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the grapevine

(Issue #111; May 1, 2001.)

ponder

       The main cause for failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want at the moment.

kidbits

       Natalie, born to Crystal and Tiago on January 30.-Brazil
       Liam Andrew, born to Becca and Daniel on February 4.-Ecuador
       Christianna Amber, born to Charity and Matthew on February 28.-Greece
       Adina Jade, 3rd child born to Naomi and Simon on March 1.-EURCRO
       Diane Dove, born to Lydia and Joshua on March 5.-Ukraine
       Se an Fighter, born to Cherish and Willing on March 6.-Canada
       Valentin, born to Joan and Asher on March 7.-France
       Riana, born to Sara and Levi on March 7.-Romania
       Kellsey Cervantes, born to Angela and James on March 17.-Spain
       Amy Joy, born to Talitha and Anthony on March 23.-South Africa
       Zachary Michael, 1st child, born to Dawn and Donovan on March 23.-USA

tidbits

CM disciples …
       Katja (26, Slovenian) joined in the Czech Republic.
       Paul Little (25, Romanian) joined in Romania.
       S amuel David (23, Spanish) rejoined in Spain.

Concerts galore!
By the Heart to Heart trio, TNT Home, Tokyo, Japan

       Philip (Brother Sun, 47) and Ezra Milestone (46) are two young grandfathers who started playing music together 25 years ago in Japan. We started off playing folk songs and then formed an electric rock band for one year…

       Twenty-four years after splitting up the band, we decided to reunite and sing together again under the name Heart to Heart, adding Niki (20, Ezra's daughte r) as our female vocalist. For the past three years we have been performing at a variety of places in 13 prefectures in Japan. We average around 40 shows a month but have some months, especially during the Christmas season when we have done as many as 54 shows in a month! Here's a list of just a few of the many places that we've played at:
       Orphanages, department stores, old folks' homes, sushi bars, gas station parties, fancy night clubs, city hall, radio, television, five star hotels, Lions a nd Rotary clubs, weddings, restaurants, school graduations, institutions for the mentally handicapped, college dorms, outdoor concerts and festivals, Buddhist summer camps and temples, airports, Harley Davidson motorcycle events, and boats…to name a few!
       About a year and 8 months ago we put out our first CD. It's a mixture of Japanese and English songs, all written by Philip, that we recorded. God bless the JAS musicians who helped us produce it, as well as Kenny and Makoto from the Tokyo Stud io Home. The CD has sold very well and it's very inspiring to have this tool. We also made a live music video with clips from some of our many shows that we've done, as well as clips from two large concerts that we held over the past few years. We are now in the process of finishing the recording and mixing of our second full CD.
       When we first started our band, we did a lot of going from club to club trying to find places to sing at and gigs to do, but the Lord has done such amazing miracles f or us that we now have way more work than we can handle, and often give jobs to other Family musicians 'cause we're already fully booked. We get many calls every day with new opportunities for us to perform!
       We've done two large concerts in the last two years and would like to share with you the testimony of our third concert that the Lord helped us to organize on September 28th, 2000.
       Our precious 40-year-old queen booked a big concert hall in Tokyo and suggested that we put on a charity co ncert. We prayed about it and agreed, and she readily donated all the funds necessary for us to put together the show. She also gave us the idea to produce a single CD consisting of four songs, one new one and three from our first CD that we could debut at the concert. She sponsored this whole project as well, including duping 1,000 copies.
       We recruited Michael Fogarty, Makoto and Mike Drummer to help us with the live music, as having a few more musicians for a big deal like this always makes the show more interesting. We also had two YA girls, Anita (18) and Alisa (of Josh, 20) to dance free-style on both sides of the stage.
       We performed 20 songs, Japanese and English, both original and popular songs, and the kids also performed two dance numbers in Japanese. Keiko (of Michael) was the MC. About 328 guests came (Family members as well) to the show. We were able to sell almost 90 CDs! TYL!
       One song we sang at the concert is an original by Philip called “Kotowaza Mambo.”Kotowaza means Proverb in Japanese. The way the song was written was by first gathering 30 ancient Japanese proverbs and famous old sayings and adding a melody and a fun Latin-style musical beat. We've been singing this song everywhere we go for the last two years or so.
       About proverbs and old sayings, Dad said the following in 1983, “Every language is full of them and they are often quoted by parents to their children and people to each other, and are almost considered to be recognized laws and unchal lenged truths! These sayings and proverbs and quotes which have been handed down from generation to generation within a culture, sometimes for hundreds of years, have survived and often proven to be true and effective! In fact, they are so useful and are such good guides to our human behavior that we have one entire book of them in our Bible!-The Book of Proverbs!” (Intro to the MOP, by Dad)!
       The Japanese, in general, seem to really enjoy seeing foreigners quoting old Japanese sayings. In othe r areas like China or Africa or middle eastern countries, etc., composing a “Proverb song” in the local language, full of that country's old sayings, could provide a fun outreach tool for our missionary singers around the world.
       After the two-hour-long concert, one new friend who attended said that she felt “cleansed inside.” People often comment that the music brings them relief from stress and a measure of healing, which always leads to a witnessing opportunity. We were really encouraged to hear that! It seems that the guests really enjoyed the show. Our queen got a video company to film the concert so there will be a music video of it coming out soon, Lord willing!
       We (Ezra, Philip and Niki) are very thankful to the other members of our Home (mothers, young people and kids) who have so sacrificially and willingly supported this ministry. GBT!
       PS: If you are interested in a copy of our CD or video, you can contact us at: heartzh@eurus.dti.ne.jp
       
       Caption to go with of photos : Ezra and Philip have been performing together for the past several years and have become quite popular and well known as Heart to Heart. On stage, between songs, they talk with each other and the audience in Japanese, in a very witty and comical style that appeals to the Japanese audience. During these conversations they introduce a lot of witness and are able to convey quite a bit of message. They will be appearing in an up-coming Vine.

       [Editor's note: Check out some MPEG video clips of t he concerts mentioned above on the MO site!]

forum

[The one oar syndrome]
       M.J., Earth: I'm sure that there are many out there who are prone to this disease (I admit to being one of them), which while not usually fatal can be a serious handicap.
       Throughout my entire life I have heard people say that “faith without works is dead” and “God helps those who help themselves,” and to not blame my problems on anyone else, but it has put me in the mindset of “put your mind to any problem and yo u'll be okay.” When something comes up, I work away at it, and if after a good while it doesn't vanish into thin air, I get weary in well-doing. I give it a resounding kick, glare at it, shout, “You're impossible!” and give up.
       Just recently something happened to change all that. I was having a trial about someone in my Home who I have trouble getting along with, someone on whom I have lavished an enormous amount of time and kindness, in order to avoid the prickles in their nature. And when af ter a while-a long while-nothing happened, I began to give up, not even realizing it at first.
       A few days later, after spewing all my anger and disappointment out to one of my friends, after calmly waiting for the flood to subside, he said quietly, “Have you tried praying?”
       I replied, “Of course I have…,” and then realized, of course I hadn't. I was like the man in the boat going round in circles.
       So I decided that instead of wasting all that time working in my own strength I would simply let the Lord do the work. So now I will try once more to row across the wide gurgling river of my problems … using both oars this time.
       
[Long list of possibilities for our teens]
       Home in Taiwan: We are at the stage that I imagine many other Homes are faced with. We have several junior teens who are no longer so easy to feed spiritually, are bored and unchallenged and have more negative than positive input from older teens.
       While this has caused us to become quite discouraged on the one h and, it is also making us more desperate to find answers. At this point it is obvious that we do not have all the answers and that we are not meeting all their needs.
       I am always greatly encouraged when I get out the Letters relating to teens, and spend time in prayer. Although the specific answer for each child may not be right there, there are plenty of springboard points. Just recently, when I was making a list of possible activities/ministries/new subjects to learn for a couple of them, I was amazed at how long a list of possibilities I had. Lord willing, we will be able to start with at least some of these things immediately and see how others can work in later.
       I believe we, with the Lord's help, can make their lives more exciting and challenging, but it will not be the same recipe for each one. It will mean taking more time for them individually.

[PS: We're Christians-importance of our foundation]
       FGA woman, Australia: One thing I am seeing with our younger teens is tha t we need to be sure they are grounded in the basics of the Family and Christianity. We can't teach them how to fly before they can walk, and the same kids who space out during some of the prophecy Letters many times haven't read the early Letters which were what won us many years ago when we first joined the Family. One of my sheep was expounding on how great the Family material is for studies, as it is well indexed and cross-referenced, etc. I am trying with our JETT age kids to encourage them to dig in and find material on a topic to help them learn these skills.
       (Editor: JETTs and teens, don't wait for some adult to “get moving and feed you.”-Dig in the Word today and find out why we believe in Jesus, why we witness, what we're on Earth for, and why every sacrifice is worthwhile when it comes to winning lost souls!)

[Vanity killed her]
       Home in Colombia: I live with a bunch of beautiful young girls and some of them have battles off and on with their weight and diets in order to keep their figure. Listen to what happened to a person that we knew! A relative of a very close friend of ours was quite concerned about her weight and a few times underwent surgery to remove fat. Recently she gained some weight and went on a strict diet, exercise, and taking shots to help her lose weight. Well, the result was a fatal heart attack.
       After the examination of her body the doctors explained to her relatives that her body was under extreme stress due to the diet and shots she wa s taking, that her organs got screwed up and her heart couldn't handle it. She left three kids behind without a mother, all because of vanity. LHU to accept ourselves as the Lord has made us and not follow the wrong role models that society gives through magazines, videos and TV.

[Having fun?]
       From Someone: I want to express my views on the concept of “having fun” that is especially important for young people.
       Being a young person myself, I've seen some older folks trying to inspire us wi th different fun activities by organizing outings, extra video nights and other things to try to keep us inspired. Sometimes this makes me a bit sad to see how much some folks go out of their way to try to win over those young ones by trying to get them turned on with fun things. I guess that they are trying to make life happy and inspiring for them, and I really admire them for such an outgoing love and concern.
       Nevertheless, though I can't really speak for others (so I don't know if anyone s hares this point of view), I personally get more turned on by seeing someone sharing his love with enthusiasm, fervor and dedication for Jesus and reaching the world for Him. I guess that that is also what the lost appreciate about us and gets them hooked to Jesus-our fire and passionate love for Him. I think that in this Family we are all shepherds of each other and in a certain way we should be witnessing to each other of our love for Jesus and be proud of the job that we have in saving this w orld for Jesus.
       Another thing that crosses my mind about the “having fun” subject is that we in the Family are here for a very important, what I will call a “special mission.” Our General Jesus gave us some commands which we must carry through, and He has given us thousands of promises that He will take care of us and fulfill our needs, wants, and desires while we accomplish His will. He never mentioned that a Christian life that is lived to the full would be what we know as “fun.”
       Of course , as we all know, life for Jesus is more than fun and we don't have to go out of our way to make it like that; it just happens to be that way. I guess that the key is in getting yourself turned on to Jesus, His light will turn everyone else on to Him as well.
       I very much enjoy having fun in all I do. I just think that it's important to portray the right priorities with our speech and life so that others see a good sample.

feature: PACRO UPDATE
-A Summit 2001 presentation

Overview of Jap an and Korea …
By Marie Claire

       JAPAN: We have about 50 CM and about 40 FM Homes in Japan. It's interesting to note that the Japanese nationals are the third highest national group in the Family. We have about 200 FGA Japanese nationals in the CM/FM Family in Japan, and that's not counting second generation members of which there are quite a few. We also have the third highest number of live-outs in the Family, as of November 2000. We have 90 live-outs in Japan. Last year, in 2000, our CRO/V S Home in Tokyo hosted two live-out meetings and they're planning on doing this more regularly. The Japanese are difficult to win in that it takes a lot of time and effort, but once won they pretty much stay and that's how we have as many as we do.
       The Lord gave us a lot of prophecies at the beginning of the last year about how to reach Japan. One of the things many Homes in Japan tried and which worked well was sponsoring and carrying out CTP projects, both in Japan and for other countries. J apan has such wealth, but they don't know how to get it to other countries so a lot of the Family there has been doing that.
       You wouldn't believe it in one of the richest countries in the world, but there are a lot of homeless people on the streets in Japan; there are whole areas with more and more popping up. The Japanese government refuses to see this or admit that it's a need, but the Family has been able to help many homeless and give a witness to them at the same time which is really insp iring.
       In Japan, we have found that we've had to go about tweaking the tools to the Japanese taste because the Japanese are very spoiled in what they have available. Items of the same quality that we produce, though of course not with the wonderful Word that we have, are given out free on the streets. They pass out CDs on the streets. They're just so rich. As the Japanese are more into quality than quantity, we've done a few things to either change the quality or to gear them more to the Japan ese mentality.
       In India the Mottos for Success is really popular, but the format that it's in wasn't so appealing to the Japanese. Whereas, they like these little things which look like CDs (CD-size pictures in a clear plastic case) so we've changed it a bit to make something a bit different. It's a monthly calendar with quotes, but they can take it and frame it and stick it on their wall or anything. The appeal of this also is that has both English and Japanese. The Japanese love anything wit h English writing on it; they even make up sayings and stick them all over the place.
       We also made a wedding CD. It's called Touch of Love and it has a typical wedding looking cover on it. These are compiled songs from the Always CD and other Japanese songs. Many Homes in Japan have wedding ministries, and these CDs are given to the couples as a wedding gift. They pay very well for the wedding so that covers this cost. Also often we'll add the books that Lydia wrote (the first one is called De w of Love) which are full of different quotes about love and other topics and the Japanese just love them as they're written by a Japanese person, so it has things written from their perspective with a real message. Actually, there are testimonies rolling in from the wedding ministries.

       Dew of Love: Lydia's first book. Compiled anecdotes and quotes about trials and tests.
       Led by Miracles: Third book. Her life story full of miracles-many signs and wonders Johane and Lydia witnessed when bui lding the Pyramid and the HCS building; her near-death experience, etc. (The cover picture is the “Heavenly City” pyramid.)
       Dew of Love-Joy of Living: Her second book. Essays and poems written by her after she found out that she has a terminal cancer.

       We have one Home in the Tokyo area that hosts an English conversation club for university students which they call “True Colors.” They've had this going for a couple of years now. These university students major in English and they want to pr actice their English. Each week a Family member or close friend picks a theme and presents his or her opinion and then they go into discussion. Not only are they practicing English but they are also getting more and more of the message as time goes on. Over the past couple of years many students have come to the club, and pretty much all of them have gotten saved!
       We have a few potential disciples from this ministry; one in particular would have joined except that her parents won't let her, an d so we're still praying that her parents will allow her to. But she's been very active in witnessing to her friends. So maybe by the time she joins we'll have a few others too. And like I said, they stick once they join!
       The last thing on our list is our studios. Besides those at the HCS we have three studios on the field. We have our Open Home studio which is called Strange Truth manned by Kenny, a Japanese national, as well as his son Makoto who's a second-generation Japanese national, and his wife Hopie. The new CD Flying Colors is by them. They have a studio and I think that that CD is the second that they've done partly in English, but they've also done a full Japanese one which they're getting out to the Japanese, and they're getting little fan clubs and are able to witness that way.
       Also in Tokyo we have Ezra and Philip (Brother Sun), along with Niki (Ezra's YA daughter). They have a studio and they have already made two or three CDs, but mainly they do concerts. Through th eir concerts they are really reaching the top.
       It's quite a ministry and they perform at all these famous clubs. They also have a lot of songs which are written in Japanese and in English which are a super meaty witness and they are reaching people. God bless them.
       Then in Nagoya, we have the Gateway studio, which is Thad, Chris, Jeff and Angelique and they are pumping the songs out. They built their own little studio. They can't nail anything into the house that they're in, so Jeff mapped i t all out and built a frame that fits perfectly with no nails so that he could nail everything else onto it. So they have this great studio. Chris and Jeff are incredible, not just on CD but they do live shows. I've been to a few of them and they surpass the Backstreet Boys, for sure!

       KOREA: There's an FM Home in Korea that is very active, God bless Tim and Comfort. They have a NGO which they call the Ton a Month Club. They send more than a ton a month over to North Korea and they're meeting and witnessing to all sorts of top people; the US military, top people from both North and South Korea.

Overview of Taiwan
By Abner

       The first Family teams arrived in Taiwan around 1975 or 1976. At that time the country was under marshal law. Even though technically freedom of speech and freedom of religion were on the books, our teams had to operate as if they were almost in a communist country. It was quite difficult. But over the last 20 years or so, the country has made a lot of shif ts as far as their reforms politically and economically. They've modeled Taiwan a lot after the West, mainly the US. They opened up their markets and foreign companies have poured in. So it's become very westernized.
       Because of the country opening up in the witnessing arena, we're free to do just about anything, except for very open ministries like outside busking. For years Taiwan was a shiner in getting videos out. All of our tools go out real well, the tapes and CDs too. The Christmas cards have gone out very well this Christmas. That was quite a hit there. The Taiwanese people as a whole are a very generous people. Getting pledges and monthly support is not so difficult.
       Taiwan is a very small country. You can drive from the north to the south in about 4½ hours … that is, if you're a very fast driver! Actually, to drive from northern Taiwan to the south of the island will take at least 8 hours if you're a Family driver, but the bus drivers can make it in 4½ hours! They're very fast, but scary too!
       The population of Taiwan is about 20 million, and we have quite a few Homes in Taiwan. The Homes are spread out in the three major cities; Taipei with a population of about 4 million; Taichung which is in the middle of Taiwan; and then further south is Kaoshiung.
       There are a lot of exciting ministries happening in Taiwan, but I'll just name a few. Aaron (SGA, of Jewel) has a fruitful clowning ministry in Taiwan. Even during the time of the earthquake he did a lot of show s because there were thousands of homeless people who had nothing to do. So performing and entertaining was a big part of boosting their morale.
       Aaron and his team do skits in Chinese with props and it looks very professional. Right when the these earthquakes hit, the Family went into the devastated areas to help. It was a very sad situation, as 2,300 people died in the earthquake. Everyone was pretty desperate. Having Aaron's little clown show brought a lot of happiness and they received a lo t of very positive coverage. One well-known chat show did an interview in his Home and the witness was very strong. Their family was filmed eating dinner together and praying together. This was all on TV, clearly giving the Lord the glory for this ministry.
       Other ministries we enjoy in Taiwan are personal witnessing and follow-up, CTPs including programs at prisons and youth delinquent centers, tooling, and youth clubs in both Taichung and Taipei. As you already read in the Grapevine, three ne w disciples joined in Taiwan this last year!
       Please pray for our China Lit-Pic team; they are inspired about getting Activated into Chinese and are working hard towards that goal. It's a monumental job to translate everything, as well as edit the magazines to make them more relatable to the Chinese tastes.
       
Overview of China …
By Jeff and R.

       (Jeff:) China has changed a lot from fifteen years ago when we were last there. Now when you go there you hardly recognize it. When you see a grou p of bicycles going down the road you hear all these mobile phones going off. Fifteen years ago it was just bicycle bells, but now there are mobile phones. You see guys wearing Nike hats and all the famous name brands. Of course, in a lot of cases, they just go to the market and buy the labels and stick them on! That's the Chinese way of doing it. They're very good at copyrights there; they copy right!
       China is modernizing now, especially in the coastal cities; the government is making a big p ush to modernize the cities. If you go further inland where the main population is, it's mostly rural and poor and we've heard stories from people we talked to of how they haven't been paid for two years.-That's doctors and teachers and people like that. So there is still a very, very poor element, but it doesn't look like that when you're in the major cities.
       The Family in China has started a homegrown pub called the Hot Pot. Individuals send in their lessons and tips and recipes, whatever th ey have found-sharing about the work in China. In China a hot pot is where they put all the food into one pot and you cook it on the table, and the more you put in, the tastier it gets.
       The Lord also inspired us to do a pub called the CROck Pot! We take the TRFs and answer questions and put it in a pub to send back to the Homes, which they find very helpful because if one team has one question, then everybody probably has the same question. One of the reasons it's called the CROck Pot is becau se it takes so long for us to get it done!
       We have a couple of pubs especially designed for inside China. Our young people in China are now starting a China Free Zine which they want to get going with all of the news and tips on living inside China. A lot of this stuff we can't pub for the Family outside of China, but there's a lot going on and so we want to inspire those who are inside.
       Communications are tough, and you can go for a couple of weeks without getting any mail and wonder what's going on. It's a big frustration when you go there, as you just feel like the light went out. With communications getting cut off very easily, they really appreciate any kind of contact.

       (R:) A lot of the teams there have jobs or study, so their schedules are usually packed. A lot of them get up very early in the morning to get in the Word. Some even get up at 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. just to make sure that they have enough Word time.
       Due to the fact that so many of the families live on their ow n, a lot of the OCs and JETTs are learning to grow up quicker and faster. They are learning to take on more responsibilities in helping with their younger brothers and sisters and cooking, etc., which is good for their growth.
       After checking with the Lord, a lot of the Family there has begun to send their kids to kindergarten or primary school to learn the language, so that they can have interaction with the Chinese. Others hire tutors to come to the Home and tutor the older kids.
       Studying t he language in a university is a very new experience for our young people, and as you know, Chinese isn't an easy language to learn. It requires a lot of time as well as homework. At the same time they are also trying to fulfill their calling as missionaries.
       
       (Jeff:) Folks in China read the Grapevine and hear all these testimonies of people who are getting won and saved, and they are tempted to compare with what little they're doing. To the teams there, if one person gets saved it's a major miracle and they're just flipped out, and they don't let go of them. In more open countries you can win a lot of souls to the Lord, but we haven't been so faithful to follow up on them. In China, you don't let go of that sheep who gets saved until he turns around and says, “Don't come after me anymore!”
       There are several live-outs in China. These people don't all necessarily know that we're the Family and they don't all tithe yet, but they're working towards the goal of being disciples.

       ( R:) In a prophecy the Lord told us that He has handpicked each team that has gone to China and has a special ministry for them. Some of the Homes' main ministry is to minister to the pastors of the underground churches, by giving them our literature and feeding them. In turn, these pastors go around and feed others.
       We met a couple of these pastors and it's just as you've read in the Word how they are brand-new Christians themselves. Some have only become Christians a couple of years earlier a nd now they've got congregations of 100 people each. They are very hungry for the materials and input to help them in their ministry as pastors.
       A lot of teams dupe our tapes to give to their sheep. Last year, one Home duped 200 copies of our tapes to give to people. Also in Taiwan the studio helped produce a couple of DFO songs on CD so that the Homes can play them for their sheep.
       As foreigners, we aren't fully aware of how what we do, what we say, and what our sample is like to people in China, but we sure are the topic of their discussion, and to many Chinese we may be the only Bible they will ever read.
       Please do keep our folks in your prayers, as in order to live in China, and for security reasons, you have to act like a normal System person and talk like them, and eventually it takes quite a toll on you. However, it also gets you quite desperate. You learn to have good communications with your mate and with the Lord, because they are the only teamwork you've got.
       I want to share a couple of testimonies of the Lord's faithful protection of the Family in China. One sister was really going through it thinking how other people are bearing fruit; she on the other hand had been in China for a year with what she felt was nothing to show.
       Then one day she got an invitation to go for a speech in an underground church, which she was very excited about. Right before she left for this meeting she prayed with her husband and asked the Lord to confirm this, but to her surp rise the Lord told her not to go. It took a lot of faith for her to follow what the Lord said, but she didn't go to that gathering. Sure enough, during the next few days she found out that the meeting was busted and a lot of Christians got arrested and put into jail that night and it made international news. So, it really pays to pray even when it looks like something is a good thing to do.

       (Jeff:) Almost every team says that the thing they've learned to do the most since being in China is t o hear from the Lord on a daily basis. Many share how their gift of prophecy is a lifesaver, and they couldn't do without it.
       
       (R:) Another brother was invited to give a speech to the aboveground church in his city, which had a very large congregation. It was a Christmas gathering and they wanted him to come and give a speech.

       (Jeff:) This is an aboveground church that's recognized by the government and you're allowed to join the church and go to it. The only catch is that you have to re gister with the government, so they have a complete list of all the churchgoers. Of course, there are thousands more who are part of the underground church.

       (R:) This brother was worried about speaking at this church, but the Lord told him to go for it. Later on he found out that all the provincial government heads were going to be there that night for the occasion, so that made him even more desperate. However, the Lord kept telling him to go and so he went.
       He kept praying and the person whose turn it was before him just kept talking and talking so much so that when this guy was done all the officials were completely bored and left, right before our brother was about to go on stage to give the message. So he was able to give a very good message about the Lord, and he wasn't recognized there as a Christian by these officials (who had left).
       
       (Jeff:) We want to share with you about the sheep there, as that's the thrilling part about China-the sheep. It's tough and it's a sacr ifice to live on your own, but the sheep are so potential, and when you meet them they are so hungry and have such a vacuum. On our [recent] trip we met several sheep and have been able to follow up on them afterwards. It's thrilling to see their reaction to the Word.
       One person we met about two years ago is a celebrity. (Sorry we can't give more details, as we need to protect his security.) We were sitting on the train with him and people would go by and look at him and you knew that he was p retty famous by the way people showed him respect.

       (R:) This man got saved the last time we saw him, but this time the Lord told us to go out of our way and follow up on him. It turned out he was very busy, so we were a little bit disappointed, but nevertheless we told him that we had something important to give him, and so he came to meet us even though he only had 40 minutes. When I told him that God had told us to come and give him this material to read because God loves him, right away h e said, “You mean you hear from God? Could you tell me how, because I want to hear from God too.” He then expressed his burden for the young people of China. Something that the Lord had told me to tell him was that since the people look up to him the Lord wanted him to be a bellwether and a sample. I was so glad that we got to see him; he was very turned on. He asked me where to get a Bible. So please pray for him; he's very potential.
       
       (Jeff:) We met another young man on a flight. He was si nging at the top of his voice along with every song that came on the speaker system on the plane, which is really unusual for Chinese, as most of the time the Chinese just sit there very sober and quiet, but this guy was singing away. I said to R., “This guy is very unusual.”
       It was a longer flight, so we started playing cards and this fellow leaned over and said in perfect English, “What's that game you're playing?” He started talking and was so outspoken, which is very unlike the Chinese.
       He started saying, “I have some friends where I am going and they're missionaries. Are you a missionary?” This was right on the airplane and other people spoke English too, so I was sitting there almost dying when he said that so openly! We're always very cautious about saying anything like that-we don't even say it amongst ourselves. We just refer to it as the “M” word, just to be careful not to say the word “missionary.” So this fellow was just going on and on and I was trying to change the su bject to get out of it.
       But when we prayed, the Lord told us that He set this up and He wanted us to talk to this fellow. So we invited him for a coffee at the restaurant in the airport while we were waiting for our next flight and he was lapping it all up. He told us, “The whole Falun Gong religion is false. I've read the Words of Jesus and He's a man who wept. You can see that He had a broken heart for the people.”
       It was beautiful and you could see the depth in him as he talked. The Mormo ns had first witnessed to him, and he's been overseas for three years. We felt that that others had brought him this far, but the Lord wanted us to take him the rest of the way, as he's a potential labor leader and has a real burden for China and his people.
       We kept talking to him in the restaurant and we still hadn't talked to him about security, but we felt we needed to. He said, “So what do you guys do anyway?” So we felt led just to tell him really quietly, “Well, we're missionaries.” Then he shouts out, “You're missionaries? Wow, I always wanted to be a missionary!”
       At this point R. went white because she's a little more freaked out about it than I am, as she's Chinese. He looked at R. and asked her, “What's wrong, R.? Is something bothering you?” So we were able to give him a quick condensed class on persecution! He said he was sorry and really got humbled, and said he'd try to protect our security from now on. God bless him!
       We gave him our e-mail address and said, “We're going to be out of China in a few weeks, so please don't write us till we're outside of China!” He wants to be a missionary himself and he wants to do good. Although he is overseas now, he wants to come back to China afterwards to reach his own people. It was so neat how the Lord set this up like that where we can now feed him freely. Please pray for him to grow strong during this time.
       The Lord has given us experiences like that to see what it's like when you meet such hungry sheep. Any sacri fice is worth it when you meet a sheep who's hungry and wants the Word. We've already sent him some Reflections by e-mail to test him out, and he wrote back right away and said that he really liked the material we sent him and has already translated it for his girlfriend. So he's a translator too.
       The Lord is starting to raise up these people who are living outside of China, as they are much more receptive when free from all the restrictions that they are under when they are in China. We have some time to feed this young man before he goes back to China, when it will be harder to mail materials to him, so please keep him in your prayers that he will grow spiritually.
       Thanks so much for your prayers for all the China teams! They depend on your prayers and your support.

The Lord on … GNs 938, 939, 940

       (Mama:) I thought you'd be interested to hear what the Lord said about the recent GNs which cover Juan, Steven and Abner's personal lessons. I hope you're taking sufficient time to study this terrific material, applying it to yourself and being convicted and strengthened by it. God bless these dear ones for sharing their hearts with you, for your benefit.

       (Jesus:) These GNs which contain the lessons from some of your leaders-from Juan, Steven and Abner-have something to speak to everyone in the Family. Although they are your leaders, they are Family members just like you, and have many of the same shortcomings, trials, faults and failings as the rest of the Family. So draw from their lessons, for they have suffered and undergone some of these things for your sake, as an ensample to the flock.
       The way in which they have achieved their victories is also a good example for you, My dear ones. They came to Me for insight on their problems, and then kept coming back to Me for further clarifications and details. Then they came before Me and their loved ones for prayer and deliverance, giving Me approval to work in their lives to do whatever was necessary so the y could gain lasting victories. And then they checked back in with Me to see how they were doing, to get a progress report-and they have indeed made wonderful progress!
       So apply the lessons and principles in these Letters to your own life and you can make wonderful progress too!
       
To all our dear mommies-On Mother's Day

       To my mom who's a listener and a friend,
       To my mom whose love never ends,
       To my mom whose heart is sore broken,
       To my mom whose love is unspoken.
       
       To my mom who never really ages,
       To my mom I could fill up pages,
       To my mom who unwraps my emotions,
       To my mom I'd swim over oceans.

       To my mom I'm proud to express,
       “You are the greatest, and you are the best!”
       To my mom who sacrificed much,
       To my mom, I love your sweet touch.

       To my mom I'm still her sweet little baby,
       To my mom who loves me though sometimes I'm lazy,
       To my mom I can be the most honest,
       To my mom who keeps all her promises.

       To my mom who prays from her heart,
       To my mom who has had a great part,
       In shaping and making me into the child,
       Who once was confused and often too wild.

       To my mom there's only one you,
       To miss Mother's Day I'm feeling so blue,
       I'd love to hold you and express my thanks,
       For loving me in spite of my pranks.

       To share all our stories, though wild and farfetched,
       Your beautiful smile will always remain etched,
       In my memory of people I love,
       You're surely a gift sent from above!

       To my mother, a queen in my eyes,
       My special love for you never dies!
       So Happy Mother's Day to the dearest of ladies,
       I'm so thankful I could be one of your babies!

       May this year bring you your heart's hidden desires,
       And never quench the love that inspires
       Your children to walk in the path of real love,
       You're truly a gift sent from above!

-Crystal (of Luke), Senegal

Happy Mother's Day! For all the love, time, labors, care and tenderness you've given to all of us, we thank you, appreciate you, and p ray that you have a terrific coming year. We love you, and couldn't do without you!

ads

Being Rid of the Mental Pipe
       Are you weighed down by burdens of negativity? Do you find that you're physically tired day in and day out because of depression? Do you think you are doomed to be a negative thinker forever? If you answered yes to any one of those questions, check out Being Rid of the Mental Pipe. On the MO site.

happenings

[$10,000 miracle]
       Miguel (of Esther), USA: While at the S ummit, I heard that our Home was really struggling with finances so I prayed that the Lord would supply a thousand dollars for the Home. Then I heard that the Home had received a thousand-dollar donation the very next day, and that was so encouraging for me.
       On Conference Day a couple of weeks ago I was taking a prayer vigil walk and I got convicted to again pray for finances. I was praying that the Lord would again supply via the mail a thousand dollars by the time my next Conference Day roll ed around. Those prayers are a bit scary for me, as I know that I'm really putting God on the spot and I wonder if all the factors are right in my own heart and if I really have the faith that is needed for such a specific miracle. I get to thinking, “What if it's not the Lord's will, what then? Will I still trust that even though it was not answered specifically that I'll still have the faith to keep claiming such specific prayers?”
       The recent GN “Action Through Prayer, Part 3!” (GN 933) has been a super blessing for me. I have always wondered about some of the very questions the Lord answers in that Letter, especially regarding very specific, full of faith prayers that are not answered exactly how we pray them. I was wondering some of those very thoughts as I was praying, but we needed the funds and it worked the first time so-I prayed again that within one week we would receive another gift of a thousand dollars.
       The whole week went by and nothing came in the mail. It was the la st evening and before we were going to start watching a movie, we again prayed that the Lord would supply finances. I remember sitting on the couch wondering how the Lord was going to make the deadline of one week or if the Lord had a different plan. It was 10:00 at night and the next day was Conference Day and then the phone rang. It was a lady that Joseph and Heaven have been ministering to for the last few months. She had been over to the house that week for a Bible class and during that time Joseph and Heaven had presented their need and left a draft of the budget for the Home with her.
       So as it turned out, she called at 10:00 that night, two hours before the “week” was up and said that she was pledging to give a thousand dollars every month. What a wonderful Lover, with such a good sense of anticipation! Not only did He supply a thousand dollars within the deadline of a week, but also every month. What's more is that along with a pledge of a thousand a month she is also in the p rocess of giving a one-time gift of $10,000 to the Home! What a difference prayer can make!
       This was a special touch from the Lord to encourage my faith to continue to realize that when the Lord said He wanted me to become a man of prayer, He means it much more than I can fully grasp at the moment. I pray that I can learn that when I am spending that time praying, I am truly accomplishing more than I ever could any other way. Praise our wonderful Lover and Husband!

[Facing language-learning fears]
       Maria Swiss (Cheerful), FGA, Middle East: Just gotta learn this language no matter what!! These are true words ringing in my ear and maybe yours, sometimes early morning or late at night, but mostly when on outreach, provisioning or witnessing-when I happen to have the wide-eyed attention of a friendly local Arab who so happens not to speak any English at all!
       Today the above scenario started replaying and those true words were ringing again as my partner, who is new to the field, an d I were tackling some new people and places. It was going okay and the people were extremely friendly as usual, but there were those nagging words again that we couldn't express. Then, instead of going down into defeat, something good happened which helped. You probably have done this already and so have I at times.
       At the next place, there was a sharp young English-speaking guy who was free for a few minutes, so we asked him to enlighten us on these frustrating words we were missing in Arabi c. Of course, he was more than pleased to help. At the next place, a sweet textile factory manager and his wife received us well and were telling us about their struggles with the business, yet being very sweet and still cheerful about it all. Instead of pretending to understand just to keep the conversation going, I started to write down in messy Arabic some word he was saying, telling him that I'd look it up later. This effort of really wanting to understand what they were saying touched their hearts more than anything else, it seems. We expected to repack all our videos from his desk, but he disappeared suddenly into the next room, only to return a minute or two later with the money to cover all of them! So sweet and generous of them!       Sometimes doing the humble thing like copying a sentence down or pulling the word booklet out if necessary, can be more winsome than trying to look so smart! And who knows? Maybe after several times of doing that, it'll finally just stick and we'll kno w it!

[Prison Hope 2001 Project!]
       By the RadioActive Productions Team, Uganda: Celly, Heather, Julie and Simon teamed together with members from the neighboring Home to do a show at the infamous Luzira Prison, the largest in Uganda. We did our first program at the women's prison for about 150 women who greatly appreciated the show, and enthusiastically sang and praised the Lord along with us. Julie, along with Christy and Abi, sang songs interspersed with skits. Happy and Peter did the “Dr. Chainbuster” skit. Also we did a skit where a sad clown [Simon] sings “I Got a Lot of Problems” to the guitar players who answer with “Jesus Really Loves You.” We also did some magic tricks. Only after we finished the show did we find out that all of these women were sentenced to life imprisonment and many were condemned to die. Our hearts really went out to these needy souls, none of whom seemed like hardened criminals.
       As we entered into the inner compound of the men's prison, a crowd of a thousand or more prisoners immediately surrounded us. The prison guards knew their prisoners well and how they would react. Some of the prisoners had pretty tough spirits and their eyes had a dark spirit about them, but as we were doing the program their expressions began to change and our show brought a Heavenly atmosphere in the midst of the prison. The show appealed to all of the prisoners on different levels; there was something humorous, something deep, something thought provoking and somet hing emotional and beautiful.
       The prisoners were very hungry for the Word. They were almost begging us to come and teach and share the Word with them again. It impressed us how such hardened criminals could be rejoicing and praising the Lord. The prison guards knew that the best rehabilitation to give the prisoners is the Word of God, and we've been invited back to do weekly Bible classes for about 150 prisoners of the most dedicated believers.

post-its

More information on sponsoring sub scriptions
By Activated Europe

Dear Activated Family,
       GBY! WLY and keep you in our prayers as you go out and tell every creature about Activated. Again, many thanks to all of you who have sent funds in to sponsor subscriptions for sheep who cannot afford them. We pray that the Lord blesses your giving a hundred fold!
       Though the majority of the poor sheep we receive addresses for are in Africa, we do receive addresses for people in other parts of the world who can't afford the subscriptio n fee. If you wish to sponsor subscriptions for sheep in other parts of the world please let us know and we'll be happy to oblige.
       Here's a sweet letter from a sponsored subscriber in Ghana:

Dear One in Christ,
       May the Almighty God bless you for the good job you are doing for Him. I am saying “for Him” because the work that you are doing is helping people to understand God. From my personal experience I have totally changed my life with the help of your Activated articles. In fact, my par ents are very proud of my new life; so I encourage you to continue what you are doing for your reward is still yet to come.
       You should send my sincere thanks to Keith Phillips for his “personally speaking” section. I need more advice from you. My prayer request is to get close to God and to also teach others about Christ. Thank you very much for the good job you are doing. God bless all of you. Hoping to hear from you.
       Yours sincerely
Stephen Opare

More news from Activated Europe
       Thank s to all of you who have sent in addresses and we pray that your sheep are enjoying the Activated magazines we're sending them. Due to the very cheap postage costs available to us here we have now started sending Activated mailings to the Far East, Australia, the islands of the sea and many places in between which are not covered by the other Activated desks. Subscriptions cost $15 for poorer countries (Africa, etc.), and $20 for richer countries.
       We wanted to let you know that the problem wit h sending addresses to the Activated Europe Desk via the MO site has now been fixed, so please use this method if it is convenient for you. We always acknowledge the receipt of an address we receive by e-mail, so if you don't hear from us, please let us know. Please remember to include your Home number when you submit addresses for subscriptions. TYSM.
       Keep up the good work!

Jesus the Light author … where are you?
By the WS GP department
       Did you write the famous song: “Jesus the Light?” (He's done so much for me, I cannot tell it all … yes, that one!) If you're the author, or you know who is, please notify us at gp@wsfamily.com. It's important. Thanks so much!

legal and media

       BRAZIL - Ruth, Johnny and Glow: On the evening of February 25 at 9:30 p.m. we tuned into a local TV program on Direct TV and on Channel 181-INFINITO, the dubbed Portuguese version of Countdown to Armageddon was being aired!

       BRAZIL - Jere, Jodie and Coral: We did a show in a small radio station i n Ubatuba, São Paulo. It was a very favorable show. The children sang, and then Jere prayed the salvation prayer over the radio. He also shared about Contato and gave the 800 number. The reactions were super-when the children continued with their witnessing the next few days, many recognized them as the kids that sang on the radio.

       COLOMBIA - Andy, Maria and Isabel: We gave an interview on a weekly nationwide TV program that concentrates on family values, kids' training, and the importance o f the family unit in today's society. They interviewed Andy and Maria and their six kids and teens asking them about their work and activities in the country to their home schooling, interactions in community life, etc. The cameraman, director, and producer of the program were so touched that they both visited us and went to our Bible classes. They are regularly in contact with us and have become a part of our fold!

ideas and tips

Have back-up-will flourish!
By DJ (of Davida), Far-East of Siberia
       I hear sometimes about Homes where computers crashed or data was lost because of viruses. I find it very useful to have a small hard disk as a backup for my most critical information. I have an older 500 MB HDD (although it's in perfect condition) and I keep all our Home's data on it, plus programs that I don't have on CDs, etc.
       I keep this HDD disconnected from my computer, so that nothing like a virus or a crash can affect it. Once a month I plug it in and copy our updated informa tion to it. Maybe this will be a helpful tip to the Family, as most of our information is stored on computers these days and its safety is extremely important!

Devotions ideas
By Catherine, Brazil
       Here is a suggestion to help the person on devotions have a variety of things to do for inspiration. Make a box of different little books like From Jesus - With Love, Memory Book, Bible, To Jesus - With Love, Loving Jesus quotes and praise kisses, plus different prayer lists, blank papers and a p encil, ways to pray, etc., to keep in the place you have devotions. Then it's handy to use for inspiration before you read the main Letter or whatever.

Prayer motivators
By Joan, Japan
       We started to have a shiner chart for intercessory prayers. We decided that everyone-including children-should try to make time for intercessory prayer once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The kids were used to praying for their own needs but since starting this push, they are more aware of other's needs and they remember to pray for others.

Work motivators
By Cherish, James, Joan, and Willing, Canada
       The Lord gave me the idea to have an “appreciation snack” after our weekly “super JJT.” Each person has to tell everyone what they have done that day to help on the clean up, then we all clap for them, and they get a piece of our special snack! Since our Home consists of a majority of children, they have a big part in clean-up days. This little weekly appreciation ceremony has inspired them to do their best, and they are excited about clean up day, as they have a nice reward for their labors.

reax from you on the new wine

“Action Through Prayer” Series (GNs 923, 930, 933)

Andrew, Mary, Martin, Michael, Kenya
       The latest GNs on prayer have been so inspiring and right on. We've seen the Lord do great miracles as we petition Him in our prayers for our friends. One man was losing his job and shop, but after our fervent prayers for him, a few days later his losses were r eturned. Another friend was having major bank trouble. We held daily prayer vigils and soon his problems were solved, too.
       We now have many friends coming to us begging us to pray and intercede for them! It surely is the era of action, and those fervent prayers are powerful!

Stacy, Liz, and Michael, USA
       We as a Home still have a long ways to go in this area of really bathing everything in prayer but we have started out by picking one prayer request for the day to concentrate our prayer po wer on and we have tried to pray for it regularly throughout the day. For example, today two teams went out on follow-up and every time we met at the car we tried to remember to pray for our request. The Lord told us to start out simple. We have all prayed that the Lord will help us in this area and are working towards this goal.

“That Banana There” (GN 917)

Gideon Newheart (formerly Gibea Firstfruit), Norway
       Yes! Yes!! YES!!! This was a great presentation of where we are going in the fu ture. I think it is wonderful to see some skin on the new era of action. The new and exciting ventures the Lord is leading us into, as well as how we are proceeding, is very faith building. Some may consider such ventures too business-like, or as rather dry reading, but personally I am happy to see how we are bringing our ranching up to date. By doing so I truly believe we will get out a greater witness to the multitudes and in addition bring in some needed capital to branch out in our worldwide missions work.
       I personally found it very interesting, as well as comforting, to hear of the consideration of pension plans. I for one am doing just exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life, but there is a serious consideration as to how long I will be able to do it. I was glad to see this issue brought up, and look forward to hearing a serious discussion on different possibilities.

Harvest Fisher, Slovakia
       I loved this Letter because there was so much in it! All the things I've been going through over the past year, yearning to help give finances to poor countries but not having any, yearning to help fulfill the need for more VSs but not really being that kind of person, feeling a burning desire to see more Activated Desks set up in different languages and just being little ol' me here on a little, almost unheard of mission field of Slovakia. But this Letter was thrilling because in time our dreams will all come true with prayer and patience! I believe it!

Abner, T aiwan
       Reading about the new ideas of how the Family leadership will be shifted around excites us, and from all we can gather at this point it certainly inspires our imaginations by having glimpses into how things will be. Breaking it down into more specialized hands with those who are more talented and gifted in these different ministries we do believe will bring about more quality oversight, counsel and prayer needed for each of our important areas in the Family for better effectiveness and f ruitfulness.

Rejoice Surrender, India
       You have such faith to just step into this new era. Moving from our little Ma and Pa operation into a genuine multinational corporation is not only bottle-breaking and mind-boggling to me, but definitely shaking me in the very foundations of my faith. I'm starting to see more of where I really am at and how much I am lagging behind. Yeah! Well, let's get this ranching up to date!

Abner, Delight, Luca, Michael, Italy
       We were thrilled to get this Let ter and read about the planned restructuring of the Family. We were really praying for this as we knew that things couldn't go on as before; it's been too scattered and disjointed. But then we didn't want things to go back to pre-Charter days, as it was too impersonal and institutionalized; we knew something needed to happen, though. The board vision seems to us a perfect answer. Certainly it will bolster unity and communications which are sadly lacking in some areas and will open a way for more co-operation between Homes and areas. We hope that this vision will go into effect ASAP and we pledge to do our best to participate in whatever way we can to make it become a reality.

Peter Livingstone, Indonesia
       I really like the way we are going as described in “That Banana There.” We have just opened a foundation for our CTP programs-Football School and Back to School. We were prayerful and still are in opening it and moving it along and so when we read about the foundation in Europe, w e felt a lot better that we were on the right track.

“World Currents” (GN 915)

Marianne, Shine, and Timothy, USA
       I love all of the prophecies in the World Currents GNs. Each one thrills me and proves to me how close we are getting to the End! The prophecies that came about the situation in shifting Middle East peace are too true. When we talk about these things with the many Arabs and Muslims who live in our city we hit a very receptive audience, which promptly opens them up for a furthe r witness.

prayer list

       (Mama:) Looking over all these prayer requests can be a little overwhelming. But remember, we have the most powerful God and Healer in the universe just waiting on our prayers. He's more willing to answer than we are even to ask. And in comparison to the world and the illnesses so many are afflicted with, we suffer little in comparison, considering our CM/FM Family is made up of over 12,000 people. So even though some of our mates are suffering serious afflictions, we can rest assured that wonderful healing is available to them through our intercessory prayers. So please don't fail the Lord and these dear ones by not upholding them in prayer.

Requests Requiring Extra Prayer Power

       From Andre and Joy, England: We'd really appreciate your prayers and messages for Joy who has terminal cancer. She is back in the hospital and the cancer is spreading rapidly down her leg. Please pray for a miracle of healing or that she will have the least pain possible. S he would really appreciate your prayers, as the pain has been quite severe. The doctors have informed us that it looks like she'll pass on soon. In spite of this she is in good spirits and interacting with visitors and being a wonderful testimony. Thank you so much, dear Family.
       From ASCRO: Phoenix in Vietnamis a single mom of three small children. She has cervical cancer and is presently in Australia for treatment. Please pray for speedy healing and against side effects from the chemotherapy treatment she's taking. Also please pray for her children that they won't miss their mother too much while she's gone and for lots of faith and trust for their caretakers.
       From Sara, for Jondy and Maria, Houston: Jondy and his SGA wife Maria just had their first baby together-Taylor, born April 8. Her labor was induced a bit early due to her having an excess of water in the womb, and suspected toxemia and other problems. She was only 5 minutes from having a C-section delivery when she miracul ously dilated fully and had a natural birth. PTL.
       At only one day old Taylor had an operation to disconnect the esophagus pipe from the windpipe and have it reconnected properly to the esophagus. This condition usually indicates that other things can be wrong as well, but, thank the Lord, the operation was a success and the baby is fine in every other way! Although the doctors were concerned all along, suspecting that the baby would be retarded and have various difficulties and abnormalities, our wonderful faithful Jesus has answered prayer! The whole area has been praying, but we would like to ask further united intercessory prayer that: Taylor can breathe on his own soon, without tubes; that he can nurse and digest it fine; for his complete healing and recovery; for his windpipe and esophagus to function normally and for Maria's milk supply and recovery. Thank you again for those wonderful healing prayers of faith.
       From Zeb and Kristy, Mexico: From an ultrasound doctors discovere d that our unborn baby possibly has a condition known as “spina bifida”-a defect of the lower spine and spinal cord. It is still too early to tell and the condition could improve over the next month and a half. However, if it doesn't the consequences could range from being quite light (a small marking at the base of the spine) to severe (paralysis of the lower half of the body, mental retardation, etc.). Please pray for the baby to be born without the smell of smoke!
       Angie (of David V., Paragu ay) had to have a C-section because of eclampsia (coma and convulsions during or immediately after pregnancy). Angie is fine now and was able to return home, but Darren was born quite underweight (due to an abnormally thin umbilical cord), with hypoglycemia, too many red blood cells and breathing difficulties. He's been in the ICU and has been making steady progress, but is still considered in critical condition. Please pray for his continued progress and comfort while hospitalized, so that he c an be released soon and continue developing normally. (LNF: He's now come off oxygen, has nursed some, and DV will be returning home!)
       Dayse, Brazil: Was run over by a car at a crosswalk and is in great pain.

Asia

       Stability in the Mideast and supply for the Homes there.
       Abi, India: Diabetes.
       Claire (18, of Gid and Crystal): Scoliosis.
       Abel: Achilles tendonitis.
       David: Hemorrhoids.
       Rahul: Light ligament tear in knee, which doctors say is permanent and needs an operation.
       Youc efSGA: Broken foot.
       Crystal Praymore: Thyroid gland infection, urinary tract infection, other internal infection and skin problems.
       Geeta, India: Experiencing bouts of depression due to an imbalance of lithium in her blood.

Europe and Africa

       Gareth: Chrones disease.
       Victoria: Bone cancer.
       Emanuel (of Daniella): Thyroid cysts to disappear.

Pacific

       Mark (of Mary): Multiple Sclerosis.

South America

       From Chile VS team: As a congressional investigation into sects has bee n making news, the press has recently descended upon Family Homes in two different cities, looking for headlines. So far one negative article has come out. Please pray for our Family's wisdom and anointing, as well as for protection.

       Keisha (baby of Agustin and Paloma): Throat not functioning correctly, causing inability to control swallowing.
       Joana (of Adino, 5 months PG): Had a cancerous tumor removed from her uterus. For recovery and that the cancer does not spread.
       Luz (12, daughter of David): Degenerative disorder seriously hindering growth, sight, hearing and motor coordination.
       Ruth (of Esteban): May need an operation due to a cataract in the left eye, causing nearsightedness.
       Marita: Will undergo an operation to remove cyst on right ovary.
       Cristian: Pneumonia.
       Andres (baby of Mateo and Katrina): Severe bronchitis.
       Blanca (of Andres): Tumor in neck, which might require surgery.
       Ana (of Dave): Bleeding hemorrhoids.
       Miguelito (4, of Jose and Clara): Hernia in his testicles causing pain and swelling.
       Phoebe: Dengue fever and hepatitis.
       Tamar (of Emanuel and Joy): Dengue fever.
       Joy (of Stephen): Problem with nervous system, dizziness, low blood pressure and high cholesterol.
       Crystal (17, of Stephen and Joy): Cysts and ovarian infection.
       Edith (of Andres): Problems with right knee and asthmatic allergy.
       Cielo (of Andres and Edith): Facial skin is extremely sensitive to sunlight. Also has other allergic skin problems.
       Dulce (of Simon, PG): For a healthy, normal pregnancy. Had serious, abnormal problems during last pregnancy.
       Brisa: Lupus.
       Cristal (of Timoteo): Pre-surgical tests to operate on a tumor in her neck.
       Sarah: Asthma and spasms of the lower intestine.
       David (of Cristal): High level of cholesterol.
       Ana Karina (18, of David and Cristal): Scoliosis.
       Elizabeth: Anemia, and liver and gall bladder problems.
       Libertad: Lumbago, causing problems with her hips.
       Nicolas, Camila and Miguel Angel (baby, 2 and 5, of J uan and Carmen): Hernia of the umbilical cord.
       Miguel Angel (of Juan and Carmen): Chronically infected gland under chin. Doctors have recommended removing the gland.
       Dora (8, of Pablo and Cielo): Pain in eyes.
       Cielo (of Pablo): Pain in chest.
       Ericka (19): Pain in ovaries and gastric ulcers.

North America

       Daniella (of Zeb and Kristy, USA): Broken leg.

help wanted

       Wanted: Financial help to set up our Home here in the Eastern province of South Africa. We have started to pionee r a new ministry with abandoned babies, which is a huge problem in this area, and it's been a real fight since we have been involved. We are presently working with twelve little ones, most with life-threatening diseases.
       A local couple has given us a house rent-free and some food is donated, but we need help for the rest. If you can help, our email is page@xsinet.co.za (or send gifts to SABM). We will gladly write to you and send you pictures of the work!
-Love, David and Liberty, South Afric a

       Our names are Jordan (20) and Crystal (18). We are a small family with one child (Diane, 11 months). We are presently living in Mexico and we believe that the Lord is leading us to the mission field of China, which we hope to be able to be at by the end of the year.
       However, our situation at the moment does not allow for very much fundraising and being as we need to raise about $5,500 in a very short amount of time, the Lord led us to ask you, our dear Family, for any help you might be a ble to give.
       If you or anyone you know is able to help out it would be very much appreciated. Please send any donations to the Mexican ABM to Home MX8027 to Jordan and Crystal. Thank you so much for your help. We are looking forward to hearing from you.
       
       Hello my dear ones! My name is Gloria (I'm a Russian national), now living in China, and one day probably I will need to go back to Russia (because of my monetary situation).
       I'm looking for somebody who can support me with any amount of money. Or if you know somebody who can and wants to help missionary work in China and in Russia.
       Maybe my request sounds ridiculous but for now I don't know how I can support myself. And if you, my dear Family, have somebody who wants to help my work, or if even maybe you can help me with any amount of money, I will really, really appreciate it!
       When I prayed about my situation, Lord told me that I could write and ask you for help. Thank you so much for your understanding and love.       You can contact with me through pcdesk@attglobal.net CN619 for Gloria.

letters to the editor

Re: “Living the faith life” (GV 106)
Dear Gabe,
       I wanted to thank you for writing the article about Dad and your experience going through his things after he went to be with the Lord! This testimony meant so much to me, and helped me have faith, especially with getting older and sometimes wondering if the Lord is going to be able to take care of us. It was one of those things that really grips you and I felt so thankful for Dad, how he lived and his sample to us, that through your testimony is still an encouragement to us today!
       I don't feel I'm sufficiently expressing the affect that it had on me when we read it together for devotions, and how good it is to remember how Dad wasn't really into things, but he just totally gave his life and everything he had to establish the Lord's Kingdom on Earth. I know it also must have helped a lot of other people even if they didn't write in response. Th anks for taking time to write.
-Love in our wonderful Husband, Seek, Mexico

personals

       Suzy (of David Red) and Anna (of John and Esther) are you still in Bali? Please, please write and at least explain if you aren't able to stay in touch. Miss you so much, write me (you know who I am) at: familyk@mail.kar.net. &&& &&&Looking for Ana (of Peter and Mary Livingstone). I've tried to contact you, unsuccessfully so far. I've tried your address but I haven't been able to get in touch. Please wri te me at e-mail: familyk@mail.kar.net.

       Mark GLP (in Japan?), I (Abner, Paraguay) urgently need to get in touch with you. Please write me ASAP at e-mail: axl@quanta.com.py or at autosiquique2001@yahoo.com.

       A real close friend, Oleg, would like to get in touch with Heidi, that used to work in Russia, not a long time ago, in Ural region. Dear Heidi, please write to this address of my friends: alexandnadya@dialup.utk.ru. Thanks a lot!

       Zac, who's trying to get in touch with Spring (who's supposed to be in Taiwan). Hi! This is Joy (of Emmanuel) now. - Saw your note in the “personals” of GV 108. Sorry, I didn't get your e-mails. I don't know why. Do you have the following address: sunrise_hill@hotmail.com. Also, please send yours.

       Rosa SGA in China is looking for Clare C. Does anyone know of her whereabouts? Last heard of in L'viv, Ukraine. Write me, girl! I miss you!! Contact via CN632, China Desk.

       Hi, this is Seth at: fmjava@aol.com (Indonesia) - In02. I am looking for J oy (25) in Central or South America. Can you please send me your e-mail address?

       This is Mary PI and kids (of Steve W.) looking for English Josh (Lee). Wherever you are please drop us a line or two at this email: swm707@csi.com.ph or snail mail: P.O. Box 36221 Agora Village East Complex, 1900 Cainta, Rizal, Philippines.

       Daniel and Mercy are looking to get in contact with Miguel and Esther, they have Christmas presents for the grandchildren. Please contact us thru our email address: mercy dan@aol.com.

       Rachel Fireball, please contact me, Marie Smith, P.O. Box 5619, JHB 2000, South Africa. I got saved with you in Dublin, Ireland in 1972. I'd love to know how you are. ILY!

QNAs

       Q: I'm taking the CVC course “Writing and Journalism,” and in the experience section (COM JR-00) it says in order to get credit, you're required to have written 30 pages of material that is prepared for, or has been submitted for publication. I was wondering if spirit stories count? Because even th ough they come from beyond, you still have a big part in receiving, editing, and preparing them for publication.
-Libby (14), Thailand

       A: Yes, spirit stories count toward this 30 pages of material.

entertainment

Movies Rated for Senior Teens and Up

ENEMY AT THE GATES (2001)
Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Ed Harris
       While the Nazi and Russian armies hurl rank after rank of soldiers at each other and the world fearfully awaits the outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad, a cel ebrated Russian sniper quietly stalks his enemies one man at a time. His fame, however, soon thrusts him into a duel with the Nazi's best sharpshooter, and the two find themselves waging an intense personal war while the most momentous battle of the age rages around them.

Movies Rated for Junior Teens and Up

THIRTEEN DAYS (2001)
Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood
       Thriller/drama focusing on the internal action and decisions in the White House and Kennedy administration during the Cuban missi le crisis in 1962.
Here's what Dad said in the past about the Kennedy and this event: “It is generally recognized that Kennedy was one of the greatest presidents America has had. He was a good friend of the poor man, a friend of the Russians, a socialist and a peacemaker. He avoided one of the greatest dangers of a missile war the U.S. ever had in the Cuban Missile Crisis. He did it by a personal private talk with Khrushchev” (“Kennedy,” ML #288:10).

Movies Rated for JETTs and Up

TWELFTH NIGHT (OR “WHAT YOU WILL,” 1996)
Helena Bonham Carter, Imogen Stubbs, Nigel Hawthorne, Ben Kingsley
       A Shakespearean love story and comedy of mixed identities. Twins Viola and Sebastian are separated during a shipwreck, and each thinks the other is dead. Viola disguises herself as a boy and enters the service of the lovesick and brooding Duke Orsino.

Movies Rated for OCs and Up

ANGELS IN THE ENDZONE (1997)
Christopher Lloyd , Matthew Lawre nce , Paul Dooley
       Jesse Harper is the only talented player on his high school football team, but he quits the team after his father dies in an accident. His younger brother Kevin, who realizes that football is the most important thing in Jesse's life, sends a nighttime prayer which is heard by some sports-loving angels who come to the rescue.

Non-Recommended Movies

SPY KIDS (Antonio Banderas, Alan Cumming; 2001)
       (Dad:) You know what I think about movies like this? I hate 'em. They're so insidious. They look so good on the surface and have a pretty, “We believe in family values” message at the end, but most of the movie is spent attracting the young people and kids to the evil. This film has many layers to it, and is designed as a very subtle tool of the Enemy. There's a lot of bickering between the children, as well as snide sarcasm. The kid characters are portrayed as being very “ cool,” so your children would be easily attracted to mimicking the bad behavior they display.

15 MINUTES (Robert DeNiro, Edward Burns; 2001)
       (Jesus:) While this movie is an interesting look at the hypocrisy and corruption of the American media, and to what lengths it will go to sell its stories, it is on the overall unedifying and definitely unsuitable for My children. It focuses on the lives of psycho serial killers, and I would not have My children stoop to such depths or wade through suc h horrific evil.

HANNIBAL (Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore; 2001)
       (Jesus:) I would not want any of My children to subject themselves to that hideous perfidy. It is not edifying in the least and there is no reason to drag your spirit through that muck and mire and taint yourself with its evil perniciousness. Even the main actress had to have psychiatric counseling after she finished the movie; that's how much it affected her. How much more then should you, the children of light, stay away fr om such darkness.

reviews

Enemy at the Gates
       (Jesus:) Oh, the horror of war!-The atrocities committed, man against man, the blood that is spilled for greed and power. All of these things hurt Me so and cause Me to weep for those who were lost in these bloody battles-battles that still rage around the world at this very moment-wars and rumors of wars, sweeping the earth. This movie gives a very up close and personal look at the suffering of those who participated in this particular war. I t should break your heart for the soldiers, for the boys and even girls who were used as cannon fodder to perpetrate the wars of the greedy and power-hungry leaders of nations.
       Aside from the reality and horrors of war that this movie portrays, it's got good acting, is life-like and realistic. It's based on a true story, is interesting and intriguing-and has its sweet moments.
       My loves, pray for those who are touched by war at this very moment, in the Mideast and other places around the glob e, and let this film move your heart to pray even more fervently for them. For they need your prayers, and each one needs Me, the Prince of Peace. For I will bring an end to war, and will rule and reign upon the earth for a thousand years, where all will be harmony and unity, love and brotherhood. The lion shall lay down with the lamb, and there shall be no more war.

Thirteen Days
       (Jesus:) This movie is interesting, not only from the historical perspective, covering a time when the United S tates almost entered into a war with the Soviet Union, but it is interesting from the point of view of counsel, politics, personal morals, ambition, and how all these collide in a national emergency. You in the Family are not only learning how to hear from Me on important matters, but you are learning how to hear from each other. This takes love, respect, and wisdom. It takes knowing when someone is speaking from their own interests, or for the interests of the whole. And above all, the right de cision requires that one be true to Me above even his personal desires or ambitions or will.
       In this movie, you see how the personal ambitions and personal inclinations and even the mixed experience of many made a good decision almost impossible. The truth is that I Myself averted war by speaking to the heart of Krushchev. So although the world admires Kennedy's fortitude and wisdom [in this crisis], if Krushchev had not yielded, there would have been a mighty war.
       The part you see on screen and in the history books is just one facet, but, as I have said, the real workings of the universe happen behind the scenes in the spirit world, where I am in control and I govern the affairs of man for your best and My best. And it will all come out well in the end, you can count on that.

Twelfth Night
       (Shakespeare:) You might think it odd for me to comment on a movie based on one of my own plays, but I have to tell you that I quite enjoyed this one. This particular play wasn't necessaril y one of my most meaningful, although it does provide a bit of insight into human nature, male vs. female tendencies, and the heartcry of each person desiring to find love. I like the way this is performed, with a lot of heart and attitude, and I think most of you who enjoy my plays and stories will find this one quite entertaining and get some good out of it.

Angels in the Endzone
       (Jesus:) Kids, have fun! These movies are for fun and entertainment. That means you get entertained while you watch it, and then you go on and do something else. You don't take the foolishness from the movie with you, okay? Do take with you the fun, the desire to help your brothers and sisters like this boy helped his brother by praying for him and acting on those prayers, and the knowledge that nothing is impossible. Enjoy yourselves!

Shine On-March 2001

TEAMWORK       Per Adult       Total

SOUL SHINERS FOR MARCH 2001
Samuel H.H/Rosita H.H, Mexico        3,178       6,356
Josue Fiel/Maria Fiel, Mexico        2,213       4,425
Amor, Mexico        686       1,371
John the Beloved/Ruth Livingston, USA       500       2,000
Abel/Feliz/Marie, India       427       1,710
Promise Lovesong/David, Costa Rica        250       500
David Daniel/Maria Rosa, Brazil       210       420
Daniel/Angel/Pierre/Bathsh, Venezuela       195       391
Andrew/Simon/Sunny, India       156       783
Willing, India       155       1,091

POSTER SHINERS FOR MARCH 2001
Sam/Sara, Mexico       1,012       2,024
Samuel H.H/Rosita H.H, Mexico        813       1,626
Crystal/Mercy/Peter, USA       807       3,227
Eli/Tirzah, Japan       800       1,600
Charity/Daniel/Happy, Indi a       759       5,319
Serena/Tommy, Cambodia       757       4,542
Michael/Mina/Pearl, Japan       697       3,486
Maria/Maria/Michael/Philip, Japan       671       3,359
Marianne/Shine/Timothy, USA       630       6,925
Martin/Mercy/Daniel/Jon, Mozambique       582       4,661
              
TAPE SHINERS FOR MARCH 2001
Abel Alegria/Flor, Mexico        600       1,200
Lalo/Ruth/Faithy, Mexico        350       1,399
Juan/Rosa, Spain       195       390
Amor, Mexico       138       276
Pablo E., Chile       111       334
Flor/James, Philippines       95       285
Samuel/Clara, Spain       91       183
Promise Lovesong/David, Costa Rica        75       150
Nina/Jay, USA        74       221
Davi/Madalena/Andrew, Brazil       71       499

VIDEO SHINERS FOR MARCH 2001
Lalo/Ruth/Faithy, Mexico        58       232
Ben/Meekness, Botswana       50       100
Abel Alegria/Flor, Mexico       35       69
Pablo/Daniela, Brazil       25       50
Jonas/Angela/Samuel, Brazil       25       100
Luke/Susanna/Christina, Spain       20       60
Gabriel/Jemima/Tiago, Brazil       20       60
Daniel/Lily/Samuele/Ester, Brazil       19       96
Stephen/Ruth, United Kingdom       13       27
John/Angeles/Marie, Portugal       13       91


Copyright © 2001 by The Family

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