Day Seventy Five: The Ultimate Sacrifice

"Humanity, torn with dissension and burning with hate, is crying at this hour for a fuller measure of that love which is born of God, that love which in the last resort will prove the one solvent of its incalculable difficulties and problems."

- Shoghi Effendi

There was a young girl was Down Syndrome on the dalla dalla a few days ago. She was in her school uniform on her way to school. A lot of the people on the bus were teasing her and laughing at her, making fun of her condition. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time I've seen this kind of thing happen. There's only one mental hospital in the whole country and if people have mental difficulties then they are teased and laughed at rather than consoled and helped. It made me so angry to see how they were treating this poor girl, but there was little I could do. I could have started shouting at them to stop it, but they wouldn't have understood me. I could have sheltered the girl, but she might have freaked out. I felt frustrated at myself later for just sitting there and doing nothing, so hopefully it will serve as an incentive for me to stand up and say something next time.

Last week, I nearly lost my temper. More than a month ago, the NTC wrote to two homefront pioneers and sent them some money. The letter instructed them to use the money to settle themselves in their new home and then report back to us when they arrived. Yesterday, Dr. Sabet asked me to check on them because we haven't heard from them yet. I asked about them at the Centre, and they informed me that the money and letters went to a post office box which was locked because no one had paid for it. God only knows how long they've known this. So these homefront pioneers are sitting around waiting on money and instructions from the NTC. In a second's time I went from completely calm to near exploding back to completely calm. I started to ask why they hadn't told me sooner, but I just let it go. It wouldn't do any good. I have no idea why people do the things they do and even if I knew why it wouldn't keep them from doing it. So I just resolved to deal with the situation I've been presented with. I do what I can with what I'm given, and what more can anyone ask?

Last week and this week have been spent preparing for the Institutional Conference, which begins on Thursday and ends Saturday. I've had little instruction as to what to do for it. I guess they thought I did a good job with the National Convention, so of course I'll be fine with the Institutional Conference. The problem is that I've never even been to an Institutional Conference so I have no idea what it's supposed to look like, and the program has changed at least half a dozen times since the end of the National Convention. I've been blundering along as best I can, essentially making it up as I go. I think it will turn out well enough. As usual, Victorina has been a big help to me. Thank God for small favours.

We have gone to Kariakoo twice trying to make arrangements for the guests to stay in a hotel, and we have to return once again in the morning to make a payment to reserve the rooms. The National Office has advised us to rent dallas dallas to take the delegates from the Centre to the hotel at night because Kariakoo is a dangerous place, apparently even to a group of 60. We were originally asked to make the accommodations on the edge of Kariakoo where it's safer to walk, but the prices were high so we went deeper into the area and found something more reasonable. After going a little over budget on the National Convention, I've been trying to be more conscious of the Fund this time around. I hope I'm not being careless with the safety of the friends for the sake of saving some shillings. Frankly, I never imagined myself in a situation where anyone's safety would be in my hands, and yet here I am.

After the Declaration of the Bab, I'm going back to Zanzibar with one of the Baha'i friends. I'll stay there five or six days and then return home for a day before leaving for Arusha for probably two months. I'm not sure if I'll actually be gone that long (the NTC seems nervous about me being away so long), but nothing shorter than a month. The good thing is that Victorina is coming with me to help me tutor the study circles, so at least I'll have a friend and Swahili speaker with me. While we're there, I plan to go to Kampala, Uganda via Nairobi, Kenya to visit the Mother Temple of Africa and spend a little time in Nairobi and Kampala. Depending on time and funds, I may try to visit the friends in Bukoba and Mwanza, too.

Because I'm going to Arusha for "so long" soon, May has been asking me to put her to bed, which involves all of laying beside her to read her a story, putting up the mosquito net, and turning out the light. One of these stories involved a duck thinking about seeking work at the "Peking Duck Factory," which he'd heard involved "the ultimate sacrifice" (being turned into a Peking duck dish). To me, putting a child to bed seems very much like my own personal "ultimate" sacrifice. However, over the past week and a half, I've found out that it isn't so bad. In fact, I've come to see that dealing with children in general doesn't seem to be so bad. Maybe I've been wrong about them all these years. =P