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| Jessie Revell in 1964 |
Jessie Revell was once addressed by
‘Abdu’l-Baha in these words:
“O thou who art firm in the Covenant! ... Notwithstanding
the lack of time, I write thee this letter that thou mayest know how dear thou
art to me. As thou art brilliant and pure and hast no wish but to serve the
Cause of God and promulgate the divine teachings, I pray and entreat at the
threshold of God and beg for thee limitless assistance and bounty. ... Thou
must engage in those regions, day and night, in service. ... As to the children
with whom thou art speaking, thy pure breath will undoubtedly exert its
influence upon them. ...” (‘Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, vol. X, p. 317)
Jessie Revell’s brilliant record of service to the Cause of
Baha’u’llah, extending from early in the century, came to an end with her
passing in Haifa on April 14, 1966. Her story is best told in the words of her
devoted sister, Ethel Revell.
“My mother, my sister and I first heard of the Faith in
Philadelphia -- it was approximately 1906 -- through Mrs. Annie McKinney, and
attended the firesides of Mrs. Isabella D. Brittingham. On the evening when
Jessie first heard Mrs. Brittingham speak on the Faith, Jessie followed her to
the door as the speaker departed and said, ‘I cannot remember all you said
tonight, but I want what you have!’ When she accepted the Faith she wrote to
‘Abdu’l-Baha and mentioned that our father had passed away when we were very
young. The Master replied -- I believe in these exact words -- ‘The real
fatherhood is the spiritual fatherhood. Therefore rest thou assured that thou
art the beloved daughter.’
“In the early days of her Baha’i life, as there was but
little literature available to the friends, Jessie, who was then employed in an
office, would spend her evenings typing copies of Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and
sharing them with the Baha’is, who in turn would recopy them and pass them
along to other believers.
