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the grapevine
(Issue #67; June 15, 1999.)

kidbits

       Jayden Brooke, 1st child, born to Jo and Daniel on January 22.--USA
       Troy Vincent, born to Cecy and Jono on March 24.--North America
       Michelle Milestone, 2nd child, born to Dawn and Stephen on March 26.--Mexico
       Oliver Nagid, 1st child, born to Joy and Nadim on March 30.--USA
       Angelina Sofia, 6th child, born to Pandita and David on March 30.--Japan
       Anisha Ryan, 1st child, born to Chellie on April 3.--Mexico
       Jordan, born to Sharon a nd Jonathan on April 7.--Russia
       Laura Newlife, 7th child, born to Sarai on April 8.--Brazil
       Benjamin Kaiki, 12th child, born to Claire and Alf on April 9.--Japan
       Benjamin, 3rd child, born to Hepzibah and David on April 9.--USA
       Kevin Fisher, 2nd child, born to Crystella and Jo on April 10.--Mexico
       Cristina Michelle, 1st child, born to Nieves on April 12.--Chile
       Byron Andrew, 1st child, born to Kerenand Douglas on April 13.--Chile
       Ricardo Nicolas, 6th child, born to Marcela and Dieg o on April 14.--Chile
       Oliver Ricardo, 3rd child, born to Celeste and Marcos on April 20.--Brazil
       Amanda Lee Vincent, born to Peace and Eman on April 22.--Australia
       Pedro Antonio, 3rd child, born to Hosanna and David on April 23.--USA
       Anna Gabriela, 1st child, born to Dawn Pilgrim on April 24.--Brazil
       Preston Charles, 6th child, born to Esther Sunshine and Andrew on May 8.--India
       Baby girl, 7th child, born to Sara and Joseph on May 23.--Japan
       Larissa Clemetia, 2nd child, born to Dav ida Smile and Daniel Jeremiah on May 26.--Ukraine

tidbits

taken

       Ike T. and Angie F. were married on January 23. Congratulations!--China

       Douglas Andrew and Keren were married on April 7. Congratulations!--Chile

ponder

       Bad things happen, but they don't have to make you sour.

Y2K

       Has your Home begun stocking up on survival items? Are you setting aside finances? Don't wait till the last minute!
       Please share helpful tips with us, so that we can publish them for all! How is your Home getting ready?

brotherhood

Poland
       Abe (of Love): We had a great Senior/YA camp this summer in Hungary. God bless the SEEC (southern EE countries) VS team for organizing it and inviting us from the NEEC area (northern EE countries), as well as our sweet CROs for all their input and the wonderful time they spent with everyone. The Lord led this meeting to be a time of strengthening everyone in the areas of preparation for the dark days ahead. The discussion (class) times inclu ded topics such as a current event Endtime class led by Jo, and use of the new weapons--mainly prophecy. There was a time to get re-envisioned about our outreach and witnessing. We also touched on topics like gossip and unity as well as a Charter question and answer session. There was a lot of time for fun and fellowship, and recreational activities such as a concert from the European Studio, a game night, a dance night, plenty of get-out, etc.

Philippines
       Peter, Tender and Priscilla: We ho sted a one-day YA/senior teen meeting at our Home. It was a simple meeting where we read the prophecies from Jesus and Mama's commentaries from “Call to the Rescue” 1 and 2; choice quotes from “Spiritual Health Revolution” and some pages of From Jesus with Love Volume 2. We then pow-wowed suggestions on how to help our junior teens and JETTs in our area. We heard from the Lord and He indicated that we should hold a camp for the juniors. This was the most inspiring, feeding and well-participated in meeting I've attended with our young people. God bless our seniors and YAs, they entered in wholeheartedly and really want to help their younger brothers and sisters.

world news

       Chile - Our Web site “La Familia” was chosen as the best of the Top 10 in “Religious Associations” category from BIWE (a search engine like Yahoo, but from Spain).--Jose, Gloria and Charity

       India - We met the Maharaja of Baroda on a road trip a few months ago. After we told him about our project at a Remand Home, he invited us along with the boys (we were 50 in all) for a picnic lunch and a tour of the palace and museum.--John, Peter, Joy and Praise

headlines: CHRISTIANS -2 LIONS -0!!
--By Paul and Joy, Australia

       As Greg Walsh, the children's lawyer for the past seven years, drove towards the Supreme Court for the announcement to the judge that the civil cases had been settled, he said the Lord spoke to him. He felt led to get a football which would be signed by all the lawyers and the kid s. Football had a special significance for him as he remembered how the touch footy games he had with the kids had helped relieve the stress during the long months of hearings in the Children's Court in 1992. It seemed fitting to keep this memory alive in a small memento such as this.
       The score he wrote on the football, before handing it to the Crown's lawyers to sign, was CHRISTIANS 2 -v- LIONS 0.
       The ordeal had begun seven years earlier when officers of the police and the Department of Com munity Services (DOCS), conducted pre-dawn raids on Homes belonging to The Family on 15 May, 1992. The raids were described as the biggest in Australia's history and for the next four months in Children's Court the government tried to justify their actions, to no avail. On October 31, 1992, a mediated settlement of that case was reached with the government's initial allegations of “sexual abuse” being reduced to “concerns for the children's socialisation.” The government then paid for a year of tennis, music lessons and other activities for all of the children involved.
       And this was now the second time the NSW government had accepted defeat in a mediated settlement. Both of these results were suddenly and mysteriously brokered at a time when the government showed every indication that it would fight to the death before giving in to The Family!
       On March 31, Justice Dunford's judgement stunned DOCS. Since the Children (Care and Protection) Act of 1987 had been in force, DOCS had deve loped their own interpretation of parts of the legislation in such a way as to run roughshod over many families in this State by treating almost every intervention as an emergency. This condemnation by the State's top Court means that their social workers will have to be much more accountable to courts for their proposed actions from now on. They also look set to face a rash of litigation by families who have suffered through their all too often destructive, “seize now, ask questions later” appr oach.
       The mediation process is always difficult, especially when one of the main reasons a number of the kids gave for fighting the case was to seek a publicized apology from the police and DOCS. One lawyer friend likened it to an athlete preparing for an Olympic race. After months and years of training he gets to the starting blocks, only to be told the race has been cancelled and that he has been awarded 4th prize. This is a pretty good analogy in this case, as after months and years of prep aration, researching the law, wrestling with a hostile foe at every turn in what has been an acrimonious legal battle, within a few short days a deal was brokered. Then a short media conference heralded the news but with a muffled sound of “terms not to be disclosed” and to the public it seems to be all over.
       Nevertheless, it is a tremendous victory and one that all of us in the Family can be rightly proud of. There has never been a settlement like this in the State's history. Considering the power of DOCS and police in this state and the huge resources spent on amassing information through surveillance and investigation over many years in order to win the case, still justification could not be found for their actions. It has been estimated that the government spent $2 ½ million on this case in legal fees alone.
       As the Sydney families prepared for the mediation, the Lord encouraged us that the battle would be won by using the new weapons of praise and prophecy. Because the parents were not parties in the case, we were told that they would not be allowed to participate. We were a bit taken aback at first, but the Lord encouraged us through prophecy that this was His will. He said it was a time for the senior teens and YAs to come forward and fight and that they would “speak with the enemy in the gate. As I have promised they will be brought before magistrates and kings, but I will give them the words to speak” (Psa.127:5; Luke 12:11,12).
       He said time and again that the b attle was not ours but His and would only be won through prayer. In other prophecies received before the mediation, the Lord told us that He would be there with them.
       (Jesus speaking:) Above all, I Myself will be there in the mediation fighting for you. This battle is not a war of this world, it's a war of the spirit. This battle cannot be won in the flesh, it must be won in the spirit. Pray, pray and pray again. Pray for every aspect of the case. Pray continually, pray faithfully, pray desper ately, pray fervently, pray diligently, that I may fulfill My will in this case and bring about My desired results. Though you all have thoughts, feelings, anticipations and desires of your own, I ask that you put these aside and pray for My will to be done. (End of excerpts of messages from Jesus.)
       So we know that the outcome was very special and that the Lord really blessed the fervent prayer that went into every aspect of it. Knowing that the Lord was going to do it was a tremendous encoura gement and took a lot of pressure off and it was such a testimony how positive and united the team was throughout. At the beginning of the mediation the lawyers suggested that three of the teens/YAs should speak at a united session and explain what the raids and the court cases meant to them. Kylie, Stephen and Vincent spoke from their hearts, telling the mediator and even the government lawyers how the raids and last seven years have affected their lives. Later one of our lawyers said that this was the most powerful part of the whole mediation for him.
       Here is an excerpt of what Vincent (19) said: “I know that settling these issues here today will never compensate for the fact that these things have already happened to me, my family and my friends. There is no way of telling how I would have turned out had this never happened. It has involved a major part of my childhood. But I do hope that by closing this chapter of my life, I will be able to try to put these things in the past, an d all of us children will be able to see that justice is the right of every person in this country. We will not tolerate this abuse of power, abuse of the legal system, and lastly, but most importantly, abuse of children by the state.”
       The mediator was a retired Federal Court judge. One of his positions was to preside over the Royal Commission into the Lindy Chamberlain case (this was the Seventh Day Adventist mother depicted in the movie “Cry in the Dark.”) He was a very sweet man and spoke o f how distorted public opinion can be and the way misconceptions and rumors are spread in the media. Obviously he was very impressed by the fruit in our young people.
       The negotiations went on for five days until finally the terms of settlement were ready to be signed by the lawyers. The next day Michael Finnane, QC, told the court “The matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties involved.”
       The terms of settlement (that is the amount of compensation paid, etc.) must remain con fidential, but that didn't stop the media from jumping to their own conclusion that the children were awarded “massive” and “huge” compensation.
       The news was broadcast on radio and TV and in the newspapers. 2BL radio news reported: “The long running legal battle against the State of New South Wales by children from the religious group the Family has ended in the Supreme Court in Sydney. Fiona Halloran reports more than 60 children sought damages after they were taken from their Sydney homes in coordinated dawn raids in 1992.
       Fiona H: “Two months ago, the NSW Supreme Court dealt the state of NSW a blow. Justice John Dunford ruled that police and Community Services Department workers acted unlawfully when they raided three Sydney homes back in 1992 and temporarily removed 72 children involved with the Family. Judge Dunford said, “in entering the relevant premises, searching for and removing the various plaintiffs, the defendant's servants [officers of police and Community Services] a nd agents were not acting under any authority conferred by the warrants…but wrongfully and contrary to law.”
       The decision prompted the children's solicitor Greg Walsh to call for the state to settle the case. After four days of mediation the state and 62 of the 72 children have agreed to a confidential settlement avoiding a lengthy trial.
       Surrounded by some of the children, Mr. Walsh said his clients were extremely relieved and happy.
       G. Walsh: “I think it's been one of the most difficult cases that obviously I've ever been involved in.”

       Here is an excerpt of an interview Greg Walsh gave on prime time Australia wide radio:

       Announcer: “Well, you would have gotten to know them [the kids] over the years.”
       G. Walsh: “These kids are great; you would have them in your home. I have been so proud to have the opportunity to represent them. They're well behaved, very intelligent and very bright. In fact they are devoted to their beliefs. A number of these children have come back from overseas for this (mediation). Some of them have been working in India, a number of them have been working with the Reverend Bill Crews in helping to establish the Soup Kitchen out at Ashfield. They go into prisons and help prisoners. A lot of the work that they perform is really something that society benefits from but by the same token they're not from the main stream church movement.”

       What a victory to close this chapter of the Family's legal history with a “massive” win for each of the 62 children, for the Family and for our witness! PTL!

post-its

Apology time!

       WS: You may have noticed that something you've written up and sent in with your TRF comments/suggestions form has been published, be it in the Grapevine, Zine, FSM or another pub. A fair bit of the testimonies and articles printed in our Family pubs come from this avenue, and we're so thankful for your contributions. However, we're very sorry that we haven't clearly specified up until now that what you sen d in with your TRF might be printed for the entire Family.
       Aside from the obvious testimonies and articles of supply and pioneering, we have tried to be discreet and prayerful when printing personal lessons or articles of a more private nature. We often print these anonymously or attempt to edit out details we feel might be identifying. However, we haven't always done a sufficient job, and in some cases, our printing of sensitive articles has hurt some of you. We're very sorry for this and don 't want it to happen again.
       From now on, please keep in mind that whatever articles, testimonies, news, lessons, etc. you send in with your TRF are up for publication. That is, unless you specify otherwise. If you'd rather something NOT be published, then just put a note saying: “This article not for publication.” Then it will not be printed in any way, shape or form.
       Some of you who have sent in beautiful lessons or personal articles have simply stated that you would like the article if pri nted to be anonymous, or you have written the article in such a way to avoid being identified. This of course, makes it easier for us. And it's always a blessing to share your lessons and heart with others, even if for some reason or for the sake of others, it's better that you leave your name out of it.
       So in summary: Whatever articles, comments, testimonies, lessons or questions you send in with your TRF will be considered publishable, unless you state on the article that it is NOT for publi cation, or if you specify that it is to remain anonymous.
       Thank you again for your wonderful contributions, and please accept our humble apologies for our mistakes!

About Mama's mail
       From Theresa and Ashley, Mama's secretaries: Mama receives many personal letters on a daily basis from you, our precious Family. As we've explained before, although many of you have been able to receive a personal answer or prophecy, we aren't always able to answer everyone, or at least not right away. We're sorry that this has caused some of you to wonder and worry whether your letter made it to Mama.
       In order to reassure each sender of your letter's safe delivery, we recently have been and will continue to send off at least a short note within a few weeks of receiving it, letting you know that it has arrived. (A few exceptions would be: birthday greetings, notes of thanks to letters you received from Mama, and photos without accompanying notes.) So if you write to Mama, and after a month or so y ou haven't heard anything from us, you can pretty safely assume that somehow your letter didn't make it to us, and you'll probably want to re-send it. Hope this helps. We love you!

Ad: Testimonies needed!
--request from Mama

       If you're a new disciple or a young person who has recently joined or rejoined the Family--or even if it was a couple of years ago--you have a testimony that our Family young people need to hear!
       A number of our young people are at a crossroad in their service for the Lord, choosing whether to go on for Him or to leave the Family. Many have friends who have left the Family who tell them how great it is in the system, how they have independence, can get an education, have things they want, etc. Since they hear from those in the system, we thought it would be good for them to hear from you who have left the system to join or rejoin the Family.
       Those of you who have recently lived in the system and who found it wanting can share your experience in order to help those who are making choices.
       It would be helpful to share your own experiences, why you left the System, what you didn't like about it, what ways it affected you, what things you found in the Family that you didn't have in the System.--The reasons you decided to join or rejoin.
       Your personal testimony could be a real help to our young people. So I'd like to appeal to all young new disciples, young former ex-members or Fellow members who have returned to the CM Family, to please write up your testimony and send it in. Even if you're working on returning to the Family, but haven't made it yet, you can still write your testimony and tell us why you want to return. You may not think that you've got a lot to say or that what you have to say will make a difference, but it will, and you need to tell it.
       Why did you leave the System and join the Family? Why did you return to the Family after leaving it and joining the System? Give other young people the blessing of learning from y our experiences. The Lord gave you your testimony so that you could share it and help others. Will you?

legal and media

BBC Radio
       Gideon and Rachel, Africa: A warm, sunny winter morning in southern Africa. The phone rings. “Hello, this is the BBC from England. Can we speak to Gideon or Rachel Scott?” Much to our surprise, BBC Radio was inviting us to participate in a live one-hour radio program. We must admit we had not expected to hear from them now that we were in Africa. Incidentally, they phoned us just 20 minutes before the live show was to begin--just enough time for us to pray and hear from the Lord about what to say!
       The program was on religious groups in general and they had one girl called Valerie talking about her negative experience in a splinter group from the Church of England. Then Dr. Martin Percy (a canon in the Anglican church, Ph.D. and governor of INFORM) spoke for about 15 minutes, giving a very well balanced view of groups like ours. Then Rachel was give n seven minutes to speak about her experiences. She was able to explain our religious beliefs, our way of life, a bit about FFing, and had plenty of opportunity to talk about free will, positive experiences in the Family, CTPs etc.
       Then the interviewer said, “Now let's go over to Ian Hayworth of Cult Information Center, and then we will come back to you Rachel with further questions.” However Ian Haworth's phone was dead, so the interviewer came back to Rachel and gave her another ten minutes to speak, TYJ! She went on to say how media sensationalism had hurt our group, explained about the raids on our communities and subsequent exoneration. She was also able to give her personal testimony of the wonderful life she has led in the Family, with 12 children and seven grandchildren, and the many CTP projects in which the Family is involved in Africa. They finally managed to get Ian Hayworth on the air, but thank the Lord he did not have much time left to spread his usual rubbish about us , brainwashing and cults. So thank You Jesus, it was good to be back on air in England, especially as we did not have to leave wonderful, inspiring and fruitful Africa to do it, ha!

backtracking

       In Grapevine #65, under Letters to the editor there is an inspiring testimony along with a little mix-up of names. The letter is signed Ben and Meekness from Namibia. Sweet Ben and Meek are from Botswana. We sure love their article and say a wholehearted yes to it! We are Philip and Meekness from Namibia (very close neighbors).
--Philip and Meekness, Namibia

P.S. WLY, Ben and Meek!

Y2K info

       Phil, Marie and Mercy, USA: In our Home meeting to plan acquiring one month's worth of Y2K materials for our Home, we divided our needs into four areas: Food, Water, Energy, Supplies and Miscellaneous. We made estimates of what items we would need to get for each of these four categories. At first sight such a project seems a little daunting. But we are making progress week by week.
       Just as we were getting rolling, we found out about a Y2K EXPO in our city which we were able to attend. There were some 200 vendors at this event and we had lots of fun there and made some worthwhile purchases, too. If any Homes would like to log onto a site showing where there will be other Y2K EXPOS in other U.S. cities, visit www.preparedness.com or you can call at: 1-801-256-9978.
       Another interesting site about Y2K information is: www.michaelhyatt.com. This man is the author of “The Millennium Bug: How to Survive Coming Chaos” and on his site is an interesting “Message To Christians” about Y2K.

babymania

       note: If you have one kid or several, if you've been a teacher or a childcare worker--in short, if you've been in the Family--you probably have some hilarious, sobering, insightful, comforting and heart-warming tales about your little tykes stashed somewhere in your mind and heart. Share those moments with all!
       We're shifting Babymania's focus to be more anecdote and persona l experience oriented, and we think you'll all enjoy it. But we need your contributions! Submit a column for publication, and we'll use the best ones. Here's a few tips:
       Keep your column to 700 words or under.
       Liven it up with a bit of humor!
       Stay personal. Everyone likes to read about personal experiences.
       Share tips or stories with a good moral.

Those Terrible Two's: It Comes to Pass
By Jaz

       As we sat at the dinner table together last night, I passed Kimby a bite of my salad. “H ere,” I said. “Do you want a taste?” She ate it eagerly, and then exclaimed in ecstatic tones, her eyes half-shut with delight, “Oh, thank you, Mommy!” She reached over for her cup of water and held it out to me, “Here, do you want a sip?” I took a sip, thanked her, and then she looked at me with a smile and a great big sigh, and exclaimed: “Oh, it's so nice to share!”
       In the middle of this storybook moment, I couldn't help thinking to myself … what is wrong with this picture? I know it's awfu lly pessimistic when your first reaction to a situation like that is to want to whip out your thermometer, but I guess it had been a while since I'd been treated to such a display of her Christian graces. The truth is, for the better part of the last year I have been a prisoner of those “terrible two's.”
       In thinking about it today, I have remembered that there was a time when Kimby was our Home's little sunshine girl, walking around dispensing smiles, hugs and kisses at will, or impulsively cl asping hold of a grown-up's leg in a sudden outburst of affection. More recently, though, I've found myself following her around the house on full-time excuse-her-for-living mode, quick on the draw with explanation after explanation. “Oh, I'm so sorry … she got up really early this morning and didn't take a nap!” “She's in a bit of a cranky stage these days; she really didn't mean that!” “Kimby, you come right back here and say you're sorry!” And on we go….
       All this patchwork parenting can get pretty tiring after a while! I recently got a letter from my friend Jewel (of Aaron, in Taiwan). Two of her three adorable little rascals have gone through that patience-defying age, so I had asked her if she had any insight to help me in my own fight. Here's her advice on the subject:

       (From Jewel, SGA:) “I have had a kid in the `terrible two's' for two years now. Anthony started at 1-½ and ended at 2-½, while Adina started at about 2 years and 3 months, so I am guessing it will be a few mo re months yet.
       “One physical thing I have noticed is that when the second-year molars start to come in, that's about the time that it gets really bad, and then all four take about 8 months to fully come in, and then it starts getting better.--Not to excuse the kids' behavior because of their teeth, but I think it does have something to do with it. Both my kids came back to wanting to get in my bed every night during this time, but afterwards slept in their beds fine again.
       “Whatever time it starts, you have about a year of it. One thing that works well is anticipating the kids' needs; then you don't have a scene on your hands. Another thing is giving them time on their own, to play with their toys or books in a corner. It gives them time to get into their little game and sort of assert their independence. My kids like their beds for this sort of thing.--Like that was their domain, and they had their toys and enjoyed that time alone. They also both started to carry a backpack or bag of their favorite toys at this age too. They both became very possessive and we had to really work on it, but they were more inclined to share toys that there is a lot of the same thing of.
       “As soon as they could start to do things on their own they got happier, and easier to care for too, like dressing, cleaning, feeding, etc. Getting personal input makes them easier to handle too, if they feel they have had some time with a big person and haven't been ignored.”

       Well, I guess the main th ing that I've learned from the terrible two's is that they do have an end. Whatever it is about that age that seems to transform perfect cherub-cheeked angels into … something slightly less so, it won't last forever. It's a stage--a difficult one, I'll grant you, and one that can be borne with only the choicest dispensation of love, prayer, correction and infinite patience--but a stage it is. And like all other stages … it will come to pass.
       (Disclaimer: This is not to imply that our Kimby now lives in a constant bubble of heaven-on-earth such as the one I described above. She continues to go through her daily display of the good, the bad and ugly, and probably the reason I remember the above event so clearly is its uniqueness! But at least she seems to be shedding some of the characteristic “terrible two's” traits, and for that I am eternally thankful.)

crusading

Indonesia
       From J.A.V.A. (Jakarta Aid Volunteer Association) Daniel and Crystal, Tim Drummer (of Debbie), Claire S GA and Brian YA: Imagine yourself on a tropical island, in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by exotic birds and wild animals. You can swim through live coral alongside tropical sea creatures, all the while knowing that at the end of this paradise weekend you won't be paying a cent! Even better, someone is paying you just to be there. This is the second time our team of five YAs/ SGAs was asked to lend our services as vacation entertainers and activity coordinators.
       A company that was aware of our humanitarian aid activities contacted our resident clowns, Frank and Ike, requesting their performance at a vacation weekend for their staff. As it turned out, they were already fully booked for the days they would be needed by the company. So Frank and Ike referred them to our team of five dexterous youngsters. After meeting with the company's vacation coordinator, the idea for activity on the island quickly mutated. We were now going to be a band, clowns, and a kids' club daycare! The i dea was to be very spontaneous and flexible, often using the element of surprise, with such tools as water guns and water balloons.
       This all sounded very exciting to us but we were not exactly sure what to expect. Needless to say, the week before the event was a busy one. Last minute preparations involved getting our clown outfits tailored, learning face painting, purchasing prizes and special gifts (all of which were paid for by the company), getting together materials for the games and activ ities we planned, and learning 15 new songs for our brand new band to perform as fill-ins during disco dancing.
       After a two hour speed boat ride from Jakarta, we arrived in paradise. As soon as we got settled in and had our local buffet lunch, we got right to work. After the first day of doing outlandish activities with the children, everyone was shocked to see the “childcare workers” getting up that night and performing renditions of old rock and roll numbers such as “Johnny B. Good,” and “Gr eat Balls of Fire”.
       From the start, the company was very interested in our social activities in the city, so they had us put up a billboard of pictures and explanations of our work. Many times during our stay, people would ask us for more information and were very interested. Only later did we find out that many of the people we had been talking to were the company's top executives. Meeting these key people has helped open many doors and potential contacts.
       This whole adventure turned out to be a major success. The entertainment coordinator and all those attending were thrilled at the results, and thanked us over and over for helping to make their vacation an enjoyable one. Not only that, but this became the beginning of a brand new project that we are launching together with the company, that of working with the street children in Berat Gebang--the garbage dump of Jakarta. These children spend their young years collecting garbage in order to help support their families. The needs are extreme, but so are the possibilities.
       After our activities at the island, the company promised to make a donation to our work on top of the $350 they were paying us to host this weekend vacation. At the time we, along with the whole country, were experiencing a little financial crisis so we kept this in our daily prayers. You can imagine our surprise when Daniel went to the bank one day and found an extra $800! TYL! A miraculous answer to prayer!

happenings

[Land mine conference]
       From Martin, Mercy, Jonathan and team, Mozambique: In May there was an International Conference on Anti-Personnel Land Mines held in our city. All the countries that had signed the Ottawa Pact banning land mines had delegates present. We were able to obtain name badges that gave us free access to any of the meetings or activities that were held. This enabled us to meet some government officials and many UN personnel.
       There is very little assistance available for the many land mine victims in t his country, so we are starting to follow up on the people we met, with the hopes of starting some kind of training program for these forgotten land mine victims so they can later get jobs. Would you like to help us? Do you know anyone who would be interested in helping to fund a project like this? Thanks for your prayers and help!

[Cancer hospital ministry]
       Sarah (of Samuel), India: We have a fruitful ministry in a local cancer hospital. It all started when we read in the newspaper that th e woman in charge of the gynecology department was holding a two-day training program for volunteers in order to form a breast cancer support group. Mary and I attended these sessions. About 100 ladies attended the training program.
       After the program was over, we felt led to initiate a meeting to see how we could help. At our first meeting, only five women attended. We decided that we would begin counseling women at the Out Patient Department (OPD). We each chose a day and were off to a start. Presently we have a team of two women going to the hospital five days a week. The women that we see are so broken and thankful for encouragement, counsel and prayer. Even though most of these women are devout Hindus, they will not leave before we have prayed for them, because they see us praying for others.
       While working in the hospital we found out that there is also a children's ward. The children stay for sometimes up to eight months in the hospital as they undergo chemotherapy or radiatio n treatment. They are looked after medically, but otherwise there is not much for them to do, as there are no teachers or therapists for the children.
       We have started to do activities with these children such as art, singing songs, playing games, etc. Last month we had a birthday party for all the children (of the 25 children there, 16 do not know when their birthday is) with sponsored presents for all. The teens dressed up as clowns and we had a lot of fun. It's very rewarding to see the chil dren's faces light up when we come.
       We aren't able to “preach” as such, but we pray that our sample will have an influence in the lives of the patients, parents, hospital staff and other volunteers. The lady who I go to the hospital with says she doesn't have much faith and is a Hindu, but she always makes sure that I pray with the patients, ha!

       We, Samuel and Sarah and our six children (ages 11 to 2 ½), are looking for a Home that would like to adopt us. We joined in India and have always been here. Presently the team we have been working with is moving on. We have a very fruitful ministry in a local cancer hospital with women suffering from breast cancer, as well as with the children who stay up to 8 months in the hospital while undergoing therapy. We also tutor 30 slum children. In order to continue these ministries and reach other needy souls, we need your help! If you would like to adopt us or help us we would be very thankful. Gifts can be sent to Samuel/Sarah (IA32). E-mai l is: faminact@xlweb.com.

[Party for slum kids]
       Catherine, Brazil: When we first started working in the slums here, we trained a local girl who eventually got a job with the mayor's office working in the nearby first aid station. Through the mayor we met a concerned city council man who has been helping us a lot. He provided the use of a fancy children's club for 80 of our slum kids for Children's Day.
       Flor and I went with the children, and they sent two buses to pick us up and take the k ids home. When we got there we were shocked at how fancy it was, complete with computer games. Women went around serving yummy coxinbas (meat and cheese filled pastries) and drinks while the kids bounced free on the elaborate McDonalds' style playground inside. After two hours of free play, there were clowns and games with prizes and more play. The kids said they would never forget it.

[My artificial leg]
       Heaven, South America: I wanted to tell you of the wonderful things the Lord has done for me. Thanks to the different Homes that helped me and the gift I received from our Family Aid Fund (FAF), I was able to get a new artificial leg.
       There have been various prayer requests that explained that what I needed cost thousands of dollars here in South America. Thanks to the fact that our Lord is so loving and faithful, I met a friendly orthopedic doctor and after witnessing to him and explaining our limited financial resources, he offered to donate his work. This lowered the total c ost by almost 60%. TTL! Since many visits were required to fit the leg, and I lived in another city, when I needed to travel and stay various days at a time, the Homes lovingly let me stay with them and drove me to my appointments. They were always so, so loving! I want to make it known now that it is all over and as of two months ago I have my new miracle “acquisition.”
       With God nothing is impossible! He really does spoil us. He treats us so well. ILYSM and thank you dear Family for helping s o much!

[Inside Bosnia]
       From Enoch, Chris (SGA), Aaron and Marisa (YAs), Lance (YA) and Daniel (14) for the Sarajevo Home: The Mine Awareness programs for villages in high risk areas have been going very well, TTL! Our team did about 10 programs along with officers from the UN international police task force and the local police. It's been a sight traveling to the different schools with a caravan of two jeeps, one UN vehicle, a local police car and our van--quite an escort! It's been a grea t opportunity to give a good witness, not only to the school kids and teachers but to the soldiers and police officers we are working with, some of whom are becoming good friends. We received an official letter of thanks from the UN authorities who oversee these programs, commenting that they would not be able to carry on the programs successfully without our help. We were also requested to help with drug prevention programs, as drug abuse is a growing problem amongst the youth in Bosnia. So tha t's a new challenge for our team, please pray for us!
       The situation with NATO strikes and the worsening crisis with the Kosovar refugees is desperate! While greater numbers of refugees have gone to Albania and Macedonia, tens of thousands came here to Bosnia and it is not an ideal situation for these poor people who have had to leave everything behind and face a very bleak and uncertain future. We are very encouraged though, as we have been very well received in the camps and have been able to give lots of witness and Word to many. Our team wants to continue our relief programs in the camps, especially activities with the children, which we've found very fruitful, and we will also offer our help with first aid, distributing basic needs, etc. Teams from other countries are expected to come and help both Homes here in this great task. Please pray that things will go smoothly with all the organization and coordination of this special and urgent project!
       A special thank you to the prec ious brethren and Homes who are sending gifts for the work here, we couldn't continue without your sacrificial giving and prayers!

China, first impressions
--By Jonathan Waters, SGA

       I can think of nothing more fitting to begin with than part of a poem that was written to me, before I left for China.

       China calls my heart away
       China haunts me night and day
       Of China I dream, rise and wake
       China threatens my life to take
       Their searching eyes hold me in a grip
       Ne'er to be releas ed till I've made the trip.

       They say first impressions are lasting ones; I pray they are for me. Coming to China and getting to know the people of this great land has been a beautiful experience. I love the effect that this place is having on me. I feel as though it is rewiring and changing me; for which I am very thankful.
       In all there is here--the sights, sounds, smells, the bustle of the crowded cities--one thing reaches deep into my soul: the people of China. They are generally the swe etest and most receptive people I have met. They nearly all seem humble but wise, well mannered and courteous but not haughty. They are poor but rich in spirit. They appreciate the simple but meaningful things of life--a meal together, a walk, talking with one another. They are friendly but not too familiar. The children are the most adorable bundles of joy you have ever seen. Each one is a darling that you just want to lift up and hold in your arms!
       I got to spend a day with a Chinese Christi an family. We sang songs for about an hour, hymns in Chinese and English, and they were so thankful for the message. They are so hungry for the simple love of Jesus! Here you get the feeling that you are truly helping to establish a strong national Church.
       After months of working on getting here, I am so thankful to have finally made it! I am not disappointed. It is even better than I expected. I landed in Hong Kong in late January, coming from the US. I then spent a few days in southern China , in one of the cities where they began their “open policy” toward private business. These ideas are now spreading throughout China; everywhere there are signs of development.
       From there I took a train north. Although getting the tickets was quite an ordeal, train travel in China was better than I had expected. In fact, the whole trip was so neat. I met lots of people who wanted to talk and I made so many friends. The people here are so eager to communicate with foreigners. It was also a chanc e to see rural China, which is a lot like I expected it to be … extremely poor, but, at the same time, simple and beautiful. I almost didn't want the trip to end! And it hasn't--China is a constant adventure. I will begin attending class to learn Chinese soon.
       Now is the time we must prepare to reach China. It is now beginning to open in ways unheard of 10 years ago. Much of the change is economic, but that is opening the door to a flood of new ideas from the West. Not all of them are good, bu t the people are so hungry to learn, to know. I believe that we need to be here to feed them, to give them Jesus.

       When your life ends, will you say with pride,
       “China has taken my life--for them I have died.”
       I plead for those words, that your lips they not miss
       For my spirit, seal every Chinese soul with God's kiss.

       I want to give of my life to help the people of this great and intriguing country, this land of beauty and mystery; the land of multitudes! I am falling in love with C hina.

young people and King Peter …
--casual question and answer sessions, compiled from Peter's visit to South America

       DISCLAIMER: Don't skip this--it's important! We hope you have fun with the following questions and answers, taken from transcripts of question and answer meetings that Peter held with the young people throughout South America.

       Naturally, many repeat questions were asked during these informal get-togethers. In the interest of giving you the most info possible, we've added to some of the answers from a number of the meetings. In other words, if you happened to be the one who asked one of these questions, but it doesn't appear to be worded verbatim or the answer has more to it, that's because someone else asked the same or a similar question, and we added the feedback from the answer they received as well, for the benefit of the readers.

       Please also note that we're leaving these questions and answers as they were given--in a casual and informal setting. T hey're not Family statements or the new “final word” from King Peter. In each case, the answer could be much longer than it presently is, but space is a factor! So while the answers below may not be 100% complete and all-inclusive, we thought you'd be interested in knowing what questions young people were interested in asking Peter, and hearing his answers.

       There are many more questions and answers to come, God willing. This first compilation focuses on life in Mama and Peter's Home. Upcomin g topics include the Law of Love, prophecy and its use, business and finances, witnessing, responsibility and trust, Y2K, Charter life, excommunicable offenses, security, Family music, and much more! Enjoy!

“How many young people do you have in your Home?”

       I can't say how many, but I can say that about half of our Home are young people. Probably not quite half of all WS--but pretty close--is young people. It's really been fun to have young people in our Home. It's changed a lot of things.
       For one, it's changed our work. We couldn't do all the work that we do without the young people. Since the young people came, we've had the Grapevine, the Zine, the LinkUp, what else? Spirit story mags and Heaven's Library books, the END, and more pubs. All the above pubs are managed by young people, with the exception of the END which is done by one FGA and one SGA. There's a new pub coming called BLADE, that's also a half/half team.
       DV, we're going to have a new magazine for women soon. I ts current working title is EVE. Like “Adam and Eve,” but I don't know if that title will stick. It is also done by SGAs. It's full of things for women--beauty tips, breast cancer information, exercise tips, horoscopes, personal surveys, etc. And it has naked men on the cover!--Just kidding.
       The young people in our Home do a lot of work, and for the most part, young people manage most of those magazines. We're presently making some changes in the FSM department, which will now be basically run by young people as well.--Not necessarily for young people, but put together by young people.
       As we brought the young people in, everyone went through a time of transition. But now you don't notice a difference or feel a big gap between young and old.
       That doesn't mean we're all the same though! Young people have different likes and dislikes than older people. On my day off, I might think plopping on my bed and reading all day and just lazing around is nice. Whereas for a young person, mayb e they want to go out and do something. So we've learned to understand our differences and accept each other as we are.
       On the work level, all the young people in our Home are equal with the FGAs. They carry responsibilities and manage magazines. People do their job and are very responsible. The young people pray and hear from the Lord just like the older people do, and it all works well.
       Some people have the idea that the people at our house are totally weird or totally spiritual. They're n either. They're no more weird than the people in your Home! They all love the Lord like you.

“Do you have a normal schedule with devotions and breakfast and all the rest?”

       Yes, everyone in our Home--except Mama and I--has a regular schedule. (Mama's and my schedule varies sometimes.) They get up at a set time and have breakfast and united devotions together four times a week and private devotions on the other days. Then everyone goes about their work; most do pubs work, sitting at a desk. Lunch and dinner is at a certain time, people take get-out, and on most nights people work some after dinner. But there are nights when we have activities, videos, dances, etc.

“Do you have kids in your Home?”

       Now we have one--Colette. She's just over a year old. Having a child is another thing that has really changed our Home. It's great!--And it's been a long time, aside from Trevor's six-month visit.

“Do you have single moms in your Home?”

       No. But we do have single moms in WS. In fact, my daughter is a single mom and she sent me around to look for some guys!--That's why we took your pictures, ha!--Just kidding. She isn't in our Home, but in our WS Homes, yes, we have do have single parents.

“Are there any teens in your Home?”

       No, we don't have any teens at present. Nicole was 18 when she came to our Home, but she just turned 20 the other day.

“Do the young people in your Home do anything wild, like slam dancing?”

       Never! They only pray…. Yes, they do some pretty wild things sometimes, but not slam dancing.

“Did you and Mama have a wedding, or some type of ceremony with your Home? Or was it just individual?”

       We had our ceremony before the Lord in our bedroom, just the two of us. (Passes two rings around the room for people to look at.) The one with hearts is our marriage ring to the Family, and the other one is Mama's and my personal marriage ring. We prayed and Dad gave a message in prophecy. He put our hands together (in the spirit, of c ourse) and said we were one. (See ML#2996:53)

“Do you guys still move around as much as you did with Dad?”

       We still do move around. Sometimes with Dad we moved a lot, but at other times we stayed put for quite some time. I'll give you an example: A long time ago we moved from France to South Africa to Portugal to Sri Lanka to Singapore and to the Philippines--all within seven or eight months. Then we were in the Philippines for six years, although within the Philippines we moved four time s.
       It's similar now; sometimes we move more, sometimes we move less. We try not to let our roots grow down too deep, because if you do, when you have to move you end up with a ton of stuff to get rid of.

“How does it feel to live incognito, behind the scenes?”

       It's not a big deal for me because I've been doing it for 20 years. I don't feel so behind the scenes. We live in a normal Home. We eat normal food. We have devotions, etc. We have to be careful about our witnessing because we don 't want people to know we're the Family, but we still are able to do some witnessing. The hard part for me is not seeing the Family so much, but I get to see you every now and then, which is very special.
       For some of the young people who have come to WS, the change has been very difficult, because they've been used to a lot of go here, go there, the big rah-rah, and they don't get around as much as they did before. It's more difficult for them, but they make it. But since I've done it for 20 y ears, I would probably have trials not living incognito, ha!

“Can you guys pass out tracts?”

       Yes, it depends. Each time we move we have to pray and ask the Lord what to do. When Mama and I go places--because we don't go out very often and people don't see us over and over--we do give out tracts. Generally speaking, we don't give out tracts real close to where we live, but when we go further away we do.

“How do you handle your neighbors if you're trying to be selah, but still maintain g ood relations?”

       We really pray and try to be friendly with our neighbors. We have something that we explain to them about our being there, and so far the Lord has protected us. It only takes one neighbor to give you a hassle, and in our case we wouldn't stick around because we don't want big problems. All in all, it's been the Lord's protection and the Family's prayers that have kept us safe all this time. But we do move and we don't always stay in one place for a long time.

“Do your pare nts and Mama's parents visit you and know where you live?”

       They've gotten used to the fact that I don't tell them where I live, since I've been in WS for a long time. They've known all these years that I've worked with Dad and Maria. My parents are okay about it but they don't especially like the Family; they're tolerant though.

“Do you always call Mama, “Mama”?”

       Usually I call her “Sweetheart” or “Honey.” But yes, I often call her Mama. Everyone else in the Home calls her Mama. Well, I probably call her “Honey” most of the time. Maybe somebody else calls her “Sweetheart,” I don't know. But that's okay, because she calls other people “Sweetheart” or “Honey.”
       In our Home, we look at it as if we're basically all mated together. We're One Wife. Mama and I are together and there are other people in the Home who are couples, but we try to remember that we're all still One Wife. Sometimes she'll get on the phone and say, “Oh hi, Honey” to someone who is not me!! But I call peopl e “Honey” too, so ….

“Do you listen to System music?”

       Every once in a while I might put on Handel's Messiah, or some other classical piece. So the short answer is: Yes, I do. But if I say that, you might interpret that much differently than you should. Really the answer is no. If I have music to put on, I almost always put on Family music. Once in awhile I put on an instrumental, but usually it's something like “How Great Thou Art.”
       In our Home, most people don't listen to System music. Once in awhile one of the young people might play something that's not Family music in their room, or occasionally you go in the kitchen and the Christian Variety tapes are playing.

“Can I ask you a yes or no question? It's kind of worldly. Do you play chess?”

       No, I don't. I never learned how. Besides, it would take up too much of my time.

“Do you or Mama cook?”

       I cook. I don't normally cook for the whole Home, but I cook for Mama sometimes.

“How often do you have dances?”

       I would say if you were going to average it out, maybe once every couple months, usually on a birthday.

“Do you and Mama go to the dances?”

       Sometimes. It depends on the situation and how Mama is feeling. I go more often than Mama, as when she goes she has to use her eyes more and it makes her more tired. But there have been some times when she's come.

“Do you have a hobby or favorite pastime? What's your favorite sun sign?”

       I used to have a garden some years back where I grew veget ables. The reason was because vegetables don't talk back and they don't cause problems! Ha! I also taught myself to play the recorder, which is a simple wooden flute.
       My favorite sun sign--I don't know that I have one. It depends on the people. It's hard to paint everyone with a wide brush.

“Do you play basketball?”

       No, but that's because I have a bad heart and a bad back. I do exercise. I bike, walk and lift weights. I do like basketball and I used to play it. Some years back I was bot h jogging and playing basketball and I had a heart attack, so I've stopped both jogging and basketball. People in our Home like to play basketball, volleyball and other sports, depending on where we are and what we can do.
       The reason I can lift weights even though I have back problems is because you can control the motion and get your back ready for it, but when you're playing any other sport, you're running and moving fast and you don't know how you're going to fall or land, and it can be pre tty hard on your back. Also because of my weak heart, I can't exercise strongly for a long period of time.

“Where is David?”

       He's at our house and is together with Nicole. He helps in our Home as the handyman and helps the teamwork. He takes care of the scheduling, etc. Nicole works with someone on the kitchen, and she and David take care of the shopping, among other things. They're real pillars in our Home. They do a lot of stuff that allows the rest of us to do pubs work. They're doing well.

“What's your favorite style of music?”

       I don't think I have a favorite style. I just judge by the song.

“What's it like living with Mama? It must be kind of weird that she's your wife, but at the same time, she's the head of the Family. Was that kind of odd for you at first?”

       It wasn't so hard because I'd lived with the Folks for 17 years and I'd been in love with Mama and close to her for 14 years. So as far as her being the head of the Family, that wasn't such a big change for me, because I'd already had that relationship with her for a long time.
       But I have to admit, it's a lot more fun being married to her than it was when I wasn't married to her. She's fun to live with and what you read about her in the Letters and what Dad said about her is really true--it's really Mama. On one hand she's very prayerful and she loves to hear from the Lord, and is often asking for prophecies about this and that. She's serious about her work and about the Lord, yet she's also very fun and young in spirit. We laugh a lot together and enjoy ourselves.

“Does she do things like watch movies?”

       No, she doesn't watch movies. Her eyes are doing a little better, but generally speaking, we still keep our room pretty dark, though not as dark as before. If I have the window or the shades open, she keeps her sunglasses on.
       She keeps her eyes closed a great deal of the time. She can open them and when she does, she sees fine, but it burns them so she keeps them closed. Th e light bothers them as well. But lately she's been able to open her eyes more. It still hurts her when she uses them but she doesn't get bad headaches like before. That's a tremendous answer to your prayers.
       She can go for walks during the day, but often she'll hold on to my arm and keep her eyes closed. So I become her seeing-eye dog, and I'll say, “there's a step coming,” and I make sure she doesn't fall into any holes. Thank you so much for praying for her, because her improved health has been a wonderful miracle.

entertainment

Movies Rated for Senior Teens and Up

ASSIGNMENT, THE (1997)
Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland
       Action-drama about a naval officer who is recruited to impersonate an international terrorist, in order to trap him. Beware of some intense and violent scenes.

Movies Rated for Junior Teens and Up

SHOOTING FISH (1997)
Dan Futterman, Stuart Townsend, Kate Beckinsale
       Off-beat comedy about two orphans-turned-con-artists who invent elaborate schemes to fleece the rich.

ENTRAPMENT (1999)
Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones
       Suspenseful action movie following an insurance company employee who is sent to track down and help capture a notorious art thief.

INCOGNITO (1997)
Jason Patric, Irene Jacob
       Drama about an expert art forger who is hired to paint a fake Rembrandt, and runs into unforeseen complications along the way.

Movies Rated for JETTs and Up

NEVER BEEN KISSED (1999)
Drew Barrymore, David Arquette
       Romantic comedy abo ut a reclusive journalist who goes undercover to infiltrate the popular clique in a local high school and write a story about today's teens.

Non-Recommended Movies

MUMMY, THE (Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz; 1999)

reviews

The Assignment
       (Jesus speaking:) This is an interesting movie on the effects of your environment, and how you are influenced by the things around you. It's so easy to say, “These things don't affect me. I'm strong, I'm not affected by that!” But as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he; whatsoever a man sows, he will reap; and what things you willingly partake of, you will first accept in your mind, and then become.
       Some parts of this movie are just entertainment; other parts are not good and are quite evil. There is also a strong message of the dangers of partaking of the table of sin--even for the best of reasons--and thinking you can come out unscathed. It's not that you can never get over it, but in reality you could not truly overcome such an immers ion in the ways of evil without the true cleansing of My Spirit.
       Those who see this movie should be very on guard when they go into it, and not just sit down, lightly thinking, “This is going to be a nice, entertaining movie.” Rather they should start with a good prayer that they will get the lessons that I have for them. (End of message from Jesus.)

Shooting Fish
       (Dad speaking:) This movie had a sweet spirit. The main characters weren't always doing the right things, in fact they did qui te a few things that were wrong, but it all comes out in the end, and the score evens up in the long run. It's got a good sideline message about how deception doesn't pay. These guys were trying to milk the System, but a lot of the ways they went about it were wrong, and they wound up paying for it. We've learned how to make the System pay for our work, but there's a night and day difference between us and them--we're peddling a product that really delivers, praise God! There's some sweet messag es in there, albeit somewhat hidden ones. But it has a sweet spirit and I would say that most people will enjoy watching it. (End of message from Dad.)

Entrapment
       (Dad speaking:) This is a pretty fun, exciting movie. It doesn't have a whole lot of meaning or message or lessons in it, but it's a good example of an exciting, action-filled movie that doesn't have all that System gore and violence that so many thrillers have these days. You know what a thriller used to be? It used to be a good old fashioned nail-biter, a mystery, suspense, where you really had to think and you were kept guessing the whole way through. I loved those kind of movies! But nowadays you say `thriller' and what you end up with is a pile of blood and guts, ugh!
       Anyhow, this is a real guesser, and it's got a sweet love story to boot. Don't expect a whole lot in the way of meaning, and don't look to the samples of the main characters as role models, but if you just want to sit back and relax, this is a fun on e. (End of message from Dad.)

Incognito
       (Jesus speaking:) Oh, the tangled lives that those who are not in My fold oft lead! This poor young man, though talented and anointed, had no faith and he led a confused and fearful life, content to hide behind the works of others. Pray for these poor people who know not the faith that I have to offer. They struggle to find confidence in themselves, all the while never realizing that they can gain confidence by faith in Me which will in turn give them faith and confidence in what I have made them.
       Though this movie was mostly for entertainment, there were good lessons of honesty and having faith in people. What a little faith can kindle in some people's hearts! Sometimes you have to take the plunge and make a decision of faith even when it seems that there's an easier way out. It was this burst of faith that set him free from the bondage of the false sense of security that bound him to hide behind others for so long. But pray, My children, pray for these poor lost and confused souls that they might find Me, that they might find truth. (End of message from Jesus.)

Never Been Kissed
       (Dad speaking:) This is a sweet movie. I liked it very much, and I believe you'd like it too. For one thing, it was downright funny, plus it had lots of important lessons that you'll be able to identify with.
       This film shows what can happen to people when they are ridiculed and excluded by their peers, and the long-lasting negative effects it can have on their lives. This may be a good one for our young people to see, if they can, because the world isn't the only place where such ostracism exists, sad to say. It also brings up the other side of how much a bit of positive peer-pressure can help cut through the shallowness and hypocrisy that tends to form among cliques and social circles.
       It's a definite spoof/exposé on the so-called “fun years” and all those proms and end-of-the-school-year high school parties. (End of message from Dad .)

Dear Mama,
       I don't know if you'll remember me, but I'm the sister who sent a heart cry fourteen years ago from South America--a little lost sheep, caught in the brambles. You sent a personal message for someone to find and help me (which touches my heart to this day and fills me with gratitude). The Lord answered your petition for help for me in the person of Jasper (who is right now fighting for his life--I would so gladly offer my life for his). Jasper was the one who found me. At grea t inconvenience to himself (because of the situation with my Chilean husband) he was faithful to meet with me, strengthen me, encourage me, counsel me. And through all that, he got me going on my next step toward serving the Lord.
       The story didn't start there, however. Two years before, I was a very “systemite” friend of the family in Chile. Our association was mostly because I hired brethren to teach English in my English Language Institute that I had in Santiago, Chile. I'm sure that I didn' t seem to many to be very “potential.” I was an older woman, very much into a selfish lifestyle, married with a lot of marital problems--in fact, I was pretty obnoxious and into myself.
       Jasper, however, was so overflowing with the Lord's divine love that he could “love the ungodly.” He saw “the angel in the big dirty blob of marble,” or perhaps he was just faithful to obey, whether it seemed worth the effort or not.
       He would visit me at work and invite me out for coffee so he could chat with me. He invited me over to his house, and kind of looked out for me. When my daughter Grace was born, I had separated from my husband and was struggling on my own with three little ones. Jasper took me under his wing and cared for me, though he received nothing in return and it certainly didn't seem like I would ever amount to anything useful as far as the Family was concerned.
       I'll never forget soon after my daughter Grace was born he took us to the “Church of Love” (which he faithfully kept after me to attend). It was a beautiful and simple service. There we dedicated Grace to the Lord. I'm grateful to say that Grace has remained dedicated to the Lord and to the Family along with myself, her sister and brother.
       I would like to offer this testimony as a tribute to Jasper and an encouragement to you. Thanks to the Lord, to you and to Jasper, there are now right now here in Anchorage, Alaska (at the very ends of the earth), four sold -out, full-time, whole-hearted missionaries for J esus!
--Love, Meek Shunamite

Q'NAs

       Q: What happens to the member's seed corn when the member leaves the Family? Does the Home keep it?
--Gary, Christy and Love, USA
       A: Since Dad originally gave the tool gift to each individual Family member, this amount would be theirs to take with them. If the Home, for financial reasons, is unable to give the departing member cash on short notice, then they should arrange to send it on to him as soon as they are able.

reactions to Peter's visit t o South America
--from our South American Family

       [note: Lord willing, portions of the GNs for the South American Family will be shared with all in the near future. Also, coming soon is the Activated! GN, which will explain in detail the exciting upcoming follow-up program and push in the works.]

       Needless to say, Peter's visit and hearing the priceless Words of love, guidance and instruction for this field has been life-changing! Thank you, Mama, for your great, great love for us all. I felt you right there with us.
       I'm going through the two GNs for South America again as there is so much in them to ponder and pray about. Amongst many things, I'm very thankful for your efforts and the ones in WS to create the many new tools for follow-up and also for the new Activated! program! Sounds terrific! We are eagerly awaiting for the address cards to get it rolling here. For my husband and I, follow-up has been our main ministry for many years. We love to give out tapes and videos an d they've been going out quite well as our materials are tops and the people here appreciate them a lot.
--woman, Colombia

       The biggest victory this month was being able to attend the Delegate Meetings. We were all able to attend at least two meetings, since we took turns. King Peter's visit was such an inspiration to us all; the talks and the videos really spoke to our hearts.
       During the days of the Family birthday, when we heard from the Lord, He showed us that the areas which we needed to progress in the most were unity, loving and forgiving each other. He also told us to hold on despite the test and trials, `cause He wanted to use us in a big way for “something.” He didn't specify what, but now we know. PTL!
       Many of us were able to talk with people whom we didn't get along with very well, being honest and asking forgiveness. The spirit was so strong that you couldn't escape even though your pride was yelling, “Don't do it, it's too humiliating! Wait till they take the first step!” The Lord and the spirit of love were stronger, and we knew it would bring on great blessings. Most of us were able to open our hearts and take the steps. WHAT A VIC!
--Home in Chile

       I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to attend the meetings in Bogota and to see our dear King Peter live and on video. Number one, it made me love and appreciate Mama and Peter all the more. It touched my heart immensely to see the sacrifices our king and queen make for us. I know it's difficult for both of them when King Peter travels to visit us but they do it anyway to show their love to us freely. It's so precious!
       Number two, it really challenged me to do more for the Lord and to get spurred up in my service for Him. At times, I fall into a routine and start losing the vision, but these meetings as well as the GNs for South America have renewed my vision and helped me see how to raise the standard in my life as well as in my Home.
       I realized that I'd started to see disunity in the Homes almost as a normal way of life. LHM! I'd lost the vision of striving to actually live the One Wife vision. I thought, “Well, it certainly is a pure ideal and a true way of life, but impossible to put into practice.” I let the disunities that have been going on numb my consciousness to where I thought the Family would never change, so why try? I see how the Devil has been using that to stagnate my progress and to cause me to get lax and lazy. I now realize that although we are frail hum ans, incapable of loving fully, the Lord can do it through us if we fully yield to Him.
       I try now to see myself for what I am and look at myself in the mirror and ask myself what I'm doing to make these changes in the Family possible, and keep the ball in my court and the responsibility on myself instead of on the shepherds or other Family members or young people.
--YA, Colombia

       The birth of a new baby to Keren and Andrew, newly united couple in the service of our King, was a big victory. During Peter's visit he married them, which was exciting for all of us and a sample of love, since our king made time in his busy schedule to attend to our smallest desires. GBH!
--FGA couple, Ecuador

       The Lord did great and mighty things to prepare for King Peter's visit. We arrived in São Paulo 12 days before the meetings were to start and got together to pray with two of the area's provisioners. The very next day the Lord already had supplied more than half of the food we needed to feed 200 people for the three-day meetings! We got an amazing discount at a beautiful hotel on the outskirts of São Paulo where the meetings were held--an ideal place for the Family to enjoy fellowship, get out, etc.
       In one large Home in São Paulo, which had been virtually vacated for the meetings, we housed almost 100 brethren for four days, and the Lord miraculously supplied through provisioning 100 mattresses and pillows, 300 sheets and blankets for all. What a miracle! Just before the meetings began, the weather changed and it was quite cold. In addition, the Lord touched hearts and consequently all the food for the meals was given for free, including 18 tons of delicious juice.
       Then we needed translation equipment for the Portuguese speakers, which rents for over one thousand reals per day (about $600). Just 48 hours before the meetings began, the owner of a company sweetly offered their equipment for almost nothing. PTL!
       We enjoyed working with the precious team there, which sho wed once more how much further we can go working together in love and unity, and most importantly the Lord gets all the glory.
--FGA couple, Brazil

       It was so nice to spend that precious time with all the brethren reading the New Wine and getting the vision together for the Lord's new and mighty move here in South America. And as far as all the problems between people and Homes, there's nothing like a visit like this, plus the Word dealing specifically with it, and the promises of the blessi ngs to help us go for it with our whole hearts.--At least this is how I feel.
       God bless Peter for his sacrifice to come and visit with us all to deliver God's message, and dear Mama for lovingly giving us this gift.
--woman, Brazil

forum

[Caring for others' kids]
       FGA woman, Europe: From what I've seen, it's a lot more inspiring to take care of children whose own parents openly show a lot of enthusiasm and enjoyment themselves while taking care of them. Somehow, parents who act like it 's a chore and they can't wait until their kids are asleep and haven't learned to enjoy them and make the most of their time with them don't seem to inspire it in others who help in the care of their children. I've seen this reaction in young people, who are often called upon to help out.
       Also, if the parents show appreciation for every bit of help they get, and take their helper into their circle of fellowship, this makes for a much more willing and whole-hearted helper too. These are just li ttle things, but they make a big difference.

[Scoliosis prevention]
       A concerned woman: I'm somebody with the problem of scoliosis. It seems lately this curvature of the spine has increased. Usually it is due to bad posture, lack of good exercise and carrying too much weight, especially when the back is in the process of forming.
       I've seen children carrying their baby sisters and brothers to help their mommies, and sometimes these girls or boys were quite young to be carrying so much weigh t; their backs were still forming or developing (the vertebrates of the spine) and it's very easy for their spine to become deformed. With three little ones of my own, each very close in age, I had to be very careful. I had to try other ways than to be always carrying them or lifting them up. So please watch your children. We have to correct their bad posture and help them to grow straight by not letting them carry things that are too heavy for them.

personals

       Daniel and Sara (India) want to contact Michael and Victory and Willing and Dance. We were together in Calcutta in the late 80s. Also Sichri and Shofiro, we were with you in Poona. Add: D. S. Lyall, Byabasayee Kendra, P.O. Bldg, 66 Bidhan Road, Siliguri, 734401 West Bengal, India.
       Peter John (English) and Crystal, where are you? How can I send a gift if I don't know what country you're in? Contact me at WG763 via EURCRO.--Nathan Songbird (formerly Nathan TeAma).
       Summer would like to get in touch with Christopher, last heard of in Santa Ana, L.A., California. Please write to e-mail: silviamarina@hotmail.com.
       Nancy is looking for Derek H. (Adam, from Ontario, Canada). Please write to: Nancy Manser, Wartenbergerstrasse 1, 4127 Birsfelden, Switzerland.
       Timothy Ukranian, looking for Bowy and English Jonathan. Send your e-mail to: centre@lik.uzhgorod.ua.
       HCS mail call! We've received mail in for Barney R. from N. Rosenstein in Israel and Mike K. from Capt. Gunter Neubert in Germany. Please contact us in order to receive it.

help wanted

       We've got the field and the fare;
       A happy Home is waiting for us there.
       We were there before,
       And we're anxious to return;
       For this fertile field our hearts yearn!
       Can you help with a gift towards our landing funds for India? All gifts big and small gratefully received! Tabitha Praisemore + 4, you can contact us via the BI ABM.

       Tommy (formerly French Samuel), Serena (Thai) and Ezra are opening a Home in Cambodia. I (Tommy) have been in the East fo r 19 years, India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, Laos, etc. We don't have monthly home support. If you can help us reach the Khmer people for Jesus, send your gifts to ASCRO for Tommy and Serena in Cambodia. E-mail: tommyserena@hotmail.com. Thank you so much!

       It's been one of my deepest desires for several years to be able to have a family reunion. We are serving the Lord here in India where I have lived with my mom for the last 17 years. Two of my si sters are in Thailand and one is the East Bloc. I'm a SGA married to a FGA National, dear Peter, who's been working on the India PPC front for the last 15 years. We have two very young children, so it's difficult for me to get out fundraising for this project. If the Lord lays it on your heart to help this dream come true, I would be eternally thankful. Please send your gift via the TRF to Renee (daughter of Sunny) at IA 21. Thanks a lot!

       We are five adults and two kids in Albania working wi th the refugees from Kosovo. Our total monthly budget is $500. Can anybody help us with it or part of it for the following five summer months so we can be free to dedicate our time to the refugees without having to do outreach, provisioning or make new contacts for our Home? We would also be very happy if any teams coming our way could bring humanitarian help or personnel to help out during these intense months with so many refugees in Albania. Please contact us through the Italian or the Hungar ian ABMs, or send your donations through your TRF to Christian and Smile, AB003! E-mail: Daviden@hotmail.com. Please send us your public key.

       The Lord's opened up a fruitful CTP work in the Czech Republic at the refugee camps. There are four camps, plus two more recently opened for 600 refugees from Kosovo. The greatest needs are baby clothes, prenatal vitamins, diapers, children's clothes, shoes, strollers, maternity clothes and shoes for all ages. If anyone has contacts for these items, or would like to do provisioning “big time” and can ship them here, it would be a tremendous help and blessing. Please contact us (CZ003) via EURCRO.--Heidi, Czech Republic

       We are Angela and Victoria (Russian nationals), currently in Uzbekistan. The Lord is calling us to the new mission fields of Africa and China! We are planning to move there in autumn and need help to raise our fares. Since fundraising here is very difficult, we want to ask you, our dear Family, for help. All your support, w hether funds or prayer, will help us to get closer to our destinations. Please send your gifts via TRF to UZ002 for Angela and Victoria.

letters to the editor

Re: Movie watching
       I sort of overdid in the past with movie watching so I got a bit burned out. Even some of the rated flicks I sometimes regretted watching. Now I am a bit more reluctant to just sit down on Saturday night and imbibe the light waves. Since the ratings published in the Grapevine are now accompanied with a prophecy, it gives a much more objective view on the value of watching the film in question.
       And the Man does it again: Bringing the Lord into it makes the difference between a routine movie night and a memorable multimedia experience. I think that is really the drift here: Even if it is a good thing for one person, it might be wrong thing or at the wrong time for another if not prayed about. This flick might bring you down or lift you up, depending on the mood and spiritual condition you are in. So why not just pray if you should watch that movie at that time? This can give you the conviction you need to really dig out that valuable lesson and have fun without that question in the back of your mind if you hadn't better used that time for something else.
--Tim Heart, Europe

Re: Want a Life?
       I want to share a testimony that's a bit similar to the one in Grapevine #61, called “Want a Life?” about a SGA girl who took care of a single mom and the Lord completely changed her life.
       I was liv ing in a city where in a way you could say “nothing was really happening.” I was the only single. There were four families and 18 kids in the Home--the biggest Home in Chile. There was another Home in the city where there was a single mom, dear Heaven, with five kids. She's a real fighter and doesn't see obstacles in her life. I really love her, GBH! We became good friends and when she would go to have treatment in the capital, I would take care of her kids for a week, like every three weeks.
       I had the feeling that the Lord might want me to help her more, but I actually never prayed about it or anything. She's quite young and we got along wonderfully. I consider her my best friend and counselor.
       At the time, I was considering moving to a selah unit. I had already prayed about it and had sent off my request. But the Lord's ways are not our ways! Things completely changed when Heaven asked me to work with her and help her. Of course I really loved her, but I wasn't sure about just la unching out by faith and forsaking my desire to work in a unit. So I had to get desperate with the Lord and most of all seek His perfect will and forsake, if needed, my desire to go to a unit.
       When I prayed about changing my plans I knew I needed to make my calling and election sure. I received the following: “It's a serious thing to receive a request from a single mom for help and it must be taken seriously. You must be sure that's what I would have you do. I don't force you; I give you a cho ice. Are you willing to give up your dream of working in a WS unit at least for a while to help her? This is what it would require: dedicating yourself to this job, completely forgetting the other, even as a slave is bound--although in this case, you're a love slave until freed. If you're not willing to make this forsaking and to give this type of dedication, then don't even start to go down this path.”
       After that I really was down on my knees! The decision was still mine. I really started cou nting the cost and I decided to forsake my own desires and got the following prophecy: “Thank you for leaping by faith onto the path of sacrifice. I won't let you down. Although this will not be a smooth path, it's a mountain path leading to greater heights. Learn to rejoice in tribulations and difficulties, for I use them to mold you into a stronger soldier and draw you closer to My bosom. I rejoice when one of My children voluntarily chooses to be a mountain man and chooses a trail that's obvi ously more difficult.
       “Don't only expect difficulties. You can expect to get stronger muscles and I know this is a desire of your heart. I will also throw unexpected blessings along this path, things that never entered your head. Following the little dog line is a fun game and those little surprises along the way make it more exciting, but of course the main prize is reaching the top of the mountain, so don't take your eyes off of that goal!”
       PTL! Isn't the Lord wonderful and specific? The L ord did it. I came to help her and we're super good friends and support each other. Together we take care of our five kids, since now I have “a mate and five kids” to take care of. I'm super happy about it. TTL!
--Joy (SGA), Chile

Thots on some recent pubs …

“Citizens of the Kingdom”
       Ezekiel 34, SPALIM: I was very glad to read “Citizens of the Kingdom.” It was high time that some of those things were addressed in a Letter. Here in Latin America you see national young people and children who don't speak much Spanish, or they have a bad accent and poor pronunciation and make grammar mistakes that nobody at their age would make, only a gringo, and that's a bad sample.
       In most cases, at least with the children, since they perhaps haven't been so exposed to the American influence, it's because for a long time we used to have big combos where the teachers in many cases were Americans and you had both American and national children, and it was easier to school them together in Engl ish. But the result is that nowadays in Latin America lots of children who are Latin American or Spanish are far more fluent in English than their native Spanish, especially since in some cases they spent more time with their teachers than with their parents.
       It's good that they are that fluent in English. The problem is that they talk with each other and to the national adults in English, and that's really weird and a bad testimony to outsiders, along with their bad Spanish, because it gives the impression that we're a closed society, a cult that keeps them isolated from the rest of the world. Or, in the case of older people like teens and SGAs, when they talk between themselves in English though being Latins, it can give the impression that they don't want outsiders to know what they're talking about, and it's very bad manners to say the least. Of course, they do it just out of habit, they don't intend to be rude. Not to mention other weird things like though most of the Home, in s ome cases, are Latins and the few gringos speak Spanish, yet most Home signs, plus the schedule, etc. are in English. Doesn't make much sense. But at least that's inside the Home.
       Last year, while doing the paperwork for my residence here, while standing in line sometimes I'd see Mormons, and GBT, when they were not talking to somebody, they redeemed the time reading their book while they waited. What stood out to me was that those tall, blond, blue-eyed gringos were reading their book in Span ish, so they could explain it better to outsiders. They spoke fairly good Spanish even if they had somewhat of an accent. I would say that's a good sample of a missionary spirit. Yet some of our kids are so much into English that they prefer to memorize from a Bible in 1611 English than one in 1960 Spanish. Although it's good for them to know the basic verses in English, they can be better missionaries if they can quote the Bible in Spanish, I would say.
       When the Spanish conquistadors came to Latin America, some of them brought along priests to convert the Indians by force. However, other priests and friars who came after that just to be missionaries became one with the Indians and learned the native tongues and preached to the natives and schooled them in those languages, although they also taught them Spanish, of course, and that's why many of those languages are still widely spoken and have a written form. It's clear who was more successful in making the Indians Catholic.

“The Blessings of Loneliness”
       Single mom, South America: Every mailing we receive is such a treasure, and moves my spirit. I could comment on so much, but this little note is just to comment on “The Blessings of Loneliness” (GN #818).
       For years I went through loneliness battles. I'm a single mother of two children and have been single for almost six years, the entire time I've been in the Family, though I was part of a parenting teamwork during that time. I can definitely say that made me draw cl oser to the Lord and His Word lifted me many times.
       I'd always ask myself why the Lord let me continue being single and go through so many intense loneliness battles, if He really loved me so much. When we received this beautiful GN, I cried as I read it. The Lord really touched my heart with His words and I can testify that I've gotten the complete victory. Hallelujah!
       At times I still get hit with thoughts or feelings of loneliness, but I'll just grab the GN and read a few sections, and ZA P--they completely disappear. It's a total victory; a real miracle for me, so much so, that sometimes I feel privileged to be single. I don't have the words to express my gratitude.

“Weakness Revolution”
       Mark: At the beginning of the new year we in our Home took some time to reflect on the last year and pray about the future and our commitment to the Lord's service, as well as to get helpful guidelines and counsel from the Lord. So far I hadn't really been in the avant-garde in the area of prophecy, due to my spiritual laziness. Yes, I'd heard from the Lord before and I knew He was speaking to me, but prophecy still hadn't become a part of my life as it should have.
       I wanted to get something from the Lord about my spiritual walk with Him, because reading these challenging GNs and seeing the Last Days approaching soon didn't make me feel too comfortable with myself. So I took some time to hear from Him and He spoke wonderfully, but there's one thing in particular which I'd like t o share here. When I got my little prophecy I hadn't read the second GN of the series yet. A couple of days later when I got around to reading it I was amazed to find the very same points brought out in the GN that I got in my prophecy a few days earlier! Even some of the words were the same!
       For example, the Lord told me: “At the end of every day look at your heart, look at your day. What have you done according to My Word? What new thing have you done today? Please check your heart, examine yourself, think, pray about your day.…” And also: “You need to keep checking in with Me, you need to let Me guide you and keep checking you, counseling you.…” In the GN, the Lord said: “Taking time to hear from Me every day is one way to check in with the Master Gardener and to make sure that everything's okay.” The Lord also told me about my need to listen to others more.
       But the most interesting portion was this. I got: “Whatever I counsel you in My Word or in prophecy, if you try to put it into practice right away you won't forget it later.” And in the GN the Lord said the same thing: “When you read the Word and you feel the conviction of My Spirit, stop right then to think and pray and meditate on what that instruction means for you personally. Don't delay taking the time to apply it to your life, because if you delay, the conviction will wane, you will forget, and the Word you read will be of none effect in your life.”
       It's very inspiring for me to see the Lord answering in a special, neat way, proving His Own Word that He was indeed speaking to me! It gives me a boost in the spirit and makes me want to get on line with prophecy, to want to hear from Him more, knowing that He is right there waiting to give far-out answers!

“Weakness Revolution”
       Angie (SGA), Katmandu: This month, since some of our valued Home members were called to other fields, I felt that I would need to do twice as much in half the time to be able to get things done around here. I was counting on some real “power for the hour” in order to rise above the circumstances and limitations to make a difference here, despite the fact that we're a smaller team.
       I should have known better, because what happened next was almost foretold for me in the Weakness GN. I appreciated the spiritual principles in there and the things that the Lord revealed were right-on, but I was hoping that, seeing as I'm in that young, energetic, I-will-go-the-distance stage in my life, that I could learn these goo d things without having to actually be one of the “weak people”--at least not physically, because I really like the role of a “third class passenger” as far as carrying the weight of the regular work load in the Home. (See ML #334A:160-161.)
       But as we know, His ways are not ours, and this month it has just been one thing after another that I've had to battle with health-wise. Not big things, but a lot of things that the Lord used to slow me down and humble me--especially the latter--as it's st ill a pride-crusher to think about. I had an accident that required stitches, stomachaches as a side effect of the antibiotics that I had to take, and when that was all over, a bout of headaches, back trouble and just general “weakness” the rest of the time.
       He certainly has His ways of bringing the Word to life, in the literal sense of the word! I also had to re-read the LOL part on being a gracious “receiver,” because I had a hard time letting people help and care for me when I needed it. Al l these NWOs I didn't see so clearly before. It proved to me that whatever situation you are in, the Lord knows what you need and can engineer things to answer those fervent prayers that we pray, “to become more like You, Lord!”
Just to make sure that I wouldn't get into a “Y2me” attitude, I got to go into the emergency ward of the hospital where I got my stitches and that sure gave me some perspective of Ro.8:28! I was praying for every-groaning-body else in that hall the whole time and asking the Lord to touch them and give them peace--no time for gloomy introspection! Thank the Lord for His ways that “rise above circumstances and limitations to make a difference here.”

“Dump the Dirty Language”
Angelo and Comfort, Canada: When this GN came out we had desperate prayer and really tried to put it into practice, and by God's grace we made a lot of progress. This last month, I noticed we had begun slipping into our old habits and needed to start working on that again. I got desperat e to find a way to improve so that we wouldn't just fall back into the old way as soon as our push was over.
       The Lord showed me that whenever anyone says a bad word, to have them stand in the corner or else pay a “fine.” Time in the corner is just about 10 seconds per word, a sort of token punishment. At first I thought that wasn't long enough, but then I realized that if we made the punishment mild, we wouldn't be tempted to compromise and let people off the hook. And of course, if they don't want to be humbled by standing in the corner, they can always pay the fine, which also isn't much: just 5 cents per word, also a token punishment. I record them as demerits and then make a collection at the end of the day.
       The good news is that by God's grace we're making a lot of progress. I've noticed that the spirit in our Home seems to have improved also; we don't seem to get as angry about things as we used to. It's really true what the Letter says, that bad words carry an angry spirit ( and other spirits) with them.

“Reaching Africa the Right Way”
       Nigerian Simon, Nigeria: As an African disciple who joined a long time ago in another field, I had been waiting for this great day when the Lord would zero in on Africa and many Family members would come here to work as missionaries. One thing that is unique about the Family is that we are moving with the Lord's Spirit. When the Lord says “go,” we go and when He says “stop,” we do. Things are constantly changing.
       Long ago, when I read the letter “Black Holes,” (ML #726) I was a bit discouraged that we would not be able to reach Africa and it kind of gave me a trial, but later I forgot about it and kept going for the Lord. If I had quit at that time I would not have seen this day of influx of Family members into Africa. Actually, if the Family had come to Africa a long time ago, the people would probably not have been as receptive, as things were not as bad or intense as they are now. People are more desperate, especia lly in Nigeria, than they were during the days of plenty.
       During my youthful years in Nigeria, the young people had much money to travel with and that was how I managed to travel out of the country. The Nigerian Naira was stronger than the dollar, about 80 cents to one Naira. Now it is 90 Naira to one dollar. It is a big change for the people indeed! Also, they have seen one banana government after the other. Their hopes have been built high and then crushed time and again. They have lost hope in man; that is why churches are flourishing. They either run to a juju shrine or to a church in search for salvation and hope. In many instances they run to both. Now they are losing faith in their pastors who have cheated and betrayed them time and again.
       Many Africans have never tasted real wealth so are longing to get rich by any means to find security, even if they have to steal or cheat. Any church that preaches about prosperity is full to the brim. Some of the pastors in these churches have become rich, riding in fancy cars and some even having private airplanes. Many other sincere churches are now following suit to acquire more members and also get rich. So you can see why the Lord wants the Family here at this time.--To rescue those that have been deluded; to preach true love and satisfaction and set the captives free.
       Africans need our Family, young and old. They need the Words of David. I want to appeal to our young people who have had years of good training in the Fami ly not to throw it away in some unfruitful, well-fed and fat field, where their service is not even required. Forsake all and come to this challenging field where you will be well received and respected.
       “Where the Lord guides He always provides.” I have been back in Africa for the past two years and all our support has come purely from the field. The local businessmen are willing to support our cause when they see that we are genuine, sincere and have a real love for the people of Africa. Man y times we even live in luxury. In conclusion, “The harvest truly is plenteous but the laborers are few.”

ideas and tips

Getting addresses
       In order to get addresses for my mail ministry I'm finding it just takes asking the folks that I poster to each time I go out. Each time I go out for an hour or two I get an average of 3 or 4 addresses to add to my mail ministry.
--Pauly and Joy, England

easy reading

Forgiveness 101
       Several years ago, while attending a communications course, I experienced a most unusual process. The instructor asked us to list anything in our past that we felt ashamed of, guilty about, regretted, or felt incomplete about. The next week he invited volunteers to read their lists aloud. This seemed like a very private process, but there's always some brave soul in the crowd who will volunteer. As people read their lists, mine grew longer. After three weeks, I had 101 items on my list. The instructor then suggested that we find ways to make amends, apol ogize to people, or take some action to right any wrongdoing. I was seriously wondering how this could ever improve my communications, having visions of alienating just about everyone from my life.
       The next week, the man next to me raised his hand and volunteered this story: “While making my list, I remembered an incident from high school. I grew up in a small town in Iowa. There was a sheriff in town that none of us kids liked. One night, my two buddies and I decided to play a trick on Sherif f Brown. After drinking a few beers, we found a can of red paint, climbed the tall water tank in the middle of town, and wrote on the tank, in bright red letters: Sheriff Brown is an s.o.b. The next day, the town arose to see our glorious sign. Within two hours, Sheriff Brown had my two pals and me in his office. My friends confessed but I lied, denying the truth. No one ever found out.
       “Nearly 20 years later, Sheriff Brown's name appears on my list. I didn't even know if he was still alive. L ast weekend, I dialed information in my hometown back in Iowa. Sure enough, there was a Roger Brown still listed. I dialed his number. After a few rings, I heard: `Hello?' I said: `Sheriff Brown?' Pause. `Yup.' `Well, this is Jimmy Calkins. And I want you to know that I did it.' Pause. `I knew it!' he yelled back. We had a good laugh and a lively discussion. His closing words were: `Jimmy, I always felt badly for you because your buddies got it off their chest, and I knew you were carrying it ar ound all these years. I want to thank you for calling me...for your sake.'”
       Jimmy inspired me to clear up all 101 items on my list. It took me almost two years, but became the springboard and true inspiration for my career as a conflict mediator. No matter how difficult the conflict, crisis or situation, I always remember that it's never too late to clear up the past and begin resolution.
--By Marilyn Manning, from “Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul”

now that's funny!

       When Apollo Mis sion astronaut Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon, he not only gave his famous “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” statement, but followed it by several remarks, usual com traffic between him, the other astronauts and Mission Control. Just before he re-entered the lander, however, he made the enigmatic remark, “Good luck, Mr. Gorsky.”
       Many people at NASA thought it was a casual remark concerning some rival Soviet Cosmonaut. However, upon checking, there was no Gorsky in e ither the Russian or American space programs. Over the years many people questioned Armstrong as to what the “Good luck, Mr. Gorsky” statement meant, but Armstrong always just smiled.
       On July 5, 1995 in Tampa Bay FL, while answering questions following a speech, a reporter brought up the 26-year-old question to Armstrong. This time he finally responded. Mr. Gorsky had finally died, and so Neil Armstrong felt he could answer the question.
       When he was a kid, he was playing baseball with a frie nd in the backyard. His friend hit a fly ball, which landed in the front of his neighbor's bedroom window. His neighbors were Mr. and Mrs. Gorsky. As he leaned down to pick up the ball, young Armstrong heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting at Mr. Gorsky. “You want oral sex? You'll get oral sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!”

Also included with this:
Peculiar People (By Zeb)
       Caption 1: Has anyone seen the latest issue of the GV?
       Caption 2: Yeah, it's on my computer.
       Caption 3: Thanks
       Caption 4: Hmmmm…I don't see it anywhere. Where did you say it was?
       Caption 5: On my computer, drive C, subdirectory GV. I get the latest GV hot off the press on the Family web site!

The NewDayz (by David Komic)
       Caption 1: GBY, Juan! You're Such a faithful husband, making toasted cheese sandwiches for Clara's PG snack again!
       Caption 2: Oh, well…you know, PTL!…It's…uh…nothing really…
       Caption 3: Later: Hi, Clara! Did you enjoy those nice toasted cheese sandwiches Juan made you?
       Captio n 4: Toasted cheese? Oh, no, I never eat toasted cheese…

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