Mavis Nymon, Knight of Baha'u'llah

Mavis Nymon, 2002.

Togo Baha'is celebrate jubilee     22 August 2004    Baha’i World News Service

LOME, Togo — A message from one of the Baha'is who introduced the Baha'i Faith to Togo was a highlight of the jubilee celebrations held here.

"I love you all so much, pray for your spiritual growth and that you may continue in faith and teaching the Cause of Baha'u'llah -- the Cause of God," wrote Mavis Nymon, 82, who now lives in the United States and was unable to attend the celebrations in this West African country.

Ms. Nymon, originally from Fargo, North Dakota, was 32 years old when she and 59-year-old Vivian Wesson of Chicago, Illinois, took the message of the Baha'i Faith to what was then called French Togoland on 2 May 1954.

"What an unspeakably joyous occasion for us," she said. They had accomplished their goal of contributing to the Ten Year Plan (1953-1963) to establish the Faith in countries where there were no Baha'is. By the end of the decade the number of national communities had more than doubled.

In her letter Ms. Nymon described the help she and Ms. Wesson received from Togolese people and how, about one month after their arrival, they met another Baha'i there, David Tanyi, from Cameroon.

For introducing the Baha'i teachings to French Togoland, the three received the accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from the then head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.

"I wanted to go to Africa since I was 16, and it was the great fulfillment of my life," Ms. Nymon later said. Later Ms. Nymon and Ms. Wesson moved to Liberia to assist the Baha'i community there.

Mavis Nymon 1956 (Photo Courtesy of Baha'i Media Service)  Baha'i World News Service http://news.bahai.org/story/329