How I Became a Bahá’í
“Be thankful to God for having enabled you to recognise His Cause… We cherish the hope that you, who have attained to this light, will exert utmost to banish the darkness of superstition and unbelief from the midst of the people. May your deeds proclaim your faith and enable you to lead the erring into the paths of eternal salvation.” – Bahá’u’lláh, The Dawnbreakers, p. 586
Priscilla Hofert
I was always interested in other religions and never felt that they were wrong or evil. John and I were raised in the United Methodist Church….
Don Calkins
Many people speak of a very important day in their life which changed everything. For many Bahá’ís it was the day they declared or were…
Napolun Birdsong
Napolun was born in 1940 in Jericho, Arkansas and grew up in a family with fourteen siblings in Indiana. The family was active in a sacramental church.
Dan Himes
As I sit here thinking back over my 60 years
as a Bahá’í I wonder how did it happen
so easily!
Janet King
I first encountered the Bahá’í Faith on a visit to the House of Worship in 1970 but it wasn’t until 1976 when I lived in the Cedar Rapids area…
Diane & Bob Findlay
Bob and I both grew up in active church families, his Lutheran and mine United Methodist. We went to church and Sunday School, went to church…
Meg Wegs
Time: 1988. A special Sister, Sr. (Margaret) Meg Wegs, arrived as a Nun in residence at St. Francis Convent…
Matt Olive
In 1980 I was living in Corning, Iowa and reading books about the Bahá’í Faith. I also read the Adams County …
David Meswarb
I joined the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in early
September, 1962…
David Springer
As I reflect back to those early days, I am amazed how fast my life has moved along…
Katya Aivazova Shcherbakova
When I was 15 I came to the United States for the first time…
Rod Clarken
We were not the church-going,
praying types…
Meghan Zalewski
I met my future husband Leif my senior year of high school…
Eric Green
I became a Bahá’í in Marshalltown in 1973. While I was managing a gift shop…
Chris Johnson
After I got out of the Army in 1973, I moved to Des Moines to start an MBA program at Drake…
Mike Moum
The title of this section, “How I Became a Bahá’í,” is a bit misleading…
Larry Hertel
My first employment was at the Ronneburg Restaurant in Amana, Iowa starting in 1969…
Hannah & Brad Rishel
In the winter of 1974-5, Brad and I lived on my parents’ property in Johnson County…
Premonition in Saigon by Karen Jentz
I became a Bahá’í in the spring of 1975…
Susan Andreini Lefton
It was November 1975. My family had moved to Stanwood, IA…
Jo Dohoney
I was a graduate student at Michigan State University…
Mark Harries
I was a child of the 60’s, long hair, bell bottoms, looking for peace and love…
Cynthia Norris
Though I heard of the Bahai Faith and declared in 1971, I think my story starts years before…
Andrea Roy
This story could start in several ways…
I’m delighted to add the story of Andrea, who recently joined our Project team. When I ask Baha’is from Baha’i families to write their stories, they often look puzzled and comment to the effect that they “grew up as Baha’is.” But as we know, faith in Baha’u’llah isn’t something we can inherit. We are all called to investigate the validity of Baha’u’llah’s claims and teachings and decide for ourselves. There’s always more to the story. Thanks for sharing, Andrea!