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the grapevine
(Issue #58; January 15, 1999.)

Features are:
       Zocalo 1998!
       Christmas in China
       Focus: Law of Love

kidbits

little guys and gals …
       Marcel, 1st child, born to Rosalinne on July 28.--Holland
       Brian Allen, 1st child, born to Lluvia on September 12.--USA
       Arthur Brian, 3rd child, born to Joan and Michael on September 16.--Mexico
       Ross, 2nd child, born to Claire Blossom and John on September 29.--England
       Lillian Lorien, 4th child, born to Crystal and David on October 9 .--England
       Megumi, 4th child, born to Faithy and Mark on October 11.--Japan
       Alisha Marie, 4th child, born to Tania and David on October 17.--New Zealand
       Andrew, 1st child, born to Luba and Paul on October 27.--Russia
       Alex, 1st child, born to Bruni Sparkle (Russian), on October 31.--Russia
       Shawn Michael, born to Pearl and Ruel on November 1.--USA
       Christine Lauren, 1st child, born to Shalom and David on November 1.--USA
       Chad Royce, 1st child, born to Crystal and Isaac on November 2.- -USA
       Emanuel Adrian, 3rd child, born to Christina and Peter (Romanian) on November 4.--Romania
       Jason Bryant, 1st child, born to Joy and Jono on November 4.--Japan
       Maria Pilar, born to Angeles and John on November 8.--Portugal
       Tiana Carmen, 1st child, born to Christina (Slovenian) on November 9.--Hungary
       Vanessa Faye, 3rd child, born to Beth and Shawn on November 10.--Mexico
       Nicole, 2nd child, born to Sophie Light (Czech) and JanekArtist (Polish) on November 11.--Slovakia
       Masaki Mi chael, 1st child, born to Rejoice and Stephen on November 11.--Japan
       Amy Okubo, 8th child, born to Ruthie and Luke on November 12.--Japan
       Darren Lee, 1st child, born to Joan and Michael on November 13.--Russia
       Davin Christian, 9th child, born to Becky on November 14.--Holland
       Nozomi, 12th child, born to Dorcas and Paul on November 20.--Japan
       Tyler Antonio, 1st child, born to Peace and Rick on November 20.--Taiwan
       Lauren Allison, 2nd child, born to Jasmine and Alec on November 23.--Fr ee Zine country

netsite

Members Only site

Check out the new book summary, now posted on the M.O. site!

CLOSER TO THE LIGHT
       Learning from the Near-Death Experiences of Children
       Amazing Revelations of What It Feels Like to Die
       Melvin Morse, M.D. with Paul Perry
       (New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1990)

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       Read about a modern-day miracle! What or who is Echelon? Now featuring in END #14!

tidbits

new laborers - October/November, 1998

       Dimitry (29, Russian) joined in Russia.
       Victor Job (21, Russian) joined in Russia.
       David (20, Brazilian) joined in Brazil.

babymania

The Quick Fix
By Jaz
       Perhaps there's something about children that makes them particularly suscept ible to direct answers to prayer. Or perhaps this is just the Lord's way of trying to work in my life to strengthen this very important habit. Either way, I've made a very outstanding discovery recently of the incredibly direct link there is between my own prayer time, and Kimberly's progress in whatever weak area she happens to be indulging in.
       Now I know very well that this is really Family Basics 101, and I'm not saying it like it's some new revelation, but I don't think I'd fully realized until rather recently how strong that link really is--or how important.
       Perhaps the example that is the clearest to me has to do with Kimby's potty training. She's been trained for months now (with the exception of nighttime, when she wears a diaper), and in general, she does just fine. However, sometimes she will have accidents during the day, and also at naptime. All that is quite normal, of course. But here's the curious thing. One of the topics on my little personal-prayer-time list is for Kimby to continue to make progress in her potty training, to stay dry and learn to ask for the potty herself more (instead of just holding it till she's put on, which she usually does).
       But every now and then, Kimby will go into this big relapse thing and have several accidents in a day. And invariably, it will be at the same time that I've--for whatever reason--neglected to put in the prayer time on her behalf! This is so real to me that I could almost swear by it! I mean, I can hardly bring myself to say it aloud anymore because it sounds so trite--whenever I see she's had an accident, I have my little standard line, "Oops! I haven't been praying for her specifically over the past couple days!"
       Does this sound overly simplistic? All I know is that it holds true for me--and it also works in reverse. When I am particularly zealous and faithful in my prayers for Kimby, I'll suddenly notice that she starts asking to go on the potty--something that is definitely not according to her carefree little nature!
       So with all these realizations behind me, I have come to the conclusion that if prayer really is such a powerful weapon--the ultimate quick fix--what is then keeping me from using it so much more in my everyday life? I know that other answers to prayer, while perhaps not quite as obviously manifested as those in the life of a spiritually-sensitive little 22-month-old, are just as real and just as directly linked. So I am resolved now to truly make the most of that power .--It's there at each of our disposal, after all, so why not?
       Let me close with a "true testimony according to St. Kimby." A bit off the subject, maybe, but I guess answers to prayer come in many mysterious ways. Kimby must have been about 20 months old, and she was sitting on the potty finishing off the tail end of her lunch. She had a little corner crust from her lunch-time cheese toast that she was taking her own sweet time with, but seemed to be past the actual eating stage and was more in to the how-many-games-can-I-play-with-this-food stage. After various requests to finish eating it, I finally took the crust away from her, and immediately she started to ask for it back.
       Hoping to distract her with something else and thus uphold my image as a firm disciplinarian, I made a quick change of subject: "Let's pray that you will do something in the potty!" So I headed up the prayer on her behalf: "Jesus, please help Kimby to make a peep in the potty." And right as I finished, she pip ed up in perfect faith and sincerity: "Jesus, cheese toast too, please!" Ha! It was so cute and earnest, I just had to give her the crust back.--And she promptly ate it all up!
       So here's to specific prayer!

[FOR A SEPARATE BOX NEARBY]
       (From Korie:) I recently made a list from "Shepherding Our Children and Young People" (GN 796, ML#3191), of the key phrases telling us of the importance of praying for our kids. I thought others might find it interesting and helpful also!

       Keep praying fo r them.
       Pray for solutions.
       Pray'm through to victory.
       Love and prayer solve all problems!
       It's gonna take some hard-core prayer.
       It's a very delicate matter to know what each one needs and when, and that's why our folks have got to pray!
       These kids need to be handled in desperate, fighting prayer most of all--prevailing prayer, importunate prayer!
       Pray through the solutions on a case by case basis!
       Shepherds have to pray every day to know when and how to apply the discipline the Lord wants.
       Through prayer He's able to show you shepherds and parents what's needed.
       Pray for wisdom and discernment.
       Pray desperately to keep [their] interest [in the Word] and to continue finding new ways to present the Word.
       Pray to find their key.
       Rest each night and commit all to [the Lord], and the next morning as you wake, pray for faith to continue.
       Spend 20 minutes in prayer before [the Lord], committing to [Him] each child, each need.
       So do not neglect this powerful wea pon of prayer--specific, faithful, regular times of prayer and communion with [the Lord].

ask-a-midwife
--By Rose, USA

       Q: In my first pregnancy I had a fair bit of morning sickness, but in my second pregnancy, I only had the barest touch of it. I was also not nearly as tired as I was with my first baby. While I counted my blessings for this, at the same time I couldn't help but have a little worry. I read that morning sickness is a sign that the baby is healthy, and since my body was pro bably not as healthy as it was with my first baby (when I had all my life to prepare, instead of just one year), I began wondering if the fact that I wasn't morning-sick means that the baby won't be healthy or whatever?
--Jasmine, Free Zine

       A: Dear Jasmine, I really feel for you with this trial! First of all, what you read about morning sickness meaning that the baby is healthy, sounds a little off to me. Morning sickness is usually caused by a lack of Vitamin B6 in the mother's diet, or if it's caused by one food, it's caused by that food being toxic (that's right, poisonous) to the baby.
       My guess would be that during your second pregnancy, since you probably were nursing your first baby, you were eating better than when you were a single teen or SGA? You were probably not as tired since you'd been eating better since getting pregnant the first time, than in your earlier years when you were maybe watching your weight? That seems to happen to a number of our young mothers. They learn a lot with their first pregnancy about what they were eating wrong and how they should eat, and they eat better nursing and when pregnant from then on.
       You're right about having had reserves with your first baby from your whole life of eating and not having those reserves in the next pregnancies, but the Lord did that because He knew most mothers wouldn't know all they need to right at the start, so He gave them the reserves so they could have healthy babies. Then He teaches them more wi th each pregnancy to make up for the lack, and by eating better and better, they continue to have healthy babies. Just look at our beautiful large families with so many wonderfully healthy babies! So please don't let the Devil use this one on you. No, you don't have to worry about anything! Just do what you can do and the Lord will do the rest.
       Congratulations on your new baby! Also the lack of morning-sickness and tiredness is God's blessing in your life--relax and enjoy it!

ponder
       Every time we make a move, we make an improvement!--Dad

world news

Christmas of 1998!

Christmas present fair
       Maggie, Saltillo Home, Mexico: In November we found ourselves battling for the monthly bills again in this poor field. But we felt if we put the Lord and our Christmas push and prep first, He would have to supply.
       Then two days before we were to send our usual road team out to complete our budget, we came across a Christmas Present Fair being held in our city. We spoke to the orga nizer and she gladly gave us a booth free of charge where we were able to set up with videos, tapes, Christmas cards, posters, etc. She gave us an ideal spot right in front of a stage where almost everyone passed.
       Sixteen thousand people came through the bazaar for the four-day duration, and not only saw our tools but the loud speaker played our beautiful CD Aires Navideños (Christmas Treasures) all day long. Joy (21), Ella (19) and Augustine (of Maggie) manned the booth for 12 hours daily. We met lots of people, many of whom bought tools, and out of this display one company ordered Christmas cards for all 3,000 of their employees! At the end we were able to pay our rent and bills and go on with our Christmas programs and prep. PG! Jesus is our ever-present help in time of need!

Small beginnings, greater ends
       Hand `n Hand Show Troupe, Thailand: Nearly two years ago, a Home in a busy tourist town on the coast of Thailand decided to send a small youth team to some neighboring town s for outreach. What has happened since that time is phenomenal! Presently our youth team has opened a Home under the sponsorship of a friend met through this initial road team, and have free housing and electricity paid by him, as well as our monthly budget.
       Our team has grown to 13: a married SGA couple, David (of James and Charity) and Theresa (of Jason and Lamb), our personnel shepherds; their son, Trevor; our faithful Norwegian missionary singer and general all-around blessing, Lisa N. (2 0); two senior teens, Phillip (of Gideon and Sara) and Keren (of Stephen and Shelley); two junior teens, Stevie (of James and Charity) and Dan (John and Joanna); JETT Maggie (of Gideon and Sara); Charity (FGA) ... that's me; with my two daughters Careth (8) and Susanna (6); and FGA Gideon.
       Initially it felt as if our small team was in a rowboat in the midst of a raging storm, with so many battles and obstacles to overcome; we felt like the sky would never clear. Well, it has cleared at times a nd we are still hanging on to the edges of the boat (the Lord!), and He is continuing to steer us along the current of His will as we hear from Him step by step.
       During November, our team distributed 280 videos through sponsorship. Our teens won nearly 400 souls last month and distributed over 400 posters. We have two potential disciples. Our Home is currently involved in seven weekly CTPs: teaching English in four poor schools each week, teaching dancing and music, provisioning nearly hundred s of dollars worth a week of fruits and vegetables to donate to the Children's Protection Agency as well as use for our Home, and teaching English at a Detention Center.
       Our teens have a fruitful music ministry and the Lord has supplied music equipment that we use in our anti-narcotics program. We do these programs at local high schools and distribute a flyer with the testimony of a sister in the Family who was a drug addict, and we invite the students to write to us. In one month we received 80 letters as a result of these programs.
       During December we poured our efforts into the Christmas program, singing at a number of functions and getting out lots of tools. All this to say, all glory to God and a special salute to our precious team of young people here who have proved their deep and sincere love for the Lord, the lost and a dedication to the Family. It sure has encouraged me to see our youth stepping into the anointing and calling of leading His Family in this final hour!

Ho tel in prophecy
       John and Joany, China: Through a prophecy the Lord led us to contact a hotel for a Christmas performance. They were very eager to take our choir and wanted to book us exclusively from December 23-25, and give us food and accommodation for the three days. The kids were super inspired by what the Lord can do when we check with Him along the way.

Tents and food
       Mary Heart, Mideast: While planning for our yearly Christmas function, our old friend who in the past has supplied t he tent for the function was totally booked out, as everyone wants to get their weddings over with before Ramadan (starting on December 20.) So we found a smaller company who had quite a nice setup as well. But he said he could only give us one day for free. (We usually have two functions, one day after the other.)
       Later that day while visiting another friend, I asked, "Is $100 a good price for a tent setup?" I then went on to tell him how the gentleman had agreed to give only one day free of cost. Our friend promptly said, "Don't worry! I'll pay for the other day; you can pick up the check tomorrow!" We were thrilled that one of our problems was solved! We then had the problem of the dinner we wanted to serve for the guests, as previously our old friend who gave the tent setup also was the one who gave the dinners for the 80-100 people. While casually telling another friend about it, he asked us to write down the menu (and even added a few "extras"), then offered to pay for the whol e dinner. Thank the Lord!

Feeding the poor
       Dust (CRO), Mexico: Seek, Servant, Jason and team in Morelia did a beautiful job with the feeding of some 3,000 poor. The Morelia Christmas dinner was held in a large gymnasium where the people were fed sandwiches, cookies, cake, fruit, fresh milk, and a drink. As they ate, seated in the stands, the band played and the dancers danced.
       As the people left they were given a Christmas tract, toys were given to the children, and the leftover sandwiche s, milk and drinks were handed out. I had the privilege of being able to hand out some of these items to these precious people as they passed by, and I was so touched by their humility and gratefulness. They were so thankful for the love that was shown to them that day. It was all well organized, but it wasn't so much the organization that mattered, but the fact that so much love had been put into it by the Morelia Homes to make it special for these people.

Christmas in China
By the Candles Home
       (Due to the sensitivity of this country we cannot include names of places or people, or show our whole faces. Our names are modified for the same reason.)

       The Lord did amazing miracles for us to enable us to do Christmas shows here in China. For those of you living in other more open countries this might be nothing out of the ordinary, but for us behind the red bamboo curtain, it's truly miraculous. To our knowledge, it's the first Christmas shows done here in China. It was quite a ba ttle in the spirit from the start. It was a pioneer effort and all by faith. The Lord did mighty miracles for us though, and we were able to do one show early on in December and then nine more on the 24th in one of the largest hotels in China. We want to share with you some of the experiences, miracles, and fun along the way.
       First let us introduce ourselves. We're Sel, Angel, Chellie, Joyce, and Vic. How we came together was quite a miracle in itself. Chellie and Vic were already here when th ey were joined by Angel (new arrival from the States). Then Sel and finally Joyce, (both from other Homes in China).

[Practice]
       Angel: Hard work!
       Chellie: Immensely tiring and strenuous on our throats, but nevertheless a memorable experience.
       Joyce: Apart from minor injuries (see Christmas Peril [Zine#26]), it was a lot of fun.
       Vic: Our fridge was customarily empty.
       Sel: Excellent for vocal stretching! (Not from the singing as much as the teaching.)

[Obstacles]
       Sel: Well, bein g that Christmas is fairly new in China, booking shows was a real fight. (We even had one canceled three hours before we were about to leave the house.) Everything had to be really soaked in prayer. Even those who celebrated Christmas only wanted things on the 24th. We had to realize that this was no ordinary situation and we couldn't expect multiple shows as easily as in other more open countries. We were just so thankful that we, in China, could actually reach about 1,600 people with our songs and the real meaning of Christmas.
       Angel: One thing was having to learn songs in Chinese: Pin An Ye (Silent Night) and Din Lin Dan (Jingle Bells), also in German (Stille Nache) and in Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese.
       Vic: Getting the BMTs was also quite a battle. In fact we didn't even get the last CD until three days before our big show.
       Chellie: Costumes! (Getting pinned and pinned and pinned again). The sewing machine got dyed red, and all the fur had to be sewn on by hand.

[L essons]
       Angel: On the way to the train station we had a little mix up with the taxis and one of them took off with half the party and all our luggage. We split into two teams at the station and took about half an hour looking for them and then the other half looking for the party who was looking for them. We learned to go slow and be more prayerful.
       Sel: We learned the importance of checking everything with the Lord and not leaning on the arm of the flesh or past experience. He was faithful to remind us of the seriousness of our situation here, and how desperately we had to rely on Him for everything.

[The Hotel]
       Vic: We were wined and dined at the hotel's three different five-star restaurants for three days. On the 23rd it was, "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we'll have our show." On the 24th it was, "for tomorrow we leave," and on the 25th it was, "for tonight we leave."
       Angel: The coffee! (If you know what Chinese coffee is like, you'd understand.)
       Sel: Ahhhh! Gr eat showers and beds.
       Joyce: And Chellie to clear off half the buffet for us.
       Sel: It was really funny being a novelty here, with everyone acting like we were celebrities or something. This was the first Christmas many Chinese were able to celebrate. Although most were rich and educated and as such spoke English, they were always so touched when we'd say a couple words to them in Chinese.

[The Shows]
       We did one show in our city on the 11th for a Christmas party of German expatriates (of such came the Stille Nache). This was inspiring and fun. The major ordeal though, was in a large nearby city where we were hired to be the Christmas entertainment for a famous hotel.

       Sel: We did three singing shows on a spiral staircase overlooking the hotel's lobby and the center of the three stories containing the restaurants, then four at two different restaurants, and finally two at the disco/bar.
       Joyce: It was quite tiring--nine shows with only half an hour between them.
       Vic: Just the night before, the manager had sprung on us that we'd have to sing a capella for two of the shows, as they were in a revolving restaurant and we couldn't plug our sound system in.
       Angel: It was actually kind of pretty as the restaurant walls were all glass and overlooked the city. We sung behind a ledge with seven candles so it looked quite "angelic."
       Sel: After all our shows, the manager expressed how impressed he was with our versatility, and how we were so unlike other groups. Although we couldn't tell him why, he knows we are Christians and it was quite a witness to him. He was very sweet and helpful, and really went the extra mile for us.
       The audience reaction was also very good. The people loved it and some even got up to sing and dance with us.
       Joyce: The lights in the lobby shows were very bright, so when looking up to the people on the upper balconies we had to smile in blinding whiteness. (Chellie: Which may have been the cause for several comments such as, "You gi rls have a special light on your faces." Ha!)
       Vic: The last show at the disco/bar was really wild. You couldn't have guessed they were Chinese as they all got out of themselves and on to the dance floor. At the end of our show they were all really raved up, and all got up to do the "Macarena" with us.
       Chellie: The management was thrilled not only with our show and the audience participation, but also for the fact that it was their record all time high in sales. After hanging around a bit to witness to the customers we finally got to bed, not wanting to notice the time, at about 3:00 a.m. But hey!--It's Christmas Eve, and we had a fun, inspiring and fruitful Christmas.
       Sel: Not only that but we got the message of Christmas out to the Chinese people on this one time of year when we can be freer to do so. Our whole Christmas was just one miracle after another! Please continue to keep China and the work here in your prayers.
       The Candles Home
       (We'd also like to give honor to whom it's due, and that is to dear J&J who not only began this whole thing and ran the whole thing but were those wonderful parents/adults to us all. GBT! A big thanks also to W&C who came and took care of the kids so we could all go to the shows. WLY!)

crusading

[Tanzania]
       Mercy (a.k.a. Grannie #2; see Grapevine #46, pg. 5) and Michael: Dar Es Salaam is a large, unorganized port city, hot, humid, dusty and dirty. I was recently privileged to be on a two-person road team from Kenya to Tanzani a and have had some wonderful witnessing opportunities. There is a mixed population here of Africans, Asian Africans (3rd generation) and "the whites" (muzungu as they are called in Swahili).
       Then there is another breed of people here--the tourist! When one normally thinks of a tourist, one conjures up pictures of folks with cameras going about in groups "oohing and ahhing" at various sights. Here it's different. Most of the tourists we met were adventurous types, here to climb the volcanic mo untains of Kilimanjaro, Mt. Meru and Nogorogoro Crater, experience the culture of the spice islands of Zanzibar and Premba, wild untouched beaches of tropical islands in the crystal blue Indian Ocean, diving into the deep channels to see the coral and marine life, or travel on safari to see the wild, dangerous beasts, living in tents and roughing it, travelling in trains, buses, lake and river boats from north to south of Africa, visiting the Victoria Falls on the way down.
       We met and witnesse d to a constant stream of tourists of varied nationalities while staying at the YMCA hostel. Many of these people were able to get a really good witness, from simple salvation to in-depth Endtime classes. It was astounding to see the different types of folks the Lord brought past our window, from middle-aged businessmen who were daring to do something different, to young people trying to find where it's at, to older hippies, and young successful yuppies. One older man, 52 years of age, travellin g north to south mentioned, "I didn't come out here necessarily looking or searching for anything, but the things I have learnt since starting the trip have been life-changing," including receiving our witness. It was and continues to be fun, fruitful, fulfilling and full-time witnessing for us!

ZOCALO 1998!
By Carlos, Mexico
       Amidst a turbulent economic atmosphere of high inflation rates, an ailing stock market, recession on the horizon, as well as exploding volcanoes and hurricanes, Mexic an citizens witnessed a moment of Christmas peace and love as the nation's news media captured the Family's yearly "Christmas Feast of the Poor" at Mexico city's main square known as "EL ZOCALO".
       At the nation's capital, thousands received a free Christmas meal. Mexico's largest newspaper "EL UNIVERSAL", reported: "For the forth consecutive year the fellowship of Independent Missionary Christian Communities `The Family', organized a festival of charity this Friday at the capital's Zocalo where they offered a free meal, clothes, toys and entertainment to the needy sector of the city of Mexico… The nature of this event is important in that it foments the spirit of peace and charity, as well as lifting some of the tension that has been generated in this country due to the economic and social crises facing the nation. They indicated that 150 people (members) participated in the event, among them were Filipinos, Brazilians, Costa Ricans, Japanese, Hungarians, Danes, Americans and the majo rity being Mexicans, all of whom contributed in helping the poor and needy according to the Christian faith and with no ulterior motives." (El Universal, December 26, 1998, page 10, section 1)
       In early October when considering the possibility of taking on the Zocalo CTP event for the fifth consecutive year, our small team gave it little thought as we didn't think we were prepared for this juggernaut of a project, considering it would probably require double quantities of food, supplies, person nel, etc., and we were only five adults and five children in our Home. But after praying and hearing from the Lord in prophecy we got a very clear green light and promises of power, great supply and protection, TYJ!
       Sure enough in the month of November we received two top phone provisioners, Leticia and Karime, who traveled long distances to start working on the Zocalo needs list. Shortly thereafter Danish Ella and Flor from Guadalajara both arrived to help with the Zocalo prep. By the first w eek of December we got a big surprise when the entire DC band arrived with Dust and Ahlai. Jason came in from Morelia with his dance troupe, and other teens and YAs came in from California and Texas--and our Home was soon bursting at the seams with 65 wild and wooly people raring to go! To top things off nicely, academic Gordon Melton also flew in from Los Angeles to participate in the mega event. Congresswoman Martha Irene Luna, not wanting to get left out, also flew in from Durango, Mexico, an d served beans and meat all day and by evening flew back to Durango to rejoin her family.
       This year's CTP Christmas feast was the best ever and we're amazed to see how accurately the prophecies about Mexico, a Needy Mission Field have been fulfilled--the spirit here is electrifying, exciting--something is happening here and you just know it's Mexico's hour! Read the following Zocalo testimonies--they'll make you weep and laugh and maybe even inspire you to come help at next year's event--ZOCAL O 1999!

       J. Gordon Melton (from Santa Barbara California; Director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion): My first impression was that many of the people were very, very poor--some of them very hungry and this was probably their first solid meal maybe for the week. Once the serving started, it became an entire world of dishing out food and handing it to people and exchanging some greetings and smiles with everyone. There were what appeared to be street urchins, children who wer e either away from or didn't have any parents. There were a number of older people there, seemed as people that culture left behind, and some were obviously the homeless who were living on the street--who had a plate in one hand and all the possessions they owned in life in the other.

       Congresswoman Martha Irene Luna Calvo: I felt honored that I was invited to participate in this event by a humanitarian group like the Family who've dedicated themselves to helping others worldwide and showing such love and joy. Being on the serving line was the most wonderful experience of my life! I was able to give, to participate. I saw smiles as well as tears--tears of happiness at knowing there was someone who cared, someone who was there for them on Christmas day--and there were some who hadn't had any kind of Christmas until now. My hands trembled with emotion at seeing the faces of expectation of those waiting for their plate. I never got tired, it was all very fulfilling because giving is a blessing of God, and this day we all had God's blessings because we were able to offer something to our fellowman.

       Ella (from Denmark): It impressed me how the people were so receptive to whatever we had to give them, even at the very end when all we had left was bread… they were still very thankful for it. Even though they were all so poor, they were still so happy and sweet and all had smiles.

       Gloria Maria Cruz (co-organizer of the Zocalo event): This year there were more people than t he previous years, and it seems like people are now expecting us to be there at Christmas and donate free meals. There was an international radio reporter who was very moved by the event and said he didn't realize how far-reaching this humanitarian event was; he was shocked to see how many people don't have anything special at Christmas.

       Jason Spain (CRO): I think this is one of the most exciting CTPs in the world! It's a testimony to the whole country of Mexico of what the Family is all abo ut. It's going to be a fortress and a kind of a protection in time of persecution because people will know what we do and what we've been doing. It's good pro-active work, the best we could possibly do. … I'm so thankful to have been a part of this.

       Cindy Thompson (DC Band Manager): It was like one big happy family! I was especially impressed with the young people that came from all over Mexico; Chihuahua, Queretaro, Tepozeltlan, Celaya and Morelia. I saw about 150 Family members there that dropped everything to come and give a hand. People were fed spiritually, as well as physically.

       Dust (CRO and DC band manager): This took a lot of organization and work, but what it really means is that a lot of love went into this project. That's what the people felt; the whole effort conveyed God's love to people. I spoke with one young Mexican man who thanked me with tears in his eyes for everything--for the love.

       Carlos (organizer of the Zocalo event): I've been involved with the Zoc alo project since its first year in `94, and it's amazing how things come together and how the enormous amounts of donated food and supplies always come in on time. God takes over because things roll on as if by an invisible force of workers, and the grand finale is always more victorious than our expectations!
The main attraction is the Christmas meal and our musical show. On Christmas day they stand in the Zocalo plaza that seems to transform into a magical world where all are brothers and wh ere there is no strife, hunger or hate--and where all, poor and rich wonder what it is that's different here. The answer is simple: It's the miracle of Christmas love!

happenings

[Moving ahead]
       Phoenix, CRO: Both young and old in Japan are moving ahead, following the new moves of the Spirit in the New Wine. Young folks are much more dedicated compared with a couple of years ago. TTL!

[Fantastic fundraising]
       Paulo (23) and Angela (41), Croatia: Has your Home ever been broke and had t o send out an emergency fundraising team? For us this happens usually every month or so, and we try to send a well-rounded team who can do FU, singing, etc.
       During the past two months we've had two young guys, both Italians (Francesco, 16, and Giuliano, 18) staying with us who want to join the Family. The Lord showed us to take them on this fundraising trip. He said that they needed to see Him in action.
       So we left by faith, and had to scrape together the gas money to reach Verona, in Northe rn Italy. The first miracle happened as we approached the border and received a phone call on our mobile phone letting us know that a certain priest had a donation for us. Ten months ago we held a meeting with his youth group, just sharing testimonies, and never even asked them for help. But we wrote them a few times. (By the way, we were supposed to raise over 1,000 DM ($650) to cover various bills, but the donation they gave alone was double that, TYJ!)
       During this whole trip we had to put W ord, prayer time and the needs of our new disciples first, which often meant starting our appointments a bit later, etc., but the Lord always blessed it, and gave us so much more than we could hold! Francesco and Giuliano were so impressed whenever our van got loaded up with provisioning, or people would help with donations, without us even asking. The Lord is good!

[Our miracle truck]
       Kristia, Garden Home, Thailand: Our nine-year-old Mazda pickup was due for an overhaul. It was having all kinds of problems and with a faulty air-con, it was unbearable to drive in this tropical heat. It was time for a change. We had some money set aside but we knew it would take quite a bit of time and effort to look for another truck, as well as raise the rest of the funds.
       At one point the Lord indicated that He had a special truck for us and we had to wait for that opportunity when He would clearly reveal His will with the vehicle He had for us. Meanwhile, He led us to tell our friends of our need too. Some weeks passed and it seemed like we had to make the effort again to go out and do some serious car hunting. No sooner had we decided to do this, when the Lord brought around His surprise.
       We were woken up early on family day by a friend who brought along his two-year-old Toyota pickup. He was willing to sell it to us at a very reasonable price. On checking it further, we discovered that it had a top-of-the-line air-con and audio system, along with a first-class insurance policy. There was also power steering and the car was well maintained. This was the miracle we were waiting for! With this deal, we were assured that this wasn't any rip-off as this was a good, trustworthy friend who just wanted to help us. Thank the Lord! He does know what we need and gives the very best to those who leave the choices up to Him.

[A turtle leads the way]
       Joy, John, Peter, and Praise, India: Our whole Home was out on family day looking for a new area to have our get-out games in. Fr om a distance we saw a small mound sticking up in one field. When we came closer, we were surprised to discover a turtle crawling along searching for a pond to play in. We took it home.
       The next day, we decided to take the turtle to a friend's place outside the city limits, who had a large pond on his farm. While hitchhiking we were picked up by a friendly Mr. Patel who drove us the whole way, and the turtle at last had a beautiful home to live in.
       Later we followed-up on Mr. Patel, and he t ook a video. After seeing Mr. Patel, we decided to stay in the same area since it was new for us and we went to a shop nearby run by a Sikh gentleman who also took a video. This man put us on to another Sikh gentleman who promised to cover all our bus fares for our many road trips, etc. Then Mr. Singh asked us to come to his Sikh temple on Sunday. From there he introduced us to another important man who is very interested in helping us with our CTP projects, and the references go on….
       Our very fruitful follow-up started all because of one turtle!

[SWIFT to EXPO 98]
       John, Rose and Tim, Spain: This past summer our team of two adults, two JETTs, two OCs and one MC headed to EXPO 98 in Lisbon for a SWIFT.
       One special "victory out of seeming defeat" happened when we stopped in a town to witness and separated into two teams. Tim and his team arrived back before John and his team, only to find that the van was gone. At first we didn't worry, thinking that John had returned earlier an d moved it. Then a man came and told us that it had been removed by the police for obstructing a garage exit! In Spain such places are clearly indicated, but here there was only the very faint remain of a yellow line as an indication.
       So we trudged to the police station. As we arrived, three plain-clothed policemen and a policewoman raced out of the station carrying machine guns, and screeched off! When we walked inside and explained to the police that we were missionaries and had very little money, a man called in the Chief of Police to see if he would be willing to drop the matter. This man turned out to be very special. When we showed him our CTP work in Bosnia he was flipped out, as he had been a commander in the UN peacekeeping forces. He said that while there someone gave him a Gideon's Bible and every day he read Psalm 91 and other Psalms of protection. He received Jesus with us and said, "Who would have thought that at the end of a day like this I would meet special people li ke you?" He then told us that he was really worried about his men whom he'd had to send out after some extremely dangerous criminals. We prayed with him for their safety and it seemed like a great weight was lifted from him.
       Because of the multitudes arriving to visit EXPO, our attempts to provision campsites weren't successful. However just before crossing the new Vasco de Gama bridge into Lisbon, we passed a new temporary campsite, set up just for the five months of EXPO. The owner turned ou t to be from Barcelona, an area famous for its hard-heartedness. It turned out that he gave us free camping for as long as we wanted, but told us he was an atheist and didn't want to hear anything more from us. Later on we were talking to a member of his staff and when we explained we were there at the boss's invitation, she said, "What? I can't believe it!"--Another of the Lord's miracles.
       EXPO was a lot of fun and very interesting and exciting. Our whole trip was a time of valuable lesson le arning, and our JETTs and OCs learned to witness more deeply, and to use their knowledge of the Word to "give an answer to those that asked of them." This year Portugal, next year … the world!

["Good Samaritan Act"]
       Victor and Love, USA: Tropicana, a beverage company contact that has made us a no-cost, no-limit customer, was purchased from Seagrams by Pepsi this month. During the turnover, the Tropicana manager called us to ask us to fax him a copy of the "Good Samaritan Act" we had told hi m about, which we had discovered posted on the internet. It basically releases a donor food company or restaurant from being held liable if someone gets sick eating food they donated, as long as the donor company's refrigeration, handling procedures, etc., is up to snuff and the food was donated in good faith that it was edible. We faxed it to him, and he called us again later to tell us excitedly that we had changed the mode of operation of a multi-billion dollar corporation. He said that at th e beginning of the meetings they had just had, Pepsi was ready to cut back on their donations, but after he shared the things we'd sent him they changed their minds and decided to increase their giving instead! Their conclusion was that the major food banks, like Second Harvest, could pick up every Wednesday, and the smaller groups like us and the many homeless shelters in the city who we have introduced to Tropicana over the past couple of years, could come every week on Friday.
       [Editor's not e: The following and other related documents about the Emerson Good Samaritan Act can be found at the USDA web-site located at: WWW.USDA.GOV. Once you've accessed their web-site, click on SEARCH and type in EMERSON GOOD SAMARITAN ACT and lots of other related info will be accessible.]

personals

       Happy Birthday to Lizzy (of Jerry and Julie), from Lisa and Jeanine (of Will and Cherish). Where are you? Please write us through PACRO.
       Mariangela (15) would like to get in contact with Cathy (o f Richard and Pat), Talitha (of Ben and Rebecca) and Ruth YA (formerlySonrisa). We were together in Quito, Ecuador. Add: Mariangela A. V. Poggio Scavolo 10, 61019 S. Agata Feltria (PS), Italy.
       Marianna, my add is: Olivia (of Martin and Charity). Post Restante 54012 Thessaloniki, Greece.
       Esdras and Mary, we are Marcos and Celeste in Chile. We want to hear from you. E-mail: rainbow@netline.cl.
       Angy L., please continue to write to the Eros Apt. address in Delhi. Love, Rixanne.
       Hungarian Ma riangela, English Lily (FGA) of John is looking for you. Please e-mail through China Desk, (PACRO).
       Elaina (a.k.a. Elaine N.P. of Praise and Solomon, USA), please contact Olivia at P.O. Box 520, Samsen Nai P.O., Bangkok 10400, Thailand, or via the ASCRO Office. VERY IMPORTANT!
       Jason, please contact your parents.

QNAs

       Q: We have a live-out member who wants to do more for the Lord. She quit her job and is living on a small pension she gets from the government (she is a widow with three children). We were wondering if it would be okay for her to distribute videos and tapes DTD to get some extra income? She would get the tools from us and pay the seed corn and turn in her tithe to our Home and keep the rest for her living. Is it all right for her to do that or are there any guidelines about who can distribute our tools and/or where the money goes?
--Byron and Mercy, Lithuania

       A: Since this woman falls under the category of either a FMer or a live-out disciple [since she wit nesses, tithes and fellowships with the Home], she is eligible to distribute the tools. It's fine for her to get them from your Home with such an agreed-upon arrangement, as long as she's being a good sample in her distribution. "And great was the company of them that published it!" Praise the Lord!

entertainment

Movies Rated for Senior Teens and Up

PROPOSITION, THE (1998)
Kenneth Branagh, Madeleine Stowe, William Hurt
       Drama set in the 1930s about a couple who are unable to have a ch ild and decide to hire a young man to impregnate the woman. A couple of scenes may be disturbing to pregnant mothers.

Movies Rated for JETTs and Up

YOU'VE GOT MAIL (1998)
Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear
       Romantic comedy about an independent bookstore owner fighting to hold her own against a newly opened bookstore chain, while maintaining a relationship via e-mail with a soul mate she has never met.

Movies Rated for MCs and Up

BUG'S LIFE, A (1998)
Animated; voices of David Foley, Kevin Spacey
       Fun Disney animation saga of a non-conformist worker ant who sets out to liberate his colony from the evil grip of tribute-demanding grasshoppers.

PRINCE OF EGYPT (1998)
Animated; voices of Val Kilmer, Sandra Bullock, Ralph Fiennes
       Musical re-telling of the story of Moses. Inspiring and for the most part follows the biblical account. Portions may be shown to younger children.

reviews

The Proposition
       (Jesus speaking:) Oh how the world longs to know true love, real lo ve and genuine freedom! How they seek for it and search for it, and yet find it not. Only in Me can one find the true freedom to give, love and do unto others as you would have them do unto you. What a tangled web people weave when they try to practice love and liberty without Me. Selfish people will do anything to get what they want or to preserve what they have. It's so sad, so pitiful.
       This movie portrays the heartbreak and the heartache that can come as a result of selfishness and wrong ac tions. It may give room for some to mull on past hurts or unwise situations, which, though not as extreme as this one, caused them great heartache.
       It has some bad examples of selfishness, of people taking matters into their own hands and acting in bitterness or revenge. It also has some beautiful examples of tolerance and kindness and compassion. There is sadness, but there is also beauty. (End of message from Jesus.)

You've Got Mail
       (Dad speaking:) This is a sweet-spirited movie, which has broached all the subjects involved in it with a lot of love and compassion. It's a good sample of honesty and open communication, and most of all just a sweet, relaxing movie that will set your heart beating and can lift your mind up to be thinking about the Lord and His love for us too. He loved us so much, folks! How much more should we have that kind of love for others? Human love is a wonderful thing, but the Lord's love for us is so much more, and that's a love that we never need to be without, because He's always there for us. (End of message from Dad.)

A Bug's Life
       (Dad speaking:) This cute movie has a good spirit to it. Of course, like with every System video, the Enemy tried to throw in some of his ungodly attitudes and system slop, but overall I'd have to say that the Lord punched through in this one and there are really some good parallels in this video as well. Personally, I liked this film. The lesson on "as a team we do it better" and several others in it are mil estone lessons for children, including God's Endtime children. Those lessons were well portrayed and I believe this movie is just fine for the MCs. (End of message from Dad.)

Prince of Egypt
       (Dad speaking:) This movie really gets out the message! Oh, there's a few things in it that are a little off kilter, but on the whole it's a wonderful adaptation of true history! This is the kind of history that's really meaningful and powerful. How many times did I say that, that if people would just s tick to the straight Word of God, they could find some amazing scripts for their movies? Well, I guess some people are finally wising up to it.
       There's a beautiful message in here about seeing things through the Lord's eyes, about not despising a small place, about believing in the Lord and His miracle-working power. Enjoy it, there's a whole lot of wonderful truth that's beautifully portrayed! (End of message from Dad.)

letters to the editor

Re: Getting moving
       In Grapevine #53, the ar ticle by James entitled "Persecution Pushing Us Out" reflected our sentiments. After several negative TV programs came out, we found it had really affected people's attitudes in our area, causing them to be more suspicious and untrusting of anything religious. Several people asked who we were and it was an extra fight in the spirit. Because of a former member complaining to the Wal-Mart head office, we lost our best contact. The management liked us and just ignored her, but when she dialed their head office, they had to listen. We feel the Lord is allowing this media persecution to get us moving. The GN on steps of survival was a real help (GN 816:111-126).
--Solomon, Gem and Joan, USA

Re: Flat tire of bad manners
       I prefer the kind of person who says "please" and "thank you" or who knocks on a door before entering. I've noticed that a lot of kids in Homes I've been in are often unknowingly rude. For example, they don't knock on doors. At first I was a little upset at these "rude" kids, until I realized their parents didn't knock either. How embarrassing it would be if we had visitors and the children didn't say "Hi." Perhaps they receive a gift from a relative and don't even say "thank you"--all because they've never been taught! Before we start teaching the kids, we have to do it ourselves.
       I noticed that in my family we never said "good morning." I've just gotten into the habit now. As Bunny Bigword would say, "Consideration! That's a big word!" It's simply loving t o be considerate. It's not that hard to do, and it's all in the Letters everyone's read. Manners are a great part of love, and people can get hurt or offended if we don't think about our actions. I know my parents have often received people into their Home for months, and these people often didn't even want to help on dishes!
       My husband often has to remind me of little things such as not to interrupt when he's talking, or to wait before barging into someone's conversation. Very embarrassing to say the least, but it helps. I guess I'm one of those people who needs to "pump their tires" once in a while!
--Hanna, Spain

gents and ladies

counsel to the married or would-be's
       In the last few years I have seen many of our precious YAs getting "hitched" and have seen a vast difference in the fruit of some of these relationships. One of the differences is in couples who mate and then one tries to back up the other who maybe has a more fruitful or "showy" ministry--be it a singing team or a ministry that may differ from the other mate, but yet they are willing to sacrifice and let the other one "shine." It reminds me of the lesson in the movie "Eight Seconds," where the rodeo rider marries a girl who has certain talents as well, but she forsakes and puts her desires as secondary, until some devilish guy tries to lie to her that she is losing her calling or identity by loving this boy so much that she just lives for him. But it is so very beautiful as that is what real love, i n my opinion, is all about.
       My admiration goes to some of these YAs who have to sacrifice in a less showy or pleasant ministry or being behind the scenes so that their mates can continue on in a fruitful ministry, maybe even in a place or country that they don't even like. Yet they shtick and try to do what they feel is best for the work and their mates.
       On the other hand, I have seen a few relationships so very unstable and flitting around from here to there, because the true search for hap piness and fulfillment is not in finding the Lord's Will and His best place for each other, but rather a selfish search for personal happiness. I feel that these second sort of relationships are doomed to failure and unhappiness. So just a wee word of wisdom on finding a mate: Look for the special one who is really concerned about the Lord's work despite personal sacrifice. --And be that way yourself! That is truly a jewel of great price!
--Charity (of James), Thailand

brief ad

Sponsor a puppet set?
       While preparing our Christmas program, the Lord inspired us with the idea of making puppet shows for other Homes in this country. It's sometimes hard to find supplies to put a show together, but in our town we've met people who have some of the things needed for a puppet show, such as PVC pipes, cloth and foam for the puppet heads, etc. After getting a confirmation from the Lord, we sent a message to the Homes in Russia, asking if anyone would be interested in having a puppet set, and sure enough, quite a few Homes answered our ad, telling us how much they could use one. We have some gifted artists in our Home who can make the puppets and needed materials, and we're willing to spend the time necessary to make as many puppet theater sets as we can.
       Here's our question: How would you like to sponsor a puppet theater for a Home in Russia? The price tag comes to $150 (here in Russia, this is a good deal, also includes shipping). The show includes 9 puppet heads and costumes , 3 back drops, a 2 meter high and one and ½ meter wide full stage and a tape with 3 stories. The set is collapsible and light, easy to transport. By donating the needed funds you'll be giving a Home a ready-to-use tool which will help to expand and further their ministry for months and years to come. We plan to send out the puppet sets by the end of January so that Homes can use them for the spring/summer season. What do you think? The Home who benefits from your donation will write and tell yo u how far your help has gone. You'll know that your money has gone towards something worthwhile. Communicate with us through the Russian ABM.
--[Puppet Set] Home, Russia

focus: law of love

       The "LLLL" series is terrific--so pointed, specific and so needed. I can really see Dad's influence in that, and it made me so happy to get back to the basics of the One Wife vision, especially for the young people's sake, and even for the FGAs who had kind of laid aside what was a bit uncomfortable fo r them. It's beautiful and so complete.
       I had the fun opportunity to read some of the series in Taiwan with some of the young people there--and their reactions were probably typical--some trials and battles, but being able to discuss the points between the generations was a blessing, and they were able to express their feelings openly, which I feel is a big step towards gaining victories.
       Keep socking it to us! All that has come out in the past couple of years has drawn me so much closer to the Lord, renewed my vision, given me faith and courage and such a happy heart. You've helped me forsake the past, forget what a mess I am, and find a new life full of promise and hope.
--female, Asia

       I'll admit that this series is very heavy! I'm glad that it came out when it did. Sure I knew all about the Law of Love (in theory) and it all sounded great and good to me. "Yeah, great! The Law of Love!" I guess what surprised me the most was to see how far-reaching it really is! I'll admit I had quite a twisted up view of the Law of Love, mostly from not understanding it properly and also some bad attitudes I picked up along the way. But now I'm starting to more clearly see where my attitudes have to change, or to understand things that I only had a very muddled, cloudy view on before, like the explanation of "Go for the Gold." Partially due to my not studying it properly, I was pretty mixed up. That's one of the things that I really love about this series--Mama and the Lord make i t so clear there is no way I could misunderstand it now!
--W. (20), Brazil

       It's funny, you know. I was thinking today of little children, and a scenario which is very common: I have watched children play--all children, not just my own. One thing that is common across the board is that children are not so interested in their toys until another child comes along and begins to play with them. Then the toddler usually wants his toy, that up until then he hasn't taken much of an interest in. I'v e been in that situation myself with my husband where I had become familiar with him, but it wasn't until another girl wanted to "play" with him that I wanted my toy back.
--FGA woman, Australia

       The new Law of Love series has been real inspiring. Some of the technical stuff in parts 5, 6 and 7 was sort of hard to sit through in united devotions. Yikes! But we all really admire all those who worked on them, as I'm sure they were a monumental job. There's so much in there to digest, and to pu t it all into practice is probably going to take quite a bit more studying.
       I feel really behind in living the LOL. I made a major step though. I had my first "sharing" date. I bet that doesn't sound like any big woo! But coming from someone who was adamantly against the idea of it, it was quite a leap! It was with a new guy here in our Home. I had a feeling for a while he was going to ask me for a date. I had thought about it and sort of "prayed" about it, and decided that since I didn't feel comfortable about doing it, that if he asked I would say no. I even talked to my shepherd about it and he agreed that if I was freaked about it that it would be better that I didn't. (Which is true!) Except that when he finally did ask me, I told him that I would think about it. So I decided to ask the Lord about it. He gave me this big prophecy consisting of two words.--"Why not?" Ha-ha! So I mulled it over in my head and said that I would, before I could change my mind.
       To make a long story short, all went well and I didn't die or anything. It was difficult for me though, I won't deny that. He's a real sweet guy, though, GBH! I prayed real hard right before that I could be a blessing to him and make him happy, etc., etc., and the Lord really came through in the end. PG!
--senior teen, USA

       I am one of those people who had sharing on the back burner and preferred to leave it there. A couple of months before these GNs arrived I experienced a big change in my life. There is a mar ried brother in our Home who was going through serious battles and marriage problems. I had been very selfish in not reaching out to others in need, even in my own Home. Sometimes we can honestly be like strangers living in the same home just going through our daily routines.
       Anyway, I left this brother a note on the stove that I hoped he would see before he went to work the next morning. In it I asked him if he'd like to go for a walk or ride and talk the next evening. It was great as we talk ed and cleared up a lot of things that had happened in the Home. We got close which eventually led to sharing in the next week or two. I had really closed the door to sharing previously but when I said "yes" to the Lord and reached out to others the Lord made it easy.
       Also when I read several of the new GNs, my first reaction was "Big deal! Piece of cake!" or "I can handle this!" But I see that things are starting to come up that are a trial for me and I need to really pray and hear from the L ord and really go back and study these GNs. I am in awe at how detailed these GNs are, and the amazing insight that they contain.
--FGA woman

       Reading the Law of Love series brought a memory back to mind: The most powerful Law of Love sermon was preached to me when I was thirteen years old. I was in a small teen Home in Australia. Living in the Home were a few couples, about twenty children, and ten teens or so. I'll call the first couple in my account John and Mary (since they're about the most typical names you can think of in the Family), and the second couple David and Ruth (all aliases, of course). These two couples were pretty attractive, with a medium-sized brood of children each at that time.
       John of Mary was an area shepherd, and he was soon to make a trip to Japan. Now, don't ask me how I knew, but Mary (of John) and David (of Ruth) seemed to have a natural attraction to one another. It was all perfectly innocent, and they were both good parents and devoted spouses, but the attraction was obvious nonetheless. (I might add here, for the reader's interest, that Ruth of David was not the jealous/possessive sort by any stretch of the imagination.) I remember wondering how John was reacting to this mild development between his wife and David, but I was left to wonder no more as I found myself the unwitting audience to a chance meeting that occurred when John bumped into David on the stairs, the very day that John was flying to Japan. I was unnoticed (obviously) at the time, and overheard this quick but astounding exchange:
       John: (Warm smile and hug) "God bless you, David!--Hey, take care of Mary while I'm gone, will you?"
       David: (Surprised expression turning to meek and grateful smile) Oh!...Thanks, John!
       And if that wasn't enough, Mary ended up having David's baby, nine or so months later, something which John took extremely graciously, even sweetly deciding along with Mary to name their little baby...yes!...David!
       Now that's amazing!
       John was a pretty good shepherd in my books--he listened, he asked questions, he was open-minded toward us teens in an era where open-minded adults were a slightly rare breed. But his most impressive "sermon" was one he never even knew he had given to a thirteen year old girl.
--anonymous SGA, to protect the above mentioned saints

       One eye-opener for me was the part explaining that the Lord will not protect you from getting someone pregnant; it's not something that He is in the business of doing. Jus t the same as He will not protect you from getting older, even if you pray desperately for it; it's a law of nature.
       I had always thought in the back of my head: "Now if I pray very hard, the Lord will hear my prayer and do some kind of hocus-pocus and my sperms will get side-tracked somewhere on the way and she won't get pregnant! I'm in the Family anyhow and the Lord can certainly make an exception for me!" Ha! Now it's very clear for me that when going all the way I should be ready to expec t a baby. If it doesn't come, PG, I've got some more chances, but it's more like a sure thing that it will than it won't, at least that's how I should think!
       Also I understood better the idea of which blessings a person will lose if he's not going for the gold. I always had the mindset that if I don't go all the way I'm going to miss something, but this something was pretty vague and God only knew what it was. "Maybe tomorrow I'm gonna break my leg if today I used a condom, or I'll get less mo ney when out fund-raising…. But then what about the other guy that is always going for the gold, maybe `cause he's plain self-righteous about it, but is pretty out of it in some other major areas?" But now the Lord and Mama made it very clear that the blessing that you lose is a baby, which is something pretty valuable, `cause though now I'm young, all my life until the day I'll kick the bucket, this kid will always be with me, being my joy, a touch of the Lord's love and my satisfaction for a l ife lived with meaning!
--Daniel Jeremiah (24), Moldova

       I guess I'm one of those adults mentioned that even though I believed fully in the Law of Love, I've become rusty because of the little practice of it that I've had during the last few years. Reading over the prophecies and your comments brought to me very good memories of my first experiences living the Law of Love. I was newly joined, just turned 18, and I was a virgin. My shepherd (and his sweet wife) took the time to love me and he lp me enter into the physical-sharing world.
       During the Law of Love series it's mentioned a few times how some of our young people had the idea that the original vision for the Law of Love was to give and share with the needy, etc, which is true. But the predominant vision that we all had, at least in the area where I was living, was to live it for the sake of unity and harmony. Sometimes I'd ask a brother to share with me because of our arguing or bickering. It was so beautiful `cause we beca me super good friends. Or we'd even sleep together, without physical attraction or a love relationship. We saw it as a natural and beautiful manner of solving problems. There were for sure some other dates when I really liked the boy I was sharing with, however it didn't take away the burden of sharing with the less attractive ones.
       Then I met my husband! I was 18 and he was 23. I'm sharing this because I personally agree with what the Lord says in part 8 on "Time is short! Will you grow stron ger or weaker?" I consider that most YAs and SGAs are stronger in the Word than us FGAs were when we first met the Family. I personally didn't know so much, but just went along by faith.
       When I got mated, sharing was in full swing in our Homes, not only sharing with Family members but also with our fish. So our beginning was quite something. On top of that we were one of those couples that got together for the Lord's work and we weren't so in love at the beginning. (Now, 21 years later I'm sti ll crazy about him!)
       Sometimes I would come back home from a date with a fish and would find my bedroom door locked, as my mate was spending some love-up time with a lonely sister. Well, even though as a Family we've learned quite a bit about having all parties involved in agreement before engaging in any sexual activity, I have to admit that those early battles and experiences as a couple helped to build very strong pillars in our marriage. We learned a lot about communication, appreciation, honesty, etc., but most of all we saw the beauty of sharing. Every time that either my husband or I would return from a date, we would feel such love and appreciation for the other's giving. Our love for each other grew deeper and stronger through our sharing with others.
       While going over our beginnings as a couple, my mate and I noticed that because we were sharing from the very beginning of our marriage we've hardly had any jealousy battles. We saw sharing as a very normal and natural practi ce in our lives. We've gone through a lot of ups and downs, but I consider my marriage a very steady one. We enjoy a lot of beautiful things together, Jesus most of all. Two of our six kids are fruits of the Law of Love and my husband and I are very thankful and happy for those precious lives. All that to say, long live the Law of Love! It gave strength to my marriage, helped to make me a real soldier for Jesus, and surely helps to unite our Homes. I'm looking forward to living it fully in my li fe again!
--FGA female, Colombia

       Putting this series into practice takes sacrifice, grace and commitment on all sides. I was feeling quite happy and contented when reading it to see the many safeguards put on my husband to "keep him away from the other girls" and "loyal to me," as I interpreted it.
       But things don't always work out as you want them to (such is life), and when there was a slip and mistake on his part (not pregnancy-related, but hurtful nonetheless) with another girl, all fi ngers instantly were pointed at him for "breaking the Law of Love."
       True, a mistake was made, but after he'd been very sorry for some time, our marriage couldn't be mended until I chose to close the breach as well. Suddenly those same Letters hit me between the eyes, and I found parts very difficult to put into practice--forgiveness, trusting the Lord for your mate, etc. Yet it's a two-way street, I'm seeing, and all parties involved have to be willing to apply the Letters to themselves, and n ot just pick and choose what appeals to them or seems to benefit them most.
--SGA female

       I am a FGA single mom with a reaction to the Law of Love GN #9. It's about sharing with SGAs. To me, sharing with young people was always for someone else, as for me they had to be 35 years or older, as I always felt I could be their mom (my eldest sons are 22 and 20). Well, the Lord had different plans for me. Ha!
       Last January two sweet, hard-working SGA men came to our Home. They were so humble and we became fast friends, as I really needed some fellowship and someone to go out with, etc. In time I got very close to these dear boys. They reminded me so much of my two flesh sons (who are both out of the Family at this time) so I felt so much love for them and could see they were very dedicated.
       As there were not many YA or SGA girls around, I felt sorry for them as I could see they really needed someone to love them. One night I was really praying for them for the Lord to give them someon e. I remember crying for them and really pleading to the Lord to give them someone to love them. The Lord sure answered my prayers, and guess who He sent?--Me! Yes, little old me. He started to put a desire in my heart to help them and after much praying and arguing I yielded (it was a battle at first thinking how here I am old and not in shape, etc.) But it went so well with each of them, and believe me it was lots of fun as I forgot about all my worries and just had fun. The Lord sure blessed me as I am going to have a baby from all this and I am very happy about it. So I want to say to anyone that might have a problem along these lines, don't worry, as the Lord is in control. If it's done in love, and you know you are in God's perfect will, everything will be all right.
--FGA female

Mama jewel on tip-offs from the Lord
--to a young staff member
       (After a team went out for an excursion, but ended up having to come home because the tickets were sold out:)
       I wonder, if you woul d have prayed and heard from the Lord before going out for the afternoon, what He would have told you? He might not have come right out and told you that there weren't going to be any tickets, but He would probably have given you some kind of warning or indication, or somehow led you to either not go, or to go earlier, or something. Why don't you ask Him about it, and find out what He would have told you to keep that from happening?
       You might remember, a couple months ago Peter was going to go out with a couple of you guys one Sunday, and he prayed and the Lord told him that it would be better if he didn't go that particular day, as there was some work he should finish up. Then it turned out that you weren't able to do what you had planned. Because Peter prayed about whether or not to go, he didn't have to waste that time going there and then having it not work out. The Lord always prepares or warns you or works things out for you in some way when you pray and ask Him about every lit tle thing.

help wanted

       Want to be part of the first rehabilitation center [CTP] run by the Family? We desperately need your help!
Send donations to BR66, Brazil.

       Eman, Peace and Constanza in Madagascar need your help. The Home was robbed recently. We lost equipment, most passports and our address book for mail support. Please contact us via EURCRO if you'd like to receive our newsletter.

New Wine - on time!

Childcare boost
       Our Home has four kids all under 2 ½ years. After rea ding the latest childcare GNs we realized we really need to give our children the best of all the Family has to offer. So we came before the Lord and asked Him to help us reach our financial goal and supply our buffer by the 15th of the month. We told the Lord that we would commit two days fully to improving our childcare department if He helped us to meet our goal. Sure enough He answered, and we reached our goal one week before TRF time. We immediately scheduled two days for all of us to work on our childcare set up, following the guidance in the "Teaching and Activity Guide" for one age group and also setting aside funds to get the nursery organized.
       We got the nursery ready with flash cards, fact cards, things for coordination skills and activities, etc. We are also concentrating more on their spiritual growth, their memory work, Bible stories, KTK stories, etc., on a day to day basis. We also had a whole week of devotions on childcare for Word time. It was very feeding and faith building for all of us. Then we took time to hear from the Lord in prophecy to see if He had any counsel or guidance specifically for our situation. Of course He spoke beautifully, encouraging us in our endeavors. PTL!
--Crystal Praymore, India

The provisioned computer
       Simon and Sunny, Madras Deaf Home, India: Neither of us had ever provisioned anything major before, and when we looked at the list of "minimum required computer set-up" it looked like a mountain, to say the least. The story starts when we were out one evening in a busy shopping area not far from our Home. In front of us was a huge billboard advertising a new computer printer. The ad jumped out at us, so we wrote down the phone number. Later we called this number and the man we spoke with said, "Call me tomorrow at 4 p.m., and I'll do the needful!" (Which, in Indian English means, "I'll help you.") The next day we called and he asked us to come over and collect it, which we did, of course! Suddenly we were the owne rs of a beautiful, fancy, new computer printer, and needless to say, greatly encouraged! We thought, If the Lord can supply such a nice printer, He must surely want us to have a nice computer to go with it.
       Shortly afterwards, Simon was sitting in the large library of the school where we teach our deaf classes, waiting for our students to arrive. He casually picked up a computer magazine and began leafing through it. He looked up the names of various companies that were doing very well, and wr ote down the ones which were in our city. This list also gave the owners' names, which made it easy to reach them over the phone.
       When we called the company which makes computer systems, the secretary said that the director had gone to another city for a meeting, but then gave me his number there. The Lord showed us to go ahead and call this man, even though it was an expensive long-distance call in the middle of the day. We managed to speak to the owner on the phone, who sweetly agreed to giv e us a Pentium system for our work. He told us that he would contact the manager in our city, who would deliver it to us. When we called the manager it was a Saturday, and he was apologizing profusely that he wouldn't be able to deliver it until Monday! The Lord is so good, we felt we got better treatment than if we had bought the system! When we collected the system, we found it only had 8 MB RAM, but the owner agreed to upgrade it to a 32 MB, which he has since done. We were later able to meet this dear man; he is very sweet and humble-spirited.
       We also needed a CD ROM/Multi-Media Kit, and had spoken with one man over the phone who said, "Send me a letter and I'll see what I can do!" One day we were sitting in the office of the manager mentioned above, when a jolly and helpful man asked us, "Who's going to help you with the CD ROM?"
       "Oh, Mr. So-and-so," we said, quoting the person's name we'd found in the phone book. This manager then picked up the phone and called the other man, who apparently used to work for this computer company before launching out on his own. Our friend then proceeded to "sell us" to the other man over the phone, telling him that he must help us, etc. He got us an appointment the next day to meet this man.
       Both of us know next-to-nothing about computers, so, when we went to meet this man, we literally didn't know what we were supposed to ask for, `cause "we'd never seen one before!" Ha! We climbed the stairs to his floor, and there, at the top o f the stairs was a large, bright, yellow box labeled, "Multi Media Kit." We almost fell over the box, and at the same time got a very strong check that "this was what we were supposed to ask for!" Talk about dumb! This man was also very sweet and, as it turned out, is suffering from multiple sclerosis and can barely stand or use his hands. We were touched by our meeting with him, and by his brave, cheerful spirit. He gave us the multi-media kit a couple of days later, and we're following up on h im.
       The next thing we needed was a computer table, so that we'd have somewhere to put all of this. Simon was leafing through the yellow pages one evening when he noticed a particular ad for computer furniture. We explained our work to the owner and our need for a table, and he said, "Yes, I'll donate a computer table for you, but I'm the President of the Lions' Club, and we're meeting this evening for our monthly dinner meeting. You must agree to come over and speak to our members, and we'll p resent the table to you through the Club!"
       We agreed over the phone, but were still a little hesitant, as we hadn't had amazingly rewarding experiences with the Lions' Club before. When we prayed, though, the Lord said," Well, didn't I use Balaam's Ass?" So, we dressed up and went for the meeting. They greeted us like VIPs and seated us at the Speaker's Table. We spoke for a few minutes about our work, and the President was very happy to be able to produce a Guest Speaker for his function. The y presented us with a very nice table, and shared a lovely dinner with us, which was a blessing as we had no dinner prepared that night.
       Then we approached another company to help us with a computer monitor. The owner at first said that he would give us an old monitor that was lying in his factory, but then an important Rotary Club meeting came up, of which he is a member, and he decided to present it to us at this meeting. Since it was an important meeting, he had to put his best foot forward , and so gave us a very beautiful, imported, new color monitor, which is much nicer than the normal ones he makes. TYJ!
       A similar thing happened during the Deaf Week. A sweet lady friend of ours, who employs several of our deaf boys, is connected with the Inner Wheel Club (the Ladies' equivalent of the Rotary Club). She had been encouraging these ladies to get us a large TV for teaching our Deaf Classes, as we use video quite a bit. At first they were only wanting to give us a second-hand, pos sibly black and white TV, but when we invited them to present it during the main program of our Deaf Week Celebrations, it was miraculously transformed into a very large, brand-new color TV! What wonders a little publicity can do!
       We called another person over the phone to ask him to help us with a modem. He answered in a very gruff voice, "Send me a letter!" (We've learned that when people say this, it often means they're interested, so right away we send them what we call an "info pack" by c ourier which reaches them the next day. This contains the Indian PR Brochure, our Deaf PR Brochure, and a request letter.) A few days letter we called this man again, and all he said was, "Send a representative!" So we went to meet him. He turned out to be a very sweet and humble Christian man who wants to help us in an ongoing way. He gave us the very latest modem, and promised to encourage his friends to help us also. This really taught us that we can't judge people by how they sound on the ph one, as they are often very different when we meet them in person. PTL!

moving missionaries

Sri Lanka
       James and Joanie: When it's God's time, it's amazing what He can do through us! We've had a burden for Sri Lanka for some time. Each time we prayed about coming here, the Lord fanned the flame through encouraging prophecies. He'd shown us to go. But how? What little assets we had to sell didn't amount to much for our tickets and landing funds, and our mail support was very little. But th e Lord kept showing us that all He needed was commitment and just a little faith and trust. So we decided, live or die, sink or swim, we would give it a try and trust God for the impossible, so we started preparing as if possessing.
       One day we went to the mail and there was a check for 1,000 pounds from a faithful FM member, GBH. It sent tingles up our spines, as we'd never received a large amount like that before. The Lord was saying "What's your excuse now?" After that wonderful miracle, we were ready to face anything the Enemy might throw at us. We came to the airport with about 100 kg overweight, but the Lord delayed the flight so that the airline officials were so embarrassed that they didn't even bother to weigh our luggage.
       In less than a week we had moved into a three-bedroom place with a sweet landlord, no deposit, just two minutes from the beach. Within the next week, the Lord supplied a fridge, living room set, TV, gas cylinder, air conditioner--all for free!
       Being onl y two adults and four children, we did have a few reservations, but with every step we took for Him, He took more than two for us, just to prove that He is not limited by many or by few! We do need help in our battle for the souls in Sri Lanka. So if you're interested in joining us or supporting us here, please write to: kidzkare@sltnet.lk.

receipts
--for your spirit story contributions

       Mary Newheart (India), Joanne and Joanie (Mideast), Peter Shepherd (Mideast), Elisabeth (11, of Abe an d Mercy, Taiwan).

want ad

WS personnel
       Needed!--A few good men and women who have a burden to work behind the scenes to help the Family and feed the sheep. Could this be you? Since we're tight on space at this time, we're looking for singles or a married couple without children, or perhaps a single parent or married couple with one child to join our team.
       The primary requisite for any who apply is a love for the New Wine, a desire to employ the new weapons of prayer, praise and prophec y, and a willingness to grow and change and work on weak areas in your spiritual life.
       If you meet the above requirements, we'd love to hear from you. Needed are those who are computer literate and know layout or at least have the aptitude and burden to learn how to layout pubs, books, etc. We're also looking for free style and graphic artists, secretarial and childcare help.
       Those with a burden please write in and let us know your qualifications and why you'd like to join WS. We look forwar d to hearing from you. E-mail us at mpg@ibm.net or through your CRO office.

       Love in our wonderful Husband,
       Your WS team

still coming:
       cute kids (peanuts `n' raisins)

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