Expansion in Auckland

Early this morning...at around 1 am on the 29th of May, we will all wake up and head to the local Baha'i Center to observe a Baha'i Holy Day-the Anniversary of the Ascension of Baha'u'llah...the exact time is 3 am I believe.

We just finished day five of the nine day expansion phase here in Auckland. It has been a huge learning experience, providing both Ash and myself with tons of growth opportunities and knowledge. We have knocked on the doors of homes-which by the way isn't a whole lot of fun...so be nice to them the next time someone comes knocking! We have gathered children together and started a class in one neighborhood, and we are hoping to get some of the parents to come soon as well. We have met people who are encouraging, people who don't want to hear it, and people who invite us in to have tea and talk. Tomorrow we are going back to talk with a man some more...he has questions and he feels pain for the suffering of others...I don't know if we will have any answers but we are both looking forward to talking with him some more.

"Gird up the loins of thine endeavor, tha thaply thou mayest guide thy neighbor to the law of God, the Most Merciful. Such an act, verily, excelleth all other acts in the sight of God, the All-Possessing, the Most High."

-Baha'u'llah; Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, CLXI, p. 339

Brrrrr!

It has been raining at least once every day for almost an entire month. Today was the first day that it was a beautiful-albeit cold-day. I think the rain is back tomorrow. The home we are staying is old...poorly insulated and drafty. It stays damp in here. And boy do we feel like some whiny little kids but we can't seem to get warm. We both want to say thanks to our families for holding on to and mailing us those boxes of winter gear! It has been a lifesaver!

Also on the clothes front, I just bought my first suit. I had an interview with a company here that provided training for employees in all types of fields. Through some friends I ended up with an interview for a training program that dealt with retail sales positions. So I bought a plain black suit and had it it (well only the trousers so far) to fit. So now I have a suit. Unfortunately, I don't have the job at which I need to wear the suit. After some agonizing talks the interviewer decided that giving me the job would be like throwing me into the deep end when I didn't know how to swim...or sending me into war with only one bullet...or my favorite, it just isn't my kettle of fish. I really liked that one.

There are a plethora (I love using that word correctly!) of guide dogs being trained in Auckland, I see them all over the place. And most of 'em look like Gobi did as a pup. Also looking for a massage table and I have a contact at a local clinic who only works three half-days a week. Maybe I will give massages in my new suit. Executive massages. Yeah...I can charge more for that!

Ashley is so excited with the direct teaching we have been doing lately. We just started the outreaching full-on today, and we will be doing it intensively until the 31st. It is really neat to see her fears and insecurities at explaining the Faith fall away...and she said that today there was almost no nervousness before we went out to spread the word about some childrens classes in one of the suburbs. If you are part of our family and we have never really sat down with you and explained/talked about the Baha'i Faith and what it means to us, I hope you will let us do that at some point. From my perspective, growing up as a Baha'i, there were a lot of relatives who I wanted to talk with it about, and unfortunately most of the time all I received was prejudice and animosity--even as a child. Of course I was lucky to have parents whose Faith was in agreement with each other and with what I believed (then and now)...I cannot even imagine how hard it would be for my parents and siblings to constantly, openly pass judgments on me. (Which is a bit of a no-no in most of the religions that I have studied, but hey I'm no scholar so I guess it must be okay when you are one) I guess what I am saying is that I have seen a lot of disunity caused by religious beliefs among families...

Baha'u'llah, the prophet-founder of the Baha'i Faith says: O ye that dwell on earth! The religion of God is for love and unity; make it not the cause of enmity or dissension. (Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 220)

Makes sense...what religion is it when we use it to drive wedges and build barriers, to tear apart or hold ourselves above...? We love you all...and just want you to know that if we needed to come home for anyone we would be there in a flash. About a twenty hour flash, that is.

Leaving you with this quote: Say: O servants! Let not the means of order be made the cause of confusion and the instrument of union an occasion for discord. We fain would hope that the people of Baha may be guided by the blessed words: 'Say: all things are of God.' This exalted utterance is like unto water for quenching the fire of hate and enmity which smouldereth within the hearts and breasts of men. By this single utterance contending peoples and kindreds will attain the light of true unity. Verily He speaketh the truth and leadeth the way. He is the All-Powerful, the Exalted, the Gracious.

(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 222)

Auckland for Now

Ever since we arrived in Auckland, and spent our time on Waiheke Island, we have been planning on leaving here and "touring" around the country, wwoofing and camping in various townships and farms, as a way of getting to see the country. Although we never made firm plans, that was the gist of it.

But we also felt that we should ask for guidance from the National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand, since we planned to assist the Baha'i communities in whatever ways possible as we went. We were lucky enough to arrive in the country just in time for one of the forty-one world-wide conferences that the international Baha'i administration called for, in Auckland at the end of January. And we met wonderful people, many of whom told us about their homes and invited us to come to their neck of the woods. We were asked to assist with one of the sectors' children classes, and then we joined a study circle which, once we complete it this Sunday, will allow us to tutor groups of friends in the Ruhi courses which we have completed. We then took part in the youth and children's camps last month, and the number of friends and contacts has grown. Now we have even more friends scattered around this beautiful country waiting for us to come visit.

A point was made to us the other evening...that our energies would be better spent in a longer, concerted efforts of multiple weeks or even months in fewer areas, than in short bursts as we simply passed through and were essentially "sight-seers". We were given an even more specific instruction to remain in the Auckland area, and continue to participate in direct teaching projects going on here, so that we gained the experience to be able to act as resources for other areas at a later time. The mention was also made about leading a teaching team to Saipan, the island I spent time on last year, which I had hoped to go back to with Ashley someday.

We were asked by the Aotearoa Institute head to act as camp "mother and father" for the next Radiant Youth Program, which will be in the second week of July, and we gladly accepted. There is going to be another outreach teaching campaign at that time, as well as the National Youth conference the prior week, all happening in Auckland.

So after looking for campervans for a couple weeks, all this came to pass and we have realized that we don't need a van to travel the country just yet. We have been given a room at a friends home; she lives just up the hill from the National Centre in the Henderson suburb to the west of Auckland City, and there are goats and cats and cows and birds. We might find a little Toyota or Nissan really cheap if we can, and we are going to try and get some part-time work somewhere nearby. That's it in a nutshell.

Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping...

Is it really already May? The fifth month? Ashley and I have been in New Zealand for over three months now, all that time spent in Auckland, and our idea of hopping in a van and traveling around the country on a farm-stay experiment is on permanent hold after some consultation with the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand, as well as one of the Counselors of the Continental Board. But more about that later...

On the 8th of this month it will be six months since our wedding! Wow! At the Radiant Youth camp that we attended a few weeks ago, it was a surprise when the youth would come up to us and talk about what a great couple we were. Not because I don't see it, but because I can remember when I was in that position, looking at others and thinking-often enviously-of how happy they looked and how together they seemed.

Funny thing today, we saw two policemen walking on the sidewalk near the mall as we went to the supermarket, and Ashley remarked at how young they were. "Just babies," she exclaimed. I laughed, and pointed out that this was a sign we were getting old, when we looked around at people and showed surprise at how young they were! Fortunately for both of us, we still look very young, and together we get mistaken for much younger kids. Well I do at least. Lucky me to have a young, beautiful wife! I don't think that Ash gets any benefit from being seen with me. Sometimes I even think of times long ago, when I would see a pretty girl with a dorky looking guy and think, "What does she see in that guy?"...I bet I cause thoughts like that occasionally! Again, lucky me.