WS Staff
July 21, 2003
FSM 170
(FN 279)
Copyright: June 1990 By Family Services, Zurich, Switzerland
DO — ARTICLES WRITTEN & CONTRIBUTED DIRECTLY BY MISSIONARIES ON THE FIELD!
Guidelines for Implementing New Video Distribution Methods
Part 2 of a 2-Part Series!
SPECIAL ISSUE!
By WS Staff
—New GP Videos in the Works!
The Kiddie Viddies have been such a phenomenal success that people around the World are purchasing whole sets & still wanting more! We've had numerous requests for more children's Videos. The demand has been so great that, just when it seemed the Video production was "winding down" after finishing up the Kiddie Viddie & Teen Video projects, the Lord had something else up His sleeve & He inspired a whole new Video vision! You will be thrilled to hear that there is a new GP children's Video series in the making! PTL! These new Videos will be packed with good lessons, stories, morals & lots of Kiddie-Viddie-style songs! Hallelujah!
We would like to make a special prayer request for this new Video series! When laying the groundwork for a big project like this there are countless important decisions to be made, so could you please keep the Video Production Committee in your prayers, that the Lord will continue to lead & give them wisdom & inspiration. Also please pray that He will strengthen each of them for the big job at hand! The Lord has been supplying wonderfully for this new Video push! PTL! Where He guides, He provides! But, as you undoubtedly realise, these Video projects are very expensive, time-consuming & involve a lot of personnel, so we would like to request your prayers for the Lord's continued supply for this very important ministry. Please also pray specifically against any attacks of the Enemy in trying to hinder, delay or stop this project.
Thank you so much! We need you & are depending on your prayers! God bless you! We love you!
"So much depends on us, so much depends on our prayers! Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, it's laying hold of His highest willingness!" (MOP 97:62,141) "Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." (1Jn.3:22)
It is so exciting to receive such heart-touching reactions from the field to the "S.O.S." Teen Video! Since "S.O.S." & "20 Minutes to Go!" touch on many controversial & thought-provoking subjects, it is understandable that it might take a little time or adjustment for you to learn how to present the Videos & it might "try your faith" somewhat while you are learning how to go from the sweet innocence of the Kiddie Viddies to the more radical Message of the Teen Videos. (Please refer to the counsel in LNF #131, "`Break Away!' Teen Video Brochure".)
We recently received a message from Maria in which she asked us how we felt the radical Message of the Teen Videos would be received by the youth of today—especially considering the more conservative countries of the Third World. While discussing this, several people shared some very interesting testimonies which we wanted to pass on to you here:
(Apollos:) We didn't have Videos or Tapes 20 years ago when we were teens in the System & met the Family & were reached, but the thing that really won me, & I've seen win countless other teens to really find the Lord & then serve the Lord, were our songs that were anti-System such as "Green Magic Carpet Ride" & "Look at the Way They Raised Us"—things that were slamming the System, about the Future & the Second Coming. It was that radical Message against materialism & the Beast & about the Second Coming that stirred us & fascinated us to latch onto the Family.
I had despised & shunned every Jesus People type Christian I had ever met before who gave the little la-dee-da message. Of course it's shocking & not everybody is going to go for it, but to reach the ones who are potential, I think we need that. It's the thing that makes us different from others. That's what worked on me & collectively speaking on us, & I think the same Message will work today with today's youth as well.
(Other Family Member:) That testimony of Apollos caused me to think back to my own personal testimony. I was not radical, I was as conservative as you can get. I didn't listen to all that heavy music & I was absolutely straight, but it was still that radical side of the Family that appealed to me. So it's not that if you're a little conservative & "straight" or religious or churchy, you can't receive a radical message, because it's the Spirit that pulls on your heart & really draws you even if you've never been that way before in your life.
(Other Family Member:) Two weeks after I joined the Family, we met this very prudish 16-year-old girl who was in the Salvation Army. Her parents were leaders of it in that city & she was a secretary. She was the most System, religious girl you could imagine, but it was the radicalness of our Holy Ghost sample that interested her, & after hearing the Message she wanted to come & visit. Two weeks later she was changed & doing Holy Ghost samples & had a complete transformation!—But the significant part of this testimony is that even this extremely conservative girl was won by our radical flavour! PTL!
After passing on our thoughts to Maria, she sent us back a message saying, "I like those little testimonies about how very conservative kids were won through seeing the revolutionary, radical side of the Family. I wonder if that would be worth mentioning to the Family? That's pretty impressive, & it might help them to not just give up hope for certain people. However, we don't want them to just disregard all wisdom & caution in their presentation to more conservative sectors of the population, but to keep in mind that many people are really looking for the Truth & won't see it until they see us! And we do need to present our Message & not hide it under a bushel! Also, I don't know why adults who are desperate about their teens wouldn't be very enthusiastic about our Teen Videos. Probably if you reach people who know how very serious the problems with today's kids are, they would be willing to try almost anything!" PTL!
"Solving the problems of the youth with Jesus is our business!" (MOP 146:53)
—By WS Staff
It is thrilling to see how the Lord is leading our Family around the World to discover new, effective methods to distribute the Videos.—And the Lord is really blessing the Video Ministry as we branch out & pioneer new avenues of witnessing with fresh courage, vision & inspiration! PTL!
We wanted to offer a few guidelines for you to keep in mind when you undertake a new witnessing method, especially if it involves the Videos. We have noticed that some Homes undertake Video distribution projects or methods that could have quite far-reaching effects. In other words, some people or Homes take the initiative to pioneer new ways of distributing Videos that could in the long run affect the Video distribution of many Homes, not just their own. For the sake of the overall Work, we would like to ask that you please counsel with your leadership & the other Homes in your Area before pursuing a witnessing project that could potentially affect other Homes in the Area.
It would be beneficial to counsel about new witnessing pushes to determine several key points: 1) Is the new method that you're going to use wise? 2) Do you need help in organising & coordinating this new approach in order for it to be as effective & fruitful as possible? 3) Even if you don't need help, do you at least have the agreement & approval of your leadership & the other Homes that your witnessing push might affect?
For example, in this FSM there is a testimony about receiving addresses & referrals from receptive pastors of churches & thereby going church-to-church offering the Videos. (Please see "Pastors Are Receptive to KVs", page 10.) We can understand how a Home might become interested in this method, because if a team happens to visit a few churches while out witnessing & finds that the Videos are well received there, then it is natural that they would want to pursue this avenue & continue to take advantage of the open door as much as possible, visiting more churches & selling more Videos. On the other hand, however, there is the possibility that Video distribution from church-to-church could eventually cause some trouble, because you could hit a snag or a problem by going to just one wrong address where the church pastor is a real snake, & he could start spreading the word against our Videos.
There is also a testimony of some brethren who went to see the nationwide anti-abortion organisation & showed them "Mother Let Me Live" on the "S.O.S." Teen Video. (Please see "Pro-Lifers Flip Over `Mother Let Me Live'!", page 7.) Of course, the members of this organisation flipped over the song! They bought a Video & are now considering using our song in their anti-abortion campaign in the schools nationwide. God bless these brethren for taking the initiative to pioneer & it is very understandable how they would want to show the very moving & powerful song, "Mother Let Me Live", to a sincere group of Pro-Life people. However, such encounters can rapidly escalate & cause lots of publicity etc. which may or may not be what your Area needs—so it would be imperative to counsel before undertaking such a move.
Along the same lines, we received a testimony about a person that got so turned on by the Kiddie Viddies that they wanted to advertise them with their recommendation in a publication that is distributed to the schools. (Please see "Advertising the KVs with Recommendation", page 9.) Now this publicity might be a wonderful open door & just what your Area needs—or it might be too much exposure, depending on your individual circumstances & the conditions of your field. So this is another example of when it would be good to counsel before following through with the offer.
These are just three examples to show how it is possible that one person's or one Home's Video distribution method could affect all the Homes in the city or the whole Area, if not the whole country. Visiting church pastors is not the only example that has come up where it would be good to counsel. The same principle would apply to many situations, such as when someone wants to call all the hospitals or all the orphanages in the Area or when someone wants to visit all the Catholic schools in a city or the military bases.
If you come up with a Video distribution method that could possibly affect the whole Area, either in a positive or a negative way (but we are mostly concerned about avoiding the negative), then you should counsel with your leadership & all the other Homes in your Area & find out if they agree & are willing to take the risk with you. Because if you don't counsel & you just go ahead & do it on your own & you run into trouble, then you could hinder the Video distribution not only for yourself, but for your whole city or the whole Area, & nobody else even had a say it in, which is not really fair.
So, we suggest that everyone should be in agreement with a new witnessing push, even if they are not necessarily participating in it themselves. In other words, all the other Homes in your Area might not want to go to the churches or the orphanages or the schools, but they should at least agree that it is okay for your Home to do it. If the leadership or other Homes don't think your new project is a good idea, then you probably shouldn't do it, because we are all working together & "no Home is an island". Since we all represent the same products & the same Work, we can't just operate on our own, "according to our own faith".—Everybody affects everybody else, & we have to be willing to work together in counsel & wisdom for the good of the overall Work. "For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in the multitude of counsellors there is safety." (Pro.24:6; 11:14; 15:22)
It is not possible for us to set strict guidelines for what is & is not permissible or advisable in Video distribution, because every situation & country & field is different. However, through praying, discussing & counseling together, you will be able to determine what is best for your Area. Again using the example of visiting churches, the brethren in one Area might say, "In our Area, we think it's fine to go to the Lutherans & the Methodists & the Catholics, because they are pretty lukewarm & they usually don't get too riled up about any `competition'.—But don't go to the Evangelicals, because they are more on-fire & there is more potential for them to be jealous or disagreeable or even active enemies." On the other hand, when a different Area or country discusses visiting churches they might say, "We've had no problems with the Protestants, so it would probably be okay to sell our Videos to them, but stay away from the Catholics, because they've given us nothing but trouble!"
So in summary, new Video distribution tactics need to be discussed & counselled about & agreed upon by everyone, or at least by the leadership & the delegates of your Area, so that everyone has a say in it & we don't end up endangering the whole Video Ministry in an Area because of one person or one Home's misguided burden or idea.
Also we want to clarify that we didn't single out the above testimonies with the intent of making anyone feel bad or to discourage anyone in any way. Please don't feel bad or take it personally, as no personal correction or embarrassment was intended. We just wanted to use those testimonies as examples. We also don't mean to imply that we necessarily feel that going church-to-church or visiting the Pro-Life Movement or advertising in a magazine in the Areas where these testimonies originated are bad ideas—each of these cases is something for the leadership & Home delegates of each Area to discuss & make a decision on locally.
We hope these suggestions will help all of us look down the road a little further & examine the long-range effects of any new Video distribution tactics we employ. We realise that it's hard to resist following through with a witnessing method where the Videos go out quite well & it looks like such an open door. And like the MOP says, "Your intentions & motives may be good, but if you don't seek God for His wisdom & how to go about it, you can be misled." (MOP 97:66) So it behooves us to not get too caught up with the immediate results or daily stats of a witnessing method, but rather take a good look at the overall picture & the future repercussions of what we do today.—And hopefully, through counsel, we can avoid any methods which might be more trouble than they're worth in the long run!
Please understand that we don't want to squelch your initiative because we do need to continue to pioneer new ways & directions, & we realise there is always a certain amount of risk when we witness.—But we trust that as you prayerfully counsel & seek the Lord together, He will establish your thoughts & lead you in the paths of greatest fruitfulness & protect our wonderful new Video Ministry from the Enemy's hindrances or premature persecution! PTL!
Thank the Lord that we are all learning so much as we progress in our new Video Ministry. We pray for you all as you keep fighting & gaining greater victories in the Video Ministry! God bless & keep you!
We are so thankful that the Video flyers & colour brochure have been a help & blessing to your Video distribution. You'll be happy to hear that a new black-&-white Kiddie Viddie promotional pamphlet is on its way, & you should be receiving it shortly. PTL!
This new promotional tool came about after we recently received a message from Mama in which she said: "After listening to those beautiful reactions to the Videos in the Comments & Suggestions from the TRFs, I think one of the best selling points or advertising methods for getting the Kiddie Viddies out would be to pub a little black-&-white pamphlet with all these reactions for the general public. Just the sheer volume of reactions says so much! It's just tremendous to hear one after the other, & they all speak the same thing: `The Kiddie Viddies changed my child! They made a difference for the better!'
"We've really got the goods! We've got the word on our Kiddie Viddies. We know what the fruit of these Videos is! There is no doubt in anybody's mind, & we can acclaim these Videos to the skies & give them the very highest recommendations, & know that in doing so we are telling the truth & being 100% honest & accurate in what we say!
"We could compile all these reactions & more or less overwhelm people with the quantity of our reactions. The quality is good & important, but the thing that really impresses the System is the quantity. Our salesmen should be prepared with reaction after reaction after reaction, so they can literally say to people, `Look, everybody is saying how wonderful these Videos are!'
"People really look at the quantity of things & how many people are behind a product, because they probably think, `One or two or three people could be hoodwinked & could be wrong, but how could the majority be wrong?' Just like your personal testimony is one of the most effective ways you can `sell' Salvation, so these testimonials are one of the most effective ways of selling Videos. People are most impressed by what their peers have to say. It's a form of peer pressure. So I think it would be really helpful if we'd work on a pamphlet or brochure containing mostly reactions. I think it could be quite overwhelming to people & quite impressive. I'm really excited about it!"
So as a result of this terrific suggestion from Mama, we have produced a black-&-white promotional pamphlet full of reactions from our satisfied customers. This pamphlet can be used in addition to or in place of the Kiddie Viddie flyer. It might be especially effective to leave this reaction booklet with people who are still undecided about whether they want to buy the Videos. If, after hearing your sales pitch, someone still is not quite convinced, you could leave this pamphlet with them & then you could follow up on them later, after they have had a chance to read the reactions. If you are able to get their phone numbers, it would probably be best to follow-up by phoning these potential buyers rather than visiting them, in order to save time.—Or they could contact you via the address &/or phone number on the back of the pamphlet. For more details on how to use this reaction pamphlet, please refer to FSM #146, pages 2 & 3, "Tips on Using the Promotional Flyers & Colour Brochures".
We want to thank you all for sending in the many thrilling reactions to the Kiddie Viddies that you have received. Your contributions are what made this new promotional pamphlet possible! We pray that this powerful new advertising tool will be a blessing & a help to you in your Video distribution! God bless & keep you! We love you!
From Tim, SEA
We revisited a hospital where we had previously left a brochure & a flyer. The lady in charge took us into the conference room to view the Videos, & she was so impressed that she went to get more doctors & even the Deputy Director to "come & see". They took five Videos & wanted them all in the local language to "make sure that the kids got the lessons & encouragement from them". Before we left, four doctors ordered complete sets of five Videos each & asked us to bring them more next time. Even the Deputy Director, who at first was reluctant to come because he was so busy, ended up staying with us for 20 minutes. PTL!
From Jordan & Fisher, Latin America
Our friend in the government received the first Kiddie Viddie for his son. The next time we saw him he told us how the Video had become breakfast, lunch & dinner for his son! He marvelled at the way his son was so fascinated by the Video & the good influence it had been. He asked if we had more Videos, so we left him with the Christmas Video. He later told us that he & his wife & son have never had such a happy Christmas!—They had learned songs together from the Video & Tapes & sat together in the evenings & sang them.
From Johnny, SEA
It is really amazing how the Lord has put so many sheepy people into one local life insurance company building. So far we have gotten out around 100 Videos in this building alone! Many have also gotten saved too, & gotten real life insurance—eternal life!
From Martin & Jeremiah, Pacific
The children put on a beautiful performance before 9,000 people at the Convention Center! It was so powerful! We were able to set up a very attractive booth with our colourful Videos & Tapes & in just two days we distributed 45 Videos & eight music Tapes. The people loved the show & constantly commented on how radiant the children were. When one woman saw the Videos she exclaimed, "Oh, I received KV #1 from someone who came to my home! My kids love it! I want a new one! These are beautiful!" TYJ!
From Obed & Rosey, SEA
A lady who owns the main book & paper store in town said the Kiddie Viddies have taught her little ones to speak English. She said her two & three-year-olds have the Video memorised in English!
The Videos have been an inspiration to everyone in our Home & for the people of this city as well. These people have been worshipping an idol for thousands of years, so for them it has been difficult to worship a God they cannot see (so they say). But the Kiddie Viddies help them to see the Love of God through our happy Family, TYJ!—Something they can see & believe. Perhaps this is the Lord's mercy on them, as a lot of them do seem to need a sign.
From Michael & Faith, Middle East
A branch of a well-known oil company referred us to their head office. We were received very well by the General Manager who immediately called for a "snap conference" for all his workers. We were shown into a fancy conference room & all the employees came to meet us & have a special screening of our fantastic Kiddie Viddies! The impact was tremendous on the big screen & the Videos went out like hotcakes! We also visited the town office & were able to get out over 20 Videos & many audio Tapes at this company. TYL!
From John Delight & Joy, SEA
We had stopped our van at a stoplight, & a brand new car stopped right beside us with a sweet looking Chinese family inside. I waved at the little girl on her mommy's lap & they all smiled & opened the window to say hello. I told them that we were producing Videos for children. They asked for my card, & I suggested we stop across the street so we could talk. The young man got out of his car & we showed him the brochure & Kiddie Viddie #1, & he asked right away "Can I buy it?" & gave a larger donation than we suggested. He was wearing a cross, & when I asked him if he was Catholic he said he was a Christian with Jesus in his heart. He had been an atheist who had been healed by Jesus when he got sick with typhoid. He eagerly offered us his address & asked us to contact him later, TYJ!
From Swiss Maria, SEA
After getting a whole set of Kiddie Viddies, one well-to-do lady declared, "This is just what I've been looking for!" & then she got a whole set for her secretary as well! We had another appointment with a woman in charge of the children's section of a popular news magazine. She got a whole set of Videos just before Children's Day & used them in her programme for 300 children. These two fruitful appointments were names & telephone numbers on a scrap of paper that had been laying in my handbag for over five months!
From Faith, SEA
One sweet man was so touched by the effect Kiddie Viddie #1 had on his daughter that he bought four more Videos. Each visit he tells us over & over again how thankful he is that we have taken the trouble to make such perfect Videos for parents & children.
Mr. W. also got saved & has been eagerly reading all the materials we have given him. His wife recently had to quit her job in order to take care of their daughter, who was so naughty no one else was willing to take care of her. Their daughter loved Kiddie Viddie #1 so much, & she changed so much through watching it that his wife knew they had to get the rest of these special Videos to train their daughter. After receiving the other four Videos, she said that from the song "Keep Clean" their little girl has started to want to help mommy & now she knows all the things she needs to do—wash her hands before meals, brush her teeth etc. Also after seeing "Do It Because Daddy Says So!", when she starts to get disobedient they sing her the song & she stops right away. Her favourite song is "Angels of Love" on Kiddie Viddie #5.—When she watches it she gets big tears in her eyes.
Mr. W. wants to do whatever he can to promote our beautiful Videos. Last week he took his family upcountry by bus tour, & he asked to have our Videos played continuously on the bus video machine for a total of 12 hours—six hours each direction. He said many people on the bus asked where he got such beautiful Videos & he told them of us & our volunteer work. He got the addresses of three families who were especially interested in obtaining sets. GBH!
One of the men on the tour bus was so impressed that he wanted copies of his own, so Mr. W. put us in contact with this man. When we visited him he eagerly took a set of six English Videos & five Tapes for their nephew. Such referrals from our satisfied customers seem to be a real fruitful way of getting out the Videos & meeting new friends!
From Stephen, SEA
Ed Carabao, of the famous local Rock Group "Carabao" has taken five Videos altogether. He really likes them for his kids. From our last visit we can see that we are really having an effect in his life. TYJ!
From Andre & Mary, SEA
While going OTO we met the young manager of a chain of light bulb stores. After we explained our Work, he mentioned that he'd previously met two of our brethren who had provisioned light bulbs from him. He bought three Videos in our first meeting.
The next morning he called to ask for the rest of the series as his daughter really loved them! He said she wants to watch them first thing in the morning before she eats! When we met him again to give him the rest of the Videos, he proposed to organise a pool party for his friends, relatives & international neighbours to promote the Kiddie Viddies & to give our children an opportunity to sing. It was a big hit as all the guests were all young parents & were very drawn to the sample of the children. We sold 10 Kiddie Viddies right away. Everyone there also brought donations of clothes, toys etc., & we established some good contacts for potential Kiddie Viddie orders in the future.
We followed up on the couple again & they expressed their desire to have more fellowship with us, placing more orders for Kiddie Viddies for friends as well as wanting to plan more parties to support our Kiddie Viddie outreach. Their mother-in-law took five Videos at the party to make sure she had them for her grandchildren when they visited. PTL!
From Silas, Pearl & Gideon, Pacific
This month we had a golden opportunity to reach the Vietnamese community. We were invited by a friend to set up a stall at the Vietnamese New Year's Festival. The Lord even supplied the fee of $250 to set up this stall, through a friend who offered to pay it for us! Our whole Area was able to pitch in to make this push possible. Our dear carpenters built a beautiful display booth. Our children sang & performed their songs (two of which were translated into Vietnamese by a precious friend) not only at our booth but also on the center stage, where they received a very enthusiastic response.
Hundreds of people filed past our booth & we sold raffle tickets at $2 for a gift set of four Kiddie Viddies. Each person who bought a ticket was given a Poster & we took their address to be able to follow-up later. All in all it was really fruitful as we did our best to reach 40,000 people who attended the festival, getting out 82 Videos, 46 Tapes, 320 Posters, winning 156 souls & collecting 250 names & addresses!
From Claire, Daniel & Promise, Pacific
We received a phone call from a man who bought a Video during the Christmas season. He asked, "Is this the office that is selling the Kiddie Viddies? I had bought KV #4 for my two-year-old daughter & she has been watching it over & over & loves it!" He saw through the advertisement at the end of the KV that there is a series of Videos—he was flipped & really wanted to get more! However, he had lost the brochure that had the address & he had been looking for the KVs for a month by calling different companies with similar names.
The way he finally found our phone number was incredible! He is a member of a home computer network which has over 10,000 members. He put an ad through his personal computer communication club & here is the response he received via computer:
"Subject: Kiddie Viddie Videos...Dear Mr. S., How do you do. My name is Mr. N. I am writing to you about your message about the Kiddie Viddies. The producers of these Videos are a Christian-based volunteer group. Their contact address & phone number is _____. Their Video will benefit your daughter's spiritual & mental growth."
Recently we met Mr. S., his wife & daughter & they were all so sweet! He said, "My daughter used to watch cartoons all the time, but now the only thing she watches is the Kiddie Viddie—all day long—at least 20 times a day! As a result we can't watch TV, so we always watch the Kiddie Viddie as well!" They immediately bought two more Videos that day & will see us again soon! TYJ! Satisfied customers!
From Mary, Philip, Simon & Maria, Pacific
While out busking with the children we met some members of the nationwide Pro-Life Movement. As we had recently received the latest from Dad on abortion, we made an appointment with the head of the organisation. After viewing the "Mother Let Me Live" song clip, there was not a dry eye in the room! She commented that she had never seen anything like it & got us an appointment with a senator who is preparing the "anti-abortion bill". She was so enthusiastic on the phone, she sounded just like one of us.
So we were able to present our Work & the Video to an Executive Counsel of four people including the lawyer of their organisation. It was so inspiring to see how the Spirit was moving. They were very impressed by the Video & saw how this could be a real opportunity to reach the teens in the schools. They went ahead & bought a copy of the Video to prepare a questionnaire to go along with it, as they would like to show it in the schools & then discuss it with teens. Their overall plan is to take it into the schools nationwide, so please pray for this project. (Editor's note: Please see "Guidelines for Implementing New Video Distribution Methods", pg.1.)
From Faith, Jonathan & Josh, Pacific
We were praying about how to go about getting the Kiddie Viddie sponsorship program started—the program where contacts buy KVs which are then given to orphanages, schools, or other institutions that cannot afford to buy them. The Lord's answer was somewhat unexpected, as we got, "You never lose by giving," & "If you give, you'll get". We had some unexpected income from follow-up which He showed us to use to purchase Kiddie Viddies to give to some of our contacts. They were very happy to receive this precious gift. A few days later we called them to see their reaction to the Kiddie Viddie & at the same time to present to them the sponsorship program. So far about two-thirds of the contacts visited that day have sponsored Videos to be given to orphanages!
From Tim, Comfort & Chris, Pacific
A Franciscan school for pre-school & primary ages has two KVs & is anxiously awaiting the whole series! They were so impressed by the results of the Videos that they want to refer us to the applicants to their exclusive school (ambassadors' children etc.) whom they can't accept because of lack of facilities!
From Jose & Jael, Latin America
We set up a stand with our Videos in a well-known seaside resort town. The public's reaction was very positive! Adults, youth & children alike marvelled not only at the high quality of our materials, but mostly at the Message! Although seeing that the music's main message was about the Lord, they would receive it very well because it wasn't "religious", as they themselves admitted! All in all, the public was really delighted with our wonderful materials & many people exclaimed, "At last something good has come out that will help do away with the harmful effects caused by television!"
From Santiago & Libertad, Latin America
When a mother found out that her daughter's psychologist was using our Videos as part of her therapy, she decided to buy the Videos & cancel her child's therapy with the psychologist! TYJ!
From Tender, SEA
The headmaster of a school said, "Our school budget is depleted because it is the end of the year, but why don't you go see the teacher of science? She might be interested". The science teacher was a spunky, well-dressed woman in her 40's. But after about five minutes an American volunteer teacher came in & wanted to involve her in a conversation, so I took him aside while Peter continued to witness to the lady.
The young American was quite aggressive & harsh in his questioning & it was a battle in the spirit. I asked him, "What reason do you have for being so aggressive without even knowing anything about what we're doing? What are you after?" & I told him my testimony. He said, "I apologise for being harsh. I think you are good people, even if we don't agree on everything".
Meanwhile the science teacher decided to buy six Videos & 14 Tapes for her two boys! What a victory! She asked if we would go with her to her house as she needed to write out a cheque. It turned out that she was a colonel's wife & her private chauffeur drove us right into the army camp. She showed us around her house, photos of their trip to Europe etc. Since she had only taken children's material, we asked her if she would be interested in some Tapes for herself, & she took two more! PTL!
From Matias & Marisa, Latin America
While witnessing with the Videos among the military air bases of our city, the Lord miraculously guided us to the most important militarists of the country. Our Videos were powerful tools & conquered the hearts of many top people. The children were invited to present a show at the Christmas party of the air base which resulted in many souls saved & many Videos passed out. God bless the commander of the base who helped us with air passage for all the Family Members in our city to go to other parts of the country. He also gave us a space in the airport where we mounted a stand with the Videos.
From Ana, Latin America
A couple went on a faith trip, & when selling Videos they met a man who only wanted to buy the Videos if his pastor authorised it. So he called his pastor who told him that he had bought the whole collection of six Videos at our stand at the airport & was touched with the example of the children on the Video.
From Joy, Latin America
We provisioned a meal one free-day at a restaurant that seemed very potential for distributing Videos.—It is a large restaurant that has a TV & VCR where the clients can request whatever Video they would like to have shown. We returned the next day & spoke to the owner & he bought a full set of Videos & some children's Tapes. Now when people see our Videos playing at his restaurant they often order one for themselves by leaving their address with the owner, which he passes on to us. The owner of this restaurant has become one of our close friends & he has been having Bible studies with his close friends at his Home, using the DFs for his classes. GBH!
Whenever we visit the restaurant we hear the many comments that people make about the Videos, which now play almost continuously in the restaurant. One woman said, "These children have something special!—They're not like the children on channel 10 (a System children's show) who are so shallow."
From Pearl, Pacific
We were able to meet with a lady from the National Council of Children's Film & TV. She was very impressed with the KVs & said that they were more hi-tech than anything she has seen produced in our country. She is working on advertising the KVs in her magazine which is distributed to the schools with her recommendation. (Editor's note: Please see "Guidelines for Implementing New Video Distribution Methods", pg. 1.)
From John & Mercy, SEA
We met the principal of a private English school for children. As we were talking about our Kiddie Viddies & materials for children a heavy rain storm began, a real tropical downpour, & she said, "Since you might not be able to move for quite some time with this rain, what if I invited you to show the Video to some of the children, & I'd like to come & see how they respond". She took us to a classroom with a dozen 11-year-olds. They were well-behaved children, & we asked questions after each song & they practiced their English, & the principal got more & more excited. She invited a couple more teachers to come, & they were all so receptive! The children & teachers learned the "H-A-P-P-Y" song very quickly & also "Helping Hands".
She thanked us in front of all the students & presented us with a little plaque which said, "God is Love". When we continued witnessing to her in her office, she remarked how impressed she was with the Videos, especially the way they taught the children important lessons & principles. She kept the two Videos we had as well as five children's song Tapes & two adult Tapes.
She said she believes in Jesus, she was raised a Catholic, but she doesn't go to church. She had felt condemned about it before, but now she feels the children & her school are like her "mission field" & she can serve God by taking good care of the children & being a stable influence of love & encouragement to them. She was so happy to receive our beautiful tools to help her in her task & expressed over & over again how God must have sent us!
From Mark, Faithy & Sapphire, India Area
We had two seminars for parents at two nurseries & it went really well! Just from those two seminars & their follow-up we were able to get out over 60 Videos.
From Steven & Emily, Pacific
Our Home of 10 adults & 27 children was able to get out over 400 Videos during the Christmas season. One thing which really helped us was to have a page in our PR album where all the companies that bought Videos would put their official company stamp & write which Video they bought. Our Home shiner, James (of Heidi), got out 200 Videos in a one kilometer area by using this method. He would simply show the company executives that a lot of others in their area had helped, which encouraged them to help too. PTL!
From Job & Vicky, Pacific
We found that having the kids dress up as clowns for restaurant singing is a real shot of inspiration! It's quite good for introducing Kiddie Viddie #4.
From Michael, SEA
We had met a man who seemed quite sweet but he did not take a Video because he said his children were grown up. Then we met a director of a school who liked the Videos but said they couldn't afford them as the school was quite poor. So, we went back to see the first man, & after talking for awhile I asked him if he would be willing to sponsor some Videos for the school we had just visited because they couldn't afford them, & he agreed.
We went straight back to the school, & the director was so touched that we'd gone to the trouble of finding a sponsor to purchase Videos for his school that he immediately typed a thank you letter to the man who had sponsored the Videos. It made me realise that receptive people who feel they don't need the Videos would most likely be willing to sponsor some for schools or institutions.
From John, Mercy & Sharon, SEA
We are still getting out the Christmas Videos fairly regularly, TYJ! We explain that for children it doesn't matter what time of year it is, it is just as beautiful anyway!
From Jimmy, Andy & Dulce, Pacific
The Orion Japanese imported TV/VHS VCR agents offered us their walky-looky portable TV/VCR unit (12" screen) for cost price, so we will be purchasing a few to use in our area, to help our factory-to-factory & OTO teams.
From Claire, Daniel & Promise, Pacific
When going OTO, if the company president is not in we find out what his name is & then call him the next day, explaining ourselves briefly & making an appointment. One member of our Home just began this method & on the first morning of calls we made 10 appointments! So far, visiting the first five of them has led to nine Videos out & four potential sponsors of our Work. So not only can it help a team to canvas an area thoroughly, but almost all the people called agreed to an appointment & so far each appointment has borne fruit.
From Gideon, India Area
One thing that helped boost our Video distribution was to sell them in sets. This approach has worked on quite a few occasions with factory owners & businessmen. Once they have decided to help, businessmen will often give precisely what you have asked for, so why not give them a larger vision to begin with, by presenting the "Kiddie Viddie Library" for their children!
Along with this approach we started using a business card file book where business cards are slipped into the slots in the clear plastic pages. We write clearly on the front of the card what that particular person bought & how much they gave. Often other businessmen are provoked to good works by seeing the cards in the file of their peers who have helped in the same factory/business area, & they would often take a set of Videos because the man next door did. This also helps give credibility to what we are doing. "Nothing succeeds like success!" (Editor's note: It would be advisable to get permission from your customers before using their name & business cards in this manner.)
From D. & E., Latin America
The Videos have been getting out in abundance in the churches here. I found out that all churches have a complete list of the names, addresses & phone numbers of the other churches in their denomination, & if you find a pastor who is receptive he'll furnish you with one & make your visits much easier & more fruitful. I call ahead & give a brief explanation of the Videos, explaining that many other pastors have been buying them. I'm sure to mention key names like pastors of the biggest & most influential churches. I offer them all the Videos except "S.O.S." first if I know it's contrary to their doctrine until I get out as many Videos as possible. Then I offer the "S.O.S." Video to individuals.
(Editor's note: Please see "Guidelines for Implementing New Video Distribution Methods", pg. 1.)
From Happy, India Area
We did a demonstration of our Videos at the Parents' Meeting of one of the nurseries in this major city. At the beginning of the meeting we gave out blank cards & a xeroxed copy of "Winning Ways to Talk to Children" from the "How To Love" Book. We gave a little explanation of our Work, read a bit from "Winning Ways to Talk to Children", talked about the bad effects of TV on children today, & showed them some samples from the Kiddie Viddies. We asked them if they could please write their names, addresses & phone numbers on the blank cards & hand them back in at the end of the demonstration.
At the end of the meeting every mother handed in her address, & we spent the next week following them up, & out of the 30 mothers who gave us their addresses, every one has bought from one to three Videos—except two who took DTD Tapes. Each one also gave us their personal recommendation to go & see their friends, & then their friends referred us to other friends etc. So we're now experiencing an incredible snowball effect with almost every new contact leading to many more. Within a few weeks we have built up a mailing list of almost 100 of some of the very top society ladies in this major city, & we're only just getting started!
One advantage of meeting people by personal referrals is that it is very good for security as you seldom ever offend anybody when knocking at their door & saying, "Your friend, Mrs. So-&-So, recommended that we come to see you as she was so thrilled with our Videos & thought you would be too." Before, in high class areas, we sometimes would get stopped & asked to leave by the security guards who are always on the lookout for unauthorised "hawkers". In fact, we have been unable to go DTD in some of the fanciest areas of the city because the security is so tight. But we have found that once we have one referral to someone in a building, we can go directly in & see her, & then we can ask her to recommend us to any other women who have children that she knows of within the same apartment block or compound.
So it seems that the Lord has opened the door for us to harvest a whole new, ripe, beautiful & virtually untouched field—these high-society mothers, of whom there are so many in this city—a city where the rich are super rich. They are so sweet & receptive & almost 100% get saved on the first visit! They are all desperate for help with their children & are very interested in hearing more from us & attending any meetings or seminars that we might hold in the future.
We are thrilled at the potential of our mailing list & the possibilities that it has of raising help & support, as many of these ladies' husbands own big businesses. We have started sending them a mailing that is geared to mothers, with articles on parent-hood & children & things that would relate to them. The response to our first mailing was very enthusiastic, PTL! So we're really thrilled & encouraged with all that the Lord is doing & the way that He is leading & guiding us into this very exciting & fruitful field. PTL!
From Joy, Latin America
On occasion we have been faced with difficult situations where the general manager, owner, doctor or whatever is really busy & can't receive us in his office. In that case, we lovingly ask the secretary to work for us. We give her Kiddie Viddie #1 & #2, plus the brochure. We explain to her a little bit of our Work & prices, & ask her to go in, explaining to her that the Videos are what the boss needs for his children.
Sometimes, thinking that's the best way to get rid of us, the secretaries do it willingly & to their surprise, it works wonderfully for us! Some of the executives immediately open their doors to us upon having seen the product & some of the busiest men send a cheque back with the secretaries, without even knowing us! PTL! It's only Jesus! Believe it or not, we have had two or three people who bought the Videos for themselves without even having a video machine.—Without counting the numerous others who buy it for presents & gifts! PTL!
From Andy, Jimmy & Dulce, Pacific
On Chinese New Year's Eve we walked into an Animation Design Studio where they produce videos for children & advertising, mainly cartoon style & animation. They seemed to have quite a nice set-up & expensive equipment, & I was wondering if they were going to be a bit snobbish & critical of our Kiddie Viddies, but the boss seemed genuinely interested & asked to see them & put them on the machine. He watched the first 4 songs on KV #4, then KV #2, all the while reading over the KV brochure & new flyer. Then he said, "These are good, better than anything on the market. This is what I have wanted to do, only all in animation, but you have already done it!" He was quite impressed & readily purchased the entire set! He said he wanted his three-year-old twins to see them, & he thought he could get a lot of new ideas from our original style. PTL! Even the professionals recognise the unique & anointed quality of our Videos!
From Martin & Hope, Gideon & Heidi, India Area
From a looking for, something different from the chalk-&-blackboard routine, something to inspire the chldren while teaching them at the same time!"
From Davida & Tiago, Latin America
The Secretary of Education who is responsible for 800 children who are part of the government schools was so enthused about the Kiddie Viddies that she got a collection of five Videos to use in the schools. She said, "Only the people who really love & take care of children know the real value & how important these Videos are for the lives of the children."
From Ira & Esther, North America
We went to see Dr. M., who shared her very educated preconceptions of why videos don't work with children, but was she pleasantly surprised!—And even apologised, saying she had to eat her words when she saw our Kiddie Viddies!
From Juan & Estrella, Latin America
A "Means of Communication" teacher told us he had seen nearly every single children's video in the World, especially the European ones, but that ours were undoubtedly the best!
From Israel & Lily Viento, Latin America
A couple we had met at our witnessing booth during Christmas came to our door saying they wanted to complete their collection of Kiddie Viddies. The wife said she's using the KV to keep her younger children at home, because she doesn't like them to be out in the dangerous streets. She says this Video contains morals she always wanted to teach her children but just didn't know how. She expressed that she wants her children to grow up to be like our teens whom she met singing at the mall. She says she would like to become part of our group & is promoting the Videos right & left.
From Paulo, Latin America
A mother's reaction to "Growing Together": "I am impressed with the influence this tape had on my daughter. One night when I went to dinner, the girl insisted on pulling out my chair for me to sit down, imitating what she had seen on the Video."
From Claire, Daniel & Promise, Pacific
Mr. M. who is in the audio/visual & entertainment business watched the KV & exclaimed, "Just look at those children's faces! It's so obviously natural & not just forced smiles & joy."
From Tony & Joy, Pacific
From Belinda, a mother: a"The Kiddie Viddie `Growing Together' is great. The children really enjoy it. They are drawn to it all the way through. Katy's favourite scene was in `Have A Good Laugh At Yourself'. She just thinks it is so funny. Kiddie Viddie is so happy & positive. Every family should have at least one!"
From Thad & Meek Green, North America
A grandmother was virtually enthralled with the Christmas Kiddie Viddie! Her eyes filled with tears of joy & she exclaimed, "My grandchild has got to see this! I'm going to play this while our guests are here for the Christmas party. They've just got their minds so much on presents & `what's in it for me', but this shows the real meaning of Christmas, what it's really all about!"
From John, North America
While out witnessing we went to one school & we showed the Kiddie Viddie to about 15 children. The kids were silent & gave full attention to the show. The teacher said, "It's a miracle, it's just what we need!" She took both Kiddie Viddies!
From Dan & Abi, Pacific
Abi comes from a very conservative Hindu background & her family has had a very difficult time accepting the fact that she is a fulltime Christian missionary. They have never commented on any witness or Tapes she has sent them. But after receiving the Kiddie Viddie, "Growing Together," they called right away & raved about it, saying their four-year-old watches it about six times a day! They said if we had any more to please send them right away! What an amazing change!
From Mary, David & Stephen, Pacific
We received this letter from a friend about the Kiddie Viddie he got: "It filled my heart with joy so I couldn't even think of any sadness, because every single song brought so much gladness & washed away all hurt & sorrow! I hope my grandchildren take a lesson from all these things so beautifully presented. I could see the Love of God shining through those children's eyes."
From Jonathan, Mary, Nathan & Victory, Lat. America
While Tapenessing in a restaurant, Jerry & I talked to a couple with a cute little boy. As soon as the father saw our Tapes he exclaimed, "We have your Video & my son has seen it at least 100 times, along with all the neighbour children! It's just fabulous! There's nothing like it!" This man's reaction inspired us so much that we started to tell other people in the restaurant his testimony, & we sold two Videos & 17 Tapes there as a result! TTL!
From Jeremiah & Rachel Meekness, Lat. America
Upon watching a Video, a lady from an Adventist school said, "You've done what's been in our hearts to do for a long time. I've always dreamed of having a school like the one we see in the Video. I'm almost jealous of you!"
From Peter, SEA
Mr. P. said, "The Kiddie Viddie #1 is so good! My kids, ages 13 & 15, really like it! I even watch it over & over again". When he got Kiddie Viddie #2 he said, "Please make sure you don't forget to deliver any further Videos in this series!"
From James & Cherith, Lat. America
A primary school teacher, now retired after 36 years of teaching, was spellbound by the Kiddie Viddies. She said: "These are the best thing I've ever seen to teach young children good behaviour & love & concern for others. I wish I could have had something like that when I was teaching!"
From Philip & Gentleness, Europe
We met Mrs. J. at the local market. (She owns a fruit company.) We began having a Bible study with her once a week & she bought the KVs & "S.O.S." She's Catholic & has three kids ages 17, 12 & 10. When we saw her the next time she was so excited. She really liked the Videos & told us how when they started to teach Evolution in her son's class, he stood up to his teacher, motivated by the "S.O.S." Video & quoted to her from Genesis where it says Man was made in the image of God! TTL! He wants to take the Video to school to sing the song to all his fellow students. His mother was also touched by the song, "Mother Let Me Live" & she wants to give it to different organisations in her community as the abortion issue is a big thing here!
From Philip, Pacific
While going club-to-club downtown we met a 22-year-old hostess who, after watching the "S.O.S." Video at her home, remarked, "When I finished watching the Video, I decided to be a Christian." She's now saved! Her Mama-san, who is super sweet also, had been witnessing to her for months but the witness never reached her until she saw the Video & she broke & cried. PTL!
From Paulo & Maria, Lat. America
A family of friends have preteens who already know all the songs from the Kiddie Viddies & "S.O.S." They told us that when their kids were watching "S.O.S." with their friends, when seeing "He's Coming Soon!" where the AC forces are trying to get the group of Christians & they go up to be with Jesus, one of their friends said, "I don't want these bad men to get me. I want to be saved & go up to get away from them!" PTL!
From Nicolas & Angela, N. America
We have a very faithful friend who visits twice weekly for classes. He calls his friends up & raves about the "S.O.S." Video & asks them if they want to see it. This week he has an appointment with a Deaf Institute where they are going to show it & interpret it in sign language for their young people! We asked him to write down his reaction to the "S.O.S." Video, & he wrote:
"The message of the `S.O.S.' Video really hits home. The quality of the visual images & the beautiful melodies of the songs compare very favourably with anything I may have seen in the past. In fact, it is the best Video, Christian or not, that I have seen! Since I bought the Video I have seen it more than 15 times already & I still like it.
"Most people at my job also saw it & I have shown it to family & friends too. Since it covers various topics, people have a chance to rethink their ideas about what life is all about: Love! I still need to learn a lot about Love, & this Video reminds me of this. People who are looking for adventures in the video world should get this `S.O.S.' Video. It is one of the best witnessing tools in the World today! I pray that more souls get saved after they watch this special music Video. God bless you!"
From Pethuel & Ruth Davidson, Lat. America
Contrary to what we expected, "S.O.S." was a big hit with the nuns of the Catholic schools who felt it has a fantastic Message for teens today! We expected some flak from some of the Mother Superiors of these Catholic schools because of the Endtime & drop-out Message, but they really liked it & recommended it!
From Jos & Clara Cordeiro, Lat. America
After showing the "S.O.S." Video to a group of young people from a Baptist church, they were thrilled & said, "Wow, what a vision! Sensational new wine! This is the Message we need, because our churches only have spiders' webs!"
From Peter Swedish, SEA
After having sold my first "S.O.S." Video, I was very eager to find out what the response would be. I called the buyer, the 16-year-old son of one of our DFers, & he said he was greatly impressed & found it very informative. "S.O.S." did its job in whetting his appetite & he's now hungry for more meat! PTL!
From Timoteo & Mercy, Latin America
After watching the "S.O.S." Teen Video, a medical student felt so convicted that she asked if she could go out witnessing with us. She said she also "wanted to go out & share the Truth with the World!" She is now a DFer. TYJ!
From Josias & Sara, Latin America
While out witnessing we visited some schools with the Videos! Something that really impressed us & gave us a greater vision was that the person in charge of purchasing the videos in one of the schools was a Catholic priest & he was highly interested in our Videos for teens! Had we had a collection of Teen Videos, he would have bought them all! It showed us the great need there is for material for teens, because although he bought one of the kids' Videos, he was really a lot more interested in any kind of material for teens. He got "S.O.S." & wanted more! We're really looking forward to the next Teen Video!
From Brook, Obed & Clara, Latin America
After some customers saw the Video clip about Evolution they immediately began to witness to their nine-year-old son about the truth of Creation. Their son was a little confused because, although they were a Christian family, it seemed that it was the first time that someone had told him that he wasn't a descendant from a monkey. I was very shocked as the boy discussed with his mother that he thought that it was possible that his grandfather was a gorilla. This really showed me the importance of the "S.O.S." Video for the young people of this World, as it seems that even the children of Christian parents are saturated with this damned doctrine of Charles Darwin.
From David & Cherish, North America
The Lord opened the door when we were at a State Park to witness at a State Teen Detention Home. The teens were so sweet & received us & the Message so well. They were really touched when they saw the "S.O.S." Teen Video & they all prayed to receive the Lord! TYJ! The boys were so moved & wanted to get our address, & the girls were just weeping when we witnessed to them. There were 20 of them altogether who were in that State Detention Home for drugs, running away etc. The director said that usually they don't go to any "religious" activities, but they all showed up for ours! And he said he never saw them so moved!
It really showed us how there is a "Mission Field" here & how especially the youth are so hungry for love & the Word. Some of them even said that they want to be missionaries too! So it really showed us how this generation needs to hear the Word & needs the Videos & all the tools that we have! It also really encouraged us to keep being a witness here & not to have these fears & phobias about relating to teens or that we're too old to reach them. They're the same as we were & they're searching for Love & the Truth! Hallelujah!
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Copyright 1996 The Family