FAMILY UPDATE NEWS #35 -- March 1996
DO
"I bring you to great and effectual doors which I open unto you by the power of My Spirit. Go through these doors in faith, that you may receive My blessings. I will reveal unto you new truths. I will answer your prayers. I will draw you nigh unto Me. I will anoint you to preach the Gospel more than ever before!" (ML #3026:7,8).
March 1996, The Family, Zurich, Switzerland.
(For JETTs and up. Selected portions may be shared with children younger than JETTs at the discretion of their parents, teachers or shepherds.)
NOTICES
PERSONNEL NEEDED TO HELP BRING GP PUBS VISION TO PASS!
As you read in "State of the Nation '95," (ML #3017, GN 654), WS is currently setting up a new unit to produce some exciting new GP tools, including paperback books! Mama wrote: "This is a huge undertaking. Do you have a burden to help? ... Besides using these books as actual outreach tools, we would also like to put them in bookstores and libraries all over the world. We want to flood the world with the Words of David, just like the Lord said to do. Please pray for us as we launch out into this new ministry. It's going to take some time, but we're determined, by God's grace, to get them done and out to the needy world!" (ML #3017:226).
This project is now being actively pioneered and WS is looking for applicants to help fill some needed positions on this new team. Following is a list of the specific personnel that are needed. In some cases, ministries could be combined; for example, someone could work as both a computer technician and a member of the research team, if they have the qualifications for both.
Personnel needed:
Accountant/bookkeeper
Childcare workers
Computer technician
Cook/shopper
Housekeeper/town trip partner
Driver/handyman/all-around helper
Mail Ministry personnel
Printer's apprentice
Research personnel
Typists/secretaries
If you have a burden to apply for one (or several) of these needed posts, please send in your application today! You can mail your application directly to your CRO, or send it by modem via your ABM, and it will be forwarded on to WS. Please put at the top of your application: "GP PUBS APPLICANT."
Please also include a summary of your strengths, weaknesses, experience and previous ministries in the Family, age, marital status, number of children and nationality. Please also include a Member Evaluation (see Charter, Appendix B) from your shepherds (or other teamworkers, if you're a Home shepherd), as well as a current photo, if available.
After "State of the Nation '95," we did receive letters from a few of you, expressing a desire to help. We acknowledged each of your requests, informing you that at that time we weren't in need of further personnel. We have since realized, however, that we will be needing more personnel for this unit. So if this is still your burden, could you please re-apply, sending us the information outlined above?
Thanks so much! We look forward to hearing from you soon!
CORRECTION ON HOME EDUCATION PHONE NUMBER
It was brought to our attention that there is an error in the phone and fax numbers in recent Home Educators that have been sent out. We apologize for this error, and it has been corrected so that future editions of the Home Educator will have the correct numbers on them.
For your information, the correct phone and fax numbers are: phone, (818) 502-3516; fax, (818) 244-3030. Please make these corrections on issues of the Home Educator that you share with your friends and contacts. Thank you. We love you!
HOW TO BEST USE THE "WOMEN IN THE FAMILY" STATEMENT
Dear Family,
God bless you! Lord willing, you should soon be receiving a new Statement entitled "Women in the Family." You will notice that this pub includes some radical information! It is one of our "meatier" Statements, written mainly for academics, women's groups and liberal-minded people, especially in Western countries where the role of the woman is a very high-profile and important issue. A version of this Statement has already been given to some academics in the US and has been well-received.
Due to the rather non-conformist nature of this publication, it would be advisable to not distribute it wholesale, but it would be best used selectively. -- In some countries it may not be suitable for distribution at all. But in any case, this Statement contains many good ideas of how to explain the role of women in the Family, if you are ever asked, but which of these ideas you share would depend on the situation.
This Statement can also serve as the basis for an interesting presentation for women's groups. Such groups -- especially in countries like the US, Canada, Australia, England and other European countries, who are usually fighting for women's rights -- are often looking for informed speakers. If you have something to say that relates to or involves them, they're usually willing to listen. This is also true of university groups, who may be even more open to hearing from you, as they're often more liberal, more open to hearing from new religious movements such as ours, and yet more enthusiastic about the rights of women. Universities are full of potential labor leaders.
So if the Lord opens the door for you to witness to such groups, this Statement can serve as a good basis for your message. It gives you a foundation of information to draw on, and you can then tailor your presentation or discussion, making it as radical or conservative as needed, depending on your situation.
Women's groups could also be great sources of contacts for getting out the videos, because they're usually concerned about the quality of the materials being used by their children. The women in such groups are often looking for causes to support, so there could be some good opportunities to expand your witness and gain some long-lasting friends.
We pray that this publication will be a blessing to you, and that the Lord will open the doors for you to get this message to those individuals and groups who will be receptive to it and who will benefit from it.
God bless and keep you and continue to make your witness a blessing to many! We love you!
CHILDREN'S PUBS: OP2K FOR AGES 0-15!
We hope you'll be happy to know that many new children's/youth pubs are on the way! We have new MLKs, Hope TKs, Kidz Mags, posters, games, etc., in the works, many of which you should be receiving soon.
In order to enable our younger members to receive enough copies of these materials so that each one is able to study and absorb these feeding new pubs, we are changing the per-child ratio. Thus far, they have been coming to you at the ratio of OP2K for the ages of 5-15 years old, although it was your Home's decision as to how they were distributed amongst the children in your Home.
This ratio has now been changed so that most of the children's pubs will instead be coming to you at the rate of OP2K for ages 0-15. -- This way, we are hoping to ensure sufficient copies for those Homes which have mainly younger children. (A few pubs will be coming to you at a lower rate of OP3K for ages 0-15, such as small readers, games, sections of Activity Book 5, and any children's pubs which don't require so many copies.) As before, all these ratings are based on the number of children, not adults, in your Home.
Now that many Homes will be receiving a few more copies of the children's pubs than before, we pray that this will make them more available for the "under fives." As the Lord is "adding to our church daily" with many "knew" disciples, many parents and young people have found it a wise investment to save any extra copies your Home may have for your growing and upcoming children.
We also want to encourage you, where you are able, to bind the suitable children's pubs into books, to help them last for your children's feeding and enjoyment. In the past we have been able to compile many children's pubs into books and send them out this way, however, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do this in the future. (Please see IMM Pub #2, "Salvation for Home Libraries!" for tips on book-binding.)
God bless you! We pray these mailings will be an added joy and strength to all of our children! We love you!
PLEASE SEND IN LOVE AND PRAISE POEMS!
We hope you're finding Praise Time Volume 1 a blessing! Lord willing, more Praise Time booklets will be coming to you shortly, containing poems, as well as songs! Mama recently said, "I wish we had much more in the way of love poems and songs written to the Lord to put into our little booklets. The only way we can get this kind of material is to have our folks write it! So if anyone has any poems, maybe they wouldn't mind contributing them for use. We have a few real sweet love songs to Jesus, but very few compared with the other more traditional kind." So, dear Family, we'd love to hear any praise and loving Jesus poems or songs the Lord has given you. Please feel free to send them in!
NORTH AMERICA
HELPING OUT AT LOCAL COMMUNITY EVENTS
(From Stefan, Phoebe, Sam and Esther, USA:) We have continued to attend meetings and become more involved in the programs of our local community relations board.
We recently volunteered to supply the refreshments for one of the programs involving 1,000 people! When the designated mascots decided not to participate in the event, we volunteered to send four clowns, which was a real relief to the organizers. This meant that almost half of the project would be in Family hands -- including crowd control, directing traffic, seating arrangements, set-up, filming, refreshments, distributing info, and mascots! Praise the Lord!
Because the project involved the principal and teachers of a local school, they also asked for our help in planning some school events, including a parade, some fund-raisers, and a carnival.
The community board members were very appreciative of our help, and one exclaimed in awe, "Wow! There's nothing the Family can't do!" Upon hearing the testimony of how we provisioned the goodies for the event, including cookies from a very high-priced bakery, another board member said, "God bless the Family! -- Keep on feeding the world!" During the planning and prep meetings the Family got extensive coverage, and we received accolades from the community relations board director several times.
WITNESSING STATS FROM THE TOLL-FREE PHONE NUMBER AND THE FAMILY WEB SITE
(From Ado, Kanah, Stephen and Eden, USA:) We compiled our phone witnessing stats for 1995 for the Family's toll-free 800 number, and we were astounded to see that we received nearly 10,000 calls during the year, lasting a total of almost 12,000 minutes (200 hours)! This averages out to over 27 calls a day, every day of the year! Our outgoing calls came to a total of 4,400 (12 calls per day), lasting a total of over 17,000 minutes (290 hours). During the year, we have had many experiences of people calling in to ask for more information about the Family after receiving a tract, poster, or tape, or meeting a Family member. Sometimes we have been able to pray with people to receive the Lord over the phone.
The Family Internet Web site stats for January 1996 are also very encouraging. The total amount of "visits" to the Web site for the month -- a visit being anytime someone accesses our site -- was 7,686, an average of 265 visits per day.
Each of the people visiting the Family Web site get quite a witness! Those who visit also have a choice of which of our pubs they would like to read (such as Living Waters, Statements, Mountain Streams, etc.). To do that, they must transfer our material to their computer. The total amount of material that was transferred (downloaded) in the month of January was nearly 44 megabytes (or 11,000 pages) -- which is an average of 360 pages per day!
People that contacted our site came from more than 30 countries worldwide -- places such as, Australia, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Iceland, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Brazil, Costa Rica, UK, Belgium, Thailand, Zimbabwe, Croatia, Israel and Russia. Computers located at US universities accessed our material 552 times.
FRUITS OF MAILING TO FORMER MEMBERS
(From Ado, Kanah, Steven and Eden, USA:) We sent out a mailing to 360 former Family members, and the response has been very favorable. So far, we've had 35 responses in the form of phone calls, letters, e-mail or visits resulting from these letters. Only three of these were negative. Most have said how thankful they are to have renewed contact with the Family. Several want to be put in touch with DO Homes in their area so that they could have more fellowship; others asked for more Family material for themselves and their children. Besides numerous calls and letters from the US and Canada, we received a phone call from Japan and e-mail from Zimbabwe in response to the mailing! It is quite exciting to see what the Lord is doing with the reconciliation ministry.
CAUTION TO "BALLOONERS"*
(From Adria, Andy, Victor and Love, USA:) A professional clown that we talked with told us that it can be risky to publicly give out balloons to children under eight years old, as a federal regulation could possibly hold you liable should the child bite the balloon, choke on it and be hospitalized or die. So we drew up a warning, paraphrased from the warning on the balloon bags, that we post on our bulletin boards when we go "ballooning." We also tell the parents of any small children who we give balloons to, to be sure not to let the child put the balloon in his mouth.
(*Ballooning is an outreach activity where special balloons, often constructed into shapes such as animal figures, etc., are distributed to draw people's attention when postering or tapenessing.)
DEMONSTRATION IN MEXICO CITY
(From the Mexican Media Team:) After the recent airing of an extremely biased anti-Family program, a team of 20 teens and seven adults went to hold a surprise demonstration in front of the TV channel's building. We held interviews with five reporters who arrived on the scene, while the teens sang and the adults passed out posters and our rebuttal.
We then marched down a nearby walking street, singing and distributing the posters and rebuttals. Many people asked for more information. Some hours later, five police cars drove up and asked us what we were doing. After we witnessed to the police officers and explained our battle for religious freedom and for our rights, they said that there was no problem and we could continue as long as we wanted to.
The next day we discovered that the Lord had inspired the timing of our demonstration, as it turned out to be on the same day that the president of the country spoke on TV, promising that he would fight in favor of religious tolerance!
SOUTH AMERICA
SCHOOL-TO-SCHOOL PUPPET SHOWS
(From Angel, John and Ester, Brazil:) The Lord is opening doors to get our puppet show booked in municipal schools. After two shows this month, over 600 children and teachers received the Lord!
During the show, we held some raffles with videos and tapes as the prizes, and everyone loved it! The raffle ticket cost was included in the cost of the show (one dollar per child). One of the school directors told us, "Don't worry about future shows! After this show, your advertising is guaranteed!" Praise the Lord!
ENCOURAGING CHILDREN WHO HAVE CANCER
(From Joan, Jonatan, Gentleness and Marite, Brazil:) We became official volunteers of the AACC (Associao de Apoio Criana com Cancr [Association of Support to Children with Cancer]), where we go every Thursday evening to play games with the children, cheer them up, talk to the parents, etc.
QUOTABLE T-SHIRTS FOR SCHOOL UNIFORM
(From David, of Madalena, TS, Brazil:) We have been able to raise support through selling T-shirts with Family quotes printed on them. At one school, I offered some T-shirts with the quote, "It takes a lot of love to change this world." The administrators liked them so much that they bought one for each teacher, and adopted them as part of their official school uniform!
REACHING THE LOST THROUGH EARLY-MORNING RADIO
(From Timothy and Windy, TS, Colombia:) A radio announcer friend of ours who recently received Jesus came to one of our meetings that we hold twice weekly with our sheep. We shared with him our idea of doing a radio program, but that we needed the funds to begin the project. He responded that he has a program every morning from 5:00-6:00 A.M., and that he would ask the sponsor of the show if he'd give us several minutes on this show, three days a week.
The next day our friend called us, saying that he needed for us to start recording right away! We called the show "Meditation Moments," and it's five minutes long. So far we've spoken on Salvation, reading the Word, love, the importance of praise, thankfulness, how to overcome the difficulties of life, how to find peace, etc. Each program also includes Family songs. Whenever we can, we offer the Salvation prayer, and our three-year-old son quotes verses from the Bible. We also broadcast our address, so that people can write us. It's a wonderful open door, thank the Lord!
RAVE REVIEWS FOR "GREAT ADVENTURES!"
(From Miguel and Sam Smiles, Brazil:) We visited the owner of an evangelical library who bought 22 copies of the "Great Adventures" tapes, saying she wants to sell them in her library and make regular orders for more. She said that after working with children for 15 years, she had never heard a production for kids that was so beautiful and so spiritual at the same time. Many times she exclaimed, "These tapes have the anointing of God!"
"SHARING THE KNOW" WITH SUPPORTERS
(From Jos, Faith and David, Brazil:) After one of our Bible classes, we gave our friends a general rundown of how we spend the money that they donate to our work. After the explanation, one of our friends tripled his monthly donation, and two that never had helped started to help that day. "Sharing the know" really works, not only in our Homes but also with our friends!
GIVING BEGETS MORE GIVING!
(From Jos, Faith and David, Brazil:) At the end of last month we had a financial surplus, so besides our tithe, common pot and FAF gifts, we were able to donate 6% of our income to another Home here, and pay one brother's fare to Russia. When one of our friends heard about this, he decided to pay for tickets to Russia for two other brethren!
"ROLLING THE GOLD" AT A LOCAL MINE
(From Santiago Luchador and Abner, Bolivia:) Our little road team knew that we would need a lot of miracles to get out our tools at the site of a gold mining company. Getting that far was an adventure in itself, as it was in a location that was difficult to access, with tight security as well. But finally we were in, with only our faith and our bags full of videos.
After another prayer, we approached a friendly secretary who worked for the company boss. She got saved, and we explained our missionary work, and that we had come in the hopes of distributing our videos. She promised to do all she could to arrange an appointment with her boss, and suggested that we leave some samples of our videos. This woman then made arrangements for us to be fed four meals a day, and be given a room to stay in for as long as we would like. God bless her!
The next day in her office, she told us that the boss would not be able to receive us. But she said, "I have very good news for you! -- He ordered 43 videos and 16 tapes!" Wow!
That night we attended a sports event at the mine, where we met the boss. We thanked him for our stay and talked with him about our work and goals in life. He turned out to be a very nice man with a tender heart, who invited us to visit again. God bless him!
OPEN DOORS AT A UNIVERSITY AND YOUTH CAMP
(From Charity, Brazil:) We were invited to talk at a prestigious Catholic university, so Mathias, Charity and Estevo (TS) first talked about our work, lifestyle, Family history, beliefs, education, etc. The second half of the class was a question and answer session. The theology/ philosophy class we addressed included students from various religions and age groups, and also some priests. We hadn't known what to expect, but the Lord answered our prayers for positive, receptive students and teachers. We distributed "In Search of Truth!" and some quote and Endtime posters. The teacher was very interested in getting to know us better, and asked if we'd come talk to his class again another time.
The Lord also opened the door for us to lead an informal Christian youth meeting of about 50 young people, plus 20 or so adults, all from various churches. We did a skit, sang songs and talked about our work, and had a good time personal witnessing. The Christian students seemed to appreciate our explanations of our work and our tools, inviting us back again.
CRIME AND DRUG PREVENTION SEMINARS
(From Samuel, Heaven and Serena, Peru:) We started a "consider the poor" ministry visiting schools to help in the prevention of drug addiction and juvenile delinquency. The need is so great that the staff at many of the schools asked us all sorts of questions, and desperately begged us for help! We've seen like never before how much we can use our Family training, through seminars, talks and workshops. We've given speeches for parents, teachers and high school students, and it's been just fantastic! We've had great communication with them, and want to continue following up on this ministry as the Lord leads.
ASIA
AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER
(From Thai Aaron, Thailand:) While we were picking up our provisioned cheese from a big cold storage, we met a man who was trying to get his things from the same place. He was a bit disturbed at having to wait in line for us to finish before he could get his things, as we had quite a lot of stuff to pick up. We apologized for the delay, introduced ourselves and explained about our work.
He then got super inspired and said that he had some things that he would like to give us. He turned out to be the manager of a big food export company. When we called him later, he said that he wanted to give us 500 kilos of fish, as well as some beef! He has since visited the Home and wants to be a monthly supporter, as well as help us with more meat. Praise the Lord! He is always so faithful to supply.
ON-FIRE DEAF CATACOMBERS!
(From Mark, Faithy and John, India:) We had a very fruitful trip to Madras to visit our friends and contacts, and strengthen the deaf catacomb work. We found the weekly deaf meetings had grown since our last visit, from 20 people to 50! In the last six weeks, the deaf catacombers and friends in Madras won about 1500 souls through personal witnessing on their own!
One of our deaf catacombers, Abigail, participated in the National Deaf chess championship and has become the National Deaf chess champion! She and Peace, another deaf catacomber, witnessed to other deaf people during the championship. They prayed with 36 deaf players and have addresses of interested people to follow up on.
THE LORD WILL MAKE A WAY!
(From the Arabic Lit-Pic Home:) Last school year we approached a large private boys' school of 3000 students. The staff we met were very interested in our videos, but the principal (who never met us) chose not to get them for the school. We felt it was a real shame for all the boys to miss out on this opportunity! So we prayed specifically that if it was the Lord's will, He would change the situation somehow, to allow the students to get the videos.
This year, many teachers in that school were replaced, and an overseer of the English department was added to the staff, who turned out to be the sister of one of our friends. She invited us to hold a workshop for her English teachers, introducing our videos and their usefulness in complementing their English teaching. Then she said, "Maybe you have already approached this school with your videos and they did not take them. But if this is the case, don't worry! The principal has now changed, and a lot of the teachers are new, so ask them again, and I think this time they will say yes. In fact, I will ask them myself to take them." Thank You Jesus for a very specific answer to prayer, and for enabling us to get our videos into this school!
EUROPE
CLARIFICATION ON PRAYER REQUEST IN FUN 32:
(From Gideon and Rachel, England:) Some brethren have asked us about the prayer request in FUN 32, concerning the BI government officials studying the judge's verdict. It seems this news originally came from a newspaper article, but is incorrect. We would like to reassure everyone that to our knowledge there is no inquiry or investigation going on, and there were no questions asked in the British Parliament regarding the judgment. This is, in itself, a miracle, thank You Jesus!
THE FAMILY'S FAR-REACHING INFLUENCE
(From Gideon and Rachel, England:) It's inspiring how the Lord is putting us in touch with people whose lives were changed through the Family's early ministry! It gives us a little idea of how the Lord has used the Family over the years, the extent of which we will probably only fully realize when we get to Heaven.
We recently met with an academic who had gotten saved with the Family when our yellow double-decker bus visited his school in 1972! -- He said that that was what "started his Christian life." He is now a Reverend Doctor, with 200 students in his department. He told us how he and his 20 school classmates got saved in 1972, and how they had a Bible study group which met regularly. Five of the 20 students went on to become full-time ministers of religion -- an incredibly high proportion of the class -- and one of them joined the Family! This man remembers doing meal prep at Bromley and singing oldie-goldie Family songs. He was impressed to hear that we have the same convictions as we did in our early days. He was thrilled to receive updated materials about the Family.
We also got in touch with a former Family member who wrote a positive article about us in a major UK newspaper. Since he left the Family years ago, he became a university professor at a prestigious college, and now specializes in "music and the psyche." He said that of all the many things which he acquired during his time in the Family, he has never found anything in his life to contradict them! He remembers with warmth his shepherd named Peter, who gave him a book called Hints for Studying the Bible, which he still has. He also still keeps his Revolution for Jesus Handbook in his desk, God bless him!
NEWS FROM NOVOSIBIRSK!
(From Michael Fisher and team:) Our small team arrived in Siberia, followed shortly thereafter by about 15 other members -- bringing our total to 25 Family members -- in time to celebrate the Family Feast together! The Lord is doing miracles for us, giving us the use of the entire tenth floor of a building belonging to our long-time friend, complete with a good security system, and a nearby facility to store the 300 tons of food (humanitarian aid shipment) we're working on receiving from the U.S. Our friend also gave us the complete use of his office, including phones, fax, Internet access, photocopier, etc. We are thrilled at the Lord's supply and leading. Thank You Jesus!
PROTECTION FROM HIJACKERS
(From Ivan, Joan and Eliza, Russia:) A ferryboat belonging to one of our faithful friends was recently hijacked by Turkish/Chechen rebels. [This event was covered by international news agencies.] They held over 200 hostages and threatened to blow up the ferry if they didn't get their demands met! We were desperate in prayer for him, his family and his business, as his cousin and brother-in-law were on the boat as well. We sent him a fax and a phone call to let him know we were praying for them.
The Lord did answer prayer! He miraculously kept them and the boat. All the hostages were released unharmed, and the boat was undamaged! We were very thankful for the Lord's protection and safekeeping of our friend, and to see how He truly blesses those who help and take care of His children! Praise His Name!
WITNESSING TO YOUNG DELINQUENTS
(From Charlene, 16, and Linda, 15, Ukraine:) We recently went to a center for delinquent young boys between the ages of 15 and 21. They had done terrible things but were too young to be put in jail, so they were brought to this place out in the middle of nowhere. Some of these boys were pretty tough characters! It was sad to see so many of them--about 400 in all--sitting in this delinquent center, with no chance to do anything worthwhile with their lives!
We sang and danced for them, and one of our Ukrainian disciples, Tim, shared his testimony and led them all to receive the Lord. After the program was over, we gave each of them one of our priceless treasures -- our posters!
After the program was finished, one of the boys came up to Tim, who realized he knew him: this boy used to be one of Tim's old gang friends from before he joined the Family. It was one of the Lord's perfect little set-ups, as Tim was able to witness further to him, and it was a precious time for both of them. Praise the Lord!
Because of the boys' schedule, we weren't able to talk much with them personally, although some of them were very interested and wanted to hear more about us. But, thank the Lord, they all received their ticket to the most wonderful Place there is! One of the boys commented, "I'll be out of here in six weeks, and as soon as I am, I want to join your group. You all look so happy and you're doing something worthwhile with your lives. I want to do this work, too, with you guys." Within a few days, we began receiving mail responses from the boys, asking us to come again and tell them more about the Lord and requesting more literature. Thank You Jesus!
FRUITFUL RUSSIAN ROAD TRIP
(From Jan and Eva, Russia:) We took a road trip to a very old city with a strong Orthodox background. The city has a population of 200,000 and had never yet been visited by the Family. During our stay, we distributed 20,000 posters, 5,000 poster tracts, as well as Gospels, tracts, etc. People gladly received the posters and were very receptive to the Word! We did three CTP shows, a radio interview, were filmed on the local news, and won 116 souls! Praise the Lord!
The Lord supplied free accommodations in a hotel located directly in the center of town which saved us travel time, as our witnessing began right outside our door. One young woman who fed us lunch and dinner for the last five days of our trip turned out to be one of the most precious sheep we met. She considered it an honor to help us, and was so hungry for any witness or lit we gave her. She even assisted us in witnessing to people eating in her caf, God bless her!
The Social Protection Services for the area asked us to do our show at two mental institutions, one for men and the other for women. When we first arrived at the women's institution we were quite taken aback and not really sure of what approach to take with them. The Lord led and helped us, though, and we sang some simple songs. Russian Stephanie explained the Salvation message in the simplest terms possible, and quite a few of them prayed with us. They got really excited over the Heaven posters! The staff told us that it was the first time they saw the patients sit still and be quiet for a program!
We also did a show for a children's orphanage/correctional center, and by a miracle the Lord helped us to get through to their hearts, even though many of them were quite hardened and bitter. When we returned to pick up a recommendation letter, the staff said that they could already see good fruits of our visit in the children's behavior!
A local TV station accompanied us to one of our shows, and aired some footage of us on the evening news, along with a brief explanation about us and our work! A few days later we did a 45-minute program on a local radio station, playing songs from the new Russian tapes and witnessing about Jesus and the Family. On the last day we were also able to play two songs on a main radio station, bringing our media witness to at least 200,000! Praise God!
PACIFIC AND AUSTRALIA
WORD AND ICED TEA MINISTRY
(From Martin, Ike and Joanna, Taiwan:) Our Home is located on a high hill overlooking the city, and we got the idea of giving out iced tea and cookies with posters to the many hikers who come up this hill every Sunday, as a way of introducing ourselves to the community, as well as a way to witness. The idea was an instant success! We have a 25-liter insulated can with a tap on the bottom that we fill up with powdered instant tea, and we serve it for free in small plastic cups, also offering cookies and posters. We encourage people to take as much as they like. We put up a homemade canopy tied to nearby trees, to provide some shade, and brought some benches from our dining room, so people can sit down to rest.
We have a nice plastic donation box on the table, with a little sign on it inviting people to help our outreach work, and we pass out literature to all who are interested. The people that do give donations make the ministry really pay off financially! Last week was our biggest Sunday to date: We served 1000 cups of tea, passed out 175 posters plus other lit, and brought in over US$400, after expenses!
Many people now look forward to seeing us there, and we try to give out different posters each week. One young girl whom we met through this ministry has been coming each week to help us serve the tea. She has gotten saved and filled with the Spirit, is reading the Word, and spends one day a week teaching our children Chinese language and culture!
ONE-YEAR CEREMONY AFTER KOBE EARTHQUAKE
(From David and Freya, Japan:) The government prefecture held a ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of the Great Hanshin (Kobe) earthquake. The governor presented volunteer licenses to a selected group of 1200 volunteers from the area; these are those whom they want to represent the government in any future disasters. The five adult members of our Home were all chosen, and received licenses, uniforms and record-keeping books. We were also invited to attend various training seminars and discussion groups in the coming months.
David, Freya, and Jeremiah all have "Volunteer Coordinator" licenses, which enable them to organize and place into service any private citizens who show up at the scene of a disaster, as well as to coordinate relief efforts in cooperation with other volunteer groups. This is an ideal set-up for Family volunteer work should there be any major disasters in the future, as we will have more authority and credibility, and it should make it much easier to get things done.
Esther has a "First-Aid Caregiver" license, and she has been attending training sessions in order to become better qualified in this field. Joe has a "Transportation Specialist" license, which gives him authority to transport emergency relief supplies and personnel in and around the disaster area. There are 110 trucks and ten buses at the disposal of the participants of this program, so our transportation needs will be taken care of quite well. David is the only foreigner to receive a license in this new program, although there were thousands of foreigners living in Kobe at the time of the earthquake, and many participated in volunteer work.
We recently found out that there is a big controversy going on right now in the governor's office about us. With our past history in Japan being controversial, while most of the people are willing to forget the past and judge us by our present performance in Kobe, there are still a few who are very skeptical and are voicing opposition to getting too involved with us. So the situation is still touchy and needs continued desperate prayer. We feel we need to continue to press forward as God guides, in His way and at His speed. The fact that Family members continue to operate as volunteers in Kobe a year after the quake has won over a lot of people and they have no doubts as to the character of people in the Family.
We are learning that in Japan sometimes it takes a lot of time before they acknowledge that it is our Father in Heaven Who gives us the power to keep going with our "good works." Our sample of loving and caring and giving of ourselves and our service to those in need and giving hope to those who are discouraged and fearful is our most potent witness -- not so much what we say, but a combination of what we say and what we do that is winning people over, and once they are won over by the sample, then they will be open to hear our explanation as to what makes us tick.
MOVIE RATINGS
(Editor's note: The following movies have been viewed by members of different offices and units and generally deemed "watchable." Please understand, though, that WS is not endorsing the full content of every movie, or saying that these are "recommended viewing." It is possible that not everyone will find each movie to their liking. However, we hope that within this selection there will be something for everybody! Please also bear in mind that the suggested age ratings are not hard and fast rules, and the final decision of what age group a movie is shown to would rest on you, parents, teachers and shepherds. In other words, just because a movie is printed in this list does not make it "fully sanctioned," but it is still according to your faith and your knowledge of those in your care. We pray that the following movie write-ups will be a blessing to you. WLY!)
Movies for Adults and YAs
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994)
Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe
Action thriller involving the CIA, Colombian drug lords, and Washington corruption. Much violence may make this undesirable for some.
CLIENT, THE (1994)
Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones
Suspense movie about an 11-year-old boy who becomes a target for a crime syndicate after witnessing a gangster commit suicide. The boy has an unpleasant attitude and there is a lot of foul language, but there's a good sample from the woman lawyer of how love can change problem children.
Movies for Senior Teens and Up
AIR UP THERE, THE (1995)
Kevin Bacon
Cocky aspiring coach travels to Africa in search of a star basketball player. Lessons on humility, teamworking and becoming one. Be wary of some African tribal dancing and ceremonies, etc., which are rather intense.
MR. JONES (1993)
Richard Gere, Lena Olin, Anne Bancroft
Intense story of a manic depressive, and the beautiful, serious-minded therapist who helps him. Vivid and realistic portrayal of the lives of these mental patients. May not be to everyone's liking.
NOSTRADAMUS (1994)
Tcheky Karyo, Julia Ormond
Biographical drama about the 16th century astrologer-physician Nostradamus and his life and prophecies. Good springboard for further discussion on the dark times in which he lived, the role of the church of those days, the movie's emphasis on knowledge and book-learning and the portrayal of Nostradamus' character and the source of his gift. May not be to everyone's liking. (Please see MLs #1800 and 2323 for more on Nostradamus' prophecies.)
Movies for Junior Teens and Up
ONLY YOU (1994)
Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr.
Romantic comedy about a girl whose search for her "dream man" takes her all the way to Europe. Light entertainment.
OP CENTER, THE (1995)
Charles Noland, George Alvarez
Suspense movie portraying a possible WW3 scenario involving Ukrainian nuclear weapons.
NET, THE (1995)
Sandra Bullock
Young computer expert becomes involved in a computer deception scheme and finds herself running for her life. Though not an accurate portrayal of how things really work on the Internet, the movie gives an interesting look at how easily people's lives can be controlled and manipulated through computers. Younger audiences will need some explanation.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1995)
Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth
Well-acted, British-made mini-series, from Jane Austen's novel. Character study of five 19th century sisters and their life and loves. Good lessons on humility, honesty, seeing beyond the outward appearance and not making surface judgments on people's character.
Movies for JETTs and Up
ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD (1994)
Danny Glover, Tony Danza
A young boy's prayer for his favorite baseball team who are on a steady losing streak produces some amazing results! The depiction of the angels is not very Scripturally sound, but overall it is a sweet, enjoyable movie.
CORRINA, CORRINA (1994)
Whoopi Goldberg, Ray Liotta
Touching movie about a young widower in the late 1950s who hires a black housekeeper to help take care of his daughter, and the effect she has on their lives.
DANGEROUS MINDS (1995)
Michelle Pfeiffer
Real-life drama about an inner city school with unruly high-school class that gets a new substitute teacher to replace the ones who gave up and quit. Realistic look at today's American schools and the corruption of the public school system. Fighter movie with good lessons on peer pressure and people-handling.
IN PURSUIT OF HONOR (1995)
Don Johnson, Craig Sheffer, Gabrielle Anwar
Drama loosely based on a 1935 incident when US soldiers are ordered to destroy hundreds of horses as part of the army's modernization program. Beware of graphic horse-shooting scene. Fighter-type movie with good points to discuss on the balance between obedience and going to a higher authority when you feel something is wrong; also good lessons on teamworking between older and younger generations. Lots of good discussion points!
Movies for OCs and Up
ENGLISHMAN WHO WENT UP A HILL, BUT CAME DOWN A MOUNTAIN, THE (1995)
Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerald
Comedy/drama about two WW1 British Army map-makers who raise the ire of a Welsh community when they mark the village's prized landmark as a hill rather than a mountain. Based on a Welsh legend. Lessons on teamworking and not giving up your goal, despite obstacles.
NEWSIES (1992)
Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, Robert Duvall
Walt Disney musical about New York newsboys in the late 1800s, and how these young boys revolt and stand up for their rights.
Movies for MCs and Up
ANDRE (1994)
Keith Carradine, Tina Majorino
Sweet story set in coastal Maine in the early 1960s, about an animal-loving family who adopt a baby seal named Andre. Based on a true story, with actual footage of Andre at the end.
SWAN PRINCESS, THE (1995)
(Animated)
Hans Christian Andersen classic tale. A good king banishes an evil magician from his kingdom, and years later the magician returns to take his revenge. Discussion points include the movie's strong emphasis on human love relationships. Younger age groups will need a lot of explanations, and some of the scary parts may need fast-forwarding. Please preview! We'd suggest that this not be shown repeatedly to children.
Movies for YCs and Up
BENJI THE HUNTED (1987)
Benji, Red Steagall
Story of the dog Benji's survival in the mountain wilds.
Movies for All
BLUE YONDER, THE (aka "TIME FLYER") (1985)
Peter Coyote, Art Carney
Tale of a boy who travels back in time to join his grandfather in his aviation adventures.
POCAHONTAS (1995)
(Animated)
Disney adaptation of the episode from American history involving an Indian princess, Pocahontas, her relationship with settler John Smith, and its effect on both of their lives and the lives of their people. Many points will need explaining for children.
Non-Recommended Movies
BATMAN FOREVER (Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey)
BEVERLY HILLS COP III (Eddie Murphy)
CASINO (Robert DeNiro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci)
COBB (Tommy Lee Jones)
CONGO
DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (Denzel Washington)
HACKERS (Jonny Lee Smith, Angelina Jolie)
JIMMY HOLLYWOOD (Joe Pesci, Christian Slater)
JOHNNY MNEMONIC (Keanu Reaves)
JUST CAUSE (Sean Connery, Lawrence Fishburne)
KISS OF DEATH (David Caruso; Nicolas Cage)
NEW AGE, THE (Samuel Jackson)
NIGHT WATCH (Pierce Brosnan)
READY TO WEAR (Sophia Loren)
TO DIE FOR (Nicole Kidman)
STATS ANALYSIS FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY
OVERALL: Stats were lower in January than December's Christmas season high, but nevertheless quite high on the average.
DISTRIBUTION: January saw the Family distribute close to ten million pages of literature (950,000 pieces), including 480,000 posters, 35,000 audio tapes, 9,200 videos, and nearly 14,000 Living Waters booklets.
TOTAL WITNESS: Total witness zoomed up to 127 million, 35% more than December's 94 million, and nearly two times last year's monthly average of 68.4 million.
PERSONAL WITNESS AND SOULS WON: Personal witness weighed in at 616,000, which comes to about 104 per DO adult and 122 per TS adult for the month. 78,000 of these were won to the Lord, which is almost 13%! That averages out to 13 souls per DO adult and 15 per TS adult. Both our personal witness and souls won in January were above our monthly averages for the last year.
POPULATION: We had 29 DO births and two TS births, or one a day for the month! We also had five DO betrothals in January.
The number of Homes increased again for the seventeenth straight month, now up to 564 DO Homes! -- This means that since September 1994, when we hit a low of 222 Homes and the move to smaller Homes began, we've gained 342 Homes or a 154% climb! Our Home size is now down to 16.4, the lowest since the beginning of 1989.
We currently have 556 TS Homes, up slightly from the 554 of a year ago. TS Home size has remained fairly stable at 6.7.
Praise the Lord for the many victories, moves, progress, challenges and changes that He is working in each of our lives! It sure is exciting to follow Him wherever He leads! Praise God! We sure love you! -- And may the Lord bless you with an even more thrilling and exciting, fruitful month ahead.
WANT ADS
WANTED: READY-MADE FAMILY!
From Alfred Angel, Kenya:
"Go for the Gold" has inspired me to write this want ad. My name is Alfred Angel. I am a Norwegian passport holder, 46 years of age, single, and I would very much like to take on the responsibility and be a blessing to a sweet wife with kids.
My heart is on the mission field and I am at the moment in Kenya, but wherever you are, I would like to get in touch with you. Let us get to know each other a bit, and then as we go, I am sure the Lord will lead us as to how to go about things. I am open for anything the Lord would work out.
So, dear future wife and kids, if you think that the chances are good that we could be a blessing to each other and a good and loving team for the Lord's work, then please don't delay, but write today via EURCRO!
Lots and lots of love and prayers,
Alfred (almost an) Angel
MATE/DADDY WANTED!
From Praise, Hungary:
Hi! My name is Praise. I am a Hungarian national, 28 years old, Aquarian, and have been in the Family for ten years. I am a single mom with a very sweet eight-year-old son. He would really like to have a daddy, and I'm praying for someone who would like to live with us in Hungary in an outreach/follow-up oriented Home. If you are interested, please contact me through the EE ABM. GBY!
Much love,
Praise
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Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family