Leonora Armstrong

Leonora Stirling Holsapple Armstrong (23 ga Yuni, 1895 – 17 ga Oktoba, 1980) ita ce mutum ta farko a addinin Baháʼí da ta zauna a Brazil .  Ta tafi Brazil a matsayin majagaba a Baháʼí a 1921 lokacin tana da shekaru 25. Daga baya, saboda godiya da ƙoƙarinta da ayyukanta ga addinin Baháʼí a Brazil da kuma faɗin Latin Amurka, an naɗa ta 'Uwar Ruhaniya ta Baháʼís ta Kudancin Amurka'.Universal House of Justice (1986), "In Memoriam", The Baháʼí World, XVIII, Baháʼí World Centre: 733–736, ISBN 0-85398-234-1

 Rayuwa ta farko 
An haifi Leonora Stirling Holsapple a ranar 23 ga Yuni, 1895, a Birnin Hudson, New York . Mahaifinta ɗan kasuwa ne Samuel Norris Holsapple kuma mahaifiyarta Grace Heathcote Stirling ce, wacce ta yi aiki sosai a aikin jama'a kuma ta koyar da makaranta. Koyaya, Grace tana da matsaloli masu tsanani na kiwon lafiya [abin da daga baya za a san shi da Ciwon sukari], kuma ta mutu jim kadan bayan Leonora ta cika shekaru biyar. Wannan ya haifar da tasiri mai zurfi a kan Leonora da ƙanwarta Alethe a lokacin yarantakarsu da ƙuruciya. Mahaifin su ya yi baƙin ciki game da asarar kuma sau da yawa ya bar 'yan mata biyu a kula da kakanninsu da mai kula da gida.

Leonora yarinya ce mai basira sosai. Ta karanta dukan Littafi Mai-Tsarki tun tana yarinya, asirin da ta bayyana daga baya a rayuwa, kuma ta kasance mai ba da jawabi a makarantar sakandare. Ta shiga Jami'ar Cornell da ke Ithaca, New York, a kan cikakken tallafin karatu na shekaru hudu kuma an zabe ta zuwa Phi Beta Kappa a cikin ƙaramar shekarunta. Leonora ta kammala karatu tare da digiri na farko na Arts daga Cornell,  inda ta yi karatun Latin, Girkanci, Physics, Botany, Astronomy da Chemistry . Bayan haka, ta koyar da Latin a makarantun sakandare na tsawon shekaru biyu a Boston kuma tana aiki a cikin aikin zamantakewa, kamar yadda mahaifiyarta da kakarta suka kasance a gabanta.

 Gabatarwa ga Bangaskiyar Bahá'í 
Lokacin da Leonora ke da shekaru goma sha ɗaya, kakarta ta mahaifiyarta ta sami Bangaskiyar Bahá'í bayan shekaru na bincike kuma ta bayyana kanta Bahá'ís [kimanin 1906]. Ta fara koya wa jikokinta mata a cikin Bangaskiyar Bahá'í, tana koya musu su raira waƙoƙin Bahá'i da karantawa da haddace wurare da addu'o'i daga Kalmomin da aka ɓoye da Rubuce-rubucen Bahá'ï. Daga baya, Leonora za ta raba koyarwar Bahá'í tare da abokan karatunta da abokai.

 Sha'awar Kasuwanci 
Sha'awar zama majagaba ta fara zuwa tunanin Leonora lokacin da aka bayyana allunan 'Abdu'l-Bahá na Shirin Allah a taron Bahá'í da aka gudanar a Birnin New York a watan Afrilun 1919. Nan da nan ta rubuta wa 'Abdu'l-Bahá, ta miƙa kanta a cikin hidima kuma Amsarsa a gare ta ita ce:Ka bayyana babban burinka na yin hidima ga Ƙofar Allah kuma ka warkar da marasa lafiya tare da Panacea na Allah - marasa lafiya wanda ke fama da sha'awa da kai. Rashin lafiya na ruhaniya ya fi tsanani fiye da rashin lafiya na jiki domin yana iya zama cewa ƙarshen zai iya canzawa ta hanyar mafi ƙarancin magani zuwa lafiya da kuzari, yayin da tsohon ba zai warke ta hanyar dubban sanannun magunguna ba ... Fata ita ce ka iya zama likitan ruhaniya.

 Zuwan Brazil 
Yawancin dangin Leonora da abokai sun damu game da shawarar da ta yanke na tafiya ita kaɗai zuwa Brazil mai nisa ba tare da sanin Portuguese ko samun wata hulɗa a can ba. Koyaya, a ranar 1 ga Fabrairu, 1921, ta isa tashar jiragen ruwa ta Rio de Janeiro. Gaskiyar cewa ita mace ce marar aure, a lokacin da mata ke da karancin hakkoki da 'yanci, ya sa yanayinta ya zama da wahala, amma ta sami damar zama a kasar. Leonora ta sami aikinta na farko a ofishin ta hanyar wani matashi mai ilimin tauhidi a birnin Santos, São Paulo . Daga baya, ta fara ba da darussan Turanci masu zaman kansu, wanda ya ba ta damar koyar da Bangaskiyar Bahá'í. Lokacin da ta iya, Leonora za ta shiga a matsayin mai magana a taron kasa. A cikin shekara ta farko a Rio de Janeiro, ta shiga cikin National Congress of Esperanto.

 Manazarta 
Rukuni:Mutuwan 1980