May the Almighty bless your efforts, guide and sustain you, and aid you to win great victories in the service of His Faith,

Your true brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 31 MAY 1957

31 May 1957

To the Baha'is of Salzburg

Dear Baha'i Friends:

Your letter of May 16th was received, and the beloved Guardian wishes to a.s.sure you of how happy he is over the formation of the Salzburg a.s.sembly, and to see that you not only have nine Baha'is but ten Baha'is!

He hopes that during the coming months, you will each attract many new souls, enlarge your Community and confirm especially Austrians who will remain there, and free the pioneers for further services in new fields.

You may be sure he will remember you in the holy Shrines....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Almighty bless your valued endeavours, guide and sustain you in your historic services to His Faith, and enable you to promote its vital interests,

Your true brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 4 JUNE 1957

4 June 1957

Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Graz.

Dear Baha'i Friends:

The beloved Guardian received your letter of May 31, and he is very happy to have this opportunity of congratulating your Spiritual a.s.sembly upon its formation.

He was also delighted to hear there are so many Baha'is in Graz. Perhaps you can spare a pioneer, if you find your a.s.sembly will be a.s.sured next April, to one of the weaker places in Austria, and thus help build up yet another administrative centre.

You may be sure he will pray for you all, and he urges you to labor together in the greatest love and unity for the promotion of the Faith....

[From the Guardian:]

May the Beloved guide your steps, remove all obstacles from your path, bless every effort you exert, and fulfil every desire you cherish, for the promotion of His Faith, and the consolidation of the newly established a.s.sembly,

Your true brother, Shoghi

LETTER OF 4 JUNE 1957(58)

4 June 1957

He greatly appreciates the services you have been able to render the Faith in Austria, and feels that you have every reason to be satisfied, now that you see that a Spiritual a.s.sembly was established in Graz. The fact that the friends there did not cable him makes no difference at all. Not all of the new a.s.semblies cable.

You will be able, he hopes, on your return to Germany, to a.s.sist in the formation of a new Spiritual a.s.sembly there, through taking up your residence where there is a Group. In this way you will be strengthening the Home Front, which is also a very important phase of our Baha'i activities. If you must go back to Stuttgart, he hopes you can still live in its neighbourhood and be instrumental in forming another a.s.sembly, rather than to be just one more Baha'i in an already crowded Community. As you perhaps already know, he has urged the large communities to send out pioneers. Indeed, if only fifteen Baha'is remained in each city, willing to serve, it would be quite sufficient to maintain the Spiritual a.s.sembly.

The sooner the rest would arise to pioneer, the better it would be for them and for the Faith.

LETTER OF 22 JULY 1957

22 July 1957

He was indeed happy to hear that the teaching work in Frankfurt is going forward so rapidly, and that such fine people are becoming deeply interested. He hopes, through these meetings, many new souls will become Baha'is, who will be active supporters of the Faith there.

LETTER OF 7 AUGUST 1957

7 August 1957

Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Graz

Dear Baha'i Friends:

The beloved Guardian has received your letter of July 3rd with its enclosure, and has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.

He was very sorry to hear of the death of Mehrangiz Mashoodi. Her devotion to the Faith will no doubt be rewarded in the Abha Kingdom.

He appreciates your sending him the fine newspaper article about her.

Please a.s.sure her mother of his prayers for her and her daughter's soul.

He hopes other Persian Baha'i Youth will follow her n.o.ble example.