• Home » Children of God Publications » Grape Vine #60

The Family / Children of God

Internal Publications and Secret Directives

DISCLAIMER: The sole purpose of this page is to document the existence of a publication produced by The Family International a.k.a. The Family, Family of Love, Children of God and various pseudonyms (hereon referred to as TFI). It is provided for the record, for educational and research purposes, with the principal aim of promoting accountability by the TFI for its teachings and statements, which have proven detrimental to the lives of many. By replicating this material, exFamily.org neither endorses the views expressed in this publication nor justifies the existence of this publication and its statements. Reader discretion is advised. The material on this page may be unsuitable for minors and may contain disturbing words of racism, hate mongering, directives to unhealthy lifestyles and/or criminal activity, and/or contain plagiarized works.

the grapevine
(Issue #60; February 15, 1999.)

Features:
       Christmas testimonies
       Update: Earthquake in Colombia

Ads
       King Hussein goes to his reward! Common place implants, and much more--don't miss it! END #16 is out!

kidbits

the latest additions …
       Jonathan Hope, 4th child, born to Mary Magdalene on December 2.--USA
       Jennifer Robin, 4th child, born to India and Gary on December 5.--USA
       Aime Straightway, born to Phoebe and Simon on December 7.--USA
       Monika Betty, born to Fait h and Peter on December 12.--Hungary
       Dustin Alec, born to Naomi Romanian and Paul on December 13.--Romania
       Stanley Clown, born to Lamb and Steven on December 16.--USA
       Jorge Arturo, 7th child, born to Rosita and Samuel on December 16.--Mexico
       Rianna Heidi, born to Claire Little and Tim Heart on December 19.--Switzerland
       Brandon Nikita, born to Patience B. and JonathanHeart on December 19.--Latvia
       Joel, 7th child, born to Lilas and Paul Newheart on December 21.--France
       Angelo Brian, 2nd child, born to Marisol and Isaias on December 23.--Mexico
       Andrew, born to Liz on December 24.--Romania
       John Williams, born to Joan and Michael Dane on December 27.--Switzerland
       Konrad Vincent, 2nd child, born to Polish Faithy and Ben on January 20th.--Thailand
       Leilani, 5th child, born to Meekness and Philip on January 26th.--Africa

ponder
       Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.--Samuel Johnson

tidbits

TAKEN
       Francis Peruvian and Marina (Russian) got married on November 28, in a beautiful ceremony attended by Family, catacombers, contacts, friends, parents and sponsors.--Russia

netsite

new book summary
--on the MO site

Darwin on Trial
       Excerpts from the book by Phillip E. Johnson
       (Washington, DC: Regnery Gateway, 1991)

post-its

Revised Charter
       WS:Dear Family, you should be receiving very shortly, the new revised A5-size Love Charter book and amendment booklet containing all amendments since LNF 257, as well as the new HomeARC t hat, God willing, you will be receiving by Feast `99. All the amendments and changes since the first printing of the Charter are marked with a N symbol. The revised Charter and all amendments will go into effect March 1st, 1999.
       We encourage you to read through the Charter again at your convenience, or certainly all the new changes that have been added since the first printing of the Charter. We pray these changes, which have come about largely through your suggestions, will be a blessing to y ou. We love you!

Single parent gifts
       Mama and Peter: Dear Family, we are happy to announce that the funds from the worldwide Family's Attack Day for you single parents have now been received and are ready for distribution. You will be receiving these from your CRO office at their earliest convenience, hopefully by the end of February or some time in March.
       God bless you, dear Family, for going on the attack to provide these extra funds for our single parents and their children's needs. Th ese Attack Day funds, along with WS's gift to single parents, makes it possible to give $150 to each single parent with one child (under 16 years old), and $70 for each additional child born before February 1st, 1999. Thank you, dear Family, for making this sacrifice. We're sure this gift will be a big blessing to these single parents and their children. Praise the Lord!

SPALIM: Hello! Greetings from the selah world of the SPALIM! We want to share with you some of the exiting new projects tha t we've been working on lately for the Spanish-speaking public:
       We have new tracts for those of you who are interested: "Peace in the Midst of a Storm," "Mitch" and "Deal of a Lifetime." Coming soon is "Countdown to 2000" and a tract to reach today's youth: "Check Me Out," complete with the coolest Spanish lingo our translators could come up with. These tracts can be found in any of the PPCs of the Spanish-speaking areas, and on the "members-only" area of the English Internet page. Or you can find them on our very own wonderful Spanish Web site.
       Also available at the PPCs are the Spanish versions of the first four booklets of the Living Waters series. It's our hope, dear Family, that these tools will be a blessing to you. They've been translated with lots of love and care. God bless you all!

studio news

RAD
       Julia, for RAD team: TTL, victory at last! The kids audio tape (#1) has been finalized (title to be decided). It's crammed full of kool kids stuff. We hope it will encou rage and inspire our littlest hearts for Jesus.
Besides working on lots of kiddo material, the guys were also able to contribute recently to a local area production, a Portuguese Loving Jesus song tape. Time to get into those samba grooves; that was a lot of fun working with different styles than we normally produce.
And besides producing music, we also were able to do a bit of "peddling" too. Our home distributed over 1,000 CDs during the December month, led almost 1,300 people to the Lord, p erformed in numerous venues and did several CTP shows.

Earthquake in Colombia
By Ariana, Isabel, Irene, Emanuel, Andy and Maria for the Home in Medellín, Colombia
       After a normal day in our small Home we sat down to watch the evening news. We were shocked to hear about the devastating earthquake that had rocked the whole region where most of the Colombian coffee is produced, which is near our city. We immediately got together to pray for the situation and the Lord showed us in prophecy that it was His will for us to leave as soon as possible to comfort the victims of the earthquake, and that He would protect and keep us. We decided to close our small Home down and all go to the disaster zone.
       There is a small Home in one of the cities that was somewhat affected by the earthquake, so we called them to make sure they were fine, which they were thanks to the awesome protection of the Lord. They mentioned that their city wasn't so affected but that Armenia, a nearby city and capital of the region, had felt the full impact of the quake. God bless Francisco and Joanna, who alone with their daughter, were the only ones staying in the Home. They gladly invited all of us (11) to make their Home our base. It was a perfect location, as it's only half-an-hour away from Armenia, the city most affected by the killer quake. Two live-out friends (one of them a professional medic) also joined our team.
       We were shocked at the terrifying destruction that had taken place as we entered t he city. Seventy-five percent of the city had been destroyed, leaving over 1,000 dead and many more injured. The sudden death of so many gave no room nor time to bury, so the cadavers were left in what was once a bull fighting ring. This and the fact that many bodies were still under the rubble left parts of the city with an appalling stench, obligating most to use masks in order to breathe. It was horrifying to see the sad state of this once beautiful city. Not exactly knowing where to start we walked around with posters and tracts in hand, asking the Lord to guide us each step of the way. Everywhere we walked there was rubble, twisted metal, smashed cars, demolished buildings, sirens of ambulances. Confusion and tension gripped the wandering people with an iron hand. We saw a group of firemen and other volunteers trying to take out a young teen boy from beneath some rubble. He had been there for almost two days. We saw the anguished faces of two people anxiously waiting to see how he was. They were the parents of that boy. We tried to encourage them. Even though it seemed impossible for the boy to be alive, they were expecting a miracle. While still holding hands with the father, the boy was rescued and lo and behold, he was alive! TYJ! Right away they put him into an ambulance. To all of our dismay, the ambulance wouldn't start. We began to desperately pray for a miracle and thankfully they brought another ambulance that did work.
       We followed the ambulance to a supermark et that had been improvised into a first aid center since the city hospital had suffered damages. There we were able to pray with the parents of that teen boy to receive Jesus in their hearts. When we gave the mother a poster she grabbed us and hugged us tightly, crying and thanking us. Thankfully, that boy made it, probably due to the faith and prayer of the parents. While trapped, he had had to drink his own urine and do special breathing exercises to fight for his life. His mom told us that t he day before his rescue she prayed and felt the voice of God telling her that he was alive!       We wanted to help the Red Cross or some organization but all the rescuers and doctors were still under shock and didn't know how things were going outside their area. Even though volunteers were coming from different parts of the world, they were still getting plugged in and organized so they weren't in action yet. The only people helping in the disaster were some of the Armenian citizens that had surviv ed and other volunteers that came from surrounding cities. The fire station from Armenia had been destroyed with all the trucks and special machinery along with 18 firemen--all dead; the main police station had also been severely damaged.       We spent the whole morning passing out posters and tracts and stopping to pray with people. We prayed with more people that had just been rescued, and with others that watched the dead bodies of their loved ones being recovered. All were so hungry and receptive to the love and encouragement from the Lord. We prayed with one precious family that had lost their house and were looking for plastic to make a shelter. They called us angels of comfort and cried as they hugged us tightly. We were able to give them some of the water we brought because they hadn't drunk water since the earthquake. We then realized that much of the population was suffering this same horror of having no water, food, or electricity and, in most cases, no housing for the two days s ince the disaster had struck. We immediately talked to some reporters (they were everywhere) and challenged them to expose the reality of the situation and to ask for help. Sad to say, most were more interested in the corpses that were being taken out than in the living who were still suffering. Now things are more organized and food and water are being distributed to the people but it took some days for this to get well organized.
       In the afternoon we met a young man named Ariel who was a loca l Red Cross volunteer and he needed a vehicle. We gladly offered him ours and after witnessing to him, he enthusiastically introduced us to the Red Cross personnel. We talked to the Armenian Regional Red Cross coordinator and told him who we were and that we had come to help. He was very thankful as they were in great need. The Red Cross storehouse barely had any supplies of food, water, or tents that were needed for the thousands of people that were starving and homeless. It seemed that the lar ge donations hadn't arrived yet due to the bad conditions of the roads and airport. However we started to fill up our van with the available provisions to give out to the needy neighborhoods. Ariel, the Red Cross volunteer, became a close friend and refused to leave our side during the time we were in the city. He came to the Home at night and slept there with us, and had devotions and prayer time with us. He also lost his home but his family was miraculously saved. Since he was unable to contin ue his studies and work (all the schools and businesses are paralyzed), he dedicates his full time and energy to help the disaster victims.
       After filling up the van we went to Quindio, a neighborhood that has been totally wiped out. It was very special because in the morning we had been passing out posters in that same neighborhood and we told the starving people that we were sorry we didn't have food, but that we wanted to share with them the spiritual comfort that we knew they needed. The pe ople of that neighborhood received us gladly and didn't complain that we hadn't supplied their physical needs; instead they showed deep gratitude for the message we were bringing them. The Lord sure blessed them because that same day we were able to give them the provisions they so desperately needed. Since there was no electricity we tried to leave the city by six in the evening, as it wasn't safe. Bands of thieves had come from other towns, taking advantage of the situation, and were stealing and stripping clean the closed supermarkets or whatever they could from the poor and devastated earthquake victims.
       The next day the Lord led us to a large building near the airport that had been converted into a distribution center for most supplies that arrive from the airport. We witnessed to the person in charge and he immediately fell in love with the spirit and filled up our two large cars to the brim with all the provisions we knew the people desperately needed. We spent the next days p assing out these provisions. With every package of food and water we would give out a tract or poster and pray with the person, family or even with whole neighborhoods at times.       In the five days that our Home was able to stay in Armenia the Lord helped us win over 600 souls, pass out 2,000 posters, 2,500 tracts and distribute many tons of food to the needy. We would usually pass the food out from house to house (better said from what were supposed to be houses) or tent to tent. The people apprec iated this as they mentioned that sometimes trucks would come and throw the food out, leaving it to the people who could take it the fastest, and many people wouldn't be able to get anything being injured, older or slower. The way we did our work also impressed the organizers of the food distribution who ended up giving us trucks complete with police escorts to continue. (This was necessary because due to the food shortage there have been riots of starving people trying to get to the food and at tacking vehicles transporting aid and provisions). We had to work an average of 12 hours non-stop, as once we got into motion we couldn't stop. As we went, Jesus gave us strength, health and broken hearts for the people. Almost daily we felt tremors, which are expected repercussions of the main earthquake, however the Lord protected His children and even though we went about everywhere, He kept His Word that nothing would touch us nor harm us. We were also interviewed by a French newspaper and a national radio station. While giving food, tracts, and posters, we would make sure to say, "This is from Jesus, because He really loves you!" Most responded so beautifully, crying and kissing us with joy and thankfulness in appreciation to His love. For all of us, it's been a life-changing experience. The day before our team was due to leave the Lord sent replacements. Seventeen Family brethren from the capital of the country, Bogotá, arrived to carry on with the work that this city continues t o need.
       A good lesson we witnessed first hand is the wise counsel from Dad regarding keeping survival food. It wasn't until the fourth day after the earthquake that the national and international aid to the victims arrived and started to be distributed; some neighborhoods didn't receive it till even later. Many roads were also destroyed, impeding the food to arrive speedily.
       This whole experience was truly a glorious, golden victory over this terrifying and ghastly event. --Another victory o ut of seeming defeat!

fruitful fields

What do you know about Cuba?
Did you know …
       That a couple of years ago Castro began to allow freedom of religious beliefs, even for Communist Party members?
       That there is about a 0% illiteracy rate in Cuba, and the people are so highly educated that one out of every 500 has a medical degree?
       That the generation of people 40 and under have never had any formal teaching of God or His love? Until recently, it was prohibited to speak publicly of God .
       That our Home is one of the few in the world reaching this country with the message of God's love and salvation?
       That we desperately need personnel, one or two single brethren or sisters that have a desire to reach the lost, not only of Cuba but in Tampa, Florida, USA, where our Home is situated?
       Our Home has an established work here with many supporters, contacts and friends who also help frequently for our missions to Cuba. Our provisioning also is very big and we help feed at least 13 5 families a week with all the Lord supplies.
       Would you like to be a part of this Magnificent Monster on the Move Machine that is going places? Please let us know. Some of the ministries we need to cover in our Home are: driver for provisioning pick-ups, childcare, fundraiser, business, and cook. Each of these also goes along with being a powerful witness (or at least having a desire to be).
       Contact us at this e-mail address: TamFam107@aol.com or GIplus4@aol.com or write us at 3225 S. MacDil l #129-184 Tampa Fl. 33629-8171 USA
       Much love in Jesus,
       Tampa Home

babymania

Bedwetting Battles--and Victories!
From Kristy (SGA, of Zeb), Brazil:
       Hi, everyone! I wanted to share some lessons I've learned with my three-year-old son who often wets the bed at night, and sometimes at naptime. By two years and four months old he was completely night-trained and stayed dry for three months. At that time we moved to a different city, away from his friends and teacher that he was very clos e to. Because of the rooming situation, he began sleeping with his older sisters and not with us.
       After a while he started wetting the bed and showing other signs of insecurity. Soon he was wetting the bed every single night, plus at naptime. This was very discouraging! We prayed for him a lot, and finally decided to make some changes so that he could room with us again, to get more attention, and so that I could more easily make sure he was pottied before he went to bed, then before I went to bed, and then again in the middle of the night.
       His bedwetting immediately improved, but didn't disappear altogether. Sometimes he has good weeks; sometimes he has bad weeks. Finally I asked the Lord to speak to me about what the problem was, and if there was anything more I could do to help him, or anything else He wanted to tell me about it. This is what He said:

       (Jesus speaking:) These are the little things of life, the daily struggles and hurdles to overcome, that make life on earth s uch a fruitful testing ground. You never know what will happen next, what battle will come your way, or around which corner the victory may be waiting. So you must cling to Me with all your strength, with all your heart, might and soul.
       Remember, this is the age of living by faith, of walking by faith, not sight. These are the things that make you strong--the uncertainties that drive you to My bosom. If some trial causes you to run to Me in desperation and to spend time communing with Me and s itting at My feet and learning of Me, then it has accomplished the purpose for which I sent it.
       As for your son's bedwetting, there are many reasons why I have allowed it. For one, it keeps you humble--you have that almost daily reminder that your kids are not perfect, that there are things in your immediate personal life that you can't control. This keeps you in a state of desperation and dependent on Me. It also keeps him humble, for I work in his little heart as well, and teach him lessons through the things that he suffers.
       This situation keeps you fighting instead of laid back and lazy. It also draws you closer to your son, as you fight alongside him and teach him to fight and help him to overcome. The personal time that you're investing in him as you strive to help him feel secure will not be wasted, for I will cause it to bear fruit.
       So don't kick against the pricks or allow yourself to become discouraged or overly anxious about this matter. But have perfect trust and fait h in Me that I will help you to overcome. I will give you the grace to pass through each test, I will give you the love you need to help you along the way, and I will finally lift the burden completely when it has accomplished its purpose.
       Also, in the past when you've seen others struggling with this same battle, you felt sorry for them, but didn't you also feel just a little bit better than them because you'd never had that problem? Well, now you've walked a mile in their shoes, and you see that it is a trouble that is common to man, that is allowed by Me for different reasons, and that it has nothing to do with your righteousness or closeness to Me. Now you'll walk more humbly and meekly and react with more empathy and compassion when you encounter others in the throes of discouragement with this same battle.
       But after all is said and done, I say, "Let it rather be healed." I look on in love as you are tested and tried, and I place the hurdles there out of love for you. But when you have run the race with patience, I will lift the weights and you will fly again on the wings of eagles, free from these burdens that tie you down. (End of message from Jesus.)

       This message was a super encouragement to me to just hold on, and not to make a big works trip out of it or feel especially bad, but to just keep fighting. I hope it can also be an encouragement to others who are going through similar battles!

TODDLER TIME
Tips and tricks for play and learning

Hear and tell
Topic: Practical life
       Using a portable tape recorder or a micro player, go around and record the voices of as many of the Home members as possible (for young toddlers you may want to only choose ones they know well). Then play the tape back for the children, and pause the tape after each person to see if they can guess whose voice they are hearing.
       Variations: You could have each person recorded say the same verse, one which the children are learning, as a fun way for extra review. Or if e ach person says a short thankfulness sentence, you could play the tape as a fun and different Praise Time!
       Additional learning: Talk about the differences in people's voices--low or high, soft or loud, deep, high-pitched, fast, slow, different accents, etc. Try recording people speaking in the local language--or in any other languages they know!

Reprint: A child's wisdom
       We often learn the most from our children. Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his three-year-old daughter for was ting a roll of gold wrapping paper.
       Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy." He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty. He yelled at her, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside of it?"
       The littl e girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy." The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her forgiveness. My friend told me that he kept that gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. In a very real sense, each of us as parents has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children.
--author unknown

AD: Books at a 70% discount!

From "Educational Book Guide":
My Bible Friends--by Bette Beringer (10 volumes)
       (original price) $179.95 for the set. (Your cost will be $54.20.)
       These are the beautifully illustrated stories on the GAP video series "My Bible Friends." (for younger children)

The Bible Story--Classic edition (10 volumes) by Arthur Maxwell
       (original price) $389.90 for the set (Your cost will be $116 .97); written by Seventh Day Adventists, and recommended by Dad.
       A very complete series which brings out many deep principles not found in other series.

The Bible Story--Newly revised edition (10 volumes) by Arthur Maxwell
       (original price) $439.95 for the set (Your cost would be $132.)

Address to order from:
Family Enrichment Resources, Inc.
Attn: Bud Otis
5427 Twin Konnl Rd. Columbia, MD
21045-3200 USA

       To obtain the above mentioned price reduction, ask for a discount as a miss ionary with "The Family."

crusading

Tanzania
       Michael Thanksgiving: We (Michael and Mercy) just returned from a one-month trip to Tanzania, the main purpose being to look into the possibility of opening a work there.
       We were able to provision bus tickets to Arusha, a small city 4½ hours south of Nairobi, over the border, in Tanzania and very near the famous and majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro. Upon our arrival, the Lord supplied free hotel accommodation for the next five days of our intended s tay. From there we looked into openings for CTP, house rentals and various other logistics. As we also did fund-raising, the Lord led us to many sweet and helpful people who we could also pump for info on these subjects.
       We discovered that housing rentals are super expensive and that as there are no main food wholesalers, provisioning food items would be difficult, as they go from the poor farmers to the even poorer street vendors. There are openings to work with others in already established projects with street children, lepers and single mothers refuges and shelters. On our last day we met a precious Muslim man who has been asking the local council for permission to rent one of their disused buildings that they no longer occupy, and that if it comes through (as they are playing games with him, holding out for a bribe) then he'd like us to help set it up, while he'd fund the project. TYJ!
       From Arusha, we went to the east coast port city of Dar es Salaam. By staying at the YMCA, w e were able to witness to lots of young travelers and even though we are "older folks," we found them very friendly, sweet and eager for deep conversation. There was no generation gap whatsoever; becoming one was easy. In fact, one young man even asked if I'd adopt him. He told us that his parents never showed him any love, either physically or even verbally. I guess he just felt happy and comfortable around us, especially knowing that we were missionaries.
       Dar es Salaam was very hot, humid, a nd a little tough on the flesh after cool Nairobi, but we were able to meet lots of sweet, receptive people, who can be potential supporters if we open a work there. One top businessman invited us to their five star rotary luncheon the following day to be the guest speakers. I (Michael) was able to share about our work in Kenya, our experience with street kids, etc., and our vision and goals for opening a new work in Tanzania. The outgoing man who I sat next to turned out to be a fellow Aussie c ountryman, who incidentally came from the same Sydney suburb where I grew up as a teen and where my folks still live--what a small world!
       Fund-raising was very good, with most people gladly receiving us, and taking videos, CDs, tapes and posters where possible, with some folks even helping with $100 gifts toward the work, which is a big donation to receive here. Most restaurants gladly gave us complimentary meals, and most would give again if approached. We found this very Muslim city to be su per receptive to our Christian tools and Christmas message.
       We met a lady who is a producer of a children's TV program. She said she could interview us, and show snippets of our videos, followed by an address where people can order the TA and KV collection. TYJ!
       All in all the trip went well, despite the fact that in an unguarded moment, someone entered our hotel room, stole both walkmans, SW radio, camera, watch, plus my passport. Still it was a matter of not letting the Enemy deter or disc ourage us, but rather to learn the lesson from my very careless mistake and press on. We hope in the near future to open an annex there or even a permanent CM Home.
       If you feel led to become a part of this new push into Tanzania, by joining our present team in Kenya, or by your support through prayers and gifts, please feel free to email us: action@form-net.com or at P.O. Box 63803, Nairobi. Kenya. We love, need you and pray for you!

Updates from China

By Mike and Vicky,

House church leaders meet
       From January 15-19, we hosted a seminar for leaders of house churches from six cities all over China. The subject was personal witnessing. The first five days were teaching and then came five days of OJT (on the job training.) The goal was to teach the members of house churches and their leadership that the job of personal witnessing is the task of all Christians and not just the pastors! Please pray that the final result will be a soul-winning, disciple-winning, church-planting m ovement that sweeps the country!

Mayor confesses faith
       The mayor of a neighboring city was being interviewed by a member of a house church whose leaders we know. While being interviewed he got a call on his beeper and she saw that he had a cross on the underside.
       "Are you a believer?" she asked.
       "Yes!" he said.
       Not satisfied, she asked, "Where do you fellowship?" He replied with a name of a house church with which she was familiar, and he added that he went there regularly for two hou rs every Sunday.
       Times are changing! This is the second time that we have heard that a mayor of a neighboring town was fellowshipping in a house church.

City counselor and city administration offers orphanage
       Our friend who is a city counselor/senator asked us officially last week if we could manage a new orphanage, which would house 200 orphans. We said yes! Please pray for this. This will give us a very good standing with the city administration and the provincial authority.

Winter S WIFT
       Please pray for our winter road team that will visit 11 cities. Our last summer team won 688 souls! This team will visit those who were saved previously and give them Bibles and Word Basics and instill in them the vision to change their part of the world.

Mongolia comes to us
       One of the children had received in prophecy that we should go to Mongolia, but we wondered how that would fit in with the plans we had. But last week Mike got a call from his friend in the Mongolian Embassy who got saved last summer, and he's coming out for a week to stay with us with his wife and two teen sons!

Support needed
       We are living by faith and trusting God to supply all our needs. Please send all donations via TRF to Mike and Vicky, CN607, China.

[in a box:]
       $1,500 for rent for the next six months
       $3,000 for our winter road team
       $1,000 for baby, due May 1999
       $1,800: food and household, next six months

personals

       Isaac (of Abe and Maggie) would like to contact Summer and /or Francesca, last heard of in Peru. Add: P.O. Box 725, Coarsegold, CA. 93614, USA.
       This is Mexican Joy (Faithy)! I am trying to get in touch with J.B. y Abby (Mexicans). E-mail: cmejia@iname.com. Add: Aurora M. Casilla 2795 Concepción, Chile.
       Could Lea L. and Theresa Hannah, Steve Watchman, and Joy P. please write: Lopezjr_81@hotmail.com. Paula, Mia, and Becky are waiting eagerly for a reply.
       Hi this is Joy Aussie. I'm trying to get in touch with Jess from the States. Lived w/ you in Slo venia. You can find me at e-mail: Hyperjoy@hotmail.com.
       Cristy (of Jonathan and Sara) is looking for Olivia (of Tim and
       Maria). Contact me at e-mail: jsfam@smn.tenet.odessa.ua. Waiting to hear from you!
       Looking for Martin (of Andrew and Lily), we knew each other in Hungary, please write me at skyclick@aol.com. (Sorry, no name given.)
       Looking for Marco Deepwater (Peter M.), who went to Peru in 1981/1982 and was in Europe with amongst others, me (my name was Andrew). Please contact Ben and Faith (SC, Bangkok via your ABM).
       To: Femi, Rachel, Madi. From: Angelina Phantom. Please contact me at: MBE 123, Mecidiyekoy 80470, Istanbul, Turkey.
       URGENT! Sam Redman (Danish, previous fulltime member) would like to get in touch with Christie R. (of Jason R.). Last known location of Christie is Atlanta. A mailing or e-mail address would be greatly appreciated. E-mail: sheila-finn@vip.cybercity.dk.
       Magdalene Joy (Canadian) would like to get in touch with Richard S. (Luke Lionheart, Engli sh). Last mail sent from New Delhi, 1997. E-mail: sheila-finn@vip.cybercity.
       Liza Noel (19, Argentinian) would like to contact Chris (together in Nizni, Novgorod) and Martin and Christina (Australian, from the summer camp in Vladivostok, and Patience Amor. E-mail: vacm@wnet.com.br.
       Gideon and Lily, please contact Jenny through the Africa ABM. I lost your address and couldn't thank you for your donation. Love you.
       Mary Dear in Bombay would like to contact Warren (Paul) in Pakistan. E-mail: heart.heart@axcess.net.in.
       Jenny is looking for Joy Rose and her sister Joni (of Tracy) last heard of in Canada. Also Tony, last heard of in Pakistan. E-mail: heart.heart@axcess.net.in or via the IA ABM.

young people … parties and alcohol

       [WS leadership: The topic of late-night young people get-togethers, dances, etc., has come up from time to time, particularly when alcohol is involved. There have been questions as to how involved the area shepherds, city councils and Home teamworks ar e permitted to be. As the Charter outlines, one of the requirements of a CM disciple is to minimize ungodly influences, as well as to abide by the alcohol guidelines. In situations where they've found these fundamental rules not being kept, shepherds are within their rights to get involved, in order to ensure that the standard is being kept. In fact, it is their duty, as good shepherds, to do so. Here's one such example that we received on the topic:]

From a CRO, USA
       As early as November `9 8, we had heard rumors that some of the young people in the area were planning a very large New Year's party, with young people flying in from other cities in the United States. Realizing the need for the young people to gather and fellowship together, but also realizing that this could be a potential problem for the area due to excesses in drinking, etc., caused us some concern.
       After praying and counseling together, the Lord led us to call the different Homes in the area to let them know tha t if any area parties were being planned, we would like to be in on the planning and preparation of the parties. This caused no small stir amongst some of the young people, and a couple of them started to cause what you could call a minor rebellion in the ranks, as they did not feel that we had the right to interfere.
       I was able to have personal time with some of these young people and assured them that we were not trying to throw a wet blanket on their party. I also assured them that we had c ounseled with the Home teamworkers of every Home in the area, who all thought it was a good idea to organize such a gathering unitedly.
       It took a little of the wind out of their sails, but being able to talk with them opened the door to find out more information about some of the goings on with the young people here.
       We elected a small committee of SGAs to be in charge of the organization of the party, and we notified the Homes of the various guidelines that this committee was presenting. It was decided that no one under the age of 18 would be allowed to come to this party. This may seem like a pretty drastic measure, but the overdrinking of hard liquor by senior and even junior teens had only been steadily getting worse, sad to say! This was a hard saying for some of the under-aged kids, but those who have had pretty serious problems were the ones who complained the most.
       The committee also decided that those who wanted to come were not allowed to bring their own alcohol. They w ere assured that the highest allowable Charter quota would be made available for everyone who wanted it. All the names of those coming were written down on a piece of paper, and the drinks were handed out by a selected bartender who was faithful to mark each one's name off the list as they were served. We felt we needed to send a strong signal that the Charter standard is going to be upheld and that together, in unity, by upholding the Charter standard, we would be able to have a better party th an otherwise.
       We did have quite a few young people visiting us from other areas and they danced until four or five o'clock in the morning and enjoyed great fellowship with each other. People commented that they felt this party was the best one they'd been to in a long time. Some even said that they didn't believe that such a fun party could happen with so little alcohol.

[topic: young people who are out of the Family]

Dear Mama,
       I recently went to visit my son, who is 18 years old. He said he's tired of being a missionary and being poor. He wants to study, get a job and be independent for awhile. As missionaries we have lived in Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia and Japan. He has several trials about different restrictions in the Family, so as much as I would prefer he remain in the Family, my husband and I have gotten the parable of the prodigal son, and that he has to learn the hard way. But I also want to set him up in the best situation possible, away from harm and surrounde d by the best influences possible while he tries out what he wants.
       The main point of this letter is concerning the negative attitude that many CM members have toward young people who leave the Family. First of all the grapevine amongst the youth about who leaves the Family is on the cruel side. It seems to me that our youth, by showing love and understanding, could instead help leave the door open for these young people to return after they have had their fill. It is my prayer that our young people who leave the Family, if they should need some help, would turn to us. Maybe if they get a bad deal, have trouble with drugs, or need advice on legal matters, etc., we as a Family could be more welcoming to these young ones who have very little experience in the world and are used to living communally.
       The story that comes to me is the one about Happy and how you, Mama, were so sweet and loving to a perfect stranger. By your love and the Lord's love, you helped to change that man. How m uch more should we be loving to our youth who have in the past been faithful to the Lord and a great witness with their parents for the most part? I know there is a risk for the Family to fully embrace these youth who leave, as some could sow bad seeds in our remaining children who are still with us in the Family. But how about a little love, a little phone call now and then, some shared provisioning to lighten their financial burden, etc.? We minister to the down-and-out and some tough characte rs in our missionary work. Maybe we could look at these youth in a more positive way, and even as retired members, or as leaving the army with an honorable discharge at least.
       My son lives a bit away from us so I cannot see him regularly, and I fear he will fall among a bad crowd, especially if he feels all alone. I am sure the Lord will reward him for all the good he did do with his life so far for others, and I hope he will soon return to us a wiser man.
--an FGA woman

Dear Mama,
       I rea lize that it is difficult for Family parents to see that their children that have left the Family may not be welcomed into some of our Homes. I think most Homes would be very open to receiving former member young people into the Home for fellowship if they are coming because they are hungry for the Word, want to get help from different System addictions they have picked up, etc. But I don't think many Homes will welcome former members who are coming by simply to boast of their great job and all the money they have, the latest designer drugs they are using, or showing off their stylish clothing or spreading their doubts about the Family and preaching the wonderfulness of the System.
       This kind of behavior can tear down the good values and goals that the Lord and the Family have instilled in our young people. It can weaken and cause them to doubt or at least feel dissatisfied with Family life if they look at things in the flesh. I know our kids have to be able to stand up to these tempt ations and attacks of the Enemy, but they get plenty of it while out witnessing in the System; why should we subject them to it in their own Heavenly Homes?
       So while we do have unconditional love for our children who have left the Family, I see no real value of letting these kids with no vacuum for the Spirit to come to our Homes until they are coming for the right motives.
--an FGA man

Dear Mama,
       I have a couple of teen boys who aren't in the Family. I've found it very beneficial for th em, for me to help them get set up with their respective education, work and general orientation of their lives, etc. This is a big subject, looking after or helping those who've left us, but I feel we need to have someone there for them as they readjust. I think the main thing is being there to advise and assist them, if they wish, to obtain reasonable directions in their lives with their education, work and leisure/hobby activities, etc.
--an FGA man, Europe

Christmas testimonies

[Chris tmas in Delhi!--Our best yet!]
       Simon Simple, India: Visualize this!--You're standing in the foyer of the swankiest hotel in the capital city of the second largest democracy in the world. Your show troupe has just finished singing the new jazzed 90s version of "Jingle Bells" for a capacity crowd of over 600 people who have read rave reviews in the morning papers about this new far-out singing group from an organization called "The Family."
       Your little table displaying your audios, CDs and vid eos is getting swamped with people who are jostling with one another to get their copy of Little Drummer Boy or Christmas Treasures. You and your partner are talking to three people at a time, and you suddenly run out of tapes and CDs. So you smile your politest smile and say, "One moment please, sir. You'll have your copy in juuuust a minute." And you duck under the table to extricate some more tools out of your jumbo outreach bag, and…you can't get it open! The bag locked itself and no one kno ws the combination number! Oh, yikes!!
       So you dodge your way through 300 people and frantically call Home and...phew!...someone gives you the number! You race back to the table, jiggle the lock and…it still doesn't open! Now what??!! We pause this nail-biting, cliffhanging, outreacher's worst-case scenario for a word of instruction from our Sponsor:
       "When you come to Me to hear My voice, always remind yourself that I am eager to speak to you. I want to speak to you. I want to make it easy fo r you to receive prophecies and to hear from Me, your Father David, and the departed spirits that help you. I am doing everything I can to help your faith to grow, and to make it easy for you to exercise your gift." (From Jesus With Love II)
       Okay! It's come to that! We sat down for a moment and--yep--asked the Greatest Locksmith of all to tell us the combination that would work! And guess what, folks? HE DID! The Lord gave the combination numbers in prophecy, and the locks sprang open and the tools came-a-tumblin' out! That evening we got out the most tools we had that entire Christmas season! Thank You Jesus!
       The thing that was so encouraging was that it was so simple to get the answer! It was just a matter of believing that the Lord had spoken and acting upon it. My biggest battle with prophecy has always been a bit of a fear that, "Maybe that was just my mind!" It was such a relief to see that the Lord can speak clearly in any given situation!--More power to prophecy!

[Christ mas appreciation night]
       Home in Pakistan: We wanted to give our many friends, contacts and neighbors a Christmas gift, and the Lord showed us to have a Christmas appreciation night in our large garden. So we set to work at praying through all the arrangements which the Lord bountifully supplied, including: tenting, lighting and a stage; chairs and table service; a sound system; catered food for two nights, with waiters in attendance!
       On the first night over 100 people showed up, and on the s econd night we had over 200! Our performing group, "HeartBeat," did a knockout show that all enjoyed, and we had nice catered snacks and drinks for all afterwards.
       The teens had built a large-scale manger scene right at the main gate to our Home, so that it was the first thing visible when people came in the gate. It's quite a witness as in this Muslim country, most people aren't familiar with the story behind it, thus we were able to explain it all to them.
       We also set up a photo board of o ur projects for the past year, as well as our goals for 1999, thanked them all for helping us to realize our efforts in this past year, and encouraged them to join with us in the new year to make an even greater difference in our city.

[China Christmas]
       Mike and Vicky, China: Angela and Nathalie were able to sing and dance to "Christmas Praises" at a banquet for government officials at our provincial capital! Fifty guests were invited, including the deputy mayor, when the man sitting with u s at our table, the doctor in charge of the Red Cross of our province, stated publicly that when he retires he wants to work with us full-time. All public officials bowed their heads in prayer with us to ask the Lord to bless our food!
       During the Christmas season, we had over 60 visitors, four of whom came to know the Lord. Vicky has now started a new weekly Bible class for the women who have been getting saved. That makes four weekly Bible studies!

[From ccccold Bosnia!]
       Andrew, Miracle, Crystal, Lauren, Angelina, Vix and Lance, Bosnia: During December we performed in large, unheated community halls that were freezing cold! We had to change outfits, etc., which took a real missionary spirit, but we braved these difficulties and got the Christmas message out across central Bosnia as we performed in schools, kindergartens, orphanages, the Kosovo refugee center, and three stage shows in neighboring communities. We even traveled to the coast to do a follow-up show at the handicappe d center which a friend of ours runs. The nicest hotel in town hosted our presentation which the children, parents, and teachers all enjoyed, as well as many city fathers and local officials.
       For our Christmas dinner we had a very special visitor--a young Eastern official whose job is to oversee that the Dayton accords are being implemented in our area. We had met a few times at his office, and the last time we gave him a Christmas tape. As soon as we arrived home, he called us to say how much he liked the songs. At the end of our evening together he received Jesus into his heart as his Christmas present!
       Over New Year's we enjoyed some time off to visit friends in neighboring countries. We were able to fill up our van with donated aid along the way, and it was a miracle that, as packed as we were, no border officials gave us much of a look as we crossed 12 borders! Tired after such a long trip, we could hardly believe it when, as we were trying to enter Bosnia at one of the Bosnia n Serb borders late at night, an uncooperative official said we couldn't take Josh, our dog, through! What a surprise, as this had never happened before. Things looked bleak until some sweet persuasion from Anna and Lauren (together with a lot of prayer, of course) changed the minds of the border guards. It just so happened to be Jan 6th, the Orthodox Christmas, so we waved Merry Christmas to all 10 guards as we very thankfully continued on our way home!

[900 slum children!]
       India Garden Ho me: Little Hanna (age nine) was anxiously waiting for the day to arrive. She and 130 other kids from the "All India Ashaya Mahila Saheyog Samiti" community of slum children in Noida had been invited to participate at The Family's celebration of Children's Day.
       There was lunch, lots of recreation, and games. Different groups of children presented cultural items and the Family (all the Homes in the area) organized the whole event so that about 900 slum children could enjoy a day which was meant to be theirs in the first place. Little Hanna didn't know how much time and sweat it took to organize the activity, but she went home with a big smile, and whatever efforts were necessary to make the activity possible was worth it all. After all, it wasn't just Hanna's smile, but 900 of them!

Picture captions:
       Italian Mary, German Marie and Indian Praise distributing food to the hundreds of slum children in India
       Marie, in Indian Sari, with a boy from the slums

[A new car for Christmas !]
       Home in Pakistan: We received a phone call from the secretary of a large petroleum company in our city, informing us that they had approved our request letter and had a small gift that they wanted to give us. They asked us to come in during the week following Christmas to collect it.
       We thought, "How nice. They're going to give us a little donation," as often with responses such as this companies give out token donations. We asked the secretary what it was that they had for us, and she ca lmly answered, "A Toyota Corolla."
       Sure enough, when we went in the following week, the manager was there to present the keys to a beautiful, white, fully loaded Toyota Corolla with air conditioning and stereo deck. Although used, it was in excellent condition. He explained that when their executives have a vehicle for five years, instead of selling it, they give it away to a needy organization, and since we had submitted a request for their help, they decided to give it to us! PTL! We were qu ite inspired, as well as grateful, as we had just been praying about how to upgrade our vehicle situation. What a special Christmas gift!

[Shows and songs]
       Chris, Aaron, Marissa, Daniel and Enoch, Bosnia: Our team helped to do some programs for the Red Cross--sponsored camps for children who have lost one or both parents during the war. The lady in charge now wants to book shows for us in many of the schools in Sarajevo.
       Two Treasure Attic shows ("Christmas Friend" and "Fantastic Journey" ) were broadcast on TV on the main channel for central Bosnia (the dialogues have been translated and dubbed in the local language), playing four times each over the Christmas season.
       We visited the radio station which works together with this TV station in central Bosnia, and had an inspiring time following up on the director and some of her staff. While sitting in her office, the song "They've Got the Money" from Uncharted came on, playing live on the radio! She told us that they have been p laying songs from two of the CDs we gave them (Higher and Uncharted) on a regular basis.

[Treated to a Christmas vacation]
       Home in Kenya: We did a few shows in Nairobi, which were hits. In one of the main shopping malls here we got comments like, "There have been other performers here, but they never got such a big crowd," and, "Our church is pretty on-fire, but we don't have such dancing girls!" In some places we had the locals dancing with us and trying to sing along, but the star of the show was Mikey (7) who sang "What Can I Give Him?" After that he had to have a few bodyguards to protect him from all the ladies who were falling madly for him! Mikey would also lead the crowd in the salvation prayer, which they'd repeat with gusto.
       After getting off to a good start here in Nairobi, the Lord led us to a coastal city called Mombasa. Though we had only managed a couple of bookings in Mombasa, and didn't have accommodations sorted out either, the Lord showed us to step out by fai th and trust Him to provide. That was a pretty tall order for a team of ten people to travel somewhere without a car, with no definite place to stay, and only a couple of shows planned. But as we obeyed, He miraculously supplied us with free first class, round trip train tickets, as well as a couple of vehicles for us to use while in Mombasa. He also provided lodging at some of the fanciest hotels in this part of Africa. Our bookings started to multiply as well, so that it seemed we wouldn't be able to do them all! The reaction to our show was overwhelming, and in all the times that we've done shows in other countries, never have we seen such positive and hungry responses.
       As we stayed close to the Lord and obeyed Him, He poured out special treats for all of us, to make it an enjoyable Christmas vacation as well. Most of the hotels we stayed in put us up with full room and board, so we were able to partake of their elaborate buffet spreads for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We were als o able to go snorkeling in a glass-bottomed boat by the reef, take a trip out to sea in a dhow (an Arabian-style sailing vessel), as well as spending many an afternoon by the beach. The Lord is so good to us!
       In all, the Lord helped us to do 30 different performances at ambassadors' residences, malls, hotels, restaurants, discotheques, company parties, beaches, carnivals, etc. We've also been invited back to a number of places to do shows at Easter time. We also were able to win about 360 soul s to Jesus this Christmas, which is the best part of all!

happenings

[Miracle bracelet]
       Dawn, Thailand: While having a prayer meeting, someone mentioned that we needed to get desperate for finances, as we were down to about our last $5 for our Home of 14 people. I determined in my heart that I wanted to help in whatever way I could, even if I wasn't going to be going out witnessing or fund raising. I was going to be with the children that day, and after praying about it, I decided to tak e them to the park for their get-out.
       However, I told the Lord that I didn't want to just sit on the bench and watch them play and roller blade, but I wanted to really witness and make it a fruitful time. As we were walking to the park, one of the children handed me something that my 8-year-old son, Ian, had just picked up from the ground. It was a beautiful gold bracelet!
       When Vicky saw it she got really excited and said: "That's exactly what I was praying for; that we would find a windfall or something like it on the ground! We can sell it and use the money for food!" We weren't sure if it was real or worth much. A little later, we met some sweet and sheepy tourists whom we talked with and were able to get their address. We'll follow up on them via the mail and they are potential supporters!
       The next day a team took the bracelet to a jeweler and sure enough, it turned out to be real gold and was worth more than any of us imagined. In fact, it brought in almost a fourth of our m onth's net budget!
       That was a very fruitful afternoon for me and even though I was "just taking care of the children," with their help we were able to bring in a fourth of the month's budget and meet some sweet sheep and potential donors--all because we prayed!

[A committed prisoner]
       Jonathan and Lily Fighter, USA: We started receiving correspondence after one of our posters was sent to a man in prison. He had been many months awaiting sentencing for murder. We sent him the Heaven's Libra ry story, "The Iron Brute." This particular story was exactly what he needed. He writes:
       "When I was arrested I lied about my situation. After I gave my life to the Lord, I was still living that lie which was destroying me spiritually. "The Iron Brute" reminded me so much of who I used to be; it was like you knew what I was going through. That story told me I had to tell the truth and let God handle the court system and my sentence. I did just that and received the maximum sentence, but I know it will work into God's perfect plan. Finally after 13 months I am sentenced, and am now facing 65 years. I have all my trust in God though, and His will is not to be questioned. I'm here to serve God now, and not Satan anymore!
       "I was talking to a Christian brother of mine the day I received this other stuff you sent and we were talking about trials and tribulations, the very subject of the things you sent me and what I was going through. My mom is really stressed out and started drinking ag ain which hurt me a lot to know she isn't letting God handle it, but that is in the Lord's hands now. One question I have for you: Are you a guardian angel or something? You always know the exact time to write and exactly what to send me according to my trials. I praise Jesus that He uses you to help me in those times! Can't wait to meet you in the Kingdom! I want you to have my commitment to Christ that I wrote for your Christmas gift! I hope you like it. God bless!"

MY COMMITMENT FOR CHRIST
       I'm part of a fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. I've been chosen by the Man! I've stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a soldier of Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or doubt the King.
       My past is redeemed, my present makes perfect sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, colorless dreams, foolish talking, a hard heart, callused mind, evil thoughts, cheap thrills, and dwarfed goals.
       I no longer need pre eminence, prosperity, position, planning, worldly promotions or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, top dog, cream of the crop, recognized, praised or rewarded. I now live by the unseen. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walking with patience, lifted by prayer, and persevering with His powerful hand upon me.
       My face is set, time is fast, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot, and will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, de luded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate with the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, stop in the maze of mediocrity.
       I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus! I must go like the energizer bunny till He comes, give till I drop, preach until all know. And when He comes for His own He will have no problems recognizing me--my slate will be clear because He finished His good in me. Holy is His name now and forevermore!

[Milk dispenser dream fulfilled]
       Maggie, Mexico: When we first pioneered our Home in Saltillo, Mexico, we claimed this Letter, as we had several children and PG mommies and plenty of milk lovers, but with Mexico's deflating economy, the price of milk is continually soaring. Two companies offered to help us with barely enough milk; one was with outdated milk, but we faithfully picked up the m ilk and fed our contacts with newsletters, posters, testimonies and lots of prayer that they would stay friendly.
       The day finally came when both contacts said they could no longer help us due to the fluctuating economy. One offered to give us the same milk at half-price but that was still a bit steep for us. Then we became accepted by the FCF and could use their tax deductible number, so we called another company that before had been a closed door. We explained about the possibility of giving in a tax deductible way and the manager gave us an appointment. He told us that the previous week he had gone to offer milk to a "soup line for the poor" in a neighboring church who were selling milk at half-price. He had offered his company's mispackaged milk for their project but was turned down. We gladly took him up on his offer!
       When our bottled water contact heard about this, he offered four thirty-liter bottles to pick up the milk in and deliver it to our projects. Now the milk company fills all four containers with delicious one-day old milk, and we deliver it to the local delinquent home and a very poor slum area. Plus we have all the milk we need for the ever-changing needs of our Home.--This is a total of over 100 liters of milk weekly!

[Reaching the needy]
       Kristia, Garden Home, Thailand: On a recent trip to Sangklaburi on the Thai-Burmese border, we came across a makeshift camp for refugees and deported Burmese immigrants. It broke our hearts to see children in these pathetic surroundings. We gave them boxes of clothing, toys and food, feeling discouraged that we couldn't do more for them. It was inspiring though that we were able to witness to some of them, through a Burmese translator, who prayed to receive Jesus into their hearts.
       Moving on several more kilometers, we came to a "sanitation station"--a small, spartan clinic where the poor villagers and refugees come for help. We left some supplies at the station for those who come by to take what they n eed.
       We also visited a Christian school we had previously gone to, where we had prayed with many of the staff and children, as well as donated some educational video programs. Upon our return, we were greeted enthusiastically and were asked to talk to all the students. We put on an impromptu show based on a short devotional lesson. Peter delivered the sermon on Fact, Faith and Feeling, while our three teen boys--Kenji, Aaron and Jackie--enacted it in a simple skit. Christina, on guitar, along with teen Pailin sang and taught the kids--400 in total--a couple of songs.
       After this, we presented a set of 235 Daily Food booklets and four sets of Treasures in Thai for the school's library. It was fulfilling to be able to leave behind some material and literature to feed the Lord's precious sheep here.

entertainment

Movies Rated for Junior Teens and Up

PATCH ADAMS (1998)
Robin Williams, Daniel London, Monica Potter
       Fact-based story of Hunter "Patch" Adams, founder of the Gesun dheit Institute, a clinic which combines medical attention with humor and love in the treating of its patients.

Movies Rated for JETTs and Up

CHARLEMAGNE (1994)
Christian Brendel, Paolo Bonacelli
       Six-hour mini-series on the life of Charlemagne, beginning with his ascent to the Frankish throne in the middle of the 8th century AD. Despite having many powerful enemies he slowly unites the nations of Western Europe and rebuilds civilization on the ruins of the Roman Empire. Some parts will need explaining for young viewers. Not everything is entirely historically accurate.

Movies Rated for OCs and Up

BORROWERS, THE (1997)
John Goodman, Jim Broadbent
       The Borrowers are four-inch high "little people" who live under the floorboards. When the owner of the house they live in dies and an unscrupulous realtor wants to tear it down to build luxury apartments, they start to fight for their home. Fun movie, but be mindful of some of the children's unloving behavior.

reviews

Pa tch Adams
       (Dad speaking:) "A little bit of love goes such a long way." This movie reiterates the point I often stressed, that there is no limit to what God can do with a man who is yielded and willing to do His will and be a vessel of His love. I definitely feel this movie is worth watching. It has a powerful message and there's a lot of good lessons that can be gleaned from it.--Lessons on love, lessons on not giving up, lessons on fighting for what you believe in, and even lessons on going t wo by two, etc. This man was a real fighter! He fought for what he believed in.
       The man in this movie went through some pretty heart-breaking experiences, but just remember that everything the Lord does, He does in love. Before God can really use you, you usually have to go through some pretty trying experiences.
       Folks, don't forget that love is the most important thing. Love is what will change lives and love is what lasts forever. God's love can do what nothing else can do. You never lose by loving--so love! Amen? (End of message from Dad.)

Charlemagne
       (Jesus speaking:) In viewing this movie it would be helpful to keep in mind that movies can tend to glamorize and embellish the truth. This is a historical movie and one that not everyone would necessarily want to view for their relaxation or pleasure on a normal video-viewing night. The series is interesting and informational, but there are parts that do not portray how I wish My children to act. But men of force are men of f aults, and there are interesting and inspiring lessons and facts that can be learned from this series. (End of message from Jesus.)

The Borrower
       (Jesus speaking:) This can be a fun movie. It was made for kids but probably would appeal more to older people who would also be able to take it with a grain of salt. Borrowing without permission is stealing and although these little people didn't think they were actually stealing they were and we do not endorse stealing--it's against My Law of Lov e. It's a fun idea to think that these little people exist and it caters to the desire for the spirit and spiritual things. But be careful showing it to young children as they could easily get the wrong idea that stealing is okay. It's made for kids, but it's not good for all kids. So choose wisely who would not be adversely affected by it. For those mature enough to know right and wrong and who would like to watch a fanciful story for entertainment's sake, it would be fine. (End of message from Jesus.)

An overnight change … and what's pulling me through!
By Magdalene Scott (SGA, mother of four), Lebanon
       Hi to all those I know and all those I don't know (which are the majority). I'm just your average Family SGA girl with lots of life and spunk, and I wanted to share some of the things that I have been going through in hopes that it may be a help to you if you are going through something similar.
       Recently, overnight I became a single mom of four when my husband (also a SGA) left the Family. What a shock! One night you go to bed and you're married, and the next day you aren't. It's was something I never expected to happen. Suddenly you're a different person. I went through so many emotions all at once: broken-heartedness, fear of the future, fear that I would be single for ever, as even young single girls seem to have a hard time finding a mate, never mind those of us with kids already--all sorts of trials began flooding my soul!
       I felt that my life was over as not on ly had I lost my mate, but other things happened to me at the same time. I lost a few others who I was very close to and I could no longer be on the field I was in. I really had to cry out to the Lord! I couldn't understand what was happening to me. I've always tried to serve the Lord and do the right thing, so why was this all happening to me at once?
       I had to really cry out to the Lord and ask for His strength, cling to His Word with all that was in me and hear from Him in prophecy daily. I still don't exactly know what the Lord is doing in my life at present, but at least I am now able to trust the Lord more for it. Of course I trusted the Lord for my life, but I mean to really trust the Lord when things seem so crazy and against everything natural, to still be able to truly say: "Thy will be done." I have had to lay a lot on the altar these last few weeks, and it has only been the Lord and the Family that have kept me through it all.
       One thing the Lord has been showing me throu gh all this is that He is our true Lover, `cause that is all I've got. Thank God for the Word we have, especially the From Jesus -- with Love books; they are a lifesaver. I'm not through it yet, but for those who are going through it, fight with me and just hold on to the Lord! And GB all those moms who have been single for a long time--my hat goes off to you. Any other of you SGA moms who have found yourselves in the same boat, drop a line and tell how the Lord helped you through it at: Magdale nescott@hotmail.com.
       (Editor's note: Or share it with us all by sending it to the Grapevine. We're praying for you!)

forum

[Newsletter means need]
       Peace (of Emman), Madagascar: The need for sister Homes in the West for those on the field has often been mentioned. We, in Madagascar, don't have a sister Home, (hint, hint!) but we really appreciate a few brethren who faithfully support us and communicate with us.
       I don't think those on home fields realize how much it means to those on d ifficult, far-flung and isolated fields to have people personally interested in their work, praying for them, keeping them updated on the news back home, passing on messages, etc. The funny thing is that these are people we hardly know (maybe that's why, ha!), but you can tell they have a heart for missionaries and understand the importance of communication.
       When we were in the West for seven years, we didn't realize the blessings we could have had by being a part of a field Home by mail. We s ent donations to different people but didn't get much feedback. The exception to this was Andy in Vladivostok. We also supported a national family on one of our previous fields. They were always faithful to thank us, but we didn't know how much our support meant to them. It wasn't till we visited them on our way to Madagascar that we learned we were their only mail support. If they were low on funds they'd ring their P.O. in another city, and if there was a letter from us they'd go out of their way to get it. If we'd known that, we would have been motivated to help them even more. Living in an affluent country you get so far removed from the life of faith that it helps to have the need really spelled out.
       My theory after nine years on the field is that anyone who writes a newsletter really needs help! It's such a battle to do it with all else that needs to be done; desperation is the thing that drives me to do it. If the finances are coming in another way, I shelve it. So please don' t file newsletters you receive in file "X"--the garbage--as one brother put it. So from someone whose been on both sides of the fence, if you don't need to do a newsletter for support, you can afford to support those who do, even if you think you can't.

[The Paparazzi Family?]
       Joy: Sometimes I wonder where we're headed when I hear excerpts of e-mails and the kind of advanced, immediate, world-wide, technologically-hyped gossip that passes around the Family at the speed of thought. I am remi nded of the newspaper hounds that sniff out the latest hot new stuff and that dwell on the dark side, in our case, of who just got excommed, or who's into dope or drink or not fulfilling their 20 months.
       There is a taste for literature--not the uplifting words of a good novel, nor even the factual newspaper, but the smut-sheet mentality that craves the latest Hollywood slime--that has pervaded our Family. It saddens me. Not only does it lift up and exalt the sins, but it also slowly deteriorat es the mind to stop believing in the ideals on which our Family is based. It also affects the people, those "celebrities" who are in the "news." Like Diana, they just have to run away, speeding down some mountain road to avoid the limelight, and sometimes rolling over down a spiritual cliff.
       So my response to it all is--get a life! Become a celebrity yourself, not by the rules you break or slide by, but by the spirit of God that will make you truly great. We're a Family, for God's sake! Let's stand by each other and lift up our brothers and sisters when they fall. Let's trash the trash and spread the Good News!

[Dear Adults]
       Anonymous: When we girls go to the guys' room--adults, don't make up or imagine things in your head. We just want some male company sometimes. After all, we're not nuns, are we? It's not like we're gonna have an orgy or something. We just wanna, like, talk to people of the opposite sex--guys! How are we gonna ever find our soul mate if we can't even talk to the guys without you hanging around telling us you wanna go to bed, but can't till we do? We're seniors and YAs, so I think you can go to sleep without making sure we're in bed first. Whaddaya say? Trust us a little bit? Please!
       Also, please don't talk about us young ones behind our backs. Even if you are telling other adults, it gets back to us. It's still gossiping. If you have something to say about us, why don't you tell us first?--Instead of it reaching us via the broken telephone.

hel p wanted

       Russian single mom in all-national Home in impoverished Siberia is moving to another fertile field. Need money and prayers very desperately. Will be mighty thankful for any help! Send to: RU031; Russian Virginia and George (14 months). E-mail: friends@nsu.ru.

       Don't miss the blessing of helping a single mom with three children on their way to AFRICA! We need you! Please send your donations via South Brazilian ABM to Maria Rosa (Peruvian).

letters to the editor

Re: Unloving attitudes (GV #56, page 11)
       I wouldn't consider those teens who "smoke, use bad language, get drunk, etc.," as famous. In my opinion, a famous teen is one who is sacrificially serving the Lord and has a real heart for others, as are a few that I know.
       I also don't think that "many" adults say that "teens are irresponsible and wild." For the most part the adults that I know treat us teens as equals and accept us as we are, even with all our faults. They don't look down on us.
       I can also und erstand how more shepherding and attention is spent on those "wicked teens," as obviously they do need it in order to hang on and make it.
       To me those days of harshness are over and I think that most of us are living the vision of the New Day. God bless you adults!
--Tatiana, France

grapes

       A big thank you to Aaron (of Elizabeth, serving the Lord in Africa)! A few years ago, in Budapest when you were staying at the campground, you were fundraising to go to Africa with Elizabeth and your little children. I was also leaving Hungary and had to get to the airport, but I didn't know my way around town and was feeling very much like "alone in London." Thank you for seeing me safely on my way. It was a real touch of the Lord's love for me and I've wanted to write you for years to say how much your seemingly small effort meant to me.
--Katherine

       We were so lovingly received in the Home of Pedro Chileno and Julia SGA. Both of them and their precious seven kids received us with ope n arms and made us feel at home. May the Lord bless them for that and supply more people to help them in their ministry!
--Paulo and Nina, Brazil

       Dear Tiago, Priscilla and Home in the South of Brazil: Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the supermarket provisioning you have shared with us (and many others) so generously. It has been a big blessing to us in money saved, but more importantly, we are deeply touched that you do this ministry sacrificially and with little or no earthly r ecompense, simply out of the goodness of your heart out of a desire to help others. Truly you fulfill the quote "You make it easy for us to be good," and leave us wanting to strive to do the same.
--Jenny and crew, Brazil

       Dear Matt and Joy, thank you for so sweetly inviting my kids to your kiddy activities! It means so much to them and me too. Not only that, but you take time out of your busy schedule to come pick them up and drop them off again, sometimes late at night.
--Jenny, Brazil

       To: Jonathan Waters. Hey Jon! I KNOW all our former SASH co-existentees would agree with me on this one, I just happen to be putting it into words: So proud of you for making it to China!! Happy Birthday! Wishing you the best this year.
--Phantom

       Clara, you are a very special person to the Lord and to us too!!! Thank you for being so faithful to take care of our (Home's) two younger kids, and for seeing the need and helping in other things around the house too during your stay with us. We really appreciate your help! Keep it up!!!
--Charity (19), Brazil

pray in a new way!
--by Nicole and the gals

Prayer Ideas:
       Futuristic: You pray as if your prayer has already been answered. Thank the Lord for the specifics of the prayer, by faith, as if it has already come to pass. Jesus said, "Before you call I will answer, and while you are yet speaking I will hear."
       Prayer Book: Have a little notebook or piece of paper that you pass around with a pencil so that anyone who has a r equest can write it down. As the book is going around, you can sing or listen to a song, or read quotes on prayer. Then, pray a blanket prayer over the contents of the paper/book and later post it on the bulletin board or some public place as a reminder to pray throughout the day.
       By Suits: If you have a deck of cards, give each person one card. All of the people with the "hearts" cards become a prayer group; all of those with "clubs" become a prayer group, and so on.
       Songwriter's Society: P ick a simple tune like, "I Want More of Jesus," and divide into groups of 3-5 people. Each team makes up their own song to that tune, as a prayer for their designated request. Or each team can simply pick its own tune.

Praise Ideas:
       Alphabet phrase: Pick a rhythm to say the following line to: "We're praising the Lord for such and such today…" Begin with the letter A, and each person praises the Lord for something beginning with that letter, to the beat of the phrase, without repeating anyth ing someone else said. If someone gets stuck, or if they say a word that has already been said, you start on the next letter of the alphabet.
       Appreciation: Put on a nice slow song, pick partners and dance together while thanking the Lord for what you appreciate about your partner. Every thirty seconds the one leading the praise time can call to "change partners," so that you can dance with a lot of people in one song.
       Thanking: Go around the room and say what you're thankful for about the pe rson on your right (or left).
       Pictionary: If you have a big whiteboard, have people come up one by one to draw a picture of what they're thankful for. The others guess what the person has drawn.

prayer tip
       For united prayer times, our YCs and OCs came up with the idea of taking turns being "the bottle" and spinning around to pick someone to pray, and also pointing two or three fingers at once. It's very cute and they really enjoy being the bottle! Hope you like it too!
--Izzy (of Phillip ), USA

Out on a limb
       Joseph and Heaven, USA: We (Joseph, Heaven, nine children, and Grandma Sara) arrived in the States two years ago from Europe. We were on our way to Africa when the Lord told us to come to the States. Upon our arrival, the Lord miraculously opened the door for us to stay with free rent in a small town where we were able to minister to many people and gain many friends, mainly through a church ministry. After two years of working very closely with our church friends, most of them rejected us when they found out about our history and controversial beliefs.
       We went through a few weeks of intense witnessing and a time of persecution (including a full inquiry with interviews of the children from Social Services after an anonymous phone call). The exciting side of it was to be able to witness and stand up for the Law of Love a month before we received the special Law of Love mailing. It really is our fundamental belief which separates us most from the churches and exposes their hypocrisy and their limitations.
       It brought an end to our ministry, but when praying the Lord asked us if we were willing to stay in the States and take up our cross for Him here, as we were hoping to go to some mission field. Then He confirmed to us the vision He had already given us to open a "welcome house" in this area, which could not only be a witnessing home, but also be used by the Family now for retreats and fellowships and in the future as a refuge.
       We had been lookin g for a place to buy in this mountainous area which could fit the vision of the welcome house. Now we had a month to find a new temporary home and with not much income, we ended up giving our last 50 dollars as a gift, along with our tithe. We had five days to find a place and nothing in sight. All along the Lord had been encouraging us with many prophecies, indicating that we were on the right track and that He was going to test our faith and prove His faithfulness. During that time we read man y Letters on faith and supply and fighting the fight of faith to encourage our faith when it seemed pretty scary having "sawed off the branch." On the morning of the 26th of that month the Lord supplied about $7,000 through an unexpected donation from a friend overseas, and that same day we found the perfect place to rent.
       We were already packed, by faith, as Etta in the story told by Grandmother; it was such a wonderful feeling to experience such a miracle and the Lord's faithfulness. Three y ears ago, not long after the Charter, we chose to make the Lord our supporter and to truly depend on Him financially. Since then we have experienced His continual miraculous supply and it has greatly encouraged our faith to see the Lord supply as He has for our large family (eight of our children are still under 10).

gaining givers

       As we strive to stay close to the Lord and listen to His whispers, He trusts us with more friends and sheep. The Lord has been taking very good care of us sinc e we came to China. Last month we decided to send a gift to some faithful missionaries in Taiwan; this month the Lord doubled our income! You never lose by giving!
--John and Joany, China

       When we decided to send a small gift to another Home, some time ago, it was all by faith, because we weren't doing very well financially ourselves. But the same day that we heard they had received the gift, a young lady decided to take some private English lessons from us, and has been giving us 10 times t hat donation's amount on a monthly basis for several months now! We have been able to help that Home again and were really encouraged to share with others.
       While out on a follow-up visit, a beggar came by the office of our friend and stood by the door for a long time. Neither our friend nor the secretary wanted to give (there are lots of beggars here), but we gave a small donation, and the beggar, an old lady, went away. Later when we presented our friend with our publications, he enthusiastic ally took them and gave a generous donation "for the work," which was exactly 100 times what we had given the "beggar." He never fails!
--Sammy, Ruth and Claire, Turkey

ideas and tips

Sale increaser
       To increase our sales we prepared an "Order Form" leaflet (4x8.5). We offer people who couldn't order tools on the spot, to fill out a "form" to be delivered on payday. Every person we introduce the tools to gets a copy of the "order form" to take home, for future orders. Also as a request f or referrals, we give extra "order forms" for their friends, if interested.
--James, Philippines

comp tip
--from a busy ABM, Europe
       Since I've been doing ABM work I've noticed that many folks don't seem to know that by saving Word files to RTF format, the size of the file shrinks a lot, saving time and funds for sending e-mail. When you save the file in Word, choose the "save as" option, and then choose RTF. You'll be amazed at how small your file is. One Word file I received was 150k and when I saved in RTF for forwarding it was only 10k!
       Another wee tip for saving in RTF is if you put quotation marks before and after your filename, i.e. "joh20abm.02" (or click the save as .rtf button) you won't get a .rtf extension.
       Also, does everyone know that if you are using DOS based programs which includes many programs used for sending e-mail, you can only save files with an 8 character name, plus a 3 character extension, otherwise you'll get funny squiggles in the filename? It's a big help if when sending files they have some bearing on the message. For instance, if John is writing to Julie in Taiwan, instead of just shooting off the file <> it should bear the name jul02joh.12 or jul02twn.uk (already saved in RTF format too, please). Thanks!

New stuff on MO site!

TEACHING THE DYSLEXIC CHILD
       Lessons and Tips from a Family Mother

MARY KAY ON PEOPLE MANAGEMENT
       By Mary Kay Ash
       (New York, NY; Warner Books, Inc. 1984)

receipts
--for your spirit story contributions

       Daniel Arrow (Russia), Sue and Rich (USA), Mary (India), David Z. (13, USA), Leilani (10, USA), Sara (8) and Anabel (13, of Victor and Patty), Toshi (14, of Jack and Jenny, China), Delight (Italy).

Also included with this file:
The Newdayz (by David Komic)
       Caption 1 Well, here goes my first try at getting a spirit story.
       Caption 2 Spirit story time! I've got a great one for him!!
       Caption 3 It all began in 1859 when I was 7 years old. We lived…
       Caption 4 It's no use! I can't get anything!
       Caption 5 I guess I don't have the gift.
       Caption 6 Come back here young fella!! I ain't even started yet! Hello? Hello? Operator! Operator!!

(End of file.)