grapevine #49
(Issue #49; September 1, 1998.)
This file includes: Grapes of Thankfulness--special issue of gratitude and recognition
kidbits
- Chloe Amanda Lee, 1st child, born to Charity Little and Jace on June 6th.--Japan
- Nicole, 1st child, born to Sharon and Andrew on June 22nd.-- Italy
- Mateus, 6th child, born to Joy and Marcos on June 24th.--Brazil
- Jordan Makaila, 1st child, born to Joy Dove on June 30th.--USA
- Adrian Gitano, 3rd child, born to Topacio and Timothy on July 1st.--Mexico
- William Robinson, born to Maria and Mark on July 2nd.--USA
- Keana Brittney, 4th child, born to Comfort and Jo on July 3rd.--Africa
- Emmanuella, 2nd child born to Mary and Josue on July 5th.--Ivory Coast
- Baby (no name given), 5th child, born to Esperanza and Angel on July 13th.--Colombia
- Gabriella, 4th child, born to Magdalena and Spanish Fransisco on July 14th.--Spain
- Jessica, 3rd child, born to Talita and James on July 15th.--Venezuela
- Raphael, 3rd child born to Magda and Michael on July 16th.--Poland
- Johannes, 1st child, born to Joan and David on July 17th.--Brazil
- Stanley, 12th child, born to Rebeca and Michael Daysman on July 20th.--USA
- Chloe, 3rd child, born to Gloria and Nathaniel on July 25th.--Brazil
new laborers - July 1998
- Christian Angel (20, Albanian) joined in the BI.
- Crystal Nightingale (YA, of Peter and Lily), rejoined with Thaddeus and Sara in Iceland.
- Stephen, Maria and one child, Ai, joined in Japan.
- Gabriel (17, Brazilian) joined in Brazil.
Think Deep
The grass may be greener on the other side, but it still has to be mowed.
Miraculous answer to prayer!
--from Mama
Dear Family, whom I love so much,
I'm thrilled to be able to tell you that my bleeding has completely stopped, and the Lord has already restored much of my strength! Even while I was still bleeding, and was at my weakest point, the Lord miraculously started to strengthen me, so that over a period of only a few days, I went from having to be carried up and down the stairs, to being able to walk upstairs normally with almost no loss of breath, and to being able to exercise again, riding my exercise bike and using my stepper. The Lord was faithful to His promise that my recovery wouldn't take months, as would naturally be expected, but instead in just a couple of weeks, the Lord has given me amazing strength.--And that's after having just recovered from a very serious throat infection and deep cough which came as a result of my being so run down.
The Lord is so good and I'm so very thankful to Him for His healing, and to you for your desperate prayers. Those who have been with me through this time admit that this is truly a great miracle and the Lord confirmed it with the following interesting message regarding the working of His Spirit in my life and the life of you, our wonderful Family. I can't praise the Lord enough for His blood which gives us life and renews us and makes us whole. I just had a Heavenly blood transfusion, folks!--By the greatest Doctor in the universe! The following was given about a week before my bleeding had stopped.
(Jesus speaking:) I have renewed your strength as the eagle, and strengthened you so that you may walk and not be weary or faint. The prayers of your loved ones have returned to you in the form of health; the answer to their prayers made manifest in your body, in your health, in your wholeness. They reached out and touched My garment and your health was restored--without medicine, without doctors, but by My blood which was shed for you.
You trusted in My blood, put your faith in My healing and in Me as your personal Doctor, and I have touched you and put My blood in your veins to give you the supernatural recovery that you and your children have prayed for. I have transfused My life into your body to give you new life and new strength; new blood for new strength and a new start. You had to wait a little bit, but I was faithful, as I had promised, and this is even a greater testimony, that though you are still bleeding, yet I am strengthening you, contrary to the laws of man.
Fresh blood is better than old, tired blood. You have clean blood that is stronger and more efficient, more receptive, more able to absorb--just like My new-bottle children, the new blood in My Family. It is time to wash away the old blood, the stale blood that can't absorb more, and make room for the new blood. Though losing this blood seems to hurt your body and weaken it, and even cause it to languish a bit as an invalid, I will raise it up even stronger and more vibrant than ever.
I am supernaturally caring for you and this precious body of believers and doers--My Family. No matter what happens to the body, I will heal it and it will go on. I will take it from strength to strength and from weakness to strength, by My strength. When afflicted, I will raise it up. Many may be its afflictions, but I will deliver both you and My Family from any attacks, to carry you on to a brighter, healthier day by My care and protection and deliverance. For I am a strong tower and My supply is endless and I have promised that you will not perish. Though I bring you to the edge, it is only that you may be tested and tried and purified, and I will always deliver you. Even if you go into the fire, you will walk away from it even more victorious than when you walked into it; more full of faith, stronger, renewed, wiser and closer to Me. (End of message from Jesus.)
Wow!--Isn't Jesus wonderful? You can hold Him to His promises!--He never fails!
Much love always,
Mama
P.S. I hope you won't mind that I share so much with you here, but when you almost die and the Lord brings you back to life, that's a pretty big occasion. And I know you want to rejoice with me, because my healing is the answer to your prayers--ones that you prayed so desperately and put so much of your valuable time into. Here's what Jesus had to say about it:
(Jesus speaking:) Rejoice, rejoice! For this is the day, the time to rejoice and be glad! For I have done mighty things and I am doing mighty things in the life of My queen. I have been answering My Family's prayers for her. The fervent prayers of My children have caused mighty miracles in the life of My queen. You can now praise and thank Me, for that which was not possible has been done! The Enemy has been trying to snuff out the usefulness of My queen and make her weaker and weaker, but My hand is stronger and I put a stop to his works.
She is utterly dependent on the prayers of her loved ones. She can't do without them, for in her flesh she is weak. She lives on your prayers, My beloved ones; so sin not in ceasing to pray for her! For the Enemy wants to put hindrances in her way, but through your prayers they can be defeated and turned away. Your prayers will form a shield of protection around My beloved queen. This shield of protection needs to be held up constantly and to be kept up, so be not weary in your prayers for her. You will see the rewards as you pray for her. As you are the caretakers of My queen through your prayers, she will send you My seeds, My love and My care in an even greater abundance and you will see and feel the fruit, the results of your prayers.
It's a teamwork, My beloved ones. Without your prayers My Maria cannot operate. There wouldn't be any vacuum, anything to pour into, no strength. And you would not receive the beautiful, thrilling messages that I have in store for you, just you.
Now rejoice! For the miracle has happened! You were faithful to heed the desperate call of My queen and her helpers and you poured your everything into praying for her. And as you now praise and thank Me I will reward you with fullness of joy in your lives; with greater strength and health, and with the flow of life-giving seeds that will come your way. You are My chosen ones, chosen to uphold the life of My queen. I have chosen you to know the state of her health and well-being and have been holding you responsible, and you have done a good job. Now I count on you to keep it up; to not be weary in well-doing, but to be My faithful servants of My queen, for she loves you dearly. She can't do it without you! She depends upon you!
Will you be faithful? Can you see the joy, the thankfulness that My queen has, knowing that you have given your all for her? As you continue to give your all for her, she gives her all for you. For she loves you dearly. She holds your heart close to hers and warms it and caresses it tenderly with her touch and brings it to Me. She pleads with Me for your sake. She sheds tears when you shed yours. She rejoices when you rejoice, for your heart is hers. You are one, married together in My love.
Now I will do mighty things in the lives of many as you continue to do all you can. I say unto you, "Well done, My faithful servants! You prayers have been answered. Continue in My joy, and great rewards will be laid up for you as you uphold My queen. I love you dearly and am well pleased." Yours, Jesus. (End of message from Jesus.)
notices
Comments on Your Comments
(From WS:) Perhaps some of you wonder every now and then whatever happened to that question or suggestion you sent in to WS via your TRF or via e-mail. If you're pondering whether they're read and appreciated, the answer is certainly YES. We receive many good ideas and helpful suggestions about possible new tools or pubs, or possible modifications to the Charter, for example, that we do pray about and consider, and often end up putting into effect--although it sometimes takes some time to do so as we usually have many "irons in the fire" at once!
Unfortunately, it's not possible for our staff to keep up with answering every question or acknowledging every comment or suggestion, and letting those of you who took the time to write in know how or where your idea is developing, or whether something along those lines is already in the works or indeed feasible. Our time is limited, and we try to spend as much as of it as we can implementing and taking care of your ideas and suggestions.
The secretary who picks up the e-mail from the WS e-mail boxes (WSPUBS, MPG, etc.) does send an acknowledgement to reassure you that we got your message, but we don't have sufficient staff to reply to each person's e-mail notes or TRF comments. Of course, when we receive questions that do necessitate personal answers, we try our best to reply. We're sorry that we're not always as speedy as we'd like to be due to the amount of work there is to be done, so please pray for us and bear with us. We appreciate your comments and questions very much, though, and take time to read and review each one. We love you!
backtracking
HTK 55 correction
Dear Family,
We heard from our dear Portuguese translators at BRALIM of a mistake we made in HTK 55. On page 4 Liza quotes the verse, Acts 13:10. Instead of using the word "righteousness" the word "unrighteousness" is used. Please mark out the "un" on your copies, so that it reads "righteousness." The verse should then read, "O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?"
Love, Your FC brethren
legal and media - June 1998
--from the European Media Desk
England: Radio Leicester broadcast a live interview with Gideon on June 14, all about our court victories, etc. This reached 30,000 listeners in the Leicester area.
Gideon was interviewed by London Weekly TV on August 8 for one hour on our Endtime beliefs. It will be edited down to three minutes for the Sunday program "Holy Smoke," to be shown in September. It was a wonderful opportunity to get out our Endtime message and a pleasant change for the interviewers not to ask a single question about sex, ha!--Gideon and Rachel
France: Pays Briard (circulation: 12,000) printed an article on June 23 about our singing group at a country festival, along with a blown-up photo of us. This newspaper reaches the area of Brie, east of Paris.--Samuel, Heidi, Etienne, Benedicte
Russia: The team participating in the Elminsky Festival were interviewed twice by local newspapers (circulation: 800,000). They also took part in a radio interview, reaching 800,000 people in the surrounding areas.--Adam, Laura, Clara, Sara
Four different local TV news programs broadcast programs about our summer English Camp in Vladivostok. Altogether these programs reached about 300,000 viewers.--Andy and Becky
Kazakhstan: NC Radio (audience: 1 million) in Almaty reported about The Family and our clown show for handicapped children on June 23rd.
Jeremy also gave a short interview and witness to TAN TV about a birthday party they were hosting for children. This was broadcast on June 12th, reaching a total of 1.5 million viewers in Almaty.--Peter, Esther, Jeremy
Romania: A team from Switzerland brought aid into Bucharest, and the event received quite an amount of media coverage. This was all done as The Romanian Family Foundation, which means positive coverage for our foundation!
studio news
JAS
(From the JAS team:) Since our last update, we have completed the new Christmas tape "Little Drummer Boy"--hurrah! Next we finished the songs we had assigned to us for the Prayer tape (Wings of Prayer), and just now we're all finishing up the same Christmas songs each of us produced in English, but this time they are done in Japanese! Yes, folks, we are going to have it out in Japanese at the same time it goes out in English, Lord willing. Praise God! And the men are just finishing up their assignments now for Loving Jesus #5 (which will be out for the next Feast, God willing). Aside from that, Andrew is just mastering the Dance tape this week (ooo-la-la!).
Our next big project coming up is a "Heaven's Magic Hits" re-make, which we are just meeting and counseling on now. Will keep you posted, and as always, need and appreciate your prayers!
Spanish Family Web Site - June/July 1998
(www.lafamilia.org)
June Web Stats Report
256 Mb downloaded, about 9 Mb per day.
1581 people visited the site, about 53 people per day.
July Web Stats Report
192 Mb downloaded, about 6 Mb per day.
1096 people visited the site, about 35 people per day.
Work done in June and July
Updated front page and introduction
Work in Progress
Adding new FARs
Adding Living Waters 1-4
Adding pictures to "Our Founder" section
Adding text download buttons to "Lit Trunk" section
Adding MO Letter condos to "Our Founder" section
Redoing sound clips for CD section
Adding Feedback form
International/Members Only Web report
What's new!
The Members Only site has the most recent issues of: Grapevine, the Zine (in color), Heaven's Library, Wine Press and overflow material (good material that just didn't fit in some of our pubs).
An online Prayer List was also uploaded to the Members Only site. Check it out for the latest answered prayers and prayer requests, compiled and laid out in an easy-to-read format! PDF and RTF versions are also available for downloading.
First issue of "Computer Tips 'n' Trix" (courtesy of EURCRO's local pub) was put up in the Computer section of the Members Only site.
Updated Family Activity Report section, with video clips from the International Activity videos, organized by countries, as well as some photos of our Family's activities worldwide! (We need more of this type of material to keep updating it, especially for the inspiration and encouragement of Family friends and contacts! Please send any material you may have!)
Two new fully colored MLKs were added to the True Komix section of the Lit Trunk.
The music section has also been completed! It contains the lyrics for all the GP FTTs, as well as sample audio clips, photos and more!
ASCRO Web Stats - July 1998
This month there were over 9,000 visits total, with over 800 MB downloaded.
www.countdown.org - 1,873 visits and 269 MB downloaded
www.thaifamily.org - 4,168 visits and 268 MB downloaded
www.heart-to-heart.org - 2,867 visits and 210 MB downloaded
www.familyintl.org - 451 visits and 61 MB downloaded
Among other things this month we added tons of Endtime-related articles from the END and other sources to 'the END on-line.' The articles are linked to related sections in the Countdown and Future Foretold sections as well as the Bible making this useful for an on-line study of the Endtime. We're adding these link-ups to more sections of the site.
grapes of thankfulness
There's a special place where many a weary traveller has found a home away from home, with hospitable and kindhearted folks that are really hard to match. We take off our hats to David and Johanna, Sam and Joy and the rest of your team in Zagreb, Croatia. We'd like to express our deepest grattitude for your love, encouragement and support in every way for our pioneer team.
--the team from Split
Thank you to Samuele (of Lily) who came down to Rome to work on the Italian version of the Treasure Attic videos. (He dubs Uncle Jim.) We know it was a sacrifice for him as he had to leave behind his family and work (he has nine kids), but he did that willingly. While here he was not only a big blessing in many ways, but also a sample of dedication, helping all of us to get on the ball in many areas. While working on the videos, we heard that YA Gabriel (of Angelo and Sarah) had just had his accident, so he decided to stay longer than planned to help Sarah, while Angelo went to Switzerland. A big cheer for Samuele and his Home!
--Paul and Leah, Italy
Three cheers for the Korsice Home, who unselfishly took me in on my way back to Ukraine. They drove me around, helped me get my visa and made me me feel at home, without handing me a bill at the end of the day. They also included me in their Christmas show group and let me participate in the Christmas witnessing. Thank you for helping out a little lost YA, and for making it as easy as possible for me. Wishing you the BEST!
--Christina (18), Ukraine
There is a very dear sister who has stuck with me and my kids through thick and thin when I became a single mom. She is definitely going to outshine many of us as she is always there when her help is needed, always putting her own needs or wishes last and serving untiringly--in whatever way it may be necessary. Dear Mercy Helper, we love you so very much and appreciate all you have done and are doing for us!
--Mary and kids, especially Sean (4), Russia
==========#==========#==========#==========
Grapes of Thankfulness--special issue of gratitude and recognition
Dearest Matthew, thank you for the sweet comment to me published in one of the Grapevines. It touched my heart so much! I want to let you know that as David Livingstone said, "I never made a sacrifice!" I thoroughly enjoyed that precious time when we were able to help one another through difficult times, and "passing through the valley of Baca, make a well there!" Ha! I will always love you and your children in a very special way!
--Faith, Brazil
We want to thank Jonathan and Lily Fighter, who took us in as new disciples last summer. They are sweet and truly on fire for the Lord. They took us into their Home the day we met them and won us to the Family a week later! Thank you both for listening to the Lord and going to the truck stop that day when we met. Because of your obedience, our lives are saved!
--Job and Shine, USA
I'm very thankful for a sweet and sacrificial team of brave pioneers in Bangkok, Thailand, who recently took me in (while on an extended visa trip from Japan for three weeks) and made me feel part of their Home. They included me in their CTP ministries, follow-up and family day activities, and I also had the privilege of taking care of their two YCs (Jesse and Robin). Thank you, dear Casper and Leah, James and Ester, Gideon, Praise, Gabe and Marie-Claire--and all your precious children! It was a wonderful experience visiting Bangkok, and getting to know you all was the most inspiring part of it!
--Kathleen, Japan
For his faithfulness and perseverance behind his deskthree whole years translating pubs for our Spanish-speaking Family!--Scores of GNs, FSMs and other pubs done, thanks to his love for the Word! For being such a sacrificial and friendly fellow worker, always there when we need him; for quietly plugging away; for helping to make our house a home--thank you, YA Cedro, for your super duper help! We miss you but pray you have a great time pioneering and burning free until the time the Lord calls you back to this pubs ministry! You'll always be in our heart.
--SPALIM
A super big thanks to Tom at the European Production Desk for all his sweet labors and answers to all our questions. We love and appreciate you so much!
--Ben and Meekness, Botswana
I want to somehow express our gratitude and appreciation to Daniel Surrender and Mercy Daniels. Daniel is my first husband and Mercy is his wife now. For the last two years they have consistently been an enormous blessing and encouragement to me and my present family, Jeho and his four children. Since Daniel and Mercy began working in the States, they've helped me with airplane tickets to visit my grandchildren, gave my family a van, helped me get started in a balloon and face painting ministry. They've also helped us with financial donations and Daniel is now working on repairing a trailer my family got to use on the field in Mexico.
I can't say enough about how thankful I am for the very special relationship we have. I consider Mercy to be one of my closest friends and Daniel still almost like my husband. Although our initial separation was difficult, the Lord has healed all wounds, and allowed us the privilege of continuing to be close to one another as well as giving us beautiful new families. This relationship is the closest we can come to understanding what relationships will be like in Heaven. And for this blessing I want to say: Daniel and Mercy, your name will be in lights for living and practicing the Law of Love, and for helping me and my family to be able to continue on the field. Great will be your reward in Heaven.
--Vessel Potter
Who wakes up at 5:00 a.m. to catch a bus and train and cheerfully greet you at the bus station by 6:00 a.m.? And if that wasn't enough, see you on to your next destination, luggage and all. Dear Mexico Media Home, it was a pleasure to stay with you. Thank you for being so sweet, hospitable and caring. Big hugs and kisses!
--Trinie, Brazil
We wanted to express our thankfulness to David Courier for the help he's been to us and to many others around the world. He works on Lufthansa, and is a big blessing by faithfully passing on goods or humanitarian aid that we can use in our CTP. Especially since we're out here pretty much "stuck in the boonies," where it's next to impossible to get anything (like news, among other things) from the outside world, it's been such a blessing to have someone who can come by for a visit and fellowship once in a while, as well as help us to get things here that we need for our work. We really appreciate you, David, and all the sacrifices of love you make!
--your brothers and sisters, Kazakhstan
I was convicted that my daughter Janet wrote in to thank and bring into the spotlight Simon, our precious former helper to our big family. I would like to "Amen" her note of thanks, as well as thank some other dear ones who, over the years, have helped us very sacrificially while Asaph was traveling and busy shepherding.--Sweet Swedish Michael (later Valiant) who was a real support to us in so many ways. Also, German Joy (By the way, where are you?--Please write!) who also was a super blessing! I, especially, really appreciate all your labors of love to help in raising our children! And, last but not least, dear Suzie (Dutch) who is presently helping us, since Asaph is still busy and I recently gave birth to #11! Wow, whatta Family, amen? I sure couldn't have made it without all of you!
--Charity, Pakistan
We received a very generous donation of 100,000 yen from the Ichikawa Home. We didn't know why they were giving us that much, so we called them to ask why. They said that they had been given a large donation recently and when they asked the Lord what to do with the funds, He told them to give to the big families. God bless them for their loving concern for the big families.
--Alf, Claire, Free, Japan
We would like to show our appreciation to Daniel and Mercy. They were such a help to us and took us into their Home. I had a toddler, was pregnant and could hardly do anything. They helped me take care of my toddler and helped me find a clinic and doctor, took me to my doctor appointments and took care of Kevin when I went to the hospital to have my baby. They shared what they had with us and went out of their way to make us comfortable, putting their own kids in the living room so we could have a room; they even gave us their bed and slept on the floor. They also gave us a donation to get back to Mexico and got us our needs before going. Thank you! We couldn't have done it without your help.
--Daisy (of Isaac), Kevin and Danielito, Mexico
To all who sent us donations in answer to our plea for help, we want to send a heap of thank you's. Some of you we never met and others are on difficult fields yourselves. Thanks to: Marco, Tabitha and Tim; Victor and Katya; Franz and Home (In Kenya!); John, Pandita and Phoenix; Simon, Ruth, Tim and Mari; the Almaty Home; Conny and James; Uriah and April; Candace; Mesha and Christiana, and the media Home in Brasilia.
We really wouldn't be able to do it without YOU, our dear Family. TYSSM for your support, not only in donations, but also your prayers. Sorry we can't write you all personally since we don't have your addresses, but if you would like to get in touch with us, here is our address: Maris and Lisa, Rua Goncalves Ledo No.20, Ofecinas, Ponta Grossa, Parana Cep. 84040-070
--Andrew and Katrina, Brazil (still on our way to China!)
A huge thank you to a very special family that I love so much.--Jonathan and Glory and family, in Chicago! They have faithfully supported me here in India for the last year and half!! They have so much to do themselves, so many wonderful children that sometimes I really don't know how they do it every month. I know it's not easy. You really are great and I love you so much!
--Beth, India
A big THANK YOU to the Homes in Texas who have been such a blessing to us when we come up from Mexico to renew our visas and fundraise. A special thanks to Daniel and Ruth Blessing who have opened a Border Base, and really went the extra mile to take care of our needs when we were there. God bless you guys! It's such a sweet fulfillment of the Lord's call for the USA to help her poor neighbor below the border, and we can't tell you enough how much we appreciate it!
--Gideon, Meekness and Chellie, Mexico
A special thanks to Priscila Hope (of Josue Mexicano) who took her time to get baby clothes, stroller, baby bed for my baby and clothes for my two girls. As a single mother with three children, it was a real blessing. I am very happy to be part of a loving Family. Loving sisters like Priscila make this Family wonderful!
--Suzy, Brazil
I'd like to thank the Home in Cameroon for taking me in and making me feel useful. I had a great time there. They are doing a good job on the field.
--Daniel
Hats off, folks--for Paul and Faith in Denmark who lay down their lives in full-time provisioning for the Family and their CTPs in Europe and EEC. We really appreciate you.
--Sarah Shine, Denmark (soon Romania!)
We wanted to express our heartfelt gratitude and thankfulness to dear Zac and Jemima and their children in Helsinki for all they do for the brethren in Russia. They are a large family but have gone out of their way to provision needs for the Homes, their CTP projects, working out visas when needed, opening their Home and lives to all those who pass through their city and so much more! It really touched our hearts, and we know many other brethren feel the same!
--Ivan and Joan, Salome and Home, Russia
We've been in Ghana for three months now and wanted to send off a few lines to thank all the brethren who helped make it possible for us to be here. First of all, thank you to all in the Bournemouth area--Pierre, Cedar, Joan, Jay, Nadine, John and Julie, who provisioned shipping, stored our mountain of possessions and housed us while were in transit. Another big thank you to all the folks in London who were so sweet and supportive, providing us with needs for the field, housing us, and offering lots of prayers and encouragement.
We'd like especially to mention Andrew and Joanna, who took care of our son, leaving us free to prepare to leave, in spite of Joanna being heavily pregnant with number nine! On top of this, Andrew got up at 2:30 in the morning to drive us to the airport--this is a man who suffers from severe asthma! Thank you so much, all of you. What a Family! We're proud of you!
--Jenny and all, Ghana
Belated but very thankful thanks to Lily Fighter in Katmandu! Lily's following the Lord's leading and having such a heart to go out of her way to help out her fellow missionaries made it possible for us to get our kids' passports, which had been very difficult up to that point. Hugs, kisses and lots of love!
--Paul, Mary, Robin (3), and Nicole (2), Thailand
God bless sweet Mervin and Meena (in Madras) who over the last few years have made our Home here and our ministry with the deaf possible. Besides helping towards our rent every month, they have helped us to get many of our Home's and kids' basic needs. We couldn't have made it without your help in those pioneering days. They are always so willing to help out any Family in need and are such a good sample of loving sweet brethren. We also want to thank dear Phillip and Priscilla and Paul and Leah for all of your help too!
--Mark and Faithy, India
There are some very faithful brethren in Germany who have supported us for years and years on the field! They have no idea what a blessing they are and how it touches us each time their help comes, often when most needed! One of them has a big family and they support many others, and were super sweet and hospitable when we visited them last year--dear Peter and Peace! You are wonderful, and have often been the Lord's hand and mouth for us! We love you! Then there is Nathan Te Amo and Melody and Stefan, and others off and on. Sepp and Aneliese have helped us a lot with translations that we need to feed the sheep! You are great! God bless you all with whatever you need right now and in the future!
--Daniella and Sara, Turkey
There's a special place where many a weary traveler has found a home away from home, with hospitable and kindhearted folks that are really hard to match, with a willingness to give and share to the best of their ability all they have with those in need. We take off our hats to them and want to say that you remind us of what the Family is all about. Dear David and Johanna, Sam and Joy and the rest of your team in Zagreb, Croatia--we'd like to express our deepest gratitude for all your love, encouragement and support in every way for our pioneer team. It really means a lot to us and has often given us the strength and the faith to keep going.
--the team from Split
There's a faithful family in western Japan
Who've preached the Gospel all over that land.
Raised a family of eight kids strong,
And helped to support a list so long,
Of soldiers out here on foreign fields,
Gathering in the harvest yield!
For sure they'll hear our Lord's "Well done!"
When He greets them in the Heavenly Home;
But since the Grapevine is for today,
With grapes of thanks we want to say:
Hats off to Angel and kids, and Uncle Abe!
--Marty and Anne and nine, Taiwan
I would like to draw everyone's attention to a wonderful, on-fire Home situated in the heart of San Antonio.--Ladies and gentlemen, we have Amos, Faith, Eli, Renee and Ramona, who are doing a terrific job of helping and assisting people either passing through to Mexico, or helping young people get to the field! Even though the Home has a lot of children they get a lot done and are going places. So put your hands together and show them your love!
--Mark Y.
Juan and Marie want to express their thankfulness to a sister named Sarah who is or was in the eastern part of Indonesia. She sent us some of her personal funds when moved by the Lord to help us while we were pioneering El Salvador. Dear Sarah, "You gave all you had" and we pray the Lord can give you back 100% more. We tried to contact you, however we've had no success yet. We are in Europe now, on our way to India. Do you need our help?
E-Mail:gatewayhm@t-online.de
--Juan and Marie
I just want to say a big thank you to John and Beth's family, for taking in me and my children for the last two years, and Meekness for the year before, which allowed me to service the Homes with the communication and their needed tool orders. Often I had to leave the children behind, so thank you for helping with them and also for supporting them and myself. GBY!
--Paul
Thanks to Juan and Maggie in Cameroon who spent over a year in a Home in Nairobi. When they came they brought furniture, refrigerators, two TVs and video machines, a photocopier, a computer, a whole kitchen, CTP material, a car and a host of other miscellaneous items. When they left, they left it all behind! Wow! That's Acts 2:44-45! GBY, guys! Whenever we look around the house we are reminded of you!
--Paul, Oli, David and Joy, Cameroon
==========#==========#==========#==========
letters to the editor
Re: Highlights from EURCRO
I was really touched by EURCRO's recent report about their field in Grapevine #45. They have a really tough field and a very inspiring one, too. The witnessing testimonies in your area are fantastic and thrilling! My world horizons are getting wider, and it's wonderful to see the potential in these lost countries and continents. GB all of you who are taking the step to go, even if it's just to a newer field.
--Catherine, Brazil
Re: Going on a "date"
Some of us girls were discussing how it would be nice to go "out on a date" sometimes. In the Family when we say "having a date," it usually refers to having sex.
But to most people in the world, a date doesn't necessarily include sex. It's nice sometimes to just enjoy someone's fellowship and do something together, like go to a movie, a simple meal or just go out someplace.
I'm not saying it's anyone's fault for it not being done much, it's just a suggestion. There may not be anyone in your Home, but maybe there's someone in your area who you could take out every once in awhile. It'll liven up your life a bit and gives you a chance to get to know each other better.
With most Homes being small nowadays, I think we should have as much interaction as possible to get to know each other and make life more interesting and fun. What do you think?
--Claire, 19, Lithuania
Re: Open Letter to Aussies
I wholeheartedly agree with Kylie Rain in India, who wrote an "Open letter to Aussies" (see Grapevine #45). Living in Pakistan (almost identical to India) has its many sacrifices, but there's tons to do and lots of witnessing to be done. I fully agree that people living in the West oughtta give the mission field a try!
--Jono, Pakistan
mama's mailbox
Dear Mama and Peter,
We are so very thankful for all the latest New Wine that's been coming our way lately. "Quiet Time--Your Lifesaver!" and "The Spiritual Health Revolution!" were two key Letters which got us motivated and going in a more positive direction.
We made commitments after reading these two Letters that we would take daily Word time faithfully from now on. We also dedicated ourselves to feeding and praying with our three children each and every morning for 45 minutes to one hour before they take off for school, and then again in the evening before bed.
This was going to be a challenge for us as it would require us to wake earlier than we had been accustomed to, since the children leave for school at 8:00. We had been allowing them to make their own breakfast and on some occasions they'd leave even before we were out of bed. Or, in many cases, only one of us adults would be with them in the morning, and this would often cause us to skip their Word time because the one adult would just have time to fix breakfast and read a short devotional and have a short prayer and then the kids were out for the rest of the day in the world. LFU! Waking earlier would now require us to go to bed earlier, too. Therefore, we'd have to cut back on some of our evening activities like watching a video or surfing the internet, etc.
We had been sadly neglecting feeding them on a regular and daily basis. But, we could clearly see that the Lord was very serious about us taking daily time with Him and we realized that if it was so important for us as adults to have that time daily, then how much more important it must be for our children. We decided then that we would, by God's grace, be certain that our children got the one-hour minimum Word time every single day. We set a six-week goal to form this new habit. We knew and believed that if we could get through these first six weeks without missing our daily Word time, then we'd be on the road to victory.
Well, our six weeks have ended (we will officially celebrate reaching this goal with the children on Mama's birthday) and we only missed three or four days, mainly due to illnesses. We now have this habit firmly entrenched in our daily lives and in the lives of our children. We still have a long ways to go to make their Word time more inspiring and fun, but it's a start just to sit down regularly and read the Word together with them.
--an FGA couple, Asia
what's up?
Going in circles
USA
(From Dawn, Sue, Lizzy and Val:) Have you ever gotten really lost and wondered why the Lord let it happen; why you wasted all that time and gas going around in circles? Well about two weeks ago it happened to us and it sure had a happy ending! Four of us were set to do a clowning event at a Wal-mart we had never been to. The directions we were given were sort of sketchy so we set out by faith and finally found what we thought was our Wal-mart. When we went in to set up, we discovered we were in the wrong store. We didn't even know about this store and had never called them. So we piled back into the truck with the right manager's name in our pocket and directions to the correct store not far away. We got lost again and finally decided to stop and provision a meal. The manager of the restaurant generously gave us a meal and then we continued on our way, but still were a bit lost, and by this time it was already 4:00 PM.
Someone on the team piped up, "Well, once I got out really late due to some things going on at home but the Lord sent a lady by and she gave us a $50 donation, so the Lord blessed me going out even though I had only a couple hours witnessing." They were trying to be encouraging, because by now it was starting to get dark!
We got to our destination finally and set up. After we'd been there for about an hour a Christian man came by with his family. He shared a healing testimony of his daughter who was accidentally stabbed in the eye with a knife and was supposed to have been blinded. I witnessed to him about our Family and our work, and as he paid for his little girl's balloon, I noticed he put a $50 bill in the can! He came back the next day and gave another $20. PTL! But the story does not end here!
The next week when I was calling the Wal-marts to book our schedule for January, I called the manager of the store we had found when we were lost. He got so turned on that they asked us to come when the regional supervisors would be there, and they also offered a matching grant of $1,000 for our weekend's fund raising!--All in a store we found by getting lost! So, if you're ever lost and frustrated when you can't find your way, remember this testimony! Maybe He has a purpose. So don't give up--ask Him what His plan is, and seek it out!
Following God
Japan
(From Joseph, of Sarah:) One rainy, bleak morning we set off to an indoor bazaar site that we hadn't been to before--the Tokyo International Forum. Little did we know that this was a super social and culture center.
I couldn't figure out where the bazaar was being held till I asked the attendant, who said it was in the basement. But there was something different about this bazaar. When you walked in, there was this huge stage with a gigantic sound system and camera in front of it. To the left was the bazaar where there were about 40 merchants selling their wares. We found the organizers and they said they were full up. But as we were leaving we noticed that there were pictures up of Takako Doi, the leader of the SDP political party and part of the ruling coalition that was governing Japan right now.
Earlier I was sharing with SGA David that the Lord was leading me into a new ministry of reaching the top, but now the Lord was putting me to the test to see if I was willing to do His bidding to reach this important woman. My first reaction was that I was not properly dressed. I didn't have a suit or tie, and basically had work clothes on. So we went back out to our truck. But the Lord was speaking to my heart about witnessing to this woman. So I began to look for some tracts to give her.
I told David I would just run in and out, and if I found her it would be quick. I really didn't think I would find her (Lord help me!). I asked at the information counter when she was going to be there, and they said in about an hour and a half--but the Lord told me not to believe them. So I went downstairs again and looked around but I couldn't see anything. Then the Lord told me to go around to the far left side of the stage. Slowly but surely I went, and I knew she was going to be there because I started to get nervous; sure enough, I got to that part of the stage and I saw her! She was about ten feet away from me. I couldn't get any closer as her bodyguards were there as well as some other people. I probably could have pushed my way through and she would have gotten the tract but it would have raised a commotion.
So I prayed and asked the Lord to have her look over to where I was, and that was what happened! I smiled at her and she came over to me. I gave her the tract and put my hand on her shoulder and asked her to read it. And being the polite Japanese that she is, she started reading it right then. I then asked her to read it at her convenience, as she was just about ready to go on stage. She said that she would and seemed like she was a pretty broken and humble person. Please pray that we will be able to follow up on her.
Governor visit
Thailand
(From Jeremy:) The visit from the governor of our suburb went very well. He visited for about two and a half hours. It was a beautiful time of fellowship, and we went over the whole property and had a tour of the MC/OC rooms, the teen scholastics lounge, the YC's area, and the nursery.
He brought with him most of the local government department heads for our suburb, including the local head of education, the head of Social Services, and others. There were quite a few local city fathers there, and he chided them that they all need to be working with us to help the community, and that they should include us in their budget to make it possible for us to do different programs, etc. PTL!
Lose something?
Slovakia
(From John:) At the time the Heaven's Library story came out about Jamie and Amy [the kiddo angels who helped find the lost dog in the park; see Heaven's Library #10], I had just arrived from the West with a vanload of about one and a half tons of CTP materials. At the end of the day, after the bags of clothes, shoes, etc., were all over the garage floor, I asked where the car keys were. Nobody had a clue or knew where to look.
After two days I prayed and got the crazy idea to ask Jamie and Amy to help me find the keys. I remembered that when I was a kid the Catholics had a certain saint they prayed to when they lost something. I did that too, as a child, and he helped me every time to find what I had lost. So after asking Jamie and Amy to help me find the keys I started to look in the garage. It kind of went like the "hot" or "cold" game: They led me slowly out of the garage, up through the house, to the top floor, and within 10 minutes I found them under someone's bed, where no one would've expected them!
Many times since, whenever I or someone else has lost something, I've done the same thing, and Jamie and Amy have been faithful every time to help me find the lost item. You can try it too!
Tons of videos and posters
Botswana
(From Ben and Meekness:) We've been getting out tons of posters and videos in Africa. This is how we do it: We raise funds beforehand [or sponsor the posters], and then put posters by the thousands in mom-and-pop stores, hospitals, cafs, bakeries, check-out counters at supermarkets, local butcher shops, hotels, etc. The response has been super! Many a time when getting out the videos, people who are not so keen on the tools get turned on after we pull out a poster. They've seen them and read them and were touched by the message. We've had some then immediately buy a couple of videos.--A good and a fruitful way of getting out both videos and posters.
God's supply and care
Portugal
(From Barzillai:) This miracle of supply happened some 15 or 16 years ago when we were in Brazil. The mobile vision was reaching its end and everyone was being encouraged to move into houses for more comfort, and to be a better sample to sheep and contacts. After prayer and house hunting, the Lord supplied a nice, simple house. We were thrilled and sat in the middle of the living room using market crates as stools; the house had no furniture.
Timmo Smiles, a Dutch brother who was with us at the time, got the phone book and, sitting on his crate, phoned a couple of places. I think it was the second try when the manager of a hotel asked him, "What do you need?" Next this man said, "Come and bring a big van; I'll give you what you need." We needed everything!
Now, 15 or 16 years later, here I am sitting in my nice van, after the Lord has blessed me with a super morning on outreach, provided free lunch and all, and I still wonder how He is going to take care of me?!!--Nope, I know He never fails as He never has!
Media update in Bosnia
Slovakia
(From Enoch and Ljubljana Home:) We are working on getting the Treasure Attic shows on one of the biggest TV stations in Bosnia. They've begun translating and dubbing the dialogues on the first show, and are doing a great job! They will be playing 10 Treasure Attic shows as part of their educational program which airs during some of the prime viewing time (audience: 500,000)! They've already broadcast the first show four times as an experiment to see how people would react, and they got a super positive reaction. Please pray for this project, as it's a wonderful opportunity to reach the kids of this war-torn area.
movie ratings
Movies Rated for YAs and Up
SUNCHASER (1996)
Woody Harrelson, Jon Seda
Drama/character study about a rich, successful doctor who is kidnapped by a young terminally-ill cancer patient. Contains foul language, but also good points for discussion on reaching the lost.
Movies Rated for Senior Teens and Up
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore
Intense, extremely realistic three-hour drama set during the bloody Normandy invasion of World War II. A platoon of soldiers is sent to locate a soldier whose three brothers have already been killed, so that he can be sent home. Very well-made, true-to-life, graphic portrayal of the horrors of World War II, in all its horror and graphic detail. Not for sensitive or casual viewers, but a good movie to watch especially for anyone who might be tempted by the seeming "glitter" of the army and war.
Movies Rated for Junior Teens and Up
PARADISE ROAD (1997)
Glenn Close, Frances McDormand
Drama set in Singapore in 1942, about a group of women prisoners in a Japanese concentration camp, who set out to organize a vocal orchestra, in spite of their guards' resistance. Some scenes may be disturbing for sensitive viewers.
Movies Rated for MCs and Up
EVER AFTER (1998)
Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston
Cinderella-type romance story set in 16th-century Europe. Enjoyable for adults as well. After previewing, some parents may find it suitable for younger audiences.
Non-Recommended Movies
NOTHING BUT TROUBLE (Chevy Chase, Demi Moore; 1991)
JUDE (Christopher Eccleston, Kate Winslet, 1997)
movie reviews
Saving Private Ryan
(Dad speaking:) Whew! Now you know what the Lord delivered me from. Now you young people know what the Lord delivered some of your fathers from. This is the ultimate traumatic testimony! It's Hell, the Green Door. This movie is a virtual reality experience! Putting you right in the battle, and instead of glorifying war and uniforms and machismo, it shows you the cost of man's inhumanity to man--the fruits of his technology--steel ripping flesh apart without warning. The sounds are as graphic as the pictures. I certainly wouldn't recommend this to those who do not need to see it--that is, those who can learn these lessons by faith--straight from my Letters and the Word. But if you have a hankering for the military, or a fascination for the trappings of war and the "glory" of it--this should cure you, for sure. My God, if this is what it takes, then by all means, see it. (End of message from Dad.)
Sunchaser
(Jesus speaking:) The young man in this movie was an example of how far gone this world and its youth are--how lost, almost past feeling. Yet he was also an example of how the hardest of hearts can be touched by a little love and care and understanding, by simply being treated like a person rather than a wild beast, and having someone appreciate their value as a human being.
The doctor in this movie was a typical example of what Flatlanders so many Systemites are, what old bottles they are, and how afraid they are to do anything unconventional or operate outside the System at all. This fellow needed to have this traumatic experience in order to soften him up a little; to broaden his horizons instead of his life being centered around his job, his hospital, his promotion, his little family, and himself most of all.
If someone in the Family were to find themselves in such a situation as this doctor, they would have such an advantage, in that they'd be able to really help this very troubled young man; not only by treating him civilly, but by bringing him the answer. For he did not have the answer, though he sought it desperately. He found some peace of mind in spiritual things, but his eyes were still closed to the true wonders of the spirit world.
Much of the behavior and attitudes and beliefs and priorities of all the main characters are certainly not exemplary in any way. Yet you can let this film break your heart for those who are trapped, who are slaves of the Enemy and of the System. Whether rich or poor, whether "good" or "criminal" in the System's eyes, none of them have the answer, none of them know what they're doing or where they're going or how to get there. (End of message from Jesus.)
Paradise Road
(Jesus speaking:) It is good for My Family to view accounts such as this one of those who have suffered persecution and endured hardships. It helps you to see that, if with the little truth and hope they had, they were able to find the grace and strength to survive and even thrive under such terrible circumstances, all the more will you find your strength in Me when you face trying times.
This movie has good lessons on this matter, and is also interesting historically, though not entirely accurate; so it would be worth the Family watching. Although it is a little traumatic in parts, it is good to see and know about these things, and to partake of these lessons. If there are any who are particularly fearful regarding confinement, they would want to avoid this movie. (End of message from Jesus.)
Members Only Family Web site
--www.familymembers.com
October UserID: october
October Password: electric.cloud
Food for the hungry - CTP tips
--from Guadsquad Home, Mexico
Locate some very needy community in your city. (It helps if it's a well-known area, as then people will recognize the location and already know something about the situation or conditions.)
Print a cover sheet with the prospective community's name at the top, followed by a "wish list" of items which you need to make complete food packages to give away.
Approach any and all food distributors, great or small, with your appeal project.
Accept even small food donations.
Use all the food for the specific purpose for which it was intended.
Pray and seek out someone in the community you want to help who can help make a list of the families who are the most needy. Almost everybody likes a handout, but by having a concerned local resident help you, you can get it straight to the people who need it most.
If feasible, establish a "distribution base" (possibly someone's house) where you can come regularly, and where people can meet you to receive their food package. This also provides the opportunity to be able to read some Word and fellowship with them.
Take pictures of the distribution of the donated food, and be sure to send copies of them to your donors, along with a thank-you note.
babymania
--by Jaz
Ways to Wean
Q: (From Cid, Mexico:) My wife, Serena, is wondering if there's another way to wean our two-year-old besides Serena going on a two-week road trip? Baby Daisy just doesn't want to give up her habit!
A: Weaning! That great and monumental step of life! I did a little research on the subject for you, and I hope that within the following material you'll find some helpful advice. Remember, of course, that the best personalized counsel and advice you could possibly get will come straight from Heaven, so don't forget to tap in up There as well! (Please see also CCHB1 pg.324,332; Techi's Life Story, Ch. 20.)
* * *
(Excerpts from The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning: "Ways of Weaning," by Kathleen Huggins, R.N., M.S., and Linda Ziedrich. Published 1994.)
Timing is important once you've decided to wean. Keep in mind that weaning is a process rather than an event. Weaning initiated by the mother should ideally occur gradually and empathetically over several weeks, at least. And there are better times than others to initiate the process. If the child is particularly clingy and needy, if he has recently had a stressful experience such as moving, sickness, etc., now is not the time to wean.
Writers on breastfeeding have grouped weaning methods into two categories: gradual weaning and abrupt weaning. Gradual weaning is our culturally approved way of weaning. It's supposed to happen like this: When your child loses interest in a particular daily feeding, you begin skipping that feeding. You don't refuse the breast; you just instead offer a bottle or cup, depending on your child's age and your own preference. Every week or so, you replace another breastfeeding with a bottle or cup, until your milk is gone and nursing is over.
Shortened Nursings: Some mothers are able to reduce the time they spend nursing by saying, "OK, you can nurse for just a minute." Some children can be satisfied with this. Many children, however, would be devastated to have to end a nursing just after they had begun it. Even with an avid nurser, though, you might be able to cut a nursing short when she gets distracted--for instance, by grabbing a picture book, offering lunch, or starting a game or an action song.
Postponement: "I'll nurse you as soon as I finish making this sandwich," you might say, and your two-year-old might sit quietly on the counter until you finish. If you're nursing only occasionally during the afternoon or evening, you might be able to stop altogether by saying, "Let's save up the milk for bedtime." Or you might be able to stop middle-of-the-night feedings by saying, "Let's save up the milk till morning." Postponing nursing gets easier the older a child gets. But don't expect it to work well with most children under age two. Just make sure that you keep your word. Your child will eventually learn that gratification can be delayed.
It helps to make a clear rule for your child to follow: "We can nurse only when it's dark outside," for example, or "We can nurse only when we're at home." If you try this, set only one rule at a time, keep it simple, and apply it consistently.
Substitution: Toddlers often nurse because they're hungry or--especially in hot weather--thirsty. One mother we know was able to wean her toddler just by offering food or a drink whenever the child wanted to nurse. Substitution is more likely to be effective, however, if you anticipate your child's needs: Have food or drink ready before he feels the urge to nurse.
To provide a substitute for your child's first morning nurse, some women get their mates to help with the child in the morning. Your child may happily give up his morning nursing if he can eat breakfast with Daddy instead.
You may or may not be comfortable with providing substitutes for your child's sucking needs. Some children do start sucking on thumbs, fingers, bottles, or pacifiers during weaning, and many of these children keep up the habit for years. Some of their parents see no harm in this, although they must pay extra attention to sanitation and, if bottles are used, to the danger of "juice abuse." A child who falls while sucking at a bottle can injure his mouth, and if he takes a bottle to bed he risks serious tooth decay.
Distraction: This is the most time-consuming technique of gradual weaning, but along with substitution, it is also the most effective. You distract a toddler from nursing by making life so interesting that she doesn't even think about the breast. You read her books, help her ride her trike, sing to her, rock her, tickle her, tumble with her, invite other kids over to visit, and take her on walks, picnics, and other outings. Many women find spring and summer the best times to wean because these seasons offer so many distractions--walks in the sun, trips to the pool, park and beach visits, good times in the sandbox.
Because the bedtime nursing is often the hardest to give up, bedtime rituals are a common form of distraction. Back rubs, stories, singing and rocking, and hugs and kisses may soothe a child to sleep. If you incorporate some of these activities into your nightly routine while still nursing, weaning will be easier, since your child will be losing only one part of a loving evening ritual.
A child's father may be able to take over at bedtime--or he may not, as long as the mother is in the house. Some women go out in the evenings until the new bedtime ritual is established. Weaning an avid nurser by distraction requires a lot of diligence. You may have to stay away from favorite nursing places, such as the bed or couch, and avoid doing things that prompted nursing before, like talking on the phone.
When Gradual Weaning Isn't Working: It can be nearly impossible to carry on with your daily life while keeping your child from thinking about nursing. For this reason you may have trouble being consistent. Sometimes you may succeed with distractions and substitutions, but often you may be preoccupied and so end up nursing throughout the day. Other times you may just get fed up and say so. Your difficulties are compounded if, besides feeling tired of nursing, you also feel guilty over denying your toddler what he/she loves best, or you aren't quite ready to give up the nursing relationship yourself. Your child may sense your displeasure or confusion, and so demand to nurse more to allay his own anxiety. Many children become clingy and fretful during an unsuccessful gradual weaning.
A woman may need or choose to wean suddenly. Two common ways to do so are sometimes called the "separation method," and "just saying no."
The Separation Method: One mother tried to wean her child before a planned separation so that he wouldn't miss her as much. Other women plan prolonged separations from their children as a way of accomplishing weaning.
If you must be separated from your nursing toddler for a number of days or weeks, do leave him with loved ones--including any siblings, if possible. Provide plenty of familiar objects--a blanket or pillow, a stuffed toy animal or doll, a music box, a picture of yourself. Before the separation, try to give your child a sense of how long it will last; counting nights may make more sense to him than counting days. Tell the caregivers about your child's favorite foods and activities, and whatever ways have worked in the past to get him to sleep without nursing. If your child is used to nursing during the night, make sure the caregivers are prepared for a rough night or two. They will probably need to tell your child, perhaps several times a day, that mommy will be back soon.
If the separation lasts less than two or three weeks, don't expect to come back to a child who has forgotten about the breast. Although your child may not try to nurse for a day or so, he will probably still remember the pleasure of nursing, and how to nurse. When the two of you get back to most of your old routines, he may expect to resume nursing as well.
You may still have milk, too, especially if you expressed milk during the separation. If you don't mind resuming nursing, go ahead--your milk supply will probably increase again to meet your child's needs. You need not nurse as much as before the separation, however, if you don't wish to. If your child is out of the habit of sucking for comfort or attention throughout the day and night, he may need to nurse only once or twice in 24 hours, such as at bedtime and in the early morning.
Just Saying No: If you don't want to resume nursing, this may be a good time to "just say no." If the separation lasted a week or more, your child should be much less attached to the breast than previously, and you should be over any engorgement. If your milk isn't "dried up," the supply will probably soon be negligible. Your toddler may accept your excuse that "the milk's all gone," and may go to sleep with a story instead of the breast. After a few days or weeks of occasional clinginess and tantrums, your child may truly be well weaned.
Since a child weaned in this way knows the milk is still available and tasty, the mother must be very firm in her refusal to nurse. The child may have an easier time if nursings are down to a few a day before they stop altogether, if the mother can give a good reason for denying the breast, and if she provides a lot of extra comforting for several days or weeks. But even without these reassurances, a sudden weaning isn't necessarily traumatic.
When you wean abruptly, by any technique, you risk getting painfully engorged and possibly coming down with a breast infection. Make sure you express just enough milk to keep yourself comfortable, and wear a supportive bra. Ice packs, mild pain relievers, cooked cabbage leaves (put on your breast) and sage tea can help, too.
Weaning Gently: Gentle weaning also requires flexibility. If your efforts to wean are making your child very anxious, and if you can continue nursing for a while (if only once or twice a day), it's best to change your plans. If you do, your child will probably soon be their happy self, and may wean with much less distress in a few months' time.
Gentle weaning may involve explanations. If you're pregnant and suffering from sore nipples, why not say so? Children try hard to cooperate when their parents really need their help. Above all, avoid comparing your child with others you know. All children grow up eventually!
computer help
--from Jered, Russia
Want to upgrade your PC or buy a new one? Though the subject is endless, here are some tips I've learned from experience:
The speed of a computer is not only affected by the processor. A Pentium 150 can work faster than a Pentium 200, depending on the parts inside. The computer's operational speed is affected by the processor, amount of RAM (memory), motherboard and hard drive speed, so it's worth investing a bit to make sure all of these parts are good.
Getting more RAM (memory) may be the cheapest way to make your computer run faster, if you currently have less than 64 MB RAM. Windows 95 and 98 optimize RAM to a much greater degree than Windows 3.11, which means the more RAM you have the faster most programs will run, up to around 64 MB (after that you won't notice that much of a difference in speed with most programs). Since RAM memory has gotten cheap recently, getting a bit extra is well worth it. According to my tests, a Pentium 200 MMX with 64 MB RAM will run most programs faster than a Pentium-II 233 with 32 MB, and the former combination is cheaper.
For those unfamiliar with computer parts, here's a list of some basic insides of a computer and what they do. When buying a computer it's a good idea to ask someone who knows about computers what brand names make which parts well, because there's not one company that makes all computer parts well. Some companies make good motherboards, others good hard drives, others good CD-ROMs, etc.
Motherboard (Mainboard): This is like the computer's "heart." It connects all the parts of the computer. Some motherboards have additional parts built in, such as a controller, sound card, video card, etc. The motherboard and processor must match each other; for example, a 486 processor can only be put on a 486 motherboard.
Processor (CPU): This is like the computer's "brain." It does most of the calculations.
Hard drive: This is where the computer magnetically stores its information. All the programs on the computer, plus all the files you create, are stored here.
RAM (memory): This is like the computer's scratch pad. It temporarily stores information it needs here, until you exit the program you're working in or turn the computer off. The more RAM you have, the more programs you will be able to run at once. (Editor's note: You can run more programs even with less RAM, but because you don't have enough RAM to store all the programs in memory at the same time, the computer creates a "swap file" on your hard drive, which it uses as sort of an extension of its memory. So when you run a program, the computer "writes" what it currently has in memory to the hard disk to free up RAM for the program you're loading. All of this accessing the hard disk slows the computer down a lot. That's why the more RAM you have, the faster the programs run because the computer will have to use its "swap file" on the hard disk less.)
Video Card (graphics card): Sends information from your computer to your monitor. The more video memory you have, the higher resolution you can get, and the higher the resolution, the clearer the pictures on your monitor will be. The video card also greatly affects how fast pictures are displayed on your monitor.
Sound card: Translates digital sounds to analog sounds that can play on speakers.
Controller: Sends and receives information to and from your hard drive(s), CD-ROM drive and sometimes other components. Most Pentium motherboards have a controller built in.
If you have any computer questions you can write me at: nuts@perm.raid.ru. If I don't know the answer, we have a number of friends in the computer business who probably will.
fruitful fields
Pakistan - (From the Pakistan Family:) You hear about this country often in the news, but have you ever thought of what it's really like here? Stop for a minute! Aren't some of the sweetest and most receptive sheep you meet in the West many times Pakistanis? What about coming to the place where there are millions of them?--In fact, over 150 million, spread out over a vast area that covers some of the tallest mountains in the world, has the most beautiful forests, and sports deserts and beaches--all in one country!
There are many villages and big cities. Karachi (population: 14 million), Lahore (population: 5 million), and Islamabad/Rawalpindi (population: 2 million), each have only one Family Home.
True, the political situation is tense sometimes. Quite often there is civil unrest or other problems, especially in certain areas of the bigger cities. It is also true that in many of the tribal areas people carry guns; your image of the perfect terrorist is often reflected in the average people of this land. However, the truth is that the violence in the bigger cities here is less than in some Western cities. What we find here is unmatched hospitality. People treat you royally, make you feel comfortable, and do anything for you to win your friendship.
The climate depends on where you live, as it is a land of extremes. In the south it can be very hot and humid; the north can be very hot and dry, but also very cold in wintertime. So you can pick whatever you like.
Do you have a burden to learn a new language?--Try Urdu! It's a beautiful language that is used by millions of people, very similar to Hindi--and if you master this language (which is not too difficult), you'll be able to communicate with well over a billion people!
There are very few Family members reaching a vast mass of people (approximately one Family member per 2 million people)! The country is big; there's a need for willing workers to live the life of faith. You can go on road trips and experience exciting scenarios, meet wonderful people, and savor Eastern sounds, music and foods which will thrill you. It's a place that is challenging, and will take your utmost dedication, trust in the Lord, and a close connection with our big Boss to get His instructions every step of the way.
It is somewhat of a sensitive country, almost 100% Muslim. Your whole outlook on witnessing will change. You have to become one! You have to be willing to change your dress code if necessary. Be willing to be humble to adapt to the lifestyle here. On outreach our girls usually wear the local dress and outfits (which are beautiful), just to become one and win them.
If you are looking for a real exciting mission field, this might be the one! There's a need to open more Homes, especially in the bigger cities, and it's possible to team up with old-timers from the field.
In the process of trying to get our videos on the air, we are pioneering mass-marketing. Office-to-office and door-to-door goes very well. Personal witnessing is very exciting. Road-trip possibilities are unlimited. There is no end to CTP projects. We do clowning, and pretty much everything goes here.
As far as visas are concerned, this is something we can help take care of. There is no need for visa trips, just desperation and prayer. It would be a help if you have home support (the U.S. dollar is well-liked, so foreign currency is a real blessing). It's good to have substantial landing funds in trying to help open a new Home. You pay rent for one year in advance, thus anywhere from $5,000-8,000 is needed. Any equipment, like computers, etc., is certainly a blessing to bring.
If the Lord is calling you to come to this land, please write for more information ASAP! We're very happy to fill you in and give you more information and details, as well as send you some of our newsletters and information about this exciting mission field. God bless you! We hope to see you soon!
helpful tip
--mold on foods
Q: Is mold on food dangerous? Should I throw out food that is moldy?
A: It depends how much and on which foods. For example, you can cut away the mold on hard cheeses, and firm fruits and vegetables. Keep the knife out of the mold, and cut away an inch above and below the mold as well. In jams and jellies, the mold can be scooped out and thrown away. Then wash the spoon and remove a slightly larger area around where the mold was.
Soft foods should be discarded if mold is present, such as cottage cheese and soft cheeses, cream, sour cream, yogurt, bread, cake, rolls, and pastry. Should you discover mold on nuts, flour, whole grains, rice, and dried peas or beans, throw them out immediately. The rule of thumb is: "When in doubt, throw it out."
--courtesy of Joanna Bear; from HealthGate, Healthy Eating
tip of the day
Those of you with a Windows key on your keyboard (the one with the Windows logo) can use the following shortcuts.
Windows-E opens Windows NT Explorer.
Windows-F opens Find Files.
Windows-M minimizes applications.
Windows-R opens the Run Program box.
I'm wondering ...
Using seatbelts
Q: Is it a Family rule that we must use seat belts for all passengers in our vehicles (especially children), and that we don't load the cars with any more people than the cars or vans have seat belts for? In our area the police allow extra passengers to be riding in a vehicle without using belts (except kids under 40 lbs.), if all the available belts are being used and the extra passengers all have a seat to sit on. In light of recent accidents, it might be a good idea to stipulate something in the Charter about this.--James, Canada
A: (From WS:) As you know from the Letters, Dad has always stressed the importance of safety, especially when in vehicles. All passengers (even in back seats) wearing seatbelts is definitely recommended. And it is very dangerous to pack more people than can safely fit into a car.
However, we are unable to make this a requirement in the Charter due to the fact that many countries don't require seat belts in the back seats, therefore many vehicles aren't equipped with them. If we were to make this a rule, many Family members would not be able to obey it. So while this is not a black-and-white rule, if you do have safety belts in the back seat, please do use them. Also, if you are able to get them installed, this would be wise, as they save lives.
New Disciples/AIDS test
Q: A question I had while reading the Charter Responsibilities GN is: If someone is on partial ex-com for sharing with someone outside of the Family, shouldn't they have to have an AIDS test and then another one six months later, just like a new disciple before being eligible for sharing? In the mailing there is no mention of an AIDS test or waiting six months as in the case of a new disciple. If they do not have an AIDS test they could pass it on if they caught it from the outsider they were sharing with.
A: (From WS:) Yes, you're right. We're sorry for our oversight in not mentioning in the "Charter Responsibilities GN" that taking two AIDS tests is still a Charter requirement for those on Partial Excommunication for having sex with a non-CM Family member. So we reiterate here that anyone who has had sexual activity with a non-CM Family member must immediately take an AIDS test and stop any sexual activity, except with their mate (who must then refrain from sexual activity with others), until a second AIDS test six months (three months if only kissing on the lips was involved) after the first has shown that they are free of the HIV virus. (Please see LNF 257 "Charter Amendments," Amendment #15.)
Input, anyone?
HIV/AIDS patients
The Lord has opened a door for us here to work with HIV/AIDS patients, along with several doctors. Our part would be mainly in helping to conduct programs at colleges, etc., on AIDS awareness. We would really appreciate any ideas from any Family Homes who are involved in such programs in other parts of the world. Your help and suggestions will be very appreciated!--Mark and Faithy. Add: The Family, 213, Swapanalok Complex, S.D. Road, Secunderabad-500003, India.
(Editor's note: Mama suggests that number one, you get a confirmation that the Lord wants you to pursue this or not. And number two, if the answer is yes, that you get from the Lord in prophecy your step by step detailed program. You can ask others for their suggestions, but this is the most accurate way to hit the mark in your particular situation.)
Family WEB site responses
--compiled by Claire (LAMB Home), USA
I'm sending this e-mail to encourage you that your Endtime section of the web page is absolutely brilliant! I am extremely glad that you are doing such a tremendous job in getting out this all-important message to a dying world.--David K.
I just finished reading today's Daily Might and it's so amazing. It seems to be actually talking to me. I want to rededicate my life to the Lord. Please pray for me, and send me information about how I can be of service in your mission.--TALIB
I believe in my heart that Jesus let me find you. I've been a born-again Christian for seven years and have been searching for God's love; I believe you are the true Children of God. I've listened to those clips of Father David over and over and heard GOD in his voice. I've been very lonely all my life until I found Jesus, but I still felt something missing until Jesus brought me to you. I found a home if you'll have me. As I write this I see Father David smiling at me now. Please don't think I'm crazy.--Art
I was with the COG from 1970-1976. I know it's been 22 years, but can anyone bring me up to date? Those six years were the best years of my life.--Rick V.
Thank you for including me in your mailing list for the Wine Press. I have already received two issues and I am so grateful for the material included. I would love to send you a donation for your work to be continued!--Diana
I'm a 20-year-old Norwegian. Six years ago I got a little paper from a friend on the bus. He said he was going to throw it away, but gave it to me to look at first. When I read it, something happened inside of me. When I got home I read it over and over again and I felt something I never had felt before. It was a little poster from you, The Family, and there was this picture of a guy and a girl who were getting 666 in their forehead, and a picture of a statue of the Antichrist.
Only days after, I sent a letter for more information to The Family in Norway. They sent me about six posters. I was happy and studied what I got several times. This was the start of my passion for studying the Endtime, the Antichrist, 666, Jesus and everything about it. For some years I put these posters away and "forgot" about them. During this time I read other info about the subject and bought 20-30 books of several Christian writers.
After over a year I took my "old" posters and read them all over again. I lost contact with The Family and tried everything in my power to contact them. I sent a letter to an address I found in Switzerland and now I'm getting some reports (worldwide activity report). I am asking you to send me all the posters you've got.--John E.
You have designed the most beautiful invitation to come to know our loving Lord that I have ever seen. I was on my way to work when I gave some children a donation for their youth group. They in turn handed me a leaflet titled To You--With Love, that was signed by my Heavenly Father. It was perfect timing because I had a very troubled heart at the time, and the leaflet reminded me not to worry.--George K.
Putting the Letters into practice
--comments from you
Contagious enthusiasm
When reading "Hold On to Your Crown" with the JETTs/OCs I was inspired with the list of suggestions to make our Home more inspiring. The enthusiasm was contagious and soon the OCs were planting a garden, neighbors were coming for free English classes, and just yesterday our next-door neighbor and friend asked me to have regular Bible classes with them!
--Chris (of Celeste), Mexico
Being attacked
Talk about the Devil fighting us, whew, we've been getting hit from all sides! One night Lillie, Feli and I gathered for some prayer time, but we were so discouraged we couldn't even pray. We started getting in prophecy that we needed to fight the Devil, so we got the idea to stick on the Onward and Upward tape. For about an hour-and-a-half we fought the Devil out loud, singing the songs and punching the air. If anyone would have walked in on us we sure would've looked crazy, but we didn't care! We just fought and fought and thanked the Lord for the victory by faith. The GN "Wham, Bam, Junk the Punk!" was so heavy and right on. Sometimes I pick that GN up and read the prophecy from the spirit helper at the end out loud, to gear me up for a fighting mood.
--Lorraine, Russia
Who's our real family?
Just a tidbit about "The Benefits of the Family" GN. After 17 years, I called relatives to say that we were coming to visit; their reaction was so cold, that, "Oh, what a bother" attitude. So we called the Seattle Home--Thad, Serenity, Jonathan and Eden's Home. They were on a big push, but on their only day off they stopped by and piled on the love and provisioning. Though we had never met before, we laughed at how we were so close. We never stopped talking, laughing, sharing our hearts, and showing His love. Now tell me, isn't that a benefit? Isn't that a Family? Wow!
--Martin, Nina, Sebastian and Esther, Italy
Re: Junk/Yummy Food
My husband and I have been in the Family for quite a few years now, and are in the middle of the "prime of life", as they say. We've gotten to the point that we like to "enjoy life," and one of Jonathan's favorite quotes from Dad is: "I'm a firm believer in pleasure" (ML #949:46). Ha!
When the Letter "Eat Right" came out, it first looked like it was going to be quite a trial. We both have sweet tooths, and like a little something sweet with our afternoon coffee. But when we decided, "We are going to obey Dad, and still enjoy life," we were able to come up with good solutions.
Starting with whole-wheat crackers, we found some special French jam that was sweetened with fruit pectin. Although it is quite fancy, for some reason it wasn't expensive. Another brother found these fig bars for a very cheap price. Then we got some granola for snacks. In the long run, this is yummier than candy bars and is an interesting change. It just takes a little creativity and looking around, but I think we're going to find a lot of variety if we have our eyes open and keep looking.
I think the same principle goes for veggies. If the cook thinks that vegetables are just a "necessary sacrifice," then probably they will just get boiled to death and served with a little salt. But if we want to enjoy the "sacrifice," then they can be steamed and topped with a yummy sauce, or stir fried with soy sauce, or served cold with a vinaigrette or mayonnaise dressing. Usually when they are colorful and a bit crunchy, people really go for them.
All this to say, why not make this revolution FUN and not worry about what we forsake, but rather what we have to gain? Especially for us that are older, maintaining good health (and our figures) takes on greater importance, and we have to watch what we eat and get our exercise anyway. It's just a fact of life. And the ones that are faithful when they are younger have an easier time when they are older.
Also, when I know that I'm trying my best and I'm eating balanced and healthy meals daily, then I don't get under condemnation about eating an occasional chocolate. It looks like the problem comes when the "now and then" is more the rule than the exception.
--Mercy Nubes, SPALIM
Workshop 1998 Feature: To be or not to be The Family
--By Gideon and Rachel, England
That is the question! During the meetings held at the Summit and structure meetings concerning the media, we had an interesting discussion about openness since the Charter. Before the Charter, we came to a point in our history when everyone was pretty much open about the name The Family. It was on everyone's letterhead; it was used for all our provisioning; we approached the authorities, the media, and even churches in that name. It was a battle but we did it, and it generally bore tremendous fruit.
If there is one thing we have found in working with the academics in particular it is that they appreciate honesty--warts and all. We--that is, the Family--have often been commended for our honesty and our willingness to look at our history, critique it and learn from our mistakes. We have won many victories and preached a lot of message by being up-front, no holds barred. To be able to pick up the phone and be asked, "Is that The Children of God?" and answer "Yes, although we are now known as The Family," has been one of the greatest buzzes we have had in our media work. Yes, we are proud of our roots and where we came from, TYJ!
Of course, we know there are many situations in the world where Family members cannot be so up-front; places where it would be downright dangerous to use the name of The Children of God or even perhaps The Family--in fact, places where even openly calling yourself a Christian can mean grave danger for yourself and your family. But these are not always the places where people feel they cannot use the name The Family. Sometimes it may be a fear of what may happen in the future rather than a genuine danger or risk to the work.
What are the disadvantages of using the name The Family? You may find it difficult to work with church groups; you may find it difficult to even start a CTP if people do not want to be associated with the Family, ex-COG. You may find it hard to provision. While it is entirely up to the individual Homes whether or not they use the name the Family (except in the case of sensitive fields where the decision may have been made by the CRO offices or by referendum), we wanted to put forth the argument for openness if you will bear with us for awhile.
If you start your work using the name of The Family, The Family will receive the credit for the CTP work you do. Unfortunately, all too often the Family receives all the blame for things which supposedly went wrong in the past, while at the same time often not receiving the credit for the good that is being accomplished worldwide. If you are known as the Family, it is also much easier to use all the wonderful PR material that is published using the Family letterhead, as well as the statements, Family pubs, etc. We can be more of a witness and give the full counsel of God if we are openly known as the Family.
There is less risk of offending people later on if you are straightforward at the beginning. How many times have you been in the situation where a church group or provisioning contact finds out "who you really are" and they have become deeply offended, or in the cases of churches, actively persecuted you as a result? People respect honesty, and often they come to know you as individuals and base their judgment on that. It is often not as bad as you think it might be to be known as the Family.
We can honestly say that we have never suffered as a result of being open. We have always felt that we were safer than many other Homes from raids or persecution; provisioning has hardly been affected. Even with our faces plastered over all the major newspapers, we have provisioned the next day and gone and done the pickups ourselves. True, there will be some people who will drop you in the face of negative media, but those who stay will be stronger, and there is no fear in the back of your mind of "what if they find out who we really are?"
Also, it can be surprising how short the public's memory is regarding what they read in the newspapers. Usually only church Christians delight in remembering every detail; in fact, that is more often than not the result of ACM propaganda rather than just a newspaper report. We have even benefited financially by being known as the Family, as people have wanted to support us for our radical beliefs and boldly standing for them. If we can win friends, contacts and kings who love us for who we are, with all our wonderful radical beliefs, we will find them stronger, longer-lasting and probably even more generous.
When we did a quick survey of all the areas represented at the structure meetings, it was inspiring to see how many were completely open about who they are, and some even have associations or charitable status in the name of the Family. If we are God's Endtime army (and we are!) let us be proud of it, and let the Lord and the Family get the credit for all that's being done!
support-a-missionary
We are a pioneer home in a sensitive Middle East country that consists of 5 SGAs and four FGAs (plus children). We are desperately trying to raise a buffer to get ahead and hopefully be more stable financially. We have to raise about $3,000. Any help, big or small is tremendously appreciated. Please send gifts via ASCRO to the B2000 Home. Thanks a million.
ideas and tips
Birthday Party
We tried something unique for our Cancer birthday party. Everyone chose different spirit helpers to dress up as, and picked something to read from the Word from the particular person; everyone else had to guess who he/she was. Some characters included: Anastasia, Audrey Hepburn, Liza (spirit helper who speaks in "Wham, Bam! Junk the Punk!"). We also read from the horoscope book about Cancers, which was real funny. We then had prayer for them, and gave them prophecies which had been gotten for each of them earlier.
--Islamabad Home, Pakistan
Visas for India
We have found out from brethren in India that an Employment Visa for the head of the household is a very good visa to get before entering India, and their dependents can get Entry Visas. The Indian Embassy assured us they could issue Employment Visas. This visa can be issued for X number of years, depending on the paperwork from your sponsoring company and upon your request, and approval from the Indian Government. We've been told that this type of visa is easily renewable from inside India.
You will need a letter from a company in your home country (or from abroad) that states that they are hiring you to work for them in India as their employee and that they will be paying your salary from abroad. You will also need a letter from an Indian company that is doing business with your sponsoring company, confirming that they will be working with you for your company. We hope this will be a help to those heading for India!
--David and Miracle, Sweden
About Computer Breakdowns
A lot of Homes have PC breakdowns and need help to reload their programs. Others have a hard time understanding the process of PGP keys and XPYing, etc. I would like to suggest that we have a troubleshooter YA team (tested and approved by the CROs) who can travel around and help with this. It's difficult and not advisable to explain what the HomeArc is all about to a System PC technical service; besides, they are very expensive. I would rather pay a brother than the System. (Editor's note: Any volunteers?--Please contact your CRO!)
--Joh and Milcah, France
ladies and gents
he said: On the subject of men and their "stereotype" image and behavior, I think it's difficult to label men in general as being "mainly" or "only" interested in sex in their attitudes toward women. I am a normal, healthy, woman-loving male, and as much as I love sex, if I had to make a choice between "sex without affection and romance" or "affection and romance but without sex," I would always choose the affection and romance.
It has been said, "the way to a woman's heart is through her ears!" Well, I think the way to a man's heart can be through his ears too. Whenever my sweetheart speaks words of endearment to me, or sends me a card or note with a few words of love, it moves me emotionally and even physically, and has really helped me to understand how the Lord, our romantic Lover, must feel when we speak those loving words of endearment to Him.
Lovemaking with Jesus, as His intimate Bride, has helped me to understand women better, and what they need and want most from us men. Perhaps it's one way of helping us men to learn to be better lovers--by spending more time in the bed of love with our precious loving Husband.
--male (40), Thailand
she said: Girls, it is possible to change!--A couple of years ago, cooking for guys, doing little things for themwell, to put it in a word (or two!), being a "Bible woman" was totally out of the question for me. I always felt that of course guys should do things for girls, as we are the "weaker vessel" and need all the help, assistance and love that we can get from them! I never thought of the other side of the coin, that of course, to expect guys to be gentlemen, we need to be ladies, first of all.
Later on, I began to realize that it is a two-way street, and we have been taught that "if you give love, you will receive love." All that to say, I saw I needed to change. I couldn't see how, though. I liked being independent, and I thought it hardly dignified to wait on a guy; I felt I was too busy or that they wouldn't appreciate it--and what other people would think of me was one concern, of course.
To make a long story short, the Lord finally got through to me, and though it took time, it's grown on me to do things for others and to be considerate of others' needs. I can say I have found that the old quote is still true-- "Love does beget love!"
--female (18), Asia
she said: I'm living in Russia, in a pioneering situation. It's a YA/SGA Home, and the boy/girl ratio is 1:4. Sometimes I'm the only Russian speaker in the Home. So of course, I feel more like "horse power" than a lady. I've noticed that sometimes boys feel being a gentleman means "ladies first" in everything, including carrying the workload of the Home, and then they complain that girls are being bossy and pushy. All this to say, dear sweet gents, we'd love to be ladies; it doesn't give us pleasure to be "head of the house," believe us! I personally would love to act "ladylike."--Just give me a chance!
--M., Russia
support-a-missionary
Willing and Cherish and family, pioneering in China. We need your help, prayers and support to stay on the field. Contact us through PACRO.
We are pioneering in central China and desperately need your help (gifts and prayers) to reach as many as we can with the love and words of Jesus. Please send gifts via PACRO.--Willing, Mary and teen Vicky
We have spent the last 1 years here in China learning the language and culture of the precious Chinese people. We are on the verge of a witnessing explosion but need finances to continue. Would you like to help us reach the 1.2 billion souls here?--Andrew, Mercy and children in China
We are a pioneer home in a sensitive Middle East country that consists of 5 SGAs and four FGAs (plus children). We are desperately trying to raise a buffer to get ahead and hopefully be more stable financially. We have to raise about $3,000. Any help, big or small is tremendously appreciated. Please send gifts via ASCRO to the B2000 Home. Thanks a million.
your views on issues
Novel nightmares
Europe
(From a female FGA:) My two daughters were reading novels. Some time after my eldest went to another Home, I had a chance to talk to her shepherds who told me that she had nightmares; they got a check that it was the books that she was reading and they asked her to forsake them.
Then I found out that my youngest was also having nightmares. I took her for a walk and talked to her about my past experiences with books, music, etc., and how I was also plagued with fear and unable to sleep at night, and about how her older sister had also had nightmares. I asked her to pray about forsaking her books and TTL, she readily agreed. She hasn't complained about nightmares since then.
One thing she said was, "If I forsake my books, I'll be bored!" I told her to put the Lord to the test, and that as she forsakes her books, the Lord would provide other fun things for her to do. What the Lord blessed her--and me too--with, was that we started getting closer to each other. We went on outreach together and started enjoying each other more. I put a box of all the Zines, Grapevines, HOPEs, etc., by her bed and now that's what she reads.
I found that she wouldn't go to the library to pick up things to read, but would read the Word and other feeding pubs easily if they were available nearby. I also started praying more for her, and now I feel so assured that she is in good hands, learning the lessons that she needs, and that the Lord will see her through the difficult teen years.
Eating right
USA
(From John and Charity:) These past few weeks the area has really pulled together, especially in our CTP work, and it has resulted in tremendous victories in our provisioning and other unexpected blessings. Our food provision increased bountifully--including picking up old contacts for organic bread and juices. Since "Eat Right" came out, we made a push as an area to obey. The Lord has blessed with weekly organic bread and freshly squeezed juice. Our vitamin contact even has been helping with organic milk and yogurt and donated 16 cases of whole grain cold cereals.
Costly lesson
Mexico
(From Nina Newlife:) I was having financial difficulties and stupidly "borrowed" from my tithe money in order to pay a debt, thinking that I would be able to pay it back later. But as Grandpa said, God comes first. Things began to get worse and much more difficult, and the Enemy began attacking me with strong discouragement. The debts began growing and the money just was not enough for anything. My relationship with Jesus got cold and I was surrounded by problems.
For several months, I didn't have enough money to tithe. One day, in my desperation, I cried out to the Lord, asking Him why all this had come about. He showed me that He is a jealous God and that I needed to give Him and His dear Family first place again in my life. So, by the grace of God, I will not fail in this again. I want to commit myself with all of my heart, to be faithful with my tithe. You know?--As soon as I began to do my part, the Lord did His and began to bless me!
find-a-friend
Johannes and Joanna (now in Indonesia) would like to contact Sammy and Ruth (in Turkey). We lost your address during our move. Please contact us.
Paula (Mexican, YA, last heard of in Romania), please contact Joy (formerly Faithy, Mexican). E-mail: sharp@pla.net.py.
Larissa (16, of Matthew Canada) would like to contact Sam (17, of Paul and Karen). I last saw you in San Antonio. E-mail: rmhafamilia@windnet.psi.br.
David W., please contact Leila (in Brazil). E-mail: marmo@vnet.com.br. Add: Cx. P. 100.446, Niteroi, RJ, Cep. 24001-970. Att: Leilani Knight.
Charlene and Francois (Frank, in Lithuania or Latvia), Olivia (of Martin and Charity), Babs (in SA), and Andy (of David and Phoebe), write Marianne. E-mail: rodinake@napri.sk.
Sunny (15, Holland) would like to contact Mary (16). She came to the Belgium JETT camp from England. E-mail: andrewfaith@hetnet.nl.Willing and Rejoice, please send us your mailing address. We'd like to contact you. Add: James and Joanie, P.O. Box 5027, G.P.O. Bangalore 560001. India.
Micah (formerly Gibeah, of Mercy) and Charity in Thailand would like to contact Dutch Sam and son, John Michael. E-mail: grdmike@yahoo.com. Add: PO Box 82 Korat P.O., Nakorn Ratchasima, Thailand 30.000.
Andrew and Crystal, our last two letters to you came back! Phil and Shiloh need your new address! E-mail: SeaPandS@aol.com.
Zach and Hope, are you still in the US? I've been trying to reach you! Please contact Praise (Laura). E-mail: <rainbow@service.raksnet.com.tr>
It's your security!
--from WS
A number of Family members have recently let us know that they have been receiving garbage mail, full of bitterness and lies from former members and detractors. It seems that some embittered former members are getting the Grapevines, and using the addresses (both e-mail and postal mail) to send out junk mailings to various Family Homes.
In light of this, we'd like to again stress that the decision to put your Home's e-mail or postal address in the Grapevine should be a Home decision. Your address may be discovered by our detractors if put in the Grapevine or the Zine, or even on the Members' Only site.
You should not only pray before sending in your e-mail address for publication, but also before sending names, pictures and exact locations. Out of courtesy for other Homes' security, you should not send in pictures or testimonies from Family members other than your Home, unless the Homes in question have given you the okay to do so.
Please make these decisions in prayer and take into account your own security, and whether or not you are willing and able to deal with the risks and fallout that allowing your e-mail address to be "open to the public" might cause. We love you and are praying for you!
Shine On
Note: Due to incorrect stats, the June Shine On was annulled. Below is the correct one.
TEAMWORK
Per Adult
Total
SOUL SHINERS FOR JUNE '98
Samuel/Rosita, Mexico
4,500
9,000
Ezekiel/Rejoice, Jonathan, Brazil
833
2,500
Madras Deaf Home, India
473
1,893
Timothy F./Rejoice E./Dove F., USA
374
2,991
Pablo E., Chile
259
1,038
Steven/Christina/Michaela, South Africa
243
730
Timothy/Daniella/Luba/Maggie, Russia
222
1,111
Josue/Maria Fiel, Mexico
216
1,080
Francisco / Kitty, Bolivia
187
750
Nehemiah/Sara Lynn/Jonatan, Mexico
175
1,050
POSTER SHINERS FOR JUNE '98
Ben/Meekness, Botswana
4,500
9,000
Peter S./Crystal S./Mary M., USA
2,008
10,038
Michael, Maria, Japan
2,004
4,009
Jonathan/Clare Livingstone, Japan
1,275
5,100
Sunshine, Mercy, Japan
1,066
3,200
Timothy F./Rejoice E./Dove F., USA
900
7,203
Abner, Promise, Japan
723
2,170
Victor B./Love, USA
688
3,438
Daniel Newlove/Spring/Christina M., USA
600
6,000
Barz/Sara, Portugal
578
2,314
TAPE SHINERS FOR JUNE '98
Pablo E., Chile
111
447
Juan/Rosa, Spain
101
202
Tim/Claire/Stefan/Joy, Switzerland
93
372
Pablo/Cielo, Brazil
86
173
Peter/Faith, USA
82
164
Francisco/Joanna, Brazil
77
309
Michael, Charity, James, Philippines
73
580
Joao/Pandita, Obede/Clara, Brazil
59
237
Samuel/Clara/Tim/Elisabeth, Spain
57
289
Dave/Jan/Rosemarie, Czech Republic
55
387
VIDEO SHINERS FOR JUNE '98
Joao/Clara, Softy, Meiga, Brazil
103
310
Ben/Meekness, Botswana
80
160
Ezekiel/Esther, Brazil
40
120
Jeho/Consuelo, Claire, Brazil
37
337
David Searcher, Pandita First Love, Japan
35
140
David, Joanna, Suzy, Brazil
35
140
Matthew, Mercy, Taiwan
30
154
Emanuel/Rubi, Ecuador
30
91
Pablo/Cielo, Brazil
29
58
Primavera, Marcos, Mateo, Chile
25
178
FREE POSTER SHINERS FOR JUNE '98
Timothy/Daniella/Luba/Maggie, Russia
3,100
15,500
Gabe/Maria/Lisa, Russia
2,366
14,200
Ivan/Virginia/Katya, Russia
1,666
10,000
Piper/Rosita/Lorraine/Lillie, Russia
1,200
6,000
Davida/Daniel/Francesco, Moldava
1,028
7,200
David/Paloma, Russia
920
3,683
Branch/Vida/Sara/Pawel, Poland
810
3,242
Claire/Steven/Carmen/Gerson/Keiko, Russia
802
4,815
Jan/Bowy/Michael, Russia
733
8,067
Virginia/Steven/Martin/Charity, Russia
500
4,000
TEAMWORK
Per Adult
Total
SOUL SHINERS FOR JULY '98
Samuel/Rosita, Mexico
3,500
7,000
Juan/Sara Pescador, Venezuela
2,300
9,200
Timothy F./Rejoice E./Dove F., USA
559
6,154
Sunny/Simon, Andrew, India
458
1832
Jakin/Mary, Ivory Coast
298
1791
Pablo E., Chile
298
1194
Francisco/Mariana, Colombia
250
500
Fe Nueva Vida/Abrek O/Nohemi, Mexico
219
657
Jonatan/Clara, Colombia
200
400
Miguel/Rute, David, Maria, Brazil
199
399
POSTER SHINERS FOR JULY '98
Peter S./Crystal S./Mary M., USA
2,601
13,005
Shajjad/Katie/Tabitha/Naomi, Romania
2,500
10,000
Michael/Maria, Japan
2,130
4,260
Andrew/Hannah/Angela/Michael, Hungary
1,720
8,604
Dust/Heidi Peacemaker, Italy
1,171
4,685
Steven/Sunshine, Japan
1,116
3,350
Timothy F./Rejoice E./Dove F., USA
923
10,151
Pedro/Lily/Victoria, Spain
888
2,665
Mary Hart/Joseph Daniels, Canada
812
2,435
Abner/Promise, Japan
730
2,192
TAPE SHINERS FOR JULY '98
Francisco/Joanna, Brazil
140
422
David/Joana/Suzy, Brazil
119
476
Tim/Claire/Stefan/Joy, Switzerland
104
418
David/Madalena/Andrew/Clara, Brazil
96
577
Josue M./Abigail/David/Heidi, Costa Rica
84
420
Cephas/Clara, Brazil
79
158
Joao/Pandita/Obede/Clara, Brazil
73
294
Jeho/Consuelo/Claire, Brazil
73
587
Pablo E., Chile
71
285
Peter/Praise, Philippines
69
139
VIDEO SHINERS FOR JULY '98
Pablo/Nina, Brazil
150
300
Ben/Meekness, Botswana
85
170
Pablo/Cielo, Brazil
62
124
Joseph/Rosa, Chile
46
93
Jeho/Consuelo/Claire, Brazil
45
363
Miguel/Samuele/Ester, Brazil
36
183
Francisco/Joanna, Brazil
34
103
Matthew/Mercy, Taiwan
33
99
David/Joana/Suzy, Brazil
33
132
Abner/Esther/Andrew/Katie, South Africa
28
201
FREE POSTER SHINERS FOR JULY '98
Gabe/Maria/Lisa, Russia
7,166
43,000
Davida/Daniel/Francesco, Moldava
2,885
20,200
Jered/Christina/Sonny/Genty, Russia
1,892
26,500
Branch/Vida/Sara/Pawel, Poland
1,837
7,350
David/Paloma/Samuel/Christina, Russia
1,750
7,000
Jan/Bowy/Michael, Russia
1,627
17,900
Tim/Joy/David, Ukraine
1,605
9,630
Timothy/Daniella/Luba/Maggie, Russia
1,400
7,000
Jan/Eva, Russia
1,300
2,600
Virginia/Steven/Martin/Charity, Russia
1,000
8,000
(End)
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family