- “Your steadfastness,
- your unsparing devotion,
- your self-sacrifice in
upholding and fostering the institutions of the Cause;
- the notable advance you
have achieved in the coordination of your activities;
- the remarkable solicitude
you have shown, and
- the magnificent response
you have made on behalf of the oppressed and needy among your brethren;
- the measures you have
initiated,
- the hindrances you have
removed and
- the means and methods you
have perfected…”
May I at the outset reaffirm my feelings of gratitude and
keen appreciation for the eminent share which the friends in America,
individually as well as by their collective efforts, have contributed to ease
the burden of responsibility and care that has so often oppressed my heart.
Your steadfastness, your unsparing devotion; your self-sacrifice in upholding
and fostering the institutions of the Cause; the notable advance you have
achieved in the coordination of your activities; the remarkable solicitude you
have shown, and the magnificent response you have made on behalf of the
oppressed and needy among your brethren; the measures you have initiated, the
hindrances you have removed and the means and methods you have perfected --
these and others beside have established you in the confidence, the esteem and
the admiration of all the Baha’i world. I personally appreciate and am thankful
for your unfailing supplications and special prayers on my behalf. I am deeply
touched by your expressions of unwavering faith, of loyalty and affection, and
fully reciprocate your brotherly sentiments and your keen desire and readiness
to collaborate with me more closely and effectively than ever before.
- Shoghi
Effendi (From a message to 1925 Baha’i Convention at Green Acre; Baha’i News no.
6, July-August, 1925; ‘Baha’i Administration’)