LESSON 3: THE PROMISE OF UNIVERSAL PEACE MADE BY ALL THE MANIFESTATIONS OF GOD HAS BEEN FULFILLED BY BAHA’U’LLAH

Let us take a minute to review what we  have studied so far

What is meant by “manifestation”?

You have already learned that the Manifestations of God are very special Beings Who come from time to time to guide humanity.

What is meant by the phrase ‘To manifest something?

It is to show forth its qualities.

Manifestations of God reflect the attributes of God as a mirror reflects the light of the sun. Through them, we learn about God and His attributes

What are some of the attributes of God mentioned in the previous classes? We have also learned that the Manifestations of God shed the light of God upon humanity. When there is light, we are able to see, are we not?

The light that the Manifestations bring is the light of the knowledge of God. It enables us to understand how He wants us to live and to behave towards one another. We know that, when we follow their teachings, the capacities God has given us—like the capacity to love, to forgive, to be merciful— develop. We grow spiritually and help the world become as He created it to be. It is our love for the beauty of God that makes us want to follow His commandments as given to us through His Manifestations.

 We could say that God’s Manifestations are like Divine Teachers, or Educators, Who have appeared all throughout history among diverse peoples. Soon we are going to learn about the lives and teachings of some of these Manifestations and see how they have all come for the purpose of educating people and establishing bonds of unity and love among them. But there is another important message they all brought. Each One has given the promise that a time would eventually come when all humanity would learn how to live in peace and happiness. Injustice, hatred, and war would disappear, and the nations of the world would join in friendship. For centuries, people everywhere have anxiously awaited this Promised Day of God. We are fortunate, indeed, to know that this new Day has dawned and that the time to build a new world has come. So special is this Day that God sent not one but two Manifestations to guide humanity to His Kingdom: the Báb appeared first to prepare the way for the coming of the Promised One of All Ages, Bahá’u’lláh, Whose teachings will enable humanity to do away with war and establish lasting peace. The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh are the Twin Manifestations of God for today.

Remember, we are memorizing the prayer below.

O Thou Whose face is the object of my adoration, Whose beauty is my sanctuary, Whose habitation is my goal, Whose praise is my hope, Whose providence is my companion, Whose love is the cause of my being, Whose mention is my solace, Whose nearness is my desire, Whose presence is my dearest wish and highest aspiration, I entreat Thee not to withhold from me the things Thou didst ordain for the chosen ones among Thy servants.  Supply me, then, with the good of this world and of the next. Thou, truly, art the King of all men.  There is no God but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous. Bahá’u’lláh 

WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO SAY A PRAYER?

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Memorization Aid:

Cut the prayer apart like a puzzle and put it back together

Teaching Peace

The Promised One of All Ages

The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come.  The promises of God, as recorded in the Holy Scriptures have all been fulfilled.

Bahá’u’lláh

Meaning of Words in the Quote

Match the word to the meaning 1. Fill in the blanks 2

Word Search

Here is the word search. Here are the answers

Worksheet for the meaning of words

Use the worksheet for any words you are not sure of in the quote. Download here

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT BAHA’U’LLAH HAS BEEN FOREORDAINED?

If we look at the stories and promises in all the Holy writings, there are promises and hints of Baha’u’llahs coming

Note that in this lesson, there are 8 Vignettes. Download all here

We can look at all the passages in the different books that foretold the coming of Baha’u’llah but we will do that later.

First Who is Baha’ullah? Bahá’u’lláh, which means the glory of God in Arabic

Around the time of the appearance of God’s Manifestation, certain souls become aware that a New Day in the life of humanity is approaching. They come to know that marvelous teachings are soon to be revealed to guide humanity and help it progress. And then, after the new Manifestation has declared His Mission, as His Message begins to spread to regions near and far, there are many other special souls who, ardently searching for the truth, embrace His Cause and form the community of His first few followers among their people. In this Day, when the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh have spread to every corner of the world, there are numerous stories of such souls from every nationality and background. Let us read some of these stories now, and I am sure that we read and hear many more of these later.

Vignette 1

Before the Báb declared His Mission, several people around the world knew deep in their hearts that the Promised Qá’im—He who ariseth—would soon appear. One of these saintly personages was Siyyid Káẓim. Siyyid Káẓim, who was renowned for his knowledge, had many students whom he was preparing for the coming of the long- awaited Qá’im. He taught them to purify their hearts, rid themselves of the superstitions that would prevent them from recognizing Him, and pray ardently to attain His presence. As to the Person of the Manifestation, he told them that He was of medium height, abstained from smoking, and was of extreme devoutness and piety. He was a descendant of the Prophet Muḥammad, young in age, and possessed of innate knowledge. “My knowledge,” he would say, “is but a drop compared with the immensity of His knowledge; my attainments a speck of dust in the face of the wonders of His grace and power. Nay, immeasurable is the difference.”

Now, Siyyid Káẓim lived in the city of Karbilá, and very early one morning he called one of his students to his presence and asked him to accompany him on a visit to a highly esteemed and distinguished Person Who had arrived in the city. Walking through the streets of Karbilá, they soon reached a house, at the door of which stood a Youth Who seemed to expect their arrival. He wore a green turban, a sign that He was a descendant of the Prophet Muḥammad, and had a face that showed great humility and kindness. He quietly approached the two visitors, extended His arms towards Siyyid Káẓim and lovingly embraced him. He led the two to a room in the upper floor of the house that was filled with flowers and their beautiful fragrance. The Host asked His two guests to be seated. Have you already guessed that this youthful Host was none other than the Báb? He had come from Persia to Karbilá to visit the holy sites in that city. After His guests were seated, He handed Siyyid Káẓim a silver cup and said, quoting a verse from the Holy Qur’án: “A drink of a pure beverage shall their Lord give them.” He then handed Siyyid Káẓim’s student a cup of beverage as well. No further words were spoken, and when His guests had finished refreshing themselves, He rose from His seat, accompanied them to the door of the house, and said farewell. Of course the student of Siyyid Káẓim was not aware of the station of the Báb at the time, but he was struck by His dignity and marveled at the degree of reverence shown to Him by Siyyid Káẓim. Then another event happened that served to deepen his sense of wonder even further. “Three days later,” the student explained, “I saw that same Youth arrive and take His seat in the midst of the company of the assembled disciples of Siyyid Káẓim. He sat close to the threshold, and with the same modesty and dignity of bearing listened to the discourse of the Siyyid.” But, as soon as Siyyid Káẓim saw the Youth, the student went on, he “discontinued his address and held his peace.” One of his other students begged him to continue. “What more shall I say?” replied Siyyid Káẓim, looking towards the Báb. “Lo, the Truth is more manifest than the ray of light that has fallen upon that lap!” The student immediately observed that the ray to which Siyyid Káẓim referred had fallen upon the lap of that same Youth Whom they had recently visited.

Siyyid Káẓim passed away on 31 December 1843 and left behind him “a band of earnest and devoted disciples” who set out in quest of the Promised Qá’im. Among them was Mullá Ḥusayn who, five months later, would meet the Báb at the gate of the city of Shíráz and become His first follower.

Vignette 2:

You know that, in the early days of the Faith in Persia, the believers were persecuted because they accepted the Báb and His teachings. They were often ridiculed and beaten by those who blindly followed their power-hungry leaders. On one such occasion a believer was so badly beaten that he could barely drag himself to the outskirts of the town where exhausted, he fell asleep. While sleeping, he had a dream about a great Personage. Though he had never seen or met this Personage before, he was sure that He was the Promised One foretold by the Báb. In the dream this Holy Being addressed him with these words: “Despite the injuries heaped upon you, We extended Our protection that you might remain alive. Be not grieved, and come to Us in Baghdád.”

“But I have no money,” the man replied,

“nor am I able to stand on my feet.”

“You surely rely upon God,” were His next words.

“I have always relied upon God,” was his answer.

At that moment the man awoke, and to his great surprise, he saw a group of travelers that had set up camp on the banks of a nearby river. Just then, he spotted someone emerge from one of the tents and make his way over to him. He was asked to come to the camp, which he accepted to do, though still weak from his injuries. Entering the tent, he found a distinguished gentleman who asked him to be seated and who then explained that, during the night, he had had a dream in which a Holy Man had given him the responsibility to care for someone whose face and appearance was exactly like this believer’s. He had been told that he should show this person the utmost hospitality and invite him to accompany him on his travels to Karbilá. “So, you are my guest as far as Karbilá,” the distinguished man announced, and soon they set off on their way. When the group of travelers reached Baghdád, the believer informed his distinguished host, “This is where we part.” He thanked him for his invitation to continue on to Karbilá but explained that he, too, had had a dream of the same blessed Personage. This Personage, he said, had invited him to come to Baghdád. And so he bade his host farewell, and they parted company. Not knowing where to look for the Promised One, the believer went immediately in search of the Báb’s followers in the city. At that time, Bahá’u’lláh had not yet declared His Mission to the generality of the believers, and so they remained unaware of His great station. Can you imagine, then, the joy this believer felt when he saw Bahá’u’lláh and recognized Him as the Holy Personage of his dream? His entire being was filled with unspeakable gratitude and happiness. Having been willing to accept death in the path of the Cause of God, he had been given a new life and had been led by the Hand of the Almighty directly into the presence of the Beloved of all hearts.

Vignette 3:

The small village in Persia where Mihrabán Rustam Bulbulán was born was a quiet place, and the people there led a quiet life. Many were farmers, as were the father of Mihrabán and his father before him. As a child Mihrabán spent more time in the fields than he did in school. For a couple of years, he went regularly to the Zoroastrian temple, where he learned the alphabet and committed some prayers to memory. But that was all the education he received.

As a young man Mihrabán began to work in the fields himself, and from that time on, he had the same routine every day, summer and winter: at the first light he would go to his fields, and there he would remain until sunset, tilling the land and tending to his crops. Mihrabán had a strong faith in God and often thought about His Will and Purpose. He would look up at the sky and marvel at the greatness of the universe. The beauty he saw in nature confirmed his devotion to God, the Unseen. He would visit the Zoroastrian temple and would pray with the full intensity of heart and soul. At times he would ask the priests questions about God, about the Prophet Zoroaster, and about the coming of the Promised One of All Ages that Zoroaster had foretold. But Mihrabán found the replies given by the priests confusing. Occasionally doubts would arise in his mind: “Will the Promised One come? Will He come only to free the Zoroastrians who are so ill treated in this country? Or will the Promised One at long last unite all of humankind?” Then, one afternoon, something most unusual happened. While he was working on the land, Mihrabán noticed two men running towards him. They were clearly in distress. “Save our lives,” they pleaded to him. “Give us asylum; we are being pursued by assassins.” Without a word, he took them into his barn, showed them a place to hide, and then locked the door. No sooner had he done so than an angry mob appeared. They asked Mihrabán about the two strangers, but seeing the hatred in their eyes, he said nothing, and they left. Towards dawn, while it was still dark, the two strangers borrowed Mihrabán’s donkey and, thanking him for his kindness, safely set off. To his surprise, they returned the next day in order to pay him for the animal, but he would not accept the money and gave the donkey to them as a gift. He then asked them why they had been hounded and pursued. They explained that they were followers of Bahá’u’lláh, the Manifestation of God Who was exiled and imprisoned in ‘Akká; in fact, they were going to travel to that city to seek His blessing. Mihrabán was puzzled by their explanation, but his heart was touched and he told them: “When you reach your destination, be so good as to remember me to Him, as well.” Now, after a long and difficult journey, the two men finally reached ‘Akká and attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh. For several glorious days, they listened to His words. They also gave Bahá’u’lláh messages from some of His followers in Persia who were unable to visit Him themselves. When they sought Bahá’u’lláh’s permission to return home to Persia, He astonished them by saying: “But you did not deliver unto Us all that with which you were entrusted.” “What was meant by that statement?” the two asked themselves. Had they not faithfully delivered all the messages given to them? What was it they had forgotten? The two men thought and thought throughout the night and, at last, one of them recalled the Zoroastrian farmer who had saved their lives and had requested to be remembered to the Blessed Beauty. They hastened to Bahá’u’lláh the next day and told Him the whole story of Mihrabán’s act of kindness. The compassionate heart of Bahá’u’lláh was moved. One who wishes to love God, He told the two men, must show love to the friends of God; Mihrabán had extended love spontaneously to these two and had risked his own life to protect them without thought of favor or reward. And then Bahá’u’lláh revealed a Tablet for Mihrabán and arranged for it to be sent to him.

With these words did the Tablet end:

“Thy name was mentioned before Us and We have remembered thee in Our Tablet. This remembrance is like unto a sapling that We have planted with the hand of loving-kindness. Erelong will it grow verdant and flourishing, laden with abundant fruits. Thus hath the Lord God ordained, and thus hath He shown the way. “He is the Mighty, the Seeing, the Lord of Utterance and Wisdom.” 

And so it was that Mihrabán came to recognize the Promised One and began to follow the teachings of a new age. He eventually settled in India and lived to be some eighty years old, long enough to witness the gradual expansion of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in that vast land and the emergence of a strong community of His followers.

Vignette 4:

Ellen McBride Moore was born in a small rural town in the United States in 1843 when, throughout the world, there was a spirit of excitement. Many people believed that a new day would soon be dawning in the life of humanity, and they eagerly searched for the Promised One Who would bring a new Message from God. In the United States, one group even awaited His appearance at a specific date and place. When He did not appear there, as they had predicted, some became disheartened. But the spirit of a new age did not die, and many still felt that there was great change ahead. Ellen McBride Moore grew up to be one of these people. 

Ellen had a highly inquisitive mind and was full of questions: Had a new Manifestation of God already appeared? Had He gone unrecognized? Was He perhaps living somewhere on earth? She longed to know the truth. Later, after she had married and was raising children, she would often ask questions at the church attended by her family. But her questions did not make the pastor of the church very happy. One day he visited her home and spoke to her husband. “There are some things that are very difficult to answer,” said the pastor. In those days, women were expected to sit quietly, and the pastor asked her husband to make sure that Ellen no longer bothered others with her questions. Ellen agreed, and she kept silent from then on. However, she was pregnant at the time, and she prayed that the child she carried in her womb would be given the chance to speak out and to know the truth. The baby, a beautiful girl, was the sixth of ten children. Her parents named her Louisa, but everyone called her Lua. Lua was intelligent and inquisitive, like her mother. She had a beautiful singing voice, and when she was about twenty years old, she was encouraged to study theater. For some reason that she could not explain, she chose to study in Chicago, a large city very far from her home. There, she spent any free time she had searching for a faith that would satisfy her spiritual longing. She went to many churches and different societies that studied spirituality and philosophy. Though she did not find any that quenched her thirst for truth, she never became discouraged.

Then, when Lua was twenty-two years old, a most important meeting took place in Chicago: the World’s Parliament of Religions. Some two hundred speakers from across the globe were invited to give presentations at that event. Most of them were Christian ministers, but several other religions were also represented. There a paper written by a Christian missionary in Syria was read that made mention of Bahá’u’lláh, a “Persian sage” that had died a few months prior to the gathering. The words of Bahá’u’lláh were quoted: “That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled—what harm is there in this?

. . . Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the ‘Most Great Peace’ shall come . . .”

Lua happened upon a newspaper reporting the event. Almost immediately, she set out to learn more about this great Personage, Bahá’u’lláh. Soon an opportunity came for her to study the Faith systematically, and all the questions she had carried in her heart were answered, one after the other: Bahá’u’lláh was, indeed, the Manifestation that her mother had encouraged her to search for and find. Lua’s love for Bahá’u’lláh grew day by day, and she eventually became a great teacher of the Faith. One of the first things she did, of course, was to return home to her mother and share with her the good news that she had long awaited, that God’s new Manifestation had appeared. Ellen McBride Moore’s prayers had been answered.

A Video Story About Lua

Vignette 5:

Everything in his life seemed to have prepared Cao Yunxiang for the day when Martha Root came to visit him and his wife in Beijing in 1923. He was then President of what would become one of the most high-ranking universities in China. What he heard from Martha Root that day opened before him a wider path of service to his country.

Not long after Cao Yunxiang was born, great changes began to sweep across China. People there were looking for new ways for this ancient country to organize its affairs. With bright hopes for the future of their homeland, many Chinese students wished to attend universities abroad in order to learn new things and acquire new knowledge. Thousands took exams for this purpose, but so accomplished was Cao Yunxiang as a student that he did not need to do so; he was given the opportunity to study at a prestigious university in America because of his great ability and remarkable intellect.

After seven years of study, when he completed his degree in 1914, Cao Yunxiang had to choose from among the many possibilities to serve his country. He decided that his best choice was a position at a college in Beijing. But he was asked by his government to go to the United Kingdom, instead, to represent his country, and he dutifully set out for London. While there, Cao Yunxiang married a lovely lady who, like him, was greatly interested in the betterment of society. After another five years abroad, when his mission in London was completed, he once again looked forward to returning home; but, again, it was not to be so. Now he was asked to go to Copenhagen in Denmark, and he dutifully went off to that country as requested.

Another two years would pass before his dream of settling in China was realized. Finally in 1922, back in Beijing after some fifteen years, Cao Yunxiang was appointed President of Tsinghua and he set about to reorganize it into a fully-fledged university. It was to this college in 1923 that Martha Root went to visit its President and his wife. Perhaps you know that Martha Root was one of the early Bahá’ís of the West known for her heroic deeds and courage. Today, when the Bahá’í Faith is well known, it is easy to reach people of all walks of life and give them the Message of Bahá’u’lláh. In those early days, scarcely anyone knew about the Faith, and it took a great deal of courage to proclaim the Cause, especially to influential and prominent people. But, with complete trust in God, she went to speak to Cao Yunxiang and his wife about the Bahá’í Faith, and they listened most attentively. Cao Yunxiang realized at once how essential were the Bahá’í teachings for the progress of the world. His service to his country now had new meaning. He continued to serve China in whatever way he could, but the advancement of the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh in the land he loved so much was foremost on his mind. He wrote this around that time: “After studying the Bahá’í Faith,” he said, “and the reviving effect it produces over the heart and mind of man, I came to the conclusion that the only way to regenerate China is to introduce the Bahá’í teachings to China, and therefore I began to translate the Bahá’í books into Chinese, so that the Chinese nation may be benefited too by this heavenly Manifestation. That is why every day after leaving my office, though very tired, I go home and start working on the translations of the Bahá’í teachings, and usually I forget that I am tired.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT MARTHA ROOT VISIT BRILLIANT STAR

Vignette 6:

When Max Kanyerezi was a sixteen-year-old student in Uganda, a country in the eastern part of the vast African continent, he had a most vivid and striking dream. He had the dream not only once, but two times during the very same night. In the dream, Max saw a large figure looming upwards who started to roll up the earth, as one would roll up a newspaper. People were running in panic. Meanwhile, three officials sat on a hill where people were to register in the “Book of Life”. In the dream, young Max approached the table where they were writing down names. The eldest said to him, “Go and learn to register your friends, thereafter you will also be registered.”

It was 1934 at the time, and Max was convinced that the dream held profound significance. He was sure that it was some kind of divine calling. The phrase “divine calling” refers to the belief, very deep in one’s heart, that God is calling one to service. Of course, in those days, the Bahá’í Faith had not yet reached that part of Africa and no one there knew about the appearance of God’s new Manifestation. So Max thought that perhaps the dream meant he should become a Christian minister like his father. He decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, but it soon became clear that this was not the path for him. He then tried to become a farmer, but that, too, did not seem to go well. And so he eventually left his home and went to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, where he found a job as a clerk in an office. Though he was happy in his work, the vivid scene that he had dreamt when he was sixteen years old never left him. “What was the true meaning of the dream?” he wondered.

Then, one morning in 1952, nearly twenty years after he had had that dream, a co-worker in his office told him about a new Faith. This new Faith, the co-worker said, accepted the teachings of all other religions. Soon Max learned that one of his own relatives knew about this Faith, and they happened, by chance, to meet each other. Of course, by now, Max was very eager to hear more, and so he gladly went with his relative to the home of Bahá’ís who had recently arrived in Kampala. He was struck by their kindness, and immense joy filled his heart in the days and weeks that followed as he learned from them about the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. During one particular meeting, which lasted from 9:00 one morning until 3:00 of the next morning (eighteen hours!), Max had all of his questions answered to his satisfaction. He soon declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh—the seventh soul in Africa to recognize God’s Manifestation during the first great surge of growth of the Faith that swept across the continent. Of course, you have already realized that Max’s dream so many years before had readied him to receive the divine Message. His heart was open, and the words of Bahá’u’lláh immediately touched it, setting it aglow with the fire of the love of God. Not long after Max’s declaration of faith, he left Uganda and went to a nearby country to look for other ready souls, as envisioned in the dream, to share with them the good news that Bahá’u’lláh had appeared to do away with war and hatred and to establish a new and just world order. “By My Self!” are Bahá’u’lláh’s words. “The day is approaching when We will have rolled up the world and all that is therein and spread out a new order in its stead.”

DREAM JOURNAL Record your dreams!

Vignette 7:

High up in the Andes Mountains in Bolivia live the Aymara people. They have lived in the Andes for hundreds of years, long before the Spanish arrived. Someday you may learn more about the history of Bolivia, but for now you should know that the Aymara people were able to maintain their identity and culture, even though they had a difficult life and suffered greatly when the newcomers came and took over the land and resources. They were treated cruelly on what was once their land, struggling to survive and suffering from injustice.

In the 1950s, there were many villages of Aymara people scattered throughout the mountains. As part of the organization of their communities, the people chose worthy men to act as their mayors to guide them. Their authority was exercised through signed and sealed papers given to each mayor by Toribio Miranda. A wise man who lived on the shores of Lake Poopό up in the mountains, Toribio Miranda was revered by the Aymara people. They considered him a spiritual father, one who counseled them on their daily living habits: to be pure and clean and to abandon drinking, smoking, and chewing the coca leaves, which seemed to give them a temporary sense of well-being and caused them to forget their constant hunger.

In the village of Vilacollo, a man by the name of Andrés Jachakollo Ticona was elected the mayor, and he took the responsibility of mayor very seriously indeed. He always felt a sense of spiritual destiny while searching for a better way of life for his people. By “destiny” is meant something that is sure to happen in the future, and Andrés would often visit Miranda on the shores of Lake Poopό and discuss with him the destiny of the Aymara people. They both believed that someday the terrible oppression brought by the newcomers would end and that God, their Creator, would come to their aid.

Then, one day in April in 1956, Andrés visited the city of La Paz with two others. While wandering about, he happened to read a poster outside the Bahá’í Center which read “Universal Teachings for This Day”. Could this be the answer that he sought for his people? Inquisitive, Andrés rang the doorbell. He and his two friends were invited inside, and there he had the bounty of hearing for the first time about the Bahá’í Faith. Gradually, in the weeks that followed, Andrés learned about Bahá’u’lláh and His teachings, which centered on the oneness of humanity. In His teachings, Andrés soon came to realize, the religion of their ancestors found its fulfillment. He knew in his heart that he had, at long last, reached his goal.

So what do you think Andrés decided to do next? He invited some Bahá’í teachers to visit his village of Vilacollo, and most of the community accepted the Faith. But his dedication  to his new Faith did not end there. He and others set out on foot to travel the Andes Mountains and to bring Bahá’u’lláh’s Message to community after community. And the number of Bahá’ís among the Aymara people continually grew. In 1963, Andrés attended the Bahá’í World Congress in London, at which were gathered some six thousand Bahá’ís from across the globe to celebrate the one-hundred-year anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Declaration. Those who were at the conference could never forget the man from Bolivia, dressed in Aymara clothing, who arose and addressed the gathering with a powerful voice: “Why have we come? We have come to remember the centenary of the Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh calling for the unity of all nations and all races.” In his attendance at that great gathering, and in the service he rendered to the Cause for the remainder of his life, Andrés Jachakollo stood as a symbol of the power of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh to bring all of humanity together as one family.

Vignette 8:

Everyone in Stanley’s village in Papua New Guinea is a member of the Bahá’í community. Papua New Guinea is a country in the Pacific Ocean, and Stanley’s village is somewhat difficult to reach. During the generation of his parents, the entire village had recognized Bahá’u’lláh as God’s Manifestation for today and had accepted the Faith. How do you think they all found the truth and recognized it so easily? Well, many years before, the village elders had, through dreams and visions, foretold the coming of a new religion. This new religion, they had said, would unite all people and help them to live as one; it would enable all people to participate in decision-making and would have nine leaders as its head. The elders had prepared the people of the village for the arrival of such a religion. And so they waited and waited. Then one day a Bahá’í came, and he told them about the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, Who had come to unite humanity, and about the Bahá’í community, which was guided by the Universal House of Justice, a body made up of nine members. And, of course, they immediately understood that this was the religion foretold by their ancestors.

Script for Vignette 2 here

Script for Vignette 3 in pdf format here

Craft based on the Theme of Questions

Cootie catcher

Create a cootie catcher. Once it is colored and cut out, enjoy playing with friends. There are many free templates and printables online. Here is one from leap of faith website

This activity is based on Story 1 and the theme of PURITY OF HEART: Homemade water filter

When we are seeking truth, we need to purify our thoughts and hearts like the first people who were seeking the Promised Qá’im. We know that one way we purify ourselves is by prayer. It is like when we purify any physical substance, the dirt,(negative thoughts) is eliminated and the pure thoughts are filtered through. Let us make a homemade filter for purifying dirty water. we can try different materials to see what works best. Just like when we are looking for ways to purify our thoughts and hearts, we need to find the perfect combination.

This project is taken from WATER FILTRATION CHALLENGED 

Suggested Material

• dirty water (suggested tapwater with coffee grounds, old tea leaves, oil etc to muddy it up a bit)
• flat surface for working
• clear plastic 2L pop bottles
• gravel and rocks

Suggested filtering items

• sand
• rocks
• porous clay
• potting soil
• dirt
• clothing
• sawdust
• wood chips
• cotton balls
• silt
• alum
• coffee filters
• powdered charcoal

Key Questions Relate these questions back to the spiritual process

• What does the water look like before and after filtration? 
• Which filtration system made the clearest end water? Why?
• What would happen if we filtered the water a second time?

What To Do

Preparation

• Cut all pop bottles off 4 inches below the mouth.
• Place the top of the bottle upside down in the bottom section of the bottle (like a funnel.)
• Place a few gravel rocks at the bottom of the funnel to close the gap from the cap.

Set-up

• on a flat surface, place dirty water, one cut and prepared pop bottle with gravel, and equal amounts of all available filtering items.
• Divide the class if meeting in person or all kids can do on their own.

Challenge

• As a group, (or on your own) come up with a filtering system to turn the dirty water in the pail into the clearest sample.
• Use the pop bottle funnel as your basic structure and use any of the items on the table as filtering devices.
• You can use more than one, but you get only one chance at filtering the water.
• Once all groups have completed their filtering system, watch one group at a time and test how effective their system is for clarifying the water.

Craft based on peace: print the peace house and assemble: download here

Theme SEARCH Can be used for other themes like peace:: Make an I SPY bottle based on a PEACE theme or go with the SEARCH theme of the stories

Items needed for an I SPY craft

• Container:- Can be a bottle with a lid or a plastic Ziplock bag
• Filler – Sand, Rice works well
• Items (try to relate them used in search) – paperclip, safety pin, rubberband, red beans, beads, dice, small wooden clothespins, thumbtack,  googly eye, penny, eraser, marble, seashell, small toy, toothpick.
• tag- list of all items put in the bottle will go on the tag
• String for tag
• Hot Glue (OPTIONAL)
• Funnel

To make:

• Add all items to the bottle or bag. As the child is putting the item, say how this relates to the search process.
• Use the funnel to fill the bottle with sand
• Use hot glue on the bottle cap to seal shut. (optional)
• Add the tag with the item list to the bottle.
• Challenge each other to find an item.

Here are some of the items I included:

• Heart shape to represent a pure heart when searching
• Gems to represent the gems of wisdom you find along the way.
• Paper clip to represent the need to hold and organize your findings.
• A piece of stick to represent a walking stick for the long-distance walking
• A small toy car/bike to represent a means of transport for those long distances you may need to travel
• Small stone to represent leaving no stone unturned in the search.
• Googly Eyes represents to be observant
• Rubberband to represent be flexible in your outlook
• Penny as you will need funds along the way
• File to help you get rid of rough patches along the way
• The letters of the word FRIEND to find as you are sure to find them in your search
• Magnet to help attract like-minded people in your search
• Banner with the Name of Baha’u’llah to raise high

Based On The Theme Of Dreams: Record your dreams!

Decorate the cover of a “dream journal”

• Purchase a notebook from a dollar store and decorate with markers, stickers, etc.
• Or staple a few sheets of paper together to make a notebook
• OR Print out the template journal page

Some ideas on how to make a book:

Websites: http://www.cremedelacraft.com/2012/06/diy-mini-notebook-from-cereal-box.html

YouTube

CRAFT SUGGESTIONS: Make a Dream Catcher Based on a couple of stories in this lesson about dreams make a dream catcher or decorate a dream journal and write your dreams

See here for ideas on dream catchers:

More Ideas for crafts

• Word Scramble based on Story 1 answers here
• Choose one of the stories and draw a scene that you love
• The 8 stories cover events and people from  Iran, China, Africa, the USA, South America, Papua New Guinea. Draw  or make something from each of these regions

“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”

Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Download the memorization aid here