the grapevine
(Issue #54; November 15, 1998.)

kidbits

little lovebugs …
       Nicole Ashley Pioneer, 1st child, born to Jenna Nicole on August 4.--USA
       Jade Shanice, 2nd child, born to Heidi and Joshua on August 4.--Australia
       Christopher Jonathan, 9th child, born to Mary and Abel on August 25.--France
       Sebastian, 1st child, born to Sara and Francis Davidson on August 28.--Czech Republic
       Vincent Daniel, born to Christina and Steven on September 5.--South Africa
       Christian Leighton, 1st c hild, born to Sherri and Samuel on September 10.--Mexico
       Mariangela Sonomi, 4th child, born to Trusty and Jonas on September 12.--Japan
       Abel Szabolcs, born to Hungarian Eden and David on September 12.--Hungary
       David Samuel, 1st child, born to Sara and Samuel on September 16.--Mexico
       Daniel Ariel, born to Jenny E. and Jan Inspiration on September 17.--Czech Republic
       Kevin Anthony, 2nd child, born to Paloma and Daniel on September 18.--Hungary
       Boy (no name given), 8th child, born to Li sa and Jonas on September 19.--Sweden
       James Aito, 4th child, born to Love and John on September 20.--Japan
       Ai, 2nd child, born to Florence and Paul on September 20.--Japan
       John, 5th child, born to Rachel and Joseph on September 25.--Greece
       Amanda Celine, 2nd child, born to Naomi and Simon on October 6.--Europe
       Noelle Jasmine, 4th child, born to Renee and Pierre on March 26.--Taiwan

tidbits

new laborers
       Eman (20, Albanian) joined in Albania in July.
       Csaba (28, Hungarian) and T unde (27, Hungarian) joined in Hungary in September.
       Matthew Patient (23, Polish) joined in Poland in September.
       Mihaela (27, Romanian) joined in Romania in September.
       Svyeta (24, Russian) joined in Russia in September.
       Esther Sunshine (21, Russian) joined in Russia in September.
       Florence (29, Japanese) and Paul (29, Japanese) and one child joined in Japan in September.
       Comfort Grace (41, USA) rejoined in South Korea in September.

getting together …
       Pierre and Renee were betroth ed on April 16.--Taiwan
       David and Joan were betrothed on September 25. Congratulations!--PACRO

Keep-on-tract!
WS
       (From WS staff:) By the time you read this notice, or shortly thereafter, DV, there will be a new Christmas tract on the Members Only site, along with the two already existing Christmas tracts entitled Christmas Gifts for You and A Special Christmas Gift (for children). The new Christmas tract is black and white, and is presented in a Christmas card format. So it's yours to do wnload, print and distribute!
       By the way, be sure to regularly check the Members Only site for new tracts on current events and major happenings in the world. You'll currently find a tract for the survivors of Hurricane Mitch, which was prepared for our Family in Central America. Also included is a tract for distribution in Chile, where tensions are mounting regarding Pinochet and the political situation (the Spanish versions of these two tracts should be on the Spanish Family Web site). Comin g soon will be a tract to ring in the New Year. So there's lots on the way, and if you're regularly checking the M.O. site, you'll be able to start distributing the new timely tracts much quicker, without having to wait until they are printed and mailed to your Home. Happy tract-ing! We love you!

answered prayer!
       (From WS:) Thank you for your prayers for Eman Artist, who suffered a major stroke, and was in danger of his right side being permanently paralyzed. The Lord is wonderfully answeri ng our prayers, as Eman has gained some use of his right side and can now even get around without a cane. He continues to undergo therapy and asks that we all pray for him to regain the full use of his right side, especially his right hand. He draws with his left hand, but still requires the use of his right hand in order to do his artwork. Please pray for his full recovery as he desperately wants to continue to use his gift of art to help reach the world for Jesus.

world news

Morelia and LA Homes witness at the Mexican Festival Cervantino!
       Festival Cervantino is a national Arts and Culture festival which attracts people from all over the world to Guanajuato, Mexico. About 30 teenagers and adults from the three Homes in Morelia, Mexico and the LAMB Home in LA teamed up on a three-day road trip. We witnessed, did Holy Ghost samples, and in the end, over 530 people were won to the Lord and over 5,000 tracts passed out.--Mexican/US Family

Literacy Seminar Held by Family Members in Pakistan
       A leading chain of schools hosted a one-day course based on our literacy program as well as motivational lectures to become effective teachers. Stefan and Suzie gave the seminar to 100 female teachers on the primary level here in Islamabad. The lecture, as well as the practical workshop on how to make flashcards, was a success, as well as a financial boost as they gave a donation to cover time and expenses.--Home in Islamabad

on the net

Web report for International Family We b sites and the M.O. site - September, 1998

       GP and Members Only site stats report
       The GP sites got 4,126 distinct visits this last month! 960 MB downloaded as well, averaging 32 MB a day.
       332 visits to the online Zine!
       125 Grapevines and 42 Zines were downloaded from the Members Only site this last month! A total of 1 gigabyte was downloaded from the Members Only site, and we received 2,016 distinct visits.

Work completed/uploaded
       Complete HTML songbook online!--The same wonderful version, containing almost every Family song ever written, that is going to be on the Songbook program CD that will be offered to all Homes for $5.00 plus postage very soon! Don't miss getting a copy!

       (Note: For those of you who don't already know, there is a very inspiring set of screensavers made by Mama's Home also on the Members Only site. It's available for downloading, so check it out!)

Responses to GP Web Sites - September 1998
       Orion, Russia: I think you guys are doing a terrifi c job of presenting Christianity and other Biblical truths in a hip and modern way--one that appeals to the secular youth of today. This is something that other church-inclined sites are not able to do. With stuffy graphics, dated lingo, and "holy" word-bytes, they scare away possibly interested Web-surfers. Keep up the good work. You should include more pictures of believers who look and dress like Ziners, if there is such a thing!
       Tom, US: I met a young lady named Sandra in a Wal-Mart store in Woodburn, Oregon. I was very impressed with what she had to say about the Family. I have a handicapped daughter, and I will invite Sandra and others in the Family to pray with and for myself and my daughter. Thank you.
       Vicki, US: I would like to know how to get more prepared for the future. Have there been recent revelations about the end of the world and what will happen? Please send me more info.
       Craig, USA: I was searching the Internet tonight and came across copies of MO Letters. I ha dn't known I was looking for anything until I stumbled across these Letters. They struck a chord. I would like to find out more. As a healer, I need to find a way to heal myself, and reading these Letters sent me on my way.
       Kyle, USA: O my God! O my God! I can't believe I actually found you on the Internet! Wow!!!!! I have been looking for you guys for soooooooo long! Okay, before you think I'm like a total nut-case, let me explain. When I was eight, I met some people passing thru Pittsburgh w ho called themselves The Children of God. I only knew them for like a day or so and they baptized me in the Ohio River in Jesus' name. Anyway, I guess you people had some "problems" with the "authorities" and kinda like left the country. Over the years I have collected everything that I could get my hands on about your ministry and especially David Berg. (God, was he RADICAL!)
       Most of what I came across was negative--okay, it was ALL negative--but I literally became obsessed! I support you 100 %! A few years ago I came across a dude from Europe who handed me a stack of MO Letters and a few music tapes--God, was I in ECSTASY! Since then my house burnt down and I lost what little stuff I had collected from you both directly and indirectly. Now hopefully I can stock up on all the New Wine you have to dish out!

think deep
       Most people wish to serve God--but only in an advisory capacity.

legal and media - September 1998

       Italy - We were filmed by a TV station while busking at the beach. We didn't see the broadcast, but over the next few weeks we met many people who said they had seen us on TV. It was a real blessing for our outreach, as people wanted to know more about us.--Abner, Delight, Andrea, Elisabetta

       Kenya - Michael gave a short interview on Sky Satellite TV at the Nairobi bomb blast site where we were helping out.--Paul, Olivia, David, Sharon, Joy

       Croatia - Croatian national TV, Hrvatska TV, broadcast parts of our show for a local handicap center. It wa s broadcast on September 13th reaching an audience of one million.--Andrew, Miracle, Angelina, Crystal

       Kazakhstan - Vechernie Almaty (circulation: 30,000) published a picture of us performing and a positive article about our work in the country. TV KTK and TV HABAR (audience: 500,000 each) also filmed and broadcast our show in their news program.--Peter, Esther, Philip, Faithy, Ivan

       Uzbekistan - A national newspaper (circulation: 500,000) for all the teachers of all the schools in Uzbeki stan published a very favorable and factual article explaining about our building toilets in a school for handicapped children.--Gideon and Lily

       Russia - An article was published in The Moscow Times (circulation: 80,000) about our CTP project helping a sick boy. It was a positive and objective article, which also appealed for help towards our projects.--Nadia, Lydia, Esther
       The Russian TV channel 1 came for a short interview which was aired last month at 7:30 A.M. (prime time news) reachin g 150,000,000 viewers.--Stephen, Esther, Mark, Nadia

       Denmark - After praying about whether or not we should participate in Pernille's Universe TV program, which was to be broadcast October 13th, the Lord showed us to go ahead with it. I went to the studio with Peter and Mary and was able to sit with the audience. They had no intention of attacking us; the talk show hostess was actually pretty sweet. It was interesting that they had detractors from the Scientologists and Jehovah's Witnesses a nd a critic of the Moonies, but we were there with nobody to gainsay us. We did look a bit silly in the company of the "Orgasmic Church" and a pagan priestess, but nevertheless the Gospel was preached.
       Of course they also asked about our sex beliefs, how "we could use sex as a means of solving conflicts between individuals in the group" or something like that, but it was in a rather humorous vein. Michael Rothstein, a local academic, was excellent. He put things in the right context explaining how research and statistics proves that the sects are not a problem, especially when compared to all the other conflicts in society.--Valour

babymania

More Potty Overcomers

       (From Vicky, of Philip, Hungary:) I have four kids (ages five, four, three and one), and I encountered quite a few potty training problems with my first child.--She was over three years old and still wet her bed at night.
       I started to potty train her at four months, and pushed it quite a bit. As time went by and she still wasn't dry at night I got frustrated and worried, especially about the nighttime wetting problems. This went on for a long time; I put the diaper back on and she liked it. Then one day I thought I'd try taking her diaper off again. She cried and fought it at first, but I explained to her that we should try again. And guess what? She has done great ever since! TTL!
       The lesson I learned was not to push it so much, not to worry about it, and the results will come. My third child got the victory over diapers much sooner (he was 1-1/2 or 2 when he stopped wetting the bed at night), and in a very short time. I felt it was because I didn't push him; he just did it when he was ready for it. Also, some kids have weaker bladders than others, even within the same family.

       (From Mercy, Lithuania:) Gaby, my eighth child, hated to sit on the potty when he was a baby. It was a major battle for him, and he'd never do anything in the potty, but would just sit there and cry. I would stop for a couple months and start again later, but still he hated it. I did that several times, but to no avail. The Lord told me to just stop trying so hard and trust Him.
       One day, by a miracle, I found in a second-hand bookstore, a book called "Toilet Training in Less than a Day." It explains how to potty train a child of about two, by having him teach a dolly to go potty. (I think the method was summarized in the Dito book, or you can get the book from: Pocket Books / A Gulf and Western Company / 630 Fifth Ave. / New York, N.Y. 10020.) I studied it, and the Lord showed me to give it a try.
       I waited for my son to be two, as his birthday was in the summer and it's easier to do it in warm weather. Besides, since I had been unsuccessful with him until then, I wanted to be sure it would work, so I preferred to wait until he was old enough to grasp the whole method.
       We lived in a caravan at the time, so I trained him straight on the caravan's porta-potty, which he seemed to like, as it was a "big boy's" potty. We did the whole teaching method throughout one morning, and even though he only went once in the toilet that morning (and many times in his undies), he grasped the principle. Within a few days he was completely dry during the day, and by the end of the summer, during the night as well. Not only that, but he learned to know how to recognize the signs of needing to go, instead of me having to regularly ask him if he needed to go. So if any of you have similar problems, tr y this method.--I highly recommend it.

       (From Jaz, Free Zine country:) Beginning at about 18 months, I finally launched Kimby's big potty-training campaign. (I was also putting her on the potty off and on from the time she was six months old or so, but it wasn't an all-out "potty-training-to-stay-completely-dry" attack.) Now (21 months) she's totally trained during the day, although I still put her diaper on for nighttime. Here are a few tips that I personally found helpful:
       * I used the "s hiner reward" approach, where I made a big hoopla whenever she "delivered" on the potty, and rewarded her with a special fun snack that she had a real fancy for. (I was worried that she would become addicted to these rewards, but she gradually faded off them with no problems as she became more accustomed to her potty time. PTL!)
       * Getting to wear special, exciting and very highlighted "big girl panties" and making it special to keep them dry seemed to encourage her as well.
       * I think the mai n thing that I learned was the importance of not giving up too soon. Perhaps it's just the way I am, but when something doesn't bring instant success, I often tend to want to throw in the towel a little too quickly. A couple of times during Kimby's potty-training, I felt like giving up because she didn't seem to be responding, or she would have a relapse and she'd wet her panties several times in a row. (Also at the very beginning when the concept just didn't seem to be getting through, and she' d sit on the potty for the longest time, then get up and wet her pants!)
       Both times, I came to the Lord and asked Him what to do, and each time He encouraged me about my specific situation--saying that in Kimby's case, she was ready to take this step, and that I just needed to persevere and not give up too easily. He also gave some tips for how to help things go better. So don't give up if you don't see the results right away--almost invariably, as soon as I made the decision to keep going for it, the next day she would start being completely dry without accidents for days, and I'd wonder what on earth I was worrying about!

pioneering
--from David and Lauren, Kenya
       Since we will soon be leaving East Africa in order to pioneer a new African field, we felt it would be best to visit our friends and follow-up contacts in Mombassa and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, instead of disappearing and letting them know "after the fact." So after a great deal of prayer, off we went with one-way bus tickets to Mombassa and absolutely no clue what would happen on the other end. Our trip turned out to be nothing but one miracle after another. We ended up backpacking over 4,500 miles down to Livingstone and back. (Livingstone is a city in Zambia bordering Zimbabwe, nestled a few miles from Victoria Falls.)
       We had been hoping that when we arrived in Mombassa we could stay with some of our friends. We'd written them, letting them know that we were coming. But when we got there, we found out t hat their relatives had also arrived and the house was full. Thankfully, another friend of ours was able to put us up in a small guesthouse right in town. Next door to where we were staying was a 24-hour open-air club/restaurant. The owner is a local politician. We originally approached him to ask if he could donate lunch, but he was so happy to meet us and hear about our work, that he invited us to come any time we needed a meal.
       Aside from all our witnessing and follow-up, we had a little bu siness detail we needed to figure out--how to get to Dar es Salaam. Our choices were land (by bus) or sea--either way the trip takes about 11 hours. Two of the previous times we'd traveled to Dar from Mombassa we had received donated tickets on the one and only speed ferry that runs the route. Unfortunately the girl who had given us the tickets was no longer around, and their headquarters had also moved to we knew not where. By a miracle, we found someone who knew where the new office was locate d, and he drew us a map.
       [Because street addresses do not exist in Kenya, it's just a normal part of your day to draw maps--lots of them. Every time you want to find out how to get somewhere or give someone directions, you draw a map.--Either that or your verbal directions go something like this: "Take this next road to the big tree and then turn left, and then you know how the road splits about a mile up--well, go right at the split…."]
       As sometimes happens, the map we were drawn had a few flaws in it, and due to the fact that no one in the area knew what we were talking about, we wandered around a dusty industrial area for an hour in the heat of the day looking for this no-such-thing building. Finally, someone figured out what we wanted and pointed us in the right direction. By the time we were ushered to a place to sit and wait for someone to help us, our brains were fried.
       There we were, sitting at a small desk in the middle of a huge office. A short, unassuming little man ca me up, shook our hands and asked how he could help us. We barely managed to blurt out that we needed free tickets but had no idea who to ask. He looked at us a little puzzled and asked why we needed free tickets. In a concise statement, we explained why we'd gotten them before, handed over our photo album, and asked if he could point us in the right direction. He looked through the photo book for a few minutes, then looked at us and said, "OK, I'll give you tickets." And we said, "What?"
       Well, we didn't really SAY "what," but our faces showed it. What we really said was something like, "You have the authority to do that?" "Of course," he answered, "I own the company." Talk about being embarrassed! He ushered us into his office, gave us something to drink, bought two videos, issued the tickets and drove us back into town.
       Our time in Dar was spent quite the same as Mombassa, witnessing and following up on those we'd met during previous visits. For a number of reasons, we'd chosen to stay at the local YWCA--mainly because of its centrality. The first few nights of our stay were paid for by a friend, and a local businessman agreed to pay for the rest. Unfortunately, when it came time to pay the bill, we were unable to get in contact with him.
       But the Lord was not to be outdone. That evening, while being driven back to our place, the friend that was commuting us wanted to stop off at an arcade and play a few video games. He handed us a couple of coins to keep us busy. Since Lauren wasn't much for racing cars, she stuck her coins in the slot machine, and the Lord provided the cost of our stay by the means of a "one-armed-bandit" spilling the jackpot. TYJ!
       With our time in Dar drawing to a close, we needed to get to Zambia. The "feasible" options open to us were travel by rail or bus. Considering traveling by bus would mean sitting with our chin on our knees for 24 hours, we really wanted to travel by rail. TAZARA is the joint government-run railway that runs betw een Tanzania and Zambia. The funny thing is that the railway does not link the two capitals. It runs about 1,100 miles but stops 120 miles short of Lusaka (Zambia's capital), and you have to work out your own way there and back. Miraculously, the Lord worked out free tickets for our train travel, giving us lots of witnessing opportunities on the way.
       Technically, Zambia is a much poorer country than Kenya and Tanzania, but we were surprised at how "advanced" it was compared to what we were use d to. The people are extraordinarily friendly, the cities (what few there are) are decently clean; low crime rates; phone lines that work; the electricity supply is fairly stable and the roads are paved and have few potholes.
       Before starting this trip, we had written to the team in South Africa that had spent a couple of months in Lusaka. They had passed on the name of one of their friends to us, and asked us to stop by and say hi on their behalf. This turned out to be quite the Lord's set up. M. is a young banker who has been in Zambia for about four years, and he welcomed us with open arms. When he found out that we didn't have much in the way of accommodations, he insisted that we stay at his place, and from there on out, he took care of us. In turn we were able to spend hours witnessing to him and answering his many questions about Jesus and Christianity (as he's a Muslim). After he prayed with us he exclaimed, "I haven't felt this good since I could remember. I feel so light, so at peace, I just want to jump and shout!"
       Our trip back to Nairobi was probably one of the most "hair-raising" of all we have experienced thus far. Transportation in Kenya and Tanzania has never been very reliable, but buses generally tend to have schedules--not that they are always kept. In Zambia, however, buses simply leave whenever they are full, which is fine if you're not in any hurry, but not so fine if you need to catch a train and the next one doesn't leave for three days. We had giv en ourselves five hours to make the 120-mile trip. We arrived at the train station just ½ hour before the train left, so very thankful that we DID make it, especially after what happened next.
       Twenty-four hours into the trip, a train derailed--NOT our train, thankfully, but another train 60 miles up the tracks. It was a freight train, so no one was hurt, but the damage to the rails was extensive. (With the exception of the stations, there is only one set of tracks the entire 1,862 kms. that th e railway runs.) This meant we were stuck on the tracks for 22 hours while TAZARA tried (unsuccessfully) to repair the damage.
       We were left wondering what to do, as the last bus to Nairobi from Dar left in 24 hours and if we missed that one we'd be stuck for another three days. We thought about trying to hitchhike or catch a ride somehow, but the Lord told us to sit tight and that He'd work it out. And He did. We made our bus with 10 minutes to spare. Whew! But not without first being brought to the accident site, offloading, making our way through and across the twisted rails and upturned freight cars, walking the catwalk of a very high bridge with part of the railing missing and clambering into another train with compartments that had to be at least 50 years old.
       It seems things like this happen regularly when you travel in this part of the world--either that or we attract them, ha! The Lord did a series of miracles on the final leg of our return trip, getting us home safely to a happy reunion with our loved ones in Nairobi, and ready for the next adventure!

notices
Pray for the Iraqi people

       (From WS:) The Family in the Mideast has requested you, the worldwide Family to pray for the tense political situation in Iraq. Here's what the Lord said about it, which should motivate us all to spend some time in prayer for the precious people there:

       (Jesus speaking:) Pray for My poor Iraqi children. Pray for those who have suffered for many years, and now again are su rrounded by conflict. They are discouraged and broken-hearted, for they long for peace, safety and happiness for their land. Pray that they will find their hope in Me. Pray for Me to comfort their hearts.
       Pray also for the rulers of the countries involved in this conflict. Pray that I will turn their hearts toward Me, and that the innocent may be spared. Did I not say that in the Last Days perilous times would come? Now they are coming, but you must still pray that I will touch the lives of th e poor and suffering innocents with My love, light and hope. Pray for My Iraqi children. (End of message from Jesus.)

Book summaries on Members Only Web site!
       (From Tammi, for the WS Web team:) As some of you on far-flung fields don't have access to English books and reference-type material on childcare, pregnancy and birth, and other helpful topics, we thought we could try to be of service to you by making some book summaries available for downloading from the Members Only site.
       These su mmaries have mostly been sent in by some of you. We've been able to go through these and put them into a nice PDF format for your easy reading. As these books were not written by WS you will need to bear in mind when you read them that they may contain some material that doesn't reflect our Family way of doing things. For the most part, though, they contain a wealth of good information and ideas that we believe will be a blessing to many of you. Be sure to pray and ask the Lord what ideas apply to your particular situation before implementing them.
       If you have similar material that you think would be helpful to other Family members, please send it in and mark it "Book summary" at the top. We hope to make these available on a semi-regular basis, depending on how much material we have on hand.
       The first one that should be on the M.O. site by the time you're reading this is called "Travel with Kids" (courtesy of the SACRO FED, GBT!)--containing pages of ideas and suggestions for trave lling on different kinds of trips with kids of all ages. We pray it proves to be very helpful to all our travelling missionary families!

Photos needed!
WS
       (From the Web team:) Big things have been happening on the Family Web sites! We hope most of you have been able to check out the sites from time to time. As per a number of requests we've received over the months (and we do appreciate this feedback!), we have been trying to include more current news of the Family's activities around the world. Due to a lack of material, the only way we've been able to go about doing this is to highlight the FARs by featuring the latest stories on the Home page and making them easier to access. The FAR editor has also given us edited material that the FARs didn't have space for. GBH!
       But, in order for things to really get rolling in this new venture, we need you! Or, more specifically, photos and short testimonies of outreach/CTP activities that can be published on the Web.
       Putting these pho tos and articles on the Web makes them pretty much public domain, so one little word of caution is: ONLY send in photos and testimonies that you would be fine about us posting on the Web. Having photos of your Home's CTP and outreach activities can be a big encouragement to friends and contacts who know you, or people who live in your area and visit the Family sites. On the other hand, if you are concerned about the security aspect of your ministry, or feel that such exposure of one or all of yo ur Home's witnessing activities could be more of a detriment than a blessing, then please don't send such material in to us. Or, if you are fine with having your photos and a brief description of your work posted on the milky site (thefamily/family.org) but not on the main, meatier site, specify that to us too!
       If you have any questions, e-mail us at: photos@familymembers.com. We're looking forward to receiving your material! Keep checking the Family Web sites for current reports of what the F amily is doing around the world. Thanks for your help! We love, love, love you!

Family Online Newsletter - Activated!
USA
       (From LAMB Home:) With the vision to follow-up on the hundreds of sheep who write in to The Family e-mail address, we recently started a monthly on-line feeding newsletter called Activated! It includes highlights from the Family Activity Reports, an Endtime section with links to The Future Foretold and the Countdown to Armageddon site, Zine articles from our Web site, a Daily Might study on a new topic each month, a selection of From Jesus with Love and more!
       Here are a few reactions we've received to the Activated! newsletter:

       "Thank you very much for your periodic newsletter. I find it very uplifting and rewarding."

       "Thanks for sending issue #2! Very interesting. I forwarded it to another lady in my office who has just given her life to the Lord. She found it extremely helpful, in particular the 'Faith' article."

       "I just received the second iss ue of Activated! Like the first one it arrived 'on time', i.e. in a period where the uplift of the WORD was (and still is) a great inspiration and help. Thanks to you, too. Hearing from you is highly appreciated."

       We presently are sending Activated! to over 500 e-mail addresses, but we'd like to send the newsletter to as many e-mail addresses as we can. Since there are no postage or printing costs it's a great opportunity to "multiply MO missives" without having to "cut colony costs"! Do you have e-mail addresses of GP sheep or contacts who you think would appreciate receiving the monthly Activated! newsletter? If so, please send the following information to the 800/Web e-mail team, either via your ABM or to family@thefamily.org.

       1) Name
       2) E-mail address
       3) Status: GP, former Family member or relative
       4) Comments (optional)

       Thanks! We're looking forward to hearing from you soon with new addresses for Activated!

what's up?

Truckload of blessings
Turkey
       (From John, Rose, Tab and Victoria:) One of our friends called us, saying that her boyfriend was moving out of his apartment and would be able to give us whatever furniture we needed. We've only had our Home for one year, so since we were still in need of many furniture and household items, we decided to go over and see. It was much more than we could have imagined! We brought home a whole truckload of beautiful, almost new furniture, including a fridge, living room set, eight cupboards, dining room s et, fold-out sofa, dishes, etc!
       We felt it was a result of following the New Wine, trying to take more Word and quiet time, and going a little slower on our work, as a lot of these were things we'd planned to provision.

Letter from prison
Hungary
       (From the EE Mail Ministry Home:) This is a letter from R. Ferenc, 37 years old, presently in prison:

My dear Brethren and all my Family,
       I really love you and am praying for you! I'd like to share with you two testimonies.
       My students [F erenc has a Bible school in the prison] are all very different folks, but individually they are all sinners before Christ. The Lord didn't come to save the just, but the unjust, to redeem that which was lost. The sinners need Jesus.
       I even have a brother here who as a murderer stood in front of the earthly judge. He had always denied the Lord's existence, and he despised those who talked about God or went to Christian meetings.
       Once I put on his bed one of your publications about love. This is how he first came to me to ask me to explain the text to him. I talked to him about the Lord and gave him more of your publications. This man has been besieging me ever since, asking a lot of questions that I always try to answer from the Bible. And so it happened that this man became my brother! He is a totally changed man! He's faithfully studying the Word. His name is József.
       The other man I wanted to write about is Zoltán, he's 31 years old. He is in here for a vicious crime, but accord ing to Matthew 7:1, I cannot judge him. He also denied God, blasphemed against Him and declared that He didn't exist. But the result of our talking and reading together was that he also came to me and asked me: "Brother, would your God love me, too?" Of course, I witnessed to him, and now Zoltán also belongs to our great big family! It's still a bit difficult for him to walk God's way, but thank God, he's started out on the right road. Now he would really like to receive the Daily Food and Treas ure Hunt series. (By the way, all my students receive from me from all the materials you send me.)
       Every piece of literature you send is very useful! I love you and pray for you a lot!
Much love, Ferenc

Home in Rome
Europe
       (From Mary Mom:) Simon and Vicky have a fantastic catacomb ministry in Rome. The teens, YAs and SGAs (Andrew and Sharon, Maria, and Lisa) have all been involved in winning and ministering to these catacombers. Their Home is a fulfillment of the prophecy that was given during Peter's visit here to Europe. The Lord said that if brethren were going to remain in the West, they should reach the youth. It sure is happening!
       One whole family got saved, who had been pretty hard core against religion, into heavy metal, witchcraft and demons. One had been in jail and from their outward appearance you would think it difficult to approach them with all their tattoos, metal on their bodies and street spirits. But they all were wonderfully saved through a series of meet ings with the team in Rome. They have replaced all the pictures of demons around their house with Scriptures. They did a Jericho march around their house and rooms with Simon's team. They are faithful witnesses and drink in classes, and they love the Spirit.
       They told me, "Before we were saved our house was so divided. We never talked to each other, we never ate together, we never looked at each other. Now we all sit here together in this living room and love each other. Everything is turned a round and we are all so happy!" Their father has cancer and the doctors have given up on him. He is at home where they pray for him daily. They have healing Scriptures all over his wall and were so thrilled to see he is on the European prayer list. They believe that the Lord will miraculously heal him. While I was there they wanted us to hear from the Lord for their dad, and it was a very moving experience for us all.
       Then there are various catacombers who have moved closer to Simon and Vicky' s Home to get more involved with the daily life and witnessing before they make their final decisions about joining. It is so beautiful to see a whole Home so involved with ministering to these hungry sheep.
       One live-out and his wife were first met by some former brethren who were pretty negative about the Family, but nevertheless, gave them the Word they had, and from this the young couple grew. Later they met the CM Family. I thought it was neat that even when people speak against us, if the y give the Letters, then the Lord speaks and gets through all that muck of bitterness people have.
       The only thing that I was burdened about is that the majority of these people don't speak a word of English. There are only (from what I've heard) 28 Letters translated into Italian; the last translation was done in the late 70s. They have a new disciple who just joined, but he can't finish the basic reading course because of this factor. LHU! Please pray for us to be able to get more Word into t heir language!

ask-a-midwife
--By Rose Midwife, USA
       Q: Before I joined the Family, I read in some medical papers about the danger of using tampons--that with regular use it could cause some kind of disease similar to cancer. Then after I joined I remember that its use wasn't really recommended. But recently I've heard or noticed that the use of tampons has become increasingly popular, especially among our youth. I am concerned that if my information was well-founded, something should be sa id about this, or some kind of information published to avoid future problems among our dear sisters!--Faithy, Brazil
       A: Dear Faithy, you are right. There is a very real danger in using tampons. The danger comes when tampax is left in too long, as it can then cause a buildup of bacteria resulting in an illness called Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). The warning signs include a sudden high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, a rash that looks like sunburn, dizziness, muscle aches, or fainting or near faintin g when standing up. TSS can rapidly progress from flu-like symptoms to a serious illness that can be fatal.
       TSS is a disease believed to be cause by toxin-producing strains of bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. About 70% of all cases occur in menstruating women who are using tampons, and the other 30% occur in non-menstruating women, men, and children. The risk of developing TSS is higher for teenage girls and women under 30 years of age. You can avoid the risk of tampon-associated TSS by not us ing tampons, or at least using them infrequently, and not for long periods of time. Change them often. Studies have found the risk of TSS is related to the absorbency: the higher the absorbency, the greater the risk; the lower the absorbency, the lower the risk.

Our Law of Love Vacation
--Dream Fields Home, Japan
       (From Chloe:) Our Home has a lot of different ministries going on all the time. We house the PACRO Office, the VS and CRO teams, and are also a Reception Home for missionaries goi ng to or coming from the mission field. Besides that, like most Homes, we have children to take care of, witnessing and fundraising to do, and a myriad of other Home duties to take care of. Because of all that goes on here, we can sometimes get into a "busy" spirit and we don't always spend enough time with each other.
       We've found that we may live with a certain person for a long time without really getting to know them personally, and this can make it difficult to be really united or live the Law of Love together. So during the Law of Love reading in September, we as a Home, decided to take a three-day vacation during a lull (in that we were waiting for the next GNs to arrive). We wanted to make it a united activity and take a step towards living the greater aspect of the Law of Love in our everyday lives. We all felt we knew each other on a working basis, but to be able to truly live the full aspect of the Law of Love together, we knew we had to get closer--and what better way than to take some time off getting to know each other?
       Our united vacation was a lot of fun as we pulled together to make it work. On the first day, we had a free day and the parents and kids went to the zoo together. All the mothers got together and made a picnic lunch to take out, while the daddies got the kids ready and into the vehicles. For those of us without kids, another trip was made to a lake, where we spent the day swimming and had a barbecue, went on a bush walk, etc. That evening we h ad a party for the kids and then watched a new movie together.
       On the second day, our whole Home went out to a big park and played united games and had a picnic. It sure got us interacting with each other, and we saw sides of one another that we hadn't yet experienced in our day-to-day interaction with people in the Home, ha! In the evening we had a pajama party/dance which was a real blast. We played a number of games such as musical chairs, a treasure hunt, etc. Throughout the whole vacation the emphasis was placed on doing things together, and we were all encouraged to participate and join in, so there were no "party poopers"!
       On the last day, one of our dear provisioners provisioned a nearby Cinema (that just happened to be playing some recommended movies) for all of us! So we all took turns going to the movie of our choice (in large teams) while the rest took turns being with the kiddos. It made the movie a lot more fun to be with so many other people, and I'm sure it also mad e the theatre a lot louder, ha!
       Overall, it was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed themselves and participated in the activities. Later, many commented that it helped them to get to know each other better, and as we continued reading the Law of Love series it made things more tangible and attainable. Another thing we did as a Home, which wasn't part of the vacation, but just one evening during the Law of Love reading, was we wrote down all the girls' names in a hat and the boys all picked a nam e out. The next hour was spent with that person--i.e., going for a walk, playing a game of pool, talking, etc.--Anything that would give you a chance to get to know the person on a more personal and intimate level. The idea was to be able to spend some time (non-sexual) with a person that maybe you don't naturally spend a lot of time with due to different ministries, etc., and it really worked. Some of us ended up with people we would not normally have chosen to spend time with, and it was neat to get to know that person better and get closer to them.
       We thought we'd share this testimony with everyone, as it really helped us to get more unified and relax with one another. It also upped the inspiration level of the Home, as so often on our freedays we would just go off to our rooms and do our own thing. Since then, however, it seems that everyone is doing things together more and really enjoying it. PTL! We thought you might want to try some of these ideas too.

gents and ladies
-- Men, take note! All contributions are from females!
       Me, not being a real "looker," it really touched my heart when this real handsome hunk of a guy, who I thought would never give me the time of day, one day took my hand and with all sincerity said, "You're beautiful!" If that wasn't enough, he pulled from his pocket a little scribbled note and handed it to me, kissed my forehead and left. In my wishful thinking, I thought maybe the note would read of his undying love that he hadn't cared to s how me till now. But as I opened it, it wasn't anything like that--though that would have been a thriller as well! He had gotten a beautiful prophecy for me. What a guy!!
       --SGA female, Japan

       After a long, busy day of fundraising, out all day with five OCs, I was really hoping to go straight to bed for some peace and quiet, but couldn't as there were dishes and stats to be done. Hours later when the kids were settled, I went to retreat to the comfort of my room, and there I found in my bed… on my pillow…a most welcoming sight! No, it's not what you're thinking, but better yet--a single red rose. With a note! I'll leave the rest to your imagination. All that to say: Aren't our boys unique, imaginative, original, sweet, dedicated, not to mention sexy as well as romantic? Thank God for them!
       --an SGA mountain maid, from Mount Venus

       "Thank you" to the "unprejudiced young male" (in Grapevine #31) who sent in his comments on young single moms in the Family. I thought it was so swee t coming from someone our own age. I'm 18 years old, single and about to have my first, so I really appreciated his view on this particular subject.
       There is this one guy who I knew before this all happened and we were friends and all, and we still are! We don't live together, but we still communicate, and believe me, it means the world to us girls when you guys just take the time to treat us [single mothers] like we're still "normal," ha!--And to even show interest in us and our babies. It's so nice to know that someone cares even just a little, and will take time to talk to you and show interest. I mean, this guy is such an angel, and I appreciate his friendship more than I ever did before. And the fact that he cares about us girls, and doesn't look down on us for our situation, really makes the difference. He has such a wonderful attitude about children, and it touches your heart to know that there are still people like that around.
       Not long ago, I was seriously considering leav ing the Family due to a lot of things that had been happening in my life, one of the biggest ones being my situation, also my baby's dad is no longer in the Family.--Anyway, having a friend like this helped me to hold on just a little longer and have the faith that the Lord would take care of me and Junior. So, you see, a little love really goes a long way. And I know I speak for all of us girls when I say thank you for taking the time to care.
       --female (18), USA

       Recently a visitor to our Home made a negative comment about one of my weaknesses to my husband. The comment made was true, but I feel quite strongly about the subject of saying negative things to people about their mates. Marriage is a beautiful and special relationship, but it is also easily torn down by negative comments by the mates themselves or by others. A marriage will always go through testing times, and any negative or positive input will come to be vital points of reference. The Lord will use any positive inpu t or comments to help during that time, and the Enemy will use any negative comments or input to do his best to weaken or destroy the relationship.
       When I first got together with my husband, after a few months, his weaknesses began to get to me. (I think women tend to be a lot more self-righteous and judgmental in their first serious relationship, due to having expectations of finding the perfect mate--at least I certainly was. And I have heard others share similar lessons on this subject.) I began to give place to my negative thoughts and reactions to these weaknesses.
       I began talking to a close friend of mine. My friend felt similarly to me, and he would often voice his negative feelings about my husband's weaknesses. This really affected me, and I am sure it played a serious part in my subsequent decision to separate from my husband. Mercifully the Lord brought us back together again and taught me a lot of vitally important lessons about not dwelling on the negative, not being s o critical, but accepting my husband as he is and loving him in spite of his weaknesses.
       When I heard that our visitor had made this negative comment to my husband about me, it reminded me of how I had been affected in the past, and it made me realize the seriousness of talking negatively about a person to their mate (or any person for that matter). It concerned me because although both my mate and I know my weaknesses (which I am trying to work on and do better in), those comments can stick i n your mind and grow. The Enemy really knows how to use them and play on them, especially during the testing times of marriage.
       We should always speak positively and in faith when talking about others' mates, even if the mate has a problem and you are trying to help. If you are applying the Word in how to correct and shepherd correctly, your comments should not have a negative effect, but a positive outcome. My prayer is that we can all build each other up, particularly our marriages, with pos itive input. Even if we know something isn't right, we should refrain from making negative and potentially destructive comments. That is not to say correction isn't needed, but it needs to be given by the right person, at the right time and in the right way.
       --from an adult woman, Europe

I'm wondering ...

Canning with no lit?
       Q: We've heard of Homes going canning with no lit--no posters, no tracts--just holding a can to collect money. Somehow, I just don't feel like that's right. It's such an opportunity to be able to give posters out when someone gives you a donation, that it's a shame to go out there bare-handed. I'd feel naked if I had no lit to give the sheep. I don't think there's anything in the Charter about it, but it still doesn't seem right, especially if they're doing it in the name of the Family.--Home in the USA
       A: (From WS:) You're right. This isn't specifically prohibited in the Charter, but if you go by the spirit of the Charter, Dad's letter on "Can the Can ning" and the commission that Jesus has given each of us to be witnesses, you'll see that this is missing out on a definite opportunity to feed His sheep and get out His message, and therefore missing the mark! Don't be afraid that in giving out posters or tracts you won't be able to make financial ends meet, Because the Lord has promised that as you pour out He'll pour in. So please trust the Lord for His provision and blessings! Be faithful in all you do to witness--that's what we're here for! Amen?

New ways to Pray & Praise
--by Nicole and the gals
       (Dad speaking:) A little spice can really liven up your prayer times, as long as it's done in the Lord's Spirit and not foolishly. While this column gives fun, unconventional ways to pray, these methods aren't meant to be used all the time.
       You have to be spirit led in your prayer methods. If you're praying for a life-and-death situation, your desperate need for finances, persecution that the Family is experiencing, or someone's s piritual walk with the Lord, just to give a few examples, you're not going to pass the hot potato around the room, or be tossing rings to see who gets to pray. There are definite times, as I've brought out in the Letters, that you need to pour out your heart and soul before the Lord in desperate prayer.
       However, using a variety of prayer methods doesn't have to mean that your prayers are foolish or not effective. You can use a fun method to determine who is praying and how they're praying, but when it comes time to pray--pray!--With your whole heart! Amen? (End of message from Dad.)

Prayer Ideas
       Musical Chairs: Set the chairs in a circle with one less chair than the amount of people playing (if you have 10 people playing, you'll need 9 chairs). When the music stops, the person who is left without a seat prays. (For simplicity, it may help to have a bowl or basket, with each prayer request on a separate piece of paper.)
       Pass the Parcel: Prepare a parcel beforehand, out of newsp aper or old paper. Under each wrapping, have a prayer request (and a specific way to pray, if you like). Pass the parcel around in a circle to the beat of the music, and when it stops, the person left with the parcel takes off one layer, finds the hidden prayer request, and prays.
       By Candlelight: Light a big candle in the middle of the room, and everyone takes turns to come up and light a little candle and pray.

Praise Ideas
       ABC praise: The first person praises for something beginning wit h the letter A, next person has to say something beginning with B, and so on.
       Tongues and Interpretation: Someone(s) sings/speaks in tongues and someone else gets the interpretation of the praise.
       Testimonies of Healing and Protection: Everybody says something they are thankful for--either something that the Lord has healed them from, or something that they have been protected from.
       Ring Toss: If you have one of these little pre-made toys (a stick with rings that you toss onto the stick), it makes for fun praise time activity. Those who get the ring on the stick, read a praise kiss.

support-a-missionary
       We are a small Home in the heart of Romania and we need childcare material. It is very hard to find educational toys here and we don't send trips to the West, so we are asking if you could send us some. We have five kids under five years of age. Thanks for your help. You can contact us at: fambra@deltanet.roknet.ro or at Nicolae I. Attn Teodora OP 1 CP 81 Brasov 2200 Romania.

mama's mailbox

Dear Mama,
       This is just a little personal thing that I wanted to pass on, which I have done with Pearl and the kids lately. We have a pretty big family team, not just our kids, but also Crystal and John help us too, so altogether we're 12 to 15 people.
       Over the past few months we've been trying to get out some posters, tracts and do some personal witnessing with the kids on Family Days. We went to a nearby shopping mall, as it's a lot easier with the large group of kids we have. It's a bit of an attention-getter--just the fact that there are so many little kids, from Carolina, who is just over one year old, then there's David, who's a little over two, and on up. It always gets people's attention, and the Thai people really love kids.
       It's been fantastic to go out personal witnessing with the kids, passing out posters and tracts, and praying with people. I've found, as have many people in Thailand, that this economic crisis has dramatically changed people for the better. There used to be a time when people wouldn't take a tract or poster because they knew it was Christian, whereas now 99% of everybody not only takes it, but will be found reading it from beginning to end. You can really see the Lord's hand in the economic collapse here, and how precious and receptive it's made people.
       We only witnessed for about two hours, one day in a mall, but we were able to get out 100 posters, and close to 300 tracts. I think 11 people ended up getting saved. It was so much fun for a Family Day activity. The kids love it. The little ones follow the bigger ones as far as handing these tracts or posters to different people, and it has to be one of the most beautiful and inspiring things we've done lately, and is so, so sweet. Thank You Jesus!
       --Silas (CRO), ASCRO

movie ratings

Movies Rated for Senior Teens and Up

LUCKY BREAK (1994) [a.k.a. PAPERBACK ROMANCE]
Gia Carides, Anthony LaPaglia
       Off-beat Australian romantic comedy about a cripple d romance-novel writer who unexpectedly gets a chance to loosen up without the burden of her handicap. May not be to everyone's preference due to the wacky style, but overall is enjoyable.

Movies Rated for Junior Teens and Up

BOXER, THE (1997)
Daniel Day-Lewis, Emily Watson
       Drama about an Irish boxer who is released after serving time in jail for his part in IRA activities, and goes about trying to rebuild his life without any political and sectarian ties. Interesting and realistic port rayal of the situation in Northern Ireland.

SPANISH PRISONER, THE (1997)
Campbell Scott, Rebecca Pidgeon, Steve Martin
       Suspenseful "whodunnit" type of mystery-drama, about a young company worker who devises a process that will make his company millions, and becomes worried that his boss is trying to cheat him out of his due. Intriguing and exciting, without much violence.

Movies Rated for JETTs and Up

SIMON BIRCH (1998)
Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Ashley Judd
       Drama/charact er study about 12-year-old Simon Birch, the smallest kid the town has ever seen, and how his simple faith in God and His plan for his life affects the lives of so many others. Touching and inspiring.

Non-Recommended Movies
       PRACTICAL MAGIC (Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman; 1998)

movie reviews

Lucky Break
       (Dad speaking:) This is quite a funny movie, isn't it? It's a bit off-beat and off-kilter; I would say the humor in it won't appeal to everyone. But beneath that rather frothy exterior is a movie about overcoming handicaps, about honesty, and about true love. All the best things in the world! I think that most people will find enjoyment in this movie. It's a sweet story with some really funny parts to it--and some pretty sexy scenes in there too, whew! (End of message from Dad.)

The Boxer
       (Jesus speaking:) This is a serious, sober movie, one that should not be entered into lightly. This man did not know Me. He did not have My Word or the true values to fight for, but he was fighting, in the way he knew how, for whatever reasons he could. Seeing these type of fighters should inspire you and spur you to motion in your own life to reach out to those around you, to share what you have with those who are so lacking, and so in need. Let your heart be broken through this film, that you may reach forth with renewed effort to share My love and light with those who are so desperately in need of it. (End of message from Jesus.)

The Spanish Prisoner
       (Dad speaking:) I wouldn't say this movie is way up there with the top message-filled movies, but it was interesting in the way that it really exposed the System and how they're out to get you any way they can. It's a suspenseful movie, a nail-biter, but without all the blood, guts and violent action that so many movies have these days. I love those "whodunnit" type of movies that keep you guessing right up to the end! (End of message from Dad.)

Simon Birch
       (Dad speaking:) This movie is a jewel, a treasure a nd pleasure to watch. It's a wonderful portrayal of a very sweet, humble, loving soul who went about doing his little part in the world around him to try to fulfil God's plan for his life. God bless all of you as you do the same! (End of message from Dad.)

your views on issues

A pow-wow by any other name…
Asia
       (From John [FGA]:) We have recently noticed a very strong anti-movie pow-wow sentiment arise in our Home--most noticeably amongst our younger members. As adults, we usually talk a bout movies after a movie, usually drawing lessons, laughs, etc. We do it sort of naturally and without thought. We noticed that the teens would noticeably leave if we talked about the films, and thought that perhaps they felt it was directed at them. But we saw that the same attitude was reflected if they showed videos to younger age groups.--No pow-wow or explanations.
       I do understand that pow-wows were often overworked and over-spiritualized in the past (maybe they still are), but I do feel that especially for younger ones (OC/MC), explanations are important, or they will often get the wrong idea, or not understand what's going on. Also, I feel that it is important that we draw as many lessons as we can from our daily experiences. If there are lessons to be had from watching a movie, then in my opinion, let's avail ourselves of them. Personally, I can use all the help I can get. Let's just resist the preacher's itch, or far-fetched applications, and try to make it enjoyable and pr ofitable for all.

Pinching their pocketbooks
India
       (From James Chesspiece, of Ruth:) We had an ongoing problem with kids not using good manners at the table, being disrespectful to each other, arguing and calling names, running and chasing in the house, etc., even after repeated reminders for months. We got together and prayed, and the Lord showed us to give them rewards when they were good-mannered and well-behaved. So we drew up a chart with a few simple table manner points:
       1. No talk ing with food in the mouth or eating with mouth open.
       2. Need to sit upright at the table.
       3. No arguments at the table.
       4. No reaching over other's plates.
       5. Say "please" and "thank you" and address the person by name when you ask for something to be passed to you.
       6. Excuse yourselves before leaving the table and wash your own plates.
       The major offenders were in the age groups of YC-OC. One adult would monitor them at the table and if they did well in all the five points, they got 50 Paise marked in the chart toward their name. For every point they failed in they would lose 10 Paise. If they all passed, it would cost the Home a total of Rs 3 ($ 0.08) per mealtime.
       Then there was the offenses list.
       1. Being disrespectful.
       2. Unloving behavior.
       3. Running and chasing in the house.
       If they offended in any of these points, they would lose 10 Paise every time. So there was a shiner and shamer list posted next to each other.
       We got results! No more repeated reminde rs were needed. One mention of an offense at the dining table was enough for them to know that it was going to pinch their pockets. At the end of the week on Family Day, all of them got their weekly checks printed out on thick card paper from the "Bank of Heaven," signed by the Director of GMC (Good Manners Committee).
       The adults were happier, as they didn't have to nag anymore. The kids started to get richer with their checks coming in every week, and it cost the Home about Rs 200 (about $5) a month.
       One sweet thing happened when a beggar came to the gate. One of the adults asked how much should we give the boy, and the kids all said that they wanted to give part of their check to him. So they all turned in one of their weekly checks, and the amount together came to Rs 100. All of them felt so good to give out of their own money for love, and the boy who received the money was so overjoyed!

Correct term: single parents
South America
       (From a single father:) After some years a s a single parent, having to take care of my children all on my own, I keep asking myself why people keep referring to "single mothers" when we're really talking about parents who have had to raise their children without a mate. Obviously it's mostly women who are in this situation, but it bothers me when people seem to feel like I don't deserve single parent status, just because I'm not a woman.
       At times, it has been very difficult to raise my children without the help of a woman, but I've ne ver murmured or complained about my situation. Nonetheless, people always expect the man to have to bring in support, without considering that he also has to raise his children or cry in silence that their physical needs aren't always being met, and not being able to count on money to get them, try to play the role of both father and mother, make sure that at least they have clean clothes, that their fingernails are cut, and all the rest. You have to understand that men are not as adept at this sort of thing as women are.
       I don't want to take away any credit from our precious women who have given birth and raised their kids under difficult situations, but I would also like for this credit to be extended to the single fathers, many of whom I know in person, who have done their best to raise their children in the ways of the Lord. Three hurrahs to all single fathers for your great labors of love!

Fundraising via tools
Lithuania
       (From Byron, of Mercy:) A YA recently stated how she feels good raising funds through a System job, so as not to have to live off the field. I think what she meant is that she feels bad going fundraising like we do, going OTO, STS, DTD, etc., presenting our videos, tapes and posters and asking for donations to support our work.
       Ever since I got my first tract from a sister on the street, finding the Lord through it, and a way out of my miserable, drug-confused state of mind and eventually joining the Family and finding a purpose in life, I coul dn't think of it as a sacrifice asking people to give money for a tract, much less a tape, CD or a video! The System also sells tapes, CDs, videos and posters, even in poor Third World countries, and without offering the people eternal salvation; are they feeling bad about it? I don't think so. Then why should we?! Why should we, living in an unrighteous world, feel bad doing the righteous thing?
       We are offering the people we meet the most precious things in the world: Jesus, His eternal life, happiness, peace of mind, solutions to problems and healing for their bodies. I don't think anyone should feel bad about asking for a donation in return for what we have to offer; not to speak of the fact that our customers even get their money's worth in the form of a video, tape, CD or a poster.

The flat tire of bad manners
Earth
       (From Michael:) When I found out that my kids talked "like the adults," ("You do that right now, okay?!") I figured I had to start to reconsider my manners. I found that I have to start by asking the toddlers nicely, "Excuse me, could you please…," otherwise how are they going to learn? I've found that everyone responds much nicer if I'm polite. Like the French guy said: "It may be just air, but the air in the tire makes the ride smooth. You just don't get far with a flat tire."
       Sometimes I wonder about the manners of some people in the Family. I don't think some are aware of the negative effect they have on others. How often have I heard former con tacts and supporters say they used to help, but have been disappointed by people's manners or actions.
       I had a family as guests in our Home for two or three months. I paid almost every expense of theirs and tried to be as nice as I could. From what I hear this isn't so normal, even in the Family. They weren't intending to stay long, but when their agreed-upon four weeks had passed they just told me, "It's alright, the office doesn't mind if we stay longer." They didn't even ask if it was okay with us!
       When I found my brand new tape recorder (borrowed without asking, of course, because in the Family we are supposed to share everything) next to a boiling kettle of water, I mentioned that I didn't like my tape recorder in the kitchen while cooking. Ignoring the kettle, the woman replied, "But I didn't cook!" You lose friends when you're too proud to apologize.
       Another sure way of losing friends is by always being late. A nearby team is practically always late; they often don't even show up at all. They really believe in their excuses, so they usually don't even apologize! They don't seem to realize what it means for others to wait for them. They give the impression that only what they do is important; what others do doesn't count. You feel a bit offended, because somebody stole your time.
       Back to the French guy: I think people who don't want to pump up their tires and check them regularly shouldn't be surprised if they don't get far, and if the ride is rough.

Mama Jew els on Simple Courtesy
--to staff members
       Whenever you can, it's more loving to knock first before entering someone's bedroom or office, rather than just barging in without knocking. Everybody needs to try to be respectful of other people's privacy. Communal living can be trying at times; there's little privacy in many of our Homes, and sometimes little quiet. The more considerate people are of one another's privacy and quiet time, whenever possible, the sweeter and easier it makes life. When ever people make a habit of those little acts of courtesy, it makes living communally more pleasant and loving. Of course, there's a time to knock and a time when it's not needed. For example, if the area is being used as a nursery or childcare area or some other work or project where people need to go in and out lots anyway, then of course you don't need to knock every time.
       Our Homes are pretty busy and often have to double up on space and use bedrooms for classrooms or offices, etc., so the re's little privacy. So anytime you have the opportunity to show courtesy and respect of others' privacy by doing things like knocking first, it's appreciated by others and goes a long way in making the ride less bumpy, like the anecdote about the air in the tires. The point is that we don't want people to neglect the good habit of showing respect by knocking when it's appropriate. It gives the other person a little warning you're coming and also gives them a few seconds to shoot up a prayer tha t their conversations will be spirit led and loving with whoever is about to enter.

       During a mission in WWI, Marshal Foch encountered a noisy American who ridiculed the politeness of the French. "There's nothing in it but wind," he sneered. "There's nothing but wind in a tire," countered the Marshal, "but it makes riding in a car very smooth and pleasant."

find-a-friend
--the shorter, the better!
       Ramona, just got your letter dated in Feb. My e-mail is: family.jlcfmly@axcess.net.in. Ple ase write soon.--Crystal.
       Abigail (a.k.a. Jacinta, from Pune) would like to contact Peter and Sandy and Zickri and Safidor who were in Poona, India in 1983. Add: Abigail Raj, Family Services, 706, Barton Centre, 84 M.G, Rd, Bangalore 560001. India. E-mail: access@giasbga.vsnl.net.in.
       Shannon is looking for Kelly (or Celeste, of Summer), last heard of in S. Africa. Add: 270014, Odessa P.O. box 76, Ukraine. E-mail: Jsfam@smn.tenet.odessa.ua.
       Attention: Kristina (16, Aussie, of Jonathan and F aith), Heidi (16, Japanese, last heard of in Okinawa), and Joan and Joanne (17, twin daughters of Bill and Mercy, last heard of in the USA). This is Shanoa (Angela, 15, of Australian Mike). Contact me through the China desk.
       Attention Shane G. (formerly Ben), Robin would like to hear from you. E-mail:
       Joy (of Isaac) would like to contact Danny, Christina, Lamb (of Byron and Marie), and Lily (of Tim and Renee, last lived with you in Thailand). E-mail:Harvesters@t-onl ine.de. Add: Bleich Blumenstrasse 22. 52531 Ubach-palenberg, Germany.
       Maria (Pepa) quiere contactar a John y Rejoice antes viviendo en Argentina. E-mail: axl@quanta.com.py.
       Bob from Cincinnati, Ohio needs to hear from Tim and Maria in Mexico. I have mail for you. Where should I send it? Add: Robert Muse PO Box 531036, Cincinnati, Ohio 45253-1036 USA.
       Freedom and Napthali Fighter, Napthali and Crystal Fiddler, Candelaria, Lee, and Hannah from the FF Home in Vienna in 1980, please write Nath an Te Ama. Add: M. Lee, Postfach 3401, 26024 Oldenburg, Germany.
       Suzy (of Peter and Sara) would like to contact Therese (of Christina). E-mail: Nederlees@.com. Add: 10400 S. Post Oak Rd. Suite E-229 Houston ,Texas 77035.
       Promise (16, Philippines), Isabel would love to hear from you. e-mail: mhome@epm.net.co.
       Pat B. in Latvia wants to contact Suzie (of Francis and Joanna) in the States and Timmy Mexican in Romania. E-mail: fam-riga@latnet.lv.
       John and Nadia, Where are you? Your family is waiting to hear about you. E-mail:

helpful tip
--concerning find-a-friend
       At times, when I scan the find-a-friend section of the Grapevine, I know the one who's being looked for, their location, address, e-mail, etc. I've been tempted to write a quick note to the person who put in the ad, and give them the info they're looking for. But I realize that it's up to the individual to contact the one who's looking for them. What if someone didn't wish to keep contact wit h that person? I don't think that there would be any reason for this within the Family. But for example, what if my mom's ex (who's a bitter ex-member) put in an ad looking for mom and us kids? We've purposely kept no contact with him. But if someone were to "helpfully" give him our whereabouts, address, etc., he could easily find us. It might be good to remind people to send a note to the person who's being looked for instead, to let them know about the ad, as there may be some good reason they aren't keeping contact.
       --female (18), USA

EAGLE BLEEDS
--singer/music/lyrics

side a:
       1. Show Me - Vas, Ben A./Vas, Ben A./Vas, Ben A.
       2. Came to an End - Vas
       3. Eagle Bleeds - Vas/Vas/Vas, Windy, Barry
       4. Pet Shop - Vas/Micah/Micah
       5. Sea Wash Over Me - Meeky/Esther David/Esther David
       6. Running - Vas/David R., Vas/David R., Vas

side b:
       7. Silver Lining - Vas/Stephen Reid, Vas/Stephen Reid
       8. My Life - Vas
       9. If U Want it Bad - Vas
       10. Always Cares - Vas
       11. A Place - Meeky/Jordan S., Byron/Jordan S., Byron
       12. Ticket - Vas/Barry/Barry
       13. City of the King - Vas/John Phoenix/John Phoenix

       Back-up vocals: Godfrey, Meeky, Byron, Vas
       Drums: Godfrey ("City of the King" drums by Mike and Godfrey)
       Bass: Godfrey, Vas
       Electric guitars: Vas, Godfrey
       Acoustic guitars: Vas, Godfrey, Byron
       Piano and organ: Godfrey
       Sax: ("My Life") Sam L.
       Harmonica: Miguel
       Produced by: Godfrey, Vas, Byron

ideas and tips
New freezer need?
       Try ice-cream freezers--the kind that companies give their dealers to store their ice-cream. Recently, a company donated four large second-hand freezers, complete with their brand designs on the outside. Ha! Visitors sometimes think we have freezers full of ice-cream!
       --Kristia, Thailand

grapes of thankfulness

       I'm living in a Home where my husband and I are the only FGAs--the rest are sweet YAs, senior and junior teens, JETTs and a few younger kids. My husband had to travel for some time, so I was w ondering how in the world we would absorb the many responsibilities and ministries that my husband regularly takes care of, when everyone was already so busy. But lo and behold, these young and brave soldiers took up the challenge! Besides doing their many regular daily chores, they've gone the extra mile doing pick ups, provisioning, staying up late helping with the follow-up, Bible classes, fund-raising, road trips, postering, doing shows, caring for the sound equipment, helping to shepherd th eir brothers and sisters, etc., etc., etc. These precious co-workers have made my load so easy and made it so easy for me to be good.
       To Simon (20), Ariana (18), Dulce (18), Isabel (16), Irene (14), Gabriela (13), Mariana (13), Cristina (11): Thank you so much! You guys are wonderful!!!
       --Maria (of Andy), Colombia

       Our IVM office team is just great! Such loving, wholehearted girls, we could not do without them!

       The Office girls,
       They're quite a team!
       They all look great
       In Levi jeans!
       What Joy they bring;
       Such Terific gals,
       They Mina lot to us,
       Wanna Kishi them all!
       --Chris Mountain (IVM), Japan

       A few grapes of gratefulness for dear Andrew and Charity, who on their way to Scandinavia after a SWIFT in Turkey, brought me into their cozy caravan for three days feeding and giving me good travel company, bringing me well on the way to my destination. As well as some major clusters--no, vineyards, of grapes of eternal gratefulness to the majorly-cool household of David, Phoebe and Co. These guys offered a chance to all of the Family in these parts to enroll in the ministry of Ventriloquism, something that otherwise we would probably not have come by. They willingly put me (and several others) up, for up to a month, supplying us with a puppet and other accessories, practical tips, etc. They went out of their way to make sure I had all I needed and more for my whole stay. Tx so much! The Lord gave to these folks, and they willingly gave again.--THAT'S o ur Family!
       --no name given

letters to the editor

Re: E-mail chain letters
       We have received many forward, forward, forward type messages from brethren who send Family Homes' addresses because they are promised $10,000, or other "surprises" like this. Most of them have a tracking device attached and they're nothing but a time waster and it compromises the security of our Homes! Can we stop giving other people's addresses without permission? The right thing to do would be at least to chec k with the person before doing it and ask if they would mind. We should be wise as serpents and harmless as doves! (See Grapevine #53; E-mail chain letters article.)

thanking …
--for your spirit story contributions

       Anna (Philippines), Claire (Palermo Home, Italy), Peace (ASCRO), Peter N. (Thailand), Matthew and Claire (China), Michael and Maggie (Belgium), John Servant (of Sara, Chile), Marie (Bombay Service Home, India), Esteban (Tenerife), Isaac (8, of Clay and Victory, China), Pearl ( 7, Belgium), Tim (YA, China), Aster (Russia).

tip of the day
       Suppose you've opened a number of related windows (a folder inside a folder, and so on). Now you want to close them all. Instead of taking the time to click that little "x" in the top-right corner of each window, try this trick: Hold down the Shift key as you click the "x" in the last window you opened, and all the "parents" of that window will close, too.

prayer request for King Hussein

       (Jesus speaking:) Uphold the arms of this man in prayer, for he still has a work to complete. Your prayers on his behalf will move Me to prolong his life just enough for him to accomplish that which I would have him do, and to set his house in order. Therefore pray, not only for his sake, or for the sake of his country, but for the sake of the world and the coming events of the Last Days. (End of message from Jesus.)

CVC observations
--from the ASCRO FED visitation team
       We have found that most people still believe that to en roll in the CVC program, you have to have a Junior High School diploma first. Though this is NOT the case, the myth has continued and many teens, though eager to start the program, were impeded by this misunderstanding.
       We also realized that we may obtain better results if we communicate directly with the students, via the Home CVC Supervisor. This will connect the student with HQ and enable them to get answers more quickly. We will also be able to better help them in the process by following up on their progress with reading lists, hours logged in, etc. For example, some of the teens interviewed had almost their total number of credits that would enable them to obtain a vocational certificate. After being envisioned and helped, they are inspired enough to finish their almost-completed course; if they falter along the way, through direct communication with them, we may be able to help them through.
       We've also seen that our Home Supervisors, being so busy with other duties, are ofte n less informed than our teens regarding the program. This can pose a problem, because their lack of knowledge may slow down our students' learning. Simple and to the point instructions prove to be more efficient, rather than well-explained long ones. And again, directing them to our teens, but with the acknowledgement of the Home Supervisor, will speed up the process.
       Another idea we had is to make a CVC catalogue of videos or materials we have available to our students for loan or sale. It d oesn't seem like our teens have even seen the local ASCRO FED catalogue, which is quite extensive and has many videos to supplement their courses. A catalogue just for CVC students is more likely to fall into their hands and arouse their desire to have these materials to help them with their courses.

How one CVC course supervisor got rolling …
--by Magdalene (SGA, mother of four), Middle East
       I want to share how we got the CVC course started in our Home. First, I studied the CVC book from start to finish. It took quite a bit of time, but it was exciting to go over. Then I gave our teens a morning to read over the introduction, after which we had a united meeting to answer any of their questions.
       Then they went over the courses and picked those they had the most credits earned toward. (In other words, where they had the most experience and would have to do the least work so that we could get some sent off right away for their inspiration's sake.) I suggested that everyone choose three subjects they could get finished right away and two that would be more long-term. We also tried to pick subjects we could work on together as a class to make it easier on photocopying and paperwork. Since I was doing the courses myself, this made it easier to see what materials were needed.
       One of the first courses we decided to start with was Baby Care, as everyone had the hours needed for that already, so we just had the reading list to work on. I had already read everything on this s ubject and just needed to review it. The teens had read many things on it as they had been working with babies already, but still needed more. We assigned evening study halls for reading time on the ARC and also sometimes had study-hall devotions. We also read on W&R and at quiet times.
       Our main outreach ministry here is clown shows and performing, so we spend quite a bit of time travelling; we would take the material with us and read it in the car, or one person would read aloud to everyone. We were all doing it together so it helped to keep us all on the ball. At the beginning, we had set a deadline to be finished with our courses, so there was also some Godly competition involved, ha!
       As we were taking many similar courses, I had the idea to put all the reading lists on one page and then everyone could use this original to make photocopies from. This is because the reading lists are often on different pages, and sometimes you have to photocopy a whole page for one little list, s o by the time you have finished your course you have a stack of little papers stapled together. For some who couldn't get it together and were about to give up, handing them a page or two already laid out, helped them to get into the CVC groove.
       One key was doing it together and frequently touching base to keep everyone inspired about it. Also, being very involved is important. I have four kids, and it's not always easy to keep on top of the other four (teens, I mean, ha!) as well, but the Lor d did it and we were able to send off for about 18 certificates after three months of hard work. PTL! Now we are working on the long-term ones, such as Computer Skills. We divided into teams of two to work on this, to help keep us going. We have two on Computer Generated Art and two on Computer Generated Music, and we each do a couple of hours on it faithfully every W&R. So hopefully we'll be able to send in for our certificates soon!

CVC question and answer
       Q: Our 17-year-old daughter is t aking the CVC Junior High School tests. For social studies and science, we are letting her use the computer encyclopedia to answer. It's like an open book test. She has been enjoying it quite a bit and learning a lot. Is this OK?
       A: Yes, in some rare situations for these kinds of studies (science and social studies) that aren't so black and white as far as what's imperative to have learned, students could be allowed to take open book tests. Students, however, should study and learn the materia l as best as they can (by at least reading CCHB3), and should be abreast of at least the more important issues. The allowance for open book tests for science and social studies, at the discretion of the CVC Course Supervisor, doesn't take away from the need for the student to be familiar with the material. A basic standard of at least a grade eight level needs to be kept. So, if they've done their homework and done what they could to read up on and learn the material that's required for science and social studies, then if they need a little boost with the open book, they can do so. However, if a student takes an open book test, their passing grade must be 80% rather than 70%.
       Please note that language arts and math tests should not be open book tests. It is very important that students have a good knowledge of basic language arts and math skills--these should be things they have committed to memory, and open book tests are not permitted for these subjects.

Rhythm 'n' Grooves CD
- -from DC Home, USA

       Price: $5 + shipping costs
       $1.75 for first class mail (within North America)
       $3.50 for priority mail
       $4 for international mail

Send your orders to:
       CD Project
       5223 Wisconsin Ave. N.W., Suite 170
       Washington, DC 20015, USA

       Make your check or PMO out to: The DC Family
       (Cash in US dollars is okay; send at your own risk, in a double envelope.)

Also included with this file:

cute kids (peanuts 'n' raisins) Steven (3, of Lamb), Australia
       Caption 1: We' re taking-off now!
       Caption 2: Fasten your seatbelts
       Caption 3: Mom, are we going up to meet Jesus in the air?

Peculiar People (Inspired by ML #3187)
       Caption 1: Did you hear what so-and-so did?
       Caption 2: Guess what I just heard?
       Caption 3: Really?
       Caption 4: Did you hear the Latest about…
       Caption 5: Boo!

New Dayz
       Caption 1: Whew, it's hot! Could you please get me a glass of cold water?
       Caption 2: Could you get a cold glass of water for dad?
       Caption 3: Could you get a gl ass of cold water for daddy?
       Caption 4: Could you?…
       Caption 5: Mummy!
       Caption 6: …when IS the baby going to be born?!

(End of file.)