It was neither her first nor her last pioneer experience. Between 1942 and 1946 she pioneered to Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. After World War II she went to Madrid, Spain where she helped raise the first local spiritual assembly and she did the same thing in Barcelona the following year.

In July of 1953 she went to the Stockholm Intercontinental Teaching Conference where she offered to pioneer to Mallorca in one of the Balearic Islands, She stayed about one year before returning to Barcelona in August of 1954 where she attended the Iberian Teaching Conference that was attended by 60 people. Late that nine, she and nine others were arrested by the police and interrogated for 18 hours. They had thought that the Bahá'í were Communists.

In 1956 she moved to Portugal where she was elected to the first Iberian Regional Spiritual Assembly. After three years she was forced to leave by the authorities because of her Bahá'í activities, holding property and owning a telephone.

She was asked to go to Luxembourg where she spent nine years but made little progress in establishing the Faith. She was then asked to got to Malaga, Spain and by 1972 Malaga had a local spiritual assembly so she pioneered to Margella in 1979.

The National Spiritual Assembly asked her to write a history of the Faith in Spain which was completed in 1980.

As was her wish, she passed to the Abha Kingdom in 1985, still a pioneer. [KoB346-347; Wikipedia]

See also Also see Bahá'í World 19 pages 715-721 or 692-697 in the print version and Bahá'í News #586 January 1980 p2-5.

Accomplishments:
• NSAs in Canada, Central and South America;
• Assisted the systematic spread of Faith in Europe, incl. forming 10 LSAs in goal cities;
• Interior ornamentation complete;
• Supported the building of the Shrine of the Báb;
• Expansion and more LSAs on homefront. [The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet (Supplement) p2]

Mabel Paine was a Bahá'í teacher and an author. She is remembered as the compiler of The Divine Art of Living that was first published by the Bahá'í Publishing Committee in Chicago in 1944 and saw numerous reprints and revisions until the four revisions. It is still in publication. [Collins4.114 - 4.117]

See Speechless 4 December 2009 for a chronological biography as well as a bibliography / webliography of other works on him.

See NUVO for a photo of his eviction from the New York Daily News archive and a short biography.

See as well BFA1p90-93; OBCC18-21, 25-26.

In September 1953 Nellie French, 85, became the first Bahá'í to arrive in Monaco, but she passed away a few months later. For her act of service in bringing the Faith to the country, she received the accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from Shoghi Effendi.

A celebration to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Bahá'í Faith in the Principality was held on 24-25 April 2004 at the Theatre des Varietes in Monte Carlo, and opened with the reading of a welcoming message from the National Council of the Principality. [Newspaper Archive on BLO]

He was the first Indian Parsi to accept the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. In 1950 he and his wife Shirin moved to Singapore. He pioneered to the Andaman Islands and became a Knight of Baha'u'lláh in response to the Indian seven-year plan. [BW13p892]

Albert, in spite of his meagre education, was a deep student of the Writings, an able speaker, and a profound teacher of the Laws and Ordinances. His classes on the Covenant and Bahá'í Administration were most helpful both to newcomers and Bahá'ís of long association with the Faith. There was a freshness and vigor in his teaching; he radiated a love that reached the hearts. In his every-day life he demonstrated the power of the revealed Word of Bahá'u'lláh.

"Deeply grieved passing much loved greatly admired staunch ardent promoter Faith, Albert Windust, Herald Covenant, whose notable services Heroic Formative Ages Faith unforgettable. Assure friends relatives fervently supplicating progress soul Kingdom." – Shoghi [BW13p873-874]

At the age of fourteen Albert became an apprentice in the printing firm where his father worked. Later he became the first publisher of the Writings of the Faith in America. He printed booklets, early editions of prayers, and the Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh (16 March 1900 BFA2p25). In 1910 he founded and started printing the first Bahá'í monthly publication, Star of the West. He gathered and published the well-known three volumes of Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá from Tablets written to the Bahá'ís in North America. He also assisted Howard MacNutt in publishing Promulgation of Universal Peace. Albert also helped in the compilation and publication of the first five volumes of The Bahá'í World for the years 1926 to 1934.

When his father died on May 21st, 1913 Albert wrote to 'Abdu'l-Bahá and asked Him to pray for him. 'Abdu'l-Bahá responded by sending a Tablet with a prayer. It was published in SoW Vol 11 Issue 19 p219 and has been printed in Spiritual Strength for Men p82-83 published by Kalimat Press and in Family Worship p66 compiled by Wendi Momen and published by George Ronald.

Some goals were:
  - To offer Rs 2,500,000 to the Shrine of the Báb Fund
  - To enrich Bahá'í literature in local languages
  - To send pioneers to Malaysia, Singapore, Nepal, Vietnam, Zanzibar and Madagascar
  - To increase the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
  - To enhance the status of the Bahá'í New Era School in Panchgani

Shoghi Effendi provided the following advice for the aims of the Central American Assembly:
  -To establish harmony, love and understanding among the Bahá'ís
  -To promote the teaching work
  -To win support for the National Bahá'í Fund
  -To assure publication of Bahá'í literature in well-translated Spanish editions in cooperation with the National Spiritual Assembly of South America. [BW12p68-69; Shoghi Effendi: Author of Teaching Plans ]

By 1962, the regions with Bahá'í communities under the Assembly's jurisdiction were the Aden Protectorate, Bahrain, Hijaz, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. [BW13p955]

The war had a profound human cost, with estimates of Algerian casualties ranging from 400,000 to 1.5 million, alongside 25,600 French soldiers and 6,000 Europeans. The war also saw the perpetration of war crimes, including massacres, rape, torture, the destruction of villages, and the displacement of over 2 million Algerians. Upon independence, approximately 900,000 European-Algerians fled to France. The FLN targeted the Harkis, Algerian Muslims who served with the French army, for retribution, with many facing brutal violence. About 90,000 Harkis found refuge in France, where they and their descendants form a significant community​. [Wikipedia]

The Regional Spiritual Assembly of North East Asia had an area of jurisdiction embracing Japan, Korea, Formosa, Macao, Hong Kong, Hainan Island, and Sakhalin Island. [JTA80-86]

• For the text of the Guardian's message of dedication see BW12:141–2.
• For an account of the event see BW12:154–63.
• See BN No 261 November 1952 p9-10. The Temple Dedication Committee consisted of: Paul E. Haney, Mrs. Corinne True, Allen B. McDaniel, Carl Scheffler, Albert R. Windust with Horace Holley as the chairman.
• See The Bahá'í Faith 1844-1952 Information Statistical & Comparative p24-26 for project statistics and a chronology of events.
• Towards the end of his life in Tehran, Ahmad (of "Tablet of Ahmad" fame) had entrusted the original Tablet to his grandson Jamal who, in turn, out of the purity of his heart and his devotion to the Faith of God, offered it as a gift to Hand of the Cause, Trustee of Huqúq, the son and brother of two illustrious martyrs, Jinab-i-Valiyu'llah Varqá. When Jinab-i-Varqa, according to the instructions of the beloved Guardian, was sent to take part in this dedication ceremony he brought this most precious Tablet as his offering to the archives of the Bahá'ís of the United States. [A Flame of Fire by A.Q. Faizi.]
• See the message of the Universal House of Justice dated 1 August, 2014 for more on the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár in Wilmette.
• See The Story of the Temple by Allen Boyer McDaniel. [CBN No43 August 1953 p4; Collins p101 7.1479]
• See the video The Temple History Design and Construction.

Location: Wilmette, Illinois, U.S. Cook County
Administration: On the same day as the internment of the sacred remains of the Báb on Mount Carmel, March 21st, 1909, the first American Bahá'í Convention opened in Chicago. The Convention established the 'Bahá'í Temple Unity', incorporated to hold title to the Temple property and to provide for its construction. A constitution was framed and an Executive Board of the Bahá'í Temple Unity elected. This body became the future National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada. [BBD39; BBRSM:106; BW10:179; GPB349; PP397; SBBH1:146; BFA2:XVII, 309; BW13:849; MBW142–3]
Foundation Stone: by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, 1 May, 1912
Construction Period:The purchase of the site completed: 1914. Design Chosen: 1920. Superstructure: 1921 – 1 May 1931. External Ornamentation: June 1932 -1943. Interior: 1951
Dedication: 1 May 1953
Architects: Louis Bourgeois with Alfred Shaw (interior cladding) Bourgeois became a Baha'i in New York City in 1907, and two years later responded to the call for designs for the Temple. In 1920, delegates from across the country unanimously selected his innovative design. Bourgeois traveled to Haifa to consult with 'Abdu'l-Bahá. With 'Abdu'l-Bahá's encouragement, Bourgeois refined and scaled down the size of his design. [The House of Worship Architecture]
Seating: 1,191 [DP220]
Dimensions: 203ft at the base and 49ft high
Cost: $2.6 million (another source) $51,500 (land) plus $3,212,517.60 (construction costs 1921-1953)
Dependencies: Construction of a home for the aged was began in December, 1957 and inaugurated on 1 February, 1959. It is located about three blocks away.
Note: In GPB349 Shoghi Effendi states that "…this enterprise—the crowning achievement of the Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh in the first Bahá'í century…".
References: CEBF236-241,GPB348-353, MDM121-239, The Dawning Place, The Bahá'í Faith 1844-1963 Information Statistical & Comparative p36-37. iiiii

The first person to become a Bahá'í in Monaco was Margaret Lantz, of Luxembourg. Soon after her a Frenchman, Mr. Charbonnet, who owed an antique shop in Monaco, also accepted the Faith. Charlottte Campana was the first person of Monegasque nationality to become a Bahá'í.

Bahá'í writings translated into Monegasque were officially presented to Crown Prince Albert in 2001. [Newspaper Archive on BLO]

Since 1899, Bahá'í sacred texts had been hectographed and mimeographed by Mīrzā ʿAlī-Akbar Rūḥānī (known as Moḥebb-al-Solṭān) and others. Although the restrictive laws of the country prohibited the Bahá'ís from printing their literature by letterpress, through the establishment of the Trust, Bahá'í literature was regularly and systematically published in typewritten or calligraphic form until 1979 when the Trust was closed under the Islamic régime. Between 1959 and 1979, several hundred titles were produced and distributed. The trust was also responsible for the publication of circulars, newsletters, pamphlets, and magazines. In 1975 alone, it produced 181,390 copies of books and pamphlets totaling 31 million pages. In the early 1970s an audiovisual center was established in Iran which made rapid growth during the few years of its existence. In the mid-1970s the centre produced 27 cassette programs containing prayers, songs, and speeches amounting to 40,000 copies. They also produced 28 reels of film. [BW12p292; BW16p263; BW12p570; BAHAISM v. The Bahai Community in Iran by V. Rafati]

• In 1949 there were observances in various communities in the United States and in December of 1949 it was standardized across the United States by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of the United States to be held January 15, 1950. The purpose of World Religion Day is to highlight the ideas that the spiritual principles underlying the world's religions are harmonious, and that religions play a significant role in unifying humanity. [BN No 226 December 1949 106BE p4-5]
• It is celebrated internationally each year on the third Sunday in January. [Wikipedia]
• See World Religion Day (January) by Christopher Buck
• See message from the Universal House of Justice dated 22 October, 1968 to the Spiritual Assembly of Chicago in Lights of Guidance #1710 in which they describe the purpose of World Religion Day.

  ".....is a celebration of the need for and the coming of a world religion for mankind, the Bahá'í Faith itself." iiiii

In response to their correspondence, an American Bahá'í living in Usumbura, present-day Bujumbura, went to meet these two men. Some time after they met, and after conducting the independent search for Truth, they decided to become Bahá'ís. This is how they began to spread the "new message" to their other colleagues at the Bank, all Congolese living in eastern DRC.

Very quickly, these two young bankers succeeded in finding souls receptive to the message of the Bahá'í teachings. They were 19 in all and constituted the nucleus called "Spiritual Sowers", the founders of the Faith in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [bahai.org; bahai.org; A Remarkable Response Film 4:18]

Some goals were:
  - To strengthen the nineteen Spiritual Assemblies already established in the British Isles
  - To form nuclei in three dependencies of the British Crown in East or West Africa
  - To translate, publish and disseminate Bahá'í literature in three additional African languages

The four primary goals of the plan were outlined as follows:
  -the development of institutions at the World Centre
  -consolidation of the twelve countries where the Faith was well established
  -consolidation of all other territories already open
  -the opening of the remaining "chief virgin territories" around the globe (131)

For the objectives of the Crusade see BW12:256–14. Among the goals to be achieved was the construction of the International Bahá'í Archives building. [BBD22; DH168; MBW43] "the first of the major edifices destined to constitute the seat of the World Bahá'í Administrative Centre to be established on Mount Carmel". [PP264]

To those Bahá'ís who arose to open new territories to the Faith during the Ten Year Crusade, the title 'Knight of Bahá'u'lláh' was given. On 27 May 1992, the Roll of Honour containing the names of all the Knights of Bahá'u'lláh was deposited beneath the entrance door to the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh.

"…Sometimes people strive all their lives to render outstanding service. Here is the time and opportunity to render historic services; in fact, the most unique in history, aiding in the fulfillment of Daniel's Prophecies of the Last Day, and the 1335 days, when men are to be blessed by the Glory of the Lord, covering the entire globe—which is the real goal of the Ten Year Crusade. [DG54-55]

A map of goals for the Ten Year World Crusade by Shoghi Effendi can be found in Bahá'í World, Vol. 12 (April 1950-1954). Electronic versions, in both medium and large format can be found here.

The achievements of the Ten Year Crusade were celebrated at the Most Great Jubilee in April and May 1963, which commemorated the Centenary of the Declaration of Baha'u'llah's Mission. Two historic events transpired during that time: the International Convention, convened in Haifa, Israel, to elect the first Universal House of Justice; and the World Congress held in London, England.

The first leg took them to Samson Mungono's post in Kamina, in the Katanga region of the Belgian Congo. They then took a grueling route to Brazzaville, where Max was dropped off and continued through the thick forests of French Congo and Gabon, hoping to pass through French Cameroons and finally reach the British Cameroons. The car broke down in the tropical forest of Gabon leaving the three remaining friends unable to continue. Enoch volunteered to walk to a town 50 miles ahead through the forbidding jungle to get help. Upon arrival Enoch was so ill he was hospitalized for two days and could not travel for a week. He told of a dream he had in which Shoghi Effendi took him in his arms to comfort and reassure him in his desperation. In mid-October they reached the British Cameroons on the very evening of the conclusion of the Holy Year.

Confirmations of the monumental efforts these first African pioneers made soon followed: Enoch, Max and Samson all successfully brought many local people under the banner of the Greatest Name. [A Brief Account of the Progress of the Bahá'í Faith in Africa Since 1953 by Nancy Oloro-Robarts and Selam Ahderom p4]

The five-fold purpose of the International Conferences was:

1. offering humble thanksgiving to the Divine Author of our Faith, Who has graciously enabled His followers, during a period of deepening anxiety and amidst the confusion and uncertainties of a critical phase in the fortunes of mankind,
2. to prosecute uninterruptedly the Ten-Year Plan formulated for the execution of the Grand Design conceived by 'Abdu'l-Bahá,
3. of reviewing and celebrating the series of signal victories won so rapidly in the course of each of the campaigns of this world-encircling Crusade,
4. of deliberating on ways and means that will insure its triumphant consummation,
5. and of lending simultaneously a powerful impetus, the world over, to the vital process of individual conversion -the preeminent purpose underlying the Plan in all its ramifications - and to the construction and completion of the three Mother Temples to be built in the European, the African, and Australian continents. [CBN No 94 Nov 1957 p1]

Proclaim National Assemblies of East and West weighty epoch-making decision of formation of first International Bahá'í Council, forerunner of supreme administrative institution destined to emerge in fullness of time within precincts beneath shadow of World Spiritual Center of Faith already established in twin cities of 'Akká and Haifa....

Moses was dismissed from his position because of the influence of the priest but he was asked to return to Naranjal because of the demands of the parents of his students. He remained at this school until his retirement during the late 1970's. [Heroes of God: History of the Bahá'í Faith in Ecuador, 1940-1979 by Helen Basset Hornby p69; 77]

On May 2, 1954, Cynthia R. Olson arrived on Guam in response to the call from Shoghi Effendi; becoming the first permanent Bahá’í Settler in the Mariana Islands.

Antonio Alfonso, the first Filipino national to embrace the Faith, became a Bahá’í on 19 March 1956, and Joe Erie Ilengelkei of Palau, Western Caroline Island became the first Micronesian to accept Bahá’u’lláh when he became a member of the Bahá’í Faith on 7 April 1956. [BW13:454; Marianas Bahá'í Community website]

The English translation was titled, Memories of Nine Years in Akka) by Riaz Masrour and was published by George Ronald in 2004.

Over those nine years, 1900 to 1909, Jináb-i-Khán (the title by which Dr. Yúnis Afrukhtih was honoured by 'Abdu'l-Bahá) served the Master in Akká as secretary, translator, envoy and physician. These were difficult years when the Master was imprisoned in the city of Akká, His every move subject to misrepresentation by the Arch-breaker of the Covenant and his associates, and even His life was in danger. At the same time the period saw the victories of the construction of the Shrine of the Báb and the House of Worship in Ishqábád, as well as the rise of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh in the West.

Shoghi Effendi had given Canada the goal of opening Greenland, a seemingly impossible task because it was a closed country in which no one could enter with obtaining permission from the Danish government. See BW20p803-804 for John Robarts role in opening the path for Palle Bischoff.

A celebration to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Bahá'í Faith in the Principality was held on 24-25 April 2004 at the Theatre des Varietes in Monte Carlo, and opened with the reading of a welcoming message from the National Council of the Principality. [Newspaper Archive on BLO]

Then 85, she was the first Bahá'í to arrive in Monaco, but she passed away a few months later. For her act of service in bringing the Faith to the country, she received the accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from Shoghi Effendi.

A celebration to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Bahá'í Faith in the Principality was held on 24-25 April 2004 at the Theatre des Varietes in Monte Carlo, and opened with the reading of a welcoming message from the National Council of the Principality. [Newspaper Archive on BLO]

It is not certain which "Morocco".

Ridvaniyyih Suleimani served on the Auxiliary Board and the National Spiritual Assembly. She passed away in Taiwan on the 18th of March 1981. [BW18p752-754]

Suleiman Suleimani served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Taiwan from its formation in 1967 until 1978. He also served as a deputy of the institution of the Huqúqu'lláh for about two decades. [BW20p889-891]

The Suleimanis, originally from Iran, had lived for about 28 years in Shanghai where Mrs Ridvaniyyih Suleimani's father, Mr Husayn Ouskouli Uskuli (or Uskui) had long resided and conducted a business. Mr and Mrs Suleimani had left Shanghai permanently in 1950 because of the difficult situations for foreigners in China but Mr Ouskouli decided to stay on and won the admiration of the Guardian. He died in Shanghai at the age of 86. [The Taiwan Bahá'í Chronicle by Barbara R. Sims p3; PH39; Video Early history of the Bahá'í Faith in China 7 min 57 sec]

"Finally share the heart-warming news of the impending establishment of the long-overdue Hazíratu'l-Quds in the French capital through the conclusion of an agreement to purchase a nine thousand pound property situated in the best residential quarter of the city. Kiyani's spontaneous, generous contribution is solely responsible for the achievement of the great victory of the establishment of the institution designed to serve as the administrative headquarters of both the present Paris Assembly and the projected French National Spiritual Assembly." [MBWp141]

"The second Ḥaẓíratu'l-Quds to be acquired during this period was one in Paris, destined to become the national administrative headquarters of the French Bahá'í community. This achievement was announced in the Guardian's cablegram to the Forty-Fifth Annual Bahá'í Convention of the United States Bahá'ís on April 30, 1953, as follows: "Heart-warming news (of the) impending establishment (of the) long overdue Ḥaẓíratu'l-Quds (in the) French capital through (the) conclusion (of an) agreement (to) purchase (a) nine thousand pound property situated (in the) best residential quarter (of the) city." The acquisition of this property was made possible by the spontaneous and generous contribution of a single believer, Mr. Hussayn Quli Kiyani, recently come to Paris from Persia. The formal dedication of the Paris Ḥaẓíratu'l-Quds took place on July 4, 1953, with Dr. Ugo Giachery, Hand of the Cause of God, coming from Rome to assist in the ceremonies." [BW12p55]

History of the Bahá'í Faith in Tanzania says that Claire Gung was the 1st pioneer of the Bahá'í Faith in the country. Her biography, Claire Gung: Mother of Africa p14 confirms that she disembarked the The Warwick Castle sometime in February, 1951.

In another message about a year later he provided further details. [MBW78-79]

It had cost approximately a quarter of a million dollars and was, like the Shrine of the Báb, ordered in Italy, entirely carved and completed there, and shipped to Haifa for erection; not only was each separate stone numbered, but charts showing where each on went facilitated its being place in its proper position." [PP265]

Another example of a new African believer arising was the case of Dorothy Chivunda in Zambia. When word of the Faith reached the church Dorothy attended, it aroused the curiosity of the congregation. The church decided to send Dorothy to investigate the claims of this new religion. Within three weeks, she declared as a Bahá'í, promptly organizing a teaching trip to her native village in Kawiku, in Chibwakata area of North Western Province. This trip, and the others that followed, involved over 300 kilometers of travel over rough terrain. It set in motion a process that would lead to the enrolment of thousands of her fellow tribesmen, the Lunda of Zambia, into the Faith.

[A Brief Account of the Progress of the Bahá'í Faith in Africa Since 1953 by Nancy Oloro-Robarts and Selam Ahderom p3]

He is Particularly anxious to have some of the German Bahá'ís enter the western territories of the Soviet Union not yet open to the Faith, namely: Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, White Russia and Moldavia, and every effort should be made to enable some of the Bahá'ís, German or of other nationality, to go to these countries. The young people in particular may be able to arrange their affairs in such a way as to procure employment in the Soviet Union. This would be a great service, and is part of the work allotted to the German Bahá'ís under the World Crusade. [14 August 1953]

Republics of Russia with no Bahá'ís: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia, Ukraine, and White Russia (Belarus)
Satellite countries with no Bahá'ís: Albania Roumania (Romania) Mongolia, Sakhalin Island, and Hainan Island. [1 January 1957]

On the success of this enterprise, unprecedented in its scope, unique in its character and immense in its spiritual potentialities, must depend the initiation, at a later period in the Formative Age of the Faith, of undertakings embracing within their range all National Assemblies functioning throughout the Bahá'í world—undertakings constituting in themselves a prelude to the launching of worldwide enterprises destined to be embarked upon, in future epochs of that same Age, by the Universal House of Justice, that will symbolize the unity and coordinate and unify the activities of these National Assemblies. [UD261; 9 March 1965]