An American family once wrote to the Master, asking if they might visit Him
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When in Bahá'í history
Haifa (today: Haifa, Israel)
An American family once wrote to the Master, asking if they might visit Him. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who had travelled so far without comforts, replied, 'When you may travel in comfort, then you may come.' So, in 1919, after the first World War, it was arranged that the Randalls, along with others, should start for Haifa, in Palestine.
Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 88
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: consideration).
Discuss this story
For adults
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
- What in your own life does this story bring to mind?
- Where do devotion and patience meet in this story?
For teens
- If you were in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's place, what might you have done?
- What does this story teach about devotion?
Reflection
- Read the passage a second time, slowly. What did you notice that you missed the first time?
- What in this account feels timely? What feels timeless?
- If you could bring one quality from this story into your next conversation, what would it be?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "An American family once wrote to the Master, asking if they might visit Him" drawn from?
Where does this story take place?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/consideration
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