About two dozen Hawaii Baha’i youth from across Oahu and Maui prayed together and played together at the Arise Youth Day Retreat at the Bahá’í National Center in Nuuanu, on March 9th.
The day began with a devotional and music, acknowledging the friends’ different communities and interests, while uniting in their desire to grow deeper in their faith.
Then, it was time to get to know one another through a team-building challenge.
The youth split into teams for a race to build a pyramid using plastic cups and a single rubber band – without uttering a word. The silent competition was followed by a rousing discussion about the power of unity and good communication.
A team-building dance recital offered a similar lesson on synchronicity. Groups of youth were tasked with quickly learning and performing a step-dance. Some groups were impressive, others provided an abundance of laughter. All had a great time.
Over several hours at the center, the group also studied the Bahá’í writings in smaller workshops, learned about the ‘Greatest Name’ of Baha, and created prayer beads to help them fulfill Baha’u’llah’s requirement that Bahá’ís recite the word ‘Allah’u’Abha, meaning God is Most Glorious, 95 times a day.
All this unfolded during the 19-day Fast, so many of the youth and facilitators were abstaining from food or water. Since it was the time of the Fast, youth explored their religious obligations and focused deepening on prayer. They explored the Baha’i Writings on this topic and discussed questions like: What does prayer mean to you? How does it fit into your life? Is there a specific way to pray? What is obligatory prayer and why do we have them?
Thoughtful insights arose from youth in small group and whole group discussions. Some youth noted that it is more important how you feel when you pray than what you’re saying. Others commented that prayer creates a stairway to God. By focusing on this essential conversation with the Divine, youth were encouraged to “arise” by incorporating a new commitment around prayer in their lives. Some wanted to start saying their 95 Allah’u’abhas with their carefully created prayer beads. Others were committed to saying at least one of the Bahá’í prayers that are obligatory. Some were interested in trying a day of Fasting for the first time. Whatever the step forward, all felt united that taking personal action to transform their individual spiritual lives would strengthen their overall life of service.
The program at the National Baha’i Center culminated in some joyous singing – guitars were strummed, drums beat, and voices united in singing Baha’i songs in various languages.
Then, it was time for the beach.
Everyone headed to Kahala, but the parking lot was packed, so the coordinators changed the plan mid-drive and relocated to Kaimana Beach. The bonds of friendship that were strengthened throughout the day helped ensure smooth communication, and the positivity energized the group during an afternoon of barbecuing, swimming and “feats of strength.”
A passing downpour only made the day more interesting and prompted the group to flex its cohesion yet again. Everyone took action to move the grill, set up a tent, relocate belongings and hunker down until the sun set.
Soon enough, it was time to eat. The spiritually uplifted youth, and community members who joined them, gobbled down a large spread of potluck dishes with hardly a spoken word.
Satisfied and satiated, the group helped each other pack up then bade their loving farewells. A wonderful day of feeding souls had culminated with a feast for physical bodies, and the friends were pleasantly worn out.
The Arise planning team held a review meeting the following week and is already planning more Arise events to be announced in the coming days.
A short video with highlights from the event is available here ARISE Prayer.MOV
Youth engage in a team building exercise.