The Family / Children of God

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The Freedom of God's Spirit!-Western European YA/SGA Seminar
By Petra (SGA), for Western Europe regional JT board
       I think all those in attendance would agree with me when I say that the YA/SGA seminar held in Italy for all of Western Europe (about 130 young people!) far surpassed the human concept of "fun." It was more than simply being together in the company of those whose age matched ours, for only where the Spirit of the Lord is, is there liberty, and it was this true liberty, the incomparable freedom of God's divine Spirit that rang true during this event.-Something many of us didn't expect, yet which took our hearts, minds and souls by storm.
       We arrived, we hugged, we smiled, we sat, but it all started when one man answered God's call in his heart to stand up and not be afraid to say all that was on his heart, not knowing that his words echoed forth the emotion, the cry, and the truth that God had seen fit to lay on many, if not most, of our hearts. We had just finished hearing our dear Dad speaking of challenge and of change, calling us out, convicting our hearts to make the difference we were intended to, when Dan (22, of Clara) stood up in front of the intimidating crowd of us not knowing for sure what he'd say, except that he simply had to stand up.
       He spoke of the sadness he felt at seeing people hung-up, at seeing people not here fully, echoing out that he didn't care about them, but cared simply about Jesus, about his personal commission, that he cared about his Family, the ones who truly were his brothers, there to fight and die for the cause. He paused to look around and got swept up in the fire of God and screamed out, "IT'S A REVOLUTION! …" at which we startled ourselves out of our reverie and responded, "FOR JESUS!" … "HOLY GHOST … POWER!"
       There was hardly a dry eye in the crowd as we stood and applauded with gusto, not because of a man, but because of a vessel of God, because we'd seen firsthand, together, that we're in the same revolution that Dad began years ago. We felt stronger than ever the unity, the possibility that indeed our trials are worth it, and that indeed, with God on our side, we could and would become all that Dad had envisioned our destiny to be.
       The floor opened to a roll of testimonies, lessons, and pure spiritual fire as we ignored our watches for fear that the flow would be hindered. Would we throw mere time in as a gauge for when God's Spirit should stop? This first day would set the tone for our week together.
       Our first class was prepared by Abi from the Media Desk, who gave a PR class. The afternoon class was given by Gallio on the ever-needful-subject of discipleship, followed by a rip-roaring game night where I've never seen so many "big people" running around like fools. We've gotta be like babies after all. Great fun!
       On the following day, Andreas, Kitty, and Meekness showed us the spiritual and practical principles to being shepherds in whatever capacity the Lord sees fit to place us. We had a fascinating witnessing/Activated class given in parts by Angela (of Stephen) from the Home in Croatia, Dom, (SGA) and Chloe (SGA) from the European Activated Desk.
       That evening we sat in a circle while sharing testimonies. From those still fighting in this Family, to those recently returned, to new disciples. A shared principle held true-the Enemy fights each of us in whatever way he can to prevent us from fulfilling the potential that is within us, but the Lord is always faithful to give us glimpses of His love and His power, never failing to remain close by our side ready and waiting for us when we choose to once again turn to Him.
       The next day Naomi and I gave a "Call to the Rescue" class concerning our JETTs and teens, and the commission Jesus has given us YAs and SGAs to stand and show them the true excitement of being revolutionaries for Jesus, so that they don't fall into Satan's traps because we failed to show them the way to light. Hilarious skits were interspersed by Michael, Maria, Angel, Andy, David, Jace, and AJ (sorry if I forgot anyone), in order to drive the point home.
       A Charter class by James and Gallio, stressing the responsibilities as well as the rights we have, complete with a question and answer period of our personal concerns and questions, filled our afternoon.
       Our last full day together was filled with more testimonies on a variety of topics such as the new weapons, the Word revolution, witnessing, our JETTs and teens, as well as reactions and tidbits regarding the time we'd been together.
       It's amazing how the thread of God's working in each of our lives is astoundingly the same, especially in this day and age, where the screws are being tightened and we each need to have made our commitments and be here for the right reasons in order to survive during these Last Days. It's fabulous to have such amazing brothers and sisters fighting together!
       We had an amazing P&P session during the afternoon, as well as another fabulous Word feast as we received the combined classes in the much promised book form so we can study each subject further at home, remember it, review, and share it with others.
       We were able to close this week of spiritual learning and fellowship by having a betrothal, performed by Gallio for AJ and Anita. The Paris band played some of their numbers, starting with Michael's hilarious wedding number, "You're Just Playing Hard to Get," sung to Anita. The betrothal was followed by the traditional yet never underestimated dance!
       As always occurs at these events, there was a closing day. There is always a departure time and a moment of reflection as we wonder whether or not the undeniable spiritual high that we felt together while here will be transported to our own Homes, to our routines, and to our lives. And you know what, I think it will be!
       I think each of us received the boost needed to stay "over the top," and not just peek up every once in a while due to the fearsome array of multi-directional fire coming at us. We have new powers-we have the power of the keys, the power of praise, and prayer! We have the power of unity and Family, and we have the full and unlimited power of Jesus, whence all other powers are generated!
       How can we not keep fighting?!

       [Editor: You can find reactions from this YA/SGA seminar on the MO site, at http://www.familymembers.com/newswire/article.php?nwid=22336.]

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brief ad
       If you haven't looked at the END lately, you may be missing a lot-news from the Lord and Dad on the Iraq War, insight on current events, inspiring stories, news about technology and the signs of the times, thought-provoking tidbits on religion, health, the media, and more!
       Both END 63 and 64 have lengthy messages from Dad on the war in Iraq and its aftermath, and you may find lots more to catch your interest in those or earlier issues!

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Notice: Minimum Tithe Requirement
By the WS Administration team
       Question from an ABM: As we collect the tithes from the area, we are aware of the amount of tithe paid by each Home. When Family members, both CM and FM, are asked to tithe, isn't it 10% for FM and 14% for CM?
       If we notice that someone's tithe is low and couldn't possibly be what they are living on, are we to report this, and if, so to whom? One Home that is now reporting as FM, while they were still CM were tithing about $400. At one point we knew their income was way over this. At this point, the same Home is now FM, and is presently tithing $200 each month, which is again far below what their income is. Another CM Home is tithing $308 each month, as their 14%. These folks would be saying their income is a little over $2,000, when we know it is much higher than that.
       The Statement on Fellow Members says that for Fellow members to maintain their membership they need to "send a monthly report of their activities and witnessing statistics as per the instructions received from their reporting office, and must donate a tithe of their income monthly to World Services, via their reporting office. … Failure to report and tithe in full on any given month will automatically disqualify a Fellow member Home from receiving the following month's Family publications."
       For Charter members it clearly states in the "World Services Reporting and Mailing Rules" on page 338 in the Charter that "all Charter members must tithe" and "…in cases of no or low or late tithe or 1% FAF contribution, no or late Home monthly report, or no or late semi-annual Home Self-Evaluation Checklist, or being in debt for two consecutive months, a Home will automatically be placed on Probationary Notice."
       Then on page 339 in the Charter it gives an out with the minimum tithe being US$100 where it says, "The minimum monthly tithe is $100, unless specified otherwise by World Services." But isn't that for poor countries and poor situations, not a rich western field?

       Answer: The minimum tithe is now $100 for most countries, and $50 for certain poor countries excepted by WS who are suffering economic hardship or currency devaluation. Exceptions for specific Homes due to extreme economic hardship may also be granted by WS or the COs upon request by the Home. (For more details on tithing, see FSM #331, "Answers to Your Tithing, FAF, HER, Pioneer Gift, and Home Loan Questions.")
       So you are right in principle about the minimum tithe. However, to clarify, the minimum tithe is only for those Homes whose cash income is under $1,000. Meaning that if a Home's situation is such that they make under $1,000, they must still send in $100 to WS (and 1% and 3% of their income to the FAF and common pot, respectively, for CM Homes), unless they have received an exception to this from their COs or WS. For example, many poor countries are only required to send in a $50 minimum tithe to WS if their income is under $500. If their income is $600, these Homes must send in $60 (plus 1% and 3% for the FAF and common pot, respectively for CM Homes).
       Many Homes may have interpreted the Charter tithing requirements to mean that if they make over $1,000 they could just send in the minimum tithe of $100 if they wanted, instead of a full 10%. This is not the case. As explained in FSM #331, the minimum tithe of $100 is only for Homes who make under $1,000 per month. (Or $50 for Homes that make under $500 a month in WS-officially-excepted poor countries.)

       Question: The Charter states that the minimumtithe is $100. Does that include the 1% FAF gift and 3% common pot gift as well?

       Answer: Charter Homes are required to give their 10% tithe, or a minimum of $100 if their income does not exceed $1,000.

       If a CM Home makes under $1,000 a month, they are required to send in $100 minimum tithe to WS, plus 1% and 3% of their actual income to the FAF and common pot respectively. So a Home making $800 would send in $100 + $8 + $24 = $132 total.
       After going to the Lord about the fact that a number of Homes, both CM and FM, send in only the $100 minimum tithe, we are asking the offices, starting with the May 25th, 2003 TRFs, to inquire into situations where members regularly only send in the minimum tithe and it appears it may not be their full 10% for FMers and 14% for CMers. If the office feels such a Home, either CM or FM, is not sending their full tithe amounts, the Home will be asked for an explanation. If it's determined they are not giving a full tithe, they will be asked to do so, and if they don't comply within one month, a CM Home will be moved to probationary notice. Since there is no probationary notice for FM Homes, the office will investigate FM Homes by mail or e-mail deciding whether to put their mailings on hold after hearing back from them.
       For Homes that are giving over $100, but for whom it may not be their full percentage, unless there is some extreme situation that would bring us to believe this is still not their full tithe, we will generally go by Dad's advice in "Tithing and the FN" (ML #928:80-83), which says that it is up to each Family member and Home to be honest before the Lord in their reporting. Thus our standard policy is to take the Home's word for it.
       Our main point in this notice is that if you are a Home that makes over $1,000 a month, but sends in the minimum of only $100 (or $50 for excepted Homes with incomes of over $500 a month), this is not correct and you will have approximately one month to resume sending in your full tithe.
       At the same time we would also like to let you know that if your cash income is truly under $1,000 and you feel you have legitimate reasons as to why you can't pay the minimum tithe amounts, that you can apply for special permission to your COs to give less.
       Following are excerpts of what the Lord had to say when we took all of the above questions and points to Him:

       (Jesus speaking:) This is a time of tightening the Family, especially the CM Family, and if they can't send in their full 14% as they are supposed to, then they need to be looked into. Knowing that you are willing to give mercy in true hardship cases is the counter balance to this increased enforcement of the Charter rules on tithing.
       You need to run a tighter ship and this is one way to do it, simply to enforce the full tithe and to start probationary notice for those Homes who are not living up to their responsibilities in this area. It is time to do this with the FMers, too. If the Charter is going to have rules that are not enforced, then the rules might as well not be there. So yes, enforce these rules, allowing mercy where mercy is needed.
       The Family needs to be run tighter, and if a Home, whether CM or FM, balks at sending in their full tithe amount, they simply are not a CM or FM Home, and you should have no fear of enforcing the rule on these Homes. That's what the rule and the standard is for-to keep Homes up to standard-and if they are not up to standard they should be moved to the standard that they are living.
       We are moving into the Endtime, and it is time to bring all those Homes who will up to standard, otherwise it will only be the worse off for them as the battle increases. This war is going to be won in spirit, so only those who are maintaining the right spiritual standard are capable of winning the victory. (End of excerpts.)

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kidbits
       Iris Caroline, born to Daisy and Paul on February 26.-Albania
       Adrian and Fran, twins born to Teresa and Vanja on February 27.-Bosnia       
       Terrance Joshua, 1st child, born to Stephanie and Reuben on February 28.-SEA
       Anastasia, born to Luba and Ilia on March 4.-Russia
       Dasha, born to Angelica and Elia on March 10.-Russia
       Aidan Reece, 1st child, born to Heidi and Gabriel on March 18.-Australia

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tidbits
new CM/FM disciples…
       Andrew (18, German) rejoined in Romania
       Job (26, Zambian) joined in Zambia
       Lucian, Claudia, and kids (Romanian) joined in Romania
       Luke (17) joined in the Philippines
       Pearl (24, Dutch) and child joined in Belgium
       Pietro (45, Italian) rejoined in Italy
       Reuben Sprinter (23, of Joab and Leah) rejoined in Canada
       Stephen Davidson (21) rejoined in Australia

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Timely Notice Regarding Super Work Books
By the TEAM Foundation
Dear Family,
       A big thank-you to everyone for the tremendous response you have shown towards our recent offer of Bible books for children! We have received so many, many orders for these that we have had to stock, restock and stock again to keep up with the demand. We're so glad that these are so affordable, and we wish to express our thanks for your prayers and calling on the keys for this project.
       TEAM has been offering Super Work Books at a 50% discount, which we trust has been beneficial to those of you who use them. However, the company that makes the Super Work Books (ESP Publishers) will be closing its doors in October 2003. This means that the Super Work Books will no longer be available. All books are being sold now until the present inventory is exhausted.
       The new price for Super Work Books (actual name is Super Year Book)Grades K to 7) is: $15 each, plus shipping.
       If you need to order, please do so as soon as you can. You can contact us by e-mail at mail@teamfoundation.com or fpcteam@myexcel.com right away if you need to place an order. Since we don't know how long until their present stock is exhausted, it would be best to order right away and include your payment, so that we can send in your order for filling before the stock runs out. Please contact us for shipping costs, which are not included with the above noted price. Thanks!
       
       Our address, phone number and e-mail are:
       TEAM Foundation: P.O. Box 797804, Dallas, TX 75379 USA
       Phone: 972-931-9335
       Fax: 972-380-6923
       E-mail: mail@teamfoundation.com or fpcteam@myexcel.com

       Payment options:
       Credit card, bank check, or money order

       By offering these workbooks we are not recommending them as "the best," nor are we advocating that the Family begins using these extensively once again. We are simply making them available.
       The Childcare Reference Handbook, pages 358-361 has good input regarding how to use the SWBs. We'd like to suggest you read this first if you are considering ordering these books, to fully understand that the Super Work Books alone are not sufficient enough to take the place of other yearly workbook curriculums, such CLE, A Beka, ACE, etc. The Super Work Books are not a complete curriculum in themselves, but rather offer drill work pages, to be used with an existing curriculum.

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Do you have questions?
Dear Family,
       I love you so much, and think of and pray for you often. It's been wonderfully inspiring to read and hear about all the things that the Lord is doing for each one of you as you're faithful to obey His Word and use the keys more in your lives. It's terrific to hear about all that the Lord is doing through the power of the keys!
       I hope you have enjoyed the "Issues" GNs, and that the questions that Jesus, Dad, and other spirit helpers have answered have been helpful to you, as you've read the Lord's perspective on some of these things. We're so blessed to be able to get the Lord's answers and insight through prophecy.
       Recently the Lord suggested asking you, dear Family, if you had any specific questions that we could bring to Him to get His answers and views on and that could possibly be included in upcoming "Issues" GNs. I'm sure that many of you have unanswered questions, and I trust that you're taking these to the Lord to get His counsel on. But if you have a question that you think others may also wonder about, I'd like to put out a plug for these questions, as maybe the answers our Husband gives could be printed in "Issues" GNs, and be a help to others.
       We may not be able to publish every question/answer that we receive, but we did want to put out a plug for any questions that you do have, that we could then ask the Lord about.
       So if you do have a question about something, please pray and ask the Lord about sending it in. I love you, and look forward to hearing from you.

       Love in our wonderful Answer Man,
       Mama

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News from the Activated desks, March 2003
BRAZIL
       Tool sales: The final days of March and the beginning days of April saw an increase in our tool sales to the GP, and an increase in new subscriptions.
       Mag of the Month progress: Several more Homes joined in on the Mag of the Month program, and other Homes increased their orders. This program is growing slowly but steadily, and we are seeing noticeable progress each month.

CHILE
       Mag progress: The Homes have continued to distribute the monthly mags amongst their friends and contacts, which has generated a lot of good testimonies. Many people are getting to know the mags and developing a hunger for them. Consequently, our witness is becoming deeper and people are growing faster spiritually.

EUROPE/AFRICA
       French Activé booming: French Activé issue 5 was printed, and issues 6 and 7 are being printed at present. We now have 222 French subscribers.
       Italian, German, and Dutch mags: The first issues of Contatto (Italian), Acteif (Dutch), and German Activated magazines were printed this month and are being shipped out to the Homes. Many of the magazines have already been ordered by the Homes.

INDIA
       Subscription boost: Our subscriptions went up this month. We received 319 subscriptions this month compared to a little over 200 in January and February. Out of the 319, 106 are renewals.
       Meeting participation: The regional JT board held a camp (ACTS 2003) for the senior teens and YAs in our area, the theme being that of fulfilling the call to be a champion and a professional. It was six days of intense training along with meetings hosted by CGO/PR board representatives. The Activated desk provided new color tracts, which we had just printed, as well as the new color poster "Who Pulls the Strings?" The young people are super excited about these and orders are already coming in.

JAPAN
       "Peacemaker" tract: The "Will You Be a Peacemaker?" tract continues to break records. Since February close to 140,000 have been distributed.
       Activated magazine flyer: Since the completion of an A5 four-page color Activated magazine flyer (local product) in mid March, over 40,000 have already gone out.

MEXICO
       "Sponsor a Book" program: The "Sponsor a Book" program took off on Phoebe's trip to Japan. She was able to collect sponsorships for 2,000 Stories to Grow By books to distribute to poor neighborhoods and institutions in Mexico. As an incentive for big orders (over 500 books) we offer to print the name of the company on the cover of the book. A Japanese school sponsored 500 books, and a French company in Tokyo sponsored 1,000 books, and the director will visit in June to help with the distribution. We are going to adapt the program to Mexico, and work at getting local sponsorships as well.

TAIWAN
       First year finalized: The rest of the first year of Activated mags in Chinese were finalized this month and are ready to print.

U.S.
       GP mailing: We created a GP mailing list consisting of people that call in to the Family and Activated 800 numbers or write in to the Family e-mail boxes. When we've received these calls and requests for information, we send them a one-time introductory mailing with posters, FARs, Activated magazines, and an offer to subscribe. Sometimes, if they're in an area with a local Home, we'll ask that Home to follow up on them, but many of these people are in areas too far from most Homes in the U.S. To make sure these sheep are being followed up on after their one-time introductory mailing, the Lord has led us to begin a GP mailing list where our Home or office sponsors a year of Activated mags for these sheep. We will include FARs, local newsletters, Activated mags and subscription forms as well, but mainly the goal is to provide this mailing free with more of an open request for donations than just the one time subscription fee. So far we've sent to about 30 people and have received a couple donations.
       Wine Press: Our Wine Press membership is now at 367, with 54 of these being supporters who receive an additional mailing each month.
       Mag of the Month: Our Home's Mag of the Month program is now at 6,200 English and 500 Spanish.

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NEAT JT camp, April 10-17th
By Angelina (SGA), for the NEAT JT board
       Never before has there been a JT camp hosted in our NEAT area, so this was a new experience for all of us (attendees and staff). Organizing it was quite a feat, but as the Lord came through for us with tons of miracles, it wasn't that difficult on our part to keep up with all that He was doing. The place that the Lord provided (literally a week before the camp was supposed to start) was very nice with a high standard.
       Seeing as we were holding this camp in early April, the weather was still pretty nasty. Actually, the entire week leading up to the camp there was nothing but grey skies, strong winds, 25 cm of ice on the back roads, rain, and on the arrival day, snow! Well, we'd been on our prayer bones for the previous month claiming the power of the keys for sunny warm weather, so there was still hope! Sure enough, every single day of the weeklong camp we had blue skies and sunshine!
       One by one we were getting confirmations from the attendees that they were coming, and we were jotting down their train arrival times, and it turned out to be 13 JETTs and teens, and the great addition of Angel and Cheryl, our staff angels, who came up from Kiev to help out.
       Before we knew it, it was the 10th of April and we took shifts in Peter's ol' faithful van to the campsite and everyone settled in. Excitement was in the air as everyone got to know each other, and we had a keynote meeting to start the camp off while explaining the few rules, schedule, and a beautiful message from Jesus explaining that a heavenly key craft was stationed in the near proximity to our wing of the building. With that kind of protection, we were all set!
       It's quite amazing all the activities we were able to fit into those short seven days! We had morning inspirations and Word studies slotted for three and a half hours in the morning, during which we covered the fascinating topics of: Family history, prophecy, what our role in the Endtime is as professionals for the Lord and His elite troops, the new weapons, witnessing, the importance of the Word, and details and study on the Endtime. Skits were integrated into the classes, which made them fun and lively.
       We were able to make use of the two enormous indoor gyms on the campsite. Also included in the schedule, which everyone loved and participated in, was some pre-Armageddon horse riding training.
       We also spent one afternoon in the central park passing out tracts and winning souls. Half of the attendees and staff live in sensitive countries where we're not able to hit the streets with tracts or open witnessing, so this time was very liberating and renewed within all of us the excitement of winning lost souls to the Lord on the spot with no holds barred. Not only were we able to witness in town that day, but the young people living at the campsite were so sheepy and hungry for the Word and witness that we spent three evenings singing songs to them, witnessing, soul winning and passing out Activated and Living Waters. In total we passed out about 700 tracts, and won 45 souls!
       The evening activities were a perk of the day as we began with a sensational Quizorama. Three months prior to the camp our board engaged our attendees in a keys promises memorization competition that we tested the attendees on at the camp. All the attendees received prizes at the end since they did so wonderfully-putting to memory up to 44 keys promises during that time!       
       Other evening activities were a Loving Jesus inspiration with some dancing following, then a spirit being dress-up night where everyone came dressed as a spirit being, equipped with a prophecy from or about that person. There was the talent night, which everyone long prepared for. We also presented everyone with a T-shirt with a logo of "Keys Rule" in fiery letters.
       To conclude the last evening we had a dance night with games and fun. All good things must come to an end, as did our time of fellowship and fun had this April, but the Lord promised that this was just a hill and that there are yet mountains to be climbed as far as our JT board and projects go, so we're "going forth to conquer," and this camp was certainly not the end, but only the beginning!

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Promoting Activated in Zambia
By Tommy, Lydia, and Martin, Zambia
       We have been praying about new ways to promote Activated. We are excited about the ways we can promote Activated even without our immediate presence, and we know that the Word won't return void.
       *       Bus: We installed a leaflet dispenser in a long-distance bus that runs between Lusaka, Zambia and Gaborone, Botswana. We put stickers on the mags asking the people who were reading them to not remove them from the bus. We provided lots of subscription cards with our address and phone number on them, for people to take if they wish to contact us about subscribing or if they have any questions.
       Also, the boss of the bus line (our friend) bought a Countdown to Armageddon video to show on the bus. It's played on every trip.
       *       Shop: We bought an inexpensive cardboard leaflet holder and printed an Activated logo on it. The first one we put up in a Christian art store, where we sell the mags at cost price. Since the flyers were falling out of the mags, we started to staple them inside the last page, again, with all the info of how to contact us.
       *       Table: We use the same leaflet holder on our table with the tools that we sell on some weekends in the local shopping center. As in the case of the shop, the mags have flyers stapled into them. Here we also sell them at the cost price, give them as extras to sheepy customers, or use them as change for bought tools.

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ECOVEN teen camp, 2003
By the ECOVEN (Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela) JT board
       We held a teen camp from February 11-18, which was a tremendous experience full of miracles. The camp was held for teens between the ages 12-17 who came from the Dominican Republic, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. We also had a support team of YAs and SGAs who helped in the organization and activities before and during the camp. We couldn't have made it without them!
       The camp took place in Ibarra, Ecuador, at a Family Home. God bless the sweet brethren who sacrificed their comfort in order to make this a reality. Each Home did their part in provisioning, funding, traveling expenses, and prayers, thank you all!
       The goal of this event was to motivate and renew the vision and dedication of our young people to the Lord and the Family, as well as encourage them to get rid of unnecessary weights and to harness the use of the new weapons. It was a very inspiring experience to challenge the teens to draw closer to the Lord, and to fight for the vision that has been imparted to us, leaving aside the things of the world and giving ourselves completely to the Lord.
       Within the different activities and classes, there were skits, open forums, movies, and concerts where the band Selah from Ecuador and the Radical Teens from Venezuela performed. For recreation there was a talent night where each cabin group presented a variety of dances, poetry, stand up comedy, folk and rap music dedicated to Jesus and Grandpa, etc.
       Valentine's Day was celebrated with a Loving Jesus night and a skit. We had a seminar on the keys where we studied in depth this wonderful gift our loving Husband has entrusted to us, learning how to activate and use them in our daily lives. We then held a prayer for deliverance where we were freed from the weights and bonds of the past.
       The FED board contributed with a CVC seminar. We also had a long-awaited dance night. And to conclude this wonderful event there was a delicious barbecue by the pool.
       Before the camp ended we set the following goals: Push the Word and Activated revolutions through an annual contest of Activated distribution between our countries; minimize System input in our lives; determine to give our all for Jesus and build God's Kingdom, and to be known as the "people of the keys"; to produce a new variety of music which includes a project of opening a studio.
       We can see the good effects of the camp as the teens keep writing and commenting about how thankful they are. It's wonderful to see the Lord's plan bring about positive results in their lives and by faith we hope they're permanent.

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From Jesus about "Mama's Birthday 2003, Part 3," ML #3446, GN 1032
       (Jesus speaking:) Glimpses of Heaven, that's what these birthday Letters are! Though to some people they may seem to be little collections of messages from spirit helpers, I tell you that these GNs provide insight into the vast realm of the spirit and some of the innumerable beings that inhabit it.
       They help to bring home the reality of Heaven and the spirit world to My children, and those who receive these messages in full faith and trust become more heavenly minded, more in tune with the spiritual realm, more open to My voice and the guidance of those who I have sent to help them in their daily duties.
       It is as if My children stand at the edge of a great sea, knowing that there is an unimaginable civilization on the other side of it. These Letters are as jewels that wash up on their shore, and as they gaze into the various facets of the jewels, they catch wonderful and mysterious glimpses of the land across the sea. Such are these Words and messages to My brides.
       Yes, I do give you approval to send this off to the Family. Send it onward and outward to pass on these glimpses of Heaven. (End of message from Jesus.)

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brief ad
       If you've seen the recent Heaven's Library mag "Five Squad Coloring Book Special: Worlds of Adventure," you'll be happy to know that you can download an A4 version of this mag from the MO site, at http://www.familymembers.com/pubspages/search.php3?searchpub=9.
       We hope your kids enjoy this coloring book and the story. We love you!

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board news
OC Camp-Bogotá, Colombia
By Joy (VS), Colombia
       The CP and FED boards united their efforts to have an OC camp in Bogotá, Colombia, which was an inspiration for the children, parents, and teachers.
       The camp was held on our Home's property. The children put up the tents themselves, and that evening we had a special meal around the campfire followed by an inspiration. The camp days were filled with excitement, Word classes, sports, charades, memorization, prayer vigils, communion, videos, etc.
       Each Home in the area helped us with this project in some way (even the Homes without children), and this proved to be a great blessing. "Many hands make light work."
       Two SGAs helped with the sports and recreational activities, while other brethren prepared the Word classes and inspirations. One sister, along with two teens, took care of the menus and food preparation. The CP board designed some certificates of honor and thanks for each child that participated, which we gave to each child on the last day. Two other Homes took care of the transportation.
       One of the most outstanding miracles that happened during this time was the weather. When we organized the camp the rainy season had already started, and when the children arrived and started to set up camp it began to rain. Everyone immediately stopped and we all prayed, claiming the power of the keys, and the rain stopped! In fact, it didn't rain for the rest of the afternoon or night, so we were able to continue with our plans for a campfire and other outdoor activities.
       The second day, lunch was planned to be outside when suddenly the rain began to pour, and it didn't look like it would let up. But the children prayed one by one, claiming the power of the keys and putting their faith into action, and when they had finished the rain had stopped completely. For the duration of the camp it only rained one night. We were so thankful for the Lord and His great love toward us as well as the marvelous answers to prayer using the power of the keys.
       The children were really inspired and happy with the camp. The children's positive reactions to the love-filled atmosphere and the Word they received was so worth our while. They were thankful for the time we spent investing in their spiritual lives-after all, they are the future of the Family.

Family Heritage Day, Monterrey
By April (SGA, of Mike), for North Mexico CP board
       We held a younger kids' activity for the children of Monterrey, our most populated city in northern Mexico. We have over 40 children under 11 in this city alone. A team came up from Tampico, and it worked out for them to bring four of the YC/MCs from there as well, which brought us to a total of 19 children that were able to participate.
       The afternoon started off with a round of good warm up action songs with Mike. We then divided the kids into four groups, each with a junior teen girl overseer. God bless them for all their help.
       The fun began with a PowerPoint class on our Family heritage. The class was interspersed with lively songs that made the revolution, ending with all the kids heading outside for some Gypsy dancing to really catch the spirit.
       Next we had a fun afternoon of outdoor games. They played a new version of Simon Says, three-legged races, Sheep in the Fold, a lively game of catch, and Taking the Bacon. They all had lots of fun and it was very inspiring to see all the kids together as this age group doesn't get very much fellowship with each other.
       We went on to do a fun art activity, while some of the guys started a campfire and prepared a dinner of hot dogs with all the fixings.
       After dinner we all sat around the fire to hear an early Family testimony from Uncle Peter while roasting marshmallows. After a prayer we all bid each other goodnight and headed home tired but inspired.
       We must give credit where credit is due-to James and Christina for opening their Home and being an integral part of making this happen as well as all the parents who made it possible. We pray we can continue doing these activities on a regular basis.

Six-week OC program
By Joy and Angie (SGA), CP board. São Paulo, Brazil
       We have been hosting regular six-week programs for the OCs in the São Paulo and Campinas area, which consist of four bi-weekly one-day activities. The goal with these programs is to offer them new challenges, Word classes, memory projects, recreational activities, positive interaction with others their age, and witnessing opportunities. It is commendable how every Home has jumped in wholeheartedly, participating actively by bringing their OCs to the activities, taking them out witnessing, checking their memory projects, reading and studying with them the material that is given as homework, and faithfully filling out the bi-weekly report sheets, even though we know they all have very busy schedules.
       One of the highlights of this last program, which had 16 OC participants and was based on the "Action Through Prayer" series, was the graduation activity. It started out with an inspiration led by Jeremy, Lancy (11), and André (11), followed by a verse-reviewing bingo game in which the parents, with their OCs teaming up to help them, tried to match references on their cards with verses that were being called out. A small prize was given to the one who matched all the references first. It was lots of fun to watch the parents and kids playing together enthusiastically while at the same time giving the parents an opportunity to review their memory verses. Mind you, the OCs' help was priceless for this game, ha!
       After that, each OC was awarded a certificate for completing the course, and the ones who had been faithful prayer warriors-all of them, by the way-got a personalized key bookmark. Then the girl and boy with the highest score from the program (we have a cumulative point system) received a colored set of keys promises made into a key ring, for them to claim in their prayers.
       A very outstanding moment was when we announced that during this program the OCs had set the goal of breaking their previous 500-soul record, and they did! During the six-week period they had won 678 souls!
       We would like to express our appreciation to all of the precious ones who without their efforts behind the scenes none of this would've been possible. Thank you!

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happenings
Total transformation
       Daniel and Sara, India: Mildred, an Activated member, was in her late seventies and passed away a few months ago. She loved the Activated magazine. She shared her mags with the people she was ministering to, and she took a keen interest in our work.
       Christine, Mildred's daughter, also likes the Activated mags very much and shares them with friends and relatives. She actively promotes our magazines, and calls on us to witness to her friends and family.
       Recently Christine's daughter and son-in-law Nora and Andrew were going through major problems in their lives. Nora had two car accidents, got mugged, and had her purse snatched all within a two-week period! Andrew, her husband, was having sleepless nights partly because of what his wife was going through, and partly because his boss was being mean and vindictive with him.
       Christine was desperate for them and brought them to us. They poured out their hearts, received the Lord, and we had desperate prayer for protection, claimed a closer walk with Jesus for them, and prayed for Andrew to be able to sleep well. We also prayed for a change of heart in Andrew's boss' attitude towards him.
       They subscribed to the Activated magazine before they left, and we suggested they get together and read the magazine and a passage from a New Testament we gave them every night before bed.
       We were so encouraged to hear from them three months later that they were faithfully reading their Activated mags and Bible together. As a result of this and our continued prayers for them claiming the keys, Andrew has a completely different relationship with his boss, where the boss totally depends on him and doesn't make a single office decision without consulting Andrew. And he has no more sleepless nights either.
       Nora and Andrew are both happy and relaxed; peace has entered their lives, instead of the tension and fear that used to be there. Thank the Lord for the power of the keys, and for the Word in the Activated mags that feeds our sheep.

The power of the salvation prayer
       Eva (22, new disciple), Italy: We do a lot of outreach in restaurants at night, dressed up as clowns and offering balloons, while witnessing to people at the tables. We always try to get them to pray with us to receive Jesus in their hearts, and a lot of people happily pray with us.
       A few weeks ago we were witnessing in some restaurants in Rome, and met a lady who expressed how happy she was that we had prayed with her. Two weeks later this lady called us to ask for prayer for a girl who had cancer, saying that she really believed in the power of prayer and had confidence that the Lord would answer our prayers, as she saw that He really "was with us," as she expressed it. She went on to say how happy she was that she had met us, how encouraging and uplifting it was for her to know that there are people like us, and that she believed that the Lord had sent us to her that night to show her that He was there for her.
       She told us that she had prayed this salvation prayer with 20 other people, telling them about Jesus! I didn't even explain much to her about this salvation prayer, just that she could be sure that she had eternal life from then on. Neither did I mention that she should witness to others about Jesus and His love and pray this prayer with them. The Lord worked in her heart through the prayer and His Word.
       Another inspiring testimony is about a 22-year-old girl who we also met in a restaurant. She wrote us an e-mail the day after we met her:

My name is Laura, I'm 22 years old and I need to tell you something!
       Last night I was out with some friends in a restaurant, when two "strange characters" walked in. I was feeling quite down, like I often do lately, when suddenly this girl, Eva (I hope the name is right!), walked up to our table and … I think you can guess the rest of the story!
       I'm writing to tell you that, after they left the restaurant, I wanted to run after them and thank them. I don't want to sound stupid, but I think the Lord last night gave me a nice present by having me meet them! I was sitting there, drinking and thinking how little it would take to put Jesus back in the center of my life. (Lately I was having some problems that took most of my time and didn't allow me much time to dedicate to prayer!) As I was thinking about it, Eva walked up and with incredible simplicity splashed the love of God on me and showed me how small we are before His forgiveness!
       I'm writing to tell you that you are all great, and that the Lord is surely proud of being able to use your hands for His great works! Thank you!
       Laura

       That was so encouraging, especially because it was one of those evenings when you feel like you're not accomplishing much or that people aren't really listening. We don't know how far our witness goes, because not everyone writes back to us or tells us that they were touched, but when we get to Heaven, we're going to see the many lives the Lord was able to touch through us.

Stamp of the Lord's love
       Juan and Lily, Colombia: On our monthly prayer day, the Lord told us to take a faith trip up to the Colombian Caribbean coast. We got together as a Home and everyone-from the OCs to the adults-received prophecies that confirmed the plan. The Lord said He would greatly bless us and give us a very fruitful trip.
       Fueled with faith that the Lord would not fail us, we went to a city that none of us had ever been to before. After a 22-hour ride, we finally arrived at the bus terminal where Lily called from a public phone to provision a hotel. The Lord did a miracle and the first hotel we called gave us a room for two weeks!
       After prayer, the Lord led us to go to the bookstores in town and later on to the schools. One day we got out 30 videos, 16 CDs, and a school director gave us a large check for our material.
       Throughout the whole trip we were constantly claiming the power of the keys and our team back at home never stopped praying for us. There were also hard days that were slower, and the Enemy fought us, but greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Overall, the trip was a wonderful success. The Family's material is powerful, leaving a message of the Lord's love stamped in the hearts of all those who are reached by it.
       During our two-week faith trip we distributed: 71 videos, 47 CDs, 20 "Mottos for Success," 18 Activated magazines, 4 Start Early sets, 53 posters, and won 32 souls.

Feed me more!
       Daniel and Emi, Montenegro: While trying to meet the owner of a company here, we met and started a friendly conversation with his secretary, Marija. She was trying to get us through to the owner by phone, but to no avail. She then arranged an appointment with a financial manager of the company for later on that day. We had to decide whether it was worth waiting for him, or to come back later, and we're happy now that we decided to wait, and minister to this girl.
       We explained our work and told her that we were Christians. She said that she had tried to read the Old Testament, but that it didn't really get through to her. We told her about the Activated magazines and explained how they make it very easy for people to understand the Bible. We left the first magazine in Albanian for her to read, while we went in to speak to the manager.
       When we came out, she had read "From Jesus with Love," and we asked her if she wanted to pray with us to receive Jesus in her heart, and she did. She readily accepted our offer to subscribe to Activated and called a friend to ask for the money so she could pay us on the spot. She was so hungry, listening intently to everything we were telling her. She stood up saying, "So, now I have Jesus in my heart and I'm subscribed to Activated. What else do I need to do or know?" We explained to her how Activated would take her step by step and that she would learn so many things from the magazines.
       We told her of the verse in the Bible about the "milk of the Word" and how she will gradually come to the "meat" as she studies the magazines and the Bible. She said, "Okay, next time bring me a list of the things I am going to learn, so I can have something to look forward to! And I want to arrive at the meat quickly too!"
       She reminded us so much of Anaik, the girl that Dad witnessed to. She was basically saying, "I'm your baby now. Teach me. I want more."

Easter in Bali
       Steven, Bali: This Easter the Lord opened the door for our band to play at WaterBom, a very popular water park near the beach where tourists and local people go for swimming and water slides. Since the response was so favorable, the management asked us to come every week to perform and gave us a gift to help with our work.

Peacemaker tract goes out to thousands!
       Abel and Angel, Japan: As the Iraqi crisis got more serious and then war finally broke out, we found that the distribution of the "Are You a Peacemaker?" went very well. People opened up to the message, and you could almost see them making a personal decision in the spirit as to whether they were in favor of the war or not. There was a hunger there and seeking for the truth.
       We also printed up the English version from the Family Web site for the foreigners in our city, so it opened up opportunities to widen our witness considerably and get different views from people from all over the world. Often when we were distributing them on the street, there would also be anti-war demonstrations, and it electrified the atmosphere even more. The tract helped people to open up more.
       During this time we were able to explain to people on the street as well as our friends and sheep how this is just another manifestation of Endtime events unfolding before our eyes, and how it is necessary now more than ever to prepare for the coming times and reach as many people as we can with the truth. Overall many people have given a "thumbs up" to the message, while of course some others have not received it, but nevertheless it is a needed message and the "Gospel is being preached."

Foreign workers come to Activated meetings
       Home in East Taiwan: There are hundreds of Filipino workers here in Taiwan, as well as Thais and Indonesians, and some Vietnamese. We have found many of them are lonely and homesick and so needy for spiritual fellowship and friendship, and have introduced them to the Activated mags and books for their comfort. They appreciate the time we spend reading through the Activated mags with them.

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Ad: Project Tchuma Tchato 2004
       At the beginning of next year we will be making an outreach trip into Mozambique. Our project's name is: Tchuma Tchato 2004 (tchuma tchato means "our thing").
       We are in need of support for this mission, and so we'd like to ask you, our dear brethren, for help, as much as it is possible and however the Lord leads you to give.
       If you'd like more information about this endeavor you can find it at
       http://www.terravista.pt/PortoSanto/1026/
       
       Love and prayers,
       Barz (project director), Southern Africa

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open forum: Word revolution tips

I've lost the high, but the habit is in place!
       Jonathan Nubes, Chile: The high? Well, I don't feel it anymore really, but who cares. Feast 2003 left an indelible imprint on my soul and helped me change old detrimental habits I had formed and create healthy new ones that are changing my life.
       By far, the best effect the Feast pubs had on me is that I am now much more aware and convicted about taking quality Word time daily. I have laid aside other reading material that I used to delve in to, and now I try to dedicate the times that I am most alert and receptive to Jesus. I've made a commitment to take time to read something very personal and deep or to set apart special moments to listen to Lord or to love Him every day, especially when the particular Word arriving in the mailings or being read at devotions is more of an informational nature or is not particularly what my spirit needs at the moment. This in itself has been a revolution for me!
       As a result in recent weeks I've been able to review GNs that were in my reading list for months. I am also beginning to pull out old Grandpa Letters on spirit trips or far-out revelations to spark my interest. I've also been benefiting tons from reading the Junior Daily Breads with JETTs. They are real attention-grabbers!
       In general I've been trying to be faithful every day with my hour-and-a-half of Word and half an hour vigil and it's working, truly working! For a long time before that my vigil times were very infrequent and sparse; but now I use all sorts of "lost" minutes during the day to pray intercessory prayers for our friends and for Family members on the latest prayer lists. I do it when going on the bus on business, before naptime, during my work hour breaks, at the meal table, in the bathroom, when riding the bicycle to the video club, etc.
       Another of the wonderful fruits the Feast pubs had on me this year is that I got out my Memory Book and started the 28-day review plan. If I can't quote the verses exactly right, I don't let that get me bogged down. I just read and repeat them a couple of times and go on. This put the doorknob low enough for me, and motivated me to move forward and flow with the review. As a result, in a month I had gone over the whole MB2K, plus lots of other passages and chapters I had committed to memory. I am now reviewing all the verses in Biblical order, for variety's sake, and when I finish that I will start again on the 28-day plan.
       This has enlivened and inspired me about my memory work. And it's awesome how much the Lord can speak to you through the Word you've memorized! Aside from this, in the Home we retook the memory challenge and just finished going over Set 1. Shiner prize: a ticket to the movies!
       The wonderful thing about all this is that by putting the Word first I've been having time to read other interesting material and approved books that I was struggling to find time to read before. I have even been able to get into some Heaven's Library novels, which before just sat on the shelves for months. Praise the Lord for Feast 2003!

Word plan
       Mary Trusting, USA: Writing down the answers the Lord gave me regarding our personal Word Revolution has helped me to remember the specifics better, as I can review them each week. It seems that the most beneficial and inspiring answer was to make a schedule and plan, which more or less amounted to a chart. Each month I made a checklist for four weeks that were for Word and devotions. It was exciting to check them off each day and total them weekly. Like Dad said, we don't really know how much we have accomplished unless we write it down.
       Here's what I put on my Word schedule: one hour of Word, half an hour of prayer, half an hour of Loving Jesus, memory work, Bible reading, praise and singing.

A few tips
       Abi, Senegal: I wanted to share some little tips I found helpful to me for more quality time with the Lord. I am pretty much of a talker and I seem to not be able to help myself when there are people around, "it just comes out of me," Ha! So I asked the Lord to help me to help myself, and here are a few tips I am presently using:
       *       Encouraging my outreach partners to be the ones sharing the testimonies, so that when I get home from a day out, instead of running to people and telling them about the day, I now go straight to my bedroom and have 15 to 30 minutes of quiet time, prayer vigil or praise time, and it has helped my spirit a lot and has taken away the many excuses I found to not be able to have two hours a day of Word and prayer time! I've started finding out where my time can be spared for more time with Him and getting His input.
       *       If not I'm not on outreach, I try to keep my eating and chat time to a minimum at lunch so that I can get to my quiet time quicker. I now keep the fellowship and testimony times to dinnertime instead. I found this a challenge, but I feel Jesus' blessings for esteeming His fellowship more than my necessary food! Ha!
       More tips coming as I keep learning.

Assigning ahead of time
       Steven, India: We found it helpful to assign certain Letters from the "Letter links" to devotional reading and others for private reading so that people are not discouraged from private reading, thinking that all the Letters they've just read will be repeated the next day or soon after at devotions time.

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Memory Book screensavers
       If you're looking for new and different ways to review your Memory Book verses, now on the MO site you can find a set of screensavers to help you with your review times. God bless dear Agnes who put this set of screensavers together (still adding to the set), which you can find at: http://www.familymembers.com/artphotos/thms.php?cat_id=60
       Happy reviewing!

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Ad: FCP #66 on MO site only!
       Parents and teachers, make sure you look at the MO site under the new pubs section for the "Mini Theater-Activity Pages" (FCP #66) at http://www.familymembers.com/pubspages/search.php3?searchpub=15. This is an online only pub, that won't be printed. Based on the MLK "The Sun Is Always Shining," this is an enjoyable activity that can be downloaded, printed out on cardstock, colored and assembled for your children to share with your visitors.
       Besides being an activity that your children will enjoy assembling with you, it's also a great tool to enhance your children's witnessing.

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GP Web site highlights, March 2003
       From Mrs. Barlow: When and where we can't remember, but my husband came home and gave me what looked like a poster. Unfortunately, I didn't pay any attention to it until it popped up yesterday, fortunately. The poster was beautiful. It showed a lion, and at the bottom the dragon, and the four headed beast. What was surprising was that there was a message on the back. "The Lion, the Dragon, and the Beast." I just want to say that my husband enjoyed your message and the way it was shown. Much love to you, and all that are spreading God's law.

       From Benji: I was reading about your community and I became very interested. I was thinking of joining your Family because I love Jesus and I feel that you have the same feelings as myself. I want to live life for God and I hope you can help me. E-mail me anytime.

       From Samuel: I heard about the Family after doing research on the Children of God. I've been interested in your group for a while. I was involved with a similar group of Christians called Shekinah Church International. A lot of people called us a cult too. I think that anytime you go all out for what you believe in, people are going to call you names. I moved away from the house where I was living with some of the Shekinah people, so I don't see them much anymore. The reason I became so fascinated with the COG is that most of the things you did sounded like us.
       Anyway, I just wanted to say that it doesn't really matter what people think about what you do. God's opinion is the only one that counts. I hope you folks don't let anyone stop you from being yourselves.
       
       From Ken, Taiwan: Hi. I am a student from Taiwan. One and half years ago, when I was doing my homework in Taipei, I met a Family member, Jesse. It's a miracle, because if I didn't go out that day, I wouldn't know Jesus. He invited me to the youth club in Taipei. The Family members told me who Jesus is, and taught me how to pray. I became a Christian. Now I keep going to the club, go witnessing with other members, and I do some memory work too. I write to share my experience with others, and to say thanks to all the Family members in Taipei. Without you, I would not know how wonderful Jesus is. I love you!

       (No name given): I was on my way to join in 1973, and since then, managed to retire at 48 years old, but this stupid rigged material world just keeps me working full time, and my heart isn't in it. I have a small family, and I do love them, but I'm always half here. For what it's worth: I've always regretted not getting there, seeing the folly of this world from way back when. Though I appear to be just another person going to work every day, I never stopped imagining what my life could have been. I don't care about "deprivations," or persecution, or most especially what others may think. I'm so tired of trying to please "people," and would much rather please God, and be around other folks who see through the folly, carrot on the stick, and the constant never-ending lies and false promises of this material world we happen to unfortunately reside in at the time. I'll be thinking of you, and will secretly wish I was there.

       From John: I had not heard from you in some time, but was happy to see the Family continuing its mission, despite the state of affairs in the world today, and the Middle East in particular. I hope all is well with you and yours and wish you health, happiness, and peace!
       I had been e-mailing you since I had thanked a group of Family volunteers I encountered during the clean up of the aftermath of a devastating hurricane in the southern states some years ago. I had been impressed with those volunteers during my time in the disaster zone where I was counseling those who had lost nearly everything in their lives, save themselves. I am a psychologist and am often called on to help those in time of need and this storm's aftermath was one of those times. I had been so impressed with the Family volunteers whom I had met that I wrote to thank everyone for their help and time.
       In this day and age, finding people who are willing to work for God to benefit others seems to be more and more difficult, indeed! Seems most people are interested only if they, themselves, will in some way be glorified or enriched. Very sad and wholly disconcerting, actually! But this gives you an idea of how I know the Family and I have certainly kept up with current events in the Family since then, as best I could.
       I subscribe to the Daily Might, and also occasionally receive the MO Letters, and your office had sent a bit of literature to me, including a book of writings by David Berg and The Daily Bread book, along with a few other items, all of which I have enjoyed reading.
       Growing up, as a child, we traveled and spent quite some time in a couple of what most people would call communes, to use the modern-day lexicon. At the time, though, it was a fantastic time because everything was centered around God and learning about Him. That is also where my brother and I learned to play guitar, and ultimately a group of us children in the "community" would go place to place to sing. We would learn about God, swim in the lake which ran behind the grounds, and basically lived a life very different from what most people would consider "normal," and because of this I'm sure my personal "compass" which helps me identify "normal" is a little different than most people's might be, because all of my life "normal" has been different, to suit the current situation.
       We learned to adapt to different people and places and other things much more than people typically probably do, having grown up all their lives in the same place having never seen much of what lay beyond their own little backyard. I believe, from my own personal experience, that those of us who have traveled and had such backgrounds are able to feel more at home in varying circumstances and places than others because we've learned, long ago, how to be that adaptable. During my years in my schooling in psychology, I came to more fully understand the precise "why" of this, though I know I've always had a feeling of naturally knowing. The difference, I suppose, is that now I can describe that "why" in more precise clinical terms!
       On a personal level, I became a Christian in October of 1979. I am from a long line of preachers, teachers, professors, and shrinks, so it's no surprise I have always had a natural affinity for the counseling disciplines, and this has given me the natural ability to talk to people about Jesus much more effectively.
       It's good to know the Family is still out there and I hope to hear from you again sometime.

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Rocking in Pakistan
By the Islamabad Home, Pakistan

Witnessing to the Prime Minister
       Charity: Two of us were invited to a large business and industrial exhibition/convention attended and inaugurated by the prime minister. This was part two of the same event held in another city on a much larger scale last year where the Family had a stall for "Deaf Reach," that attracted a lot of interested and important VIPs and sheep. It was very fruitful and they met a lot of people they follow up on now.
       The Lord told us to pass on a package containing a "Mottos for Success," Treasure Attic video, our local brochure, and three different Motivated issues, to the prime minister. The Lord made it possible through one of his security guards, as there was no way we could have gotten near him, as the security was tight. We met a few other people to follow up on in the future.
       The Lord engineered things so we could get into the dinner that the evening, as we didn't have passes. We heard that one of the sponsors and organizers from Karachi who is a good friend of the Family was there at the hotel where the dinner was being held, so we went by faith that we could find him and ask him for some passes. And sure enough we found him, and it was no problem to get inside.
       There were about 1,000 guests from embassies, top companies, government ministries, etc. It was very easy to meet them and we bumped into quite a few people we already knew. We met the managing director for a big international publishing company from Karachi who knows our team's music/dance troupe Heart Beat, as she'd hired them once for a function. She sat down next to me, and we had a deep talk as I told her about our way of life, etc. She was very impressed with how we live and work and wants to remain in touch, plus she asked me for Heart Beat's contact number, as she wants to hire our band again for an upcoming event.
       In this small city you don't know who you may be talking to. We happened to sit next to a nice, distinguished-looking gentleman for dinner and had some nice discussion. Stef then mentioned his face looked familiar to which he answered humbly that it was probably because he was the ex-Foreign minister, and we probably had seen his pictures in the newspapers. Another man came up and shook his hand and sat down next to him and we were introduced to Sir P., a Pakistani/British businessman who was knighted by the queen.
       We took packages with us, filled with our brochures, Motivated magazines, and our cards and we passed out quite a few to the guests. We got to talk with some other foreign diplomats, and we met some foreigners who are coming in to set up businesses in Pakistan and will remain in touch.

Reggae/Caribbean gala night
       Charity: The night after our convention adventure we had been asked to attend a Caribbean dance/dinner by a nice lake just outside the city in a beautiful setting. Basically, our new friend who runs an entertainment and event management company asked us to be the "greeters" or ushers for the evening (as foreigners added prestige to his event). So five of us went along.
       It was a reaching the rich situation with owners of companies, an ex-governor of one of the provinces, and other VIPs in attendance. There were drinks available, so people were relaxed and we were able to meet different ones to follow up on. We also passed out some of our packages with Motivated and our local brochure about the work here.

Project: The Joy of Childbirth: Antenatal Course
       Sara and Joy: We recently embarked on a new program: training nurses, midwives, and expectant mothers in the art of controlled breathing and exercising for delivery.
       We have compiled teaching books, which are getting translated into Urdu. The head doctor of the department of Mother and Children's Health of the main government hospital is very enthusiastic about this venture, and is prepared to alter their traditional approach to deliveries to embrace "controlled breathing and coaching." This includes the following radical changes:
       *The hospital is prepared to train coaches in the breathing technique who will be available for each delivery
       *If the labor room staff agrees, each mother will be able to choose which position of delivery she prefers
       *In the near future hopefully husbands who have received instructions will also be able to participate in the delivery
       The doctor plans to continue educating midwives and nurses, and expectant mothers long after we have completed the initial training program. We are presently scheduled to give one-and-a-half-hour classes twice a week to second trimester expectant mothers over the next four months. Each month we will train eight women in the various aspects of delivery preparation. This month we give an overview of positive thinking, understanding delivery, simple exercises to prepare for childbirth, and basics in controlled breathing.

Special Olympics training
       David: At the Special Olympics, mentally handicapped people are given the opportunity to participate in international sporting competitions in the same way that Olympic athletes do. Here in Islamabad at the National Stadium special people come to train for such events. The young people of our Home were invited to help in the training of the Special Olympics soccer team by forming a team to play against them two or three times weekly.
       We found these young handicapped players to be strong and fast, making our times with them fun and competitive. The Special Olympics soccer team is soon to go to Ireland representing Pakistan.

Clown show for our neighbors
       Charity: We live right next to a small school with about 150 students. It has benefits, as although it's quite noisy at certain times, our noises can also be tolerated more than if we just had a residence beside us. The administration is friendly, and has allowed us to use their playground for our children's get-out, plus we held our annual function there, and they were very impressed.
       Recently, they asked if we could come and perform at their spring carnival at the big local park for their two branches with all the parents and visitors in attendance, about 500 total. Since we weren't prepared with songs and it was very short notice, we decided we'd do some fun clown skits, and they loved it!
       
Project: "Cheer Up!"
       Stefan: We have made seven very successful visits to children wards so far. Mansoor and Ahmed, two new young volunteers, are helping with the clown dramas, flannelgraph story telling in the local language, and go on bed-to-bed visitation. Mansoor says this is the best part of the program and what he really looks forward to-giving personal comfort to the children. They bring biscuits and other items to give to the kids. They have translated some stories in Urdu that we are able to give to the kids after the show.

Training Pakistani police
       Sara: We gave a training program to the Islamabad Police Department, a result of our vehicle being stolen. One day while attending to paperwork regarding the vehicle, the police superintendent virtually hired us to give an English/Human Relations course.
       Although we were very nervous about embarking on a previously uncharted course, one day of "Interpersonal Skills/Basic English Conversational Practice" gave us the insight needed to tailor the course according to their needs. We [and they] had a lot of fun playing such games as Chinese Whispers and role-playing various situations in the life of a policeman. (They all appreciated the HSV about the Japanese Police Force, and another regarding New Haven, Conn.) The Superintendent of Police [who hired us] assured us that this would be the first of many such courses. So, as always, "all things work together for good!" (By the way, the car was fully insured; the money is now safely deposited in the bank!)

* * *

Through a tract
       (From a note sent to a Home in Argentina:) I received one of your tracts, "What Some People Get High On," and it really touched my heart. Two people gave it to me in the Plaza de Independencia (Buenos Aires, Argentina). They were like two angels from Heaven, because I received the tract at a low point in my life, and it really helped me.
       What stuck with me the most, and something I will always value, was that God is always with me, and I am never alone, all because of one little paper with a positive message! I just wanted to thank you, and would like to know more about you.
       -Juan Pablo (16), Argentina

* * *

Mama's mailbox
Dear Mama and Peter,
       GBY! We love you and especially appreciate how you are trying to get everyone in the Family to get back to their First Love, and serve and obey the Lord and recognize where we've gotten off the track in our lives. We are just now pulling out of severe long-term battles, trials and difficulties, mostly seeing things through the Lord's eyes, and where we've missed it all these years. But where there's life there's hope and the Lord didn't give up on us. He kept us, and has had great patience with us.
       We couldn't figure out why He was taking such good care of us all these years when we weren't really doing much of anything for Him, but He knew we would choose Him in the end, and He certainly does "get His money's worth" from us and is a wise investor. He wouldn't go to all the trouble to train us and prepare us and have us go through so much to just throw us on the scrap heap. So we're very thankful that He has seen fit to revive us and strengthen us and rekindle the fires in us once again to totally and utterly abandon ourselves to His will and to do the works of Him that sent us. It's been like a breath of fresh air in our lives that we were suffocating without for so long.
       Life has been hard and tough and near unbearable at times, but I think we've finally pulled out of it. We certainly don't want to go back down that road again (the road of disobedience). It hurts too much and isn't worth it. We have learned tremendous lessons through it all, and in some ways we wouldn't be where we are today, or have become the people we are today without having gone through all of that. It has been a long hard fight though, and we're glad now that the battles we are fighting are for the Lord and not against.
       The basic foundation block of this turn around in our lives was due to the Letter "What Is Jesus Worth to You?" This was an amazing milestone Letter for us. Actually it was a miracle that we even read the Letter at all, as we had been just throwing the mailings as they came in on a great big pile and hardly even looking at them. This was mostly due to discouragement, depression, lethargy-all the symptoms described in the CvsC series regarding the arch demons that have been plaguing us all in spirit. Well, we made a commitment in our lives to simply get back in the Word-just that. We didn't have the faith for much of anything else, just that we'd read the Word two hours a day from now on and give the Lord a chance to rewire us or strengthen us again in spirit.
       Well, that was all that was needed. Lo and behold, the Word changed us, we began drinking it in and here we are today, alive, well, and on fire for the Lord once again! It's amazing what the Word can do! We are living proof and testimony that the Word can bring anyone back to life, as long as you spend time reading it, and not only reading it, but letting it sink in, and by absorbing what it's saying and doing it.
       In the past we would pray and hear from the Lord, but when it came time to doing it, we miserably failed, and would go on in our own spirits and forget what the Lord had said, and wouldn't take the time to study and read over and remember and make sure we obeyed Him. So this time around we are really sticking on the little dog line, so to speak, and we're making a lot of progress.
       For about six weeks we revamped our whole schedule and started getting up at 6 am each day to get in the Word. It revolutionized our whole existence! We had tried many times in the past to have a workable schedule but it never worked, mainly because all of our attempts were not based around getting in the Word, but based on just trying to get things done. What a revelation! The Lord blessed it mightily and showed how nothing our attempts are without Him.
       As we got more in the Word, and time went on, our faith grew. Finally, now that we've stopped long enough to hear from Him, and listen enough to gain the faith to stop and obey, and stop being busy doing all the other things that we thought we were supposed to be doing, and have started doing only what He shows us, we have seen the Lord work on our behalf and it's been thrilling!
       -An FGA couple, USA

* * *

Homeschooling corner

[IN A BOX:]
       Q: It would be nice to have the Kidlands indexed. Is that a possibility?

       A: The Kidlands are indexed, and you can find the index on the MO site. It's called "Parenting and Childcare Index." You can find it on the MO site, or in the CC/FED section of the MO site by searching for "Index." It includes:
       *Childcare Reference Handbook (CRH)
       *Kidland (KL) up till/including issue 33
       *Eve up till issue 28

       One reason it has not been printed is because having it online makes it possible to keep updating it and adding more pubs to it. But you are welcome to print what is there whenever you want to.
[END OF BOX.]

Improving memory habits
By Joanne (SGA, of Sharif), Nigeria
       I learned so much from the last Family Feast about improving my Word habits. My kids have finished memorizing all of the Feed My Lambs so we have started memorizing the chapters from the MB2K. I photocopied the Mountain Man chart from the Activity Book, colored it and covered it in plastic. Then each time we memorize a verse, they move their little men up the mountain. At the end of the chapter, or the top of the mountain, we go out for ice cream.
       It has made it so fun for them; they are really into it and remind me all day to do memory and review time. I made my own review chart for them, and each day I look at what I'm meant to review and memorize. It took me some time to design it, but now that I have, it saves me so much time, and having it keeps me from skipping days.

Bilingual learning-a testimony!
By Shannon, Japan
       The other day when we were out witnessing downtown, one of the young Mormon preachers approached and started talking to our OCs. He was so impressed by their fluent English (because they were all full Japanese children). When he found out that they were actually bilingual and are doing their schooling in both Japanese and English, he said, "That's really cool! But it must be very expensive to give them such education, isn't it?"
       He thought that we spent a lot of money to send the kids to an expensive private school. We told him that we simply ordered CLE workbooks and combined the study with Japanese Kumon materials. He was very surprised. It reminded me that even though we sometimes feel we aren't doing good enough on our kids' education, the Family's homeschooling is still great.
       This bilingual issue is something we are kind of used to, and consider it normal, but in the eyes of an outsider it's so outstanding. I'm so thankful for the Family's education.

Assignment pages/Accomplishment sheets
By Sarah, Japan
       I suppose this comment may somewhat go without saying, but for our home-schooled children, having a clear, definite assignment page of what they are required to do each day is essential. I use this assignment sheet also as their accomplishment sheet to keep for their portfolios, by marking each assignment after I have checked it. They also have a schedule that lists when they are to do each subject each day. When they stick to the schedule, they have no problem getting their assignments completed. They have time available before dinner each day to finish up any incomplete assignments from the day.
       Another thing we've found we needed was a clear time when all weekly assignments must be completed and checked by. (Without this, our weekends ended up revolving around getting the kids to finish up their assignments-no fun!) This is for the children who are homeschooled, as well as for our children who go to Japanese school and do English weekly school assignments. (Our children who are enrolled in Japanese public school do a little English language arts, spelling and cursive at home each week.) Then, if these assignments are turned in on time, the children involved get a video night.

CVC-a learning experience for mom and students
By Dorcas Pioneer, Japan
       It's been one year since I started to really push the CVC program in our Home. My 17-year-old son has finished his secretary course, and my 15-year-old daughter finished the childcare course. Looking back over last year, the CVC gave them training and challenge and feeling of learning something. I am truly thankful for this program. It was a learning experience for me too as a teacher, because I hadn't done this before. But now I can say that it worked. You can do it, too!

Following a schedule
By Joan (of Tim), Ukraine
       We have seen the blessing of having a schedule and following it through no matter who is with the children. Since we're a small Home with lots of witnessing going on, sometimes I would not manage to do a schedule for the kids' schooling. People still did school with them, but we could see a big difference when we made a good schedule for them.
       I took some time to research and make a schedule for both of our kids for two weeks and then for another two. It was so much more envisioning for everyone who was with the kids-they would know what to do with them and we could see much more progress. Now everyone who is with them is getting the knack of it, and I have peace that when I go out for the day on outreach and follow up, people at home know what to do with the kids. It's been both inspiring and fruitful.
       Since we made a push this month to study the Bible, the life of Jesus, Florence (3½) is getting hooked on the Bible stories and makes sure she doesn't miss them at devotions and bedtime. Sometimes Danny (1½) joins us, he also is fascinated and loves the life of Jesus Bible stories. Florence has also been very interested in Mama's Childhood Memories. She is reading Peter and Jane very well, but they are not such a challenge for her. So Childhood Memories has become our new reader and she loves to read it and learn more about Mama. This is also good as it provides more new Word for her.

* * *

Request: Info on STDs
By Catey (of Joe), China
       I am compiling a class for teens to make them aware of such things. I guess it's going to be like a Sex Ed class. This is just a note to ask if anyone could help me by sending any information on sexually transmitted diseases. I think it is important for teens to have general knowledge and be aware of such things. After praying about it we thought to ask if anybody has anything on this subject, if they could help us by sending in articles or helpful information.
       Please send anything via the China Desk to Joe and Catey, CN631. Thanks!

* * *

pray
       Healing key: No matter what the pain or what the sickness, through the power of the keys you can be completely healed and your body restored to full health.

Testimonies of Answered Prayer
       Claire Elan, Madagascar: For the last year or so, I'd been battling some kind of allergy or congestion that caused me pretty bad respiratory problems. It would happen every time I would eat anything that had large amounts of flour in it. I never had it checked or diagnosed, but it was causing me a lot of discomfort and sometimes even strong pain. During the Feast days I asked for prayer, and I felt much better, but when I asked the Lord what the problem really was, He directed me to the old MO Letters on Ashraf.
       It didn't click at first, but after a while I realized that that was the demon attacking me! Yikes, I went straight back to the Lord who told me specifically what to do to fight Ashraf. Step one was to get immediate prayer against him, and He gave me some precious promises to claim specifically. I had prayer, and others received confirmatory prophecies that said I'd been healed. All I could do was wait and see. I didn't have long to wait.
       Breakfast menu next morning: marble cake.
       I like cake, but for months now I've been unable to eat it (yep, even in private when no one was watching), as I'd get terrible chest pains and a severe breathing crisis, lasting up to a couple hours. Definitely not worth the risk! But on that day, armed with the promises of God, I ate it. Nothing happened. And later, still absolutely nothing!-No pain, no discomfort, no breathing crisis!
       I suppose Jesus was shaking his head as He watched me saying, "What did you expect?"
       I've got to hand it to Him, He's done a miracle in my life and health, and I just wanna give Him all the glory! Thanks to all who cared to fight with me in prayer, I love you all so much!

       John, Sweden: Our outreach has been exciting, as we've started using the power of the keys. People have been saved and healed through the keys. One Iranian woman had stomach ulcers, causing her a lot of pain. She took my hand and put it on her tummy, and asked me to pray for her.
       Two days later, I met her daughter, and she said that after I had claimed a key promise, "I can heal any disease no matter how advanced if you call on the keys," her mother had been healed. The daughter then got saved. All praise to the Lord and the keys!

Asia
       JD (18, of David and Charity): He was traveling on a bus alone, and was accidentally pushed off. When he fell, his feet went under the tires of the moving bus. So far X-rays have revealed one fracture to his toe, as his feet are too badly swollen to determine any other minor fractures. It's a miracle that it's not more serious.
       We'd like to ask if you could please pray that the swelling goes down, for proper circulation in his feet so that he won't require surgery, that he won't be in too much pain, against any long-term damage. For complete healing of the ligaments and soft tissues, to which there has been extensive damage. Thank you, dear Family.
       Jewel: By the power of the keys along with so much support and prayer, I have every reason to believe a miracle is on the way. In fact, the swelling over my right eye has gone down a little which has been so encouraging, and my vision is a bit better. Before it seemed like I had a veil or shadow over it that distorted it, but now that eye seems more focused, but just weaker. Thanks so much for all your prayers for me.
       I'd like to ask that you please keep praying until that ugly tumor is gone and my vision completely restored. Please also pray against negative thinking and that I can have a fresh, positive channel. There's nothing the keys can't do!

Europe and Africa
       Chris: Hepatitis C.
       Dust: Serious nervous system disease.
       Sharon (SGA, of Andy): Five months pregnant with #4, and has already been to the hospital a couple times due to complications. Please pray for her strength and health, and for the baby's continued growth, as well as against any further complications.
       Veronica (of Peter): PG. Toxicosis, back pains, tiredness, and problems with thyroid gland because of lack of iodine.

[BOX]
Reprint: Prayer request against SARS
By Soni for the ACTON Region, PACRO
       We need your prayers, dear Family, against SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which is continuing to spread in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Canada. Please pray that it will not spread into neighboring countries, and that through the keys the Lord will create a bubble of protection around our Family members who are living in these areas, and make a way for them to be able to comfort those who are becoming fearful.
       Also pray that those involved in investigating this virus will find a cure to this disease as soon as possible. "The keys of the Kingdom can touch and heal any ailment. There is no sickness immune to the keys' power."

       Thank you so much for your prayers!
[END OF BOX.]

* * *

Help wanted

Dear Family,
       Our Home's financial supply has been suddenly and drastically affected as a result of the SARS outbreak in China. Our main source of income has been English teaching, and in accordance with the Lord's counsel in recent GNs, we've minimized it as much as we could in order to have time for our sheep and witnessing. Since the SARS outbreak we've had to cancel all our extra-curricular engagements that were bringing the most of our budget, and our regular classes have been cut in half. So we're down to the very basics-just barely enough for food and tithe, nothing more. We have no other way to raise funds on this field.
       Despite all of this, the Lord told us to stay here. We've made a definite decision to remain with the dear Chinese people, even in the midst of epidemic. Thank the Lord we're still able to witness to our sheep, as we live near them.
       We'd appreciate any and all of your gifts and prayers for our situation. And the main thing to pray for is for SARS to be contained, so that we can return to our normal lives once again. Also please continue to pray for the other Homes in China as well, as many are facing the same sudden income loss like ourselves.
       With love,
       Jono, Dina and children (CN 627)

Dearest Family,
       We are John, Jacintha and our six children in India. We have been on this field since joining the Family in 1987. The Lord has kept and prospered us in this wonderful field by the power of His miraculous love and mercy.
       Recently through the power of the keys the Lord has opened a new door for us to go to Canada, so we all can be more legally stable. Needless to say, being a large family, our move requires a considerable amount of funds. The Lord told us that we could always reach out to our wonderful Family and ask for help.
       If you are in a position to help us with our move, we'll be forever thankful. Please send all your gifts to Canada ABM for John and Jacintha, and please also send your name and address, so we can thank you.
       A big thank-you from the bottom of our heart, and may the Lord bless all your labors of love.
       Much love in our dear Husband,
       John, Jacintha, and children (IA03)

Dear Family,
       GBY! WLY! We are Paul and Maggie in Malaysia, and are on our way to China. As we were praying about how to go about fundraising, the Lord told us to ask you, our dear Family, for help. As we claim the promises of the key for supply, we also pray that the keys will also supply for you and will touch your hearts to help us.
       All donations are most appreciated and we pray that He will repay you a hundredfold. Contributions can be made through the TRF for Paul and Maggie (MA 01).
       Thank you so much! We appreciate your financial help and your prayers.
       Lots of love,
       Paul and Maggie

* * *

personals
       Marie in China, I don't know you in person, but you wrote an article in Kidland issue 1, on page 12 called "Junior DB Study Helps." I'd really like to get in touch with you. Please write Vesna at: vesfrenchy@hotmail.com.

* * *

former friends
       Ingrid Looze (Dutch) is looking for Canadian J.P. Riley (formerly Jonathan). They were in Amsterdam together around 1979. Her son, Tristan, would like to get in touch with him. If anyone knows the whereabouts of J.P Riley, or if you know how to get in touch with him, please write Mary Meek (formerly Dance) at: noravelz@yahoo.com. Thanks!

* * *

MD 20-20-High on Jesus!
       By Simon Setfree, Tanzania
       Mogen David 20-20 is the drink of choice for many of America's winos. It's a powerful wine of 20 percent, and yet it's cheap and comes in a handy-size bottle, so they can all afford it. Often you'll see a wino sleeping on a park bench with a bottle of Mogen David 20-20 (also known as Mad Dog 20-20 or just MD 20-20) in a little brown paper bag lying on the ground next to him.
       Since the name Mogen David was so similar to Moses David, and Moses David Wine is the most powerful I know of, about 30 years ago I decided to see what Moses David 20:20 had to say. I figured, "I'm a wino of the Spirit, and love to get high on Dad's wine." So I got out my Letters and looked up Letter number 20, paragraph number 20. I burst out laughing, and knew God must have a real sense of humor.
       Talk about Bible numerology-this one will amaze you! If you want a real kick (under the table)-look it up yourself.

       "Drink yourself under the table on the Spirit to where you don't even care if anybody kicks you-you're happy, you're so full of His wine! You're so dead drunk on the Holy Ghost, you don't know what the score is-but who the hell cares what the score is, huh? All you care about is another shot of Jesus! Who the hell's playin' games, anyway? Let's get drunk on the Spirit! Who the hell cares how bad you score or how bad I score, or who wins or loses? Let's just get stoned on Jesus!-So we don't care who wins or loses, as long as we have Jesus! I am determined to see no man among you save Jesus only! I don't even want to look at you! Get outta my sight! I'm sick of you! Let me see Jesus! I can't stand to look at you! Show me Jesus! Give me a drink of Jesus! Give me a shot of the Holy Spirit! To hell with your stupid self and all your damn sins! Let's send 'em to hell where they came from! Let's just lift up Jesus! Let's talk about Jesus! Let's get full of the Spirit-full of Jesus!"
       -MD 20-20 (a.k.a. ML #20:20)