The National Seeker Response system works to connect individuals interested in learning about the Bahá’í Faith with nearby believers. Here are two stories shared by the regional seeker response specialist for the Northeast that illustrate the importance of patience and persistence:

Immensely exciting news from Phoenix, AZ (A), which last week completed the expansion phase of their second intensive growth cycle. The response to the message was so overwhelming that the friends stopped the expansion phase early to begin consolidation work. The numbers are as follows:

*Days of the expansion phase: 8
*Declarations (adult and youth): 33
*Registrations (children and junior youth): 50
*Total new believers: 83

Breaking news from Scottsdale, AZ (A), which launched its first Intensive Program of Growth this last Saturday: The results reported by the core team are exciting!

Here is an inspiring story of a declaration in the Northwest region, but with a profound twist. In recent months the friends have become bolder at directly inviting people into the Faith while they are teaching. Even more recently, the friends have taken another approach: confirming people’s belief in Bahá’u’lláh. In other words, instead of warmly inviting them into the Cause, they simply speak to them as if they already were part of the Cause, because in their hearts, they are already believers.

Further news from Portland, OR (A), which has just completed the expansion phase of its first Intensive Program of Growth. One friend shares their impressions in the summary below . . .

A quick update from Savannah, GA (A), which is completing the expansion phase of its first Intensive Program of Growth. The teaching—and the enrollments—continue at full momentum, what more is there to say?

Breaking news—Portland, OR (A) is on fire! On fire with teaching, that is. This cluster just recently launched its first Intensive Program of Growth, and the inspiring stories of the direct teaching efforts of the friends during their first expansion phase are flowing in. Here is but one of many accounts; you can feel the thrill of the believers experiencing the reality that their neighbors are receptive and waiting for the message of Bahá'u'lláh.

Sometimes it’s easy to think of teaching as something that we do only with perfect strangers. And yet, there are receptive souls among those who are most dearly connected to us. These stories from Seattle, WA (A) show the power of reaching out to our closest contacts, i.e., our friends, families, neighbors and coworkers, and need no other introduction . . .

Over and over, we are receiving accounts from the friends whose initial anxiety about door-to-door teaching was replaced by enthusiasm after they participated on a teaching team. Here is a particularly moving and heartfelt account from one of the Persian friends in Portland, OR.

Take a closer look at Jackson County, OR (A), which has just launched its first Intensive Program of Growth. Everyone is working together in reaching out to seekers and planning a flurry of firesides. The friends have also benefitted from the presence of some visiting resource persons. You can feel the spirit of unity in this report of their activities.