To all National
Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá'í friends,
The historic and
dazzling accomplishment last year of a feat in pioneering unparalleled in the
annals of our Faith should not blind us either to the need of filling the
remaining gaps which are still open, or to the ever-present necessity of
reinforcing the settled territories with a well-conceived programme of
consolidation.
The tasks that lie
ahead of us in this particular field of Bahá'í activity are as follows:
1. As pointed out in
the Ridvan Message, the settlement of the minimum number of pioneers called for
under last year's goals should be completed. A recent letter has been sent to
all National Assemblies responsible for supplying manpower, calling on them to
find and dispatch as soon as possible the pioneers to the few remaining territories
for which no offers have as yet been received and to expedite the completion of
those projects which are in process.
2. The pioneers who
have already settled or are settling in their posts, particularly in virgin and
unoccupied territories must be reminded that their movement to their goals is
far from being a short stay designed to class a particular territory or island
as opened, or label it as having received one or more pioneers, even if, in
some cases, new believers native to the land have been enrolled. It is
basically and clearly intended to establish the Faith of God securely and
firmly in the hearts of people of the area and to ensure that its divinely
ordained institutions are understood, adopted and operated by them. The
perseverance of the pioneers in their posts, however great the sacrifices
involved, is an act of devoted service, which, as attested by our teachings,
will have an assured reward in both worlds. The admonitions of the Guardian on
this subject are too numerous to cite and amply demonstrate the vital nature of
this clear policy.
