Temple land visit

Finally last weekend, I get to visit our temple land in Kuala Kubu Bharu. It was about one hour drive away from Petaling Jaya, and thank god the weather was alright. It wasn't too hot, and it seemed like it was going to rain, but it didn't. We had to park our cars bit far off as the road was blocked by puddle of water, and everyone, young and old, started walking as far as 600 meter to reach our temple land.

As we could only receive funds from Baha'is alone, raising the money to buy this land which will build our future house of worship, is definitely a challenge. But in the end, of course, it was purchased. There's many other stories which we could hear from some individuals on how the land was found, purchased, leveled, etc etc, which I personally believe must be God's intervention.

A beautiful devotional was prepared and we all stood around and enjoyed the breezes caressing our faces as we listened to the chants and prayers recited. It was an overwhelming experience for me. Since my visit to the Mother Temple in India, to be at a spot where the House of Worship will be built - where people from all walks of life, despite religion, race, status and what not, come together and worship under one roof. That's the symbol of unity.

The Bahá’í House of Worship is dedicated to the praise of God. The House of Worship forms the central edifice of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (the Dawning-place of the Praise of God), a complex which, as it unfolds in the future, will comprise in addition to the House of Worship a number of dependencies dedicated to social, humanitarian, educational, and scientific pursuits. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá describes the 191 Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as “one of the most vital institutions in the world”, and Shoghi Effendi indicates that it exemplifies in tangible form the integration of “Bahá’í worship and service”. Anticipating the future development of this institution, Shoghi Effendi envisages that the House of Worship and its dependencies “shall afford relief to the suffering, sustenance to the poor, shelter to the wayfarer, solace to the bereaved, and education to the ignorant”. In the future, Bahá’í Houses of Worship will be constructed in every town and village.(excerpts from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas)