Secondary Retelling3 min●●○○○'Abdu'l-Bahá's ministry (1892–1921)

Hand of the Cause Bill Sears' first glimpse of ‘Abdu’l-Baha

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When in Bahá'í history

1844'Abdu'l-Bahá (1892–1921)2026

Bill Sears was born on March 28, 1911 in Aitkin, Minnesota. At 18 months old his father took him to the Aitkin train station to pick up his aunt. Bill’s wife, Marguerite, later wrote:

As Bill related the story to me, he and his father stood hand-in-hand on the platform. Their ears perked up at the sound of the whistle and they strained their necks as they watched the train chug into sight and sigh to a stop.

Scanning the train, unsure from which car his aunt would alight, the young lad's focus suddenly locked on a man looking out from one of the exits. Ethereal in appearance, the stranger was a vision in white: flowing ankle-length robe, turban, and long, snowy beard to match. Never had the youngster seen anyone like him-not even in picture books.

Mesmerized by the sheer force of the gentleman's presence, the child stood stock still for a few moments, then tugged excitedly at his father's coat, in an unsuccessful attempt to draw his attention to the object of his fascination. But his father's immediate and sole concern lay with the aunt. Her arrival had gone unnoticed by the child whose gaze had not wavered from the sight of the unusual personage to whom he seemed magnetically drawn. The spell broke with the next blow of the whistle.

Wistfully, the boy listened to the engines engage and watched the train and its extraordinary occupant pull out of the station to continue its westward journey. The trio of relatives headed for home. The date was September 20, 1912.

On that date ‘Abdu’l-Baha was enroute to Denver via Minneapolis.

Bill Sears “first dream [of the Man in white] came that night, and others followed, well into Bill's adulthood. They were happy dreams-full of promise-with the man in white beckoning him in one dream to "fish like Peter."

One is full of amazement at the extraordinary spiritual precociousness of this child of eighteen months.

(Adapted from ‘Bill: A Biography of Hand of the Cause of God William Sears’, by Marguerite Reimer Sears)

Source: Baha'i Stories Blog (https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/08/bill-sears-first-glimpse-of-abdul-baha.html).

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Reflection

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Various. *Baha'i Stories Blog*. https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2014/08/bill-sears-first-glimpse-of-abdul-baha.html

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Hand of the Cause Bill Sears' first glimpse of ‘Abdu’l-Baha

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