The Power of Ruhi

Oh I love recounting good news!!! And this is definitely one of them.

FYI, this is a Baha'i-related account, if you are a picky reader!!:-)

What shall I caption this? How about: "Enrollments on the Rise in Cameroon"

Well, I have heard several accounts and I would like to quote my dear brother, Sahba Frooghi, who shared some of the information with me. Sahar also encouraged me to write about it.

In several of the clusters in Cameroon, particularly the priority A-level clusters, the Baha'i friends have launched Intensive Programs of Growth (IPGs) over the last few years. Until recently, results have been slow in coming. But in the last 11th and 12th cycles of expansion and consolidation, the friends have seen tremendous results. What has changed?

What has changed is the way the friends are applying the lessons and skills acquired through the Institute Process!! More specifically, the use of Direct Teaching with the aid of Anna's Presentation from Ruhi Book 6.
[For those friends who might not be familiar with what Anna's Presentation is: it is a systematic and well thought-out way of presenting the Baha'i Faith to non-Baha'is put together by the Ruhi Institute, and is contained in Ruhi Book 6].

Well, back to my story...the friends in Cameroon have been realizing incredible results using this visual aid. In the last cycle, number of enrollments - Fako: 14; Douala: 25 and Yaounde: 28. While in the current cycle, with only 1 1/2 weeks gone, Kumba and Kombone have seen 62 declarations and Fako 9.

What's more, the friends who enroll are not left to themselves but are lovingly guided and nurtured through the core activities until they themselves start taking ownership of the Cause. An example is a Bafut man who lives in Great Soppo, Buea. [Notice the man is from my tribe:-) ]. After enrolling, he soon bacame a member of the LSA, and then turned around and taught the Faith to his two Bafut friends, a husband and wife...and what do you know?...they also declared! Auntie Fariba Frooghi mentioned in an email that some people said that they had heard of the Baha'i Faith before, but that nobody had come and talked to them about it quite that way before. Isn't that amazing?

Of course, besides teaching, the friends are diligently carrying on with all the core activities. Like Dan Reimer, our Arkansas ABM had told us, core activities are only a means to an end - to a more effective way of teaching. They are important in keeping these new human resources nurtured and strenghtened in the Faith. Also, the institutions in Cameroon do everything to facilitate the process. They even invited friends from Central African Republic, which is a country with some very advanced clusters, to come and share their learning experiences with them. Wonderful.

I will tell you why I am so touched by this story. People like Sahar, Dibo, Sahba, Claudine, Gustaff, Steven, David... and all my wonderful friends with whom we taught the Faith in Cameroon back in the day will understand. Back then, when we were teenagers and youth, we taught the Faith in Cameroon. We went to villages and towns. We gave it our very best; but we were not always systematic. There wasn't always a follow-through plan for the people who became interested. But it's worth mentioning, and Sahar will have me add :-), how enriching those teaching trips were. And yes, they were lots and lots of fun, especially when I think of us English-speaking Baha'is learning to speak a few good phrases in French so that we could introduce the Faith to French-speaking non-Baha'is. The interesting part came when the questions started coming...fast! After struggling for a while and getting nowhere, we will say, "wait", while we dashed to pull over one of our friends who could speak better French to come over and help us. We learned a lot from the people we met; had some great adventures and challenges, and built real bonds amongst ourselves. OK...let me get back on track....

Now the Universal House of Justice has given us the Ruhi Institute and the steps and approaches to utilize. Like many communities, it has taken Cameroon a while to get to where it is now, and it is still growing. But the community has trusted in the guidance of the House, and is now seeing the results. It is so moving as to bring me to tears of happiness. Finally, we are beginning to get it!!!!

Post Script!! A special tribute to my mother. She was made a Cluster Institute Coordinator for her cluster in Douala and she entered full swing into her role; embracing it with all her heart as she does everything else in her life. I am so proud of her!!!

The Poisonwood Bible

I read this fabulous book called "The Poisonwood Bible" set against the backdrop of Belgian Congo during its turbulent times in the mid 20th Century. The decades that followed as it fought for independence from Belgian rule, the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, its first elected prime minister, and its slow and painful path towards reconstruction. If you haven't read the book, please find it and read it, especially if you are of African descent. It is written by Barbara Kingsolver.

In the book, a Baptist minister takes his family of five - wife and four daughters - to the Congo to, according to him, bring the pagan and lost souls of the Congo people to Baptism and Jesus, and thus teach them and save them in the process. Well, it turns out that the trip isn't at all what they expected. Their supplies and even their bible didn't save them from the transformation that they underwent and the experiences they witnessed. It is a very moving story. It is amazing how the entire experience plays out through their eyes and through the eyes of the simple but profound people of Kilanga among whom they lived for about 18 months. None of them left there the same. And none of them were ever able to shake the Congo off their backs again...it is almost as if they didn't have the option. The story is written through the eyes of the children, each one telling her story as their lives in Central Africa unfurled before their eyes each day. The children said that the whiteman came to impose on Africa, but they soon found out that they had failed, because just like its jungles that grow wild and have a life of their own, Africa too has a life of its own and all you can do is get swept into the tide and hold on the best you can.

One of the children who ended up staying in Africa much longer than the others was quick to notice that there is a world of difference between the games they, as American children, played and the games a Congolese child of 9 or 10 played. While an American child will play "Hide and Seek", "Mother, May I", and other games like that, a Congolese child will play real life games like "Find Firewood", "Recognize Poisonwood", "Build a House", and such. Life was real and full of responsibilities for a child even at that age.

More and more, I am realizing that the books I enjoy the most are books that dwell on real-life experiences or based on real life, and especially those that deal with Africans and their association with the West and Europe. It always gives me something to reflect on. The book: "Do They Hear You When You Cry" is another one of those.

By the way, when I returned "The Poisonwood Bible" to its owner, John Tolleson, and told him how much I enjoyed it and that I planned to buy my own copy, he gave me his copy as a gift. I was very grateful. He is a very nice person.

Post Script:
So much of this story relates to my life while growing up in Cameroon, West Africa. As a child, you learned quickly to be responsible. If you grew up in the city, it might be a little easier for you, but whenever you went to visit grandparents or relatives in the village, you were quickly brought down to earth again. I remember the days when we'd visit my father's village, Bafut. It is situated in a beautiful, lush green, hilly part of the NorthWest Province. I still picture us fetching water from streams at the bottom of treacherous hills. I would struggle with the weight of my modest-sized kettle of water, while children who had lived in the village all their lives and were half my age carried pots almost bigger than themselves as we labored back up the hills. There was always enough to eat though.... Cameroon is one of those countries in Africa blessed with abundant food and good soil. But preparing the food...aha, now that was another story!! It often entailed fetching the food from the farms, fixing it for cooking (cleaning the yams or plantains, skinning the meat, shedding the corn, etc), making the wood fire in the smoke kitchen house, and then sitting in the kitchen around the fire while the food cooked and smoke swirled all around you. Bathing was also an experience; usually this was in the stone bathroom or by the river in a certain, particular area, so as not to contaminate the drinking water portion of the river. The latrines too were another story...a scary one. Usually, my sister, my brother and I will stall until we could no longer hold it in our bodies, then we had to go. The latrines were basically several plantain stalks lined up in straight lines with holes bored after every three or so stalks. So several of us could use it at the same time...although that was a part that my siblings and I never got used to. It was an interesting experience. Short of making any reader hang their mouth in awe, I won't go on to describe the almost indescribable feeling as you heard your s**t join the others at the bottom of the not-too-deep pit.

Anyway, enough of that. But life in the village was nothing but memorable, in a very fond way most of the time. People help each other, whether it is with cultivating the land or erecting a house; they share freely; they call on each other and stay all night long when a loved one dies; they celebrate every joy and sorrow together, usually births, deaths, or even a good harvest; their hearts are wide open...to give and to receive...as you can imagine; they completely trust each other you hardly hear of a neighbor stealing from another. Life is really very simple, if you think about it. A family gets up on a typical morning, and knows exactly what the day would be like from the first crow of the rooster till the sun sets behind the distant hills. Sweep around the yard, go tie the goats, let out the chicken, start the morning fire for some late morning left-overs. The children then go fetch wood and water, playing and teasing each other on the way, and picking fruits and nuts. The men go clear the fields while the women go to their farms, fetch food and return to start their fires for the afternoon meal....and so on until the animals are led back in at dusk and the pot is again set on the fire for the evening meal. Of course, there are fun dances and festivals in the village square every now and then. These are so fun. Everyone is there and there is much food and dancing and drumming. The town crier or the talking drum usually informs people of upcoming events. Church and village meetings are on Sundays. Life there is really not complicated at all. Now, after all these years, I realize how much we took that sincere, down-to-earth way of life for granted, and I remember those days now...sometimes with nostalgia.

Fun is, I never for once wondered how my Persian sisters and brothers who stayed there with us for a while really faired. I knew it wasn't easy, but now I realize that I never understood just how difficult it was for them. Not having their mindset, I took it for granted that it was just a process and they'll soon adapt. But to what extent different people are affected by such experiences, I didn't stop to think because the life was so normal to me.

But, much like the Price children put it, in the novel I was telling you about, you can't just dismiss the experiences you have in Africa. It stays with you and it affects your perception of things one way or the other. My American and Persian friends too have told me as much.

The Fombes Visit Aaron

February 2008

Ba Fombe, Ma Angeline, Samgwa'a, Samgella, Feh, and Mami F (my grandma) visited Aaron at his trailer on the rig site. They had a good time. And they took him some eru - his tribal dish - which he enjoyed very much. As you will see in the pictures, Aaron enjoyed giving them the grand tour.

I also got a couple of days of Valentine romance - since there is no guarantee Aaron will be home for Valentine's day. We seize our chance whenever we can!!:-) We had our own special, private celebration.

That is Aaron's trailer you are looking at, and his very dirty truck close by:-) It was very muddy around the rig floor because it had snowed a few days back.
Feh was certainly having a good time!
I couldn't resist the sunset in the background!
Hmm, Ma Angeline. You are looking real chic standing there!!:-)
In Aaron's trailer

Ah, eru and yam fufu


Our Valentine days!!
The tangible gift I got was a massage chair. It was a great gift cuz I have so much trouble with my back and a lot of pain every now and then. It was very thoughtful of my husband to get that for me. You can't ask me what I got him though....:-)

ABM Visits Springdale Cluster

Dan Reimer - our wonderful Auxiliary Board Member visited 25 through 27 January

Mr. Reimer is from Fort Worth, Texas, and we are always so happy to see him. He is really an inspiration and full of love and encouragement. Also very, very knowledgeable in the letters and guidance from the House of Justice.

He met with individuals and LSAs on Saturday and then he met with the cluster on Sunday. He shared with us updates on the cluster development in some of the A and B clusters, as well as the lessons that are being learned. Then we looked at our own progress and shared our own experiences. We concluded with a wonderful participatory exercise on how to invite seekers to our core activities. We broke up in pairs and role-played. Then we each made a list of names and planned to pray for each of the persons on our lists for at least a month while developing strategies to get them involved in our activities. He also introduced us to the Ruhi Book 6 visual aid of Anna's presentation so that we could use it in our introduction to the Faith. It was such an inspiring gathering.

Below, Sunday 27th, the friends sing a song to welcome Dan Reimer to the cluster.

Saturday 26 - At Kamran and Perla Talebi's home. A social gathering. Usually largely attended by non-Baha'is. Dan is in the middle and Lani on the right.
Kamran's parents - Tuba and Amin Talebi. Really wonderful Baha'is.
Some of the Baha'i friends chatting after most of the friends had left.