new year, new post, new activities

I haven't posted in a loooooong, time, but let me just pretend like I can take up where I left off. Basically things have been quiet for awhile in terms of core activities. I don't remember having a youth devotional during November or December. People were pretty busy with finals and such and it was hard to get everyone together.


This year there's a new opportunity to restart but reading the 28 December 2010 letter to the Counselors from the UHJ has been making me think that rather than going through the motions of doing as many core activities as possible I should think about whether they are working, about whether each activity is likely to be a "stimulus for growth."

I guess in order to make devotional a stimulus for growth each of us (PF, teatosk and me) should be thinking about ways to make new friends and invite them as well as to include other young people in the Baha'i community. We could aslo consider collaborating with the undergraduate Washington University Baha'i Club.

I guess I will talk to them at Feast about talking about teaching. As far as teaching is going for me, though, I don't know. Of my two friends from school who have been to devotional, one seems like she does not want to continue coming but the other I haven't tried. I need to make sure they understand my intentions have nothing to do with converting them. I've already explained to them why we do devotionals, I just need to keep explaining and being clear each time we do something, I guess. Plus I need something else to call it; devotional as a catchword just doesn't fly. I like S's idea of Pray and Praise. I need to think of something similar.
Maybe we'll try restarting the devotional as a apart of this cycle and if it doesn't work we'll reevaluate in three months!
 
Oh, almost forgot...I sort of "shadowed" Tina as she taught jyg for the first time with a group of four Baha'i cousins out in the suburubs. It's a good opportunity for me to learn how it's done from someone with experience.