A Day for Very Great Things

The Lives of Howard Colby Ives and Mabel Rice-Wray Ives

Howard Colby Ives’s book Portals to Freedom has been loved for over eight decades by its many readers who have been touched by its pen portraits of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. But not many know the story of his wife Mabel Rice-Wray Ives, whose dedication to the Bahá’í Faith made her a powerhouse in her own right, developing a method of public speaking that proved highly successful. Together, they formed a powerful team, giving up house and home for 20 years to travel across the United States and Canada in their desire to be of service to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. They taught the Bahá’í Faith in at least 74 communities in 26 states and three Canadian provinces, frequently sent to different areas by the National Teaching Committee, and although they missed each other terribly they never refused these requests.

Most of this book is based on the over 900 letters sent by...Show More

Howard Colby Ives’s book Portals to Freedom has been loved for over eight decades by its many readers who have been touched by its pen portraits of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. But not many know the story of his wife Mabel Rice-Wray Ives, whose dedication to the Bahá’í Faith made her a powerhouse in her own right, developing a method of public speaking that proved highly successful. Together, they formed a powerful team, giving up house and home for 20 years to travel across the United States and Canada in their desire to be of service to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. They taught the Bahá’í Faith in at least 74 communities in 26 states and three Canadian provinces, frequently sent to different areas by the National Teaching Committee, and although they missed each other terribly they never refused these requests.

Most of this book is based on the over 900 letters sent by Howard and Mabel Ives or those received by them, including 17 Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and 28 letters from Shoghi Effendi, many published here for the first time. Their letters to one another are full of the details of their hopes and their struggles, the places they went and the people they met. When they were apart for any length of time – which was often – they would write almost daily to each other. What unfolds, apart from the details of their activities, is the deeply loving relationship between them, the encouragement and advice they offered one another, and their homey conversations about their living situations, money (always in short supply), and expressions of hope for the next time they would be together. Woven brightly throughout this personal correspondence between husband and wife is the humility of their service, their utter devotion to the Cause they strove to serve with every breath, and their commitment to continually growing spiritually along with daily examples of their constant sacrifices. They did, indeed, accomplish ‘very great things’.

  • Contributors:
    Earl Redman (Author) | 
    Erica Roussaint (Author)
  • Format: Softcover book | 550 pages
  • Dimensions: 156 x 234 x 28 mm | 631 g
  • Publisher: George Ronald Publisher, 2023
  • ISBN: 9780853986614
  • SKU: REDMA_IVES@p
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  • Contributors:
    Earl Redman (Author) | 
    Erica Roussaint (Author)
  • Format: Softcover book | 550 pages
  • Dimensions: 156 x 234 x 28 mm | 631 g
  • Publisher: George Ronald Publisher, 2023
  • ISBN: 9780853986614
  • SKU: REDMA_IVES@p

About Earl Redman

Earl Redman is a geologist who worked for two decades for the US Bureau of Mines studying mines and mineral deposits in more than 220 abandoned mine workings in the Juneau Gold Belt, Alaska. In 1999 he moved with his wife Sharon to Ireland, where although there are no mines in sight, his experience has been put to good use in another field, exploring the gold mines of the stories included in this book. He now travels widely and for long periods of the year and is much in demand as a speaker and storyteller.

Titles by Earl Redman