Year of Service: Jamaica (2)

Post 2:

Service

A member of the National Spiritual Assembly (NSA) of Jamaica picked Josh up from the airport and took him to Port Antonio, the largest city in the parish of Portland, where he would stay with a Baha’i college instructor. With no expectations of the year to come, Josh left his heart open to become a pure channel, a true instrument of service.

Carrying out tasks for individual community members were among the services rendered. In one instance, Josh was asked to find rubber booties for the bottom of a community member’s crutches. The booties could only be found in Kingston, the capitol of Jamaica, also considered by some to be among the most dangerous cities in the world. Downtown Kingston is considered especially dangerous, to the point where even locals avoid its streets, which are occupied by massive rats. Even the city bus refused to drive to downtown Kingston. Nonetheless, Josh walked to his destination. In his words, he simply “didn’t consider not going” at that point. He obtained the booties and left with no major ordeals.

In another instance, Josh was to pick up the elected delegate for National Convention and drive her to the convention. “There are no schedules in Jamaica” Josh explains, and so he reminded the delegate two weeks before, one week before, a day before, and the hour before the convention to ensure a timely pick-up. When the delegate walked out of her house, she seemed sheepish, as though she wanted to ask a question but was too shy. Finally, she asked Josh, “Who is Baha’u’llah?” Such was the nature of the Faith in the area: although individuals had declared as Baha’is, there was a real need for consolidation.

The Ruhi process had barely been introduced at the time of Josh’s service and, although he had no experience prior to his arrival in Jamaica, he tutored Books 1 and 2 as part of his service to assist the community’s process of consolidation.

Year of Service: Jamaica (1)

Post 1:

The following experiences are the result of an interview with Josh Ritson, son of the current caretakers at NABI. He currently resides in Nevada with his wife Galia, who is from Mexico. Nine years after his year of service, Josh has shared stories and insights that youth currently pondering their own year of service will find both useful and intriguing. His story will be posted in four installments.

It Begins…


At 19 years old, Josh Ritson faced a decision many grapple with after high school: what next? Following graduation, his mother presented him with two options, go to college or go on a year of service.


After obtaining a list of countries from the Office of Pioneering, Josh narrowed his options down to two English speaking countries where he would be interested in offering a year of service: Hawai’i and Jamaica. Hawai’i had already recently received a youth volunteer and so, without knowing much about the country or the nature of the adventure on which he was to embark, Josh bought a plane ticket to Jamaica. He was scheduled to fly out a mere 3 day after making the initial decision to go.


Before his entrance into the country, an immigration official asked Josh about the nature and length of his stay, and who he planned to stay with. Unsure of any specifics, Josh could only say that he was planning to stay for a year in service to the community.

The Grand Canyon Conference

December 23-26

Not much rivals the sight of hundreds of Baha’is. People rush up to greet friends they haven’t seen in years. Strangers meet up and learn about each other’s communities, and find out they live in very different places, and yet are also very similar. The energy radiates out into the atmosphere when so many who share their deepest beliefs, and love for Baha’u’llah, convene. One realizes the scope of the word “world citizen” after seeing and hearing from so many Baha’is, all working to build a New World Order based on spiritual principles.

My experience at The Grand Canyon Conference in Phoenix, Arizona was multi-faceted. From one angle, I assisted a children’s class for a day and gained capacity learning from other teachers. I saw what deep thinkers children can be, and also experienced their radiant joy as dozens of children participated in a sing-along led by musical artists Erik Dozier and JB Eckl.

From another angle, I experienced firsthand the development of the arts in the Baha’i Faith in its most nascent stages. NABI set up an art vendor with artwork from various Navajo Baha’is, mostly jewelry but also pottery and nine-pointed star wall-hangings. Beside us sat Nikki Kinne, a watercolor artist displaying her paintings of the Holy Land. I found her perspective on the development of Baha’i art interesting: the art of the believers now in this early stage of the Faith will be so valuable in the future, when mankind is looking back upon the work of the earliest Baha’is and the subjects they chose to paint. The conference was especially rich in the field of music, with performances from an African drumming group, vocalists from a range of styles, and traditional Persian music. There is not “Baha’i art” yet necessarily, but it certainly can be seen in the making as Baha’i artists arise in various arenas: music, jewelry, visual arts….

From yet another angle, I was able to participate in several sessions. One session in particular has stood out in my thoughts. It was called “Living the Encouraged Life” and touched upon the subject of encouraging those around us. The speaker observed that inspiration is not a sustainable motivation. Inspiration reaches a climax and wanes with time. True motivation can come from encouragement, and true encouragement is similar to a fire. The spark already exists within the individual; it needs only to be fueled. We can be each other’s fuel. True encouragement is not telling people what to do. It is finding the strengths in others and “uplifting them to their rightful station”. And sometimes, encouragement is silence.


Here are a few links you might explore:

Baha’i Music from Shadi Toloui-Wallace: http://www.shaditolouiwallace.com/

Artwork from Baha’i watercolor artist Nikki Kinne: http://www.nikkinne.com/

Some Artwork from our Table:

Pottery by Anna M. Feria

Ceramic Nine-pointed Star wall hangings by Anna M. Feria

Jewelry from various Navajo Baha'is, including beaded nine-pointed star necklaces by Charlotte Kahn (right)

Poem: Young Woman

I have changed far too much
For turning back
Like a hermit crab
Who has outgrown her
Shell

I must not stagnate
Not let myself forget
Must press onward
Push myself to look
Ahead

I was once named after The Sky
And I am only just
Beginning to understand
The sky is not something you
Get to keep
Or hold down
The sky belongs to the world
Detached from people and places

The sky is not
One way
For long
Every-changing
Her clouds are always
On the move
The sun is always
Shining from a fresh point

Other times I am the horse
The filly who has finally
Discovered the strength of her legs
Now I stand on this vista
Always wanting to push ahead
Wondering
Where to I should run next

Loving the wind in my hair
The sun on my cheeks
Casting life back into
My eyes

Let me tell you something,
Young Woman,
I will whisper it into
Your life history:
The possibilities are infinite
And you are a
Strong and free spirit

Poem: Broken Shoes

These broken shoes
Should probably be replaced
But I
Know they have a
Memory.

They were present
When she made the
Unexpected decision
To wake up and
Go flying.
They walked her out
And back in
The South African airport
They walked her up
And back down
The trail to the falls.
They were once soaked through
And through
With Zambezi water.

Then they walked
On red soil
Overlooking canyon walls,
Desert varnish,
Purple shadows,
Painted figures and hand prints
Like ghosts on the rocks.

These shoes
They played with children
Ten shades darker.
Walked alongside friends,
The kind met once in a lifetime.
Picked up countless
Burrs and thorns and grass seeds.
Like a sponge
Soaked up all the
Long-awaited rains
And the sunshine, too.

These broken shoes
Should probably be replaced
But I
Will ignore the holes,
Patch them with tape
To keep them alive
Awhile longer.

Broken shoes, you see,
They have a
Memory.

Poem: A Fire in the Rain

We said that prayer
Didn’t we?
Out in the rain
We prayed for a fire
Of the spirit.
Long enough ago
To feel like a dream.
You musn't forget.

I thought I heard the African Wood Owl
Agree with our pleading hearts
As we asked the Great Spirit for
A better way,
To teach us all the healing,
The great medicine.

Thanksgiving

Cliffs overlooking Lukachukai, where I spent Thanksgiving with other NABI staff and volunteers, my sisters and brothers in spirit.

Now that this Thanksgiving holiday has passed, I've been reflecting on the true meaning of thanksgiving as a spiritual quality of the soul. Abdu’l-Baha says “Be thou happy and well-pleased and arise to offer thanks to God, in order that thanksgiving may conduce to the increase of bounty.” Bounties are gifts from God, which rain ceaselessly upon us, we have only to open our hearts to receive these gifts. So maybe when we are grateful for the things we have, both spiritual and material, we are opening our lives for even more bounties. And what better way to celebrate this showering of life’s gifts then a reflection of one’s own blessings?

Below is a list of five things I am thankful for. And, dearest reader, I cordially invite you to join in and comment with a few of the things you are thankful for as well. :)

1. Creativity and the Arts--There is nothing more effective in helping to reflect upon my life, to unwind, to feel spiritually connected. When painting especially, I can forget about all the thoughts which burden my heart and delve into a watercolor painting. There is only the smell of wet paint on thick paper and the sound of my concentrated breathing…this is true clarity of mind.

2. Bluebirds in the winter--It’s easy to feel the winter “blues”, but the raspy calls of Mountain and Western Bluebirds as they fly in flocks of twenty or more lighten my heart a little. They remind me that splashes of vibrant color can be found in even the coldest and dreariest of times.

3. Spiritual Tests--When a soul is given heart-wrenching tests, it grows like a flourishing jungle plant. It’s this maturation of the soul and intense growth that leads to true happiness.

4. The Human Soul--We are loaded with potential, especially when we choose to live with a spiritual conscience. There are so many spiritual qualities to be developed. I imagine it’s like walking into a rainforest and being overwhelmed by the number of birds and animals. It awakens a sense of adventure, I would want to find every creature and sketch it. And with the soul, I want to find every spiritual quality and develop it.

5. A World Family-- I once listened to a CD of a talk by William Sears* in which he explained that the many individuals in our lives are like letters from the Creator. Every human brings with them messages and lessons for others. There are those in our lives whom we feel are tests, and those whom we feel immediately at ease with. Both are teaching us priceless life lessons. We are all beautiful letters to each other from God, no matter what the envelope or outer form.


*For those not familiar, William Sears (1911-1922) was a Hand of the Cause of God. He wrote many books and gave many talks on Baha’i subjects. The Hands of the Cause of God were appointed as sources of wisdom in the Baha’i community. We now have Counsellors who fulfill a similar function.