Glimpses Into 41 Conferences

Baha'i Perspectives November 13th, 2008

Ended:
Lusaka, Johannesburg, Nakuru, Bangui, Bangalore, Uvira, Quito, New Delhi, Kolkata, Lubumbashi, Antofagasta, Manila, Yaoundé, Portland, Chicago, Atlanta, Almaty, Stamford, Dallas, Los Angeles, Kuching, São Paolo, Kuala Lumpur, London, Abidjan,Toronto, Guadalajara, Lae, Vancouver, Managua, Ulaanbaatar, Sydney, Madrid, Auckland, Battambang, Frankfurt, Padua, Istanbul, Baku, Accra, Kiev

Still to come:

What is this?

If you’ve attended a conference, we’d love to read your experiences!

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14 Responses to “Glimpses Into 41 Conferences”

  1. # Shadi on 14 Nov 2008 at 10:49 pm

    I attended the Nakuru conference! It was amazing! There were over 1,500 participants from Kenya, Mozambique, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, & Uganda. It was a time to celebrate the achievements of our communities to date and reflect on next steps. We broke out into smaller groups by region and looked at individual needs of various communities (i.e. strengthening children’s classes, ensuring communities have a sustainable number of tutors for study circles, etc.). I left the conference refreshed and focused.

  2. # Baha'i Perspectives on 14 Nov 2008 at 11:08 pm

    Amazing! Thank you for sharing this, Shadi.

    Dear readers, if you have also attended a conference, please comment on your experiences. Let’s build up a running log of conference highlights!

  3. # phillipe on 15 Nov 2008 at 2:08 am

    I have not attended one yet but will be attending the one in the northeastern U.S. I’m looking forward to blogging about it. It is really exciting.

  4. # Paul Ancheta on 23 Nov 2008 at 4:26 pm

    KOLKATA CONFERENCE:

    It finally happened and it’s a certified smashing success, thanks to the zealous and focused participation of 1600 friends from Bangladesh and Bhutan joined friends from the eastern states of India (Assam, Sikkim, Manipur, West Bengal, and others). Graced by the presence of Dr. Penny Walker and Mrs. Zenaida Ramirez of the International Teaching Centre, the conference brimmed with energy and commitment.

    Watch for my writeup and photos very soon.

  5. # Baha'i Perspectives on 23 Nov 2008 at 5:12 pm

    Great news! Watch for Paul’s conference summary on http://www.paulancheta.com/ – and of course a selection of pictures will soon be up on http://news.bahai.org.

  6. # Malik on 10 Dec 2008 at 4:10 am

    From “Toward the Light”:

    The teachings of my faith revolve around justice, and this past weekend, I received a profoundly moving confirmation of my belief that justice will inevitably prevail on this planet. I attended a regional Baha’i conference in Atlanta, one of a series of 41 global conferences dedicated to a single purpose: systematically studying and reflecting on the implications of the teachings that underlie the system of justice that we are building, and applying their principles in our individual and community lives. We are not waiting for justice to come to us; we are not looking for deliverance; we are establishing a system of justice for ourselves, step-by step, person by person, neighborhood by neighborhood, instititution by institution. It’s more than revolution. It’s transformation. And being part of a transformative enterprise is breathtaking.

  7. # Saleem Vaillancourt on 29 Dec 2008 at 6:15 pm

    The representative from the Supreme Body is addressing Kuala Lumpur’s plenary session. But all the little Malay boy sees is my handwriting. He can’t stop peering down at it, quizical and bemused, the illegible blue lines that loop and trip along the page.

    He must think that all westerners write in an arcane style; if only he knew that my penmanship is uniquely atrocious. The counsellor from Haifa marches on, unwinding a spool of guidance on the healthy dynamics of growth. But the boy keeps gazing at my looseleaf pages. I catch his eye and smile, welcoming his quiet inquisition. I nod to the sheaf and pick up the pages, offering them to him. Abashed and delighted, he hesitates yet accepts.

    His sister peers over his shoulder and they inspect my work. I am surrounded by true Malays, in a corner of the conference where English is limited and the steadfast rural dedication of these friends is far from the ephemeral distractions of our globalised lives.

    The young Malay boy leads his finger along the leaning lines of my script. His sister frowns and shakes her head. They mutter to each other and giggle, shrug; he is me peering at scribbled Sanscrit. I am his unknowing gaze at ancient and runic stone-cut tablets.

    But suddenly they pause in their amusement. The Malay boy’s sister recognises a word. She looks to him for agreement and he nods. From a tangled blue mess of wires they single out the electric current. It’s the only word that matters, the one worth nine and countless lives, the one that says Bahá.

  8. # Baha'i Perspectives on 29 Dec 2008 at 8:48 pm

    :-)

    Beautiful imagery.

  9. # Saleem Vaillancourt on 30 Dec 2008 at 6:38 pm

    Thank you!

  10. # doshann on 31 Dec 2008 at 6:48 pm

    WOW! What a conference it was! i joined the conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One beautiful and inspiring conference. Our hearts were filled with even more joy with the presence of the representative from the Beloved Universal House of justice and a few counselors. There were about 3300 friends from Malaysia, Korea, Singapore and Myanmar who joined to celebrate this conference. I have never witness such a big crowd of Bahai’s in Malaysia. A couple of days after the conference we also had a special youth conference where the counselors and the member of the ITC were present. Inspiring us and sharing with us the beauty of teaching. And that we as youths should put all our youthful energy and effort in spreading the Word of God. Doubly blessed we were. I personally felt so excited and inspired by attending this conference. Those friends out there still waiting for the conferences to be held in your region. DON’T DONT and DON”T miss this conference. Let us all arise to the call of our beloved Universal House of Justice. Allah’u'Abha.

  11. # Baha'i Perspectives on 02 Jan 2009 at 9:09 pm

    Awesome news! By our calculations, the KL conference is the second biggest so far. Let’s see how London fares this weekend. Like doshann says: DON’T DONT and DON”T miss the conference in your area :-)

  12. # Deborah Noble on 26 Jan 2009 at 7:27 am

    I have just returned home from attending the conference in Sydney, Australia.

    I am overwhelmed and empowered and humbled and emotionally charged by all those who attended and the love and prayers of those who could not. Our conference was attended by somewhere in the vacinity of 5,400 believers and had 6,000 registrations for this most holy weekend.

    My heart and my prayers go to those in countries who do not or did not have the same priveleges as we did, who had to sacrifice much to be in attendance and these brave Baha’i souls are an inspiration to those of us who have it so easy.

    The “light bulb” moment of my experience at this most precious conference was the fact that we are those who will go down in history. We are the “pioneers” of the faith. We are the ones who are trying to open the doors for all future generations to be able to bathe in the light of God and to recieve his love unheaded.

    In the words of Baha’u'llah (Epistle to the Son of the Wolf):
    “The Divine Messengers have been sent down, and their books were revealed, for the purpose of promoting the knowledge of God, and of further unity and fellowship amongst men. But now behold, how they have made the Law of God a cause and pretext for perversity and hatred. How pitiful, how regrettable, that most men are cleaving fast to, and have busied themselves with, the things they possess, and are unaware of, and shut out as by a veil from, the things God possesseth.”

    It is our time and our responsibility to teach and help turn civilisation around, move out of those dark ages of war and poverty and hatred – this task is huge but it will be done and we are the forces who will set the stage for that implementation and movement towards peace and harmony. It is also something we will probably not see in our human lifetimes, but we will know that we have paved the way for the future and the future of our generations to live in the beauty and bounty offered by God.

  13. # Baha'i Perspectives on 26 Jan 2009 at 1:19 pm

    Marvellous! Such exciting news from Down Under! Thank you for sharing your “light bulb” moment – I’m sure all who attended these conferences experienced similar epiphanies, leaving them charged with energy to do the work of the Cause. All the best in continuing the work of the Plan in your community.

  14. # LizKauai [Kiwi] Asus on 03 Feb 2009 at 10:59 am

    I am just getting ready to head back to Kauai after attending the Auckland Conference. What an eye-opener! I am returning with a new outlook and commitment to the success of the Five Year Plan. Our area will have more activities than ever and lots of good stories to share soon!

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