Bahá'í Gemeinde Plochingen--&Goppingen Dear Bahá'í Friends:
Your joint letter to our beloved Guardian, dated Jan. 19th, and announcing the formation of your joint Assembly, reached him, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf and congratulate you on this great step forward you have taken.
He hopes that in the near future your numbers will grow sufficiently to enable you to form two separate Spiritual Assemblies, and he assures you all that he will pray in the Holy Shrines that this objective may speedily be achieved.
Your services, in these days of toil and trouble for your native land, are of the utmost importance and upon them depends the future course of events in its spiritual unfoldment...
In the Guardian's own handwriting:
May the Beloved of our hearts bless, guide and sustain you in your devoted endeavours and continued services to His Cause, aid you to extend the range of your activities, and enable you to win mighty victories for His Faith,
Your true brother,
Shoghi March 1947
Bahá'u'lláh has given His wonderful teachings and His New World Order to all men; it is up to each individual to accept this Divine Message and promote its healing laws and principles for himself. No one can decide for you what you must do. Your own heart must tell you that your place is serving this struggling new Faith in the days when it is still, for the most part, unrecognized by the masses. In the future, when it has won more adherents, and its true stature becomes obvious to all, it will not require the courage to sponsor it which it does today!
We must always remember that the administrative Order is a means to an end, an instrument to co-ordinate and unify the efforts of the Bahá'ís. It is still imperfectly understood by them, but very great progress has been made already. Now, through this administration, it is becoming possible to at last bring the knowledge of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings to the masses, and this is a field you could render great services in. Your fire, your love for your fellow men, are qualities much needed in our work, and Shoghi Effendi hopes you will feel the urge to plunge yourself into the service of this glorious Cause.
In Germany there is such a demand for the teachings that the German Bahá'ís, exhausted from the war and hampered by restrictions on travel, etc., find it almost impossible to meet the call on their teaching abilities. They are a very devoted, well organized Community, but could surely use all the extra help they can get. If you could see your way clear to go to Germany and aid them in the teaching work, it would be rendering that suffering land a great spiritual service.