Baha’i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson – Episode 45: The Esmailizadeh Sisters

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson.

In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick.

In this episode, I’m in Los Angeles with four wonderful sisters who live down the road from me named Vadi, Nava, Nika, and Nura Esmailizadeh. Can’t pronounce their last name? Don’t worry, I still can’t get it right and I’ve known the sisters and their parents for over 15 years now! I wanted them on the podcast to learn how to pronounce their last name once and for all, and also because they’ve been such great examples of young Baha’is who are actively engaged in serving their community. They tell me about their studies and the community service they’re involved in. We discuss the Institute Process, the importance of service and community-building work, and they share their own personal experiences in this process. I hope you enjoy the conversation with these four wonderful sisters as much as I did!

To find out more about some of the things we covered in this episode, check out the following links:

• Use these links to find out more about Baha’i Study Circles and ‘The Training Institute‘ which use the Ruhi sequence of courses.
• We talk about the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program? [JYSEP].
• We mention ‘Devotional Gatherings‘.
• We mention Children’s Classes.
• We mention the Bosch Baha’i School.
• We talk about the Importance of Service in the Baha’i Faith.
• I mention The Dawnbreakers.
• We talk about the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity [ISGP].
• We mention the ‘Baha’i World Centre’, and you may find this Baha’i Blog article interesting as well: Why is the Baha’i World Centre in Israel?
• Nika reads the following quote from Baha’u’llah: “If it be Thy pleasure, make me to grow as a tender herb in the meadows of Thy grace, that the gentle winds of Thy will may stir me up and bend me into conformity with Thy pleasure, in such wise that my movement and my stillness may be wholly directed by Thee.” -Baha’u’llah
• You may also enjoy this musical rendition of the above quote found on Baha’i Blog Studio Sessions: “If it be Thy Pleasure” by Alicia
• Nura mentions letters from the Universal House of Justice, which you can find and learn more about here: universalhouseofjustice.bahai.org
• Nura talks about the Baha’i Faith and partisan politics, which you can read more about here: Taking the Politics Out of Politics
• Nava shares a quote from ‘The Tablets of the Divine Plan‘, and you can read this article to find out ‘What Are the Tablets of the Divine Plan?‘.
• We mention Baha’i pioneering, which you can learn more about here: What Is a Baha’i Pioneer or Travel Teacher?
• We mention ‘The Advent of Divine Justice‘ written by Shoghi Effendi.
• At the end of the podcast, the sisters sing the following quote from Abdu’l-Baha: “When one is released from the prison of self, that is indeed freedom! For self is the greatest prison.” -Abdu’l-Baha

You can find all of our episodes here on the Baha’i Blogcast page, and be sure to ‘subscribe’ to the Baha’i Blogcast for more upcoming episodes on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and Soundcloud.

Thanks for listening!

-Rainn Wilson

Posted by

Naysan Naraqi

Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.