HAVE MERCY!               DO 1818           8/84
--Letter to the NROs from Peter, Dad & Maria!--We Thought You ALL Needed to Hear This, Amen?

         1. YOU, AS NOs, ARE MOST LIKELY USING QUITE A BIT OF PAPER POWER, WRITING LETTERS TO YOUR SHEEP, answering their questions & their reports as well as trying to encourage them. We believe that you are also probably writing quite a bit to the other local leadership, NASs, GASs, DASs etc., & in many cases some of you have sent us copies of such correspondence. Overall, from what we have seen, you are generally doing good in your letter writing, GBY! Dad recently gave a talk regarding writing things to the Family. The whole point of Dad's talk was: "Without Love, It's Nothing!" (No. 1819)
         2. WE KNOW THAT OFTENTIMES IT IS NECESSARY FOR YOU AS SHEPHERDS TO WRITE TO PEOPLE REGARDING VARIOUS PROBLEMS & AREAS IN WHICH THEY'VE DISOBEYED & BEEN CAUSING PROBLEMS IN THE HOME OR IN THEIR AREA ETC. These often are very unpleasant & difficult letters to write, but they need to be written. However, the one cardinal rule when writing such letters is "To do unto others as you would have them do unto you."--Mat.7:12. When you have to write such letters, we ask that you please do so in love & that you try to make it as easy on the person as possible by giving them as much benefit of the doubt as possible. They look to you as their Shepherds & your letters to them can have really great effects, either for the good or for the bad. If you write someone & really put them down & make them feel bad, they may not be able to overcome it, they may read your letter over & over again & continually be discouraged by it. Whereas on the other hand, if you do have to rebuke them, & you do so in love & understanding & compassion, they will feel it from your letter & that will inspire them to do good & to try harder & to do better. They will reread that letter over & over again & it will continue to inspire & help them.
         3. PLEASE WRITE OTHERS & TAKE CARE OF YOUR SHEEP IN LOVE WITH A TRUE SHEPHERD'S HEART, HAVING MERCY & COMPASSION ON THEM. Remember, each one is a member of our precious Family even if they're causing problems or going through particularly hard times at this moment. Remember, the Lord called them & chose them & they forsook all & they joined & they're following Jesus just like you are. They love the Lord & they love the Folks & they love the Letters & they love the Word, even though they may have fallen on particularly hard times at the moment. They may just need your counsel & your help & your love. You are their local Shepherds & you need to love them & tenderly gather them in & care for them, which above all is your main responsibility as a NO, to shepherd the sheep, to love them, to care for them, to encourage them & to inspire them. As Dad has said, all of the other is nothing if you don't have love! So above all we ask that you please love your sheep, shepherd them in love, write to them in love, lead them in love & they will in turn accomplish more for the Lord, out of love!
         4. WE TRULY LOVE YOU & ARE SO THANKFUL FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO BEAR THE BURDEN & THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FLOCK IN YOUR AREA. We know that leadership is a difficult job & one which is often in many ways quite thankless, but please know that the Folks are very thankful for you & they greatly appreciate the time & effort & trouble you put into shepherding the sheep. They know it's a big job to have to make all kinds of important decisions & to give counsel & to try to efficiently & effectively operate your area, especially with so many ministries under your jurisdiction. It's a huge job, but one in which you are doing so well--thanks to the Lord & thanks to you! Dad & Maria truly love you & are so thankful for you & don't know how we could do without you! We are praying that the Lord will give you great wisdom & love as Shepherds of His flock, & we believe He is because you've been so faithfully taking care of His lambs! MGBACTMYAB!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family