High Endeavours: Messages to Alaska
by Shoghi Effendi
Edition 1, (September 2006)
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CONTENTS
Baha'i Terms of Use
EXCERPTS FROM TABLETS OF THE DIVINE PLAN
"I desire for you eternal success and prosperity and beg perfect..."
SUPPLICATION
PART I
(1) March 12, 1939
(2) February 12th, 1940
(3) February 13th, 1940
(4) December 12th, 1942
(5) July 24th, 1943
(6) October 14, 1943
PART II
(7) November 19th, 1945
(8) December 17, 1951
(9) February 3, 1952
(10) February 9, 1953
(11) March 24, 1953
(12) March 30, 1953
(13) August 5, 1953
(14) August 5, 1953
(15) November 23, 1953
(16) March 18, 1954
(17) April 23, 1954
(18) January 28, 1955
(19) March 1, 1955
(20) May 7, 1955
(21) July 1, 1955
(22) August 26, 1955
(23) September 16, 1955
(24) December 7, 1955
(25) December 25, 1955
(26) February 2, 1956
(27) May 3, 1956
(28) May 14, 1956
(29) May 23, 1956
(30) June 22, 1956
(31) July 24, 1956
(32) August 1, 1956
(33) September 16, 1956
(34) October 22, 1956
(35) December 20, 1956
(36) April 12, 1957
(37) April, 1957
(38) May 16, 1957
(39) May 20, 1957
(40) May 28, 1957
(41) June 4, 1957
(42) June 30, 1957
(43) July 6, 1957
(44) July 12, 1957
(45) July 14, 1957
(46) July 19, 1957
(47) August 8, 1957
(48) August 15, 1957
(49) August 17, 1957
(50) August 18, 1957
(51) September 8, 1957
(52) September 9, 1957
(53) September 18, 1957
(54) October 20, 1957
(55) October 27, 1957
PART III
(56) July 30, 1946
(57) March 15, 1947
(58) May 16, 1947
(59) November 14, 1947
(60) March 18, 1952
(61) September 17, 1952
(62) March 29, 1953
(63) December 7, 1953
(64) December 13, 1953
(65) December 18, 1953
(66) January 9, 1954
(67) February 20, 1954
(68) April 12, 1954
(69) May 7, 1954
(70) May 14, 1954
(71) July 20, 1954
(72) December 23, 1954
(73) February 20, 1955
(74) August 26, 1955
(75) November 11, 1956
(76) January 24, 1957
(77) April 20, 1957
PART IV
(78) To a Knight of Baha'u'llah arriving at Kodiak
(79) To Knights of Baha'u'llah upon reaching Unalaska
(80) To the pioneers who filled the post at Barrow
PART V
(81) ALASKA--Important
(82) ALASKA--Incorporation of L.S.A. and growth
(83) ALASKA--Spirit of confidence
(84) ALASKA--Unity of believers
(85) ANTI-CHRIST
(86) CHRIST--RESURRECTION
(87) CHRIST--Virgin Birth
(88) FEAR--Overcoming fear
(89) FOOD-Storage
(90) GOD--Nature of our Knowledge
(91) IMMORTALITY--Cause of Happiness
(92) INVESTMENTS
(93) MANIFESTATIONS--Future Manifestations
(94) PHOTOGRAPHS--of the Master
(95) PRAYER
(96) PRE-EXISTENCE--of Prophets
(97) JOSEPH SMITH--Statements in Book of Mormon
(98) SOUL--Origin
(99) STUDY
(100) TEACHINGS--Acceleration
(101) TEACHING--Importance
(102) TEACHING--Participation of Children
(103) TEACHING--Remaining at Post
(104) TEACHING--Teaching Relatives
APPENDIX
ADDRESSEES
EXCERPTS FROM TABLETS OF THE DIVINE PLAN
"I desire for you eternal success and prosperity and beg perfect..."
To the Assemblies and Meetings of the believers of God and the
maidservants of the Merciful in the United States and Canada.
Upon them be Baha'u'llah El' Abha
He is God!
O ye blessed souls:
I desire for you eternal success and prosperity and beg perfect
confirmation for each one in the divine world. My hope for you is that
each one may shine forth like unto the morning star from the horizon of
the world and in this garden of God become a blessed tree, producing
everlasting fruits and results.
Therefore I direct you to that which is conducive to your heavenly
confirmation and illumination in the Kingdom of God!
It is this: Alaska is a vast country; although one of the maidservants of
the Merciful has hastened to those parts, serving as a librarian in the
Public Library, and according to her ability is not failing in teaching
the Cause, yet the call of the Kingdom of God is not yet raised through
that spacious territory.
His Holiness Christ says: Travel ye to the East and to the West of the
world and summon the people to the Kingdom of God. Hence the mercy of God
must encompass all humanity. Therefore do ye not think it permissible to
leave that region deprived of the breezes of the Morn of Guidance.
Consequently, strive as far as ye are able to send to those parts fluent
speakers, who are detached from aught else save God, attracted with the
fragrances of God, and sanctified and purified from all desires and
temptations. Their sustenance and food must consist of the teachings of
God. First they must themselves live in accordance with those principles,
then guide the people. Perchance, God willing, the lights of the most
great guidance may illumine that country and the breezes of the rose
garden of the love of God may perfume the nostrils of the inhabitants of
Alaska. Should ye become confirmed in thus rendering such a service, rest
ye assured that ye shall crown your heads with the diadem of everlasting
sovereignty and at the threshold of oneness you will become the favored
and accepted servants.
SUPPLICATION
O Thou Incomparable God! O Thou Lord of the Kingdom! These souls are Thy
heavenly army. Assist them and with the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse,
make them victorious; so that each one of them may become like unto a
regiment and conquer these countries through the love of God and the
illumination of divine teachings.
O God! Be Thou their supporter and their helper, and in the wilderness,
the mountain, the valley, the forests, the prairies and the seas, be Thou
their confidant--so that they may cry out through the power of the Kingdom
and the breath of the Holy Spirit!
Verily Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty and the Omnipotent and Thou art
the Wise, the Hearing, and the Seeing.
--'Abdu'l-Baha (April 8, 1916)
PART I
Letters to Individuals, 1939-1943. These were written prior to the
formation of the first Local Spiritual Assembly and reflect the early
development of the Faith in Alaska.
(1) March 12, 1939
(1) March 12, 1939(1)
Dear Baha'i Friend,
The Guardian has received your most welcome and inspiring message of the
19th February, and is inexpressibly delighted to know that you have
spontaneously offered your services for pioneer teaching in Alaska.(2) He
can well imagine the feelings of immeasurable satisfaction and unbounded
gratitude with which both the N.S.A. and the National Teaching Committee
must have welcomed your determination to teach and establish the Faith in
that far-off and hitherto unexplored territory, and he wishes me to
express also his own appreciation and gratitude for this remarkable step
which you have, notwithstanding the well-nigh insuperable obstacles in
your way, been inspired to take to carry the Message to that distant land.
The spirit of heroic self-sacrifice, and of unflinching resolve that has
prompted you to undertake so noble and sacred a mission, and make such a
warm and immediate response to his recent teaching call addressed to the
American believers cannot but fill all hearts with admiration and praise,
and evoke the memory of those acts of unrivalled heroism, of selfless and
unstinted devotion that have characterized the lives of the immortal
heroes of the Apostolic age of our beloved Faith.
Though labouring in an age and under circumstances wholly different from
those in which those early pioneers of the Cause have been privileged to
labour, yet it is that selfsame spirit of entire self-forgetfulness, of
whole-hearted and unwavering loyalty, and of absolute consecration that is
now, in this Formative period, inspiring you, and all our dear American
Baha'i pioneers, to forsake their all and undergo such privations and
suffering in order to speed up and ensure the triumph of the Cause of God.
Rest assured that the Guardian will incessantly and most fervently
supplicate on your behalf, that the invisible hosts of the Kingdom may
continually reinforce and guide your efforts, and enable you to attain
this assuredly high and noble goal you have set yourself to attain in
service to Baha'u'llah and His Cause.
In the hope that this letter will find you well, happy and well on the way
of the realization of your plans, and with most cordial greetings,
Yours ever in His Service,
H. Rabbani
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and prized co-worker:
I am thrilled by the news you give me. How proud I feel of the spirit that
so powerfully animates you. My prayers will, I assure you, accompany you
on your great and historic adventure. Persevere no matter how great the
obstacles in your way. Future generations will glorify your deed and
emulate your example. The Concourse on high acclaims your resolve and will
richly bless your endeavours. Be happy and confident.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
(2) February 12th, 1940
(2) February 12th, 1940
Dear Baha'i Sister,
The Guardian has received your most welcome message of December 31st, and
feels truly delighted to know of your recent confirmation in the Faith,
and of the pioneer work you are now undertaking in Alaska,(3) in
collaboration with our beloved sister Miss Honor Kempton.
He is indeed grateful to you for having offered to teach and establish the
Cause in that far off land, and feels confident that through the promised
confirmations of Baha'u'llah and your own persistent efforts you will
eventually succeed in completely attaining your goal.
The various measures you have already taken with the view of giving
widespread publicity to the Teachings have been noted with deep interest
and appreciation by the Guardian who indeed trusts that they will result
in attracting to the Cause people of capacity and understanding.
He would urge you and also dear Miss Kempton to persevere, and through
your joint exertions endeavour to pave the way for the formation of a
local assembly in Alaska. Rest assured his prayers will be specially
offered on behalf of you both, that you may receive ever-increasing
strength, capacity and guidance to carry out your high teaching mission to
complete success.
With the renewed expression of his abiding gratitude for your devoted
services, and with loving greetings,
Yours very sincerely,
R. Rabbani
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
Your letter cheered and heartened me in the conduct of my arduous duties
and responsibilities. I rejoice to learn of your high endeavours in that
distant field, and I will specially pray with increasing fervour for your
protection and success. How great your privilege, how laborious your task,
how noble your mission! Do not feel disheartened. Persevere and be
confident always.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
(3) February 13th, 1940
(3) February 13th, 1940
Dear Baha'i Sister,
The Guardian has received your most welcome communication of the 31st
December, and his heart was greatly cheered and refreshed by the perusal
of its contents, and at the evidences of the slow yet steady progress of
your teaching work in Alaska.
The very illuminating report you had given him covering the general social
and religious conditions prevailing in that land clearly reveals the
nature and extent of the obstacles which you have to face and surmount in
the prosecution of your teaching task. But surely for such valiant and
steadfast pioneers like you there is no difficulty, however seemingly
insurmountable, which cannot be effectively overcome, as Baha'u'llah is
assuredly guiding and reinforcing your labours through the unseen hosts of
His Kingdom.
The Guardian was particularly encouraged to know of the contact you have
established with the editor of the "Alaskan," and of his very generous
offer to publish in his paper various materials on the Teachings. His hope
is that this will prove a most effective medium for the spread of the
Cause, and will bring in a large number of earnest inquirers.
Also the Guardian cherishes very bright hopes regarding the bookshop which
you have opened in Anchorage, which he trusts will serve to attract
widespread attention to the Faith.
Renewing to you his abiding and heartfelt gratitude for your invaluable
teaching services, and assuring you again of his continued prayers for the
confirmation of your efforts, and also for your own welfare and protection
in these dark and gloomy days,
Yours in His Service,
H. Rabbani
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
Your most welcome report brought immense joy to my heart. With feelings of
increasing pride, admiration and gratitude I follow your activities and
pray continually for your success. Do not relax in your efforts. The
Concourse on high is watching over you and the Blessed Beauty will
reinforce and guide you.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
(4) December 12th, 1942
(4) December 12th, 1942
Dear Baha'i Sister,
Your letter of Aug. 5th has been received, and the Guardian was very
pleased to hear from you. He has instructed me to write and answer you on
his behalf, and also thank you for the photographs you enclosed.
He feels that this is a very important opportunity which you have now
obtained of teaching the Faith to the Eskimo people,(4) and he hopes your
efforts will be crowned with success.
He would not advise you to teach them Esperanto, as we have no way of
knowing whether it will ultimately be chosen as the auxiliary language of
the world. He thinks the most direct and quickest way of communicating
with them in a common tongue should be chosen; in other words either you
should learn their language or they yours, whichever will yield the
quickest results.
As they are a relatively uncivilized people, unused to the modern
cosmopolitan forms of life, and consequently not au courant with the
thoughts which to us have become mere commonplace, he would advise you to
approach them through love, friendliness, and association, until you are
in a position to enter into their confidence, and gradually teach them, in
a simple way, the great truths of our Faith.
To confirm them in the Faith should be your main objective, always bearing
in mind that faith and belief are different from learning and a full grasp
of the implications of such a vast Cause as ours.
You may be sure his loving prayers will be offered for the success of your
historic mission, and he will be interested to hear how you are
progressing.
With Baha'i love,
R. Rabbani
[From the Guardian:]
Assuring you of my abiding gratitude and appreciation for the magnificent
services you are rendering, and for the laudable spirit you are
demonstrating in your historic activities and achievements in these days
of stress and peril, and assuring you also of my special and constant
prayers for the success of every effort you exert, and every step you take
in the path of service,
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi
(5) July 24th, 1943
(5) July 24th, 1943
Dear Baha'i Sister:
The Guardian was very happy to receive your letter of May 29th; and he has
instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
It is with great joy that he welcomes you into the Faith of Baha'u'llah,
and he hopes that you will be the means of attracting many other souls to
this glorious life-giving Message.
'Abdul-Baha was most anxious that the Eskimo people should be taught the
Message of this New Day, and it is a source of happiness to all Baha'is
that you, a member of that race, have arisen to spread these teachings.(5)
God has surely guided your steps and blessed your search for divine Truth.
If people only realized it, the inner life of the spirit is that which
counts, but they are so blinded by desires and so misled that they have
brought upon themselves all the suffering we see at present in the world.
The Baha'is seek to lead people back to a knowledge of their true selves
and the purpose for which they were created, and thus to their greatest
happiness and highest good.
You may be sure the Guardian will pray that you may render the Cause many
valuable services and become a gifted and confirmed Baha'i teacher.
With warm Baha'i love,
R. Rabbani
P.S. It will interest you to know that there are now Baha'is active in
Anchorage, Fairbanks, and the Eskimo village of Tuluksak, Alaska.
[From the Guardian:]
Dear Baha'i Sister:
Your most welcome letter has rejoiced my heart. I extend to you a most
hearty welcome into the ranks of the followers of Baha'u'llah, and will
greatly value your support and cooperation. Your conversion to His Cause
is indeed a historic event, and will greatly rejoice the hearts of the
believers. I will pray for your success and spiritual advancement from the
depths of my heart. Rest assured and be confident.
Your true brother,
Shoghi
(6) October 14, 1943
(6) October 14, 1943
Dear Baha'i Sister:
Your letter of July 9th has reached the Guardian safely, and he has
instructed me to answer it on his behalf.
He feels that the most important thing at the present time is, of course,
the establishment of the first Baha'i Spiritual Assembly of Alaska.
He hopes that, after the assembly is well established and has a sufficient
number to maintain its status, you will again be able to do pioneer
teaching work among the Eskimos.
Your talk on the Faith in the church of Tuluksak may, indeed, have reached
some of them, and left a seed of Truth in their minds.
As the Centenary Celebration of the Faith draws near the Guardian finds
himself busier than ever before and barely able to keep pace with his
work. However, his thoughts are often with the friends, and he is very
proud of their achievements.
He assures you of his deep appreciation of your devoted and
self-sacrificing services, and that his loving prayers will continue to be
offered on your behalf.
With warm Baha'i greetings,
R. Rabbani
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-worker:
I admire and feel proud of your historic achievements. I am deeply
grateful to you and will continue to pray from the depths of my heart for
your protection, happiness, and the speedy and full realization of every
hope you cherish in such an important sphere of Baha'i activity.
Your true and grateful brother,
Shoghi