The Family / Children of God

the grapevine

(Issue #94; August 15, 2000.)

Ponder

          There is a majesty in simplicity.-Alexander Pope

THE INSIDE SCOOP:

          Mama and Peter answer recent allegations made by former members!

          WS members, CROs and people who know the truth give their views.

          Check the MO site today. Also coming soon via mailing.

News from our brethren in bonds in Mexico!

By Phoebe, Mexico

          Simon, Joseph, and I would like to thank you all for your daily prayers for our difficult situation. The Lord has given us beautiful prophecies of the victory to come. TYJ! It is still a very hard time especially for the men in prison. Please keep praying for them, against the Enemy’s attacks, particularly against discouragement! Please pray for their release, for our lawyer’s anointing, and for the judge to give a righteous judgment!

          We want to thank our dear King Peter and Queen Maria for their faithful support during this time, and also for our sweet shepherds (Jason, Seek, Morningstar) who are still at our side to support us in this difficult time. And to our sweet and dearest Mercy and Lucy, who are staying at my side and helping me faithfully with the children. Also a big thank-you to all involved in this, so many loving and caring people: Victor, David and Heidi, Michael and Marie-Anne, Jessica, John, my sweet daughter Michelle (14), who is sacrificially helping me with two of my young ones in a different city, and our son John (15) who has been a great blessing in helping us in closing our large Home. Thank you to Peter and Crystal for taking one of the children involved into their care for the time being! And our dear Scott and Leina, Madi, James and Kevin who are supporting us in prayer!

          A special thank you to our Media Team here in Mexico, Ben and Maria, who are working days in and days out on this case. They are also working in cooperation with Marc and Claire.-And many more! Thank you, this is what the FAMILY is all about, LOVE! What other church or organization would lay down their lives for their members in distress? Only Jesus in us makes us do the loving thing! And I am proud to be part of it!

          Much love and appreciation,

          Phoebe, for Simon and Joseph

Birthday thanks, from Mama

Dear wonderful Family,

          Thank you so very much for your love and prayers. It’s thrilling to think about what a wonderful Family we have. I received so many beautiful birthday wishes, cards, prophecies and pictures this year, sent with such love. I am overjoyed to accept your love and prayers-those wonderful unseen prayers which so many of you pray, that daily strengthen me in ways great and small, and which are the most wonderful gifts you could give me. I am truly blessed. Thank you!

          Normally I try to have my secretaries acknowledge that I have received your letter; however, since there was such an abundance of birthday mail, I’m acknowledging and thanking you all here via the Grapevine. I want you to know that I love each and every one of you very much and I am praying for you all.

          Love,

          Mama

          P.S. From Ashley: I love you, dear Family. I know how important and wonderful it is to receive a reply from Mama to one of your letters. On behalf of Mama’s secretaries, I would like to explain that we try to respond to most letters we receive, and do so promptly, but it still takes time and due to some unavoidable circumstances there are delays. Please forgive us. A variety of situations could cause such a delay, including your correspondence getting lost in transit.

          A tip to help ensure that you receive as speedy a reply as possible is: Put your name, country and Home number on each note you send Mama. You’d be surprised how many people forget, and then it’s virtually impossible to know how to send you a reply. Also please only use the Mama CPY key that was sent out with the HomeARC for encrypting your message. There have been quite a few messages that we have been unable to open.

          We love you very much and keep you in our prayers and hope we can get your replies to you with as little delay as possible. Love, Ashley

From Simon, who is in bonds in Mexico

          To be put in prison with murderers, rapists, counterfeiters, gang members, thieves, drug dealers, etc., while being told by your consulate representative that you will be here for 20-25 years, can be a little disheartening unless you know you’re only on assignment.

          A week or two before being wrongfully accused, the Lord had kind of prepared me for what was to come. When I joined the Family in Turkey in 1976 I had heard some testimonies of the Family in jail, as well as seen some movies depicting less than a positive view of prison life. (Midnight Express, etc.) Due to that, I asked the Lord not to have me go to jail, claiming that He would not give me something I did not have the faith for as I definitely felt “unable to bear it.” I always believed the Lord had heard my prayer and felt safe through all my years in the Family. Then on our Word and Rest day, Phoebe and I had taken some time Loving Jesus and hearing from Him-when He showed me sweetly how now with the End coming, He might have to ask me to let go of that request I had made so long ago. Not totally in my right mind at the time (ha!), I agreed.

          Pacing the 3 x 8-foot walking space in jail waiting to be moved over to the prison, I was so desperate. The previous 24 hours had been nightmarish, traumatic and nothing anyone would ever agree to. Then Jesus came through with a message that I would be set free! My heart rejoiced and I told Joe and Victor in the next cells (we couldn’t see each other but we could talk). I returned to pacing and praising the Lord as I didn’t want to leave any room for the Enemy to get in. Then the Lord came through again and said, “But you have to go to prison as a witness for someone.” Without any thought, I said, “No.” Then I knew I couldn’t do that and I said, “Not my will but Thy will be done.” Most of my muscles went limp and my hopes of a quick return home began to fade away. I knew that what was ahead would be exciting, as He wouldn’t have asked it of me if it wasn’t important or going to bear fruit. I wasn’t alone either, as Joseph and Victor were fighting the same battles, which made facing this a ton easier.

          Witnessing is not hard, as most people in prison are down and receptive. A few are repeat offenders or hardened criminals and put on a tough or uninterested show. Being foreigners isn’t always met with approval. But for the most part, witnessing and praying for people is very easy and well received. The Home was able to get us some Spanish Bibles and Daily Foods and posters. We were able to give one American prisoner here Living Waters, as he was sometimes part of the kitchen crew that would bring us food. It’s hard to calculate how far all the Word had gone, as many pass the Word to everyone in their cell and even to other cell blocks. One man, Joaquin, who everyone called “Vera Cruz” (as that is where he’s from), would read his Catholic prayer book each night before bed. But after hearing us witness to many and seeing us reading so much, he asked for the Daily Foods and Bible to read instead.

          Fabricio, a 40-year-old who is here on a drug arrest was one man we gave a Daily Food to, with a handwritten prayer on a piece of paper that we put inside all the Daily Foods. He came to see us in our cell and told us he had prayed the prayer on the paper but wanted to know about his feelings-if the immediate peace and inspiration he felt was gone, then what? We showed him lots of verses on salvation and talked about faith and shared our testimonies. After all this, Fabricio asked why we were here. I began to try explaining our arrest and the false charges, but he stopped me and said, “No, I want to know why you are here.” I realized he meant why God had us here, so I shared how the Lord had asked us to come as we needed to witness to someone. He then said that when he had first seen us come in, he knew that God had sent His people after him. It seems he had been witnessed to before but had turned away or become bitter, as when we first talked to him he had said he had lost faith and didn’t like the churches. We prayed with Fabricio for the Holy Spirit and he has already helped to lead six others here to the Lord.

          We are spending most of our time reading and praying. Everyone sees us, as there are no private places. We have taught English classes in the afternoons and spend all our free time with the guys too (Ha! Like we have a choice!). During one of the English classes someone mentioned how we too are learning Spanish here. I then repeated some of the words I don’t understand but that are constantly being said here (all are bad words). They thought it was funny and proceeded to define them for us. All this and our loving witness has separated any comparison or bias they had about us as being “religious” or “churchy.”

          LNF: Simon and Joseph have been moved into a different section of the prison that seems to be more dangerous. Please pray for their continued safety, and for their speedy release. Although the Lord is keeping them, and they are being faithful witnesses and their testimony is upbeat, nonetheless, it’s a very difficult situation and we need to remain fervent in prayer for them.

in My arms

          Mercy (of Andrew), Italy: After 10 months of struggling with cancer in the form of a lung tumor (see Prayer List #68), Andrew went to be with the Lord today (July 26) at noon. We are comforted to know that He is now with Jesus in His Heavenly courts, along with all our departed loved ones.

          He was very brave and always caring and concerned for others to the very end. The doctors and nurses were moved to tears to see how he would speak enthusiastically about his death and graduating to Heaven. He even asked if they had any messages to pass on to their departed loved ones! He would even make jokes and till the very end he never lost consciousness. We have always been very comforted to know that our Family was right there supporting us in prayer, thank you so very much.

          Jesus: I know the heartbreak and loss you feel, yet I also know that you are worthy of being chosen to make such a sacrifice for Me and to, in due time, reap the reward that comes to those who give in this way. For it is appointed unto each one to live his life according to the course that I have set, and to then return unto Me when I call him. This was your dear one’s time. I apportioned his days with exact and perfect measure, and he was not cut short before his time.

          He will yet be with you in spirit, and will come to you in the night seasons to whisper words of love, encouragement, faith and hope. He will impart to you secrets from the Heavenly realm. He will help your heart to be filled with joy and anticipation thinking of all that awaits you when your time comes to join Me in this glorious realm.

          Andrew burst through his bubble and now has free rein to explore and roam and revel in the depths of My vast universe and all that lies within it. This is the glorious reward and privilege that awaits My faithful and honored brides, those who have loved Me and given themselves to Me and laid their lives upon the altar of My service. Your precious friend and husband, your dear Andrew, gave his life for My sake. He was a martyr-a witness in life and a witness in death. He stood strong for Me despite all odds. This magnified and increased his reward in this realm with each deed of love for Me and for others. He heaped up for himself rewards in Heaven through his selfless giving. He has entered in to My full joy.

kidbits

newest arrivals …

          Jodie Michelle, 3^rd child, born to Angelina and Jon B.-Thailand

          Leina Mae, born to Tirzah and Daniel on January 18.-Japan

          Carolina Shanice, born to Gloria and Mathew on May 10.-Poland

          Kevin, born to Nadia and John on May 11.-Europe

          Christopher Davidson, born to Faith and James on May 12.-USA

          Jordan Steven Forest, born to Celeste and Chris on May 22.-Mexico

          Alana, 2^nd child, born to Kitty and David on May 25.-USA

          Liam, born to Merryheart and Simon on May 27.-France

          Diane Leslie, 1^st child, born to Crystal and Jordan on May 28.-Mexico

          Baby girl, born to Cheerful and Nathaniel in June.-India

          Tiara Mariko, 3^rd child, born to Heidi and Danny on June 2.-Australia

          Jordan Ryan, 4^th child, born to April and Mike on June 2.-USA

          Arturs, born to Katrina and Andrew on June 4.-Europe

          Brendon Carey, born to Meeky and John P. on June 12.-Thailand

          Derek, 5^th child, born to Esther and Tom on June 14.-Australia

          Martin David, born to Maria and Mark on June 16.-Mexico

          Victor Daniel, born to Jenny and Paul on June 17.-Romania

          Rylan, born to Claire and Tim on June 19.-Switzerland

          Savannah Lee, 2^nd child, born to Sherri and Samuel on June 25.-Mexico

          Kevin Sean, 1^st child, born to Amie and Jude on July 20.-WS

tidbits

new disciples …

          Dan (19, Romanian) joined in Romania.

Activated is catching on!

From Penny and the India Activated Desk:

          * The Homes are increasingly getting the vision for Activated, and July was our best month ever: 273 new subscriptions! (Compare with 132 in June and 56 in May!)

          * Our shiner Home is the Rose Garden Home with a total of 70 subscriptions this month alone! GB them, they are the Home that won the computer (the shiner prize for the Home with the most subscriptions during the first 6 months)! Second place goes to the Bangalore Service Home with 58 subscriptions this month!

          * The VS’s were able to visit Delhi and Hyderabad this past month. Consequently the Homes there have gotten really turned on to Activated! The Homes in Delhi sent in 46 subscriptions compared to 30 subscriptions in all the previous months combined! Hyderabad sent in 36 as opposed to 10 in all the previous months combined! God bless them!

          * We were able to go to Chennai (Madras) and hold an Activated ACM with the Homes there. It was inspiring not only for us, but the reactions we got from the Homes there were very positive also.

          The “Super Summer Sizzler,” where we lowered the subscription price from Rs500 to Rs350 has been a tremendous victory. This, combined with the GNs emphasizing Activated and the VS’s visitation, has been a tremendous boost to our subscriptions!

From Mamta, Samuel, Joy, Jonathan, David, and Kathryn, India

          At the end of the month we had not reached our Activated goal. (We were planning on getting 20 for the month.) So we decided to dedicate a whole day to Activated. It was so inspiring and unifying! We reached our goal and well above. In one day we got eight paid Activated subscriptions. Everyone pulled together and most of all, we have eight more sheep getting fed regularly for the next 12 months!

        The Activated materials have revolutionized our Home and witnessing. It’s thrilling to see the sheep being fed and having such abundance of beautiful new tools. Well, it’s been there all the time, but it’s now packaged so nicely and appealingly. Our witness has deepened and we are getting more of a vision to bring people closer to the Lord, getting catacombers, live-outs and even new disciples. We feel the spirit moving and the time is now.

Activated in India Takes Off!

          (From WS:) God bless our dear Family in India who have caught the “Activated fever”-over the last two months the number of new Activated subscriptions received each month at the India Desk has increased by 500%!

          As you can see by the graph below which shows the number of new Activated subscriptions received each month, India is taking off! And it’s only the beginning! Two Indian Homes this month showed that “it can be done,” by each getting more than 50 subscriptions in a month!

          Subscriptions in Africa have also increased substantially over the last two months, in large part due to Homes in other areas subsidizing subscriptions for those in Africa who can’t afford them!

          God bless all of you who are doing your part to feed the sheep through Activated.

          What has your Home done to feed the sheep this month?

Activated mags are changing lives!

From the Europe/Africa Activated Desk

Dearest Family,

          We’ve had another fruitful month here at the Europe/Africa Activated Desk, with a steady stream of addresses being sent in. There continues to be a tremendous response to our request for sponsors of the Activated magazines for the many African sheep who cannot afford subscriptions. God bless all of you who have sponsored subscriptions for these precious, hungry sheep. Many times we don’t see so much tangible fruit from our efforts and sacrifices, so we wanted to share some excerpts from a few letters we have received from recipients of sponsored Activated magazines. Thank you so much for making it possible to feed His sheep!

* * *

My dear brothers in Christ,

          Thank you for sending me the Activated magazine. May God reward you for your great work. I wrote a letter to your co-workers in South Africa that your Activated magazine has made me to feel a calling from God, so my question is do you have some Bible school? If you have please, please send me your address because your Activated magazine has made me to love His work. Lastly I greet you in the name of the Creator. Yours in Jesus Christ.

-Peter Govati, Malawi

Dear Brethren,

          Calvary greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus, amen! Very much glad in the peace of our Lord Jesus, I happily and humbly express my gratitude and satisfaction on the part of Activated Europe and Africa. I’m praying that the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus should be your comforts.

          I have decided to follow Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, much of which is contributed by words of wisdom found in Activated. I must continue to read my Bible and have every day new experience from Activated. In fact “Your Personal Guide Through Life” (#3) which I received last has more thrilling subjects than ever. It was a soul food which will feed me forever. I never knew this and if I had not been told I wouldn’t have believed it, that I will eat such words at such a time. Thanks for activating me to write. Remain blessed.

-Obinna Ndukwu, Nigeria

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

          It was a pleasure to me to see your messages through the letter that you sent to me. And I can feel that the Spirit of God is coming little by little in my heart because of you and your Activated magazines. Your Activated magazine has touched my heart. Especially the first one with a question that how can I have faith if I don’t know really if God exists. When I found such kind of question then I started crying because it is the one that was also in my mind. God bless you!

-Rosalinde, Republic of Namibia

Dear Editor,

          In the grace, peace and love of God I write you. I was very glad when I got a copy of the second edition of Activated. The articles in it are wonderful and I thank God Who has inspired them. With love,

-Oluwabunmi Gabriel, Nigeria

Rainbow 2000

By Tim and Susanna

          This year’s Rainbow Gathering was held in the beautiful mountains of Montana. It was located 60 miles in from the border of Idaho in Beaverhead National Forest on Saginaw Creek. It was said to be one of the largest gatherings so far, maxing out at 40,000!

        This is the third annual Rainbow Gathering that the Family has attended in a row since it started around 28 years ago. It is some of the most exciting witnessing that we have ever experienced since our return to the States 10 years ago.

        We left from San Diego on June 25^th and arrived at the site on the morning of the 27^th. The gathering doesn’t officially start until July 1^st, but there were already around 5,000 people there. Our team consisted of myself (Tim), Susanna, Timmy (13) and Donovan (new disciple). Our trusty Ford truck and cab over once again got us there safely with a lot of prayer. The Lord showed us to stock up with a lot of food to help some of the kitchens out at the gathering as well as bringing over 1,400 fruit bars to share with others we met. This proved to be a very fruitful witnessing method as we handed out posters with each one telling the people it was “food for them and food for their soul”!

          The Lion, Dragon and the Beast was a major hit and was accepted by all. We also had tracts made up from the Letter “Crystal Pyramid” and Jerry Garcia’s testimony from Beyond. The other team from Portland, Oregon had arrived around the 20^th and were in full swing when we arrived. They had a great set-up right off the main trail (about a 5-minute walk from the main supply) so they were able to be a witness to pretty much all that came in. They had quite a controversial display of poster-sized boards including the Goddesses, the Holy Spirit being a female, America the Whore, the true story of Sex, Age of the Earth, and of course, the full-sized Heaven poster. Most of the art was straight from Dad’s Letters and was Biblically referenced, so it left you with a decision.

          Patrick, being the Hebrew scholar that he is, was able to answer most people’s questions, whether Jew or Gentile. It definitely made people walk away mad, sad or glad. Most of the church people got mad, but what else is new? Ha! One victory was that it seemed all the church groups had gotten together and heard from the Lord concerning us being there and the Lord told them to leave us alone. TTL! God bless Patrick, Christina and their team, they did a wonderful job.

          We found a beautiful spot high atop the mountain where we had a full view of the gathering below as well as camp next to “Sisters Camelot” (a bus converted into a kitchen that bases out of Minnesota to feed the hungry). We received a prophecy telling us to be the “city on the hill,” while the Portland team took the other spot. We were pleasantly surprised when Steven Tall and his kids pulled in to help out, as the multitude was great and we needed as many people as we could get.

          The second night two guys wandered into our camp, Shaggy and Keith. I gave them both the entire Endtime message from the Bible, and then played some witnessing songs. After two songs I glanced over at Keith, and he had a steady stream of tears rolling down his face. He told me a few days later that it was one of the most beautiful experiences he has ever had in his life. We all sat around and read “Mountain Men” out of Volume 1. It was great!

        From the 8 days we stayed, there are countless testimonies to tell, but the fruit remains, as we were able to bring back with us a precious new disciple who the Lord literally dropped in our laps! Anglisha, an 18-year-old from Oregon, so sweet and uncomplicated, who started crying when she got saved. She didn’t even know the story of Noah’s Ark. Talk about starting from scratch! She should be joining Frank and Sarah, and Dom and Free’s Home in L.A. in about a month.

        All this to say, if you happen to be stateside when next year rolls around, jump on board with us in July for Rainbow 2001. You won’t be disappointed. If interested, contact: Tim and Susanna at FCF or Patrick and Christina in Portland. We love you!

bookbooters.com

By Mika, WS

          The online marketing team for GP tools is happy to announce that Aurora has entered the e-book world! The Perfect Ones and The Mountain Calls survived the launch into cyberspace and can be found at www.bookbooters.com. So far they’ve received several downloads [first chapter preview], and a few sales.

          This simple e-book publishing site offers a free service that formats the novels into four common e-book formats (most e-book formatting services are outrageously expensive)! They are also promoting the novels and submitting them to the major search engines. We submitted The Perfect Ones to them a couple of weeks ago, and The Mountain Calls a week later, and both novels were immediately approved and posted on their site with excellent reviews. (Their site says that about 2/3rds of the manuscripts they have received are rejected by their editors, but they liked these.) At present, links to both of these novels can be found on the home page of Bookbooters’ site.

          The Bookbooters editors are currently reviewing more of Aurora’s Heaven’s Library books for possible inclusion on their site. Please keep this and all other online marketing endeavors in your prayers. And don’t forget to visit the site, and tell your friends about it as well! We love and appreciate you!

Bookbooters’ critique of The Perfect Ones

          The Perfect Ones is a charming, poignant and highly interesting political drama set in medieval Europe, successfully combining ancient myth with historical accuracy. The author has clearly been thorough with his research of the era, and this is demonstrated by factual annotations throughout the book.

          Tackling the subjects of spirituality and religious intolerance is never an easy task, but the author manages to weave these issues into the story with skill, while demonstrating a tremendous eye for detail. The Perfect Ones is perhaps most notable for the quality of its dialogue and a wonderfully atmospheric narrative, and the subject matter is as relevant today as it was in the middle ages.

          Although some of the European-style dialect may read somewhat strange to an American audience, The Perfect Ones is a curiously uplifting story, certain to appeal to any lover of classic fiction.

Bookbooters’ critique of The Mountain Calls

          An intelligently written and highly enlightening novel that, as well as providing a wonderfully atmospheric insight into Chinese customs and traditions through the eyes of a westerner, is curiously uplifting and optimistic. Aside from the cultural differences experienced by the story’s protagonist, The Mountain Calls is essentially a spiritual adventure which takes us to the heart of one of the world’s most fascinating cultures and provides plenty of food for thought for the reader.

Activating Home Schoolers!

-Testimonies from the CHEA (Christian Home Educators Association) Convention in Los Angeles

From the US Activated Desk

          In early July we set up a booth at the Christian Home Educators Association Convention of California, which was attended by 5,000 Christian Home Schoolers. We didn’t know what the reception would be for us there, but we were very well received and everyone who stopped at our booth showed a great deal of interest in our materials.

          On the first day of the convention a few people commented, “Oh, I’ve never heard of you before.” On the second day Justin made a sign that we put up by the Treasure Attic display saying that the series is approved by the Dove Foundation, a Christian organization that puts their stamp of approval on books, videos and other materials for children. This endorsement helped a lot in giving people confidence in the quality of our products.

          A dear friend of the Family has a decorating company that specializes in conventions, and he made us some beautiful Treasure Attic and Feed My Lambs signs. We had a large-screen TV showing the TAs throughout the 2½ days and the videos really attracted people to our booth. We also were able to get some beautiful plastic folders for the Feed My Lambs booth (thanks to the Europe Desk, GBY!), and our FML display was really cute with the colorful cases, our sign and some stuffed lambs as decoration. A number of people commented that our booth was one of the best and brightest, and they were amazed that this was our first year.

          About 500 people entered their names and addresses for our raffle for 10 free videos, and we’re going to be following up on those folks with our first Home Schooling mailing soon. We sold almost $600 worth of videos and books, which just about paid for the booth space, and we believe that once we get the hang of how to work a convention booth we can sell more tools next time. Our main goals for attending the convention, though, were not just to sell tools but to start learning about how to reach the Home Schoolers, what products they want and need, to get a Home Schooling mailing list started for direct marketing, and to give our tools more exposure and advertising.

          We all had to learn our pitches for the videos and the books-and one of the hottest sellers (besides the TAs) were the Keys to Happier Living and Bible Basics books. We had lots of things for the preschool, primary-aged children, and we were concentrating on those (TAs, FMLs, Stories to Grow By), but when someone would say, “I have older children,” then we’d show them the Bible Basics and Keys to Happier Living. Almost everyone we showed the books to bought a set! They loved the topics in Keys to Happier Living, which are so great for teens (comparing, envy, anger, etc.). After seeing such a positive response to these books we got a burden to send some sample Discovering Truth books to appropriate magazines for review. We’ll be researching some magazines and hopefully go ahead with that. Another idea we had was to see if perhaps some Christian magazines might want to use excerpts as content in their magazines, perhaps a column on “What the Bible says on Anger,” with a promo for the book at the end of the article, of course.

          There were so many sweet witnessing testimonies from our time there at CHEA. Everyone who was exhibiting around our booth fell in love with our happy spirits. The man across the aisle told us that he woke up in the morning singing the song from our video: “Every day, every day, His children praise the Lord!” When I apologized to him for playing the videos so much, he said that he thought the videos and music are great! There was also an older woman (about 60) with a booth near ours who looked very conservative-she does her own Bible study course for children. But she came over the very first day and bought several videos, saying that she wants to recommend them to the folks who get her Bible study and she wants to even tie some of her lessons in with the videos.

From Eva

          The raffle was a great attention-getter, as it would cause people to stop. While they were filling out their raffle card, I would ask them about their kids. I met so many sweet people who ended up telling me all about their fears and concerns about whether they were giving their kids everything that they could, wondering if their kids would be happy that they were home schooled when they grew up. I would tell them my testimony of how I was home schooled because I grew up overseas as a missionary and how thankful I am for my upbringing, and how I haven’t felt that it hindered my life or opportunities in any way. This little bit of encouragement went a long way and often enabled me to give them a more in-depth witness.

          When it came time to draw for the raffle I was so torn as there were so many who I wanted to win the 10 free TA videos, but we prayed that it would go to just the right person and the Lord worked it out so perfectly. The woman who won is from Mexico and she lives just an hour away from us, so we dropped the videos off in person. Susan has three young children and she decided to home school them last year as they were coming home with so much garbage from school. Her relatives have all been giving her a hard time with her choice to take the kids out of school and she was so thankful for our support. We had brought a variety of videos to let her choose which 10 she wanted, but she insisted on buying everything that we had (besides the 10 she won) and wants us to come back with everything that we have in Spanish-tapes, books, videos, everything. She is involved with a lot of Bible study groups and projects for low-income families. She told us that our materials are an answer to prayer for her, because she has been having a difficult time finding materials for kids that lift up the Lord.

From Trust

          We had a lot of opportunity to witness to the folks who stopped at our booth. While one woman was filling out the raffle card, I asked about her children and how many she home schooled. She told me that this past year has been extremely difficult for her and her husband as their third child was born six months ago with Down’s Syndrome. The baby is in very frail health and has to have a feeding tube. This sweet mom poured out her heart, telling me that her biggest battle has been feeling bitter against God and wondering how He could allow a little child to suffer so much. It was an opportunity to share with this woman about seeing God’s love even through life’s difficulties and the things that we don’t understand.

          I often started conversations with folks by asking how many children they have and how many they home school, and then I’d mention that I home schooled my two daughters who are now both missionaries-one in India and one in Mexico. Then I would add that my daughter is beginning to home school my granddaughter. We learned that the people in these home schooling support groups consider those who home schooled 20 years ago as the real “pioneers” of home schooling, and that’s certainly true of the Family, as we were home schooling before it became such a widespread and popular movement. We found that we have a lot of common ground with these precious Christians who want to do their best to raise and teach their children in a godly manner-and they respect the fact that we, as home schoolers, have developed many of our Activated tools and our Treasure Attic and Kiddie Viddie videos as a way to train up children in the ways of the Lord.

Dear Mama …

Dearest Lady Maria,

          I wanted to take a little time today to say: I love you so much! I love you as a mother, a grandmother, a friend, a companion, a leader, as my queen. I love you as you are a part of my Family! You mean so much to me-you’ve changed so many lives and mine as well! I thank Jesus everyday for you and for what you’ve let Him do through you!

          As I am the Lord’s servant, I promise that I will strive to be who He wants me to be, go where He wants me to go, and do what He wants me to do! I promise that I will do my very best to implement the wealth of knowledge you’ve given us through the Letters! I know that in my past I’ve made many mistakes and I regret them; but I am the Lord’s soldier in His Endtime army and will fight this fight til’ the end!-I promise you!

          This is the first time that I’ve written to you and I’m not all too great at putting my feelings and thoughts into words. But I pray this won’t be the last time I write to you, and that each time you hear from me you’ll know that I love you more than I did the time before.

          Today I pray that you have a beautiful birthday and hope that the thought of another year serving our wonderful Husband brings you as much cheer, excitement and anticipation as it does me.

          I’ll love you til the end of time and beyond!

-Yours forever for Jesus, 16-year-old male

forum

[Drivers tips]

             Catherine, Sao Paulo, Brazil: I am an FGA driver with 35 years of driving experience. I have never been responsible for a serious accident and of course, have driven a lot and in some very dangerous traffic situations over the years. Recently, I was stopped at a light and when the light turned green, the lady in back of me ran into my bumper, smashing it in just enough that we had to have it fixed for the door to open. I sought the Lord as to why it happened and in the following prophecy, He mentioned a couple of things that might apply to other drivers, too. Hope it helps.

             (Jesus speaking:) Little one, be always thankful, for your Heavenly Father careth for you. Even in the desert and wilderness did I care for My children, and so even in the traffic of this great city do I care for you. It is like at home when a small accident happens-it isn’t unto death but all do fear Me for it. I have noticed that you do not follow My Word of laying on of hands for the drivers and being more desperate about prayer. Although experience counts a lot, familiarity can be a hindrance, so be on your toes about that. You may have control of your car but you don’t have control of all the other cars around you. Only My Spirit can put the real “bumpers” on your rcar. Ex.33:14: “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” (End of message from Jesus.)

        The familiarity part struck home with me, as I’m sure it will for other FGAs. I was really convicted about the “laying on of hands” part as I was always too proud to ask for this or even do it for other drivers. NOW I’m doing it!

[Our Christian sample]

          YA male, Asia: The most recent lesson the Lord has shown me to work on has been along the lines of being a “Christian” sample. Being born in the Family and having grown up in it all my life (not that it’s an excuse), there is a lot that I seem to just take for granted, and forget how important it is.

          It first came out through a few things like my making derogatory comments about different people I’d seen, or about the habits or idiosyncrasies of others. I also tend to get frustrated with people, mainly because my main job is the home front. I had started getting quite worked up and upset inside, when the Lord checked me and pretty much told me, “Hey buddy, why don’t you quit whining, and for crying out loud do something about it!”

          It’s really true. There are so many things that we often just sit around and complain about; instead of working to fix the problem, we grumble and whine and blame others, focusing on the blame, rather than the problem. The Lord showed me to go ahead and help some people clean up their room, and drop a few “gentle” reminders (uhh, don’t know how good I did with the “gentle” part, though).

          It’s such a simple thing to do, but like I said, there’s so much I just tend to overlook sometimes and just go on “surviving” through the day, and complaining about the stuff I don’t like, instead of going beyond my set duties. I was nicely reminded by the Lord that it’s all part of our sample as Christians to “bear ye one another’s burdens.” The problems we encounter are not just “some people’s” or “those people’s” but they belong to us all, and it’s all of our job to try to help each other through and make the best of the situation. We’re here to live for others and each other, not just for ourselves.

          I realized how selfish and insensitive I’d been to the feelings and needs of others. I’d spent so much time getting down pat the basic mechanics of finishing my set routines and then being off, without really bothering to try to reach out and “connect with” and be the Lord for others. I realized how much of my sample had been so contrary to what we preach and the whole spirit of being a missionary. I’ve accumulated what is perhaps more than my share of “attitude,” and when I stopped to think about it, it struck me how much of it was directed at others-negatively. It’s really unloving to make comments at, or make fun of people who are maybe slightly “different” or whatever. The Lord loves them all, and He doesn’t judge them by these things; He looks beyond them. So then why was I drawing attention to or and dwelling on them? It certainly doesn’t reflect the Lord’s love or perspective in any way.

          The spirit of love is in loving others for what they are and manifesting it to them-bringing out what’s best in them. I’m one of those people who is reluctant to show love to people. With more of a cold basic nature and of course a ton of pride (probably the chief problem here), I find it very difficult to express feelings of love or affection to others. But the Lord’s said many times that that’s the way we’re supposed to be-free in the spirit and uninhibited about these things. It’s a tough call, but I know it’s what the Lord wants, and I have to do my best to try. He did show me that there are multitudes of different things that I can do to be a vehicle of His love for others. Whether it’s cleaning up after them, trying to say some encouraging words, trying to understand them, or even just being a listening ear-these are all ways that I can make it easier for people, and in one way or another, they’re His touches of love for them.

happenings

[Embassy ministry]

          Asaph, Islamabad, Pakistan: Since we last went to a certain foreign embassy in this country, a few more exciting things have developed. When we first visited the embassy, we found out that the ambassador’s mother had died. So when we sent our request letter for help towards our projects we also sent our condolences and some feeding quotes about passing away from Glimpses of Heaven.

          A few days ago we got a call from the embassy saying that the ambassador’s wife would like to come to our house to deliver a check for our work! The Lord showed us to go ahead. She and another lady stayed for an hour and we had a wonderful time witnessing to her and explaining our work. The kids sang for her and presented a bouquet of flowers and some friendship bands they’d made. In her own words: “In just one hour this visit has changed my whole day and made me so happy.” She then presented us the check for our work-for 40,000 Rs!

          This visit again showed us the importance of following up on people, to keep in mind things like a death in their family, birthdays and any other significant events where we can feed the sheep and encourage them.

          We had made an appointment with the ambassador for a few days later at the embassy, but didn’t know if we should still go ahead with this. Here are excerpts of what the Lord showed us:

          “Be not surprised if I will call you before kings and magistrates and high places. After all, it is the era of action and miracles, and for it to come to fruition you need to meet people in high places. … It is time for your work to be appreciated and acknowledged and supported from the ones that have it within their power to do so. … Be proud to present your work again and again.”

          We went to the appointment and met with the ambassador, who turned out to be friendly and receptive. He is a Muslim; however we found many common points and he was very turned on to our work here. He mentioned over and over that we need to come to his country. He was totally flipped by the fact that we have 11 children, as he strongly opposes birth control. We spent one hour with him just witnessing, but when it came time to present our tools he realized that he had a very important appointment with a 5-star general. He reluctantly excused himself and left us with an open invitation to come and see him any time.

[Russian artist through the tunnel!]

          Mark, Russia: I met Olga on the street in Russia. She was drawing color portraits of people on the street for money. She showed me a photo album with some of her paintings. They were quite nice-ocean scenes with crashing waves, a majestic Siberian tiger, and even a naked girl riding a dolphin under blue swirling water. There was one abstract piece that I didn’t take much notice of. When I gave her the tract “To You With Love” she got excited and told me that she had “met God”! Then she turned back to the page with the abstract painting and in her broken English told me that it was a picture of the tunnel she went through to meet God (I think it happened while she was sleeping). It had a bright light at the center, similar to descriptions of people who’ve had near-death-experiences. Then she pulled a little cross out of her blouse to show me she was a believer. We will be following up on her.

[The youth of Milan]

          David and Lovely, Milano Home, Italy: Recently we met the owner of a disco hall, who agreed to let us use his place for free on Sunday afternoons. It is a regular disco that he rents out for parties. It comes complete with strobelights, laser lights, sound system, etc. It has a soundproof side room that can be used for witnessing and classes, and we can have this room any time we need it during the week, to hold meetings and Bible classes. We will start having GP meetings when the club reopens after Summer, next September.

          Our first meeting was on June 25^th. With the help of a team from Rijeka that was travelling through, and some on fire FM brothers who work with us, we went personal witnessing in one of the main parks near the city center. It’s the usual hang-out for scores of young people who spend their free time there, lying on the grass, playing drums and smoking dope. Behind the hippie look, the punk look and the tough-guy look, you can see lots of receptive hearts waiting to be reached. We went there, some with guitars, some in clown suits, and witnessed and invited people to come to the disco club that same afternoon. Many got saved and many more took our posters, especially the ones about the Endtime, the Heavenly City and New Heaven and Earth. Only a handful showed up at the disco, but it was good practice. It was also a good time of fellowship, with Family disco music and lots of live music.

          We want to get ready to reap a new harvest of today’s youth, who are desperately looking for a way to escape the dullness of the System. If you have a vision to reach young people in a country in Western Europe that is still open to the witness, if you want to win them and make disciples out of them, we need you!-And don’t forget to bring your guitar! The music that works miracles is still a key to their hearts! You can contact us at: amoreinazione@tin.it.

[Our Golden Butterfly]

          Jerry and Margie, HCS, Japan: The Lord allowed us to finally bury our little Gabriel, after nine years! Dear Lydia, who recently purchased a grave site since she has terminal cancer, offered to make a space for other Family members in it, and especially offered for Gabriel to be buried in her tomb. (He was cremated, and when we researched possibilities to bury him nine years ago, we found out that it would cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars to get a burial site in Japan, so we had to keep his urn with us for all this time, which is not illegal, but somewhat strange if it came to an investigation.)

          Since then, our CC helper Dove and dear Ezra and Mary lost their babies, so we had a triple burial, all at dear Lydia’s site, and provided for by Johane and Lydia, which is a tremendous answer to prayer for all of us! Sweet Johane mentioned that it may be the first Family-owned gravesite, designed to receive Family members who die on this field. The place is a miracle in itself as it is on a temple ground, but they made concessions for us to have a Christian site there with a beautiful tombstone saying “love” on it, which normally would not be possible.

          As we were all standing around singing songs of praise, and the workers were sealing the tomb, out of nowhere popped out this big golden butterfly which flew all around the tomb and vanished into the air-a precious reminder from the Lord that our golden butterflies are now more free and alive than ever!

post-its

Traveling to the UK? Be prepared!

BI Service Center

          At different times brethren have had problems passing through immigrations into England, resulting in being put on a return flight or given a very short visa. Immigrations here can be very strict. We would like to suggest that all non-EU passport holders visiting England make sure that they are prepared with an ongoing ticket, a reasonable amount of funds, and the legal name, street address and telephone number of who they will be staying with. Be prepared to explain why you are visiting and make sure the people you will be staying with know your legal name in case Immigrations calls. Happy trails!

QNAs

          Q: The movies Face/Off, Con Air, The Rock and Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3 and 4 are not on the rated list, neither are they on the non-recommended list. Is there any possibility of them being rated?

          A: (From the WS previewing department:) There are at least a dozen new movies released every month, and while we try to preview most significant movies in the theater or when they come out on video, we can’t possibly keep up with them all. That’s sometimes the reason for certain films not appearing on the ratings in the Grapevine.

          As for the ones we do preview, we have a system of rating whereby it’s required that 75% of the previewing team votes in a movie as watchable-and that we get a confirmation from the Lord--in order for it to be rated. Likewise, if 75% of those who see a movie vote that it is not watchable, it goes on the non-recommended list. There are some movies that are previewed but don’t get a full vote one way or the other, and therefore do not appear on either list.

          If you want to watch a movie that isn’t on a rated or non-recommended lists, you’re responsible to preview it, as stated in the Charter (Home Life Rules, K; see also FSM 344:41).--And, of course, in light of “Ask Me Everything,” you’re to pray and ask the Lord if that movie is suitable for you to watch. (See also: Movie Rating Disclaimer on the Members Only site.)

legal and media

             UKRAINE - Job (of Ruth): We were contacted by a journalist from Radio Ukraine International, a station which broadcasts on short-wave in English to N. America, W. Europe and the Mideast. We (Ukrainian Esther, Linda [YA], Gideon [SGA] and I) did a half-hour interview, telling a little about the Family and giving testimonies of our CTP work in Ukraine. We sang three songs, broadcast at midnight on May 31^st and June 1^st.

          KOREA - Tim and Comfort: The Korea Herald English daily newspaper ran a very favorable article on our mission work here in Korea, and wanted to do an in-depth interview on Tim and his work dating from his first arrival in 1975. The article had two photos, including one of Tim and Comfort delivering food to North Korea.

          An American professor did the interview and he had more searching spiritual questions, which opened the door to a witness. Although the city editor cut out some of Tim’s testimony and terms like “salvation” and “leading others to the Lord,” much meat was left intact, including a brief account of the religious persecution we suffered here in 1975.

          The KBS national radio also did a 15-minute interview of Tim for its overseas broadcast which goes to 10 nations.

          THAILAND - Silas: Last week, Jonas did two interviews with some Swedish newspapers about his involvement with lukthoong music. While finishing one interview, a call came in from Sweden asking for a live interview, and Jonas ended up doing a live phone interview directly with Channel 3 in Swedish.

          AP also wanted to film Jonas and the dancers and team “in action.” They joined us for a CTP at a Juvenile Detention Center last week. We do regular CTPs at this center, so we know the boys and staff there quite well. The camera crew were very impressed by the audience reaction, the personal interaction we had with the boys, and how we were able to connect with them and offer them friendship and encouragement through our songs and skits. They promised to come by our Home sometime soon for dinner and to give us as copy of the footage that they’re releasing. They also mentioned to us that they had sent out an advertisement on the international wires (TV News) for the news piece on Jonas, and apparently everyone has ordered it.

          Last Sunday, there was a full front page color article about Jonas and the singing team in the entertainment section of the Matichorn, the third largest Thai newspaper in the country. (One of Jonas’ songs is number 4 on the Issan music chart. This is amazing, considering his album was released just a little over a month ago.)

entertainment

Movies Rated for Senior Teens

PATRIOT, THE (2000)

Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger

          Epic drama loosely based on the life of Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox” of the Revolutionary War. Moving, but not necessarily historically accurate. Contains graphic violence in its many battle scenes.

BEST MAN (1999)

Taye Diggs, Nia Long

          Romantic comedy. A novelist about to serve as best man for his high school friend finds that an advance copy of his book is making its way through the wedding party, causing no small stir.

Movies Rated for Junior Teens

CASTLE, THE (1999)

Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry

          An enjoyable comedy from Down Under. The story of a closely knit, if idiosyncratic, blue-collar Australian family and their struggle to keep their home from being devoured by an airport expansion.

Movies Rated for JETTs

PRINCE VALIANT (1997)

Stephen Moyer, Katherine Heigl, Edward Fox

          A Viking prince becomes a member of King Arthur’s Round Table and protects his benefactor from the evil Black Knight. Based on the comic strip by the same name.

Movies Rated for OCs

LITTLE MEN (1997)

Mariel Hemingway, Michael Caloz

          Retelling of the classic story by Louisa May Alcott. Two boys, one a hardened street kid and the other a newly orphaned boy, team up in a life of crime till the orphan is caught and put under the care of a boy’s school. Their bond of friendship draws the hardened street kid to search out his friend and try to help him escape. Good lessons on the power of love and seeing people’s hearts rather than outward appearances.

Movies Rated for MCs

SNOWBALL EXPRESS (1972)

Dean Jones, Nancy Olson

          Disney comedy. When John Baxter inherits an old hotel in the Rocky Mountains, he quits his job in New York and moves the family West to run it-only to find that the place is a wreck. Together they decide to try to fix it up and turn it into a ski resort.

Non-recommended Movies

BRINGING OUT THE DEAD (Nicholas Cage, 1999)

          (Jesus:) This movie was a real slam on paramedics and the spirit world. It is not edifying or uplifting, nor is it even a real representation of the sacrificial life of a paramedic. The subject matter was good and could have been a gripping, interesting, Spirit-filled movie, but instead the film was warped and twisted and a waste of time for My children to see.

WHAT LIES BENEATH (Michelle Pfeiffer, Harrison Ford, 2000)

          (Jesus:) I would not recommend this movie for My children to watch under any circumstances. It would be a waste of My children’s time and bad for them spiritually to delve into these matters. It is a psycho thriller with an occult twist, which makes it doubly unedifying.

reviews

The Patriot

          (Dad:) This movie is a bit controversial as there are two sides to this story: that of the English and that of the American revolutionaries. Both are to blame for the tragedies and evils that occurred during this time period. As you have seen throughout history, man simply cannot solve problems on his own. When he does try to, he makes a mess of things, and they certainly did.

          This story is sad but shows the reality of war and the horrors that go with it. It may not be a true story per se, but you all know there are folks out there in the world who suffer these very things every day. Their children going off to fight wars, their loved ones murdered and killed before their eyes and their worlds crumbling around them.

          Make sure to have cleansing prayer after watching this movie, as there are some very gruesome scenes and violence throughout the film. It is warranted as it shows what war is like, but it’s not something that you should dwell on, so ask the Lord to cleanse your mind.

Best Man

          (Dad:) This is a good, sweet, uplifting movie. It’s fun to watch the entirely black cast and listen to their lingo. Much of it is not the “cleanest,” but on the overall the movie has a good message, and some good lessons about love, forgiveness, discretion, and what can happen if you’re too loose with what you say. It’s entertaining, a romantic comedy with a light witness and message about faith in God and prayer. It’s one of the few movies that openly brings God into a new union.

The Castle

          (Dad:) This is a beautiful movie, full of old family values and big vs. little in the System. I admire those who have crazy faith as this guy did, willing to take on the Devil of a System in all its might without worrying about the odds. Who’s to say who the real winners in this life are?-The little guys with nothing in the physical but a home of happiness, or the rich ones who’ve “got it all” with all their misery as well.

Prince Valiant

          (Jesus:) Although this movie is unrealistic throughout, it is basically harmless and has examples of loyalty and chivalry. As I do with so many of man’s creations, I can draw a parallel with the sword of Excalibur and the Endtime weapons I have outfitted My children with. Your sword of My Word through prophecy is a mighty weapon, and your enemies will come to tremble with the knowledge that you have this sword in your safekeeping. The people I bless with your presence by the same token shall rejoice, for through this weapon of prophecy I will lead you through the dark days ahead.

          Your enemies will even try to steal this sword from your midst, but they will find that it does them no good, and that only those who have My royal seal in their foreheads can draw the sword from the stone and use it to defeat the enemy. So although you are simple and uneducated in the ways of the wicked world, as young Prince Valiant was, you have the heritage of being My chosen children, and with My power within you, you shall overcome the forces of darkness, holding high your Sword of Excalibur-prophecy power.

Little Men

          (Dad:) The heart of man is the same everywhere, and this is a good illustration on not giving up on those that seem to be hopeless cases. It has good lessons on persevering and loving the unlovely. You will want to pow-wow the knife-dropping scene with your kids so they don’t try to copy it.

Snowball Express

          (Jesus:) This is a sweet and funny movie about a family that finds itself up against almost insurmountable odds, but who keeps persevering until their goals are achieved. Though funny and lighthearted, it’s got a good message overall-that of not giving up, not quitting. Beware of some unloving speech by a few of the characters.

Reactions to GN 889: “ISSUES” Part One!

          The New Wine tasted so good and it is so feeding. It was very fascinating to read this new GN. I liked it very much, because it’s short, straightforward and on topics that I wanted to get some feedback. Now I’m impatiently waiting for part two.

-male in Kazakhstan

          The “issues” this GN covers are hot ones! I was convicted by the ones, “A real friend is…” and “Intimidated.” First of all there is a fine line between having convictions and being self-righteous, and I am one who needs to be reminded about it regularly! But also it’s easy to compromise when the issue at hand is not such a big deal, and instead of going to the Word the tendency is to rely on the way we always used to do it. It’s easy for me to keep quiet, thinking, “Well, they are supposed to know about it and if they don’t seem to do it then I guess it’s not a big deal.” But what the Lord is trying to say is that each one of us is ultimately responsible for what we are as a Family and sometimes by standing up for the right we will help others to see that it’s worth it to live for the Lord all the way.

-female in Russia

          One thing that stood out was where the question was asked about putting things into words, and what effect this has on us. In praying about this particular aspect of our spiritual walk, I was impressed with the influence of music in this respect.

          We have been restaurant singing this month, and to do so we have learned some System songs that the people know. In order to do this, we have had to listen to a bit more System music. One of the songs on the CD we have used is about “The Meaning of Loneliness,” and it has a sort of depressed mood to the words. When we listen to and then sing the lyrics to some of these songs, it no doubt has the same effect as putting the right words into action by voicing them. I wonder if our teens really see the end effect of singing some of these songs over and over-that it probably does result in the amplification of some of these feelings that normally come with being a teen.

          Sometimes we need to use the songs of the System, but more and more with the increased spiritual battles, it will be damaging to put these songs into words with our own voices-thus reaping the fruit of the lyrics in our thoughts, emotions, and outlook on the things going on around us.

-couple in Italy

          “Issues” are really good! It’s a blessing to have these answers, straightforward and short! “Intimidated,” “A real friend is,” etc.-all is good for us to grow! “Soul mates in Heaven” … as Jesus said it’s hard for us to understand, and I know that in time we will get the full picture; for now it’s better for me not to worry about. For some people it might be a relief “not to be destined to spend eternity with one particular soul,” but for me my super-duper nice wife is the one I want to be with!

-male in France

          The “Issues” GN about the soul mates in Heaven is so moving. I’m looking forward to these experiences, and it softens the pain about some of the loved ones we have to forsake here right now. And it helps us not to be so possessive right now and see relationships in a greater way, not to look for it for ourselves, but to have love for the other person who is also in love with your loved one, etc.

-couple in Africa

          I was sad to read the article about anti-leadership attitudes. I feel we should thank our leadership for all the labors of love they put in for us. They often forsake loved ones and their personal burdens and desires to lay down their lives for the sheep-that is you and me! How can we criticize them when they go out of their way to help us do our work for the Lord, to make life easier for us, to correct us in love when we need it, and to pray with us when we don’t see the light?

          Let’s be thankful that they are willing to make that sacrifice of watching for our souls, and let’s make their job easier by respecting them, loving them and appreciating what they’re doing for us. That’s the way to make their job of shepherding us joyous instead of grievous.

-male in South Africa

          I enjoyed the format of “Issues,” as it is easier to find answers in the Word when it’s presented in such a way, although the usual way of presenting the New Wine has grown on me and I’m used to it. Perhaps the change made this GN a bit “special.” Thank you for sending it to us!

-male in Ghana

          We have a very bright JETT girl in our Home who asks a lot of very intelligent questions (the kind that really need answering with the Word)! One night we were reading Letters like “Atlantis,” “Taurug,” and “Treasure Ship” and the questions started flying fast and furious about life on other planets. After a certain point, I ran out of answers to give, but what was neat was the very next morning we read this GN and that had the answers! It was timely and very well explained!

-male in New Delhi

          I really liked how they talked about aliens in the “Issues” GN, because I was sort of wondering about that myself. I think it’s really cool that we’re the Lord’s chosen ones in the universe.

-13-year-old in the Philippines

          One of the most encouraging things that I’ve read in a long time was in the recent “Issues” GNs. I am an FGA and have been the family for 26 years. Now that I’m 46 years old, I have sometimes looked back over my life and wondered if I have really accomplished very much with my life. I joined the Family because I wanted to make a difference with my life and not be like so many in the System that simply live and die for nothing. But I have to admit that sometimes I have wondered if I’ve accomplished as much as I was supposed to.

          This GN gave a very encouraging account of things that we older folk have done for Jesus. One, we have pioneered the world with the Gospel; two, we have raised big families and tried to set them on the right path for the Lord; and three, we have BELIEVED in Dad and Mama as God’s Endtime prophet and prophetess. Then, it was explained how that the churches have lots of physical fruit, but our fruit is more spiritual. Those things really encouraged me and made me want to continue to do as much as I can for the Lord while I can.

-couple in Japan

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[CHECK OUT THE MO SITE!]

          When Gulshan was only six months old, typhoid paralyzed her left side. Her mother died when she was small. By the age of 16, once she had completed futile journeys from Pakistan to England and Mecca for healing, her beloved father died of pneumonia. In hopeless despair, she contemplated taking her own life, until she heard a voice instructing her to read about the Healer, Jesus, in the Quran. Three years and many prayers later, the Healer appeared personally in her room. For the first time ever, Gulshan walked across the floor, and into the arms of Jesus.

          Read Gulshan Esther’s own life account of healing, enlightenment, danger and destiny in The Torn Veil-now posted on the MO site.

Sao Paulo follow-up meetings

-15-minute presentations by the attendees

Follow-Up on the Dark Continent

By Aaron Actor, Africa

A Fledgling Work

          Africa is a very fledgling work. In our region there are 25 Homes in 13 countries (that’s West, Central and East Africa). In all of Africa there are 60-some countries. In southern Africa there are 30 Homes, and in lower central Africa there is a Family Home here and there. But for the most part you’re talking about a very unpopulated continent Family-wise. If you compare it to Brazil where you have 80 Homes; in Nigeria alone there are 100 million people, and there are only three Homes in Nigeria, with a total of about 34 people, including kids.

          As I talk about follow-up, I’ll share mainly what has been done with the teams that have been there the longest. Africa presents so many difficulties, so new teams are quite busy figuring out how to handle those difficulties for at least the first year. You can’t compare it to any other continent-the trials, the troubles, and the sicknesses. But in saying that, I don’t want to minimize the incredible blessings that come with living there and working there, because it is an incredible continent and an incredible place to serve the Lord.

[Fact box]

          Nigeria: republic in western Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea, south of Niger. Language: English. Currency: Kobo. Capital: Abuja. Population: 103,912,000. (Microsoft Bookshelf)

Popularity of the Word Basic and Treasures books

          Five-and-a-half years ago we moved to the north of Nigeria. At that time there weren’t many other Homes in Africa. In Nigeria our Home was made up of myself, my wife Elizabeth, Oli and Marie, Josh, and our children, and a host of YA and SGAs. We’ve been living together for the last 4½ years. Our main ministry for the first few years was ministering to kings and officials, mostly wealthy businesspeople as well as some people in the government.

          Nigeria is a very special place. In Nigeria someone will give you anywhere from $50 to $400 for a Treasures book. They’re not giving for the book-they’re giving because you’re there and they realize what a sacrifice you’re making to live and work in Africa and they appreciate it. It’s a very wealthy country, and there are other African countries that are just as wealthy and oil-rich; they don’t know what to do with their money.

          We focus on businesspeople in our follow-up. Like most of the Homes are doing now, we pray person by person, asking the Lord what their basic needs are and where to go with each one. Most businessmen in Nigeria have the Treasures on their desk and they’ll read it every day; if they are the chairman of the bank, they’ll read it with all their employees. In Lagos there are a lot of Christians, but Nigeria is 50% Muslim and 50% Christian. Many Muslims love the Treasures and the Word Basics just as much as the Christians do.

          In Africa, people respect the spirit world. Because of that, when you come in with your Treasures or Word books, they’re very receptive. They get saved right away and we usually take them through Mountain Streams and then through Treasures as a course. They love the Word Topics. We could sell that for a fortune in Nigeria because people value the Word so highly!

Pledges and Employees

          Like other Homes, when it came to raising money, we just knocked on doors, asking people to make donations to our work. Then the Lord led us to ask for pledges. It took the same amount of breath to ask our kings for a donation as it did to ask for a pledge-so we asked them to pledge every month. And even if it’s a small gift, the fact that it is monthly makes a big difference. So for the last three years, the kings that we have been feeding in Nigeria have pledged anywhere from $50 to $300 a month.

          One idea the Lord led us to was to challenge our kings that had businesses with many employees to hire us at a staff wage, and pay us for feeding and giving them classes and doing our missionary work. On the first of the month we go to their companies with our newsletter that we produce each month, as well as feeding material to share with them.

          We haven’t given so many joint classes to our kings; we don’t have a Church of Love in Nigeria, as there an upper-class African cannot just meet another African in a room. They are very proud and have to be introduced in a very prayerful way.

          We’ve had a lot of super neat supply stories from the care of our kings and friends. One man drove up a brand new Land Cruiser and said, “Here are the keys!” But the only reason they give is because we’ve been giving out the Word to them, praying for them and giving them what they’ve really needed and wanted spiritually.

University classes to train potential disciples

          In both Nigeria and Liberia we invested quite a bit of time at the universities. In Liberia we’d have crowds of students; in Nigeria good-size classes.

          Africa is the place to draw a crowd, but you don’t always get the quality that you want. So we would go around and gather university students together who were on break from classes, and teach Endtime classes. We made a promise to them that if they’d show up every day for the next three weeks, we’d give them a Treasures book. This helped them make the commitment to come and be fed.

          In many Africa countries it’s better to give daily classes, because if you do one once a week, people forget to attend. There is not a lot of self-discipline in most African cultures, so we had to pray about finding different solutions to create self-discipline. Memorization is a great one. We required them to memorize every day or they couldn’t come to the classes. We got very strict with them and we’d say, “Did you memorize your verse? Oh, you didn’t? Come back tomorrow or go over there in the corner until you’ve got it.” They loved it! They responded so well to that! They loved the challenge.

Catacombers witness during Liberian war

          The fruit of the Word we fed the catacombers was demonstrated in Liberia when fighting broke out. We were hiding in the bathroom in one apartment building, with bullets flying everywhere. Our catacombers were coming to us, asking for posters. They said things like, “I’m going to witness to the soldiers!”

          In Liberia there are what are called butt-naked soldiers. They get naked before they fight; they believe that somehow it will protect them from the bullets. Our catacombers were witnessing to these butt-naked soldiers and getting them saved while the fighting was going on. It wasn’t anything we had done, because I don’t consider any of us great teachers. It was the fact that they had read the Treasures from cover to cover, and they knew that the Lord was giving them the spiritual strength to do the job.

The only thing that lasts is the Word

          Rebels from Sierra Leone came over to Liberia and destroyed the entire school that the SGAs worked so hard on, and that we spent about $20,000 on. They took all the supplies from the orphans. It was very discouraging. You realize at the end of the day that the only thing that lasts is the Word that you give people.

First discipleship camp

          When we held our first two-week discipleship camp, there weren’t a lot of attendees, but we brought over some of the most potential ones from Liberia and Nigeria, and it was fantastic. We gave Endtime classes, and showed them the Songs of Heaven video. They flipped over that. The Liberian girls were in tears, commenting how much Dad loved Jesus, and they just had never seen or heard anyone who loved Jesus so much.

          The African catacombers are precious. They really touch your heart ‘cause they love the Lord so much. The potential disciples from the war-torn countries know that life is short as they’ve seen so much death. One man who helped us in one of the schools [in Liberia] during the fighting in September came up to where we were staying. They had taken his bed and his mattress. He didn’t know where his wife was-she could’ve been someplace else in the town, or dead. The only thing that was left in his little apartment was a Bible. He sat down with us, smiled and said, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him.” What he was saying was that even though everything was lost, he still had Jesus and that was what really mattered.

The benefits of long-term commitment

          Africa is a continent where a businessman receives a Mountain Streams, then photocopies it for 50 people and sends it across the country. They want to do as much as they can with the Word that you give them.

          Our work is not a short-term thing. Because we’ve been in Nigeria for a long time, our contacts know that we’re there to stay. Many white people come to Africa to take; there aren’t many white people that come to give. That makes it a special place for us, because that’s why we’re there-to give.

Teaching Family people to teach

          When I started teaching in Liberia and Nigeria, I couldn’t stop. I had to do it every day. I started thinking, God, this is why I joined the Family: to be able to feed people the Word!

          I mostly work with SGAs, and for most of them, teaching Endtime classes is a scary thing. They can teach one on one, or give classes to a few people, but when you have a roomful of people, it’s a little nerve-wracking for them. So we’ve been teaching them by the clinical method, showing them how to teach, and then praying that they’d learn to love it.

          One of the important things with teaching them how to teach is helping them to realize that it’s not a talent that is magically given to you. You ask Jesus to give you the gift, and then you go through a lot of tough experiences until you don’t really care anymore about getting in front of people and talking.

          A lot of young people love computers, and love those kinds of professions in the Family, but I haven’t met many that can teach Endtime classes, or who pick that as their goal or profession. But you can see how that will be the future of our work in general.

          In Liberia we’d practice teaching in front of each other and critique afterwards. Usually I taught a class for the first week, then I’d give it one of the SGAs to teach. Then afterwards we’d just talk honestly. “Well, you know, you could’ve controlled the students a little bit more. Or maybe if you threw a few stories in, they wouldn’t have left!” But that’s worth its weight in gold, because if they learn to teach the Word, there’s no stopping them.

          There are a lot of other professions in the Family, but if you’re a teacher, you can teach anywhere. A lot of SGAs fear that if they become a teacher, that means they’re gonna be with kids all the time. We haven’t put enough emphasis on them teaching outsiders the Word. Teaching also boomerangs because it gives those involved a hunger for the Word.

Poster blitzes

          WS just financed the printing of a million posters, half in French and half in English, so we’re hoping that they will hit like a bombshell, and with the Activated program, we’ll get those addresses to England, where our Activated desk is.

To Uganda

          Now our team is in Uganda, where we’ve opened up a Service Center to service the continent.

letters to the editor:

Re: Nigeria Robbery (Grapevine #86)

          The testimony about the team in Nigeria is very sobering! It really shows the importance of staying very close to the Lord, whether in a dangerous country or a less dangerous one. The days of the End are here and it’s time to use the new weapons as if our very lives depended on it. Like the Lord said, we now have to pay attention to every little check! It really makes you admire our dear missionaries who are giving their lives for the Lord in these dangerous mission fields, and shows the importance of keeping them in our daily prayers. It is indeed a very serious lesson and warning from the Lord for all of us to stay on guard, heed His checks and most of all, stay real close to Him! If the Lord allows it, situations like that can also happen to us, so Lord help us to stay close to Him!

-Isaac and Sara, Tahiti

Re: Grapes of thankfulness fliers

          It’s great to read these accounts of various kind actions and deeds the Family does for one another. It really encourages me and makes me so proud to be part of the Family. Thank you for publishing it. Keep them coming!

-Josef, Thailand

personals

             Mateus (formerly Francisco S.), please get in touch with Keren (Brazil) urgently. Phone xx-85-2798240. You can phone collect. Thanks.

          Joanna (formerly Peace who was in Japan and then on her way to SA), can you get in touch with me?-Praise Doorkeeper, CN 627, CDesk, PACRO.

             Marie (of Jesse and Joy), please get in touch with Emanuele. Add: Cx. Postal 213, CEP 66017-970, Belém, Pará, Brazil.

        Spanish Clara (of John) will like to get in touch with Michael and Mercy, we lived together in Mississippi for a month. Please contact me via e-mail at: saints@teleline.es. Presently living in Spain. Love to hear from you.

        Fiona (Brazil) is looking for Claire NM (Thailand). My e-mail address is: fifi_phoenix@bol.com.br.

             Gabe (of Augustine and Maggie). Ah, write me, umm, waiting to hear from you like NOW. Krystal at e-mail: curlycel@mailandnews.com.

          Ike (of Francis), please write yesterday to Carm at fcindo@jakarta.wasantara.net.id. Waiting to hear from you!

             David M. I’m sorry it’s been so long since you got something from me. I lost your address. Could you send it to me again?! If you now have an e-mail, could you send that to me too?! Tank koo, you’re toe tweet!;-) Big love, Vesna. E-mail: vesfrenchy@hotmail.com.

          Mark HH., this is Paul ( I was with you in Tenerife and visited you in Rosenhiem). I’d like to get back in contact with you and Ruben, seems like the e-mail address I have is not valid anymore. Please write me at: paj@pt.lu.

        Isaac Titiritero quisiera saber donde te encuentras Joy Bandolinera, la ultima vez que escuchamos de ti, fue en Europa. Lo puedes encontrar (tanto a el como a Stephen y Rejoice de aguascalientes, recuerdas?) en future98@prodigy.net.mx. Esperamos escuchar de ti!

        Looking for: Anaik (Shafan and Sharon) Ana Maria (Jonas and Angela), Bernadette (Catherine), Juan F. and Ester, Maria Clara, Heidi, John G. (we lived together in Sao Paulo), Clara (Ivan and Becky). Please contact Sharon at e-mail: Shazdt@usa.net.

             Angie (of Seth and Carolina), J. (of Eman and Rubi), Karina (Heidi, of Russian Ester), and anyone else who lived in Ecuador, please write me, Millie, at this e-mail: syaheartinhands@rdc.cl.

             Cefas and Anita, where are you? Please write us. Your family, Fco/Paloma and kidz can be contacted through this e-mail: syaheartinhands@rdc.cl.

          Samuel (Spanish), where are you? I can’t find your e-mail and would like to keep in touch. Contact Victory Faith at e-mail: nithome@uol.com.br.

          Please, anybody who would know how I could get in touch with Cheryl YA (sister of Nichole of Abner), can you let me know? Thank you so much. Contact me at: abifr@yahoo.com.

          Melody (Elodie) and Jo (of Joseph and Iris), Victory Faith (Geppetto) would like to hear from you. E-mail: nithome@uol.com.br.

             Windy (Darlene Davis), last heard of in the Philippines, Abel Alegria in Mexico would like very much to hear from you. Please contact him through the Mexico ABM.

former members - seeking contact

          I’m looking for a sister known as Clara, daughter of Maria Eli. Clara was in the Family for 10-12 years as a CM member and witnessed to me in 1992 here in Rio de Janeiro during the Rio ‘92 (international event about the environment). She must be about 31 now. Her legal name is Ana Maria A.B. If anyone knows Clara’s address or telephone number, please let me know. My name is: Wanderely Tadeu de Carvalho Costa (Andre Kohelet). My address is: Vila Klein s/n BA - Lumiar - Nova Friburgo - Rio de Janeiro - Brazil - CEP. 28.632-972. Please send any information or correspondence using only my legal name: Wanderley T. de Carvalho Costa. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

        Damon A. Ortega, looking for my father, Daniel Blair, who would now be in his 50s. Daniel and my mother, Leslie Arthur, met in 1967 in New Haven, CT where I was born in October 1968. Daniel was from Ogden, UT where I believe his brother “Sonny” and father lived. He had two sisters who lived in either Utah or Illinois. His mother had the last name Thornton as she was remarried. Any help that anyone could give in finding my father or any member of his family would be greatly appreciated. I can be reached by email at: IBSDAO@aol.com <mailto:IBSDAO@aol.com> or in writing at: 1358 Whalley Avenue, New Haven, CT 06515. Thank you.

The Father’s Anguishing Decision

          After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, the church’s pastor slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit, and gave a very brief introduction of his childhood friend who would be speaking that night in church.

          With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit to speak: “A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast,” he began, “when a fast-approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the three were swept into the ocean.”

          The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story.

          He continued, “Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life ... to which boy he would throw the other end of the line?

          “He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian, and he also knew that his son’s friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves.

          “As the father yelled out, ‘I love you, son!’ he threw the line to his son’s friend. By the time he pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beyond the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered.”

          By this time, the two teenagers were sitting straighter in the pew, waiting for the next words to come out of the old man’s mouth. “The father,” he continued, “knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son’s friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son. How great is the love of God that He should do the same for us.” With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room.

          Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man’s side. “That was a nice story,” politely stated one of the boys, “but I don’t think it was very realistic for a father to give up his son’s life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian.”

          “Well, you’ve got a point there,” the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face, and he once again looked up at the boys and said, “It sure isn’t very realistic, is it? But I’m standing here today to tell you that THAT story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me. You see … I was the son’s friend.”

(End of file.)

Copyright (c) 2000 by The Family