Letter of July 24, 1955
Haifa, Israel,
July 24, 1955
Mr. James Heggie, Secretary,
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand.
Dear Bahá’í Brother:
Your letters of July 27, August 5, and November 16, 1954, and January 21, and July 5, 1955, with enclosures, have been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He is very happy over the progress which has been made in the area under your Assembly’s jurisdiction during the past year. The news of the purchase of the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Auckland was most welcome. The acquisition of this building is really one of the pre-requisites for the formation of the National Assembly of New Zealand; he hopes that the impetus this has given to the work of the Faith there, combined with the devotion of the Bahá’ís will speed the formation of local Assemblies, which alone constitute the necessary firm foundation for the National Body, a Body which will be one of the direct pillars supporting the International House of Justice. He urges, therefore, your Assembly to give all the teaching help it can to New Zealand; and to encourage the believers there to do their utmost to achieve their goals.
The wonderful spirit the pioneers from Australia and New Zealand have shown is a source of pride to the Guardian. Aleady they have garnered many rich prizes for the Faith in the form of such romantic, remote and inaccessible isles as Tonga, the Solomons and the Society Islands. Their determination, devotion and courage are exemplary in every way; and he hopes they will persevere, and not abandon their posts.
It must be made quite clear to the Bahá’ís that opening a new territory or a new town for that matter, meritorious as it is, is nevertheless only the first move. The consolidation of the Bahá’í work undertaken there is the most important thing of all. Victories are won usually through a great deal of patience, planning and perseverance, and rarely accomplished at a single stroke.
He was very glad to see that your Assembly had promptly gone to the aid of Mr. Blum. Without the support you gave him so generously and quickly, he might well have been forced to abandon this important post, which would have indeed been a great defeat to our work.