That in every one of you our departed Master reposed His
future and truest hopes for an able and convincing presentation of the Cause to
the outside world, is abundantly revealed in His spoken and written words to
you, as well as in His general references to the spirit of sincerity, of
tenacity and devotion that animates His friends of that land.
The fierce tests that have raged over that island in the past; the calm and
determination with which they have been so bravely faced and surmounted; the
seeds of loving fellowship that the Beloved in person has more than once
scattered in its soil; the rise, as its result, of a few but indeed capable,
reliable, devoted and experienced followers and admirers of the Cause; the
splendid and in many instances unique opportunities that are yours -- these
indeed are cherished thoughts for a land that illumines its past and should
cheer its future. (Shoghi Effendi, excerpt from a letter dated 16 December
1922 to Baha'is in Great Britain; The Unfolding Destiny of the British Baha'i
Community, p. 10) (To see the entire letter please visit Messages to the
Baha'i World)
