Teaching story

“The thirsty ones are many yet the bearers are few. 

The seekers abound but the teachers are scarce.

The thirsty ones are there in troops yet the guides of the True Path are scarce indeed!

At present few indeed are the teachers of the Cause and so from every side the cry is raised,  “Whither are the teachers?  Whither are the teachers?” 

No solution is there to this, save the establishment, in each town, for instructing the believers in teaching the Cause of God.

Perchance the children of the Abhá paradise who are filled with yearning, longing, excitement, and enthusiasm could study the skills of teaching.  If this is done in a proper and befitting matter, in a short while, in every town, there shall appear perfect teachers and steadfast orators of the Cause.”

Newly translated letter from Abdu’l-Bahá

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On Nov 24, 2009, at 8:50 AM, Joel Smith wrote:

Angels in the Dusk Late one afternoon two female members of a teaching team found themselves alone in a poor neighborhood. As twilight approached they began to feel uncomfortable with their surroundings and they decided to call it a day. Before doing so, they noticed an elderly couple sitting in lawn chairs beneath a tree in their front yard and the teachers decided to make just one more contact before rejoining the other members of the team. As they approached the couple, one of the teachers asked the couple if they had ever heard of Baha’u’llah. The couple grew strangely attentive and one of them asked if Baha’u’llah was the name of a person. The teachers replied that it was indeed a person’s name. To the surprise of the teachers, the couple bolted from their seats, took the teachers by the arms and hurried them into their living room. Then they begged the teachers to please tell them who Baha’u’llah was. To the astonishment of the teachers, the moment they revealed the true identity of Baha’u’llah, the couple raised their hands in the air and began to cry, "Thank you, Jesus!" over and over again. Thoroughly surprised by the enthusiasm of this response, the teachers asked them why they were so excited. According to the couple, three days earlier they had been talking about the signs of the times, and their suspicion that Christ may have already returned, just as the Bible says, with a new name that no one but the chosen would know. Considering their advanced age, they feared that they soon would find themselves standing at the gates of heaven and, as they did not know Christ’s new name, He would not know their and they would be forever barred from entering heaven. The tragedy of this thought left them weeping in each other’s arms. Later that night, the woman had an amazing dream. In her dream, she was visited by Jesus Christ, Who told her, "Sit under the tree in your front yard. In three days, someone will come and tell you my new name." Three days later, they spent the entire day in their yard, yet there was no sign of a messenger from Christ. As twilight approached, it began to appear that their dream would go unanswered. Then, just as they had begun to lose hope, they saw what appeared to be two angels emerging from the dusk. The two mysterious figures walked directly to them, smiled and said, "Have you heard of Baha’u’llah?" --- memoirs of the North Texas teaching Team, 1978   --- Published in DEEPEN magazine, summer 1994 　  I know quite a few people who have had "other then normal" experiences that have led them to becoming Baha’is. I know that such things happen because I too was led to the Faith by a dream. Back in 1971, a week after I had my dream, I was at the Wilmette House of Worship and I saw the name Baha’u’llah for the first time.   I remember getting very excited as I pointed to THE name saying "That’s it." I knew that this was what my dream had prepared me to see. I grabbed a Baha’i who was just passing by at that moment, and asked him to tell me about Baha’u’llah. After two hours of talking I was asked if I would like to become a Baha’i. I told them no, I had to learn more about Baha’i first. A month later, after having all of my questions and concerns answered… and when I was ready, then I signed a declaration card.   How many other people, like the ones in this story, are out there just waiting for someone to come and tell them about Baha’u’llah? How many other people have been prepared like I was? Could it be that teaching technique, although it is important to know what to say and how to lovingly say it, is not as important as just getting out there and proclaiming His name? Teaching is essentially a mystical process. People right now are being prepared to hear about Baha'u'llah.    I saw Bill Sears speak about a year before he passed. Quoting the Writings he repeatedly emphasized that  that if we merely arise to teach, we will be given "complete and total victory."   We need to expect to succeed when we teach. We need to expect that what we say will be just what the person was prepared and waiting to hear.   The key, as Abdu’l-Baha said in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, is "Fellowship and love amongst the believers. The divine friends must be attracted to and enamored of each other and ever be ready and willing to sacrifice their own lives for each other. Should one soul from amongst the believers meet another, it must be as though a thirsty one with parched lips has reached to the fountain of the water of life, or a lover has met his true beloved. For one of the greatest divine wisdoms regarding the appearance of the holy Manifestations is this: The souls may come to know each other and become intimate with each other; the power of the love of God may make all of them the waves of one sea, the flowers of one rose garden, and the stars of one heaven. This is the wisdom for the appearance of the holy Manifestations! When the most great bestowal reveals itself in the hearts of the believers, the world of nature will be transformed, the darkness of the contingent being will vanish, and heavenly illumination will be obtained. Then the whole world will become the Paradise of Abha, every one of the believers of God will become a blessed tree, producing wonderful fruits." (`Abdu'l-Baha: Tablets of the Divine Plan, Pages: 52-53)   And then we arise, travel & teach. "Teach them all the divine proofs and irrefragable arguments, explain and elucidate the history of the Cause, and interpret also the prophecies and proofs which are recorded and are extant in the divine books and epistles regarding the manifestation of the Promised One, so that the young ones may go in perfect knowledge in all these degrees."  (Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 54)   Is there a right way to teach? Anna's Presentation is a wonderful beginning. We are also told to use all methods depending upon the circumstances and the individuals being taught. Is there a wrong way to teach? I can only think of one wrong thing to do… and that would be to not say or do anything at all.   How many people out there have been prepared and are anxiously waiting to hear what we have to say? Five percent of the population? Ten? How many thousands of people is that?  Let’s get out there and make their day. Let’s go tell them about Baha’u’llah. –Joel in NW Florida   If you would like to see & hear Bill Sears' "arise to teach and we will be given complete and total victory" presentation --- I posted it on Google video... just click here  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5645788669585912738&ei=G-kLS7XeKJ3KqQLgz_yxDg&q=sears+bill&hl=en&view=2#