Gracias, Merci, Thanks

Cognates, you gotta love them. I always think about the relationship between thankfulness, grace, and mercy when I see these words. I feel like I come so close to understanding it, but then it slips out of my mind. Oh well, maybe in the next world.

But this is not what I intended to post. Thanksgiving was on Thursday, and I want to offer some thanks.

I am SO THANKFUL for my incredible teaching team! We had Thanksgiving dinner together. Shannon, Kristopher, Daniel, Caroline, and myself make up this most incredible Baha'i family. We were also joined on Thanksgiving day by Caroline's family and Jalal, and also by Mr. Kavelin, whose grave we went to visit across the street. How many people get to spend the holidays with a Universal House of Justice member?

Anyhow, the five of us are called The Wayfarers, after the quote from the Baha'i Writings that essentially serves as our mission statement (and seeing as how we've done most of our Ruhi together, it makes sense for us to focus on a quote that's repeated over again in half the books!).

"O wayfarer in the path of God! Take thou thy portion of the ocean of His grace, and deprive not thyself of the things that lie hidden in its depths. Be thou of them that have partaken of its treasures. A dewdrop out of this ocean would, if shed upon all that are in the heavens and on the earth, suffice to enrich them with the bounty of God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. With the hands of renunciation draw forth from its life-giving waters, and sprinkle therewith all created things, that they may be cleansed from all man-made limitations and may approach the mighty seat of God, this hallowed and resplendent Spot.

"Be not grieved if thou performest it thyself alone. Let God be all-sufficient for thee. Commune intimately with His Spirit, and be thou of the thankful. Proclaim the Cause of thy Lord unto all who are in the heavens and on the earth. Should any man respond to thy call, lay bare before him the pearls of the wisdom of the Lord, thy God, which His Spirit hath sent down unto thee, and be thou of them that truly believe. And should any one reject thine offer, turn thou away from him, and put thy trust and confidence in the Lord, thy God, the Lord of all worlds.

"By the righteousness of God! Whoso openeth his lips in this Day and maketh mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. On him shall also descend the Concourse on high, each bearing aloft a chalice of pure light. Thus hath it been foreordained in the realm of God's Revelation, by the behest of Him Who is the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 279)

Right now we're in something of a consolidation phase, as Shannon and I help the other members get through the sequence of courses as quickly and thoroughly as possible. But we have 4 devotional gatherings, 2 Ruhi Book 1's, and a junior youth group between us. We are starting to teach up a storm! Kristopher and Caroline are both finishing up Book 7, so will have just doubled our tutors! Amazing things will come of The Wayfarers, believe me. Amazing things already have.