The Bahá'í National Convention drew people from all over the United States to the holiest Bahá'í House of Worship, where they found a number of new features they had not seen in the years before.

They saw new terrace walls at the edge of several gardens, new concrete sections in place of the monumental stairs around much of the Temple's circumference, and the beautiful gleam of the Temple exterior, newly cleaned as of last summer.

One delegate was moved by the Temple's new restoration and decided to follow up with a message of gratitude to the National Spiritual Assembly for the "magnificent job." The delegate continued, "This project is most unique and one of a kind [requiring] special talent, workmanship, materials and construction. You have done an excellent job. The restoration quality not only matches the [original Temple construction] perfectly, but exceeds it in quality and I believe it will last much longer, by several decades."

Just as important as the visible improvements, though, were some that weren't immediately as apparent:

-Four 2,000-pound ice tanks were installed in the Temple service area for the innovative new air-conditioning system, which is to be placed in operation this summer.

-Repairs on two levels of the roof, and new waterproofing below the monumental stairs were helping protect the House of Worship in all types of weather.

-Newly designed brass exterior doors and frames were in place, with mechanisms built to remain more reliable than the old doors.

-A number of areas were freshly painted: the alcoves, ceilings and air ducts inside of the Temple Auditorium, as well as several areas downstairs on the Foundation Hall level.

The Kingdom Project is continuing to ensure that this important work is done, so that this Mother Temple of the West-"wherein Thy Name is mentioned every morn and every eve," in the words of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá-continues to provide a fitting welcome for the peoples of the world.

The National Spiritual Assembly is calling on our Bahá'í community to see the renovation of the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette to completion:

-Raising an additional $4 million by Ridván 2009 to cover unplanned but needed repairs, as well as rising costs for renovations.

-Raising an additional $2 million by Ridván 2009 for the Temple Visitors Center.

-Continuing to raise funds needed to build the Bahá'í House of Worship in Santiago,  Chile; as of the end of April the U.S. believers had already contributed $10.2 million!