Strengthening capacity in the Cook Islands
Just over 3 weeks ago, two mothers, Audrey Whitley and Tessa Ma’auga, together with their young babies Ruby and Mei, were deployed to Rarotonga as a visiting team to support the growing efforts of the friends there. Their two-week visit was full of learning, love, and collaboration, as they accompanied the local believers in activities aimed to strengthen the community’s spiritual and social foundations.
Purpose of the visit
The visit focused on three key areas:
Audrey Whitley and her daughter Ruby arrive in the Cook Islands.
Tessa Ma’auga and her daughter Mei are greeted by friends on their arrival.
Supporting community growth — encouraging collaboration and creativity within a small but vibrant group of friends in the Nikao neighbourhood, and dedicating time to serve together.
Learning and accompaniment — fostering a spirit of teaching and consultation, helping the friends explore how similar efforts might unfold in their own surroundings.
Building tutor capacity — strengthening the confidence and skills of tutors through gatherings that reviewed and reflected on the institute process, beginning with Ruhi Books 1, 2, and 3.
Sharing, learning, and serving together
During their time in Rarotonga, the visiting team joined home visits with Bahá’í families and friends of the Faith, where they shared warm conversations and reflected on the 19 March message of the Universal House of Justice on family life. These discussions opened beautiful spaces for collective reflection on family dynamics and the nurturing of spiritual qualities in daily life.
They also supported a few friends in their study of Ruhi materials, including Books 2 and 5, participated in a junior youth group session studying Wellspring of Joy, and joined a “mums and bubs” group initiated by a Bahá’í mother in Rarotonga.
A community gathering held after Sunday devotions provided another opportunity to study and reflect on a recent letter from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand* to the believers in the Cook Islands, offering encouragement for community-building efforts in the Cook Islands.
Glimpses of a growing community
Rarotonga’s junior youth group, now nearly two years old, continues to flourish under the guidance of dedicated animators. They have completed Breezes of Confirmation and are now progressing through Wellspring of Joy.
The friends have also established a monthly social gathering following consultation at a Nineteen Day Feast. These joyful get-togethers, filled with music, games, and meals, are nurturing unity and fellowship within the community—and, at times, serving as gentle spaces for firesides and conversations about the Faith.
Other regular activities include Sunday devotions, study circles, and observances of Feasts and Holy Days, all of which reflect a community moving forward with sincerity, humility, and joy.
From the National Spiritual Assembly
The National Spiritual Assembly of Aotearoa New Zealand shared a letter, carried and delivered by the visitors, which expressed deep affection for the friends in the Cook Islands and reaffirmed the commitment to walk alongside them in their efforts.
“The hearts of the friends in Aotearoa are with you,” the letter reads, “and the National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand prays always for the flourishing of the Faith in your country.”
The letter further encouraged the friends to nurture environments of love, unity, and mutual support, which heighten the ability to learn together and strengthen ties with the guidance of the Universal House of Justice.
It reminded the community that the study of Ruhi Book 1 is a foundational step in understanding and applying the spiritual dimension of individual and collective life—helping release the society-building power of the Faith in each locality.
“Using creative means to strengthen bonds of friendship and to foster among yourselves and others a spiritual consciousness and qualities of tranquillity, confidence, and reliance on God, will provide a source of comfort and inspiration,” the letter continued.
The visiting team’s experience, and the National Assembly’s loving guidance are already beginning to bear fruit.
*As there is currently no National Spiritual Assembly in the Cook Islands, the Universal House of Justice has requested the New Zealand National Spiritual Assembly to take administrative responsibility for the community in the Cook Islands for the time being.
