The Family / Children of God

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       I'm unmarried with a beautiful baby boy. I don't expect anything from his father as we've gone different ways. Plus, I get some help from the gove rnment because I'm a single parent. But for those that don't, I think it could be a blessing.
       After all, the mother has given her life for this child, to raise him to be a strong soldier for Jesus, and has the responsibility of being both a mother and father. I don't think it's too much to ask, but it should be voluntary and something the guy should think of and do out of love.
       -- Heidi (18), Australia

       Yes and no! It's understandable that marriage is not feasible in every case, but I thi nk the man should feel responsible and do everything he can to better the life of his child. Even if it's not a lot, at least it's a token and I think it will make the "standing cock" have a little more conscience. I don't think it should be mandatory to send money to the single mother (i.e. the guy is in Somalia and she's in Japan), but rather strongly suggested.
       -- A. (female, 17), Denmark

       Yes, we think that men in the Family who have fathered children should be held responsible to pay a monthly gift to the mother of the child until such time as she finds a mate/father, unless the mother declines the help. If our Heavenly Father says, "Shall I not care for my own?" it applies to our fleshly fathers and their flesh and blood children also.
       -- From a Home in Japan

       In many Homes the women are the breadwinners, often very involved in follow-up or outreach, while many men are drivers, handymen, provisioners and not necessarily bringing funds to the Home. If a couple splits up and divides the kids, could it be considered that the mother breadwinner could send money to the father provisioner?
       -- P. (adult man), Denmark

       This question has many sides to it. If a father who has children with a single mother is living in a Home that is struggling financially, or a single mother gets pregnant from a man who already has a wife and a number of children, it may be unfeasible for him to send the single mother financial help. But if the father's Home is doing okay financial ly, I think it would be good to consider helping out the single mother and their child/children. Many Homes send a monthly gift to overseas missionaries, and perhaps this could go to the single mother instead.
       Since the Charter, I've seen many senior teens, YA and SGA girls become pregnant and not have fathers for their children. I think us young people need to really consider when "going for the gold" that children are often the consequence and they are a serious responsibility. Children need both a mother and a father figure.
       -- K. (female, 17), USA

       I fully agree that men should take responsibility for their kids, but I don't think it could be legislated. How in the world can a Family brother be expected to send support ($$) to his "woman and child" on any kind of regular basis? It wouldn't really be the brother himself giving it, but it would be his Home, since we have "all things common" and people generally don't have much personal cash.
       It would also be a factor that Ho mes would have to consider when bringing someone into their Home. In addition to "Do you have any debts and liabilities?" they'd have to ask, "Do you have to make monthly child support payments?" That would definitely knock points off any guy's chances of being accepted into a Home. -- Maybe that's the idea, to scare 'em into it, but it doesn't seem real practical or enforceable.
       -- Anonymous (female, 21) Earth

       I've heard that many are now permitted to keep a certain percentage of their in come, and also that folks are free to go out on their free days and raise personal money. Perhaps these methods could be employed to raise necessary support for a dude's kid and their mom? Got any spare change, you guys? Come on, you can do it!
       -- Anonymous (male, 50), Earth

       I am a single mother with two kids. I have been supported financially by my kids' father (who also has a family with six kids) for nearly a year and it has been a super blessing in my being able to get my kids' needs s upplied.
       Above the money factor, it's a blessing to feel that the father of your child loves and supports you and the kids. -- This is one of the most important needs single moms have: to feel loved and cared for and supported at least morally, by the father and those around her. I would encourage fathers who have children with single mothers to make sure she knows that you care and pray for her. It really makes a difference!
       -- D. (adult woman), Europe

       Yes, by all means! Fathers should be just as responsible for the children they've had as are the mothers. But in my experience, despite the oodles of Letters which say exactly that, they are not.
       Some of my children were born while I was married and some afterwards. None of their fathers have helped financially. The single men who are the fathers of my youngest children have shown absolutely no interest in their children, not even an occasional note to ask how they're doing or a phone call when they're nearby. They've made it clear that I'm "on my own," so to speak. I know the Lord will never fail, but as Mama mentioned recently, both children and mothers also need a father or co-parent "with skin on."
       I doubt it would do any good to try to legislate righteousness by mandating a monthly gift. In the System, the child support system has been a dismal flop, with parents arguing over amounts, fathers not making payments, mothers using visitation as a weapon, and the poor kids getting caught in the middle.
       I feel tha t fathers should of their own free will be helping regularly. Dad has talked about the responsibility of fathers as far back as "Sex Problems" and "Divorce," in 1975. In the Letter "Desertion," written in 1981, he said: "I want to hear no more of these irresponsible men who go around fucking single sisters and are unwilling to take the responsibility of the results, leaving her alone and unmated, an uncared-for mother with a pitiful orphaned fatherless child! We are just not going to have it in the Family any more, and that is all there is to it! ... Either you toe the line and take care of that girl and her child if she wants you to, or get out" (ML #1022:9a, 11a).
       -- Anonymous (adult woman), Earth

       If a guy wants to go around enjoying life with all the girls, I feel he should be compelled out of love to be helping financially, especially if he is not living with them.
       -- D. (16, male), MidEast

       If the father is single, I think he should try to help as much as possible, as G od's gift is God's work. The best solution if the father is single would be to marry the mother, if she too is single.
       -- D. (adult man), Poland

       Another possibility might be the creation of Dad's old idea of "widow's colonies." If an area has a large abundance of single moms, maybe through a referendum they could vote that a certain percentage of funds from the Homes in the area/country could help pay for housing and some basic needs for the moms to live together and school their kids. Whi le living in a normal field Home might be the best solution, this might be an alternative.
       -- C. (adult woman), China

       As a single mother for two years on the field of India, the Lord never failed to supply for me and my four children. I never felt I was a burden to the Home, though I realized that a single brother could contribute more to the Home through witnessing and their availability.
       As I see it, the Lord is the ultimate father for all the children in the Family and the ultimate ma te for all mothers. The Lord always takes care of His Own, and the brother who has a child and feels responsible will support his child as best he can. If he is in a situation that limits his financial capabilities, then he will pray for that child, and "more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of."
       -- R. (married adult woman), Poland

       Why do we let people separate so easily and then ask the rest of the Family to care for the single mom and kids? In this respect, I think the father should be held responsible to care for the single mother and child/children with a monthly gift per child.
       I'm thankful that the Charter made it more difficult for people to separate. As hard as it is at times, I think the kids would've suffered a lot more if my wife and I would've separated. If parents are held responsible to care for the kids, including financially, then people might think twice or thrice before separating, and it might be easier for our single moms to find a Home an d the help they need.
       -- J. (married adult man)

       As a single mum with four children living on the needy field of India, I would be thankful to get monthly pledges from the kids' fathers. As my kids are growing up, they wonder about their flesh fathers, and it could be a good sample to them of how far our care and love goes. I want my kids to know that the Law of Love works, and that each one of them is the result of it.
       Of course, our communal lifestyle ensures that all children are well taken care of, regardless of how many parents they have. But even a token gesture or something sent for a birthday or Christmas would be nice, if they couldn't afford a monthly gift. I think it would also be a good sample to outsiders and to the single mum's parents.
       -- Tabitha Praisemore, India

       If it came from the heart and the boy in question agreed with it, it could be a real sweet token of love and concern. No sum of money could ever come close to all the time, money, tears and care th at go into the raising of a child and always being there for them. But it might be a start towards each individual taking a more personal sense of responsibility when it comes to single moms and their children who need extra time and care.
       However, in all fairness to the boys, I do feel that some of us girls can be too proud and selfish to be willing to accept help, which would put a boy in an awkward position. I'd probably be inclined to try to manage on my own, if I felt that the boy didn't want to do it and considered it a burden.
       -- L. (single female, 21), Asia

       Say a girl becomes pregnant and the father wants to marry the girl, but she turns him down. Is he then responsible to support her, if she could have married him? I think "no."
       Generally, I think it might be a solution to have a means whereby the moms do get more financial help. It might also put a damper on guys running from one girl to the next without much thought, seeing they might have a big bill waiting at the end of the road if they haven't been acting responsibly.
       -- R (married female, 21), India

       I think it should be the personal choice of each father whether to support his ex-wife and family or not, according to his faith. It would be nice if he could help support her, but nowadays with smaller Homes and a lot more responsibility on each person's part (especially singles), I don't see how aside from their pretty full and tight schedules, they are going to be able to put aside extra funds mon thly for their families. If he has steady income, that might be a different story.
       -- A. (female, 17), Brazil

       Though it would be nice if each single mom could receive compensation, I think it would be difficult for every guy to be supporting every woman they ever had a child with, seeing some guys have been receiving "gold medals" internationally. I think the women should pray whether or not they want to go all the way and make some agreement beforehand.
       -- M. (16, female), MidEast

       I 've not yet been a single mom, so I'm speaking from a wealth of ignorance in that sense, ha! I would venture to say it's just as much work to take care of raising a brood of kids by oneself (even if that's all you do -- and some are teamworkers or full-time outreachers, etc., on top of it!) as it would be to do a little extra fund-raising, which I think the Lord would bless.
       I sympathize with the financial side of things, although I don't think it's an impossible hurdle to jump. One idea would be to adopt a regular supporter whose gifts would be designated for that purpose. I think it would be a tremendous boost in covering some of the kiddos' personal needs, etc. "Where there's a will there's always a way," and the effort would be precious.
       -- M. (female, 20), ASCRO

       A thought comes to mind as I cogitate on this subject: 2 + 2 = 4! It's easy to forget that during passionate moments when all you're thinking about is, as someone once put it, "the grand prize."
       I've seen people who have made a decision to "go for the gold," but when the golden gift arrives, they seem rather surprised that "it actually happened!" I tend to feel that if people are going to go all the way, they should look at their sharing partner and think, "Do I want to spend the rest of my life with this person?" If not, maybe they should do something other than fuck. Or, if fucking's the only way it works for them, then I dare say, go for the silver, if they don't have the faith to trust the Lord and are willing to take responsibility for a child.
       I'm not at all advocating birth control. The point I'm making is, make your decision and stick to it. If you don't have the faith to have a child right away, don't do it. It's true, dear friends, birth control isn't always 100% effective. So even with using birth control you may get pregnant. The key is: REALLY PRAY beforehand and be determined in your heart that what you're doing is right, and stick to your decision. Don't just wait for the ausp icious moment and do what comes "naturally."
       -- M.B. (20), USA

       Who said you can't be a single father? Let the guys take the kids. Ha!
       -- S. (17, female) MidEast

       It seems pretty easy for guys to "get away" without having to take any real responsibility for our sisters getting pregnant. Shouldn't the daddies be responsible to continue to support their kids, even if they are living in another Home and especially if the mommy is living alone somewhere? I know many brothers who have sever al kids with different single moms, but the moms have to bear the burden and the daddies are "foot-loose and fancy free," or have taken on new wives with new kids which they work to support, but the old wife and old kids are out on their own.
       -- C. and J. (adult married couple), USA

       I've been a single mom for eight years. My ex is remarried, is on the field, and has 10 kids. I wouldn't think of asking him for support. In fact, I send him and his family "care packages" and sometimes funds.
       The support I wish I would have received more of is communication and a continuing of my closest friendship. To me the issue is love, not money. Why wouldn't the absent parent want to let his/her child know, "I love and pray for and want to know you." Maybe the "custodial parent" is unreasonably expecting a disciple who has forsaken all to give something he doesn't have -- private finances.
       For me, God has been my provider and the key to receiving has been giving. Sure I've worried and scrim ped. Who hasn't? My help and support have come from my brethren and from hard work, from trusting the Lord and lots of prayer.
       -- K.L. (single mother, TS), USA

world news
O little town of Bethlehem
       (From Endureth, CRO:) The Lord worked it out this year for our singing team (mostly from Thailand) to perform in Bethlehem Square on Christmas Eve. The performance was fabulous, Spirit-filled and anointed! There were at least 20,000 people in the audience!
       We were scheduled to perform last, but unexpectedly right before we went on, some top people wanted to put an Arab singer on before us for ten minutes. We initially thought this was going to throw off our program, and that we would run into the 12:00 slot and "clash" with the fireworks. However, after desperate prayer and talking with those organizing the program, the Lord showed us, based on a prophecy we had received that morning, that we should take the humble seat and allow this man to go ahead, trusting that the Lord would h ave His perfect timing with our show.
       The timing couldn't have been better if we had planned it to the second! At midnight, just as we were about to begin our last song, the fireworks began! By this time the crowd was super excited after our Arabic numbers, and this excitement, combined with the beautiful fireworks display, set the stage for our last number. At the request of the event's organizers, we had re-written the words of "Let the Whole World Know" for the city of Bethlehem, and our Ar ab MC introduced it and read some of the words before we sang it. It was so moving!
       Before our singing team left Thailand, one of the prophecies we received said that there would be some people from the tribes of Israel whom we were to minister to, and who would be receptive to our message. This proved to be true, as on the plane, Cephas and I witnessed to a precious Israeli man. At the show, a young Israeli guy helped us with mixing, and his assistance made an incredible difference. Also, the Israeli cameramen were super turned on by our music.
       There was tight military security throughout most of the program until towards the end of our show, when security was thrown to the wind as the Palestinian soldiers joined in on the dancing and singing, pointing their walkie-talkies towards the music so that their buddies on duty elsewhere could hear as well, ha!
       Besides all the local media being in attendance, CNN, NBC, and other TV networks were also there. Apparently Palestine televisi on broadcast at least half of the program live! We later got phone calls from many people about the show, and when we walked down the streets afterwards, we could hear people saying, "Oh, look! There's Heart to Heart!" Every single person we've talked to since has seen the Bethlehem Square Program on television. His message is getting out!
       Our visit to Bethlehem has been special for our young people, as they have seen some precious Palestinian people giving to us from the bottom of their heart s. One restaurant owner fed our team of 15-20 people dinner every night, giving his best food when his restaurant doesn't even have any business. It broke our hearts to see how giving and precious, humble and broken these people are.

Christmas comfort for hostages
Peru
       (From Juan, CRO:) In Lima, the YA/teen group performed on Christmas Eve for those who have been taken hostage at the Japanese embassy by the Tupac Amaru, a Peruvian terrorist group. Part of their performance was aired worldw ide by CNN, as well as NHK of Japan, NBC of the USA, Telefe of Argentina, Globo of Brazil and TVE of Spain.

Thailand
       (From Endureth, CRO:) News of the Family singing for the hostages in Lima, Peru, made it all the way over here to Thailand -- it appeared on a front-page favorable article in the Bangkok Post, as well as on CNN.

The Wind and the People of Siam
Thailand
       (Editor's note: A few weeks before Christmas, Mama felt led to ask the Lord for a special and personal message for the Thai people, to show them how much Jesus loves them. After one of Mama's staff members received this message from the Lord in prophecy, it was prepared as a tract and sent to the Family in Thailand shortly before their Christmas fellowship, attended by their close friends and acquaintances.)
       (From ASCRO:) Thank you, Mama, for the beautiful prophecies you sent us for the people of Thailand. We translated them immediately and shared them at our meeting. It was so moving and such a precious messa ge from the Lord to the 300 people present.
       One dear friend, who is the president of the company where we held our program, was very impressed with the prophecy tract, titled, "The Wind and the People of Siam." He said it was a very beautiful message and suggested that we put it on tape for our friends. He said the translation was excellent and he appreciated the poetic language used within the prophecy. One of our witnessers, who was sitting next to him, explained to him a little more about p rophecy, and that this was a message that someone in another part of the world had received, and he was quite amazed by this.
       It's such a precious reminder from the Lord on how He looks at the country of Thailand, their culture and sweetness. We had the message from the Lord printed in a four-page booklet, with a nice drawing of a Thai scene on the cover. Everybody received a copy as they left the program.

Detention and Miraculous Deliverance!
Latvia
       (Compiled from various EURCRO reports :) In August, David and Paloma encountered some problems with the authorities when setting up their Home in Riga (the capital of Latvia), and we received word that they were going to be deported. After desperate prayer, the situation changed, and the Latvian Foreign Ministry profusely apologized for the treatment they received. Upon learning that they were bringing humanitarian aid into the country, David, Paloma and family were given one-year humanitarian aid visas.
       However, on November 27th, while trying to leave the country by ferry for business in Stockholm, Sweden, with two of their JETTs, they were stopped by immigrations and told that their visas were invalid, and that they would be deported. Immigrations officials seemed to think they had busted some kind of child-smuggling racket and refused to believe that David and Paloma's 10 children were their own. They questioned their marital status, and accused them of forging their passports. Immigrations then brought the rest of th eir children and brethren from the Home in for questioning.
       The authorities were rough and aggressive, and interrogated the brethren for several hours, while various allegations (none related to the Family) were brought against them. The authorities allowed Paloma (eight months pregnant) to return home with their children and other Home members. However, they held David and their teenage son, Sam, in detention with three other Russian men. The room had no windows, was cold (it was winter) and no blankets were provided. They were given one bowl of soup and two cups of water each day.
       The next day, Paloma visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who had issued their visa. Upon returning home, she found six police officers in the house. They had been insisting that their daughter Christina (14) come to Immigrations for questioning, which she had refused to do. Paloma called the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who persuaded the police to leave the house.
       The following day, the p olice returned to the Home. Paloma called their lawyer, who talked with the chief inspector. After taking photographs of the children and inspecting everyone's passports, the inspector was satisfied and apologized for the policemen's behavior.
       Paloma phoned the Spanish Embassy (she and David are both Spaniards), and the consul immediately contacted the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The consul was very upset about the authorities' treatment of David and Paloma. He told Paloma, "You are s aints -- having a large family and doing a work like this!" He tried to work out David and Sam's release, but without success.
       The reasons for the investigation by the Immigration police were unknown, but it was suspected to be part of a wider crackdown by the police on illegal aliens in an effort to improve relations with West European countries. David and Paloma happened to be caught in the middle, mistaken for child traffickers even though all their papers were in order!
       It so happened th at there was a conference about to be held between the President/Prime Minister of Latvia and the Spanish Prime Minister, and the consul said he would bring up our situation in his meeting with the Latvian Prime Minister.
       On December 4th, in answer to the desperate prayers of many, David and Sam were released from detention! David, Paloma and family were deported from Latvia to Sweden on the 6th, as it seemed too humbling for the government to admit that they had made a grave mistake to begin with. They entered Sweden without any problems, despite the deportation stamp in their passports. God bless Steven and Naomi, who took in David and Paloma's large family upon their arrival.
       A friend at the Spanish embassy informed David and Paloma that the international community had put quite some pressure on the Latvian government, so much so that the inspector asked David what his job was, and whether he has any relatives working in the government. The Spanish Embassy, which has been trying to help them throughout this whole ordeal, has asked David and Paloma to write down their story. They want to use it to get justice and put pressure on the Latvian government.
       (Excerpts of a letter from David and Paloma to Mama:) Thank you so much for your note and the prophecies you received from the Lord during our time of persecution in Latvia, many of which have already been fulfilled! (Editor's note: The Lord encouraged David, Paloma and their family, promising that He would protect, del iver and reward them for their willingness to endure persecution. He also commended them for their willingness to live by faith, and exhorted them to not worry or fear that they have too many children to continue serving Him on the mission field.)
       Tomorrow is my due date for number 11! Five days after arriving in Sweden we got a flat (apartment). That is a miracle, as it's very difficult to rent a flat unless you are registered. The same afternoon that we signed the contract, someone unexpecte dly called the Home, offering to donate furniture! The Lord is supplying all our needs.
       We are praying that within three months we can be on the road again with our new baby and a new challenge ahead of us in a fertile mission field. Time is short and we must work while it is light. (End of excerpts from David and Paloma's letter to Mama.)

pioneering

The island of Sumba
Indonesia
       (From Faith [of Steven] and John I. [YA]:) We sent a "boat trip" to Sumba, one of the isolated islands in Eastern Indonesia. Though most of Indonesia is Muslim, this island is populated by many Christians. This island has never been reached by the Family, so we sought the Lord, and He confirmed our trip through prophecy.
       After a 24-hour boat trip, we arrived at one of the major towns -- one little strip of about 20 shops! The Lord provided a free hotel room and we had a couple of fruitful days of getting out the tools. As we were preparing to move to the next town, we were approached by a sweet ma n. He asked for some posters and Bibles, as he wanted to give them to his people in his village. The posters are a real key here in reaching this island!
       One morning we got a knock on our door, and it was someone who saw the posters at the hotel that we were last staying at. He invited us to an elementary school, so we were able to witness to the children at the school and taught them the song "The Time to be Happy" in Indonesian. The students really wanted the posters and were creating quite a stir as we passed them out. -- Even the teacher got involved with passing out the posters.
       We had a moving experience meeting a 78-year-old German Catholic missionary who has been on this island for the past 35 years. He shared stories with us about the troubled times during WW2 in Europe, and humbly served us a very nice lunch. Food is scarce on this island, and it was the first good meal we'd eaten since we got there five days earlier.
       The Enemy fought us every day with sickness, and oth er impediments, but the Lord kept healing and strengthening us, helping us to stay on the attack through prayer in order to reach this isolated island with His message! As Dad said, "If you do it the right way, the Devil will fight you" (ML #241:1). The Lord helped us to distribute 92 Indonesian New Testaments, 148 tapes and 903 posters, and win 326 souls into His Kingdom! TYJ!

Taiwan
       (From Abe and Mercy:) Since we are a small Home with quite a few young children, we aren't able to send out many outreach teams, but that doesn't stop the Lord from sending needy souls across our path and giving us ample opportunity to let His light shine!
       "Endlessly hungry, dissatisfied desires…" That's how a young Korean woman described her life to us. The first day Go-Nee met us, she fell in love with us and our children. We read her the tract "Christmas Gifts For You", and when we came to the part where Jesus offers His unconditional love and peace of mind, she cried tears of joy and excitement , saying how these words expressed her heart-cry exactly. "This was written for me," she exclaimed! That evening she prayed to receive Jesus into her heart.
       She began visiting us regularly to read from Treasures. After reading the article "All Things Work Together For Good," she realized how her many sufferings and breakings have taught her compassion, love and made her search for God. A few days later she brought us the following note.
       "Endlessly hungry, dissatisfied desires, feeling despai r without knowing why. Searching for something new, failing relationships with people; hurting myself, despising myself. -- That's what I used to be before I met the Family. Over and over I pretended to be someone else and lost the real me. It was a long hard road for me. Was there any reason to keep breathing? But God never turned His back on me. He was there. Now I know it hurt Him more than me. Now I know -- God is there, waiting for me. I don't need to continue my restless search. At last th e hardship which is part of life is not so hard anymore, because Someone is here with me, watching me, holding my hands. Don't be afraid. Just reach out your hands and there will be the answer."
       Go-Nee speaks English quite well and is now helping to translate some of our materials into Korean.
       Mary is a woman in her late 30s with two children. She was introduced to us by a friend who wanted us to teach her children English. Mercy witnessed to her, as we usually do with those who come to lear n Eng-lish, and we tried to show her love and understand her personal situation.
       Two days later she called and talked to Mercy for one hour on the phone. She was crying, and said she wanted to kill herself. Her married life had gone from bad to worse during the past seven years and she was miserable. Mercy told her that there was Someone Who could help her any time she needed help, and she prayed with her on the phone.
       Later she told us, "I know it is very far for me and my girls to come to your house, but coming here is a taste of Heaven for us. To see happy people and happy children is such a different world from my troubled and messed-up life." Now, as we teach her children English, Mary takes time to study the Word each week.

tidbits
NACRO's newest ...
       -- Leilani, 8th child, 1st girl, born to Patience and Tito.
       -- Savana, 6th child born to SGAs Suzy and Byron.
       -- Cindy, 1st child born to Vanessa (YA) and Steven Victor (SGA).
       -- Michelle Anise (weighing 12 lbs!), bor n to Gentleness and Chris.
       -- Alexander, born to Paz and Parmenas on October 31st.
       -- Melissa Amber, born to Beloved and Daniel Luna on November 8th.
       -- Baby (no name or sex given) born to Claire and Miguel on November 15th.
       -- Allan, born to Andrea and Andrew Newlife on November 22nd.
       -- Baby (no name or sex given) born to Marie and John on November 23rd.
       -- Precious Angeline, 5th child and 1st girl, born to Cedar and Jason on January 3rd.

notices
It's a mix-up!
       (From Jasmine, for the Free Zine team:) By now you have probably read the notice in Grapevine #10, explaining about the new box for mail which has opened in California, and how anything not specifically directed to "The Grapevine" will be returned. Please go ahead and send your mail to the new California box addressed as follows:

       The Grapevine
       attn: Free Zine
       PO Box 4938
       Orange CA 92863, U.S.A.

       Should you get any of your Free Zine letters returned, it's probably because the Texas box forwarded t hem on to California, and the California box found that it was not marked "The Grapevine," and therefore returned them! Ooops! Please don't worry, but go ahead and resend it, following the instructions here. Thanks so much, and sorry for the mix-up!

Creditor needed
       Russia
       (From the Moscow Service Center:) We have a good friend here in Russia whom we've known for the last few years, and who now owns his own trading company. He would like to help the Family on a bigger scale, so he's asking the Family to find him a Western company that would grant his company a loan of 3-5 million dollars; 4% of which he would donate to WS, and 0.5% to the Home that finds the creditor.
       So, if you are interested in receiving a substantial gift for your Home ($15,000-$25,000) -- read on! Here's the letter from our friend, S.:
Dear Friends,
       God bless you in your difficult but fruitful work of helping people to believe and find the truth in Jesus. My wife and I pray continually that the works of the Family during these Last Days will help to turn many, many Russian people to the Lord.
       By the Lord's will, our daughter, V., and her husband, I., are in the Family, and work in Siberia. It was because of our daughter that we received Jesus into our hearts, and our lives changed. Now we have a grandson, P., and we are very happy that he has the opportunity to grow up in an atmosphere of love for the Lord and others. It's a big privilege, especially in comparison with this devilish environme nt that many children are being raised in. As much as I can, I try to help my daughter in their work, as well as the Family Home in the city where I live. But I know that my help could be much bigger.
       I worked as a businessman for the last five years, and last spring I opened a joint-stock company. The details of it are in the enclosed letter. [Note: This letter will be sent to you upon request.]
       I would like to help the Family on a larger scale, with the funds from my company's income. In o rder to do that, we need to find a Western bank or company that could give us a currency credit of US 3-5 million dollars at a yearly rate of 3-5 percent. These funds will be used to buy grain for flour factories of our region, as well as sunflower oil and other goods for further wholesale.
       With the Lord's help, if we get the desired interest on the credit, we could, as stated in our appeal letter, help the Family with 4% of the sum of the credit. So, with the credit of, let's say, 4 million d ollars, this would amount to $160,000, meaning more than half of the net profit of the credit our company used. Right now we are working with internal Russian credits, which have extremely high interest rates, and all our profit goes to cover the interest.
       Could you, dear friends, help us find businessmen in the West who keep in touch with the Family, and could give our company this credit? Then, with the Lord's help, every one of us would make a new step in fulfilling our Christian duty.
       Yo urs, S.
       We have an official letter from S.'s company, explaining in business terms the details of the needed credit. We will send this letter, as well as more details, to anyone who is interested in finding the creditor for this Russian company. Contact us by sending a message through the ABM to the Moscow Service Center. If you have a GP e-mail address, please include it so we can get back to you quickly.

poetry plug
       (From Jenna:) Calling all poets! Thanks to those of you who have sent i n some of your literary masterpieces to the Grapevine. Unfortunately, due to lack of space and trying to keep the Grapevine as a "news" medium, we're not able to print your wonderful poems. But we still want your poems! Lord willing, there is an upcoming poetry mag in the works, for which we'd like to solicit and get our hands on your poetry!
       We want to make this poetry mag real good, and we're sure you feel the same way. So we'd like to ask for the very best you have to offer -- not every poe m you've written, but your "cream of the crop," so to speak. Only the best! We'll take 'em on any subject, any length, any style. Send your best poems to the Grapevine, and we'll get them to the poetry mag crew! Thanks!

studio news

Brazil
       (From the BVM team:) We slowed down our production during the month of December in order to spread the Christmas message! Three of our buskers took out a box of our brand new local language Christmas CDs, and on their first night out distributed 22 in j ust two hours! Meanwhile, our kids have been caroling up a storm in local orphanages and schools.
       Simon and Daniela (SGAs) and their two kids arrived from California. Simon will be helping in our audio/video departments and Daniela with costumes and set design! There are some more arrivals on the way -- Pedro Emmanuel (national artist) and John Michael (17) from Colombia. With the Lord's anointing, we pray they'll be able to help our cartooning department take off.
       Don't miss the debut of th e "Hallelujah Chorus" froggie band on the next Family Fun show! They're a multi-national bunch of frogs: Jasper (keyboard), Pancho (drums), Freddie (lead guitar) and Susie and Linda (vocals). Then there's Jimmy, who just hopped in from Jamaica to do the lead vocals for the "Hallelujah Chorus'" rendition of the "International I Love You!" song, coming your way soon on Treasure Attic #9. Last, but not least, the froggies have their own version of Braveheart! That's Scottie (the froggie) who just a rrived last week from the Highlands. -- Stay tuned, froggie lovers!
       For the latest Latin news, don't miss the one-hour new Latin American Video News #2 -- just released! It's the hottest L.A. Video News to date -- featuring our Latin Family around the continent! Sub-masters will be going to all CRO areas, so if your Home wants its own copy, contact your local CRO office!

Peru
       (From Juan, CRO:) One of the most rewarding experiences we have had while in Peru has been working on the recordin g of the "To Jesus With Love" tape with the Loving Jesus praise prophecies (to be released to the Homes for the Family Feast). By a miracle we've been able to finalize the tape in both Spanish and Portuguese. We're presently working on printing the accompanying booklet, which, by God's grace, will be ready in time to send to all of our Homes before the Feast.

Desiring You! -- A sequel to Open For Love-- Coming at the Feast to a tape recorder near you!
       side a              Singer(s)/Composer(s)
       Eterna l Love       Francesco, Crystal Lily/Michael Piano
       No One Else       James Servant
       I Feel Your Lovin'       Mark T., Heidi/Mark T./Mark T., Mikol, Heidi
       It's No Secret       Pedro/Pedro, Paulo/Pedro
       My Soul Possesses       Joni/Vas
       Tonight and Forever       Simon Black/Miguel, Byron/Miguel

       side b
       I Wanna Be in You       Jerry P./David Lamb
       When I Think of You       Clara
       The King's Proposal       Lara/Esther David, BAS/Esther David
       I'll Never Let Go of You       Francesco/Hopie/Hopie, Andrew V.
       Just to Linger       Eleina, Peace L., Lis a, Ben G./Peace, Ben G./Helen Steiner Rice
       My Ecstasy       Crystal Lily/Francesco, Crystal Lily
       Lost in Your Love       Arrow, Joni/Arrow

gents and ladies

       (From Jenna:) Welcome to a new Grapevine column! Among the many interesting articles and profound thoughts many of you have been sending our way (each one appreciated greatly!), we've come across several in which both guys and girls (mainly teens, YAs and SGAs) air their opinions, thoughts, likes, dislikes, wishes, feelings and secret hopes ab out members of the opposite sex. -- Sound interesting?! Thought so. But we figured that the only way that any of us are going to learn anything from these folks who are so graciously sharing their "droplets of wisdom" with us, would be if we printed them! So here goes!
       This column will turn into whatever you make it -- depending on your contributions! Let's open up those innermost chambers of our hearts now, and share with the teeming masses, and potential suitors alike, what you like and look for in a guy or girl. It should prove to be exciting!
       When you write in, title your article Gents and Ladies, and make our job easy by keeping it short -- a paragraph or two! Share your view; don't repeat what someone else just said simply because you agree with it. For starters, take a look at this "he said/she said" viewpoint on one aspect of this multi-faceted topic. Check it out and have fun!

       he said: I heartily agree that being gentlemen is an area that many young men in the Family a re lacking in and need to work on. I'm glad that Mama brought it up, as I feel it could help bridge the gaps that exist in some places between the boys and girls.
       I would like to bring up the other side (if I must say it that way). Hearing how some young women in the Family were having battles with being attracted to non-Family members, and that these outsiders also found them appealing is not a surprise. Our Family girls are the best! But, as I'm sure most guys will confirm, we have at differ ent times had the same dilemma. I'm nothing exceptional, but I have met beautiful, sweet system girls, who told me they would drop their boyfriend in a minute if I would give them a chance.
       I went through hard times when I was younger, living in Homes with Family girls who felt they were too good for me and I could never reach their standard. I remember at that time, system girls started looking very good. It became a point of frustration as I knew that I couldn't do anything with them but the y seemed so sweet and much more understanding. I guess it's how the girls felt with the system boys being more gentlemanly.
       I think especially with teens, because girls mature faster, they don't understand how the boys could be the way they are. The boys' egos are then deflated and pride hurt; thus the girl/boy war begins. After a while you grow out of it and learn to get along (GREAT, in fact!).
       The point I want to make is that we both need to strive to do better: the girls in not getting c ritical and shutting themselves off, but instead, trying to help the boys overcome the things they are going through. And the boys need to accept this help, and endeavor to be more gentlemanly.
       One last thing is that even though some system young people often seem to be so sweet, it usually doesn't last. Move in with one of them and in a few years (or less) you'll see why people's lives in the system are so screwed up.
       JD (SGA), Europe

       she said: I wanted to react on what Mama said about our young guys needing to be more gentlemanly (ML #3079:122-135). Though we have so many sweet guys in the Family, it is true that young Family girls are being drawn to system guys, as they seem so charming.
       I recently became a single mom and have been hit so much with loneliness since having my baby. It has been very hard for me to resist the temptation of being lured by the many charming gentlemen there are in the system.
       Even simple appreciation is lacking in the Family, and it has made s ome of us girls wonder if it is even worth trying to look attractive, or do sweet things for the guys. For example, in the afternoons, usually the guys will play basketball while the girls stay home, cook dinner, take care of the kids, etc. When the guys get home, there is hardly a "thank you." I'm not saying it's like this worldwide, but I have heard it from many girls in different countries.
       I also agree with what Mama said about spiritual attitudes. It is so much more appealing when a guy i s spiritually mature and has the conviction to stand up for what he knows is right, compared to how well he plays basketball.
       I think many guys think that being a gentleman, opening the door for a girl, offering them a chair, etc., is old-fashioned. Since there has been such a lack of this, some girls have become tomboys, to where when a gentleman does come around, they are unsure of how to respond to that kind of treatment.
       In the system, guys hardly have a chance of getting a girl unless t hey are courteous. You ask them out and get them special things. A flower is such a touching gift, I think, and enough to win any girl's heart. It seems the guys just don't realize what kind of effect it has on us when they take that extra step to do something special, even if you're just friends.
       Though we girls have a lot to learn about being more ladylike, it would certainly help if we knew that it mattered to the guys.
       I have met very sweet young gentlemen in the Family and they certainl y have my respect and gratitude, but there does need to be more of them.
       -- Anonymous female (18), Earth

i'm wondering
       Q: We very much enjoyed the testimony regarding the Jerash Festival in Grapevine #2 and thought it would be inspiring to share with our Arab friends/supporters. But since it is a DO pub, we can't really show it to them or give it to them to read. We wanted to ask if it would be possible to include this testimony in a GP pub like the FAR.
       -- From David, Faith and Janek, Poland
       A: You're right, the Grapevine is a DO/TS pub, therefore it is not permissible to let friends of the Family or others who are not of DO or TS status read the Grapevine. We will endeavor to publish the more outstanding testimonies in some type of GP format, such as the FAR.
       However, if you have prayed about it and feel the Lord wants you to, you may relate -- to your close friends, supporters or contacts -- testimonies or events which are of a witnessing or pioneering nature. Obviously , there are many Grapevine sections which would not be beneficial to share with outsiders, even paraphrased; thus the Grapevine is classified as a DO/TS pub.
       Please be prayerful to not abuse this liberty by sharing things with outsiders that go beyond what the Lord would want them to have, and which might cause them to stumble or be confused.

now that's funny
       Having chosen English as the preferred language in the EEC (now officially the European Union, or EU), the European Parliament has commissioned a feasibility study in ways of improving efficiency in communications between government departments.
       European officials have often pointed out that English spelling is unnecessarily difficult; for example: cough, rough, through and thorough. What is clearly needed is a phased program of changes to iron out these anomalies. The program would, of course, be administered by a committee staff at top level by participating nations. In the first year, for example, the committee would s uggest using `s' instead of the soft `c'. Sertainly, sivil servants in all sities would resieve this news with joy. Then the hard `c' could be replaced by `k' sinse both letters are pronounsed alike. Not only would this klear up konfusion in the minds of klerikal workers, but typewriters kould be made with one less letter.
       There would be growing enthusiasm when in the sekond year, it would be anounsed that the troublesome `ph' would henseforth be written `f'. This would make words like `fotogr af' twenty persent shorter in print. In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kould be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments would enkourage the removal of double letters which have always been a deterent to akurate speling.
       We would al agre that the horible mes of silent `e's in the language is disgraseful. Therefor we kould drop thes and kontinu to read and writ as though nothing had hapend. By this tim it would be four years sin s the skem began and peopl would be reseptiv to steps sutsh as replasing `th' by `z'. Perhaps zen ze funktion of `w' kould be taken on by `v', vitsh is, after al, half a `w'. Shortly after zis, ze unesesary `o' kould be dropd from words kontaining `ou'. Similar arguments vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters. Kontinuing zis proses yer after yer, ve vud eventuli hav a reli sensibl riten styl. After tventi yers zer vud be no mor trubls, difikultis and evrivun vud fin it ezi tu unders tand ech ozer. Ze drems of the guvermnt vud finali hav kum tru.
       -- Sent in by Nicky (19), Middle East

letters to the editor

       It's so encouraging to read testimonies about sacrificial things that Family members are doing, especially in relation to young people investing their lives in our children.
       It really touches me to hear of things such as those mentioned in Grapevine #5, like the letter to Mama from H., a single mom, where she mentions the teen who said he wanted to come help her full-time; Ahlai's article where she mentions YA Stephanie [who committed herself to childcare], etc.
       As Mama said, when we hear news like this we know that everything will be all right with the Family. If we have this kind of sacrificial love, then surely we'll make it, even if things seem rough at times. Thanks for publishing the glad tidings! Let's hear more about this -- it's the heart of our Family!
       -- From Lily Fighter (21), Nepal
       In the latest Christmas Kidz Mag of 1996, under Leila ni's poem "What Is Christmas For," it was mentioned that she's the daughter of Timoteo and Susanna. (Kidz Mag #84, pg.2) This was an unfortunate misprint, as Leilani's mama is still single and very much in need of a husband and a father for her daughters. -- Us! Please pray for us!
       -- Suzanna Maria (13) and Leilani (10), Venezuela
       Thanks for explaining what's going on with Sharon (Sara Davidito) in the Rumor Mill section. I really love her and always looked up to her (I still do). I was glad to hear that she's doing something so important for the Family!
       I love you, Sharon! You were one of my favorite teachers and shepherds! I'm praying for you and your projects!
       -- Jay P. (SGA, SPALIM)

legal and media

Poland
       (From Philip and Kasia:) We have faced another negative media blast since the National Security Report was published. It has gotten to the point that there is now an average of one article a day in the Polish media talking about "dangerous sects" and quoting parts of this document.
       Philip went to help write a rebuttal to a local news article which had caused one Home some problems with their contacts and resulted in a visit from the local police. The local police visited the Home and were very impressed. After seeing the brethren, their passports, the house, meeting the children and having looked at the Home's PR book, they changed from being suspicious to being relaxed and friendly.
       When talking on the phone with the editor of this newspaper, he was very evasive and didn't want to meet us, so we felt led to go straight to his office. The meeting with him went well, and we were able to present our side of the story and give him our rebuttal. He was polite and promised to print our rebuttal. We then spoke with the author of the article, who was very sharp and full of himself, but as time went on, he calmed down. A week later our rebuttal was published.

send it in!
       The Grapevine
       PO Box 4938
       Orange, CA 92863
       USA

       e-mail: grape@ibm .net

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