Such a reward [of pioneering], it should be noted, is not to be regarded as purely an abstract blessing confined to the future life, but also as a tangible benefit which such courage, faith and perseverance can alone confer in this material world. The solid achievements, spiritual as well as administrative, which in the far-away continent of Australasia, and more recently in Bulgaria, representative believers from both Canada and the United States have accomplished, proclaim in terms unmistakable the nature of those prizes which, even in this world, such sterling heroism is bound to win. “Whoso,” Bahá’u’lláh, in a memorable passage, extolling those of His loved ones who have “journeyed through the countries in His Name and for His praise,” has written, “hath attained their presence will glory in their meeting, and all that dwell in every land will be illumined by their memory.”
- Shoghi Effendi (‘The Advent of Divine Justice’)