September 5, 2024
Dear Bill,
I hope you are doing well. I am doing fine, working on daily tasks and writing content.
I was very happy with your recent letter, and I thank you for starting our joint research project. I hope you are enjoying the summer in peace. My agricultural work continues, and the harvest season for Dsap production will begin in early fall.
People with positive and similar thoughts and ideas seem to be connected by God as if they are connected by a single hand, determining and adjusting their path, even if they do not share a common language, location, or culture. Sometimes, these individuals are closer to each other than first-degree family members.
Therefore, you are closer to me than my own family brothers, which is why I always feel a great sense of joy when I read your letters.
The annual Congress 60's summer camp has started today after being suspended for four years due to COVID-19 and other issues. Approximately 550 people from all over the country have joined the summer congress camp located 200 kilometers from Tehran in a mountainous area. Due to the high number of volunteers, only those who serve and are in the second journey are allowed to attend the camp. Even individuals who smoke are not allowed to participate. I will send you some photos from the camp. I searched the internet for pictures of Dr. Casey Sarapas and Mouton because I was interested in having a mental image of the research colleagues.
Regarding the exam and the scoring system for the guides, in Congress 60, we believe that knowledge is not just about literacy. Knowledge is a triangle where one side is literacy or information, another side is thinking, and the third side is experience. Therefore, to become a guide, a person must also have service experience, and the score for this service experience is around three out of 20 points, which can be very decisive. I will soon send you the table of these services after translation.
For the continuation of the research project, after reviewing the necessary details, I have chosen Ehsan to collaborate on the project. He is proficient in English, familiar with you, and well-acquainted with different parts of the Congress 60. My point is that whatever Dr. Sarapas needs, we can handle it through Ehsan. I have informed the Congress 60's statistics and research department to provide Ehsan with everything he needs or adjust the tables as you/he sees fit. Dr. Sarapas can also communicate with Ehsan via WhatsApp if necessary to expedite the work.
One important point to note is how many years of statistics and figures we need?
Additionally, most of the statistics and research officials will be at the camp next week, so we can follow up on the tasks after one week.
I am also staying updated on the project through you, Ehsan, and the congress's research and statistics team, and I will assist or guide the project wherever needed.
The 10,172 sample records are information collected from individuals upon entering Congress 60. In fact, the newcomers' guides fill out this questionnaire when these individuals enter, and there is documented evidence for each topic for each person.
There have been no changes to the 14-member congress assembly, meaning the watchdogs/Didehbans, and it remains stable. However, the number of border guards/Marzban may vary depending on the population of each branch.
For decision-making, there is the "Guardian of Congress60" who oversees the executive tasks of Congress60, and 14 watchdogs are under his supervision. However, a few years ago, I established a position called the founder of Congress 60, which pertains to myself. This position is above the watchdogs and the guardian of Congress 60, overseeing their work. As much as I think, I cannot find a good analogy. It is somewhat like the relationship between a king and a prime minister in the United Kingdom.
Another new system that I introduced in the past two years is for managing the group of traveling women, family members or female companions, and male companions in the family group. Fourteen people
Ebrahim C60 Site, [9/9/2024 2:18 PM]
have been selected for each of these groups under the title of assistants. These individuals serve for two years and lead all the tasks of these groups, exactly like the watchdogs, except that the watchdogs oversee the entire Congress 60, whereas the assistants are responsible for their own group.
The number of people undergoing treatment in Congress 60 varies; each year, it increases as the branches expand. For example, this year, the number exceeded 17,000, and it might increase again next year.
Another change in Congress 60 concerns the increasingly difficult guide assistant exams. Therefore, we removed the term 'assistant guide' from Congress 60, and all individuals who pass the exams are now referred to as guides.
Congress 60's exam takes place approximately every one and a half years, or every 18 months, and the number of new guides, including newcomers' guides and DST guides for all groups, ranges from 1,500 to 2,000 people. I will announce the exact number for 2023 later.
Regarding the list of guides' responsibilities, we have a book titled Guide and Guiding in Congress 60, and I will soon prepare the necessary arrangements for its translation into English.
In Congress 60, all responsibilities and duties are documented.
The number of workshop sessions for travelers is three per week, and for companions, it is two per week. Female travelers also have two workshops per week, and there is a mandatory sports session for all groups on a day off or weekend.
The number of legions in each branch varies, and we have up to 40 legions in busy branches. The number of people in each legion is about 20, depending on the branch.
If you need additional information, I am ready to answer.
May you be as strong as the mountains
Friends and brothers on heaven and earth forever
Hossein