Elaine of St. Paul, AB We met Elaine during the summer of 2017, and her open heart and soft-spoken conversation style is a characteristic that you easily fall in love with. Today, we spent the afternoon enjoying an outdoor potluck picnic in St. Paul and listened to our new friend describe her life before and after her declaration to Baha’u’llah’s purpose for this millennium. She described that she’d always been a seeker and was encouraged by her mother to follow the Catholic doctrine as advocated in the Bible and her father’s inclination to dismiss the formal application of religion and explore the spiritual aspects of faith in God. Later in life, Elaine was introduced to the World Wide Church of God and studied their methodology for learning about the return of Christ. She admitted that she still wasn’t able to satisfy her insatiable need for that ‘something’ which would make her content. The church’s search for the return of Jesus encouraged her to pursue her own exploration and mystical wondering. In 2010, She met a Baha’i in St. Paul who graciously presented her with a copy of the book titled, “Wings of Destiny”, and after reading several more Baha’i books, it clicked. She felt that she had to do something about her strong sense of safety and truth that came from learning about the Faith. “I enrolled,” she said. Elaine’s teaching strategies these days is to participate in weekly Devotionals and act in accord with the virtues assigned us by God.

Elaine of St. Paul, AB

We met Elaine during the summer of 2017, and her open heart and soft-spoken conversation style is a characteristic that you easily fall in love with. Today, we spent the afternoon enjoying an outdoor potluck picnic in St. Paul and listened to our new friend describe her life before and after her declaration to Baha’u’llah’s purpose for this millennium.

She described that she’d always been a seeker and was encouraged by her mother to follow the Catholic doctrine as advocated in the Bible and her father’s inclination to dismiss the formal application of religion and explore the spiritual aspects of faith in God.

Later in life, Elaine was introduced to the World Wide Church of God and studied their methodology for learning about the return of Christ. She admitted that she still wasn’t able to satisfy her insatiable need for that ‘something’ which would make her content. The church’s search for the return of Jesus encouraged her to pursue her own exploration and mystical wondering.

In 2010, She met a Baha’i in St. Paul who graciously presented her with a copy of the book titled, “Wings of Destiny”, and after reading several more Baha’i books, it clicked. She felt that she had to do something about her strong sense of safety and truth that came from learning about the Faith.

“I enrolled,” she said.

Elaine’s teaching strategies these days is to participate in weekly Devotionals and act in accord with the virtues assigned us by God.

Elizabeth and Riel of St. Paul, AB

Our meeting with Elizabeth and Riel in the comfort of their lovely home was actuated by our continued journey to visit with isolated Baha’is across Canada. Frank has a history with Riel and Elizabeth as was displayed by their excitement to see him again after many, many years.

Riel was the first to introduce how he came to the Faith in 1968, after searching for something that would answer his prayer to God. His request from the Almighty was to send him something or someone that would at least guide his seemingly purposeless wondering at that point in his life.

A disastrous fire in his garage brought him face to face with an insurance adjustor and that man was a Baha’i. At the invitation of this faithful person, Riel attended a slide show titled, “The Search”, put on by the Baha’is in his area. He was intrigued by the presentation and afterwards spoke to one of the friends who set Riel’s apprehension at ease by proclaiming that Natives have their own religion and it’s authentic.

“I was impressed by the prejudice-free treatment of me by the Baha’is,” he said.

In later years, Riel was honoured by accepting an invitation to represent the Metis at the Terrace Opening in Haifa, Israel, where his name, among others, was randomly selected to be placed in a container and buried on the pilgrimage site.

Elizabeth recalls that at the early age of twelve, she was well on her way to a conscious devotion to seek out the meaning of spirituality, not just dictated by the Bible, which in her young mind was fearful and confusing in its threatening treatment of those having evil thoughts. She was attracted to the wonderments of the working mind and gave a strong inclination to the ideals of unity.

In 1976, she was living in Duncan, British Columbia, and was excited to attend a Baha’i Spiritual Meeting at the library where she experienced gentle welcoming greetings and a strong emphasis on the attitude of service. She was further instigated to attend a Fireside the following evening where she was offered a Baha’i book authored by George Townsend. It grounded her in the Faith and she declared that year.

Riel’s and Elizabeth’s teaching the Faith includes attendance at weekly devotionals in St. Paul, hanging posters around town, and having open conversations with locals about the Baha’i Faith. Also, Riel’s fiddle playing talent always opens the hearts intrigued by the universal language of music.

Susan, Elizabeth and Elaine at a Devotional in St. Paul

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