The Family / Children of God

* * *

       With the help of many faithful supporters, our Home organized 25 deliveries of humanitarian aid from Western Europe, which we distributed personally to 1,500 desperately needy children in orphanages and handicapped Homes and to the most destitute huts and shacks of 40 of the poorest villages in Western Ukraine; a ministry which has changed many, many lives.

(Editor: Check out the MO site for more details on the ministries taking place in Ukraine.)

Hungary gets fed
By Rosa VS
       Getting paid for witnessing!-Yes, this is what happened last year when four Family teachers spent a full week with 36 children, ages 9 to 16, as their audience. The teacher, after meeting the Family, got so turned on that she insisted that the Family would provide the teachers for the annual English learning camp she held every summer for her students. Not only did the Family teach them English, but all about the Bible, salvation and Jesus, and gave them a full, well-balanced diet of Treasure Attics, Life with Grandpa stories and Treasures. By the end of the camp all the children prayed to receive Jesus. The Family has gone on to minister to these students throughout the school year. The kids want the Family as their teachers next year, so the teacher made an official invitation to us again.
       (Editor: There's a lot more happening in Hungary; check out the MO site for interesting snippets from various Homes.)

Check out the Czech/Slovak area
By local Homes
       Teaching English has proven to be a very effective way in personal evangelism, bringing approximately 50 visitors to our Home each week. We've also been using Activated material during our English classes from time to time.
       Through these classes we met a psychologist who got saved and is now asking for counsel from the Bible for her patients. This young woman loves the Word Topics an d asks for Bible studies during our weekly class times together. Our teens also teach English two to three times weekly for 1-2 hours. This is a very good way for them to personal witness and it is especially rewarding for us to see them taking more of an interest in people's personal lives, what they go through, etc. We also distribute food, clothing, shoes and school supplies to local institutions caring for orphans, teens in trouble and the handicapped.
       (Editor: There's lots more on the MO site, including new disciples and super-organized CTPs!)

       Our various CTP activities have recently all come together under the umbrella of a new program, which is aimed at children living in institutions that are notoriously under-financed in this part of the world. To the children, this program means fun outings to special places of interest, all-expense-paid trips to popular restaurants, boat rides, bus trips and much, much more. To the business community it means an opportunity to particip ate in and contribute to something truly worthwhile and meaningful, reaping the benefits that come from unselfish giving.
       The program also includes periodic performances by our clown and music group, usually coupled with humanitarian aid shipments to the particular institutions. Another aspect of the program is visits by our popular “Doctor Clown” to cancer wards of children's hospitals and to institutions of the mentally and physically handicapped. The hospital shows especially serve as a won derful opener to in-depth witnessing to the children and parents alike! Ever since we incorporated our ministries into a legal framework and registered it with the authorities, it has really boomed and shored up enthusiastic support from the local business community here.
       Also, with the onset of the era of action, the Lord brought two new disciples into the Home (plus one “knew” one) and another one clamoring to come in as well. This has truly meant “action” for all of us here, as there is nev er a dull moment!

Romania rocks
By Rosa VS
       This is one of the countries where we have the most Homes and there is a very good reason for it-the field is full of sweet and receptive people, just ripe and ready for the Lord's love. It's also a place where a lot of disciples join both the CM and FM Family. For example, after the Summer Catacomb camp (in 2000) seven people joined! Over the Christmas season alone the Homes here won over 8,000 souls!
       Witnessing is truly a thrill-and did we men tion a lot of people speak English? The Romanian language also is very easy to learn, especially if you speak Italian, Spanish, French or English. Many brethren have been able to obtain a humanitarian visa through the many fruitful CTPs the Homes here have.

       We have opened a transitional Home for orphan girls who have finished high school and are of age to leave the orphanage. It's a total life-changer for these girls, who receive job-skills training, medical care and lots of love for the fir st time in their lives! They have become like a part of our Family and also participate in many of our other CTP projects.
       We recently brought in over 14 tons of food, clothing, bedding, toys, hospital equipment, etc., which were distributed among 10 orphanages, 1 home for the aged, 1 hospital and about 300 vulnerable families. Together with the city hall, we set up a free store where over 500 people received large quantities of donated clothing, shoes and bedding. Along with the family visita tions, we pray with people and distribute Family lit and New Testaments.
       At a large orphanage, we have donated computers and set up a computer training center. We teach two groups of high-school-aged orphans, giving them a useful skill and a lot more hope for their future. At this orphanage we also teach English and host monthly birthday parties-everyone's favorite event!

* * *

       One Home put together witnessing dramas which they've been performing in discos for up to 1,300 students at a time . The reaction of the young people has been very positive! One youngster said: “You are exposing the truth about the System. It's great that someone has the guts to speak up and show the truth!” Recently they opened a cinema club where they invite young people and witness to them through various message filled movies.
       With the large number of Homes on the Romanian field, the Lord showed our VS team, formerly based in Poland, to move to Romania so they could be “on location” to help concentrate on shepherding the Homes in that country and surrounding areas. This team was joined by another VS, who was based in Hungary.
       Here is a plug for more laborers … MALES (over 21)! This land is not only full of sweet sheep to win and minister to, but guess what? It also has an abundance of pretty, dedicated, wholehearted, passionate, fun and … SINGLE girls (over 21) IN the Family to reach and take care of, ha, who would gladly minister to you in return, as long as you are in love with Jesus, and want to reach the world for Him! So, are you coming, guys?
       (Editor: Lots more details on the MO site!)

Moldova
By local Homes
       A disciple joined this month who is an ex-child psychologist. We started having regular classes with the different groups of sheep and have challenged our flock to pray about which category they would like to fit in and how much they would like to be fed.

       We were able to have candlelight service together with 7 of our live-outs, catacombers and supporters. It was very special for us to hear their prayers. Most of them wanted to make progress in their walk with the Lord.

* * *

       We have classes, usually twice a day, with people who are at different levels of growing in faith. We have over 40 people that we are regularly witnessing to and presently we have two babes in the Home, and life is exciting!

What's up in Croatia
By local Homes
       Seven new disciples from Italy have joined our Home since we came to Rijeka in 1996, and these, together with our on-fire Family-born young people, continue to inspire others to serve the Lord. We started establishing a national church here in Croatia-so far we have two live-out disciples and a few outside witnessers, and the Lord is enlarging our vision. We've also recently had the opportunity to perform for and counsel teens and young people, along with our other projects (teaching English to refugee children, CTP kids shows, Bible studies for sheep and so on).

* * *

       We are in the process of buildi ng a playground in Vukovar! There isn't a single playground in the whole city or places safe for children to play in. We went ahead by faith and the Lord provided all the materials and finances to start building it this coming month. The Lord provided also all the electric tools we needed, an approximate of $2,000 worth. Along with it, the mayor of Vukovar gave us the 2000 square meters of land to build it on!

(Editor: Yes, there's more about Croatia on the MO site!)

Flourishing Albania
B y Rosa VS
       The work in Albania is very exciting and flourishing! Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe. However, it's so faith-building to see the Lord providing wonderfully for the Homes there. They do not go to the West fundraising, as the brethren are mainly Albanian nationals and it's very difficult for Albanians to obtain visas for other countries. So the Lord has supplied through their provisioning and distribution of tools, and they are not lacking!
       And most importantly the y witness like a house afire! Every time they go out, no matter on what kind of business, they pray with people they talk with or give a tract to and win souls! No wonder the Lord is providing for them! They also produce their own tools-from translating, proofreading, layout, provisioning of the paper and the printing and then of course distributing the pubs far and wide. And they even managed to provision the equipment and software needed to do the job!
       Please pray for them as the electricity in Albania is very unstable and they have long and frequent unpredictable power cuts, which makes their work on the pubs very difficult and is very bad for their equipment.
       
       For years the Family in Albania has had (and still has) a fruitful and blooming catacomb ministry holding classes three times a week-one for the established catacombers, one for the newcomers, and one for their long time live-outs. If there is one word you could use to describe their feeding of their sheep it's FAITHFUL NESS! One of their catacombers recently joined and there are others on the line!

* * *

       During the Kosovo crisis the brethren have been a big help with the various humanitarian aid projects in that area, as well as ministering to the refugees-their knowledge of the Albanian language made them invaluable witnessers, and their willingness to work hard made them a very appreciated team-force for any project.
       They are very on board with the Activated vision and have mass marketing ideas concerni ng the tools. The challenge they are faced with, however, is the unreliable postal system in Albania. But they are so willing to do all they can to give the mags to the sheep that they have even considered going out themselves and delivering the mags personally to their mailboxes. Please pray for that aspect of their work as well.
       And here is a plug for more laborers … FEMALE this time, ha! Girls, that's your women's paradise-as the main characteristic of the CM population as well as live-outs and catacombers is the great predominance of handsome, hot, loyal, sincere and most importantly single men! But the requirement is to be willing to give your life to reach the lost for Jesus!

Healing hearts in Kosovo
By Oasis Home
       Here in war-torn Kosovo, many young people are very hungry for the Word, so we have been having very inspiring Bible studies weekly for students from our local school. There are 10 regulars but we have had as many as 17 attending the Bible study. We also have a weekly “Activated English Club” of 30 young people aged 15-18 where we have discussion groups, songs, games, and skits for three hours every Saturday.
       We also conduct childcare seminars for teachers and animators who are working in remote areas around the country. NGOs have come to us, asking us to hold seminars for young people from the different ethnic groups, to help them learn to work together. We have done 50 programs for children who are traumatized, handicapped, or simply in need of enc ouragement, several of which have been aired on the local TV. We also staged five youth concerts when the EAST Studio band visited last summer.
       (Editor: More on the MO site! Don't miss it!)

Bosnia still exploding
By Stand Home
       Along with Stefan and Fay (our precious nationals), who have a big part in feeding the sheep, we are building a national church by ministering to seven live-outs and close sheep; about 17 sheep who are saved and getting regular fellowship and Word; about 30 potenti al sheep and close friends, as well as over 80 contacts and friends who receive some form of lit.
       After having performed a series of Mine Awareness programs in coordination with IPTF (UN police) and SFOR at schools, we were asked to help with Drug Prevention programs which we are continuing this year in cooperation with the Bosnian Red Cross. We're helping them in their distribution of basic needs to the poor and are beginning a vocational Children's Club.
       Our Home has been doing many perfor mances for children in schools, orphanages and centers for the handicapped and other institutions in all ethnic areas of Bosnia. Many souls get saved during these shows! We also do regular concerts for the SFOR troops near Sarajevo with our newly formed band.
       We regularly visit two main Kosovar refugee camps in order to do follow-up, distribution of aid, shows and activities for the children. We have many good friends and some precious sheep in both camps.
       Open Broadcast Network TV station ( reaching 4 million) is showing the Treasure Attic shows (all 26 titles in Bosnian) plus Countdown to Armageddon (in Bosnian) and plan to broadcast The Final Stand and Beyond Armageddon in the near future. Kiss TV (reaching 700,000) has broadcast several TAs, as well as The Final Stand twice, and now are showing the whole TA series.

Montenegro
By Dawn CRO
       Although we don't yet have a resident Home here, Family teams have been holding English clubs over the last year. They advertise these si x-week clubs as an opportunity for young people to practice their English, which usually attracts about 30 kids from 16-21 years whom they would then witness to and lead to the Lord.
       (Editor: Find out more developments with the exciting new open doors the Lord has provided on the MO site)

Re-pioneering Bulgaria
By Rosa VS
       This is the third time that the Family has pioneered Bulgaria, as our work there was closed twice because of persecution. However, in spite of many obstacles, many prec ious catacombers left the country and joined in other EE countries. The ones who remained have been faithful to continue to witness and be a testimony for Jesus. Last summer one of them, who just recently joined our FM ranks, single-handedly translated four of the latest Family GP tracts, laid them out, provisioned the paper and the printing and gave them out on the coast. GBH!

       The main flock we have in Bulgaria are our mail ministry outside witnessers who are spread throughout the country; over the years they have been the main force distributing our Family literature in places where the Family has never gone and where “angels fear to tread.”
       The team working to strengthen our Bulgarian sheep consists of two couples (both being an SGA married to a Bulgarian national). Their main goal is to follow up on and reach these MM sheep and establish and strengthen them as our national work. Both the goals and the methods of the Bulgarian work now are quite different from years past, when the emphasis used to be a lot on sowing the seed fast and in big quantities; now seems to be the time of quiet plodding and farming, tending to and strengthening of our flocks.

Grapes of thankfulness
       Much of the work and projects here in the EE would not be possible without the help and support of some very wonderful provisioning teams in Austria, Sweden and Switzerland. These teams (usually couples who have been dedicated to the ministry) spend countless hours on the phone provisioning th e many needs and at times even hearts' desires of our precious missionaries on the EE field.
       We've all benefited from their daily sacrifice and labors of love, and the Lord has abundantly supplied and rewarded them (and us) for their faithfulness in following up on the sweet contacts who have been encouraged to help regularly as a result. Literally tons of children's clothes and shoes for needy institutions as well as our own little ones, baby buggies, hospital equipment, pallets of paper for our printing projects, miscellaneous food products, and countless other items have been donated to the work!
       So we'd like to say a heartfelt thanks and show our sincere appreciation to these wonderful people for all that they do to keep us warmed and fed (literally). Many of the ministries and projects in these countries wouldn't be possible without their faithfulness and sacrifice! God bless them!!!

Plug for more laborers!
       As you can see, Eastern Europe is hopping and we've only begun to scratch the surface! We have so many open doors and for anyone who wants to do follow-up, personal witnessing, CTPs, disciple winning, etc., the possibilities here are endless! It is not impossible to work out visas either, and for most countries long-term visas are fairly easy to obtain. So if you are interested in helping us to reap this mighty harvest field for the Lord, please write today! We're looking forward to hearing from you!

Ray of hope shines again
By Steven, Ray of Hope Home, P oland
       This is a testimony of how the Lord can use anybody to make a meaningful CTP project and how He supplied for it. A certain orphanage is our CTP project and contact. Last year we did a puppet show of the Christmas story and took provisioned goods to them. But this time we wanted to give presents to the older children at this place. Everyone likes to feel special and receive a present. But the question was how to do it? Where do we obtain the funds for it? We are just four adults with six kids in our Home, barely making ends met. (Thank God that Cephas and Ela started to work with us for the last few months as this has helped us a lot.) In answer to our question of “how,” the Lord answered our prayers in a very unusual way.
       We often go clowning in one of the local supermarkets. That's where we met our friend who, after buying a balloon for his son, invited us for his son's Santa Claus party at school. We decided to go for it. I had fun clowning and ballooning at this party and since our new friend was there, the Lord gave me a check to ask him if he could help us in our preparation. He liked the idea and agreed to help sponsor the show. He gave a donation of US$1,400 to buy presents and other needs for the children.
       The Lord showed us to buy primarily educational materials: rulers, pencils, erasers, glue sticks, animal coloring books, colorful paper for cutouts, notebooks, paintbrushes, color markers, drawing-blocks, etc. We included some donated sweets and natural juice. We also bought the following items for the orphanage:
       Seventeen Treasure Attics and Kiddie Viddies, plus 5 audio tapes for kids in English and Polish; small plastic slide; AIWA stereo tape recorder; big puzzles and educational puzzles; tricycle; two blackboards with color chalk; paint sets, finger paint, clay; educational board games; toys; singing Christmas trees.
       On the day of the show we had to borrow a trailer from our NATO friends, as there was so much stuff that we couldn't just fit it into the van. We invited the media, and two newspapers and one cable TV station were present and wrote very good articles. Our little “Rays” performed for the orphanage on the occasion: Natalie (5), Ania (5) Agnieszka and David (3).
       We would like to thank all of our dear Family friends who helped us with their prayers and gifts during the past two years since we opened our Home. We couldn't make it without you!

OVERVIEW OF WESTERN EUROPE
By Gallio and Naomi
       There are about 80 CM Homes in Western Europe at this time. The number fluctuates, because people come from other fields for different reasons-maybe their visas are expired or they need to take care of paperwork, so Homes open up for six months to a year and then they end up going back to the field again. So there's a lot of movement and fluctuation, but the number has pretty much stayed between 75 or 80 Homes for quite a number of years now.
       We also have about 155 FM Homes in Western Europe, and many of them are v ery active. So that increases our ability to get out the Word. With both CM and FM Homes combined, there are around 230 Homes in Western Europe. England and Italy tie for having the most Homes, and Iceland and Luxembourg for the least.
       Our Homes in Western Europe are a big blessing to those on poorer mission fields, both by their faithful financial giving, as well as with many of them opening their Homes and hearts to those who go to the West for fundraising, or taking care of business and oth er legal matters. We admire our precious Family who so freely give of themselves, their time and finances to help those on the mission field. God bless them!

France
       The Homes in France have been organizing fellowships every three months for some time now. They didn't have VSs for a number of years, so they just got together and organized their own fellowships and elected their own people to take care of the different aspects of the work. The fellowships have increased their unity, and have been a blessing to everyone!
       Within the last few years, they've put together a French studio, resurrecting the old French studio, and for the first time in five or six years, producing a new music CD. Now they have Coloring the World in French on CD that they're distributing. Compared to some areas, this may not sound like a very big accomplishment, but for us, it was really encouraging, as they produced the CD with very little help. They just got together and put their time and effort into it , and they did a fantastic job!

VS and other Service ministries
       Andreas and Kitty were appointed as VSs for Italy and Greece about a year and a half ago. We had been searching for VSs for that area for ages, and the Lord laid it on Andreas and Kitty's hearts to help out with VSing. They, along with another Italian couple, Samuele and Lily, are reviving the Italian PPC. At the last minute, they translated and put together a couple of new Christmas CD cards. They did it on a whistle and a son g, and went out there and got things rolling. So, we're really excited as it looks like things are blossoming in Italy again.
       Of course, we are very thankful for our wonderful VSs in Spain, Miguel and Esther, who have been faithfully laboring in that field for many years. And not to forget VSs Peter and Rose in the UK, and Mary Meek in the Benelux area. Peter and Rose, along with Tito, operate our European Activated Desk for Europe and Africa, and have been faithfully pioneering this ministry for over two years now, firmly establishing the work, GBT!

Provisioning Homes and other activities
       There are a number of Homes in Western Europe who devote their time-either part or in full-to provisioning for the Homes in the EE and Russia. There's a Home in Sweden, a Home in Switzerland, a Home in Austria, as well as a Home in Norway that devote a lot of their time to provisioning. They provision everything from food to clothing, shoes, transportation, and have been a big blessing, especi ally to the Homes and various CTP projects in Eastern Europe and Russia.
       We have some very active witnessing Homes in the West who have a number of catacombers and live-outs they are ministering to-and they're winning new disciples! There are also some bands and singing groups who are winning many through the shows they do, both in their area, as well as in various surrounding countries or through the media.
       There are other active Homes and ministries throughout Western Europe which we don't have time to cover here, but we admire and are thankful for all our precious brothers and sisters who give their all to serving Him in Western Europe.

Help wanted
       The office part of the work in EURCRO-stats, finances, comments and suggestions, CVC, some FED-related work, communications with the field, taking care of 180 FM Homes, as well as shepherding of the 80 Western European CM Homes-is handled by three full-time office personnel and one part-time office worker. They all do a very good job and are such a big blessing, but we have a very big need for ANOTHER SECRETARY. So, if anyone has a burden, or knows someone with a burden, please write us today! We could also use a handyman, driver, and business person, too, to help with the running of the office Home.

LOOK AT THE FED
By Joy, Hungary
       In the EE we have a lot of new parents with very young children that need basic training in parenting, the “how tos” of home schooling, and they also need educational materials. We held a number of childcare workshops recently, starting with one in Hungary, and then holding a similar workshop for the other countries in the EE and the NEAT areas, using the videos and the material from the first one.
       When we prayed about what to cover in these workshops the Lord led us to keep things simple. We took the attending mommies step by step through the basics of how to care for and train our little ones, beginning with when they're babies, to toddlers. We showed them how to make plan ners for their schooling, how to make flash cards, along with the basics of teaching reading, writing and arithmetic, etc. We printed several hundred pages of basic educational material for small children and gave them to each attendee with some examples of how to use this material, to help our new moms get started. We also gave out notes from each of the classes.
       The reactions we've gotten from this workshop have been very positive. One mom who lives in a Home quite far away from other Homes wrote saying that after she got home she was pretty busy for a while so hadn't gotten into what we had covered at the workshop. When she finally did get back into the schooling of her child, she said she had forgotten a lot of what we had covered and felt at a loss until she dug out the notes from the workshop, and was so thankful that we had given such clear notes along with the educational materials pack. She studied it again and it all came back to her, and she was able to set up her child's schooling.
       Another thing that we have tried in Hungary-and we'd like to get it going in other countries as well-is having regular moms' fellowships and kids' fellowships. These don't take a lot of time to organize as we've kept them to one afternoon. We've held a couple so far and the reactions have been very positive. The moms' fellowship provides a special time for the moms to get together and talk about their kids, as some lack an opportunity to fellowship much with other moms since many of them live in small Homes. Even though many of the Homes are close by, there's often not much fellowship because everyone is so busy. So having the opportunity to share tips and testimonies was great. During these get-togethers, we also have prayer for the children.
       At the kids' fellowship we invited the parents to come with their children and help them participate in whatever activities we provided. Now we have formed a committee to organize kids' fellowships, so DV, they will happen regularl y.
       We've also set up seven video lending libraries for the EE and NEAT area. We try to upgrade our libraries with 20 new videos every few months, so the Homes can have new videos available.
       We're also working on getting educational books and materials from England to send to each of the Homes. It's often difficult to get good educational books in English in the EE, so having these books coming from England from time to time has helped to fill a big need. Dear Rose (of Peter) at the Activated desk has been going around to car-boot sales purchasing books very cheaply, and then sending it down to us. GBH! At one recent seminar, when we asked who had a children's Bible, there were several moms that didn't even have a children's picture Bible for their kids. So we have been trying to get more children's Bibles and a basic kids dictionary. We're working on inspiring others in the BI with the idea of sistering Homes in the EE so that we can have a greater influx of materials to fill the n eed.

OVERVIEW OF AFRICA
By Lisa and Oli

(Editor: Snippets of testimonies with no author credited have been compiled by Lisa and Oli, from the local Homes' reports.)

       We now have 65 Homes in Africa in 25 countries, totaling 585 Family members, half of which are children.
       There is lots to do. We have four national churches that we are really proud of, and they are growing by leaps and bounds. One of our goals for the next year is to have many more.
       Getting literature to the Homes has been a monumental challenge and something that still have to work hard on. Please pray for this as the conditions in Africa don't make it easy for the Homes to get the lit they need. We have two PPCs in Africa-one in South Africa and one in Ghana, but we have difficulty getting the lit/tools from the PPCs to the individual countries. It's not impossible, but it is a big challenge.
       Activated has had a very warm welcome in Africa. The books are received so well. We are praying to be able to wor k it out for some of our outside witnessers to sell the Activated books and make their living from it. Please pray this can get rolling!

Sudan
       We made our first scouting trip into Sudan this last year. (Editor: Read more exciting details in a soon-coming FSM!)

Congo
       We visited the capital of Congo three years back on a scouting trip, but this year we were able to make a 24-hour trip into the eastern part and in that short time the Lord opened up many doors for us to set up national chu rches. (Editor: Read more exciting details in a soon-coming FSM!)

Angola
       We just had another pioneer team go into Angola. It's so, so fruitful and sheepy. It's a beautiful country. (Editor: Read more exciting details in a soon-coming FSM!)

Zimbabwe book fair
       Another inspiration this past year was the Zimbabwe book fair that John from Aurora, Peter from Activated, Esther from the South Africa PPC, and myself (Oli) went to. The people are so hungry for the Word, for the Bible, and also f or the Activated books and the real heavy stuff.

Kampala, Uganda
       From the Africa Radio Ministry team
       Our radio show Nu Beat is now on five radio stations in Uganda, also reaching parts of Sudan, Congo and Kenya.
(Editor: Check out the full testimony in this GV, in the Legal and Media section.)

The Gambia, West Africa
       Sintet Project:Upriver, about five hours outside the city, we are working on renovating a rundown building that is being used as a Jr. Secondary school. The teachers ( all Christian Sierra Leone refugees) are all Activated members.
       Sierra Leone Refugee Project: There are 5000 urban refugees in The Gambia. Our ministry is one of encouragement, crisis counseling, recommending when treatment is necessary, family assistance, etc. We have a group of Sierra Leone refugees who meet weekly for fellowship, inspiration, prayer and studying the Word. We have one couple with a baby who would like to be active Live-out disciples. We need to open a second Home here, so we need to split up, and bring in more personnel-there's so much to do here if you have the burden!

Nigeria
       We've been doing a lot of personal witnessing and have won three disciples in the last few years. Now with the Activated vision picking up, we have about 30 paid subscribers as well as other sponsored ones.
       The three Homes in Nigeria participate in monthly week-long medical projects where 2-4,000 people are treated. We help to supply the food for the volunteers, as well as assisting i n any way we can.

Guinea
       Guinea is a French speaking, predominantly Muslim country that has been under communist influence and opened up to the West only in recent years. We pioneered the first Home here two years ago and our main ministry has been to the refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia, which numbered more than 500,000 at the peak of conflict in the region. We regularly take trips to different camps, do musical programs and skits, teach Bible classes and help the refugees with their physical needs. With the translation of the Activated magazine into French we are making great advances in reaching the youth and students of Guinea.
       After several fruitful witnessing pushes into Freetown we have now a small number of solid Activated members in Sierra Leone.

Togo (A new frontier in Africa)
By Joh, Africa
       Tatiana, our 11-year-old daughter, Milcah (my wife) and I have been invited to sing on national TV three times. On invitation from the director, we sang in the French C ultural Center. Then we were asked by a local NGO to write, compose and sing on a Pan African video for the children's plight in Africa. We were also offered to do a CD with some local musicians for a very low cost. If you are interested in one please write us!

Maputo, Mozambique
       Our team has been in this Portuguese-speaking country for just over two years now. The Lord blessed us with a national disciple after only a few months, Daniel, who is faithfully serving the Lord.
       Examples of CTP s we are or have been involved in are: 1) teaching English to a group of physically handicapped adults; 2) participating in AIDS awareness programs for children; 3) We have consistently helped a center for boys as well as one for girls and an orphanage for abandoned children and babies with provisioned food and clothing. 4) An on-going ministry for the past year has been at the cancer ward of the largest hospital in the country.
       With the help of the young people we have made quite a few Africa nized illustrations for the Bible stories that we tell. Contáto (Activated) goes out well here, with both Christians and Moslems subscribing.

Durban, South Africa
       Since December 2000, we've held four beach camps for underprivileged kids. We've had over 400 kids attend the camps, with about a total of 350 souls won. Each of the camps lasts for three days, and includes underprivileged children from all over Durban.

Arusha, Tanzania
From Nina, Martin, Sebastian, Esther and Home
       We work i n an international school here in Arusha, Tanzania, as the administrator, principal and teachers for nursery, kindergarten and first grade.
       We held two power-packed seminars this year at a Christian college. Each lasts for one week and an average of 80 village and city teachers attend.
       Our Christian friends host an intensive two-year college course for pastors from East Africa. Nina has been teaching college credit courses on Child Development, a Christian approach to early learning Christia n Education. What these pastors are learning will go with them and affect thousands of children in remote areas that we would never be able to reach.

Cape Town, South Africa
       Photo (fn: Dance 1.jpg): Pictured here is Angel, 15, with her 12 dance students from the worst slums of Cape Town who learned to do it the Family way in a presentation for the World Conference on Religions. Afterward they had requests from around their community to dance at other functions.
       For the past 3½ years, we h ave had regular CTP projects in Khayelitsha's townships, including one with the children, teaching them Bible stories, drama and songs.
       Leyland, Spring, Francis, and Julia also had weekly Bible studies with teenagers there who have been receiving the Activated magazine, and we have been going through the 12 Foundation Stones Course with them.

Zambia
       Being in Zambia is a blast. We have one new disciple with a second one doing his six-month babes' course. We've been here for almost two year s and with the Lord's supply we have built a three-room school, a brick double-toileted bathroom, and have dug a well. We bought a plot for school expansion. Two hundred and thirty children receive free schooling with provisioned schools supplies and the Lord has been supplying the teachers´ salaries.
       Bi-monthly medical camps in the school building are conducted with the help of a volunteer doctor and donated medicine. The Lord's supply of fruit, veggies and cornmeal has made it possible to gi ve food to the compound families and the many that come to our house.

Kenya
From Andrew, Heidi, Martin and Michael
       We (Andrew and Heidi) came to Nairobi six years ago. Nairobi is a very ethnically diverse city, with expatriates from England, Italy, Germany, the States, and all over the world. There is a large Indian business community in Kenya.
       Two and a half years ago, the Lord showed us to start a dance troupe. With encouragement from the Lord, as well as the local Asian community, we started to incorporate more of an Indian flavor in our singing and dancing.
       Since we started “Becoming One” (we sing and dance in English, Swahili, Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish, Arabic, Turkish and even Chinese), we've been to Dubai, England, India, and even Rwanda once as well! This is a blessing, as fundraising in Africa can sometimes be trying, and can have its limits. This frees us to concentrate on feeding our sheep and follow-up.
       Pray for us, as the Lord is starting to open up the doors for two of the singers to cut a CD in Hindi/Punjabi.

       We are also involved in two very active CTPs. The first involves delivering over a ton of food every week to various street children's homes and orphanages around Nairobi. The other CTP that we are involved in is organizing free medical camps.

Madagascar
From Paul and Charity
       A few months ago, a prominent local businesswoman told us she had been sponsoring a local detention and rehabilitation center for delinquent teen boys, and asked u s if there was something we could do to teach Christian values to these young people. There are 60 teen boys ranging from 14 to 19 years old who are there for petty crimes. During our weekly visits, we read something on the subjects of love, faith or prayer, which our close friend Vohangy translates in Malagasy.
       After a few visits, the director told us he was impressed to see that his young inmates seemed very interested in our Bible classes, and we were the first Christian group who didn't no t draw a bored response from these boys. Within the space of a month, all the teens had prayed to receive the Lord.

Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
From Stephen, Mary and Mark
       We have different individuals and families that we follow-up on regularly, using our evenings and weekends, including family day. We couldn't wait till we had time to follow-up; we just started making appointments, taking the kids along with us. We have 10 children in our Home ages 14 and under, with five of them being ages five and under. So it's quite a testimony for people to see them and us in action!

Capetown, South Africa
       The Fax of Life continues to be a blessing to many every Monday morning. Anthony has written and sent off a Fax for the last four years now and we are up to number 205! We receive support and help from many of the fax recipients because they are getting fed faithfully whether we are in personal contact or not.
       We continue to supply bread, fruit, vegetables and clothing to two township s here. We deliver a minimum of half a metric ton of food weekly to help feed around 500 children every day. These children receive Sunday school training each day before their meal and are considered the poorest of the poor. Just this month we also delivered around $6,000 worth of clothing and shoes that we collected from different stores.

Johannesburg, South Africa
By Rachel, of Gideon
       We started the Mustard Seed Project in 1999, and now have approximately 15 women, from full to part tim e, involved in growing food and they are there at the site almost every day.
       We also run Bible studies in one of the Wendy Houses with about 15-20 people. The feeding scheme that we run involves a list of 70 malnourished children, 30 old people and we also supply our orphanage crèche of 35 children with two meals a day. We teach literacy classes to the unemployed women, the mentally handicapped, for beginners and for improvers, with an average of 18 people in each class.
       We have set up the f irst and only library in Diepsloot, which is open for all to use. The library includes books collected from all sorts of people; it also includes Bible story books and the Heaven's Library books.

Senegal
       The clown shows have progressed tremendously since coming to Senegal. It's now become a clown/puppet show, and the kids always clamor for “La Ribambelle” clown troupe.
       The singing trio “Crescendo” (Sabine, Jana and Abi) made their debut at the Meridien Hotel last year. They continue to wi tness through music almost everyday. We have people come to the house; they've been invited to cocktail parties, diplomatic circles, cultural centers, churches, as well as being invited by the prime minister to sing for his daughter's wedding. They continue to get high billing amongst the best in Senegal.
       Our local CTP working with poor street children from the institution “The Daara of Malika” continues to make forward progress. Last year we were able to have a successful summer camp for over 100 of the poorest of the poor children in Dakar.
       We've been able to launch youth outreach programs in two main universities in Dakar and St. Louis, and give many Bible classes to the students. We are also meeting more locals in this predominantly Muslim country that are interested in Jesus.

Johannesburg, South Africa
       We are a small Home situated in Kempton Park, on the eastern side of the crime capital of the world, Johannesburg. This is supposed to be the most violent place on earth ou tside of an actual warzone.
       Our main ministry for the past four years has been to the inmates that crowd the countries prisons. A dedicated team is engaged two days a week at Leeuwkop Correctional Prison, bringing religious care, leadership training, counseling and friendship to the inmates, with wonderful results! We are currently operational in three of the sections at Leeuwkop, the Juvenile Medium B. Section, Med. A and Med. C sections.
       Here is a statement of one of the inmates: “I am mor e free now in prison with Jesus than when I was outside without Him.” The inmates coming to our classes are already hearing from the Lord in prophecy, they know and have a very good grasp of the Endtime, and they have the vision to reach the world with the Gospel. We have a number of ex-inmates who have come back into the prisons with us to give their testimonies. Many are also preaching the Gospel in the areas that they live in.

Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania
From Jonathan, Mary and Lydia and kids
       Since November 1999 we have been working with a center in a slum district on the outskirts of the city. Beginning with a group of 30 unruly little rascals, the project has grown to almost 400 children, who come in three groups for Bible stories, moral development classes and English. We graduate some of the older children to full-fledged Bible studies one afternoon a week.
       The Lord raised up sponsors for eight children to go to secondary school who either were orphans or had only one parent . We have also identified 20 families that we help regularly with food and clothing.

       Our dear Family, we would like to ask for your faithful support in prayer for the work in Africa, and for the different pioneer efforts launched. The need is so great and so much can be done-we need a lot of miracles! Will you help us make them come to pass? We need you and your prayers!

(Editors: There is so much more that our energetic Family in Africa is doing, and we were very sad that due to space co nstraints we had to substantially edit down the totally far-out testimonies and updates you've just read. However, the good news is that you can read more exciting details for almost every country listed on the MO site today! Don't miss those extra juicy and fascinating details!-And there are TONS of pictures too!)

forum

[Homes being upfront]
       SGA CRO, ASCRO: Something I've noticed recently is that it seems that quite a few battles and trials that new Homes or incoming personnel have with bad Home situations stem from the fact that the receiving Home is not very honest with them about their situation before they arrive, either financially, or with their children and Home standard. It seems that the receiving Homes are quite desperate for personnel and maybe are not that forthright about these things when communicating originally. The end result is that the team going there ends up quite discouraged and disappointed with the situation and even wanting to leave shortly afterwards.
       Maybe these initial battles are what will help them make it as a team, and help them be more fruitful in the long run, if they take it to the Lord and let it unite them, but it does seem that it would be love on the part of the existing Home to be more up front about their situation so that the incoming team knows what they are getting into.

[Weapons fascination]
       Home in Europe: A sweet family came through our Home with their senior teen boy. This boy, although very sweet, seemed to have a bit of a fascination for weapons, and was carrying all kinds of knives, switchblades, air guns, etc. Of course, our 13-year-old was quick to catch on, and before we knew it he had a toy gun under his mattress that he had bought down at the supermarket. Comparing guns quickly became the new thing, even with visitors and people that we wanted to witness to. Oh dear!
       We had a good talk time about it. We powwowed about the teen years being years of decision making, sticking to our convictions, and what kind of disciples the Lord wants us to be. Our sweet son agreed to get rid of this gun. The Enemy is trying to attack our teens in all sorts of ways. He's furiously trying to defeat our young folks by any means he can, so LHU to fight back as to help and keep our precious teens for Him.

[Their samples sparked my own]
       David (of Ruthie), Taiwan: I've been recently helping another Home in our city hold an English camp for kids. It's been a lot of fun and a good supporter for the past month. Some YAs from China were invited to help in the camp during the busiest times. Now, I know that not everyone on any field is “together,” but I have to say that these girls were some of the best samples I've seen in a long time, adults included. They were so on fire, took initiative, loved the Lord sincerely, practiced and promoted the new weapons. It was wonderful to work with them. Their sample sparked my own. I do have the gift of prophecy and believe in the new weapons wholeheartedly, but to be honest, I haven't been the best sample of using them consistently. I talked to the girls about my experiences with prophecy and spirit helpers and they listened and told me about theirs. I'd like to make a suggestion that bellwethers like that visit many Homes, not to teach or make reports on others, but just to be a sample. I'm sure it would be contagious and benefit the revolution.

[Importance of protecting the sheep]
       May*, Taiwan: The “China's Hour” GN was so touching and emoti onal for me to read, as I am a Taiwanese national, and lived in China from 1983 to 1985.
       During the big persecution in 1986, my mate and I were the last Family members to leave China, after my mate was released from prison. I still remember the day when the plane took off from Beijing Airport destined for Tokyo. I was crying the whole flight. I poured out my heart to the Lord for the sheep the Family had to leave behind. For the first few years when we lived in Japan, whenever we prayed for Ch ina, we'd often break down in tears, pleading with the Lord to keep them until some day the Lord would open the door for the Family to go in again.
       One thing we would like to emphasize for our teams in China is the importance of protecting the Chinese sheep. As a foreigner, the worst thing that can happen to you is that you have to leave the country, or that they will arrest you for a short time and then deport you. At least that is the policy right now. But for local Chinese, persecution can mean losing their job, their reputation, getting a life-long mark on their record. It affects them very severely if they are found to have been associated with you. The police can send them to labor camp without a trial, as happened to some of our sheep at that time. After that they will always have a bad record.
       When we got wind of the persecution back then, we went to great lengths to hide our sheep's addresses in the most secure way. I won't go into details here, but clearly that was the th ing the police were most interested in and asked my husband about many times. The day after he was arrested [for his missionary activities] they came back to our small apartment and ripped everything apart-even the carpet and some of the furniture-but they didn't find what they were looking for, TTL! After we left China we were able to feed and encourage many of the sheep we had to leave behind. When we left Japan eight years later, we turned the China Mail Ministry over to Chinese Becky.
       For the last three years while living in Taiwan, we have been able to take four road trips into China. On each trip we go to great lengths to keep the addresses (of friends we meet) as secure as possible.
       (*Alias used.)

personals

       Dear SGA who wrote “Not Enough Men” in Issues #6, please contact the Grapevine editors at gv@wsfamily.com as we have a letter for you.

       Chris and Esteban are looking for Ivan and Mateus (of Brazilian Maggie). Where are you guys? Please write us at: linkup7@terra .com.br.
       
       Maria (Rute) seeks to get in contact with Branch (of Vida). We lived together in Brazil, Belo Horizonte, 90. My e-mail is: wimmaria@terra.com.br.

       From Olivia (14, of Claire, Taiwan). Looking for Ester (14), Joanna (12), and Marie (16, of Simon and Renee). Haven't received communication from you guys in a long while. I want to get back in communication. E-mail me at: Wwaves@pavo.seed.net.tw.

       David SGA in Moscow would like to contact: Tiago and Gentleness, Maria (Portuguesa), Miguel SGA (Peruvian) and Brisa! Please write to: kidzbiz@online.ru or to dave_imboden@yahoo.com. Thanks a lot! Looking forward to hearing from you!

help wanted

Dear Family,
       We are a pioneer team in the Punjab, India. We've found the CLE program the best for our four school-age kids so far but find difficulty acquiring the materials. God bless the Family in Delhi who helps get together lots of books for us. Our struggle is partly the cost and partly distance (we're the only Home in this city).
       We'd like to request if anyone could help either with a designated gift, or if you have extra CLE books you don't plan to use (especially 9th grade workbooks and textbooks). We need material for grade two and upwards. If there is any possibility, you can e-mail us at era_message@yahoo.com. Thanks for considering our request. We love you. Gideon and Mercy, Chandigarh, India

entertainment

Movies Rated for Senior Teens and Up

BLOW (2001)
Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz
       Based on the true story of George Jung, an all-American boy, who became the leading drug smuggler of the Colombian Medellin cartel in the 1970s, and brought cocaine to mainstream America.

       (Dad:) This movie is an interesting look into this man and this lifestyle, but it's sad how it almost makes him out to be the victim.-That's backwards. He had a good father who loved him and tried so hard to train him right and they had a good loving relationship, yet the son still chose to go his own way down the path of Hell, knowing how much it would hurt his dear father. That was pure selfishness. It was cruel to his poor father. The mother was another story and certainly didn't earn his respect or even love, but the fact that he had someone [his father] so special to hold on to him and pray for him and try so hard to help him, and yet he just flaunted his evil life in his face, was so sad.
       The story itself wasn't so off. He had some tough times and tried to pull out of them a few times, so you can symp athize with that, but the fact that it ends with you practically feeling sorry for him just isn't right. You never see the results of his actions in bringing drugs into the U.S. This man was an instrument of the Enemy, used by Satan to propagate that terrible, terrible drug life.
       God help the poor innocents who find this array of wonder drugs at their fingertips because of men like him. Put out a warning with this movie. Let people know that it's only half the story, or less. The other half is the sordid tale of death and ruined lives and families that resulted from this influx of drugs. Drugs have changed the face of the nation and not for the better, either.

Movies Rated for Junior Teens and Up

SAVE THE LAST DANCE (2001)
Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas
       A promising young dancer loses her mother and comfortable lifestyle. She moves in with her father, a musician, in a mostly black, gritty neighborhood, where she develops new friendships and renews her love for dancing.

       (Jesus:) This movie contains some insight into life in the ghetto, and what many people in the world today face in a society that does not keep Me in the center of their lives.
       This film shows the depths to which discouragement can bring you-where hardness of heart and holding on to bitterness and a tough attitude can lead. It also shows what the power of encouragement can do-what friendship, love, understanding and standing up for what's right can do. It highlights the importance of personal decisions and how one's choices shape their life.
       There are wrong attitudes to be shunned in this movie, but there's also good to be gleaned. Some of the girl's behavior is a bit foolish and naïve, considering the circumstances she's in, and on the overall it's a bit of a “fairy tale,” as many such movies are.
       There are deeper things than meet the eye, if the viewer is open to asking Me what I have in it for him or her personally during and after viewing it. Though the storyline is simple, though it's predictable and what most folks would say falls under the more typical teen/romance/dance film category, there's a bit more to it than just that.

CARMAN: THE CHAMPION (2001)
Carman, Patricia Manterola
       A retired boxing champion who's devoted his life to a Christian youth ministry in inner city Los Angeles finds himself forced to re-enter the ring.

       (Jesus:) This movie was a good way to get across a worthwhile Christian message, in some fairly entertaining packaging. It's not overly religious or preachy, but it's not typical Hollywood either. It's something a little different, and many of you who like sports movies, or movies about interesting and unusual characters, will enjoy it and get something good out of it.

       (Dad:) Although we in the Family do not use the means to reach people that this fellow Carman does, still he is reaching many with his own unorthodox methods, so he deserves credit for that. Some of the movie may surprise you-to think that a Christian w ould do this or that, but remember, he's reaching a segment of people who need to see that Christians aren't sissies, they aren't pansies, they aren't weak and namby-pamby string-for-a-backbone types. And I like that! God bless this dear man who is giving his life to reach many with a ministry that some may not like, but which does bear fruit. He's a little bit off the beaten track, just like we are, so you've got to admire his guts and his ability to buck the status quo in order to get the Word out.

Movies Rated for JETTs and Up

A KNIGHT'S TALE (2001)
Heath Ledger, Rufus Sewell, Mark Addy
       A medieval squire assumes the identity of his master and becomes a favorite in the jousting arena.

       (Jesus:) This is a fairly straightforward movie. The main character didn't exactly accomplish anything all that great, but at least he learned lessons on real love and how, with enough faith and hard work, he could obtain what he had always wanted. Think about your own life and the things t hat you want or that you want Me to do for you and apply the same principles. Who can stop a man with faith? No one. Take the example of his strength and determination and use it to help you gain results in your own life.

Movies Rated for OCs and Up

FLASH (1997)
Lucas Black, Ellen Burstyn, Brian Kerwin
       A boy falls in love with a horse named Flash. He gets a job to earn the money to buy the horse, but he's forced to sell him to an unscrupulous trainer when the family falls on hard times. There are a few points that will need to be pow-wowed, but it is a sweet story with a good ending.

       (Jesus:) It's a horse movie, kids, with fun adventure. Now you don't want to imitate all you see. For example, don't think that you can walk up to a horse you like and talk it into letting you ride it. You can get kicked or seriously injured doing something like that. And don't think you can ride a horse or bicycle across hundreds of kilometers on your own. You need to stay close to your paren ts and follow their counsel. However, in this case, the boy needed help and no grownups were around. So he rode off to get the help he needed from his dad. He would have had an easier trip if he had accepted the help offered him by some of the people he met, but nevertheless he made it. And it shows how although it looked like he was all alone, the Lord took care of him and got him back together with his dad. It's a fun story, with an encouraging outcome. Enjoy it!

mama jewels on … yielding t o the Lord's will

Mama's secretary story
-told over the intercom to an SGA

       (Talking about a newcomer to WS helping with secretarial work:) You know, I used to be a secretary too! But I had quit my System job and had made the decision to drop out and serve the Lord and join the Family. I was going to witness. I was forsaking all and I thought I'd never see another typewriter in my life, and was very happy about it. I was off and away!
       Just one hour into the drive leaving my home in Ariz ona, while in the van with Mother Eve, Hosea, Jeff and Faithy, Mother Eve said, “Honey, you're a secretary, aren't you?”
       I said, “Well, I was.”
       She said, “Oh, we really need a secretary!”
       My heart sank. I thought, Oh no! Here I'm forsaking all, leaving everything behind-going to serve the Lord-and now they're trying to pull me back into the job that I had. I definitely don't want to do this!
       I was already feeling so bad leaving home for the first time in my life permanently. I was alread y feeling sad about leaving my parents. I missed them so much already. Then on top of that came this! If I had been only 10 minutes away from my home, I probably would have said, “Let's turn around and go back!” But it was too late.
       So then I did some secretarial work for Jethro, and soon after that Dad asked me to be his secretary. Now if I hadn't done that and if I hadn't been willing to go back to being a secretary, even though it wasn't my preference, it wouldn't have accomplished the Lord 's plan. Now I'm not a secretary anymore, but that was how the Lord gave me my calling in life, by starting me out as a secretary.
       I was telling our newcomer that story, with the moral being: If it's hard for you to do a certain type of work or it's not your favorite, don't worry about it. Just trust the Lord, yield, and as you do, you'll learn a lot, and the Lord will probably give you the opportunity to change ministries down the line or will give you the grace and the anointing to stick to that one.

QNA

Blade in a book?
       Q, from the field: My older kids really like to read the Blade and they want these mags in a book-type format (similar to FJWL). Is there a possibility?
       A, from Blade editor: It's possible that sometime in the future, once we have amassed a significant amount of published Blade messages, that we will then print them in a single book. In the meantime, perhaps you may want to keep all your Blade mags in a folder or ring binder, so they're all in one place. GBY!

now that's funny
Bad Habit
       Two nuns are ordered to paint a room in the convent, and the last instruction of the Mother Superior is that they must not get even a drop of paint on their habits. After conferring about this for awhile, the two nuns decide to lock the door of the room, strip off their habits and paint in the nude. In the middle of the project, there comes a knock at the door.
       “Who is it?” calls one of the nuns.
       “Blind man,” replies a voice from the other side of the do or.
       The two nuns look at each other and shrug. No harm can come from letting a blind man into the room, they decide, so they open the door.
       “Good day, sisters,” says the man, “where do you want these blinds?”

pray

Asia

       Esther (of James): Three vertebrae connected to her skull are misaligned and are constricting the spinal cord, causing blackouts, numbness and pain in her hands and legs.
       Akemi (of John): Fibroid tumor in uterus.
       Claire Emily (18): Scoliosis, eye pains.
       Daniell a Joy (SGA): A dozen cysts on fallopian tubes.
       Precious Willing: Swollen tonsils and adenoids in her nose, causing breathing difficulties.
       Paul: Over-active thyroid.

South America

       Amy (6, of Simón and Magdalena): Growths in neck.

Europe and Africa

       Steven Cyrus (child of Eleonora): Anemia.
       Marie-Claire (21, of Paul and Charity): Will undergo a heart operation after having two heart attacks.
       Liberty (of David): Stricture of the small intestine causing bowel blockage.
       David Newheart: Chronic jaw infection and continual fatigue.

Answered Prayers

       Paul and Joy, India: Timmy's ear and hearing capacity has been improving steadily and he is slowly able to hear and respond when we talk to him.

       Ezra and Abi, India: We want to sincerely thank our dear, sweet Family around the world for their prayers for Ezra's asthma and Abi's arthritis in her hand. We are both healed! TTL!

       Love Rejoice, Vietnam: Thanks for your prayers; my back is not as painful as it used t o be. Where would we be without our wonderful Family's prayers?

Also included with this file:
Adam-Issue 3(By David Komic) Special Baking Soda Issue
Caption 1 1001 GREAT USES FOR BAKING SODA
Caption 2 1 wash the handle of your hammer with baking soda.

       2. Wash the hammer head with baking soda.
       3. Wash all the nails with baking soda.
       4. Wipe down all your used baking soda boxes with baking soda.
       5. If you are being chased by a fierce dog, throw a box of baking soda at it.
       6. Park ed on an incline? Place a box of baking soda under the back wheel. (continued on page 7)

Caption 3 Heaven-scope
       Taurus: You're the kind of guy who does things fairly okay although sometimes you make mistakes but don't feel bad, we all do.
       Sagittarius: Apart from sometimes doing things that aren't really the best, more often than not you're not that bad, all things considered.

Caption 4 Our Cute Gals (Sent in by Oliver of Olivia in Bolivia)
       He: What's wrong with the engine?
       She: It' s a defect in the oscillating transmission-drive reverberator.

Caption 5 Cover photo: Pneumatic drill at the ready, Eric of Erica in America strikes a thoughtful pose before demolishing the sidewalk in front of his Home.

Copyright 2001 by The Family

(End of File)