July 19, 2005
FSM #417—July 2005
Copyright © 2005 by The Family International — FD/MM
Dear Home managers,
We love you! We greatly admire those of you who take on the job of helping to implement the plans and goals of your Home Council in our ever busy and active Homes. We applaud your faith and can only imagine the sacrifice and time it takes to handle the multitude of details and things you face each day. We know, though, that your efforts are making the Family a force to be reckoned with and that you are each a wonderful blessing to your Homes and area. We pray for you, and as you employ the power of the keys, use your spirit helpers, and hear from our Husband daily, you are assured success and fruitfulness. God bless you!
With the implementing of the new Home Steering Council structure, we realize that you Home managers could use help in knowing where to start with the organizational and practical running of your Home. We have put together a Home manager's how-to aid, and while at this point it's fairly basic, we want to at least get something to you as you embark on your new ministry. In time we would like to expand on this checklist and create a more extensive how-to aid. Please send us any additional points or aspects of your job that you feel would be helpful to have covered in such a format. (Please send your input to: hm@wsfamily.com.) We will try to update this checklist and include it in the criteria binder which is due to go out later this year. Thanks so much!
We also hope to eventually prepare a Home managers handbook.
Please also refer to FSM #271, "Business Teamworker Tips and Testimonies," for some very good Home managerial advice.
Love, WS
To effectively manage a Home, Home managers should see to the following:
Make sure the Home has a budget and operates within it, and work towards building and maintaining a minimum one-month financial buffer, meaning that the present month's income is already in hand, this month's expenses are covered by last month's income, and have been budgeted for this month's needs, and you are raising money towards the following month's expenses.
Budgeting is an essential ingredient for a successful and happy Home. Relying on one day's income to cover the next day's expenses can cause anxiety and stress, as well as wear on your spirit and the level of faith and contentment in the Home.
One of the keys to budgeting is to have a dependable income that will provide enough funds to cover daily expenses, and at the same time, set money aside for upcoming bills and any unexpected emergencies that might come up.
There are different ways to handle the budgeting of your Home's finances. One simple, tried-and-proven method is using envelopes. Have a separate envelope for each of the Home's monthly expenses. Use one of your, hopefully, two months' cash buffer to fill envelopes with funds for the current month's expenses, while you work that month for the next month's budget. Of course, there are many other ways to manage your budget, so find one that works for your Home, and stick to it.
Ensure your Home is diligent when it comes to legal business that needs attending. Designate someone who is responsible to coordinate legal and business messages that the Home receives; who takes care of the business and matters having to do with such things as car insurance, registration, renewal of members' IDs, driver's licenses, passports, medical matters, etc. Using to-do lists, calendars, and reminders for these important matters is essential.
Ensure that proper and sufficient research is being done regarding your Home's business for it to run as smoothly and economically as possible, and that the Home's finances are being spent wisely and in a cost-efficient manner. Allow time for someone to check the newspaper ads, or find the best deals online, or in different stores and shops. Researching the best prices and deals for the goods and services the Home needs can save money, and so help ensure a successful Home.
Ensure that sufficient time and planning is put into any banking your Home does. Be diligent with the Lord's money and ensure records of the Home's bank accounts are kept current and are accurate.
Ensure that the Home's bills are paid on time. God's Word says, "Provide things honest in the sight of all men." In other words, pay your bills on time so that there is no reproach to the cause of Christ. If any Homes close down and leave unpaid bills behind, it's a very poor testimony (1Tim.3:7). Using a computer's calendar with reminders will ensure that your Home is not late on paying its bills. (Also see ML #212:18 and FSM #271 for priority lists for paying your Home's bills.)
Regularly check and make sure that all Home members' IDs, passports, and visas (if needed) are valid, and that any needed visa trips are coordinated and budgeted for ahead of time. Assigning someone this duty is important because in our busy Homes it is easy for these things to be forgotten, but doing so could result in a serious setback for your Home, if someone were to have to leave because of overstaying their visa or not having valid IDs and passports.
Ensure that there is a good stock and broad selection of outreach tools on hand and that the Home is placing their tool orders on time, anticipating its needs, making the orders in counsel with the outreachers, etc.
Appoint someone to keep a good inventory of the Home's stock of tools. This person would check the inventory of each tool, and when it starts to run low, he or she should make sure to order more in time for them to reach the Home while there is still a sufficient supply on hand. This person must also systematically set aside the seed corn money each day after the witnessing stats and tools distributed have been tallied. Keeping inventory and setting aside seedcorn on the tools guarantees that your Home's stock of tools does not drop, but is continually being replenished and built up. Make sure that each member's US$50 tool gift is intact (that the Home's stock and seedcorn combined never fall below $50 per person), and that the tool gift is returned to a member when he or she moves to another Home.
Ensure the Home has a Home office or workstation setup that is accessible to the Steering Council and other authorized Home members, and that it is in a place conducive to faithful and prayerful Home business and communications.
Be sure that someone is attuned to the administrational side of the work, and is responsible to handle, pray, and counsel about messages or requests received from other Homes, and that these are then answered.
Ensure that the person responsible for communications is given the needed time for it. Allowing mail to stack up makes it much more daunting and burdensome to handle, whereas if incoming mail/email is handled daily or as regularly as needed, it is much easier to take care of and less overwhelming.
Make it possible for all Home members to have access to all messages that are addressed to the Home. It's up to the Home managers to decide on what methods you want to set in place to go about this, but this is a much needed and often neglected aspect of Home life, one that can't be ignored or minimized.
With the criteria monitor responsibilities, it will be possible to involve different members of your Home to fulfill the Home requirements. If you can help everyone to feel involved, then everyone will feel needed and responsible for their part. Allot time on the weekly schedule when everyone can focus on their areas of responsibility, study the related pubs, pray about needed progress, and help suggest priorities.
The criteria monitors should also be able to communicate with their boards via the Steering Council and respond when receiving communications from the board via their Steering Council. They should be trained (or be in training) in communications, and understand the importance of efficiently taking care of requests and assignments that come in.
Work toward having enough computers in the Home, so that Home members can use them for receiving prophecies, having Word time, and personal use of the Infostore for study, etc.
Ensure that the Home has at least one well-maintained computer that Home members can use to communicate and report easily and securely. This includes having internet connectivity, PGP, and being set up to send and receive email, both regular and PGP encrypted, that needs answering.
Here are some helpful links in setting up computer security:
9-part PGP tutorial:
http://old.familymembers.com/computers/feature/article.php3?fid=2
How to export a PGP key:
http://old.familymembers.com/computers/feature/article.php3?fid=15
Adding new email address to a PGP key:
http://old.familymembers.com/computers/feature/article.php3?fid=25
How to decrypt PGP messages that are not attachments:
http://old.familymembers.com/computers/feature/article.php3?fid=29
Something else good to be aware of is the Family Members Root Certificate. Here's a write-up on what it's for and tutorials on how to install it:
http://old.familymembers.com/computers/feature/article.php3?fid=17
Ensure that someone does the TeleTRF each month, and that the stats, testimonies, and materials to be sent in are kept faithfully during the month. When reporting stats or any type of information, those responsible need to understand the importance of faithfulness and diligence. Encourage those involved to have a working method to keep an accurate and ongoing account of your Home's personnel stats, tool distribution, finances, seed corn, and other monthly TeleTRF data.
Allot regular time (as needed) for Home members to contribute their testimonies and information for the TRF. If you do this throughout the month, you will not have to scramble at the end of the month to gather the information that you need in order to fill out your TRF.
To effectively manage a Home, Home managers should see to the following:
Ensure that nutritious, well-balanced food is provided for all members and that any individual's specific needs are also supplied. Providing these would not only include organizing the Home menus and the scheduling of these, but also managing the food budget, seeing that food shopping and/or provisioning is planned, that the foods are stored at the right temperatures and in a clean environment so as not to go to waste. Also, that excess provisioning is donated to help others and avoid it being wasted. Scheduling your shopping days and pickups, and ensuring foods are cooked properly and kitchen duties scheduled, will help your kitchen to run smoothly.
Ensure that the Home and property is kept clean and tidy as part of its sample to visitors. This includes planning for the time involved, and providing the resources necessary to keep the house clean, well kept, maintained, organized, safe for children, and nicely set up; a place that Home members and friends alike can enjoy.
Ensure the Home is efficiently and lovingly run. This takes proper management of personnel, time, and resources. Scheduling the Home's time and manpower is critical to a busy Home being able to accomplish its goals and reach its full potential.
Avoid making schedules the night before. Anticipate the needs and schedule activities in such a way that everyone is able to maintain a balanced life, that people are, for the most part, working on the things they do best and excel in, that everyone's gifts and talents are used, and that their needs are met. This helps to ensure that everyone will have enough time for their Word, families, rest, and recreation.
Two requisites for a good schedule are:
1) Making sure all jobs are covered; and
2) Making sure all the people are slotted into something.
This is where good management and organization come in. You have to get involved and meddle to find out what people are doing and what they need to do, and make schedules that plan ahead for one to two weeks at a time, rather than getting by each day with the basics and just assuming everyone is busy. United Home goals really help with this, because if the entire Home is behind the same goals, folks won't mind being scheduled and will be much more compliant.
The person who takes care of the schedule, if not on the Steering Council, should try to counsel with the managers to help ensure that the Home's personnel is being used wisely and in the best way possible—making sure that all bases are covered, but that one person isn't always on dinner dishes, while others never take a turn.
It also helps to ask folks to turn in their plans and "must dos" for the coming week ahead of time, so that things can be juggled and the schedule planned accordingly.
When Homes are not managed properly, certain members of the Home, particularly the Steering Council, could be left feeling overstretched, overworked, and frazzled, while other Home members feel unchallenged, unneeded, or not trusted with enough responsibility. It's sad when this happens. But if not enough time and prayer is invested in farming out responsibilities and not just delegating the tasks, but encouraging grassroots initiatives, then this can easily happen. People need to be encouraged to take on responsibility, to take the ball and run with it, and get the job done.
Good scheduling is very important, but don't let the schedule become the Home dictator. Schedules are a means to an end. Many have an aversion to scheduling, because they feel it hinders their Home members from taking initiative and from being able to hear from the Lord on a daily basis and plan their day accordingly. The point is to think ahead. Pray together, counsel together and set your goals together, then set out to make a good schedule that will help you reach those goals.
Be open to change, but encourage your members to respect the schedule and find replacements when they will be absent or unable to fulfill their duties, etc.
Realize that scheduling is not only a practical matter but is also a spiritual matter, because the scheduler is handling people's lives and hearts, and it's very important that it is done in love. As a Home manager, you may have to help the scheduler discern when something is a genuine need that has to be taken care of right away, or if it is something that people just want done right away, but which could wait. Some people are pushier and give the impression that their need can't wait, whereas others are more longsuffering. So as Home managers, you have to discern what the greater need is.
Sometimes it's a matter of explaining things. If the Home managers simply impose something it can seem like an arbitrary decision, or as if they don't care about the Home member's needs. Whereas, if the person receives a simple explanation, it can give him or her peace and they can be helped to understand if the Home's need is greater at the moment. Letting them know when their need can be taken care of will also help them relax and not fret or feel that they have to push or keep reminding. But once the Home has promised something, it's important that they follow through and not let other daily Home needs or "emergencies" bump that person's need indefinitely.
Ensure that the Home's vehicles are safe and clean and well maintained. Your Home members' safety is paramount! Designate this responsibility to someone who is concerned about the well-being of the Home members, and will be diligent with ensuring that the vehicles are properly maintained and kept clean. This will involve writing up lists, charts, and reminders, as to when maintenance is needed and what things should be taken care of. Scheduling appointments for regularly maintaining each vehicle is a must and cannot be ignored even once. In some circumstances, one small mechanical problem or worn-out part could cost someone their life.
Your job as a Home manager is to ensure that there is someone who will be diligent and dependable with this ministry and who will be sure to check on your vehicles' roadworthiness often, looking at the maintenance charts and schedules to ascertain that they are being adhered to religiously.
Ensure the Home is a safe and secure place for its members to live and work. There are bound to be emergencies at some time in any Home, so it's important to have the phone numbers and addresses of doctors, police, and emergency help on hand and readily available
As a Home you need to make sure that there are established contacts for the Home members who have health problems or medical and dental needs. Aside from provisioning, it's helpful to allot a medical budget to cover emergencies, in case a contact falls through, or you're unable to provision a timely medical need.
Raising your Home's one- to two-month buffer is one of the first keys to budgeting. "Once you have raised your monthly buffer and are therefore one month ahead financially, you'll find it much easier to follow a budgeting plan. And we believe that as you set and follow a realistic budget, stay desperate in prayer, obey and witness faithfully, the Lord will supply, as He always has. Budgeting works!" ("Budgeting Made Simple," FSM #271). (See also: "Finances and Fund Raising," FSM #262; "From Poverty to Plenty," ML #2929; "Show Me the Money!—Parts 1 and 4," ML #3462.)
In GN 604, we were reminded about a very important part of budgeting—setting aside your Seed Corn money. (FSM #22)
If your Home goes broke, you need to choose new Shepherds who can manage finances better and make you all get to work! … Every time I see that word "miscellaneous" on someone's budget, it just makes me furious. I want to know what the Hell is this miscellaneous! It costs us more money than anything! If I don't know what it is, I figure I can do without it! It's probably a lot of stuff that nobody really needed and it's just plain pure fat—if not, what is it? (FSM #126:H)
(Dad:) The business manager or somebody's gotta have the business sense for the team, know how to handle the money, public relations, business affairs, mail, logistics, management of procuring, legal matters, government, helps, knowledge, etc. He may not have all of these, but he sure as shooting gotta have enough to keep the team in business! No matter how Heavenly-minded your team is, it's gotta keep its feet on the ground and somebody's gotta know how to handle the business, do the banking, pay the bills, take care of the mail, greeting, etc. ("New Teams," ML #62:22)
(Dad:) Thank you again for your faithfulness in handling the various situations, including the legal matters and your recent renewed efforts to try to meet your obligations of publications and literature which you owe your donors, friends and even enemies. God bless you for doing such a good job under some trying conditions, Praise God! You're winning! Keep up the good work! ("Rules for Rulers," ML #218:1)
As you should drink nothing without seeing it, so sign nothing without reading it!
If I had the slightest doubt or hesitancy about any kind of deal at all, I wouldn't sign one jot or tittle on a contract.
Read every clause of a contract. The important provisions may be in the fine print, and failure to read and understand it will not excuse you from your obligations once you have signed your name. Don't act hastily, especially if they insist that you sign immediately. The more insistent that a person is, the more suspicious and careful you should be. Honest business people don't mind if their contracts are carefully scrutinized.
Insist that all oral promises be written into any contract involving a significant amount of money. It is perfectly legal for a sales person to alter a standard form contract and add all promises in handwriting. Just make sure that you and the sales person both initial the handwritten changes.
Do not sign any contract that contains any blank spaces. If blank spaces appear, draw a circle with a line through it in each of the blank spaces before you sign. Otherwise the blank spaces can be filled in without your approval at a later time.
If the business transaction involves a great deal of money or contains any particularly complex clauses, you should consult a reputable attorney. It may be cheaper to pay him than to lose thousands of dollars because you signed a contract that was to your disadvantage.
If you do not like a certain provision in the contract you can ask the other party to take it out and add words that you will find more suitable.
Make certain that all the terms of the contract are contained in a single document, and that both parties sign it. Get an exact copy of the contract at the time you sign it.
Whenever you are getting official documents such as passports etc. done by the System, be sure to verify them carefully before you leave the office. Specifically make sure they are signed and that all stamps and dates are in order. Prayerfully ask the Lord to bring to your attention any discrepancies when you receive them and spend a minute or two looking through your papers, verifying all dates, names, signatures etc. before you walk out the door with these, so that you don't encounter any dangerous surprises at a future date. Also check visa stamps at borders or embassies. (FSM #126:F)
(Dad:) They have to choose a subject and research it, find out everything there is to know about it, organize the material, work out an outline and all the rest, and then sit down and thoroughly, systematically, analytically exhaust it, deal with that subject from A to Z. ("Paper Power," ML #303A:43)
(Dad:) So anybody who knows me and has lived with me knows that I am probably the most economical saving person that you ever want to know, and a horrible penny pincher, as chintzy as they come. I'm almost as bad as my grandfather, who my Mother said would squeeze a dollar, when they still had silver dollars that were worth something, so hard that it would make the eagle scream! So I am very economical, very saving. ("The Tithe," ML #702:23)
(Dad:) Why shouldn't we be efficient and economical? I tell you, when it comes to standing in God's way and the way of His work and the way of progress, heads have sometimes got to roll!
We can't let uneconomical processes or any inefficient procedures stand in our way! It's a Revolution and we have got to keep revoluting! We have got to keep changing and finding better methods and better ways of doing things all the time. ("Where to!" ML #334C:37-38)
(Dad:) Research ways to economize. Be aware of factors which would affect the Home financially, such as when phone and utility rates are at their lowest, etc.
When are you guys ever going to learn how to pinch every penny? That's what I'm after and doing right now, pinching pennies! You guys get high-falutin' ideas, "Oh, it doesn't matter how much money we spend. We can spend several dollars on postage, so what? Sprint can print us extra personal copies and it doesn't matter how much it costs!" To me, it does!—It's that much more trouble! It means extra labeling, packaging, etc.
If you never learn the value of pennies, you'll never learn the value of dollars! When you lose your sense of values and people find out you don't even care what things cost or how much they cost, then you must not be very much interested. If you don't even ask the price of things and you're not even curious about the price, that means to any seller that you've got lots of money and he can stick you with any kind of price, because you don't care what you have to pay for it, you don't even ask what the price is!
You need to start asking first what the price is to show that the price is important to you and it means something and you're concerned about the price so that he won't hike the price on you and figure, "Well, you don't seem to know what the price is anyway or care," so he gives you a high price. If right away when you see it your first question is, "How much?" then what are you telling him?—That the price is important! If it's your first question, you're virtually telling him that the price is the most important thing about it.—Even though it may not be to you, but you want to give him that impression.
I want to teach you guys something about buying things! I used to buy and I was poor, and I'll tell you, every penny counted! The price is important and you should let any seller or somebody you are buying things from know first thing that the price may affect his sale. So he is going to set his first asking price down as low as, you might say, "this finicky penny-pinching guy might take," and then you can [bargain] him down from there on.
But God help us!—and God help you if you don't pinch pennies and know where the money goes and how much and why and what for! ...
Do help these precious ones who've been so faithful, Lord, and so diligent, working so hard, Lord, and doing their best to save time, people and money in every way they possibly can. We just want'm to do even better, Lord, and save even more, because there's so little left of our time and even our people and we don't even know how much money, Lord, is really going to be left. So we're trying to use it all as best we can, as fast as we can and the easiest way possible so we can get the most out of it, Lord, for Thy kingdom. Help us, Lord! Help each one of us to be diligent and prayerful and careful about saving everything that needs to be saved so we can have more time, more people, more money, more strength and energy for things that are really needed and really have to be done, in Jesus' name we ask for Thy glory. Amen, Lord, so we can save souls most of all and save the world, or as much as we can, as many as we can. ("The Ragman," ML #1833:1,11-13,17,75)
(Dad:) Thank You for how You have protected us and provided for us! We know that if we will be wise, Lord, and if we will save, a penny saved is a penny earned, and if we will use Thy money wisely and invest what little or much we have wisely, You will bless it and make it a blessing and make it fruitful and even increase it. So we do ask Thee to just help us, Lord, to prepare. ("Eventually—Why Not Now?" ML #1662:76)
General advice
Always be well dressed when you go to the bank. This usually insures better service and more respect from the staff.
Banks can usually do whatever they want for you. Clerks may say it is impossible, but the same thing might be easy for a manager to do.
When you no longer plan to use an account, leave a few dollars in it [for a time] to cover any [potential] mistakes or bank charges.
Ensure you're not followed when doing business, either going to or leaving a bank. Thieves watch those coming and going from banks, so be prayerful and careful.
Opening an account
It's important to investigate potential banks before making a decision, in order to gauge how good the service is.
Before opening an account, try to learn a little about the general banking laws of your country. In some countries they are prohibitively restrictive. See if there is a minimum amount needed to open an account, or a minimum balance to maintain the account fee-free.
Dress well and try to make a good first impression. Be courteous and try to establish a good relationship with the official that opens your account. Try to get his business card.
If your deposits are going to be checks, ask what the "clearing time" is for checks.—When you can actually use the money. Cash deposits and travelers' checks should clear immediately.
A bank may ask for references, to make sure you're not a crook. Prepare accordingly.
It's wise to have two people's names on a bank account, in case one person is away or otherwise unavailable. Often the best kind is an "either/or" account, when either of the two people have complete access to the account, without the permission of the other. However, if the account requires signatures of both people for transactions, have each of the two sign a few sheets of blank paper and withdrawal slips and keep them locked up. This way, if anything should happen to one of the persons, the other could still perform the necessary transactions. Another possibility is to have the account in one name, with someone else having power of attorney (P.O.A.) for it. If the bank will not allow a P.O.A., in case an emergency would arise, you can make out one or more checks to the name of the person that you wanted to authorize and leave the amount blank, and keep them locked up at home.
If you are making regular deposits, keep a supply of the necessary bank forms at home, where you can fill them out before you go to the bank.
[Because there are often questionable characters hanging around outside banks, observing people coming and going], vary your route to the bank, as well as the days and hours that you go.
Withdrawals and checks
Do not fill out and sign withdrawal slips until you are in the bank, at the teller's window.
When writing checks or withdrawal slips, remember to fill in every line and space, with words, numbers or lines drawn straight through! An improperly completed check could allow someone to empty your account!
Refuse to accept torn or damaged bills of any kind, no matter what the teller says. No other savvy person would take them either! [You can also turn in damaged bills to the bank for new ones; in fact, they encourage this.]
When withdrawing money, always count it at the counter, in the presence of the teller. —Even better, count it silently as the teller counts it, so you don't have to recount it in the open, and hold up the line behind you.
Avoid using outdoor autoteller machines (ATMs) at night as there is more risk of robbery. Treat your bank card for these machines like cash.
When writing checks for a specific designation, such as your rent, you might want to note this at the bottom or on the back of the check, for example, "For July, 2004 rent." [Some checks have "memo lines" for this purpose.]
Large transactions
When making a large withdrawal or deposit, ask the teller if there is a private room where this can be done, or if it can be done behind the counter, out of sight of the public.
When withdrawing a large sum of money, check that there's no one looking over your shoulder and that you're not being followed when leaving the bank! You can always go to the washroom, if the bank has one, and spread the money out over your person, and that of your partner, so that no one will know exactly where it is. Go straight home, making sure no one is following you.
If sending a banker's check to a foreign country, have it payable at a bank at that destination. If this is not possible, then buy it at a bank which has a worldwide network [or use one that does, which most do]. Hopefully, this will help the person receiving the check to bank it/cash it there. Wiring the funds from your bank to the foreign bank is probably the easiest and safest method and the cost may not be much different in many countries. Research the best way to transfer funds by asking your bank or the receiving bank.
Financial records
Keep good records of all deposits and withdrawals, and check them against the statements the bank sends you. If you do a lot of banking, have statements sent every month. Banks do make mistakes! (If the bank has online services, transactions show us the same day, or at least within a few days.)
Ask at the bank how long they reserve the right to make corrections on any possible banking errors concerning your account, and keep all bank statements for that amount of time.
Keep all receipts of exchanging foreign currency, as this can help you reconvert local currency to foreign currency when you leave that country, and it is also proof of financial responsibility, and that you are bringing money into the country. But before using them to help renew visas, etc.; be sure they don't have your bank account number on them, etc.
Sending cash in the mail
Try not to send cash in the mail if you can avoid doing so. In some countries it is illegal and could also be easily stolen by postal workers. If you must, be sure it's well wrapped in a double envelope. Tape the bills together in such a way that they overlap each other and fill the envelope, not forming a big lump in the middle of the envelope. Tape the edges of this interior envelope. If you use carbon paper, have the smudgy side away from the bills, as banks will often not accept bills smudged with carbon paper. Try to send a few large denomination notes rather than lots of small ones.
ATMs
A simple way to make withdrawals and deposits is using an automatic teller machine. This avoids personal appearances at the bank. Be sure to tell one other trustworthy Family member your Personal Identification Number (PIN), so that if something happened to you, they could use your card and withdraw money from the account. Apart from this one person, keep your PIN confidential. If you must record it, store the record securely. Better still, memorize the number.
Treat your bankcard like cash. If it is lost or stolen, report it immediately. Never lend it to anyone or use it to help someone else with a transaction unless you trust them completely.
Before going into the bank or up to the ATM, look around to make sure there are no suspicious people around or waiting nearby in a car. Have your card ready so you don't have to fumble with it and don't waste time. When leaving, check to see if anyone is following you.
If you feel you that there is someone close by who is suspicious and even menacing you can protect yourself somewhat by entering an incorrect PIN three times in succession. Then the ATM will fail to deliver money to you and might also keep your card. It is best to do your banking during daylight hours.
Traveler's checks (TCs)
These are the safest way to carry large amounts of money, even on a day-to-day basis, and if used wisely can often do away with the need for a bank account. Buy these from a large company in a strong currency that is generally accepted in your part of the world.
American Express is recommended as one of the most reliable companies to buy from. Their checks are backed by their own bank, while many other TCs are merely backed by the local bank which issues them, and which could fail to honor them if they go broke. If you buy a few from American Express, you can also avail yourself of their mail service.
Travelers' checks are considerably more secure than cash and are accepted as legal tender throughout the world.
Travelers' checks are often more readily cashable than banker's checks, and sometimes have a much better rate of exchange.
Get your checks in several denominations, so that you only need to cash the amount you need to get sufficient local currency. Smaller denominated ones are easier to cash in remote areas.
Be sure to keep a record of TCs with the numbers and put it somewhere other than with your checks! If you lose the TCs, it's much easier to get a refund if you know their numbers.
Get a list of overseas refund locations. If they have only a few, change to another brand.
If your checks are lost or stolen, get a police report as this will facilitate getting a speedy refund from the company.
A drawback to TCs is that you usually need your passport to cash them, so don't use them in place of the emergency carrying money you should always have on you. However, bank branches and agencies catering to tourists exclusively can be lenient enough to cash them if you have a photocopy of your passport.
Sign TCs as soon as you get them, and countersign only in the presence of the person who's cashing them.
Credit cards
Credit card records are just as vulnerable to surveillance as cancelled checks, bank records, etc. Credit card information is often shared between credit agencies.
If you use credit cards, keep a separate list of their numbers and other data such as the issuing bank and agency in a safe place.
When you pay with a credit card, make sure the clerk validates only your purchases with your card. Try to stay with your card at all times, especially in gas stations.
Each time the card is returned to you—check that it is yours.
Keep track of all that you spend with your card and check it against the statement that the credit card company sends you each month—or better yet, online.
If your card is lost or stolen, report it immediately to the company, by telephone or email.
Your parents or friends might want to offer you the use of a credit card, allowing you to charge a certain amount each month as a donation. They can be handy to show financial stability, or can be useful in an emergency. Remember however, that the bills going to your parents will reveal your location, which may or may not be a problem.
As well, banks may sometimes offer you a credit card if you have been a good customer for a long time. But they will do a credit check, and your name and personal info will be kept on file in a number of large credit agencies, as well as records of all your credit card transactions (Mat.9:29).
When a credit card lapses, or when you decide you are not going to use it anymore, cancel and destroy it. The credit card number can be used to transact online purchases even without the physical card being seen. It has your name behind it as long as it is whole. (FSM #126, updated 04/05)
(Dad:) Kings love to see you save their money they give you! So here is some practical advice about money: You obey the Lord by witnessing and making friends, and God gives you money. Now the question is, what do I do with it? Here is a priority list, or in what order to pay your bills:
(Dad:) Some countries will put you in jail for not paying your bills! It's cheating, lying, stealing, thievery, robbery, defrauding and very bad and very wicked to do such things and I'm totally against it! ("Owe No Man," ML #866:14)
(Jesus:) There really is no excuse for you to live in need and want. That is not the testimony I wish for the children of David to display to the world and to each other. It's My reputation that is at stake, and I promise you I'll make good My promises. I'm a diligent, trustworthy Boss Who is happy to pay your bills, give you bonuses, up your pay, and provide insurance of all kinds. I want things to change from this day forth! Take heed to these words of counsel and direction. Live them, obey them fully, and be blessed. ("Show Me the Money!—Part 4," ML #3462:493)
The [Home managers] should oversee all interactions with embassies or consulates, immigrations, visas, etc., and keep track of legal situations, visa and passport renewal dates, travel info. ("Finances and Fund Raising!—Part 5," FSM #271)
Be sure to always keep a good record of when you enter the country and when your visa needs to be extended! Someone, preferably the [Home managers], should be responsible for this in each Home, to check up on everybody personally, looking at the visa stamps himself, so that even one careless neglectful member of the Home does not get the others in trouble because of his negligence. Don't overstay your visa!
If you plan to extend your visa, don't wait until the last day to do it. Something might happen, or you might get sick and not be able to make it. Renew it at least a week or so before it expires. If you leave it too late, you're an illegal alien, you've overstayed your visa.
When you get a visa, verify all the information on it, especially if it is written in a language you don't understand. ("Heavenly Security—Part 1," FSM #119)
We would like to remind everyone making visa trips not to wait until the day your visa actually expires before leaving the country. Many countries have stiff penalties and fines for foreigners who overstay their visas by even a few hours. It's always best to plan to make your trip at least a few days before your visa expires, so that if some unforeseen delay occurs, such as a storm, sickness, traffic accident etc., you will still have time to make your trip. So don't leave it up till the last minute, but plan ahead, and may God bless you with safe, successful visa trips!
The above advice also applies to renewing visas. If you wait until the last day to apply, you will find yourself in a real bind if you are refused a renewal, and you suddenly have to leave the country. Plan ahead! GBY! WLY! (LNF #45)
All passports and visas should be checked regularly by someone responsible in your Home to make sure you are constantly aware of the date when they expire or need to be renewed. Don't forget to check and make certain that all babies recently born in the country have their birth certificates, passports and visas taken care of well before the parents intend to travel.
If someone is planning a visa trip or a move to another country, please research right away what kind of visa they will need for the country of their destination and make sure they have enough room in their passport to receive a new visa. Plus, make sure their passports will be valid for long enough to get the full length of the requested visa. Please do not leave this until the last few days. If they need to apply for a visa in another city, please allow a few extra days to take care of this business so that they will not have to apply at the last minute. Please also check for public holidays and allow for weekends when planning your itinerary to be sure the offices you will be going to will be open. Many embassies will only receive visa applications in the morning, so phone ahead to make sure of their hours.
If you have teens or pre-teens in your Home who are not with their parents, please make sure that you are always aware of how to contact the parents at any time. You should also have their current address or phone number and a good line of communication with the parents should you need their assistance in any legal matters regarding their teens.
We would like to suggest that all Homes check the passports and visas of their members once a month on the day that you fill out your Home TRF. (LNF #114)
In some places, Family members have even been late in applying for renewal of their visas, and as a result, they wind up having to make long, expensive and dangerous visa trips which would have been absolutely unnecessary had they simply applied for their visa renewal on time! There's no excuse for such negligence, so may God help us all to be more "diligent in business!"—Pro. 22:29. (LNF #91)
He's a visionary, he plans ahead. A visionary is defined as "a person who has unusually keen foresight or prevision." For example, he plans for Christmas outreach well in advance, and makes sure the Home has enough tools to make it work. "It's better to catch a problem before it gets too serious, rather than wait until everything falls apart" [MOP 1, 23:23]. ("Finances and Fund Raising—Part 5," FSM #271)
Q: According to the Charter, Homes have the responsibility to give their members a $50 Tool Fund in tools or cash when they move out of their Home, or to send it to them shortly thereafter. One of our members, who transferred from another Home over three months ago, still hasn't received his Tool Fund. He has called several times asking for it but they still haven't sent it. He's about to move to another field and our Home can't afford to replace his Tool Fund, so he'll be going without it. We feel bad about this, but we don't believe it's our responsibility, but that his former Home should be the one to be held accountable for it. Isn't there a way to make sure the Homes fulfill this obligation?
We've also experienced members coming from other Homes with tools that their Home didn't want (an assortment of old posters or tapes that don't sell, etc.). Could the people moving have a choice of the tools they want to take, or better yet get the $50 cash? Otherwise their new Home has no choice and has to take the loss.
A: We'll take this opportunity to reiterate to all Homes that it is your responsibility to keep on hand each member's Tool Fund and give it to those who move from your Home. It is their tool reserve given by WS, and does not belong to the Home. Failure in providing ongoing members with their Tool Fund is a contravention of the Charter, and your Home will be in jeopardy of being placed on Probationary Notice. Also it is the responsibility of the departing member, his new Home and his former Home to work out the transfer of his Tool Fund to his new Home, not the continental office's responsibility. Of course, if you are unable to work it out, you could ask for counsel and help from your continental office.
The purpose of giving the individual Tool Funds was not only so that every individual had at least $50 worth of tools or cash, but so that the Home they were in would have a basic seedcorn stock. In other words, in each Home the Tool Funds of each individual are to be pooled together to build the Home's seedcorn stock, but before a member leaves for another Home, the Home should give them $50 worth of tools or cash from its seedcorn stock, as agreed upon.
As far as giving old or outdated posters as a Tool Fund to departing members, we would remind you to do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Mat.7:12). If someone joining the Home turned in his Tool Fund in cash to the Home for safekeeping, it would only seem right he be given cash when he leaves, if he so desires. Also, if he were leaving for a field where he cannot use the tools from your field, it would certainly be the loving thing to give him funds rather than tools, if at all possible.
If a Home doesn't have funds available for members to take their Tool Fund in cash, then maybe you can try giving them their Tool Fund in tools far enough in advance of their moving for them to distribute them and get cash for them before leaving for their new field. In that case, the Home would need to agree with the departing member that when distributing those tools he would be able to keep the full income received (after tithe) for his Tool Fund, as opposed to his regular outreach and fundraising for moving on, of which he would give a certain percentage (up to 50%) to the Home to cover his expenses (as per the "Right of Mobility," A.4.c) (2), The Love Charter, p. 46). ("Charter Questions and Answers—Part 3," FSM #344)
Make sure the Home is setting aside enough seed corn to maintain good stocks of all tools. If needed, initiate a financial plan of setting aside additional seed corn in order to build up the Home's tool stock. Make sure the Home has a good stock of tools, with decisions concerning tool ordering prayerfully made in counsel with the Home
Every Home needs the tools of the trade. Making sure that your Home maintains its seed corn and a well stocked garner of Family tools is another must for a successful Family discipleship Home.
(Mama:) Being blessed financially doesn't "just happen." It's the result of obedience, hard work, and making a conscious, concerted effort to do the things the Lord has taught us to do in the Word—some of which are spiritual principles, such as desperate prayer and faithful witnessing, and others of which are just simple good business principles, such as not living beyond your means, tithing faithfully, not spending your seed corn money, paying your most urgent bills first, sharing the know and sharing the responsibility, etc. ("From Poverty to Plenty," ML #2929:72)
The [Home managers'] portfolio usually consists of not only the care of the Home's finances, but also other important aspects of Home management, such as taking care of the Home's business and legal affairs. The [Home managers] may also be responsible to oversee the Home scheduling, outreach and tools distribution/ordering, provisioning, follow-up, etc., as the case may be. A lot of finances in our Home are raised through distribution. ("Finances and Fund Raising—Part 5," FSM #271)
(Dad:) Help us, Lord, to be diligent in business and to count the cost and to be saving and wisely invest Thy talents so that we will get from them more talents and more fruit, so that You can say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" when the final day of reward comes (Mat.25:21).—In Jesus' name, amen. Thank You, Lord. GBAKY busy! ("Diligent in Business," ML #1604:80)
The Children of God are still marching on because we stick together, sticking together in doctrine and fellowship and communication, which is extremely important. ("How to," ML #331b:76)
More fellowship and better communication often act as solutions in themselves. (MOP 1, 036:11)
(Dad:) I was up in our Home's office here the other day and I said, "Girls, remember, although this office is very small, it's very important!" You who work in our Family are the most important office workers in the world. ("We've Got It All," ML #2399:11)
(Peter:) Mama and her secretaries are very diligent and faithful with your personal communications to her, and they work hard to process your letters, acknowledge them, and in the majority of cases, personally respond and send you the Lord's specific words of counsel for you. ("A Look at 2000," ML #3321:178)
We'd like to encourage everyone to plan on provisioning or setting aside funds to be able to get a good computer setup. Christmas is an especially good time to set aside some of the extra funds you may receive from relatives or friends for a good computer setup. Or try to provision one! As we mentioned, computer models quickly go out of date, so we suggest trying to get a good computer setup that's no longer a "hot" item, and which computer stores might be more willing to give since they're not selling many of them anyway. You could also try companies that are upgrading to new systems, and who are giving away or selling their current computer systems cheaply. In some countries, there is a good market for second-hand computers as well—although you should be sure that it works properly so you don't get an "expensive bargain." The best is to get a new system if you can, of course.
If your Home doesn't have a computer, the idea of having to get one may seem daunting. But we'd like to encourage you that there are many benefits to having a computer system in your Home. So while requiring every CM Home to have a computer is a big step, we believe that you will find that it will make your reporting easier and provide many other services and materials that will be a blessing to your Home. (LNF #276)
Homes should take precautions to keep their mailing and other address lists secure.
The names, mailing addresses, and telephone numbers of provisioning and other contacts are your private business and therefore should be kept safe and secure. It's very important to keep such files secure and encrypted when possible, and/or in a safe place, so they will not be stolen or fall into the hands of our detractors or others. (The Love Charter, "Home Life Rules," B)
Members must keep confidential or sensitive computer files secure by using encryption. It is also recommended that such files be "wiped" after they have been deleted.
Computer security is important and is the responsibility of every Home member who uses a computer. Address lists, TeleTRF files, communications with leadership and the boards, and financial records should be kept encrypted at all times when not in use. Each Home should also determine if there are any other types of files that they deem are important for their security and keep those files encrypted when not in use.
We also recommend that members periodically "wipe" the free space on their hard drive especially if "sensitive" files have been deleted. Simply erasing or deleting a file does not take the information off the computer; it only removes the file name but the actual text can still be retrieved.
A good criterion for determining whether or not files other than those mentioned specifically in this clause should be encrypted or wiped when deleted would be if you consider the information they contain to be sensitive for your particular field. If the information in those files were to fall in the wrong hands, would it compromise the security and safety of members of your Home, other Homes, or your friends?
It is recommended that each Home appoint a Home member who is responsible for computer security in the Home. This person could stay abreast of current recommended computer security practices, such as encryption and file wiping, and to assist and train other Home members in the proper procedures. (The Love Charter, "Home Life Rules," C)
To ensure the privacy of members and their Homes, email communications containing addresses, TeleTRF files, financial information, or messages to leadership, desks, or offices or should be encrypted when sent.
The ROs, RDs, and Family shepherds send their messages and notices almost entirely via email. Homes should frequently check their email addresses to assure they are not missing or late receiving timely notices or important messages.
Some areas, and especially sensitive countries, may have certain local rules concerning whether Homes may make phone calls to other Homes directly from their Home. Some areas may also have rules that set other standards for the security of email communications. Any such rules should be decided upon by a Home referendum of all the Homes in that area and are subject to a vote of confirmation every six months by Home referendum. ("Election Rules," D.2)
When communicating by phone you should make sure you are being wise and secure in what you say. (The Love Charter, "Home Life Rules," G)
Homes or members of the Home may not share their Family "Members Only" website login ID or password with those who are not members of their Home.
The pubs, news, photos, and information available on the MO site is available to all Family disciples. However, in order to restrict access to only those who are eligible to log on to the site, it is required that each Home have their own access for use by their members. A Home or its members may not share their login or password with those who are not members of the Home, or log on to the MO site for them.
As an added precaution, the Home should also regularly change their MO website password, especially when members move from their Home.
A Family disciple from another Home can either read the downloaded online GNs they are eligible for while in your Home, or take a printed or file copy of an online GN they are eligible for with them. However, file copies of the GNs should not be distributed electronically to any person who is not a member of your Home. (The Love Charter, "Home Life Rules," H)
It is extremely dangerous to overestimate your security, while at the same time underestimating the dangers. Overconfidence can lead to disaster! This is serious business! We're in a life and death struggle, we're not playing games! Negligence and indifference in security matters cancel out all good qualities such as loyalty, devotion, etc. You should never stop thinking! And never stop praying for a minute! We can't afford to have soldiers in this army who don't think and don't know what they are doing and can't remember a command from one moment to the next! It's time we stopped dreaming, and started thinking and praying desperately about every little move we make, lest we inadvertently cause untold trouble that we never even dreamed of. People that don't obey and ignore counsel and advice on security don't even belong in the Family!
Nothing is unimportant in this business, not one jot or one tittle! Nothing short of right is right! Accuracy in details is so important that the slightest error could cause disaster and the slightest scrap of information could warn of some impending catastrophe! We don't have a persecution complex, we have real persecution! We have become experts at making enemies! It seemed like all the Prophets were pretty good at that, none of them ever proved to be very popular. We probably have more enemies than anyone in the world! "The Devil goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."—Don't you be his next meal! ("Heavenly Security—Part 1," FSM #119)
(Dad:) Statistics are extremely important and vitally essential to diagnosing the condition of each Home. "God is interested in details and statistics! He even says that the very hairs of your head are numbered; and not one sparrow falls to the ground but what your Heavenly Father knoweth it!" ("Details," ML #129)
(Dad:) If a Home is in good health, its statistics will likely show it, but if it's ailing, then they can also show that.
The purpose of statistical reports is to encourage all of us by being able to see how much we're accomplishing through these actual figures and also to help us detect any trouble spots, problems, or areas that need help, and correct our mistakes. (MOP 1, 23:82-83)
(Dad:) Thank God I have insisted on keeping accurate stats from our first year so we would know what we're accomplishing! Jethro groaned and growled and complained about it at first: "Oh, it takes so much trouble and time and I don't have enough secretaries already and I have to read all these reports! Dad, what good is it?" I said, "You're going to find out one of these days and you're going to be surprised how much we're accomplishing!"
So I have insisted ever since then on keeping stats, accurate statistics on exactly what we were doing, how much, who, what it cost, what we were accomplishing, all the various stats. Of course, our early stats were quite simple and very limited compared to what we keep now. Now we've got a full-time professional bookkeeper who keeps the stats—well, I mean he keeps the final stats. Actually we've got hundreds of people around the world keeping stats! In fact, we've got thousands of people keeping stats, because every single person is supposed to keep his own personal stats of what he accomplishes, how much witnessing or soul-winning he does, how much literature he distributes, etc. ("We've Got It All," ML #2399:22,25)
(Mama:) I ... suggest that in preparation for your Home Council meeting, you Home teamworkers gather your Home's witnessing stats for the last six or nine months, if possible, so you can have them available during your meeting to help you honestly evaluate the fruitfulness of your witnessing, outreach and tool distribution. ("From Poverty to Plenty," ML #2929:76)
If you are going to discuss how to pay your bills or improve your tool distribution, you may want to ask your stats person to circulate some facts and figures about your recent outreach. This allows everyone an opportunity to pray about these matters before your meeting, and will help you make the most of your valuable and limited time together. ("Tips on Home Council Meetings," FSM #282)
(Jesus:) Everywhere you look—on the Internet, in the news, in magazines—health and nutrition is a huge subject, and one of much debate. As you know, you can find just about anything "out there," and in the world there is a great variety of opinions, as well as controversy on health and nutrition matters. Disease and physical disorders are rampant.
Obesity is also a growing concern, even at the same time that starvation plagues parts of the world. There is not enough balance, because people have fallen away from My ways.
You do need to realize, right from the beginning, that many of your Home standards and your personal attitudes regarding health and nutrition have become polluted with compromise and grading on the curve, and influenced by opinions in the world, and there is a lot of room for improvement to get back to My health standard, which I laid down long ago, and will clarify again for you here. If you don't realize the need for improvement right from the beginning, you might be tempted to not really absorb this counsel, thinking you've heard it all before. But most of you need to take heed to this counsel, and many of you need to make some major changes in order to be in line with the proper standard of obedience to the Word and the Charter.
As you examine this area of your life and seek to raise your standard in the areas of health and nutrition, it will be controversial. But to be successful and maintain good unity as you raise the standard in this area, your approach and your attitude on these matters should only be to find My mind on these differences. And I assure you, I have a very definite and precise mindset concerning your health and well-being and the care of your body—your temple, which belongs to Me. Everyone involved will need to be in agreement that improvement is needed, and willing to give up some personal preferences for the good of all.
Your vision concerning health and nutrition should be similar to what I'm asking you to do in every other area of your lives for Me—to get back to the basics—back to the basics of striving to follow My health rules. My basic health rules have not changed, though naturally, I will give you some adjustments for modern living. Most of these, however, will be in instructing you how to avoid those things that are unhealthy and harmful in today's world. ("Shooting Straight, Part 1," ML #3499:105-108)
(Jesus:) You are what you eat. If you eat poison or harmful products, sooner or later it will catch up to you. I gave My people rules and guidelines on health for a reason. The attitude of, "I've been eating this and I still feel fine" is not My thinking. It's the Enemy's lure of deception. Just like what goes up must come down, what you eat is what you will become, and it will catch up with you. Some of you may be young and full of energy today, and some of you may be free from health problems today, but what you put into your body today is determining your future. ("Shooting Straight, Part 1," ML #3499:118)
(Jesus:) If you have cooks who don't know how to cook healthily and so opt for packaged or nutritionally inferior food, invest in a natural cookbook and try to help them learn. Ask Me for ideas, and experiment with what you have available. If you feel you just don't have any more time to invest in meal prep or provisioning or shopping, pray and ask Me for solutions—I have them for you and your situation. If you just don't have the healthy ingredients that you need, pray them in! I can and will supply as you put Me on the spot, claim the keys, and take steps of obedience in the right direction! ("Shooting Straight, Part 1," ML #3499:134)
(Dad:) I think that's one of the main dilemmas in the Homes: A lot of the provisioning is below standard. In some countries, the provisioning is at least half junk food. It's a dilemma for the provisioners, because they want to supply the Homes with enough food, and they have a responsibility to do so, but then a lot of what is donated is junk—white-sugar foods, preserved meats, and meals that have no nutritional value left in them. Some of these things have more goodness in the cardboard box than they do in the actual contents! You'd be better off eating a cardboard box than filling your body with so much junk food.
Now I understand the provisioners, and how difficult their job must be. The Lord touches people's hearts and they donate all of this food, but then half of it isn't up to what our health standard should be. What do you do? Do you throw away all of that donated food? How do you do that and still have enough food to feed the Homes? How do you break out of this vicious cycle? I think we've done something wrong, somewhere back in time.
From the very beginning, you provisioners should make it clear to your contacts what kind of food we in the Family eat. You need to make it clear from the beginning what our standard is. You need to make it clear that we don't eat junk food and we prefer the healthful foods, the fresh foods. If you explain where you stand from the very beginning, then you shouldn't have a problem at all. They won't even give you the stuff that they know you won't use.
If you occasionally get something in the provisioning that isn't up to our health standard, then you can donate it to needy missions, shelters, orphanages, old folks homes, or even to the poor. Even if you haven't explained our stance on junk food to your contacts from the very beginning, it's never too late to do the right thing. In fact, it's better late than never.
The Lord wants us to eat right, sleep right, exercise right, and live right. He definitely wants us to take care of our temples, the bodies that He has given us, so don't you think He'll supply the healthful food that you need? It may take a little bit more faith, and it may take a little bit of conviction to buck the tide and search and find those who are willing to give you good, healthful foods. But it's worth it to keep your bodies in good shape—healthy, whole, and strong for the Lord's work. ("Eat Right!" ML #3180:23-27)
(Dad:) I'm not saying that you can't have occasional sweets and treats, cakes and ice cream on birthdays or special occasions. I'm not saying that at all. But even the majority of these could and should be made with healthful ingredients as much as possible—definitely natural sugar, avoiding the poison which the Enemy has associated with "special treats!" If you're really living the healthy way that the Lord intended and that I've tried to teach you, then once in a while to have a treat that's not possible to make with all natural ingredients isn't going to hurt you, because you're obeying, and so you're receiving the Lord's blessings and protection.
It's spiritual as much as physical, folks. Because the Lord has given us health rules to live by, and because I've spent so much time teaching you the specifics of how to live right and eat healthy, when you have that option but you choose the alternative of the Devil's poison, it's nothing but disobedience, plain and simple! The Lord can't bless it! I'm talking about the continual input of unhealthful foods with no nutritional value, as well as the snacks that just rob your body of all of its goodness and suck the life right out of you. ("Eat Right!" ML #3180:44-45)
(Dad:) Provisioning is ... pioneering, and if you are a real provisioner you are going to be a pioneer—not someone who is content with the way things are, but someone who wants to see God move, to put Him and His Word to the test! "Prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord God of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of Heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mal.3:10).
God is looking for men of faith to do the "wenting" and expect God to do the rest. Just as a whole new world opened up to us when we believed the Word and received Spiritual Salvation, so when we stand on the Word concerning our physical salvation and welfare, new horizons open up to us as we enter into the exciting world of living by faith!—Because you know you can't do it, so it has to be God!
Your job is not to go out and try to talk people into giving things to us, but rather to inspire them by sharing with them what God is doing through His Children, really wooing and winning them. Without the Spirit and real inspiration, they will probably think you are just another charity or "do good" group. The thing that makes us different from anybody else is that we have the Spirit! And it is only the Spirit that is going to inspire them to really make an effort and sacrifice and share their material wealth with us.
A provisioner is a man of prayer and faith! In every country or city the situation is bound to be different, so God has to supply different things in different ways. However, there is one thing you need wherever you go, and that is faith.
When you have a need, the first thing to remind yourself is that no matter where you are, God somehow has to and wants to supply all your needs "according to His riches in Glory." This takes standing on the rock of the Word by really claiming those promises and truly trusting God. Provisioning is a great ministry for really learning faith!
If we want to assign the provisioning ministry to a part of the spiritual body, it would have to take the place of the hands. Our job is to claim God's Word and reach out and receive. However, God has many different and sometimes seemingly crazy ways of supplying our needs, so to really bring forth fruit, a provisioner must really hear from the Lord and be led directly by the Spirit. "The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof" (Psa.24:1). He has promised us the world, but we will only actually receive as much as we have faith for. You always have time to pray and ask God, "Now God, what do you want me to do?" Desperate prayer that is full of faith is the most powerful weapon we have and can radically alter any situation or heart. Provisioning is a terrific testimony to the power of prayer and that the Lord loves us and wants to supply all our needs as we specifically claim His promises and believe.
An inspired, full-of-faith provisioner is a constant source of inspiration to those around him, not only because of the material benefits, but because everyone sees that God is supernaturally directly blessing. When a person is really fulfilling his ministry, he is a lot like the "Man Who Played God." He sees the needs of those around him, knows he has the means to meet them (his faith) and does it, giving God all the glory! Hallelujah! A provisioner is the servant of all! ("Provisioning," ML #860:2-3,6,8-10,26)
Once you have your monthly budget worked out, it would be good to sit down and see how the expenses can be reduced through provisioning. By having your provisioning, finance and kitchen departments work hand in hand, you may be able to cut your Home's expenses considerably. Determine what the main expenses are in your Home. For example, if some of the main kitchen expenses are meat, milk, and eggs, perhaps these would be some of the top priorities to have your provisioners work on. Even if they're unable to provision them for free, perhaps they could get a good discount (for bulk quantities) and thereby significantly reduce your food bill. Just make sure you have adequate storage space so they won't start going bad before you've used them up.
Make sure you use each item wisely so you don't run out before your next bulk shopping. When you have lots of a certain item it's easier to use it up quicker. One way to avoid this is when buying certain items in bulk, divide each item up into weekly allotments, and only use that much each week. For example, if you buy three month's worth of honey at once, divide it evenly into 12 jars and stick to one jar a week—if you don't, chances are you'll use it all up in only two months or even less!
Other items that might be worth provisioning are household, school and handyman supplies, car parts, gasoline, etc. You could make a prayer list of all these priority items, and then ask the provisioners to work on them. With the Lord's help, by and by the amounts that you were spending on these different items hopefully will decrease, and available funds can then be used elsewhere as needed. Again, in order for this plan to work you will need to maintain good communication between all those involved, and hold regular Home meetings to coordinate projects and make sure everyone is working on the right priorities. ("Finances and Fund Raising!—Part 5," FSM #271)
Health care
a) How is our Home's diet? What can we do to improve the quality of our food standard? What about avoiding junk food? How are our eating habits and those of our children? Are we helping them to have a healthy appetite and generally eat what is set before them, taking exceptions into account? Do we prepare and serve the food in a healthy and appetizing way? Are our mealtimes conducive to teaching the children about table manners? Are our mealtimes happy and pleasant, a time to be enjoyed? Do we need to improve our provisioning or budgeting to have a healthy and pleasant food standard that also supplies special dietary needs if required?
b) Does someone oversee the kitchen and ensure that a balanced diet is provided? If not, how can we arrange for someone to take on this responsibility? Do we need to invest time and opportunity to research what is available in our area, and to pray about how to correct any unhealthy eating habits we may have gotten into?
c) Are we mindful to provide the needs of our members who are sick? Do we have a budget for taking care of emergency situations? Do we supply special dietary and health needs, including medical attention if needed? How would each of us want to be cared for by our loving Family if we were in a difficult health situation? Is this how we care for those who have a difficult health problem?
d) In the case of pregnant women: Are we mindful of their needs and the needed preparations for the birth? Are we careful to provide the needed encouragement and health needs? Do we share in the joy of expecting a new baby? Are we preparing for the birth financially and practically, including necessary paperwork?
e) Do we have a plan for providing all members with dental and eye checkups? Are we actively praying for and seeking contacts who can help? ("Feast 2005 Workshops, Part 3—CP Board Workshop," GN 1116, point 8)
A Family discipleship Home is a positive reflection of the Family to the public and the local community, and would be a positive reflection in the case of official scrutiny. The Home is in line with Charter standards and local expectations in reference to such things as cleanliness, vehicle and property maintenance, adequate living conditions and accommodations, home schooling documentation, and responsible witnessing with children. ("PR Home Review Criteria," GN 1104)
The Lord has been emphasizing our ministry to labor leaders and influential people, and thus our Homes need to be of a good enough standard that these types of people will feel comfortable coming to visit. We don't have to live in mansions, but our Homes need to be nice, neat, well organized, and clean. They also need to be large enough to comfortably house the number of occupants. But Homes don't have to be sterile environments; they should be places of happiness and joy. If your Home always looks unlived in, it might make visitors feel uncomfortable.
The outside of your house is important as well. It is your first impression to the community and to visitors, and "man looks on the outward appearance" (1Sam.16:7). Yards should be maintained, grass mowed, and gardens tended. Trash, junk, or crates of provisioned food should not be left lying around. Be prayerful when choosing the location of your Home. Look for areas where visitors will feel comfortable and safe when they visit. If the Home's ministries include such things as running an area school or storage of donated goods before distribution, the Home should ensure that it has adequate facilities, which are in keeping with local or neighborhood expectations. Accommodations also need to be up to Charter standards as outlined in the "Home Size Rules."
You could also, if possible, aid in keeping the immediate neighborhood tidy too.—Getting involved in neighborhood cleanup drives, etc., will speak volumes. Forging and maintaining good relations with your local community will help you to be at peace with all men and probably able to last longer where you are so that you can fulfill the Great Commission.
What is and isn't acceptable differs from country to country and culture to culture. Homes need to be very aware of local customs and seek to not give offense, "that the ministry be not blamed" (2Cor.6:3). Try to be aware of what standard the locals expect of their neighbors, so that your presence in the neighborhood will be welcomed.
Vehicles should be kept clean, have a good safety standard, and all necessary paperwork should be current. Drivers also need to have a valid driver's license for the class of vehicle they are driving. They also need to follow all the counsel and rules outlined in the Charter's "Driving Rules." ("PR Home Review Criteria," GN 1104)
(Mama:) The Lord is not willing that you live in poverty, brethren! You have a big job to do for Him, and He wants you to have what you need to do it. He wants you to have accommodations that are ample enough for you all to be comfortably housed, spacious grounds on your property or nearby where your children can have the get-out they need, and located close enough to major population centers so you and your teens can have access to good witnessing opportunities. He wants you to have good, safe, reliable cars, vans and buses to provide the needed transportation for your ministries. ("From Poverty to Plenty," ML #2929:8)
(Jesus:) If you really want to reach the top, if you want to bring them in close, get them to work with you, to join you and to be a part of you, then you have to relate to them. You learned from Paul of the importance of "becoming all things to all men," but sometimes you neglect to apply that across the board. You need to be able to relate to the rich as well as the poor. You need to be able to make those from the upper levels of society comfortable with you—comfortable in your Homes and meeting places—just as much as you need to make the poor feel comfortable with you when you visit them.
... The people who are labor leaders, who have potential to really go somewhere for Me and become teachers and preachers, teaching others and spreading the message, are usually going to be those who will appreciate and respect a higher standard. If you are ill-mannered and lack a vision for your life or work, if your children are rude and dirty; you live in shabby, unkempt, rundown Homes, you're going to turn off and turn away those who need you, and who you need in order to reach your country.
Some of you might think that the poorer you appear, the more people will want to give to you, but that's not true. No one likes to give to a failure. Nothing succeeds like success. I'm not saying you should live in extravagant mansions and drive the most expensive cars, but you do need to have a good standard of stewardship. The things you do have should be in good shape, maintained, and clean. And if they're beyond the point where they can be in good repair and clean, then you should have faith that I will supply better things—better houses, better vehicles, better furniture. You and your children should also be the kind of people who represent My Kingdom well, with good manners and an appealing presentation of My truth.
If I have called you to reach the labor leaders, and I have, and therefore to be able to relate to them, then you should and must have the faith to live the right personal standard. There is no reason to let the impoverished mentality of a country or sector of society dictate your attitudes or surroundings. You are My children. You hold the power of the keys. You are destined to rise above! You're not meant to crawl along the ground—you're meant to fly! You're not meant to arouse pity; you're meant to arouse envy. I want the world to look at you and think, "I want what they have! I want to be like them!"
Those who get closer to you will admire your faith when you live in decent, clean and uplifting surroundings. It will be clear to them that because you have faith in Me, I provide; that because you are My children, I take care of you, even though conditions around you might be bleak. They will not look at you with contempt or criticism or wonder why you have such nice surroundings in a "poor" country. They will admire your faith. I want you to be examples of faith and of My ability to do the impossible for you.
One of the ways I want you to stretch your faith and prove My power is through raising your personal standard in all ways. It may seem a small thing, but the example that you will be through this will speak loudly, and will mean much to those who you minister to. It will touch both the rich and the poor, the educated and the simple. It will be one of the keys to reaching the top, and reaching the top will be the key to flooding the land with My truth and reaping the harvest that awaits. ("Reach the Rich," ML #3400:60-62, 66-67)
(Dad:) Concerning duties of leadership: though you may not yourself have time to tend tables, it is your responsibility to see to it that they are tended and to check on everyone to see to it they're doing their job, and everything to see to it that things are in proper condition, including the cleanliness, orderliness, and attractiveness of your house or camp! Many nights when you were either in meetings or asleep, we used to patrol the camp and see that everything and everyone was okay making sure that everyone was in class or meeting and that the grounds or premises were clean and in order, and were often able to call to the attention of your leaders things that needed to be done or people who needed help. Yes, leaders, it is your duty to frequently run around the camp and see that everything is kept going! ("Laws of Moses," ML #155:50)
(Mama:) Another important way that our Family can give the Lord some cooperation in order to "avoid all appearance of evil" with outsiders, is to simply obey the many health, cleanliness and safety rules Dad has given us in the Letters. For example, one of the main things that the System clamps down on people for and can even use as a justification to take away their children, is when they find that living conditions in the children's home are unsatisfactory, unsanitary or unsafe.—And sad to say, we've heard of an incident or two where the authorities clamped down on Family members when they discovered that their mobile home or house was unkempt, dirty, or dangerous.
Whereas if our folks would obey the instructions the Lord and Dad have given us on the importance of cleanliness and safety-consciousness with children, then our people shouldn't have any of these kinds of problems with the authorities. Besides, whether there's a threat from the authorities or not, we're supposed to maintain a high standard of cleanliness and safety! Our Homes should all be examples of good, clean, Godly living! ("PR Home Review Criteria," GN 1104) [See also "The Dirty Dorm Dream," ML #676; "Dirty Homes," ML #836; "Cleanliness Is Godliness," ML #1031; "Cleanliness with Children," ML #1220.]
(Dad:) So for God's sake, our Family's sake, our children's sake and your own sake, obey the Lord's Letters and keep a clean, safe house! Amen?—And by so doing, you will "give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully" along these lines—1 Tim.5:14. ("Don't Fear the System!" ML #2572:41)
(Jesus:) Many of you, My brides, have become so familiar with My blessings. For many, many years now you've been used to Me supplying finances, provisions, equipment, housing, and so much more, but you forget to thank Me. You overlook many of My little blessings and gifts that I bestow upon you every day. You take My miracles for granted and don't praise and thank Me nearly enough. How do you think this makes Me feel? Unappreciated, unnoticed, and like you just don't care! It doesn't make Me want to give you more when you're not even grateful for what you have.
You brush aside My blessings, always wanting more, demanding bigger and better blessings and more money for your needs. But what you're forgetting is that praising Me pleases Me—even when you're abasing. Praising Me for every blessing, no matter how small, compels Me to give more to you. When I know you're thankful and giving Me the glory and honor for everything, I want to give you more, I delight to give you more, and I can't help but pamper you with My care, for I love to give of My wealth to you.
I also look to see how you care for the material blessings I've given you. Do you trash your vehicles and overlook their upkeep and maintenance? Are they a reproach to your Home and My Name? Are your Homes dirty and unkempt? When things are broken and a bad sample, do you fix them or let things deteriorate to total ruin?
Yes, it's true that I am a rich and blessing-laden Husband, but I don't give into purses or pockets full of holes. I give the most where I know it will be used and invested in My work to the maximum—where I know every cent will count and be used wisely. I give to those who I know will be good stewards and caretakers of the things you need in your service to Me. ("Show Me the Money, Part 4," ML #3462:422-424, 426)
No matter what state the property was in when you rented it, you are now the steward and it is your responsibility to care for it, maintain it, repair it and leave it in better shape than before.
A nice tidy well-kept garden is a real witness, testimony and reflection of how you look after the house in general. That's one part of your house that everyone can see. Man judges by your outward appearance, especially your garden and your yard. The landlord could easily drive by unannounced to check up on the exterior of the house, or ask the friends or neighbors to do so. It's a part of our job of being good stewards. "The Earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." We had better look after the part He has given us.
A well-kept garden with pretty flower beds and a neatly trimmed lawn not littered with junk and old jalopies, as well as a tidy porch not strewn with clothes and more odds and ends, and a backyard kept neat and clean and free from garbage, dog dung and other junk will help your neighbors love you in spite of your noise and religion!
Periodically walk around your property so that you can see yourself as others see you.
It's very important to see that trash is disposed of properly, or it can look bad, be depressing, is a poor testimony to the neighbors, an offence to officials and a hazard to health and safety. Put it in tightly covered containers so it doesn't breed flies, stink up the neighborhood or get scattered all over by the dogs.
Try to string your laundry lines in places where they will not be obvious or a bother to the neighbors. If there are a lot of you in the Home, schedule your laundry days so that there is a minimum hanging out each day. ("Heavenly Security—Part 1," FSM #119)
(Dad:) Then I walk a little further out on the porch and inspect the garden, the yard, the pool and the house and look around a little more to see that everything is shipshape and in order. I'm the captain of the ship, so I have to keep a sharp lookout on my vessel and make sure everything is shipshape. And sometimes I notice something in the yard that needs attending to, or the pool or various things, and when I get back inside I call on the intercom to let our maintenance men know what needs to be done in either mowing the lawn or trimming the garden or the trees or attending to the pool or whatnot. ("Dad's Day," ML #1362:115)
(Dad:) It's even very important to see that the trash is disposed of properly, or it can be a terrible testimony to the neighbors and an offense to officials, or a hazard to health and safety. See that garbage is in tight covered containers or buried so that it doesn't breed files, stink up the neighborhood, or get scattered all over by the dogs. ...
Speaking of cleanliness: its not next to godliness, but part of it! Trash, garbage, and dirt not only breed flies and disease, but look bad, are depressing, and a very poor testimony and hereby have many been contaminated, sickened, and even made offensive and dangerous to others! Douse that dirt with soap and water; sweep and clean, but don't spit and polish: It's unsanitary! Painting also not only cheers and brightens, but sterilizes and preserves, believe it or not—and makes your neighbors love you! ("Laws of Moses," ML #155:51-52)
(Dad:) Schedules are always one of your major problems! The Lord Himself drew up a weekly schedule for us the very first thing after Creation!—"Six days shalt thou labor, and on the seventh, thou shalt rest!"—A very good plan for us all! But the seven days are not the major problem, but rather, who should work at what jobs, and how many hours of the day should be allotted to work, classes, study, meetings, devotions, meals, sleep, free-time, etc.—as well as witnessing times, which vary according to Colony locations, and also the problem of the special jobs for special shifts of special people which have to be done outside of regular working hours, such as KP, guard duty, phone and radio monitoring, greeting, nursery, etc. Then there's the teaching schedule of the various classes, and who should teach them on what days and at what times.
... The three main schedules we had to work out right away, even with only dozen people were: First, The Daily Schedule—Hour by hour for everybody; when to get up, when to have devotions, meals, work, classes, meetings, free-time, sleep, etc.
Second was the work schedule: This was divided into the number of jobs, the number needed for each job, and the hours they would have to work, including the Special Jobs outside of regular working hours, including KP, guard duty, etc., and how to rotate them, so that everyone would be doing his fair share, no more and no less. We started off with volunteers, but soon found out that the willing spirited were always volunteering, whereas the slothful were always willing to loaf!—So we found we had to schedule it to be fair to all, and to give their proper training and experience so necessary for all!
And thirdly, came the teaching and class schedule: When to have classes, how many hours daily, what days, what classes, and by what teachers, and taken by what students!
Last, or fourth, but first in importance, was the witnessing schedule, which had to specify what days, what times, where, and who was to lead who, what teams, what buddies, and what areas, etc.
... Remember, leaders and organizers of work schedules and appointers of work details and assigners of jobs, should study carefully the qualifications, talents, skills, training, education, experience, and personal preferences of your co-laborers in the Lord, and try to give them, not only the kind of work they are best fitted for, but also that which they would prefer and like and choose to do. This information should be found on their original registration card, but if not, find it out yourself, and assign tasks accordingly, with mutual and voluntary agreement between you and your fellow laborers. This is not a dictatorship or a slave or prison or military camp, like those of the System! Although this is the army of the Lord, and we observe strict discipline, it is voluntary, willing-spirited, and cheerfully given, not forced labor. ("Schedules," ML #106:2-6,39)
(Dad:) Lord, sometimes we're really in a mess because we don't just sit down and think and pray and try to get organized and schedule it and chart it and figure out some way to do things scientifically and with real knowledge and wisdom and the leading of Thy Spirit.
Help us Lord in Jesus' name to get organized, and if that organization doesn't work, to get reorganized, Lord. We've reorganized this Family time and time again when things didn't work out right or failed. We had to keep up some kind of organization of this army, Lord, or we never would've gotten this far. We would've been one helter-skelter mess for sure!
So thank Lord for some semblance of organization that we have had which has kept us together and alive and working and united and cohesive and coordinated and cooperative so that we all know what we're supposed to be doing and we're doing it when we're supposed to be doing it and where we're supposed to be doing it and when it's supposed to be done, in Jesus' name. ("Getting Organized," ML #1861:14-16)
Tips on scheduling
By Angela and Steven
Back in the good old days of the maxi combos, scheduling was of utmost importance, scrupulously and faithfully done by one or more of the teamworkers. Then, with the advent of smaller Homes, it seemed that the schedule was one of the first things to be discarded, and for a while we survived without it, more or less.
A couple of years ago, after having gone through various stages of no schedule, too much schedule, addiction to schedule, throwing away the schedule, half-hearted scheduling, one day I got convicted to pick up this lost art again. I did some studying on the subject, and realized how much calmer and happier everyone is in the Home if there's a good schedule, not to mention how much more we can accomplish for the Lord. I'd daresay that the schedule is one of the things that can make or break a Home, and is responsible for a good part of the Home's fruitfulness.
These are a few practical tips from our Home: More and more we've been learning the importance of scheduling and planning ahead. We went from barely making the schedule the night before for the following day, to planning a whole week ahead, and for the past two years to even having a yearly planner posted on the wall. This is not so we can preplan and decide everything ahead of time in a routine, dry and unchangeable way, LHU, but so that we can learn the value of time, assess our responsibilities, and see our goals and commitments clearly.
Things are always subject to changes, but it's easier to make changes when you have a basic framework rather than just nothing or confusion to work on. We have a very busy Home, with lots of activities, trips, visitors coming, etc., so seeing all these things on a planner helps us to make more prayerful and mature decisions. It's not so effective if only a few people in the Home are aware of upcoming activities and obligations, even though naturally at first it may be only the few more involved and motivated to push things and be constantly aware of them, but slowly it spreads.
We have regular outreach meetings where we pray about and plan activities, retreats, shows, etc., trying to catch the vision for these events at least three or four months ahead.
Our Home meets every Sunday night for a planning meeting for the coming week. We have a weekly schedule, and on that night the main events get filled out, following a checklist for the "constant factors" such as Home meetings, night activities, CVC, local language classes, pickups, witnessing teams, Bible classes, prayer day, W&R days, devotions, etc.
Then we write down any other fixed appointments, such as follow-up, doctor visits, trips, and shows (some of this info comes from the yearly planner).
We also decide together on major to-dos, such as handyman jobs or any deep cleaning that needs to be done, and place it in the weekly schedule.
After deciding the "big stones" we start filling the small ones, such as daily JJT, cooking, childcare (in our case we don't have a lot of kids, so in a bigger childcare situation this could very well be a "big stone" instead), and the other small details of the daily running of the Home.
The difference is that instead of getting lost in little details, we start off with the big picture, the vision, the main reason why we are here, and then the rest follows. It's much easier for all to do their part and sacrifice if they can see the overall plan and why certain duties are needed.
While filling out the daily schedule, it's helpful to have a list of the personnel handy, especially if you have a good-sized Home. It's amazing otherwise how sometimes you can completely forget a person! Going down the list person by person I also try to make sure everyone has their precious private Word time, no one is too free or overworked (although you can't always tell by the schedule how much people work, as some go above the call of duty, GBT!).
It's interesting and at the same time a responsibility to administer people's time, at least basically, but it's for sure worth the time! (Grapevine #154)
(Mama:) We all know that no matter how much we would like to do something, if we don't schedule it we usually don't do it! We have scheduled devotions, scheduled meals, scheduled get-out, scheduled nap time, scheduled prayer vigil, scheduled meetings—not because we want to regiment or make everything so "letter of the law," but just because human nature being what it is, if things are not scheduled they usually don't happen, or else they take place very sporadically or inefficiently. ("Affection Time with Jesus," ML #3013:5)
Any vehicle that is in use on public roads must be properly registered and insured according to the laws of the country.
All vehicles in use must be safe, well maintained, and in good running condition; otherwise they should not be used.
Dad has written extensively on vehicle safety. Unfortunately, for some Homes the criterion for using a vehicle is "does it move and will it get us where we want to go?" Driving a vehicle is dangerous enough without driving one with faulty or weak brakes, no lights, or bald tires, etc. If your Home is using a vehicle, it is the Home's responsibility to make sure it is legally registered, insured, and safe.
Vehicles should be kept clean, have a good safety standard, and all necessary paperwork should be current. Drivers also need to have a valid driver's license for the class of vehicle they are driving. They also need to follow all the counsel and rules outlined in the Charter's "Driving Rules." (The Love Charter, "Driving Rules," B,C)
(Dad:) A stitch in time saves nine, and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It's better to catch a problem before it gets too serious, instead of waiting till everything falls apart. When you stop for gas, check the pavement under your car for any signs of any kind of dripping of any of these fluids. A few drops are not necessarily serious and are fairly common to most cars, especially old ones, but a tiny puddle could mean trouble. You should never start your car and take off on any day, anywhere, without at least checking your water, oil, transmission, and tires. ("Have Faith, Will Travel!" ML #150:30)
Automotive tips
A broom is the quickest way to clean snow from a car. You can cut the handle down and store it in the trunk.
In the glove box, keep a few Handy Wipes to remove gas odor from your hands from filling the tank.
Remove auto grease from hands with baking soda and water.
A hubcap can be used as a shovel if your auto gets stuck in the snow, mud, or sand.
Place a bag of kitty litter in your trunk, in case you get stuck in the snow. Sprinkle some under the tires to get traction.
If battery terminals are heavily corroded, the quickest and easiest way to clean them is to pour carbonated soft drink over them. Baking soda mixed with water will also do the trick.
Clean windshield wipers with a good scrubbing of baking soda and water.
Drop a file card with your name on it down the window slot in case you ever need to prove ownership of your vehicle.
Line your car trunk with a plastic rug protector to protect the carpeting. It will make cleanup easier if dirty objects are placed in the trunk.
If car windows tend to steam up on the inside, carry a blackboard eraser, wiping the condensation away with the eraser.
Keep an auto maintenance book. Write down dates that repairs or maintenance are done, as well as where the work was done or by whom.
On a piece of tape write the mileage down when the next oil change is due. Attach this to your upper windshield or another convenient place to remind you when it's time to change the oil.
(Dad:) Take good care of the "beasts" that bear you from one place to another, and they'll serve you for a long time, dear Family. Keep them in good running order, well maintained, and drive safely and prayerfully.
When it comes to vehicle maintenance and repairs, sometimes you just can't afford not to take care of it. It could cost you far more if you don't, and could even be hazardous to your life or the lives of others. So have the faith for the necessary funds, or provision it if necessary.
Be a good steward over your possessions and they'll last you a lot longer, whether it's a car or any other possession. It may be communal property which belongs to "the Home," but remember, you're part of the Home as well. It's partly yours, so treat it as you'd like your own things to be treated. (END #60)
When it comes to security and safeguarding the Lord's work, Dad is an extremist and won't let anything or anyone jeopardize it, because he believes his job and our jobs for the Lord are too important. He has always taken the lead in insisting that the Family knows the importance of good security, because without it, everything else we do could come to nought! As he explains:
"Spiritually we have eternal security, but physically on this Earth we have constant insecurity. The cost of freedom and security is eternal vigilance! You can't have freedom and security both, you have to sacrifice one for the other. We must be willing to pay a price for freedom, for no price that is ever asked for it is half the cost of going without it. The right to do right is worth the fight!
"As world tension grows and situations get tighter and tighter and governments stricter, there's going to be more and more persecution, so we must tighten our security as well. We've really got to start putting security first. We really need to be more prayerful and more careful and more scrupulously conscious of security in everything we do from now on. Security is the name of the game!
"I think we've gotten to the point where our safety and the security of the work is more important than money. I can remember the time when I didn't have any money or safety or security either, so it didn't really much matter. But I think God's Work and our work have become important enough and valuable enough and that the Lord has blessed us enough that we can begin to realize that it's important to keep it safe and to guard it no matter how much it costs, if we've got it. There is no price too big to pay for safety and security. ("Heavenly Security—Part 1," FSM #119)
When one leaves the Home's property, they should go with another member as a safety precaution in accordance with the Scriptural admonition in Luke 10:1. There may be times when this is not possible, but such times should be for a good reason agreed to by a member of the Steering Council.
This rule has been in place since the beginning of the Family. In most cases you should try to take as a partner someone who is able to be of assistance in case of an emergency. For instance, your partner should be old enough and responsible enough to telephone the Home in case of any problems or if they were to get separated from you. (The Love Charter, "Home Life Rules," A)
Members must endeavor to protect the safety and security of their Home and other Homes.
Selah trash should be burned or shredded regularly.
Family disciples must keep their personal legal papers in order and up to date.
It's important that everyone is sure that all of their necessary legal documents are up to date and available. It's wise to carry appropriate identification with you when you're off the Home's property. What you would choose to carry would depend on where you live. In many places a driver's license or local identification card will suffice. In other places a photocopy of your passport would be enough. If you have to carry your actual passport make sure it is kept in a safe place. In some countries carrying identification is not required by law; however, it is a good safety precaution to carry ID at all times when out. (The Love Charter, "Home Life Rules," D)
(Dad:) Now what has been my criterion about accidents? What is my favorite saying about accidents? (Fam: Make it impossible for an accident to happen!)—Do your best to make it impossible for an accident to happen! Avoid the conditions and the circumstances that lead to accidents! If you see a glass sitting near the edge of the table, make it impossible for it to get knocked off the table by putting it somewhere else. If you see anything in a dangerous position, or in a position where somebody might accidentally hit it and knock it off or step on it or whatever it might be, although people might be able to avoid it, make it impossible for the accidents to happen!
I think you really need to pray seriously! You don't want to go out there and hold hands and bow your heads and have a prayer meeting or a séance in front of all the neighbors, but if nothing else, you could pray before you go out. I think maybe we're going to have to make a rule that you folks who go out there to play, stop inside and bow your heads and pray and ask the Lord to keep accidents from happening.
Be prayerful and careful in anything dangerous or that could be dangerous in any way about the house or the kitchen, that's one of the most dangerous rooms in the house. More accidents happen in the kitchen than anywhere in a house. The second most dangerous room is the bathroom. People slip and fall or get burned or cut themselves or take the wrong kind of pills or something. It's been proven by actual statistics that the kitchen is the most dangerous room because of fire and knives and food prep and explosions and all kinds of things, gas and whatnot. And the bathroom is the second most dangerous place because of all those other hazards—water and hot water, slips, falls, broken bones.
Life is dangerous and more accidents happen at home, believe it or not, than anywhere else, because you spend more hours at home than anywhere else, and there are so many dangerous things you can do at home. Cars are the next biggest killers in the world, but homes can kill you if you're not prayerful and careful and cautious and do your best to keep accidents from happening, and do your best to try to make it impossible for them to happen. ("Play It Safe!" ML #2082:9,23,60,62)
(Dad:) It's more important to save your life than your work, but you're supposed to have your fleebag and briefcase with you, with all necessary clothing and valuable papers, so that you can grab them immediately and get out and away from the buildings whether earthquake, fire or flood.
Do you have your passport number recorded somewhere else that's safe and away from the house? It's pretty hard to get a passport renewed if you don't even have the number! Better yet, make a Xerox of the first few pages of your passport with your name, picture etc., all the most important information, and store the copy somewhere else. We have used this many times for identification, en lieu of having to surrender a passport to someplace or someone that wanted our passport. What kind of mess would you be in if you rushed out of the house with no passport, money, car keys and papers, etc? ("Safety Lessons!" ML #1312:7,9)
(Mama:) Throughout the years, Dad was always faithful to teach and give us practical tips on how to avoid trouble—break-ins, pickpockets, being followed, etc. Thankfully, we as a Family have not suffered too many problems along these lines. However, as our Family members in Africa have found out, theft is very common due to the severe poverty and desperation of the people, and as "rich white people," our folks are prime targets.
For years Dad was faithful to warn us about the need for security, safety, desperate prayer, being careful, alert, following the security guidelines, not inviting thieves into your home by projecting a lax or careless, easy-to-steal-from or untogether appearance to passersby, etc. Maybe you feel that that sort of thing doesn't happen much anyway, so what's all the hype about? When you go over the top and attack the Enemy, he hits back. ("Lifesavers for Missionaries to Africa!—Part 1," ML #3232:106,111) [Note: This GN is full of very good points on the topic of safety while out.]
"A watchful watchman is worth a thousand locks." Appoint someone, preferably a man, to be in charge of Home security. He should be responsible for drawing up a daily security checklist and seeing that all rules are observed. Although good security is everyone's job, and as Dad said, every man in the Home is a security man, there must be someone who is willing and capable of maintaining good security and see that all the rules decided upon are adhered to. "What is everybody's responsibility is nobody's."
He should remember that, as Dad said, "When you are a responsible watchman on the wall, you'd better work with your sword in one hand and your trumpet in the other, because it is your duty to protect others and you cannot merely turn the other cheek."
We are armed most of all with the Lord's wisdom, power, Spirit, anointing, inspiration, warnings and gift of discernment. The Lord can give you whatever it takes at the moment to show you what to do, to be prepared and aware. Even armed guards can't keep you unless the Lord keeps you.
A good security man should keep his eyes, ears and spirit open to any unusual activity or sounds around the home. The Lord usually gives you some kind of warning before something happens, so it's very important to keep your spirit open to His checks and always be ready to check out anything, whether it be a car stopping in front of your house, a faint smell of smoke, the neighbor's dog barking, or someone getting out of the elevator on your floor of an apartment complex. You don't have to be in a frenzy about it, but just be alert to the Lord's checks. ("Heavenly Security—Part 1," FSM #119)
Make up a daily checklist of all the [security] things that need to be checked each day. Leave a space where the person responsible can tick each point, to show that it was done. In general, this list should just be security items, so security boys don't get tripped off on tidying, etc.
In general it's best that at least 2 people are responsible to do the nightly security rounds. That way they can double check on each other that nothing is overlooked. This could be rotated amongst all the men in the house so that all are conscious of the need, but the Security Officer still needs to make sure that it is done properly. ("Heavenly Security—Part 1," FSM #119)