The Light of Divine Guidance (vol 1)


30 July 1934

Dear Bahá'í Friends,

Your letter of June 19th written on your behalf by Miss &Kostlin has been received, and its contents as well as the accompanying documents and notes have been carefully read by the Guardian. He wishes me to thank you for them all, and to convey to you his deepfelt appreciation of your painstaking labours for the consolidation of the administration in your community. It gives him real pleasure to learn of the spirit with which you are toiling for the attainment of this supreme objective, and he is fervently praying for your guidance and assistance that you may speedily and effectively attain the goal of your heart's desire.

In view of the fact that there are no competent and fully reliable persons here to undertake for him any translations from German, the Guardian would prefer that henceforth you should send him a translation of the minutes of your meetings into English, so that he may be in a position to read them without any difficulty. He fully realizes the difficulties which such a rendering would entail, and for this he wishes to assure you of his abiding appreciation and of his deepfelt gratitude.

In closing may I also express his hope for the success of your next summer school. From various communications and reports recently received from the friends, he gathers that a large number of believers both from Germany and abroad are planning to attend the summer classes. May such a gathering prove to be the right medium for bringing the German believers closer than ever, and for fostering among them the spirit of initiative, of service and of selfless and wholehearted cooperation in the path of service to the Faith....

In the Guardian's own handwriting:

Dear and precious co-workers:

The message you have sent me is indeed most welcome. It has filled my heart with joy and thanksgiving. I am continually urging the friends and pilgrims to visit the German Bahá'í centres and particularly the Esslingen Summer School, as I attach the greatest importance to this vital national institution. I will continue to pray for your success from the depths of my heart.

Your true and grateful brother,

Shoghi 8 September 1934 (Summer School) Dear Friends and co-workers,

On behalf of the Guardian I wish to thank you for your deeply-appreciated message of August 11th which conveyed the gratifying news of the successful conclusion of the meetings and classes held at the annual Bahá'í summer school at Esslingen. He was deeply impressed by the large number of the believers who have attended these gatherings, and particularly by the fact that they were representative of so many different communities both in Germany and abroad. It is his deeply-cherished and long-wished hope that these annual meetings will in the next few years develop into an important center for the teaching and training of Bahá'í teachers, and that through them the knowledge of the Cause will gain an increasing ground throughout Germany and in the neighbouring countries and regions. He would urge each and every one of you to make an effort to attend as regularly and as whole-heartedly as you can the future classes and meetings at Esslingen, and to advise your friends to do the same, so that through the collective and continued labours of you all these annual gatherings may develop both in their scope and in their influence.

The Guardian is ardently supplicating on behalf of you all, and is praying that Bahá'u'lláh may continue to bless, enrich and widen the scope of your labours for the promotion and consolidation of the Faith in your respective communities. With his warmest greetings to you all...

In the Guardian's own handwriting:

Dearly-beloved co-workers:

Your message, which I regard as a compelling evidence of the regenerative power and irresistible march of the Cause of God has brought immense joy to my heart. The convocation of such a representative gathering at such a historic spot, and on the morrow of the unprecedented trials which, through the mysterious dispensations of Providence have so severely afflicted the German believers, is indeed a historic event that every well-wisher of the Cause should heartily and joyously welcome. A splendid beginning has been made. I pray that as a result of the unshakable faith and the persistent endeavours of the German believers this institution may grow in effectiveness and scope and lend a mighty impetus to the spread of the Cause in your promising country.

Your true brother,

Shoghi


The Light of Divine Guidance (vol 1)
pages 58-61

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