha Root, for whom the Institute had been named. He said that she was exceptional because she was all of three things: a heroine, a saint, and a martyr. He said that a hero is -one who accomplishes the impossible; a saint one who leads a saintly life ; and a martyr one who give his life to the Faith and sacrifices his station for that of the Will of Baha'u'llah. Not many, he said, have attained these three things. The meeting at Komchen was delayed because of the storm, nevertheless more than forty Baha'i adults as well as many youth and children were waiting to greet Mr. Olinga when he arrived. As he talked to the friends he spoke of the possibili­ ties that the very young children present could in the future become pioneers to carry· the Message of Baha'u'llah all over the world, even to Africa. As during the previous hours, in Muna or in the journeys to and from, his great love and spirit as well as words In Jamaica ... conveyed the importance of the divine attributes which should be reflected in our lives. Our thoughts should be On the 2nd of August, Enoch Olinga arrived at the constantly pure and directed towards Baha 'u'llah. Palisadoes Airport, and was welcomed to the island by When, later, a Baha'i from Komchen was asked what members of the National Spiritual Assembly, repre­ had impressed him most he replied, "He told us that we sentatives of the Kingston Baha'i Community, and must love the believers in other religions," as though Auxiliary Board member, Dr. W. M . Tucker. this had now become a reality to him. That evening Mr. Olinga spoke at a public meeting, In Muna Mr. Olinga spoke of the great war going on and later met with the National Spiritual Assembly. He now in the world, the war between good and evil, light extended to the Assembly the greetings of the Universal and ignorance, and he said that the Baha'is are mem­ House ·of Justice. bers of the Army of Light so all must fight very hard. In The next few days started with a radio and television Komchen he spoke more concerning the example the interview, and later was followed by a public meeting Army of Light must_ give to the world. in Mat Pen where four people accepted the Faith of The following morning Baha'is gathered again at the Baha'u'llah. The next day began with a call on the airport for one last moment with their honored guest, Mayor of Kingston, Councellor E. G. Barrett, who grateful to Baha'u'llah for the blessing of this visit extended a warm welcome to Mr. Olinga, and was t-old which had filled all the hearts with the warmth and of the meaning of the terms " Hand of the Cause" and 'nspiration of his presence. " The Universal House of Justice." That same day, Mr. BAHA'l NEWS 3 Olinga spoke to the Lions Club and greeted them from the Lions Club of Africa. He explained the aims and principles of the Baha'i Faith, and mentioned that the Lions previous motto: " One Race-The Human Race" was in accordance with Baha'i teachings. His speech brought whole-hearted response from the members of the Club. Another public meeting closed the day. In Montego Bay , the other major city in Jamaica, Mr. Olinga gave the message of Baha'u'llah to a large group of diverse people, and had the bounty of greeting thirteen of them into the Baha'i Faith. The first to embrace the teachings of Baha'u'llah was an individual who belonged to a small local religious sect, and who had, previous to the meeting, tried to create a distur­ bance. The m eeting had been announced throughout the city by a loud-speaker truck, and the owner of the vehicle was so impressed that he offered his services free of charge to the Baha'is in the future. When Mr. Olinga left on the evening of August 7th, the friends who accompanied him to the airport were saddened at his departure; yet richer because of his J visit. Glimpses of Enoch Olinria ' .~ visit to Na.~hvi ll e, Tennessee In Nashville, Tennessee ... Almost 150 Baha'is were present to hear Mr. Olinga speak. They came from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Ala­ bama, North Carolina, Florida, Illinois, Arkansas, and Tennessee. With Mr. Paul Pettit as Chairman, Mr. Olinga talked that afternoon on many subjects and told the friends stories about his travels, and about the Baha'is throughout the world. H e was delightful to listen to as his love and humor poured forth continual­ ly. He involved those present in a great deal of singing and participation through asking them questions, and letting them make inquiry on various subjects. H e mentioned the need for pioneers to Africa and eight people offered to leave to pioneer. Mr. Olinga was delighted, and referred these selfless souls to the proper assemblies and committees. 4 DECEMBER 1970 this day. Many people admire the Baha'is because of their belief. Man's first duty is to recognize the Manifestation of God for this day. His station is higher than that of In New York ... anyone on earth. When one recognizes the Manifesta­ tion, he must become familiar with His will, His laws The New York Assembly underestimated the number and His Teachings. When we say we believe we should of Baha'is who would travel long distances to hear Mr. realize that we have arrived at this point through the Olinga. Carloads of believers came from Massachu­ Grace of God, and must strive to cultivate the qualities setts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jer­ this belief requires. sey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, and some from Happiness comes from belief in God, faith in His as far away as Chicago flew in for the meeting. The Manifestations, observance of His laws, and service. small hall was packed with people drawn to the "City of The Baha'is have m any gifts from God. The greatest the Covenant" to hear this precious person speak to the is that of teaching. Teaching is the magnet that attracts believers. souls and Baha'u'llah has promised to aid and confirm Mr. Olinga spoke for one and one-half hours, but most those who arise to teach. people felt it was an all-too-brief few moments. He Mr. Olinga brought greetings from the friends in began by asking everyone "Are you happy?" and had Africa. He spoke with special love about Hand of the the group sing for a little while. He then spoke of the Cause Mr. Musa Banani, who was the first to respond to condition of happiness, and how important it is for us to the Guardian's call to open Africa. When he and his be h appy in this day. He illustrated his speech with family went there twenty years ago, there was only one stories of the believers in Central and South America regional National Spiritual Assembly and a few scat­ who realize the significance of this era and who show tered Baha'is, in sharp contrast with the p resent num­ this by acts of sacrifice.