• Home » Children of God Publications » DTR TIPS!

The Family / Children of God

Internal Publications and Secret Directives

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

THIS PUBLICATION MAY HAVE BEEN "SANITIZED." This digital format of this publication was extracted from TFI's HomeARC 99, which was subjected to encryption and editing by TFI, who, in order to hide its controversial writings and thus escape moral and/or legal accountability for past/present core beliefs and directives, sanitized (edited) and purged (deleted, destroyed, burned) its texts—both printed and electronic. Where possible, exFamily.org has compared this digital material with the cult's original paper-printed versions to ensure that this publication accurately reflects the original, uncensored version. Locations where the text has obviously or potentially been sanitized is hilighted with bright-red [DELETED] or [EDITED] markers.

FSM 201 "DTR TIPS!" (FN 310) DO No. 1
Jan.1992, by Family Services, Zurich, Switzerland

       Contents:
       Introduction to DTR Tips!       1
       SHEPHERDING TIPS FOR DTR TEAMWORKERS!       2
       Meetings Use Power of Prayer & Word to Implement DTR!       4
       Tips for the Childcare Teamworker!       5
       Tips for Shepherding Our Children!       6
       Individual Word Time with OCs       7
       TIPS ON JETT & TEEN SHEPHERDING       8
       DTR Push Turns JETTs On!       10
       Childcare or Parenting Meetings & PTV!       11
       PERSONAL TIME       13
       Shepherding of Personal Time       14
       Personal Time with My OC Son       15

Introduction to "DTR Tips!"

       Dear Family,       GBY! It has been so encouraging to witness the wonderful changes the Lord has brought about with the implementation of the DTR in all our Homes. Thank you so much for all you have done to bring this Revolution to pass, which has brought such wonderful fruit in the lives of our entire Family, young & old, worldwide.
       In the following series of FSMs, we would like to present various tips sent in on your TRFs & Shepherds' reports, explaining methods & approaches that you, the Family, have found helpful as you set about to meet the challenge of the DTR!
       We are presenting these tips here for your use, & we pray that they will be helpful & aid you in your day-to-day lives & service for the Lord. We are not, however, indicating by publishing these that you must or should feel obligated to try all of them. Drawing from the material submitted from various sources, we may present two opposite approaches to the same requirement. We may even present a tip which, unknown to us, has since been discovered by the contributor to be ineffective.
       Home Shepherds or Area Shepherds may have sent in what seems like a good suggestion, only to find later that their idea didn't work so well in the long run. Maybe they'll find something better later & they may even abandon those very ideas that they were at one time so excited about! It may be that when someone first sends in the new idea, they haven't fully given it a chance to work yet, so they haven't seen the pitfalls or problems with this innovation or suggested new plan.
       As FSM editors, we are not able to try out all these ideas, tips & suggestions in our situation, therefore we can't know ourselves what is best. We are presenting them here to you in the hopes that you will pray about them & will be wise in your choice of which you put into effect in your Homes. Some suggestions will work fine for some Homes, whereas they would not be nearly as good for others. We are presenting many varied & differing ideas, so that you can pray & ask the Lord to show you which ones may be effective, helpful, & fruitful for your Home!
       However, nothing that you try in these beginning stages of the Discipleship Training Revolution should be looked upon as permanent. As Mama said recently, "One of the most important attributes for a leader to have is flexibility & the willingness to admit it when they're wrong. A lot of leaders don't think they're ever supposed to be wrong, so of course, they won't admit it when they are.--How sad!
       "People will worry less & be more agreeable & less resistant if you say, `Let's just try this for a certain amount of time'--& it should be a reasonable amount of time for whatever the project is that you're trying.--`And at that point we can get together & review & re-evaluate it, & if it hasn't worked, we can try something else!'
       "If you, as leaders, gain the reputation for changing when you find out that something isn't working right, you'll be much more effective. Your co-workers & followers won't worry or fear that things are going to go awry & stay that way.
       "That's one of the most wonderful things about Dad, we just know that he's never going to get stuck in a rut, & we know that he's willing to try things. He's not stuck on having his opinion enforced, he just wants to do the right thing."
       God bless you! We love you & have you in our prayers as you continue to prayerfully & lovingly care for one another as you do His Work, & reach out to those who need His Love.

SHEPHERDING TIPS FOR DTR TEAMWORKERS!

Tips on Shepherding Adults--From SEA Shepherds

       * All of the members of the Home Teamwork have a responsibility to be involved in spiritual shepherding to a certain degree. We shouldn't leave it all to the Shepherding Teamworker.

       * It's sometimes difficult to cover all the different members of the flock with regular personal counselling. One way is with "walkie-talkies", taking a Get-Out walk together which gives an opportunity to talk more deeply. Another idea for personal counselling time is for one member of the Home Teamwork to have individual devotions with one of the flock, to have a little talk time, Word and prayer together. Also, vigil times are good to use to spend time in prayer & Word together. We feel it would be nice for the Shepherds to interact with the flock in this way in order to spend more individual time with different people in the Home.

       * A convenient time for scheduling walkie-talkies with folks in the Home can sometimes be on W&R (Word & Rest) days as people are at home, relaxed, & have more time.

       * Be faithful with record-keeping as far as walkie-talkies, & keep track of time spent with whom, etc.

       * You can follow up walkie-talkies with a reading list when helpful; it doesn't have to be long. The CAT book & Daily Dex are helpful for making such lists.

       * When people come into your Home even temporarily or in transit, you still need to shepherd them. Tune into their needs, both physically & spiritually.

       * If someone comes into your Home, take their needs into consideration, as well as their children's needs. Make sure they are happy. Do what you can to help them adjust, whatever it takes. Shepherding people spiritually isn't only dealing with problems, but also simply caring for others.

       * When a road team leaves or returns, it should be special. Give them a big "send-off" with united prayer when they go out, & also receive them home with love! Have someone like the Home secretary record & keep a list of classes or meetings they missed so that they can listen to them when they return.

       * We found it very helpful for one of us on the Home Teamwork to go around the Home at least once a day, to keep a close eye on each department. Since we began this practice, almost every time we have done it we have come up with different points which we need to follow up on, or get back to people about. In many cases, we've been able to nip things in the bud before they get to be bigger problems. The Home Teamwork members can also take turns following Dad's example of going around each night to check the rooms for heating, blankets, ventilation, & that everyone is happy, giving a personal good night.

       * It's been a real help to have "Loving Up Jesus" inspirations on a regular basis with the adults.

       * To add the personal touch in shepherding, it's been helpful to arrange talk time with different members of the flock outside of official "counsel" time; for example, during Get-Out, JJT, outreach, business, household jobs, meal times etc. (Editor's note: It's wonderful to spend time together, have fellowship & draw closer while doing other things; just be sure your talking doesn't distract from the job at hand, or, as could happen when doing business with the System, cause a breach in security or an unguarded moment.)

       * Having a Suggestion Box has helped to provide an outlet for the flock's ideas, outside of OHRs.

       * NWO meetings, Heart-sharing & united Word study designed to tackle weak areas have been a big help in strengthening & unifying the Home.

       * Testimony time daily at dinner has boosted the morale of the outreach teams as well as the whole Home.

More Tips for the Shepherding Teamworker--From Shepherds in Europe

       One of the biggest lessons that the Shepherds on the different Home Teamworks in Scandinavia have been learning is realising the need to spend more time with the Lord. One of their Shepherds in a Combo wrote, "One thing I have been learning is how to keep a balance in the various aspects of my responsibilities. Since a large part of my job is keeping in communication with the various Home Members, as well as keeping abreast of & keeping the Home together spiritually, I need to spend a lot of time in meetings of one sort or the other.
       "At one point I found myself ending up either in meetings or in personal counselling pretty much all day, from morning till night for days on end, & that was just too much. I've now found that I need to pace myself so that my time with people is spread out a bit in order to allow time for any paperwork I need to do, & most importantly, time with the Lord, to really rest at His feet.
       "This responsibility makes me quite desperate because the only way I can really know what to do or what is the most important job to do is to really be hearing from the Lord. It probably sounds a bit funny, but I guess I'm having to learn that that is actually my job--to be hearing from the Lord--& that it isn't a luxury for me to take time to be alone with the Lord, but it's my responsibility.
       "Without this time I know I cannot do the job, because it just isn't in me to have the answers or direction or love or strength or power. It's just such a gigantic job in a Home this size, there is no doubt that it has to be the Lord Who does the work."
       It seems that more & more this is a lesson many Shepherds are learning here in Europe & it's so encouraging, as this is going to be such a tremendous help for the overall Work. The Lord will be able to work more through people's lives, giving His solutions & really helping us as we are faithful to seek Him in prayer!

More Lessons in Prayer= From a South American Training Center Teamwork

       It helps us to pray specifically in our Teamwork for individual Teens & JETTs who need prayer, so that a problem doesn't become the responsibility of just one person, but we're all aware of it.
       Putting our prayer requests on the Weekly Home Prayer List has also really helped--not only prayer requests for our witnessers & provisioning needs, but even for personnel problems or children who've had trouble sleeping or who have behavioural problems. Some problems that have needed prayer for a long time are now being put on our Home Prayer List, & as we commit them to the Lord, He is taking care of them! (Editor's note: When adding personal problems or health problems to the Home Prayer List, please always try to lovingly inform the people involved beforehand. You can encourage them that we all need everyone's prayers from time to time, & that as Mama said in Worldwide Prayer List No.2, the humbling is worth it in order to receive the Lord's wonderful help in an answer to prayer.)

Meetings Use Power of Prayer & Word to Implement DTR!

       Having a special DTR Prayer Meeting, say twice a month, write Shepherds in SEA, to focus on praying for different aspects of the DTR implementation in the Home is strengthening & a real good time for people to re-dedicate themselves to the DTR & to ask the Lord to help their Home progress in this push. Seeking the Lord's help will, of course, enable Him to do real miracles in bringing about the Discipleship Training Revolution on the Home level.
       The progress of the DTR can be assessed in weekly Home Teamwork meetings, as well as in these DTR Prayer Meetings, which can be a real help. It's good if the Teamworks really familiarise themselves with the DTR Letters, maybe reading something from these Letters each week or even more often. Without such a weekly boost & with so many things to do, it's very easy for the DTR progress to get put onto the back burner. The result is the Home losing its fire & desire to change, make progress, correct double standards, & raise the discipleship standard.

       Julie, Philip & the Teamwork at a South American Training Center shared, All results of the DTR here stemmed from the vision, & the vision came from the Word! What really helped us to implement the DTR was an in-depth study of the Techi GNs.Not just reading them once, but studying them in our Teamwork meetings, pow-wowing them & making goals. That's what gave us the spirit of the DTR! We did the same thing with the JETT & Teen Shepherds in our department meetings!

       The Teamwork of the Ark Training Center in South America writes that one Saturday recently the entire Home had a united Prayer & Word day to prepare for more implementation of the DTR. They report, Everyone took turns helping so that all could have extra prayer & Word. We had a reading & prayer list for everyone, & then from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., we had our united fellowship with songs & a skit (all the little kids attended that part too). Then we read from three of the DTR Letters, followed by Communion, prayer requests & a time to listen to the Lord. It was a beautiful time together! We thought of having such a day once a month, DV.

       A School in South America reported, We had several EC (Executive Council) meetings to pray, discuss & reread the Home Requirements & some important parts of the DTR Letters. Together with the Home we studied parts of the DTR Letters again, as we felt it was very important to reread them often. We also memorised a quote together as a Home from these Letters. We had some beautiful prayer meetings & lesson-sharing times with the Home. We asked the adults to write on their OHRs how this DTR was affecting their personal lives & the changes they needed to make. Most all have written beautiful reactions & are inspired with this golden opportunity to work together on our NWOs!

Tips for the Childcare Teamworker!--From SEA Shepherds

       * The Childcare Teamworker can help greatly with the spiritual shepherding of the children by suggesting things the teachers can study with the young kids, like "Pride" & "Murmuring", from many of the childcare-oriented pubs, such as "Life with Grandpa", etc. A lot happens during the day that could be pow-wowed with the children--different accidents or incidents that they could learn from. It is a matter of making these lessons come alive for the kids by applying the Word to their day-to-day life.

       * To be diligent to know the state of the flocks, it's good to make a few minutes to be with all the different age groups when & where possible.

       * When forms come out (such as the ones in the FSM that parents and teachers fill out on Family Day to monitor the children [EDITED: "FSM 185, pgs.27-28"]), we decided it would be part of the job of the Childcare Teamworker to promote them to everyone, & encourage their use.

       * One of the main jobs of the Childcare Teamworker is taking care of the teachers, which usually comes down to good scheduling and pre-planning. It helps if the Childcare Teamworker can read the teachers' OHRs.

       * It's very important to have weekly Teachers' Meetings and help strengthen the teachers' NWO areas. We need to fit the viewing of GAP Videos into the schedule for the teachers, so they can watch them together & pow-wow them. These Videos have so much to offer & the teachers will learn so much from them which they can use in the care & teaching of the children.

       * We found the GAP Video Handbook an easy way to review & study all the main points in all the GAP Videos & help the Childcare Teamworker assign the teachers or parents the Video they personally need.

       * The teachers can miss an important push in the Home if they aren't able to attend devotions or read what is read at the Home's devotions. They can possibly attend devotions through rotation, or waking up early before the children, etc. You can post the reading for devotions on the notice board, so the teachers can read the same thing during their Quiet Time if they weren't able to attend.

       * Perhaps it's good to set a minimum Word time of one hour a day for each teacher & help them to get it. If the teacher doesn't have planning time, they will often use their Word time for planning time, so it's important to find & schedule time for the teachers to plan too, as well as have their Word time.

Training through Study Seminars!--From Sharon, South America

       Perhaps one of the biggest blessings & boosts in actual training at the Training Center has been the Ministry Training Program implemented for the EC members, adult, EA & Teen teachers themselves. Before we started this program, the RTPs (Rotating Training Personnel) coming into the Training Center seemed to get a great deal of input in the way of classes, Seminars, Videos, etc., but those who were busy every day working in the School seemed to miss out on some of the good training classes available to the "visitors."
       Therefore, in order to give this training time to those so busy in the operation of our School, we scheduled an actual study hall time for every adult Member of the Home age 16 & up, which ran for a two-week period. We called this program of quiet reading time Ministry Training Seminars, & scheduled each adult one & a half hours daily.
       Each adult Member submitted what ministry they wanted to read about in their seminar study hall. A Ministry Training Reading List was copied for all, with all the pubs on the various ministries in our Training Center. (Editor's note: Please pray for the publication of these Ministry Reading Lists, coming soon, D.V.) For example, if you worked part-time in the kitchen & part-time in Childcare, you could choose your reading from those two categories on the ministry list. Priorities were marked as to what categories were most important to read.       We had a tremendous reaction to this program! People were so thrilled to finally get their eyes off themselves & their NWOs & reading the same Letters over & over again. They were thrilled & even amazed to see how many wonderful pubs we have on our ministries for the Lord. They were able to virtually train themselves by reading about their ministry from the approved WS pubs & were thus able to do a much better job after this initial investment of just one & a half hours of study hall daily for two weeks.
       Of course, this plan required some extra organisation on the part of the Home. There were two scheduled time slots daily for Ministry Training Seminar reading, & the adults took turns being in either one. When it was your work period time, you had to make sure that your work was taken care of so that you could pull out & have your reading time.
       Well, the work did get done, & people were more inspired, more envisioned & much more thoroughly trained after our first Ministry Training Seminar. For that reason we had a second follow-up Seminar to help everybody be able to get through their reading lists.
       If they weren't able to finish their reading list in those two Seminar sessions of two weeks each, they could, of course, keep the reading list. It was suggested they take an hour every Word & Rest Day to continue reading through that list & strive to finish it before the school year ended. PTL!

Tips for Shepherding Our Children!

       * We started having a 15-minute "jubilee" inspiration each morning with all the kids to help lift our inspiration standard & help the children learn how to really love up Jesus first thing--TTC style!--Praising the Lord together in song to start the day off right! Hallelujah! It's changing everyone's life, teachers too! Some days we had a "rapid-fire verse attack", where we quote verses from a certain theme to inspire our faith for strength & power, healing, etc.!--Hannah & Madalena, South America

       * Spiritually shepherding the younger children through some of the wrong attitudes & problems that come up has been approached through skits & flannelgraphs pertaining to their NWO's. This seems to get through to them better than lectures.--SEA Shepherds

       * We've been having a weekly prayer meeting with our JETTs & OCs, in which we read from the Treasures, Good Thots, etc., about prayer & then each child prays for something that is on his heart. These meetings are about an hour, & normally only two adults are present, but sometimes more. The children are learning precious lessons from this, & we feel it's been a positive influence on them.--A Field Home in South America

       * Once a week we put all the children's names in a hat, & have the adults pick names for the child they will specifically pray for during that week. We pick new names every week. This is really fun, & since we started it we have heard reports from the teachers that the children's behaviour is really improving.--SEA Shepherds

       * Have OCs do OHRs twice a week.--SEA

       * We had a united meeting with the MC/OCs & their parents one day where they all prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, & asked for the gift of tongues, after having had a Word study on this.--SEA Shepherds

OC Activities Planned by the Teens & JETTs--From Scandinavian Shepherds

       One new program that is bringing fresh inspiration to the Childcare groups is "Special Activities" organised by the Teens & JETTs! They plan some activities from the Activity Books & then divide up the younger children (OCs & down) so that each Teen or JETT has two or three children under their care for the morning. It has been beautiful to see the Teens & JETTs so enthusiastic & inspired about this. The younger children just love it & keep asking every day for their "Special Activity Time" with the Teens & JETTs! We have had to make sure to give the Teens & JETTs time to prepare, along with enough help & assistance while planning the activities, so that they choose the right activities for the right age levels.

Personal Witnessing Bears Fruit in the Lives of Our Children!--From Ado & Kanah, Latin America

       Recently I told our four-year-old that when I was her age I told the Lord that I wanted to be a missionary, but that I didn't know how to be one until I was a teen & met the Family. I went on explaining how she's so blessed to be in a missionary Family & can serve the Lord at such a young age. She looked at me & in a real serious tone she said, "I don't think I'm a missionary because I don't go talk to people!"
       After hearing that & seeing it through her eyes, how she thinks, I began to look for more opportunities for her to personally witness at parks & outings, taking lit along & praying to meet sheep. Now she & the other YCs in the Home go singing & regularly go out witnessing, TTL! The emphasis on personal witnessing is so very important for our children, even the youngest ones.
       We now keep a calendar so the children know in advance when they are scheduled to go out witnessing & they check it almost every evening at Family Time. Testimonies of personal witnessing miracles are common at dinnertime & they mean so much more to the children since they go out more themselves & understand better what it means to meet sheep & win a soul! Having this push to do more follow-up & personal witnessing, as well as our Home's daily united prayer, has stirred up everyone & helped us get more on fire as a Home!

A "Personal Time with Jesus" Book--From Mary Newlife & Mercy (Michelle), Latin America

       One key that has helped our children to have feeding & fruitful Quiet Time has been the idea of having a "Personal Time with Jesus" book that they use at Quiet Time. Before, some would space out or not really absorb much, but our sweet Shepherdess Marie made the suggestion of each child using a little book in their prayer & Word study. Now during Quiet Time each OC listens to the Lord & writes lessons on what they are learning from Jesus.--Really deep & inspiring comments!
       Here are a few quotes from our eight-&-nine-year-olds: "I learned to give things away & not keep them for myself. I was wondering if you could pray for me not to be proud or pushy because I feel bad when I do that." "I was praying & the Lord showed me why I've been so disobedient & unloving to the girls, that it's because I haven't really been praying or reading the Word. I've just been playing around." "I'm learning how important prayer is & if we don't pray with a whole heart our prayers only go halfway & God doesn't bless it."

Individual Word Time with OCs

Tips on Encouraging Hunger for the Word--By Marianne

       We felt it would be a blessing to have Word time together during our Family Time or on Family Day. However, we were at a little bit of a loss as to how to organise it, because of the age differences between our children, as we are a large family of six children. Our children are age one to ten years, & we're learning what the younger ones are interested in & excited about. Because of this, we found we were often meeting the need of the younger ones, but weren't really getting some good feeding time with the older ones during our Family Time.
       Since other families in our Home also felt that they were not having a relationship in the Word with their older children, we decided that once a week, one of the parents would take their OCs off separately for an hour of Word Time. This parent would use an hour of Family Time sometime during the week for Word study with his or her OCs. The teachers have prepared a study list, which the parents can then go through with their child. This is a help to the teachers, who find it difficult to schedule the reading of this list with their OCs during the week. This one hour of Word time with our OCs has been very precious & I've been learning a lot through it.
       For me, it was a new experience to actually have this Word time with my son. I soon realised that I was going too fast & maybe putting my cookies on too high a shelf. As much as he was trying to get excited about the Word I was reading to him, it seemed that he had a hard time getting turned on by it.
       So one morning he shared his heart with me & said very sweetly that when I read the Word to him, I don't always know how to talk or give a class to an OC & he finds it a bit difficult. Also, he felt that he didn't have as much hunger for the Word as he was hoping to show me he had. We had a real sweet talk & a good prayer & after that I changed my approach! I didn't go so much by what I felt he needed to read to help him on his NWOs, but went more according to his interest.
       He was all turned on about personal witnessing, so I read to him some of Dad's Letters about reaching the pagans. We marked his English/Japanese witnessing Bible with key verses, which he really enjoyed! He really likes the Bible stories in Treasures & Good Thots, too. We also had some captivating Word times reading the recent "Bible for You" GNs. More recently he had questions about Jimmy Bakker so we read parts of Dad's Letters about him.
       I guess at first I had my heart set too much on reading about his NWOs with him, & at that time he wasn't hungering for the Word so much. So I had to forsake my big plans & ideas & try to find the Word that would cause him to get turned on. I realised that at this stage of his development, it is more important for me to find things that are really going to excite him & make him see that the Word is thrilling, & then it seems that he is more open to reading occasional Letters on his NWOs.
       One time after reading from the "Bible for You" GNs together, he had a very inspiring astronomy class from the BEST. He then got super excited about the BEST & began wanting to read it with me. So at this stage, I'm learning to flow more with his interests & to let him get excited about the Truth of the Word & not to impose any type of special program on him.
       He's actually made quite a lot of progress in his NWOs in the last few months, & it's bearing more fruit to get excited together about the Word. I feel it is laying the ground work for a better, deeper communication together.

TIPS ON JETT & TEEN SHEPHERDING

       * The Area Shepherds are basing out of the JETT/Teen Training Center at present, & they help out by preparing classes for the JETTs/Teens & giving them to the JETTs & Teens once a week or so. Their teaching is a real blessing & helped relieve the burden of the JETT & Teen Shepherds.--SEA Shepherds

       * Home Teamworkers or ASs could take the JETTs & Teens on nights when the JETT & Teen Shepherds have their meetings, or video nights etc.--SEA

       * It has helped tremendously to have a DTR Requirements report form. This is filled out daily by each individual JETT & Teen, as to whether they felt they did all the things they need to do that day, & it is then handed in with their OHR. The Shepherds have a copy they fill in & they are able to see in a week's time if any particular Teens or JETTs, or the group as a whole, is lacking in any area.--SEA Training Center

       * Having someone sit with the JETTs at either lunch or dinner in place of the JETT Shepherd frees the JETT Shepherd himself to have a meal in another location with one of the individual JETTs. He can spend Personal Time with one of the JETTs while having a nice private meal together. Other adults helping with Personal Time also find it helpful to have lunch or dinner in the living room or bedroom with an individual JETT.--SEA Shepherds (Editor's note: Having a meal away from the dining room hubbub could be a good way to have Personal Time, but we'd suggest trying to find other opportunities to have this time as well, & not always use meals. If the subject discussed is not too stressful so that it upsets your digestion, a private meal could be good for personal "Talk Time".)

Word Study with JETTs!

       * Having specific Word projects has helped us to get a lot more from Word study with the JETTs. I try to present the projects in a similar form to the Techi Series, with some written questions & also some verbal questions. The JETTs seem to enjoy this as it drives the point home & helps them study the Word more rather than it just going in one ear & out the other. During Quiet Time, they have to do some "homework" on the class (from the questions asked) as well as read some follow-up Letters from the DBs on the subject. The questions asked are more personal ones & this helps them apply the Word to their own lives.--Lily, North America

       * We've used a very effective Word study program we call "jewelling" to inspire the JETTs' interest in the Word. It had become rather dry & ho-hum for them, more as a chore done out of duty, & we had a burden to create an atmosphere of enjoying & drawing from the Word. We divided up in small groups of just a few JETTs with Shepherds, got a stack of Word & reference books such as the Daily Dex & "How to Love" & looked up various topics of interest to them, like "Peer Pressure", "Sarcasm & Gossip", etc. When we found a paragraph on our subject, we then read it & each JETT took a turn finding the "jewels"--the key phrases or sentences. We then would discuss these together, while a "secretary" recorded them, so that at the end we had a specially compiled class on our study topic! This program has so inspired the JETTs & sparked their interest, that they ask if they can "jewel" Letters during personal Word time! We're happy for them to do this in their DBs, under supervision. The teamwork effort drew them all in, plus showed them how the Word relates specifically to their lives!--Stephen Vessel, SEA

       * The Teens started doing a special weekly activity with the JETTs--reading through the Book of Genesis. With each class there were a couple of skits to really bring the point home. The skits were all based on the Bible, but the points were brought across in modern terms. For example, today's idol worshippers worship TV sets & Sony Walkmans, & the citizens of Sodom & Gomorrah are dressed "punk style." This clearly demonstrated to the JETTs where these principles apply today as well. They saw that the Bible characters had to make the same decisions as they do--such as Lot's weakness in compromising & Abraham's conviction in standing up for the Truth. These points come out very clearly in the skits as well as being a fun note to end the class on.--Renee, Teen Shepherdess, SEA (Editor's note: Now that the "Bible for You" GNs have come out they can be used as a basis, guideline & foundation for your Word studies of the portions of the Bible they cover!)

Using the Teens as Teachers & Teen Shepherds

       * A Teen Combo in Europe shared, "It makes the JETTs feel more a part of the Revolution when the shepherding comes from a lower level & it's not just adults shepherding them all the time. When we adults show that we are behind the Teens & counting on them to carry the ball of shepherding, be a good sample & show the right spirit of discipleship, it convicts the JETTs as well. It serves as a reminder to the JETTs that we consider them to be full-fledged disciples & we are not just `calling' them that. Through these different changes, they see that we are counting them `among our ranks' & they are no longer simply `our kids'. That has seemed to influence some of the older ones, who are almost 14, to pull them out of their NWOs of foolishness & immaturity.--Just the fact that we are showing them that they are not kids any more."

       * A Mail Ministry Home in Europe writes, "The JETTs really enjoy it when one of the Teens prepares a special Word class for them. This has also really inspired the Teens to dig into the Word, so we use these Teen-prepared classes to encourage their Word study. When the Teens have questions on a certain subject, or a particular NWO that they're studying up on, we suggest that they prepare a Word class on it.
       "Depending on the topic & who it's suitable for, the Teens are then able to give the class to the JETTs, the other Teens, or to our Catacombers or follow-up sheep. (Editor's note: It's good to have an adult in attendance at these classes if possible, as the Teen can benefit from tips, pointers & encouragement afterwards!--As well as being able to have any questions answered that may have come up in the course of the class.)
       "Our Teens are taking on more spiritual responsibility this way, & they're thrilled with it! Our Teens know so much Word but haven't felt that they could teach it to others, just because they lacked the opportunity. Now we try to have them take turns teaching a total of about four classes weekly (to the Catacombers, JETTs & at a follow-up Meeting) & it has really increased their vision! PTL!"

       * North American Home Shepherds write, "The Teens are being overseen by an EA girl who is in turn overseen by an adult woman. This EA has gone through all the GAP Videos, is very well trained & has a lot of faith! Our Teens are doing well for their age; the discipline standard in these groups has really changed!"

DTR Push Turns JETTs On!
From David, Esperanza & Joy, South America:

       The JETTs have been very inspired this month through opportunities they've had to go personal witnessing! More than 100 souls were won by them in one month, & they are excited by the chances they'll have to continue pouring out to their own generation! The JETTs have also been getting very turned on by such GAP Videos as The Acts of the Revolution & The Revolution Continues! Living the DTR on a daily basis is giving them, & the younger ones too, the challenge to really live the revolution themselves in a much more personal way, & TYJ, they are answering the call! One beautiful thing that happened this month was that all the JETTs joined together for a prayer of deliverance from their various NWO areas, & some were even brought to tears by the power of prayer to help them change & mature!

From Andy, Maria, Miriam & Matthew, South America:
       A big victory has been personal witnessing, as most of the kids were able to go out & win souls! The JETTs were able to do their first performance with the puppet show & singing all by themselves, with very little help from an adult, GBT! They won 100 souls & everyone was very impressed by their sample. The JETTs are very excited about this ministry as the Lord is opening more doors for them to perform, TYJ!

From Francisco, Paloma, Bernardo & Clara, South America:
It was a great victory & wonderful opportunity that our JETTs were able to attend the JETT Camp recently held in our Area. They were thus able to receive valuable training which encouraged them to face their NWOs in order to overcome their problems. This has also brought about more supervision over the JETTs & OCs, which has borne very good fruit in their lives & in the Home in general. Having separated the JETTs from the OCs has helped us watch over the individual needs of each JETT more. One of the areas we've been working on has been shallowness & foolishness. TTL, attending the camp has helped them see the importance of staying united, & close to the Lord & His Word!

Childcare or Parenting Meetings & PTV!

* Our PTVs have always been very fruitful & effective! Each & every time, both parents & teachers benefit from fellowshipping & learning from one another, as well as discussing the children's individual progress & needs. A new step recently was when our JETT department, which has its PTV separate from the rest of the School's PTV, invited all the parents to their JETT PTV, & the JETT Shepherds gave a united talk for the first half hour addressing all the goals, victories & NWOs, sharing the vision with the parents unitedly. Afterwards the teachers were available for parents to talk to individually about their JETTs.--South American Shepherds

       * We've found that these Parenting Meetings & Teachers' Meetings are a good time to get in the Word together, as well as to pray as much as possible about every situation & need. TG for the prayer revolution!
       The more we read these Childcare Letters & materials, the more we find answers without having to discuss problems & try different solutions. Parents & teachers, of course, are very busy people, so the more time we can spend getting good input together, the better.--South America

       * During the PTV, while the teacher is talking to the individual parents, the other parents could use this time to work on Home Schooling binders. A set time to keep up on these is a help.--SEA

       * It's good to schedule the PTV early in the month to make sure you fit it in.--SEA

       * It's also good to schedule your PTV soon after the end of the six-week marking period to update records, etc.

       * As a Home, we've decided to start showing some GAP Videos once a month at our Weekly Parenting Meetings to help give the parents & Teens some training through these Videos. We also decided to watch the HSV Videos (Home Schooling Videos) that are coming in, showing about ten minutes of each one in order to whet everyone's appetite & show them what is available to be used in Family Time or in united activities. This has helped everyone see the material they have at their fingertips.--SEA

Monthly Organisation of Parenting Meetings--By SEA Shepherds

       We organised our four Childcare Meetings to be sure we covered everything each month. One meeting is devoted solely to prayer for the children. In one of these prayer meetings, we also had Communion for their healing & another time we read beautiful Scriptures & promises between prayers.
       The second meeting each month we devote to watching GAP or other Childcare-related Videos (such as Video Pow-wows that come our way), or reading the new pubs on Childcare such as the new FSMs on Family Time, Friendship time, Foster Parenting, etc. It really helps to review & re-read these special Videos & pubs unitedly.
       The third meeting is devoted to PTV & the fourth meeting we have NWO Pow-wows on any questions or problems that have come up that we need to discuss together as a Home, concerning the children. Having the meetings scheduled this way has made it a lot easier to plan the Childcare Meetings & make sure that we are covering some of the most essential topics with the Home each month.

Counselling Workshops!--From Shepherds in the Pacific

       In addition to the weekly Childcare Meetings, the HCS Shepherds have scheduled private counselling workshops, where different Shepherds & teachers are available. Parents or singles can come & get counsel on a group of children who they were asked to monitor or be with from time to time. If a question came up during Personal Time, then it can be discussed. Parents can even sit down with their child & his or her overseers to discuss & pray about something if needed.
       This time can be used for Parenting Teamworks to counsel among themselves, as well, if situations come up with individual children whom they are responsible for, that they need to pray about & discuss.
       Some subjects need to be addressed to the whole Home. Of course when new pubs come out about the DTR or childcare-related subjects, those also are always good to read & pow-wow together with the Home at Childcare Meetings. However, the idea of these counselling sessions was to go further than united meetings by having specific workshops of smaller groups of people, zeroing in on needy areas in the Home.
       Some Homes in our Area still have the type of Parenting Meetings where they choose one child & their particular problem & discuss it at length with all those attending the meeting. Doing so, however, leaves a lot of people out who either are not familiar with that particular child & his or her problems, or who couldn't so directly benefit from the counsel given. So when discussing this point, most Shepherds agreed it is best to save the counselling about individuals for the PTV times or some of the workshops. If there is to be a common topic discussed at these Childcare Meetings, they felt it should be the kind of topic that would interest everyone & be of benefit to all.

Parenting Meetings for Planning!--From Mary Mom, Pacific

       An idea that has proven super fruitful has been to use some Parenting Meetings for planning workshops, to help the parents plan their Family Time by giving them time to work with all the materials from the library. We do not have PTV-style counselling or discussion on that night, but we do have several Shepherds & librarians on hand. We bring out Activity Books or other pubs for parents to study, our Shepherds familiarise themselves with the pubs beforehand, & they are able to lead different families through the materials available.
       Say, for instance, one family has children ranging from eight years old all the way down to a baby: We show them in the pubs where there are different games they can play, or different activities they can do. Then we use the workshop for the parents to actually prepare their materials for use during the next week of Parent Time.
       The parents like very much to have the time for delving into the pubs & actually preparing for being with their kids. With our busy schedules, it's difficult for them to go to the library & use the materials during the day.
       We have had different pushes in our planning workshops. For example, one week we pushed Word games. Using the various games in the Activity Books & CCHBs, we made a Word game set for every family, so that all they had to do the first few Family Time nights after that was colour them & laminate them & then play them. That push was lots of fun!
       We had another fun parenting push where we just put out all kinds of games & puzzles & the parents "shopped" for what they wanted. They could then check out whatever they wanted in our log-book & it was very inspiring for them.
       Another Parenting Meeting we had was a workshop where we worked on all the Home Schooling Kits. Since keeping up on the Home Schooling records is mandatory, we have the workshops to be sure it gets done & we even have singles help parents of big families fill out their records, PTL! Parents can check each other's Home Schooling records to catch mistakes or flaws; for example, finding that such-&-such a diploma doesn't go along with their cumulative records.

       * The PTV meetings bring about a lot of unity in our Home between the teachers & the parents. PTV also helps the parents to be more aware of their children's education, as we are all individually responsible for the Home Schooling of our children. That responsibility has caused us to get more involved with the curriculum & the Home Schooling Kit & overall it's just been a beautiful experience. The meetings just take a little bit of extra planning to bring them about, but they've worked well & have been a real blessing.--A Home Shepherd in Europe

PERSONAL TIME

Tips on Scheduling Personal Time

       * One Training Center Teamwork decided to appoint an EA as the Personal Time monitor for the JETTs & Teens. He has worked out a schedule to make sure that each of the JETTs & Teens get their Personal Time on a weekly basis & works in conjunction with the Home Teamwork to make sure this is accomplished.--Europe

       * One of the Homes in Scandinavia has worked out united activities by groups for Family Time three times each week, which everyone seems to like & look forward to. During this time they rotate different adults being with the children, leaving some adults free to take Personal Time with their children. Often an adult will go for a walk with one of the JETTs or OCs, taking a baby or toddler along in a buggy, which also helps to make the united activities a little bit quieter. By doing it this way, all but one or two of their OCs, JETTs or Teens have had their Personal Time by the end of the week, & it was then easy to make time for these one or two during the weekend.--Europe

       * As we saw that we couldn't fit the DTR into our existing schedule, we realised that "something had to give". In other words, we had to stop doing some of the things that we were doing, in order to make time to do some of these new requirements. One practical suggestion of what could be taken out of the schedule was perhaps one LT Meeting a week or some other united evening activity. Instead of that activity, the adults could be scheduled to have Personal Time with their JETTs for that same hour to hour-&-a-half period.--Pacific

       * During the 5:30 slot before dinner we put on an educational video (Editor's note: Or have Superworkbook time) for the majority of the children & have someone with the younger children's group, which frees adults to have walkie-talkie time with some of the other children.--Ahlai, North America

       * We had the nine-year-olds & over write on a piece of paper the adult they would like to have Personal Time with. Then we collected these papers & talked with the adults about the results. For some of the kids who asked to talk with their parents & who have familiarity between them, we scheduled half an hour with the parents & half an hour with another adult, to provide more opportunities for good communication. The adults will be filling out a questionnaire, so we can have a written report about the walkie-talkie.--Italian/Swiss Shepherds

       * With the large group of Teens that we have, it has been a problem to find the time to give the Teens their one hour of Personal Time. To meet this need, we got all of the adults in the Home involved by scheduling them with one or two Teens for one hour each per week. With the Teen Shepherds taking on a little bigger load of Personal Time of six to eight each, they can also give the Teens extra Personal Time when needed for NWO talks, counselling, prayer, etc.--Abel & Merryheart, Teen Shepherds in South America (Editor's note: In some Homes, to include all the adults may not be wise, unless they are closely monitored, helped, & taught the how-to's, in order to make it fruitful.)

       * We've divided our Teens between the various members of the EC & a couple of the more mature adults in the Home. The Teen Shepherds asked the Teens whom they felt comfortable talking to & whom they felt close to. Each Teen turned in a few names so that we could appoint a main person in charge of that Teen's Personal Time, & also a back-up person in case that person is busy or gone.--Marianne

       * We divided up our OCs, JETTs & Teens between most of the adults in the Home, who all have to talk to the people they're responsible for before Wednesday night when we have the adult video. We keep track of it by marking a chart, so that we know everyone has had their Personal Time.

Creating a New Habit!--From a Training Center, South America

       It's been a real fight to get Personal Time started: It has taken a lot of emphasis, it has taken classes, it has taken the Word on it & finally it took the "bark" & the "bite"! It's not like we know how to go about it, it's like creating a new habit!
       As Personal Time isn't just the responsibility of the Teen/JETT Shepherds, but everyone has to get involved, it has created more unity. One blessing has been that it involves our singles. We have a few single men & they are often out on business & gone from the Home. Spending Personal Time with one of the younger set brings them in more & is very uniting & quite sweet.

       Question: We have several children who consistently do not nap during their Quiet Time, that is, they aren't tired & don't fall asleep. Since these particular children don't seem to need naps, would it be possible to use their nap-time as a slot to help meet the Personal Time requirement?

       Answer from Mama: If there are children who consistently do not nap on a regular basis, perhaps it would be alright once a week to use one hour of their nap-time for their Personal Time in another location, provided of course there is a responsible adult who is awake & available during that time to talk with them.
       "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ!"--Phil.1:6.

Shepherding of Personal Time--From European Shepherds

       Mimi, the Childcare Teamworker at one of our Teen Combos in Europe writes, "A touchy point about Personal Time with our own flesh children, which I feel we need to be aware of, is the need to be careful to not only listen to what the child is sharing from his or her heart, but to hear the teacher's side too. I feel we need to be aware of this, prayerful, & on guard about it, as the teacher is the one who continually sees the areas that our children need to work on. He or she has the tough responsibility of facing & working on these NWOs daily; however, when we're with our own children, we often are tempted to quickly take the children's side in talking about the situations they discuss.
       "I'm realising that it takes a lot of prayer, wisdom & discernment to strike the right balance between heeding the child's heart-sharing & getting a more complete picture from our teachers whom the Lord is anointing for their job. I have experienced this so much, having been on both sides of the fence as both a parent & as a teacher. I feel that the teachers need the parents & the parents need the teachers!--The teachers need that personal touch & concern & understanding for their kids that the Lord gives the parents for each child, but the parents also very much need the teacher's discernment & frank awareness of each child's NWOs & the conviction to work on them.
       "I feel that through these experiences the Lord is moving us closer to the goal of close unity between our parents & teachers. We're so thankful for the new FSM 191, `More on the DTR', that brings these lessons out so clearly."
       To help keep close communication between the parents & teachers, some Homes have started having "Personal Time Slips", which either the parents or teachers fill out & then exchange them between them-selves. This helps to keep both parents & teachers up to date on anything the JETTs or Teens might be going through; it also facilitates knowing what to do & where to begin, & helps them to find out what the JETTs & Teens have on their heart.
       In the British Isles, the NASs reported that they found it to be a real help to have Pow-wows with the adults about the Personal Time they are spending with JETTs & Teens & OCs in order to go over any problems or questions they have, as often some of the parents don't know how to get deeper with their children.
       They've also seen the need to really encourage the parents to shepherd their young people during these Personal Times, as sometimes the tendency is to be a little over-sympathetic with the children & actually condone complaints & murmurs that the children may have, rather than helping them to learn the lessons the Lord has for them through these different situations. Again, this points to the need to have real close communication between the parents & teachers.
       (Editor's note: The need to discern, judge, & get the Lord's mind on what is shared shows that we often may need to counsel about Personal Time conversations. Please bear in mind when doing so, that the Teen, JETT, or OC may be sharing deep thoughts from their hearts which they would not expect for you to then talk about too openly with a large group of people. We suggest you be sure that these confidences are only shared with the people who need to know about them, privately or in writing, & not in an open-forum-type discussion, which could hurt feelings. It is very important to find out what the background is for what the OC, JETT, or Teen is saying, as well as to follow up on these personal matters where a change needs to be implemented, or where some matters need to be reported or counselled about. But the counselling involved should be done in a discreet & confidential way, wherever possible.)

Personal Time with My OC Son--By Marianne, Pacific

       One lesson I learned about Personal Time with OCs is to explain right at the start the overall picture of what we are trying to accomplish with these "Talk Times". In the beginning, I failed to explain the vision to my son, David, & although he was happy that I wanted to have this time of talking with him, he commented that he'd rather have play time or read something! So then I explained to him that this is something that we wanted to do every week & it will not take away from our time of doing fun things together. I went on to say that since he is growing up, I felt the need to have a time with him where he can share his heart & anything that he has questions about, etc. So now he knows that he has one hour to look forward to, which he knows I'm not going to take out of his family play time with the rest of the kids.

Our OCs Starting to Grow Up!

       We parents are very thankful for the little "Talk Time" booklet because all of us felt we tended to often ask our children the same type of questions. In the case of my son, he is not the type of child that you have to draw out; he always has questions. I recently gave him a little notebook to put by his bed, because he says that he often has questions that he forgets when Talk Time comes. So he's started to jot down his questions as they come up & it's been quite precious to discuss them in our times together.
       For me it has been quite interesting to realise how once my son turned nine, he seemed to become more mature & have different types of trials. He started really needing that type of deeper communication & answers to his questions. He has always been very communicative & his teachers say that he usually generates 40% of the questions asked during class time, as he has a very inquisitive Scorpio mind. He also has a very strong sense of what is right & what is wrong & he needs to learn to understand others' point of view better, but it's been very precious to see him maturing a lot this year & starting to develop a deeper & more personal relationship with the Lord.

More on Shepherding Personal Time

       Personally I'm usually very desperate when I have this time with David or even with the Teens, because there is a balance between just listening & shepherding. Sometimes David or the Teens come up with strong opinions about situations & I have to be very much on guard about not taking sides prematurely. I realise that if he or they confide in me about certain problems, they are expecting me to do something about them or help them find solutions.
       So more & more we are realising that Personal Time involves more than just spending an hour talking with a child. Sometimes it involves counselling with other adults, following up on things the Teen or the child asks, or has a trial about.
       Recently when we had Personal Time, for an hour David shared his heart about some problems that are going on in his group & he gave me a very interesting description of each child's personality & the "who's who" of the OCs, the problem with a clique developing, etc. Actually, all this gave me a lot of information to share with the OC teacher who had been feeling similar problems developing, but was not able to really put his finger on it because of the fact that a lot of the "goings-on" are happening when the teachers have their backs turned. (TTL, this OC group has made a lot of progress in overcoming some problems they had a few months back.)
       Of course, it was David's point of view, but the teacher was able to compare notes with the report of another one of the children & it confirmed some problems that he was personally feeling. This situation had been really burdening David & he obviously needed somebody to talk to about it. I didn't want to take sides in the situation, but did try to help him see how he could be part of the solution, how he could share his observations with his teachers & how he could pray for the people who are causing trouble.
       I could see how this Personal Time really helps us to nip problems in the bud. It also gives an opportunity to prayerfully evaluate situations & see what the problems are, how they develop, how they can contribute to solve them, etc.

Lessons from the "Tony" Series

       I learned a big lesson from the "Tony" Series, about where to draw the line with answering questions. As Mama said, it was good to address all of Tony's questions & to give him an opportunity to pour out his heart, first to me, then to Phoebe. But this is where the communication between Shepherds & teachers is important. When you see the same type of questions, or doubts in the case of Tony, being voiced at different times & it is apparent that the person is not receiving the Truth in spite of people answering their questions with wisdom, then you've got to lower the boom & draw the line. This is what both Dad & Mama did clearly & both in a different way.
       Mama makes very clear in her Letter, & it is explained further in the Pow-wow Questions, that there is a big difference between a Teen or a JETT or an OC who has many questions & somebody who is already an adult & has had their questions answered many times. So I realised that the lessons from Tony's situation are going to help all of us find a better balance in knowing how much we need to listen. I feel some people tend to be a little too lenient or man-pleasing during their Talk Time & are too eager to be friends with their children or the Teens. Others tend to have a problem with lecturing too much & not providing the children with much of a listening ear. All these lessons contribute to really teaching us how to better shepherd our children, TYJ!
       One thing we can truly say is that the DTR continues to be a Revolution for each & every one of us, helping us to climb to higher ground, for which we are very excited & very thankful!
       With lots & lots of love, Marianne


Copyright 1996 The Family