Joy

18 Qudrat 163 B.E. - November 21, 2006

The feast of Qawl (Speech) is going to occur tomorrow evening at 7:30 at the Baha’i Center. This is the day I celebrate becoming a Baha’i, because this was the first Feast I attended after I declared my belief in Baha’u’llah. Every feast is a joyous occasion because of the fellowship and the reading of the scriptures. However, the Feast of Speech is a special occasion for me because no matter where I attend, I always remember the first feast I attended.

At the time I declared my faith in Baha’u’llah, I was living in a different Las Vegas area township so I was in a different community. I lived in Paradise Township when I declared my faith. The first feast I attended was at the home of a friend who has now passed into the next world.

I attended feast not knowing what to expect. I knew it would be a different experience from attending church, but I didn’t know how different. A Baha’i feast has three portions (1) the Spiritual, (2) the Business, and (3) the Social portion. I was amazed at what occurred. The scriptures read during the first portion of the feast were from the writings of The Bab, Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha. During the consultation in the second part everyone contributed to the discussion and during the third portion we eat all sorts of goodies and had tea, coffee or soda. During the entire event, I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. At every feast I attend, I can feel the presence of the Spirit of God.