Dodging rockets and seeing beauty everywhere

Muna: This morning, as I turned on the computer at work (which is how my work day begins, and all of you who know me may find this hard to believe!) I found these words of Bahá’u’lláh in the daily readings to which I subscribe. They seemed so apt given the state of the world today, so I share them with you:

"True learning is that which is conducive to the well-being of the world, not to pride and self-conceit, or to tyranny, violence and pillage."



We have had a fairly "quiet" weekend, siren-wise, though socially busy and "noisy" with the chatter and laughter of dinner and lunch with lovely friends. Since we (the staff at the Bahá’í World Centre) have been unable to walk by the beach or dawdle round the bustling Ben-Gurion Avenue and Markaz Carmel cafes or savour the delights of Wadi Nissnass (our Arab bakeries, butcher, grocers and fresh fruit/vege stalls) due to the current conflict, we have made up for it by hanging round in each other's flats and "visiting"!

We (the Waters) have had friends over for lunch every Saturday since start of conflict and likely to continue; it has been a great incentive for clearing the back room - our "safe or protective area" - and which still had a lot of unpacked boxes and 2 unmade beds (even after 4 months of the arrival of our shipment - disgraceful!!!).



So, now it is set up with a small table adorned with one of Mum's beautifully embroidered table-cloths, a number of chairs "artistically" arranged and 2 beds with cushions and a FAN! We can proudly herd our guests into the back room whenever the siren sounds - as it did yesterday and the Saturday before! With this safe area ready for habitation, we have embarked on weekly modest entertaining; Allan whips round our flat and gives it a good clean in about an hour on Friday afternoon, and I indulge in cooking (bliss!) and then on Saturday we share the results with wonderful friends who we find have amazing backgrounds and life-stories; so a lot of eating, laughter, good fellowship as well as learning and gaining insights!

We were invited to a young (recently married) couple's flat for dinner on Friday night; "Bahareh" serves in Allan's office, and the occasion was to welcome @Claire" (Korean / Chinese young lass recently arrived from the USA) who has just started serving in the same office. Their flat has terrific views of a great wooded wadi (gully) and also the Mediterranean; we heard a symphony of jackal calls (we do have some wild life in Haifa!) - a most unusual sound and were treated to a most magnificent sunset over the Mediterranean (where is the camera when you need it?!!).

After the delicious, yet simple meal, the siren sounded, so we moved to their "safe area" and we studied one of the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh (often referred to as the Fire Tablet) sitting around their small dining table…and 90 magical minutes slipped by as we became engrossed in a feast of soul-stirring, poignantly beautiful imagery and language laden with meaning and significance, and a veritable "fire" of love was lit in our hearts.

Allan: You may think we are having a great time here, Katyushas (literally little Katie in Russian) notwithstanding.......and you would be quite right! Actually there has been a sense of “normality” this last week as the gardeners have returned to the gardens after about 2 weeks of having to be indoors. Who would have thought that the sound of lawn mowers and shears would be such a welcome sound – not noise, but they certainly cut through the eerie quietness of waiting for that next siren. And the sounds of booms in the distance, over the border, continue night and day.

Another aspect of life at the Bahá’í World Centre is the diversity and quality of service here. From the “jannies” who clean and clean to a standard not seen before, to the gardeners who weed, and mow, and plant, and create such beauty – these young people on their youth year of service, usually just out of school, do an amazing job.

So we thought that we would share with you each update some aspects of the life of the staff here. But to begin, we are sharing the work of a very special group, seen in this photo with us. They are painters, who come every year for 2 to 3 months and paint and paint. This year it is the windows of the seat of the House of Justice building. Other times it is the shrines or the many other holy places here in Haifa. This year, six painters from Australia and New Zealand are here and this is a photo of 4 of them with Muna and Allan during a coffee break. Such wonderfully dedicated professionals.





So between dodging rockets and eating well, we have been having a very special time here in Haifa these past few weeks and we would not want to be anywhere else. The days go by so quickly and we only hope that the outcome of our service here is truly beneficial for all mankind. Till next week………………….



Photos from top to bottom (all taken in last week): small garden outside level 5 of the International Teachine Centre building; frangipani outside the entrance of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice where we work; a view of the beautiful path leading to the front of the Seat; frangipanis and marigolds on the side of the International Teaching Centre building; marigolds in one of the gardens on the upper terraces; volunteer painters from down under.