Whoever steps into this field will find, as he settles down to his work, that the environment is extremely disheartening, that restrictions are oppressive, that the amenities of social life are lacking, that the forces of opposition are determined and organized. But let him realize also that, however tedious and exacting his labors, however precarious and thankless his task, the pioneer services it is his unique privilege to render in this time of stress will forever live in the annals of God's living Faith, and will prove a source of inspiration to the countless workers who, in happier times and with better means at their disposal, will consummate the spiritual regeneration and material rehabilitation of Baha'u'llah's native land.
Your true brother,
SHOGHI. Haifa, Palestine, November 14, 1926 (120:1)

To the beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful throughout the West.
Dearly-beloved brothers and sisters in Abdu'l-Baha:
The trend of various events, affecting directly and indirectly the interests of the Baha'i Cause, have of late served to bring into further prominence the character as well as the significance of a Faith destined to regenerate the world (120:7)

Decision of Egyptian Tribunal
Of all the diverse issues which today are gradually tending to consolidate and extend the bounds of the Revelation of Baha'u'llah, the decision of Egypt's religious Tribunal regarding the Baha'is under its jurisdiction appears at the present moment to be the most powerful in its challenge, the most startling in its character, and the most perplexing in the consequences it may entail. I have already alluded in my letter of January 10, 1926, addressed to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States and Canada, to a particular feature of this momentous verdict, which after mature deliberation has obtained the sanction of Egypt's highest ecclesiastical authorities, has been communicated and printed, and is regarded as final and binding. I have stressed in my last reference to this far-reaching pronouncement the negative aspect of this document which condemns in most unequivocal and emphatic language the followers of Baha'u'llah as the believers in heresy, offensive and injurious to Islam, and wholly incompatible with the accepted doctrines and practice of its orthodox adherents (120:10)

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