The Grapevine Issue #3 September 15, 1996
DO/TS
September 1996, The Family, Zurich Switzerland.
IN THIS ISSUE
testimonies from you...2
mama's mailbox ...3
w.s. news ...3
new movie ratings ...4
ask apollos ...4
shiner prizes ...7
world stats ...7
pioneering ...8 and more!!
******
Performances in Gaza
Palestine
(From Joan, CRO:) Attending the Jaresh festival in Jordan (see Grapevine #2) was certainly exciting, however, our "Heart to Heart" singing team's three-day trip to Gaza afterwards was in many ways just as thrilling, if not more so. We were to do two different shows there, on Thursday and Friday evening (August 8-9). Thursday and Friday are the weekend here, so that's when they hold their festivals.
We left Jordan (from the Jaresh festival) on Wednesday morning, arriving in Gaza late that afternoon. Gaza is only five hours from Jordan, but the reality is that it takes about nine hours, including crossing borders, etc. Crossing from Jordan to Israel is very time-consuming; then you have to go through the various border checks from the West Bank to Israel, and then crossing from Israel into Gaza is another lengthy process, so the trip was long and somewhat grueling. -- But the Lord did it and got us safely through all the borders!
We were met on the other side of the Gaza border by some of our hosts who were very happy to see us. After taking us to look at the festival site, where they had a large outdoor stage set up, seating for 5,000 people and lots of good equipment, we proceeded to our apartments. They really tried to get a nice place for us, giving us two brand new apartments next to each other, with new beds, mattresses, etc. One of the amazing things about Gaza is how sweet they were in trying to help us financially. Although they have very little, they agreed to pay us a substantial amount for each show, and then on top of that are covering all our expenses down to the penny -- that is, our visa and traveling expenses, accommodations, food, etc.
We had a Palestinian police escort almost the whole time we were there, especially when coming to and from borders and even around town; police were escorting us with their sirens going! They took excellent care of us and treated us as VIPs. -- We knew it was because of the Lord's Spirit and what we have to offer their people!
The first night we performed, the place was packed with about 5,000 people. The reception was phenomenal! The second night went very well also, though there weren't as many people -- only about 2,500 due to the next day being a working day. There were more families and children the second night, and apparently that's what they are concerned about. They feel it is a big breakthrough when they can give something to the mothers and children, and have them come out of their houses, being confident that nothing dangerous will happen to them and that things have changed in Gaza now that the Palestinians have a measure of self-rule there.
The main reason they're holding these festivals is to encourage their people, to bring life back, to help the people be happier, to smile, to be able to enjoy music. The man who built the resort where we performed is an important businessman who also works for the Palestinian governmental body responsible for Gaza and some West Bank towns under the recent peace accord with Israel. His love for his people is amazing; he is just bubbling with ideas of things he can do to encourage them.
We worked together with a dear Palestinian sound man who had come all the way to Gaza from Israel. He said he had come because he felt so sorry for his people in Gaza and he wanted to be a help to them.
Our time slot was at 11:00 p.m. on both evenings, which is prime time. After the show we would pack up and go to dinner with some of the top people we had met. This usually lasted from about 1:00-3:00 a.m., so we didn't get to bed until 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning. Peter and Florence, as well as our YAs did a tremendous job in ministering to these people through our music. We were also able to personally witness to each one and pour into them, giving them answers from the Word as to how they could have hope for the future, as well as helping them with some of their misunderstandings and the bitterness that they have held in their heart and desperately need the Lord's answers to.
In spite of the things that the people here have gone through and continue to go through, they remain sweet. Everyone feels that the peace process is a farce. Most people say that things are worse now than before; Gaza is basically a big prison (as Israel keeps tight control of the borders) and nothing has changed at all. It is sad to hear, as they were really hoping for peace.
While still in Jordan for the Jaresh festival, we asked the Lord what message we should give these people, and He told us in prophecy to give them hope for the next life and that there was a better world to come, where the Lord would right all wrongs. We put a lot of what the Lord said in prophecy into the script read by our MC during the show, especially before our slower and more meaningful songs, like "Peace in the Midst of Storm." We also used the song "The Famine," from the FTT tapes. Michael Piano and Angelina changed the words a bit to make it more fitting for this part of the world.
At Jaresh, Rosita did the MCing in Arabic, but since she couldn't come to Gaza, we had it typed out and a local Palestinian girl did the MCing for us, reading it straight from the script as Rosita and Catherine had written it. It was powerful and very anointed. In fact, many people asked for copies of the script, as it was so touching. After we got there we realized that we didn't have anything to give to the people after the program, so the day we arrived, we put together a little brochure with a few pictures, the introductions (in Arabic) to the songs that our MCs gave, and the words to the songs "Peace" and "The Famine." Our hosts in Gaza laid it out and printed it, even though it was a holiday, and we were able to distribute it after our performances to everyone that attended the festival.
People were so hungry for what we had to give, not only spiritually, but anything we had! We had 100 extra T-shirts that Jay had made with "The Family" written on it and "Heart to Heart" in English and Arabic. These were just T-shirts for us to wear, but the people wanted souvenirs so badly that we ended up selling 100 T-shirts that night, as that was all we had. I think people would have bought 1,000 if we had had them. In fact, some Family members took off the T-shirts that they had on, as people so desperately wanted them. They also bought a lot of tapes, and were so hungry for whatever we had to offer. It was obvious that we had a definite impact!
*****
MEETINGS AND FELLOWSHIPS
Sydney, Australia
(From Sweetie, CRO:) At a recent meeting with the teens here, VSs YA Jonathan and Christie and I had a pow-wow on the subject of witnessing. At first the teens were somewhat negative, saying, "You just can't witness in Australia! The people aren't receptive." Plus, they said they were burnt out and didn't like to raise funds from witnessing, etc. But the more we talked about it, one thing led to another and they started reminiscing on times past when they did have fruitful witnessing adventures and it was fulfilling and exciting.
As we talked, they were slowly getting the vision that something could happen again, whether it be a road team or some new witnessing method. We tried to stress the importance of getting out and not just hanging around the house. Additionally, if they didn't have the vision for their home field, then maybe they should go overseas.
They discussed a united witnessing project and decided to do the Endtime Street Play! The teens in Sydney also decided to have a monthly free day together, and once a month they hold a car wash to raise funds for their free day activities.
Lima, Peru
(From Mikol [22, of Mark Tender]:) Miguel (VS, of Clara), Mark, Sharon G. and I recently held a four-day meeting with the young people (ages 16-24) from Peru and Bolivia. We showed about 15 hours of Summit videos, and had time for prayer, inspiration, open forums, personal time and fellowship.
Almost everyone reacted on how much good it did them to see Peter and Gary's loving and humble spirits on video. Some mentioned that being able to hear the things that they've read in the written Word all their lives from Peter, made it easier for them to receive and understand. Like one of them put it, "It was like having a GN talk to me!"
We were taken aback by how some young people, who are not really wholehearted and dedicated, have such a strong pull on those who are trying to give their best for Jesus. The negative peer pressure was so thick during the first two days, you could cut it with a knife. It seems like some of the YAs and teens have gotten sucked into things of the world, such as movies, music, wanting to be cool, worldly appearances, etc. There were some that would not praise the Lord or pray, as it's labeled "corny" or "not cool."
We had prayer for the gift of prophecy for those that wanted it, as well as a re-filling of the Holy Spirit. Through some of the young people, the Lord spoke strong words of correction and admonition about forsaking the things of this world and receiving the things of the Spirit.
We had two open forum meetings, the first being about what they felt some of the problems were in the Homes, in relation to living the Charter. The teens felt they weren't given enough room in their Homes and Home Councils to express themselves or to make changes they felt were needed. They felt they were met with an "I-know-better" type of attitude from adult shepherds. Some of them knew their rights under the Charter well & posed some tricky questions. So we looked things up in the Charter and encouraged them to follow it more closely.
The next meeting was along the lines of pointing out their responsibilities as outlined in the Charter, and many felt convicted in this area. We talked about some of the main NWOs that the young people have here. It was encouraging to see some of our teens standing up publicly against the prevalent negative peer pressure in the area, System music & lack of love in their interactions amongst their peers. It was touching and encouraging to see them take up the challenge, wanting to get right with the Lord and to get behind where the Lord is leading the Family today.
Santa Cruz, USA
(From Dust, CRO:) We completed our two days of DO/TS meetings on August 24th and 25th. It was a precious time of feeding and fellowshipping with the approximately 150 DO/TS Family members who came. Simon Black and Jason did a beautiful job of leading the inspirations.
Tateyama, Japan
(From Rejoice [of Stephen], Japanese VS:) I'd like to give you a quick rundown of the Chino Shio ["Salt of the Earth"] fellowship for our live-out disciples, which was formed to inspire them to fellowship and witness together more and be a support to each other. It was held from the 18th to the 20th of August. The first day about 30 live-outs came to the dinner fellowship and inspiration around the campfire at the HCS, and 20 of them stayed at the nearby meeting place for the next two days. Many of these live-outs traveled long distances to attend the fellowship. On the second day we read from "Communicating with Heavenly Messengers," which we received just a few days before the meeting, for Word class, and then took some time to hear from the Lord in three groups, to put what we had read into practice!
In the evening we gave an Endtime class, using the "Countdown to Armageddon" video. On the last day we gave another class on prophecy, and again took time to hear from the Lord about what He expects of our live-outs.
The fellowship was attended not only by live-outs, but also other close friends, as well as some DO members and their teens and children, and some former members too. It was a good sample of loving and enjoying each other regardless of classifications of membership and ages.
Miami, USA
(From Simon, CRO:) Our JETT Camp has generally been going well and everyone has been learning a lot. We have certainly faced some battles with a lack of interest in the Word, some bad language, and a "toughness" and "tomboyish" spirit in some of our girls, but generally speaking, our JETT bunch is sweet and are doing well!
Follow-Up Needed: The recent counsel in the "Help from Heaven" GN is very timely, and I feel that if we make the topic of shepherding our JETTs an important issue at our upcoming delegates' meetings, then this will be one way of following up on the JETT Camps that we have been having these last couple of months. Of course, problems such as we have been having with our JETTs and young people, and the lack of desire that our older teens and YAs have for shepherding our JETTs will not be solved with a couple of JETT Camps and one delegates' meeting, but at least it's a good start.
Moscow, Russia
(From Gallio, CRO:) SGA Gabe (CRO), Polish Magda (VS) and I have been here in Moscow, where there are six Homes. The Summit videos have been very well received. We've estimated about seven to nine days for each complete showing, with about four hours per day of video viewing.
Our first three or four days were spent getting situated and visiting four of the Homes. The second week, we will have time with the other Homes. After we've finished in Moscow, we plan to visit St. Petersburg for about 10 days to show the videos to the Homes there. Magda and Gabe will then be going on to Siberia to do the same.
We had a prayer meeting with the Service Center on the vital questions of "In light of all the Lord has said about Russia and the way things are looking politically, where do we go from here with the printing of posters and follow-up material?" We also prayed about how to practically go about fulfilling the "reservoir" vision of having "reservoirs" of literature throughout the country that would be available to the Homes and their outside witnessers, should things tighten up to where they can't receive lit shipments from the PPC. The Lord spoke wonderfully and gave us some very specific answers. Please pray for the Lord's leading as to how to best set this up with the manpower and resources available.
Brazil
(From Juan, CRO:) Several of us CROs (Victoria, Sunny and myself), gathered with our VSes for the Eastern half of the continent. These VSes are: Jere and Mariani (Brazilian nationals), Venezuelan Jonathan, SGAs Gary and India, Sam and Leilani and David and Crystal.
We counseled together and sought the Lord regarding how to best fulfill our commission to show the Summit videos to as many of our Homes as possible. We concluded that, Lord willing, by mid-September we would hold meetings with our senior teens, YAs and the SGAs of the Sao Paulo and Rio areas; these two meetings would be held simultaneously. The Lord confirmed that for the time being, He wanted us to concentrate mainly on the senior teens, YAs and SGAs; then later, to go on with holding mini JETT and junior teen meetings.
Once these meetings are done, we have several visitation trips planned to Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia and Chile, as well as to the North and South of Brazil, in order to show the Summit videos. We are now working on translating these videos into Spanish.
Another thing we discussed was the vision of bringing our TSers into closer fellowship, particularly after having watched the inspiring, encouraging and faith-building video of the foot-washing ceremony that Peter and Gary held at the TS meeting near Washington, D.C. We thought of implementing that vision here in Brazil first, as many of our TSers are concentrated here, and Brazil is the most organized at this time. We would like to hold our first within the next few months, DV, and plan to invite a large number of TSers and ex-members from the Rio area.
Miami, USA
(From Simon, CRO:) Our two-day video meeting for the local TS Homes ran concurrently with the JETT camp, and was held at Nathan and Sarai's house. They have been such a blessing and help over the years, and proved to be once again as they organized everything so beautifully.
We had twenty-five TRF Supporter brethren attend on Saturday and thirty-five on Sunday. We showed "Life with Dad" as our first video, and immediately everyone entered into the spirit and was brought to tears with the wonderful testimonies and experiences that Peter and Gary related. In the afternoon we showed "Getting to know Mama." Everyone was thrilled to hear first hand of Peter's experience of falling in love and living with Mama.
Day two was packed full of videos as we showed the "TRF Supporter Footwashing" video, as well as "Legitimate Doubts and Questions" parts one and two. During one part of the "Footwashing" video, when Mother Eve was praying and made the statement, "Everyone that wants to be forgiven, and everyone that needs to forgive, please stand up," the whole room full of people stood up and entered into praising and praying the prayer with dear Mother Eve.
Some of the TRF Supporter brethren mentioned that they wished they could have more contact and fellowship with the local Homes. I can certainly understand their need and desire to have more and closer fellowship, and I do feel that the local Homes need to put more fellowship time within their schedule for our dear TRF Supporter brethren. At the same time, I also feel that our TRF Supporter brethren need to realize that things are a bit different since the implementation of the Charter, as many of our post-Charter Homes are much smaller than our pre-Charter combos, and with smaller Homes there are a lot more demands on each individual's time.
*****
STUDIO NEWS
JAPAN
(From Timothy, September 1:) The Lord has wonderfully answered everyone's prayers for our Christmas projects to be done on time! We are sending off the final of the "Forever Friend" Treasure Attic (covering the life of Jesus) to the duping centers today! We have also finished editing the "Fantastic Journey" Treasure Attic (covering the Old Testament). The JAS (Japan Audio Studio) has also finished the new "Christmas Treasures" CD.
It's a miracle that the IVM and the JAS are able to operate here in Japan, as we're living by faith in the most expensive country in the world. We have 130 people working full time on these ministries. There are 16 buildings in operation, 16 studios (audio, video and computer graphics) and six main offices (not including all the smaller ones). One amazing stat is the amount of phone messages and reports we receive, send and process each week -- two to three megabytes worth, and at times as much as 1,000 pages! The HCS itself has about ten different departments which take care of the physical and spiritual shepherding of our Home. We also have the blessing of having dear Margie (one of our CROs) here with us.
We have the JAS department which Jerry Paladino oversees, which not only works on their music assignments and projects, but is also in communication with five other studios and helps with counseling about the new tapes.
The GP video department has made the commitment to get more out in less time, and we've been trying to find new ways to streamline our productions and approval processes in order to get more done without sacrificing quality. The Lord also recently supplied a new editing system which will enable us to do more of our GP video editing on computer, which should be a big time saver. Please pray for this!
The DO video department, which primarily produces the Family Fun videos, not only work with the filming and producing here, but also coordinate with the BVM (Brazil Video Ministry), as many of the Family Fun spots are filmed there.
We have a book production department which is in the middle of producing two books. Our art department does all the covers of new videos and audio tapes that go out to the Family, along with any color brochures or posters that go with them. We're also helping with the production of a new GP catalog that is being designed by a team in Thailand, God bless them. Pray for the completion of this beautiful tool catalog so it can be sent to all of you so it can enhance your outreach!
Also, since we're an audio and video production center we have our legal department, whose job it is to make sure that all of our copyrights are solid. The legal department also helps in counseling with the CROs and works with Mama, Peter and Gary to answer any questions that Homes may have in this area of business and copyright law so as to make sure things are taken care of the right way with contracts and so on. We also have the Japanese local language studio and the Chinese mail ministry. So there's quite a bit that goes on here! I realized when looking over the officers that head up each of these departments, that it is half adults and half YAs/SGAs that oversee our Home and ministries.
Once we finalize and send off the two new TAs and the new Christmas audio tape, we will have sent off over twice as much as we did last year, and we still have the last quarter of the year left! The Lord has certainly helped us and blessed us to get out more in the way of audio and video productions. It is a miracle and the Lord gets the credit and the glory. Thanks, dear Family, for all your prayers that help make it possible!
PERU
(From Pedro, CRO:) In our recent recording push with visiting musicians, we recorded 17 songs, out of which we'll probably use 12 for the GP Latin CD, as the average time of each song is over four minutes. The other songs will probably go on a subsequent CD. They range from very danceable styles such as the salsa, merengue and cumbia to romantic ballads and boleros. We also recorded some songs in newer styles that have developed in recent years from these basic traditional Latin rhythms and styles. These 17 songs are all at different stages, but we have recorded leads, back-up vocals and most of the overdubs to 80% of them and have final mixed three of them.
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TESTIMONIES FROM YOU
Fruitful CTP Ministries
Brasilia, Brazil
(From Jeremias and Marianne:) God bless Dad and Mama for giving us the vision for "consider the poor" ministries. At first it was a fight to implement this ministry, because, Lord help us, sometimes it's hard for us to see that if we give we'll receive. The Lord blessed us financially when we took this step of faith and started helping others. We have a few CTP ministries going in our Home, which I'll relate to you here.
1) "PalBrasil" helps poor children become literate. We have a group of 20 kids (ages four to six) to whom we teach reading, writing, hygiene, social principles and good manners. We've developed a sponsorship program so that we are able to do this work. We do this three afternoons each week in poor areas. The way the sponsorship works is that people "adopt" children. Each child is "adopted" for a $70 per month sponsorship fee. That means that every month we get $1,400 to be able to help these children, and that leaves us free to provide this service.
2) "Resgate" (Rescue) is our program for teens and young delinquents at a prison for minors and at an open house for delinquent street kids, which involves giving them love and witnessing to them. At the open house we work together with the other Home here in Brasilia.
3) "Repartir o Pao" (Sharing the Bread) is a food distribution program. We have a friend who deals in huge amounts of beans (a very popular food in Brazil), and he has made three tons of beans available to us monthly to distribute to institutions and poor families. We now have around 400 families and 15 institutions that are benefiting from this.
4) "Love Is the Best Remedy" is the name of our puppet show, which is run by JETTs, teens and YAs. We do this in hospitals, orphanages, old folks' homes, schools and private parties.
5) "Teach Me to Fish" is our program to help find work for street children, delinquents and young people getting out of prison. We mostly help them become street vendors who sell popcorn, hot-dogs or orange juice. We are trying to get sponsors to first help cover the cost of our training them, and then with the carts and stands. (Prayer request: We need sponsors for this project!)
6) "English Fun": Teen Nora teaches English classes in our Home three afternoons a week to the children of some of our friends. She is doing a wonderful job, and the parents love it, not only because their kids are learning English, but also because of the Christian principles they are learning. Now she has three students and our goal is to have six. This brings in $300 a month for the Home, but soon will be $600 with the additional students.
7) "Live Well" is our seminar program. We have a series of four seminars for parents and teachers on the subjects of education, how to teach, discipline and raise children, teens, music and drugs. We also give another set of seminars on the subject of human relations. These are basically the seminars done in Japan years ago, which we have adapted for Brazil.
8) "Song and Dance": During the Christmas season, our teens and YAs put together a choir and a dance/music show. They've sung at various places, including at the Congress/Senate for the past two years. They've also sung for the ex-president and the present governor. They've now begun to rehearse the Endtime Street Play, which we plan to take to little towns outside Brasilia.
Institutions and Military Hospitals Receive Us Gladly
Russia
(From Steven, Esther, Mimi and Joan:) We were able to perform in nine institutions this month. We have a puppet theater, a magic act and singing group. In all, 360 souls were saved, we distributed 200 sponsored audio tapes, 30 sponsored videos were presented to institutions, and hundreds of posters were given out. (We had distributed 200 videos already to these institutions last month.)
The director of one of the only two schools for handicapped children in Moscow said, "I never saw the children so enthusiastic and happy. They responded so well; as if they understood everything you were saying!"
A doctor who is the director of the kidney transplant section of a clinic that treats children with leukemia and kidney disorders said: "I'm a Christian, but was never able to tell these children about Jesus. I always thought that you couldn't speak to them about these things because of their suffering, but I see how well they responded to your message and how they were so encouraged to know that Someone cares for them!"
The Lord did a miracle in opening the door to the military hospital that had been closed for security reasons, due to the fighting in Chechnya. Many of the boys had lost limbs due to landmines, or have suffered in other ways from the war. When "Peace in the Midst of Storm" was sung in Russian, the response was electric.
One boy commented about the Box skit: "We are all in that box, but the problem is there is no help to get us out." This boy prayed to receive Jesus into his heart during the show and his comment after was, "There is help, the problem is that people don't know that it's only Jesus Who can get us out!"
Another boy that had lost one of his legs commented, "Before you came, all around me was sadness and bitterness. Now I can see that there is more to life than evil. There is good and you brought me this good today! Thank you so much for coming!"
When we were leaving, the windows from the rooms were filled with hands waving to us, telling us to come back. It was such a touching sight. It broke our hearts for these precious but discouraged and disillusioned boys.
Behind-the-Scenes Account of Our First JETT Camp
San Antonio, USA
(Editor's note: For the story on the JETT camps which ensued, please refer to the article "San Antonio JETT Camp -- Problems and Victories," in Grapevine #1.)
(From Joanna and Mercy:) To set the scene: The Casa Blanca Home was in the midst of change, with most of its personnel moving on, leaving Joanna and Mercy (both single moms, with 13 children between them) having to make a decision regarding the property. There were a number of factors to consider:
The property was very large and in need of lots of repair work. An additional factor was that our landlord offered to rent us the house next door, should we want to use it for some kind of a "training or seminar center." The landlords are very open to our mode of operation, number of people and have a basic understanding of our life of faith and financial plan. They were very impressed and won over by the previous brethren, who had faithfully maintained the property, paid the rent on time, been cooperative, etc.
In praying about the property and where to go from here, we both had a burden and could see how the property could be used to do something for our Family kids, and we felt led to contact Eli (of Renee) and Amos O'Test (who at the time were living in California) about this idea. Through prayer, the Lord approved the plan of inviting Eli and Amos to join our team and He again confirmed it when Amos, Eli and their team prayed about it in California.
Another leading factor was that a very precious and long time live-out disciple, Jim, was also burdened about doing something for the youth of the Family, and offered to help with additional support for such a project.
Beginning of the Team: Amos, Eli and team arrived, and the next five months we spent learning to live and work together as a team. We had a number of obstacles to face together and overcome. One of the major ones was learning to operate and manage such a large team. We were 34 people, and expecting a baby within a month. Nineteen of the children were OCs or younger. We also had some teens and JETTs -- and the usual responsibilities of follow-up, provisioning, witnessing and teaching school! Our work was cut out for us!
We sent in a number of bulletins requesting YA help, to which we unfortunately received no response. During this time we had a visit from one of our CROs, who at the time responded very positively to our vision and our team, but since his visit happened just prior to his attending the Summit we received no communication for some time. Needless to say, we started to get discouraged, thinking that perhaps we were on the wrong track, or that our timing was off. However, in the meantime, the Lord had worked it out for us to get the house next door, in addition to the one we already had, and the price of the rent had come down considerably. Our battle now was: "Should we go ahead and sign the lease and commit ourselves?"
After prayer with our Home, the Lord gave us a very encouraging verse which applied amazingly to our situation and increased our faith: "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not" (2Cor.8:12). We applied the "willing mind" to us being willing to have the faith and to go ahead, seeing the need and wanting to be used. The next part about "accepted according to that a man hath," we took to mean that we should just proceed "by faith" with the team that we had on hand and trust the Lord for the YAs to help.
We went ahead and sent a bulletin to the Homes with the dates of the camps. Preparations started and we decided to sign the lease and commit ourselves to the vision! Soon after this we received some encouraging news from those that had attended the Summit meeting, how the Lord had spoken at the meetings about the need to pour into our younger generation, etc. This encouraged us that we were on the right track! Soon after this, we also received a visit from Abi and Ezekiel (CROs), and they said they could help find the personnel which we so desperately needed.
The Lord's Supply: There were many handyman projects that needed to be done around the property and in the houses. In just one month the Lord supplied, either through provisioning or via donations from supporters, funds to buy or build: a swamp cooler, a cold storage room, an air conditioner, a chain link fence around our pool for safety, an outside shower with a stone walkway around it, an intercom system, paint, 50 folding chairs, tables, 25 bunk beds, 25 mattresses, sheets, a water cooler, and a large ice machine (really needed for cold drinks in this hot San Antonio weather). We also planted grass, put in new trees, and graveled the pot holes in the driveway. The Lord really blessed our witnessing and brought in the needed finances, including two $1,000 donations from two sweet people that we minister to! What a miracle!
Camp Preparation: We can't express how touched our hearts were by the dedication and sacrifice that our precious teens, JETTs and of course, the adults here have shown in persevering and working extremely hard to help pull this off! God bless them! Also the sacrifice of our new SC Home in sending personnel to help us accomplish this monumental task of painting three large rooms, moving three families into the new house, cleaning, setting up 25 bunk beds, moving furniture, desks, beds, etc., along with picking up provisions, continuing outreach, taking care of kids -- and the list goes on and on!
Frank and Sara, our VSs, arrived a couple days before the camp began, and they were a great help. Things were rolling and we were able to start receiving the JETTs! We were also blessed with Andrew Greeneyes and YA Maya to help with skits. This was a super boost! So the Lord was faithful, as always, to fulfill His part of adding all the necessary pieces!
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(The Grapevine consists of news from Family members around the world, and is not intended to be an official organ to reflect WS policy or views. Family policy and spiritual guidance will continue to be published in the GNs and FSMs.)
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MAMA'S MAILBOX
(Editor's note: In deference to those who have written in confidence to Mama, she has omitted all names from the letters she submits to this section of The Grapevine, consequently we will only use these folks' initials. If you don't mind your letter being published with your name included, please make a note of this in your letter to Mama. Names will only be left in if she receives prior permission from the author of the letter.)
Dear Mama and Peter,
I love you very much! I'm so thankful for your letter to me. It meant more than I can express to you, and to have Dad talk directly to me is something I'll treasure forever.
There were some details in the prophecy that were very special to me and I wanted to share them with you. In my letter to you, I mentioned that I had Dad's picture on the wall in front of me, right? But after awhile I took it and put it right beside my bed, a few centimeters from me, so that I could look at him and "talk" to him better. In the prophecy, he said he is "as near and as real as that picture you have of me beside your bed. I'm there smiling at you, looking at you, watching you." Wow! -- Neat, isn't it?
Another thing that was so specific and that assures me that he hears when I pray is something else he said, "If you feel like, oh, what's the use? I might as well go Home and be with the Lord." Oh my, that's exactly how I felt so, so many times before, Mama. I felt like giving up and going Home, LFM!
The whole prophecy was so encouraging to me, and these little details were like the icing on the cake! Your love deeply touches me, to see how you care even for me and take your time to hear from the Lord for me when you have so much to take care of! Sweet Mama, I love you dearly!
With much love for you and Peter,
Yours, J. (an adult woman)
Dearest Mama and Peter,
Thank you for all the Letters you have been sending out to the Family. We admire you for being so humble and honest about yourselves, telling us details about your everyday life, weaknesses or illnesses, etc. It helps us to know you better and gives us a good sample to follow.
I admire you for being so radical and willing to give us the Words that Jesus gives you. I'm inspired with all that the Lord is giving! When Dad went to be with the Lord I thought, "Oh no, are we going to stop having revolutions?" Now I realize just the opposite. -- We are still a revolution, constantly revoluting, and I'm learning to be a revolutionary disciple through the Lord's Words and your sample.
I am very inspired and excited about the "Loving Jesus" revelation and especially with the new garment of prophecy, and all the precious Words from the Lord that we have been receiving through the Letters.
I just finished reading GN 681, "Prophecies on Leadership." It was an encouragement to me because that's exactly what my wife and I have been going through lately. Those prophecies are helping us to hold on. We've been in the same Home for quite a long time, with the same people, going out witnessing every single day for long hours -- which is fun, but I guess we're just a little bit weary in well doing. We have a desire to go someplace different, but of course, we want to stay in the center of His will, which seems to be to stay here for now. This Letter and others have helped me to renew my vision and keep going for the Lord.
My sister is the only teen in our Home, and my wife and I are the only YAs. Recently we worked it out to have a fellowship with the teens in the closest Home to us, which is about five hours away. We had a dance with the YAs and teens, which didn't have a very nice spirit. A few Family songs were put on in the beginning, and then a lot of System music, which was more on the side of the "poisonous waters."
I went to that fellowship to have some fun, but nobody was getting out of themselves and it was hard to get everyone to dance. Everyone sat around doing nothing. There wasn't much unity between the young people and adults, and some YAs were being quite disrespectful to the adults.
While talking with some of the young people, I found that some of them are also disillusioned with the situation. Some of the teens are very sweet, but the negative peer pressure seems to be predominant. Some are not challenged in their Homes, and a lot of YAs are taking System jobs. Also, the JETTs are negatively affected by all this, as they look up to the older ones.
I don't mean to be self-righteous about this, because I know I have fallen into the same stuff myself, but it concerned me that these Family teens are getting into all of this System junk when we are in the middle of an important war for the Lord. I wish I could do something about it, but I live so far away.
Thank you Mama, Peter and all the WS units who are doing their best, going the extra step to get out materials for the Family, especially for the young people, like the new FTTs, etc. Those Family songs are so powerful and uplifting, they really inspire you!
Love, A. (18, USA)
*******
W.S. NEWS
Upcoming pubs: Mama and the GN staff have been extremely busy preparing a number of new GNs on a variety of topics, including our children's education, TRF Supporters, and the solutions to some problems the Family is presently facing. There are also a number of "Summit Letters" GNs in the works, the first of which you've already received. Apollos is finishing up the "Loving Jesus" statement, written to explain the Loving Jesus revelation to outsiders and the media should there ever be a need to do so, and which we believe the Family will find very helpful and faith-building as well!
GPU update: After a full two weeks of meetings with Mama, Peter, Apollos, Heather, Matthew, Francis and Luke, Gary has returned to the GPU. As the setting up of this production team is so vital and important, Gary has taken up the commission to remain there for the time being to head up the team, along with Apollos and Heather. A great deal of prayer, planning and preparation is needed to get this project off the ground, as among many other things it entails setting up a company or corporation. Operating a professional publishing company is new territory for us and we are moving on this prayerfully, with a great deal of research and counsel. Please pray for the success of this venture. Thanks!
CVC on the way: The CVC (Christian Vocational College) book has been printed and is being prepared for shipping to each of the CRO areas, from which they will be sent to all Homes worldwide.
********
MOVIES
Movies Rated for YAs and Up
DEAD MAN WALKING (1995)
Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn
Intense, realistic drama based on the true story of a nun who gets involved in spiritually counseling a death row inmate. Well-acted, with clear messages of Salvation through Jesus and loving the sinner while hating the sin. This movie contains repeated flashbacks of the rape/murder scene and a graphic description of the act by the parents of one of the victims, which may be disturbing. Everyone will probably appreciate an extra good cleansing prayer after viewing this one, and avoiding watching these scenes if they might disturb you.
Movies Rated for Senior Teens and Up
GRUMPIER OLD MEN (1995)
Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Sophia Loren
Sequel to "Grumpy Old Men" where the old fellows wage war on a woman attempting to make their beloved bait shop by the lake into an Italian restaurant. Similar to the original movie in its foul language and sarcasm, but these are toned down a little, and the storyline has more "plus" points.
Movies Rated for Junior Teens and Up
EXECUTIVE DECISION (1996)
Kurt Russel, Steven Seagal, Halle Berry
Tense, action-packed drama involving the hijacking of a passenger plane by Arab terrorists. Beware of unexpected violence at the very beginning of the movie. Also has a very pro-American and anti-Arab slant. Unrealistic, but exciting and contains lessons on teamworking.
PHENOMENON (1996)
John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick
An ordinary, small-town man has a mysterious encounter that leaves him with phenomenal abilities. Although some of the philosophies expressed by the main character differ at times from our beliefs, there are many positive points, including a good illustration on the Flatlanders' refusal to accept anything they can't understand or that is out of their reach.
Movies Rated for JETTs and Up
INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996)
Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Will Smith
Sci-fi action movie, with lots of hi-tech special effects, about an alien attack on the United States. Some pro-American and "one world" hype. Sensitive viewers should be mindful of the scene with the alien in the lab operating room. Entertainment only.
Movies Rated for OCs and Up
OPERATION DUMBO DROP (1995)
Danny Glover, Ray Liotta, Denis Leary
Light-action/comedy based on the true story of a US army unit during the Vietnam War assigned to buy and transport an elephant to a remote mountain village. Sweet, fun story with good lessons on humility, working together and "becoming one." Older viewers will enjoy this as well!
Non-Recommended Movies
HEAT (Al Pacino, Robert de Niro; 1995)
*****
ASK APOLLOS
(Editor's note: A number of you have sent in various theological-type questions in your TRFs or letters. We thought it would be neat to pass these on to Apollos to "search the Word" and find the answers therein. Thus this new Grapevine column was born, which we hope to make a regular feature, Lord willing [and Apollos willing, ha!]. We hope you enjoy it! If you have questions that you can't find the answers to, please send'm in and we'll try to include them.)
"Can Angels Sin?"
Q: (From Josh, 15; USA:) I was wondering about something that I read in "Our Statement of Faith," where it says that we don't believe that angels sin. How did 1/3 of the angels fall from grace if they don't sin? What would happen if an angel did sin? Would he/she then become a soul and need cleansing by having to accept atonement for their sin?
A: Good question! When writing "Our Statement of Faith," we worded this part of it very carefully, bearing in mind that Dad has always taught that angels have choice, hence it's very possible they can make the wrong choice and thus sin, as evidenced by Satan and his demonic legions, as you mentioned. Read point 11 of the "Statement of Faith" again. It says, "We believe that God created an innumerable company of sinless spiritual beings known as angels."
This is absolutely true, we believe God originally created the angels as sinless beings. But this does not mean that they don't have choice and thus the ability to sin. In fact, if we want to get technical about it, we believe God created man as a sinless being as well -- with free choice! It was only when Adam and Eve made the wrong choice that "sin entered into the world, and death by sin" (Romans 5:12).
As far as what would happen if an angel sins, well, we already know what happened to Lucifer and his followers. The "Statement of Faith" says, "We believe that one of the angels, 'Lucifer, son of the morning' (Isaiah 14:12), who was the mightiest of the archangels, through pride, jealousy and ambition, sinned and fell, and thereby became Satan [the Devil], the infernal foe of all righteousness. A great company of angels followed him in his immoral fall, and thus became demons, evil spirits which are presently active as his agents and associates in the execution of his malignant and God-defying purposes."
Here are a couple of quotes from Dad on angels and their majesty of choice:
"Apparently the spirits and angels must have some choice too, some freedom of action also, or Satan and his angels couldn't have rebelled (Rev.12:7). But on the other hand, they seem to be under God's more direct control and within certain boundaries (Job.1:67)."
"The spirits still have personal choice and desires. Look how the angels desired the daughters of men. They literally lusted after them because they were so beautiful, made love to them and had gigantic children (Gen.6:1-4). So apparently the spirits are still learning" (ML #622:28,47).
"Angels make mistakes too, believe it or not. I don't think it's very often. Human spirits are a little more prone to making mistakes in the spirit world, for the same reason that we make'm. But I certainly don't expect us to make as many since we will be so sensitive to the will of God and His spirits and His messages and in such close contact" (ML #2084:28).
"If a third of the angels could fall along with Satan, and he could lead a third of them astray, I therefore disagree with the preachers I've heard saying that angels are like automatons or robots and have no will of their own, they just do the will of God. I've heard preachers preach like that, that they're not like us, [and that] we are the only ones upon whom God conferred the majesty of choice and decision, to choose to serve the Lord! Well, we're the only ones whom God saved this way" (ML #2054:56).
"But if the archangel of all angels, Lucifer, the Lightbearer, the right-hand of God, could choose to go against Him, and then a third of the angels choose to follow him, don't tell me the rest of the angels don't have any choice! It wouldn't be to their credit that they stayed with the Lord, would it?" (ML #2054:57).
Hope that helps!
Love, Apollos
******
FTT CREDITS CORRECTION
From the WS music department
It has recently come to our attention that the music and lyrics to the song "Together, You and I" (on FTT 5, "In It Together", song number 1) was written by YA Arrow (Alyssa), rather than Anne. Please accept our apology, Arrow, for this mistake.
******
REACTIONS AND COMMENTS
Challenging Converts to Serve The Lord
Japan
(From Happy [formerly Simon Peter]:) This is a question I have wanted to send in ever since working on the script to "Countdown to Armageddon!" Now that the Family is going to start using this video as an outreach tool, maybe this would be a good time to bring it up.
At the end of the video, the viewer is asked the question, "Now that we've shown you that time is short, what are you going to do with your life in the time that you have remaining?"
Twenty-three years ago, after I got saved and met the Family, I still planned to go merrily on my chosen path as an actor, and didn't see any reason why I should join the Family -- until I was given the tract, "Are We Living in the Time of the End?" I was convinced by this that the end was near, and as much as I loved the theater and acting, that there was no future in it, as there was no future in the System. When I was convinced that the world was soon coming to an end, there was no other logical course for me to take but to join the Family and serve the Lord.
For people in the world today there is much less of a future than there was for me back then. There is 23 years less future before Jesus returns. The signs of the end are much plainer to see. Everything is in place for the AC to be revealed. So the pressure to join the Family, or to do something for the Lord should be much greater than it was for us back then.
In those days, Family witnessers were out to make disciples out of people, almost even more than getting them saved. Getting saved was step one. After that converts got thoroughly worked over about serving the Lord and driven to a second decision about whether they were going to drop out. For many of us, I think if we hadn't had someone with conviction explain discipleship and drive us to a decision about it, we would have been happy to have gone on with our lives, believing in Jesus, but doing little or nothing for Him.
The question I have is whether we as a Family have become rather weak in this area of challenging our new converts to some kind of discipleship? Although we win thousands of souls every month, how many of those converts go on to become witnessing Christians? Or how many even go on to confess Christ to their family and friends? I wonder if there is more that we could do to challenge our converts to make the most of their few remaining years by really doing something for the Lord.
It's pitiful for someone to get saved and then spend years studying at college in preparation for an imagined future that is never going to happen. Once they die, they will never have the same opportunity to do anything for the Lord again under these particular circumstances, where the eternal rewards for service will be the greatest. And if we don't make this crystal clear to our converts so that they can make a decision, then will we not be accountable for their failure to serve the Lord, and for the souls that didn't get won as a result?
From now on, after I lead someone to the Lord, I would like to try to give them 10 tracts and make them feel responsible that now that they are saved, they owe it to others to give them the same opportunity. Giving away those 10 tracts may give them a taste for witnessing and they may write in for more. It would give them a way to "confess with their mouth the Lord Jesus," which Dad taught is also an integral part of Salvation.
We've got such a big job to reach the whole world with so few of us, so if we could teach others to teach others to teach others more, we could get the job done a whole lot quicker. Now that we have the "Countdown to Armageddon" video to show, it seems it would be an ideal opportunity to use it to challenge our sheep, new and old, to greater service for the Lord to the limits of whatever their individual capacity may be.
DO or TS? -- We're One Family!
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.A.
(From Seek:) We were so happy to arrive on time at the TS Summer Fellowship (in D.C.), despite some setbacks with our vehicle. Being able to see people we've loved and worked with over the past 20 years was a special treat beyond words. Really, none of us were any different, and it didn't affect our relationship in any way with each other just because some were DO and others TS. Most of the time we didn't know who was what, and it didn't matter.
I don't think there is any greater love than what we in the Family experience for each other, except the Lord's Love. I personally haven't thought so much about the TS/DO situation until after we attended the fellowship. Over the past years we regularly had fellowship and worked with TS brethren in our area. Many of them were dear friends of ours when we worked together in DO situations, and our relationship didn't change after they became TS.
My daughter-in-law's parents are TS, and this last year they spent most of the holidays with us. We wouldn't have thought of not getting together as they live so close. We've worked together before, we are dear friends and always enjoy each other's company. We admire them greatly seeing how they continue to uphold a Family standard in their home life, and they have wonderful fruit of this in their children. The dad supports their family, getting out tapes and videos door-to-door. His testimonies are always very convicting, as he continues this ministry and is a shiner, as he was before when he was DO.
About a year ago when we lived in Atlanta there were a lot of TS members. Servant (my husband) had gotten very close to them, as he was TS for a few years and lived in that area. They came over regularly for casual visits and then we started having regular Wednesday night fellowships together. It was a time that we DO and TS members all looked forward to. There were times that we needed a vehicle for witnessing and one of the TS brethren would take our team out. The Atlanta DO Homes got a lot of food from a large company each month and shared it with the TS Homes. Some of the TS teens helped with our Christmas show and came to stay in our Homes for different periods of time. I think one of the most encouraging things was that we knew we could depend on each other and there was a real openness in working together.
My opinion of how much DO and TS brethren can work together was greatly enlarged when my two YA daughters decided to go TS. When we first talked about it, it hit me hard, but in the next few minutes I found myself thinking of all the ways we could work together. As we talked about it, it seemed like, if need be, there were many things we already did together, that we could continue doing. I thought about having my grandchildren over regularly, having their help with some of our shows and outreach. They started right away to help our Home financially, as one of them had a job.
There was such an openness in my heart as we talked about it; no walls or a hesitancy about doing things unitedly. Since they are my daughters and I wanted to keep a strong relationship with them, it seemed to broaden my horizon a great deal. I got excited about it, as I felt like it was the attitude that the Lord wanted us to have overall in our relations with our TS members and TS Homes.
Unity and Fellowship Amongst Homes
(From Juan, CRO:) One of the main comments that several of the visiting musicians who came to Peru to record the Latin GP tape made was how inspired they were by the fact that they were witnessing real love and fellowship amongst not only the members of the Studio Home, but amongst all the Homes in the Lima area.
I know that the implementation of the Charter and its effects have been often compared to what happened to us after the RNR, which the Lord used to bring about certain needed changes in the Family, and then as time went by, we needed to once again gather our forces.
One of the steps that came about after the RNR was the Fellowship Revolution. After learning the responsibilities that the freedoms granted at the RNR brought about, Dad saw the need for us to once again gather together as a unit, as a Family, to work together.
From the reports that we received from the musicians and other people who have come to the Studio Home, it seems that in many cases on the field, since the Homes have divided into smaller units, there is now a lack of fellowship, cooperation and interaction amongst the Homes in the area.
So for them to see, for example that on Sundays most people from the Lima Homes come to the Studio Home for fellowship was very inspiring. Of course the Studio Home has the advantage of being on a very large property with a soccer field and facilities which make it easy for the Homes to gather there. The other Homes come, bring potluck dinners, and we all fellowship; the children interact with their peers and the young people come and play soccer together with the adults, as well as do other activities together. The Homes also invite their close friends, which provides them with fellowship too. In the evening we gather together around a campfire and sing loving songs to Jesus, or have a gypsy dance, inspiration, or the young people have a dance night, etc. Many of our visiting musicians testified that seeing this unity and fellowship helped to increase their faith that the Family was "still going strong," PTL!n
Bellwethers --A Way to Save Our Teens
USA
(From S., a female adult:) After living with a number of teens and YAs since the Charter and recently visiting Homes, I think a key for our young people is to be around good sample, committed young people on a regular basis. I feel like this is the missing link, or the element that could really make a difference, and at present could help many of our young people make the decision to serve the Lord. I don't mean to just stay in the Family, but to be a committed Family member. In this era of the Family, it is all the more important because our young people are exposed to, on a regular basis, a lot of negative sample and input.
I've felt like sometimes we've had the idea that we take teens out of Homes on the field to rescue them and help them make it, which I'm sure is the case many times, but in doing that we may be developing a situation that is producing weaker teens, YAs and children in our field Homes. I think if our vision was more to strengthen our Homes, it would bear better fruit in the long run. Instead of using our committed teens and YAs in special ministries much of the time, we could part-time, or on a regular basis, have them living and working on the field to "strengthen the brethren."
One thing I found that made a lasting difference with my three boys (two teens and a JETT), was when my eldest son and his wife (both SGAs) came to visit. My boys started changing directions, they would stop being disrespectful and were in a much sweeter spirit. I don't think it was just because their "brother" was visiting, but rather because they were offered a very positive alternative to what they were experiencing on a daily basis with the other YA boys in the Home and area, who were not doing so well at the time.
My two oldest children, who grew up in the Family and made the decision to follow the Lord, have been tested many times over the years in their decision and have stayed strong. But I believe they have been in situations where they had someone to look up to, which helped to cultivate and strengthen their Family values. So, I believe that having bellwethers on the field could make a considerable difference with our Family members of all ages, especially for the teens and JETTs.
Thoughts on Music
(From Juan, CRO:) We're still having to fight the negative influence of System music amongst our young people, and why not say it -- even amongst some of our adults who now seem to not think much of turning on the radio when driving, or even while doing duties in the kitchen, etc. But I guess mainly it's our young people who are still the most heavily influenced by the sounds of System music.
Negative peer pressure from the "cool" group also influences some of the weaker ones to fall for it, especially during dances. One thing that I've begun to notice is that it seems like although the FTTs have helped to "bring into the fold" those who are hungering for more of His Spirit, there are others who, no matter how much we try to please, won't be pleased as they sort of have a "perverted taste." (Editor's note: Here at Mama's Home we have been using songs from the FTTs for our dances as well as numbers from the new "Open for Love" tape and old-time favorites. These tapes have many danceable songs, fast and slow, and it's been a blast for all!)
One beautiful experience has been with the "Open for Love" tape. Not only have there been very positive comments from the adults, but many teens are raving about the tape and commenting how it is the best tape ever produced by the Family! It just goes to show that as Dad mentioned long ago in the different Letters on music, it is the Spirit which really grabs you and makes you like a tape. I pray that the Lord will continue to inspire our young people and adults to produce such beautiful songs of praise and love to our Husband and Lord.
*******
ANNOUNCHING WS SHINER PRIZES FOR WORLDWIDE SHINER HOMES!
-- By Matthew, WS
God bless you all! We love you! The Lord and Dad, as well as Mama and Peter, have repeatedly stressed how proud they are of you, our faithful witnessers who go out day after day to find and feed His sheep. Recently the Lord inspired us to again start awarding shiner prizes to the World Shiner Homes in soul winning and tool distribution as well as publishing their names in The Grapevine. It's like our Honor Roll, and we feel these names should be published for the entire Family so that credit may be given where credit is due. Praise the Lord!
Of course we know the entire Family is striving to do as much as they can, no matter what their ministry, and that you are all on God's Honor Roll in one way or another. But since soul-winning and distributing tools is an important ministry and commission from the Lord to our Family, we want to give due recognition to shiners in these categories of service.
This new Shiner Prize procedure will be on a trial basis for the next six months (for the TRFs covering August 1996 through January 1997). Therefore we will begin publishing the monthly World Shiners' list of the top 10 Homes worldwide in the October 1st issue of The Grapevine, as well as distributing prizes to the top 3 shiner Homes worldwide from your September 1st TRFs, in each of the following 4 categories:
-- Souls won per adult
-- Posters distributed per adult
-- Tapes distributed per adult
-- Videos distributed per adult
The prizes that will be awarded to the top 3 Homes in each category are:
Souls Won per Adult:
1st place -- 15 videos
2nd place -- 12 videos
3rd place -- 8 videos
Posters Distributed per Adult:
1st place -- 1,000 posters
2nd place -- 650 posters
3rd place -- 350 posters
Tapes Distributed per Adult
1st place -- 50 audio tapes
2nd place -- 40 audio tapes
3rd place -- 30 audio tapes
Videos Distributed per Adult:
1st place -- 15 videos
2nd place -- 12 videos
3rd place -- 8 videos
While we would have wished to make these shiner prizes even more substantial, at present we're limited by a lack of financial resources for this project. Nonetheless, we hope these will be a help to you!
The monthly shiners will be determined by the average per adult (those 16 years and over), not the total amount won or distributed by the Home. In other words, the total souls and distribution stats for all Home members (including children), will be divided by the number of Home members 16 and up to determine the Home's average.
Also, to make the awards fair, we feel that any Home getting free tools in any category will not be eligible to participate. For example, Homes that get their posters for free (as in Russia), and for whom it's therefore possible to distribute more, will not be eligible to partake of the shiner prize given for posters per adult. We trust that this will be okay with all of you, as it seems the only way to make things as fair as possible.
The shiner prizes will be distributed by the Service Centers of each CRO area, who will check the winners in each issue of The Grapevine and make note of the winning Homes from their areas. Each CRO area will determine the best way to get the shiner prizes to you. They will likely either automatically deduct the cost of the amount of the tools won from the winning Home's next tool order, or, in some cases, the SC might prefer to simply give the shiner Home credit in tools via a gift certificate or some similar method, which the Home can then apply towards their next tool order. In any case, the winners will be getting the titles that they want and order (subject to availability).
We hope these shiner prizes will be an inspiration for all of you and give you goals to strive for in your outreach, and also provide a means to give deserved recognition to our top front-line soldiers for a job well done! PTL! GBAKY faithfully winning and giving out the Message!
*********
WORLD STATS
HOMES and POPULATIONS STATS JULY 1996
DO Homes (total) --- 661
TS Homes (total) --- 555
DO Home size (avg.) --- 15.2
TS Home size (avg.) --- 6.5
DO Members (total) --- 9,293
TS Members (total) --- 3,590
Births (July) --- 29
Betrothals (July) --- 11
New DO members (Does not include births.) --- 53
MATES, SINGLES, AND CHILDREN -- TS FAMILY
Mated Members -- 798
Singles, 16 and Over -- 634
Sub-Total Members 16 and Over -- 1,432
Children 15 and Under -- 2,158
Total TS Members -- 3,590
Average kids/mated couple* -- 4.6
*NOTE: This figure is an estimate only, and only includes children of 15 tears and younger. If we include members from 16 through 20 also, the estimate changes to about 5.5
MATES, SINGLES, AND CHILDREN -- DO FAMILY
Mated Members -- 2,007
MALE--1,001
FEMALE--1,006
Singles, 16 and Over -- 2,274
MALE--1,006
FEMALE--1,268
Sub-Total Members 16 and Over -- 4,281
MALE--2,007
FEMALE--2,274
Children 15 and Under -- 5,012
MALE--2,510
FEMALE--2,502
Total DO Members -- 9,293
MALE--4,517(48.6%)
FEMALE--4,776(51.4%)
Average kids/mated couple* -- 4.2
*NOTE: This figure is an estimate only, and only includes children of 15 tears and younger. If we include members from 16 through 20 also, the estimate changes to about 5.2.
OUTREACH STATS -- JULY 1996
Posters Distributed --- 948,648
Tapes Distributed ---26,306
Videos Distributed ---10,985
Souls Won -- 79,171
Total Pieces Distributed ---1,670,638
Total Witness -- 71,759,176
MEDIA STATS AS WELL AS SCHOOL AND OTHER SHOWS PERFORMED JULY 1996
TV Shows --- 84
Radio Shows --- 20
News Articles --- 30
Schools Shows --- 140
Other Shows --- 2,178
******
MEDIA AND LEGAL
CESNUR Conference
MONTREAL, CANADA
(From Marc and Claire:) We had a very inspiring time at the recent CESNUR (academic) Conference, held in Montreal from August 13-15. The Family was highlighted repeatedly in a positive manner. Two academic papers were given specifically on the Family and a few others alluded to the Family significantly.
Dr. Susan Palmer gave an excellent paper on "Children in New Religions: Issues of Custody and Abuse," which was a synopsis of her chapter in the book she is compiling on children in NRMs.
The session where Dr. Gordon Melton presented his paper on the Family turned out to be quite a lively one! After he gave his paper, Dr. Massimo Introvigne explained to all about the court case that had been underway for several years in Italy, attempting to determine whether FFing was prostitution or not. He explained that after years of deliberation, the court had made a strong statement that FFing could not be deemed prostitution, due to the pure motives involved, which he stressed is a very significant ruling.
Religion Newswriters Association Conference
WASHINGTON, D.C.
(From Marc and Claire, September 1:) For the first time, we were able to attend the Religion Newswriters Association's annual conference, as well as being included on the program to give a 15-minute presentation on the Family, especially concerning the Argentine persecution. There were 200 people in attendance, among them some of the most important names among the religion newswriters for papers such as the Washington Post, New York Times, Time, Associated Press (AP), etc.
Claire's presentation of the Argentina persecution went well, with 100-150 people attending the session, and all seemed captivated. Several reporters approached us after the presentation, as well as during the evening barbecue on the beach, especially asking questions regarding FFing.
Argentina Court Case Update
BUENOS AIRES
The Argentine legal system is extremely slow and the legal procedures to close the case are still dragging on. From the latest reports we've received, the case is again in Judge Marquevich's court, and he appears to still be trying to find a way to justify his original actions in ordering the raids on the Homes. Juan Amado, one of those arrested (and then released) in the raids in 1993 was called to testify once again, and others may have to as well, but our lawyers have appealed this. Please pray that the case can be moved to another court, or that Marquevich himself will close the case due to lack of evidence against us.
(LNF: We heard from Juan Amado that his day in court went well, and that the judge had no new questions or evidence to present, TTL! As an answer to prayer, and because of the "pedido de nulidad" [appeal that the case be annuled] that our lawyer presented to the Appeals Court, Marquevich has decided not to call any more Family members to testify, at least for now. Within about two weeks, the Appeals Court should have a decision on our appeal that the case be closed or transferred to another court.)
"Heart to Heart" Aired in Thailand
(From ASCRO:) Thai Sky TV aired a one-hour version of the "Heart to Heart" concerts performed in India last year, on its very popular entertainment channel which reaches all of Thailand! It showed at prime time; 9:00 p.m. on Sunday the 15th of September.
******
PIONEERING
Not Willing That Any Should Perish -- Accounts of a 2,000 Kilometer Trip to the Arctic Circle and Beyond!
Russia
(From Daniel Mountain:) Three-Finger Salute: When praying for guidance on where we could be most effective, the Lord gave our team of four (myself and my two children, Jessica [13], Steven [11] and Siberian Meekness) a prophecy on going to the northernmost areas of our region -- to the Arctic Circle and beyond -- via the Ob River. In turn, He said He would guide and supply all our needs. With so many options of what to do and where to go, the Lord's Words to us are such an encouragement. They administer faith, knowing one has gotten the Lord's personal "stamp of approval."
The Lord gave us a vision of the three main rivers in Siberia that travel the full distance to the sea above Russia's northern coast. The interpretation was clear: With other teams traveling up the other two major rivers to the north also this summer, it illustrated how our Family is reaching the whole of the former Soviet Union as never before. -- Therefore this three-finger (river) salute to this summer's "Revolution for Jesus!"
"Far and Wide You Shall Find Them ...": (Prophecy, a departed Russian speaking:) "I come to you to plead for my people. Far and wide you shall find them -- in villages, in towns, in cities, in places that are not even on the map" (GN #685). That is exactly what happened on this trip! Starting in the city of Tyumen (Siberia's northernmost Home) we contacted the local transport company about boat trips from Tobolsk to Salekhard (situated on the Arctic Circle). This led to eight company workers getting saved, including the company's president, who gave us round-trip tickets for free!
"... In Cities ...": First to Tobolsk (see Eze. 38:2; "Tubal"), a city of approximately 100,000 people. Three years earlier, four nationals and I were here and got out 10,000 "Endtime News" posters, and the KVs were broadcast on local TV.
During this present trip one woman's dream was an encouragement as to how the Lord was preparing people's hearts in advance. She told us, "I had a dream of Jesus, apparently dead, naked and only covered by a sheet. I thought to myself how it was such a shame that here He was so young and handsome ... and then He suddenly arose. He came to me smiling and kissed me on the left breast." She then went on to add, "You are the fulfillment of this dream. Now I understand that you taught me to open my heart to Him. Him kissing me on the left breast was me opening my heart to Him, and it has now happened in the same year that I had the dream!"
"... In Villages ...": Muzhi (population approx. 10,000) was one of nine villages where we were able to make a significant impact, through passing out posters and soul-winning. Muzhi is located 186 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle. Here in only 1-1/2 days, 120 people received Jesus into their hearts (more than 1 out of each 100 inhabitants), and many more received posters! Although the areas we went to on this trip were small in population, nearly 700 people received Jesus into their hearts!
In quoting so many stats and numbers it's important not to lose sight of how many people we had a personal heart-to-heart exchange with. As was received in prophecy in GN 685, "Is something stirring within you? Is that little fire kindling to reach my people, to come forth and give of yourself that they might live, that you may know the joy of seeing the downtrodden, the visionless, the helpless suddenly become full of life and joy and rejoicing?"
It was heartwarming and rewarding to see before our very eyes, hour after hour, hope rekindled and joy renewed in these precious people through God's gift of Salvation through His Son, Jesus! Take for example, one old woman in Muzhi who I asked to repeat a prayer to receive Jesus; as I began the prayer she began to mumble. At first I thought she preferred to repeat the prayer silently. I could tell that she was repeating the prayer, as with each new word tears were welling up in her eyes. It was only when her unseen hearing aid began to malfunction with a loud buzzing sound (she banged it a couple of times to get it working again) that I realized that she was mute. She left with a look in her eyes and on her face that gave testimony to the fact that she had been touched by the Lord's Love!
It's thrilling to know that the Lord loves each one of these people so personally and that He is not willing that any should perish! -- What a privilege it is to be called to reach them!
"... In Towns ...": Two of our main destinations were the towns of Salekhard and Labytnangi. Salekhard is reputedly the only town right on the Arctic Circle. (Labytnangi is 18 kilometers north of Salekhard, by river.) Both towns have a population of approximately 30,000. It certainly felt like we were on the Arctic Circle! Although it was August (the middle of summer), we were already wearing down coats or up to five layers of clothes! They expect their first light snow at the end of August, and then temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Centigrade in winter! This made another prophecy from GN 685 stand out: "It is a vast land, a cold land, but as you light the hearts of those who live there, you will find that a warmth shall spread and it will melt the ice and the cold. The warmth of their hearts shall spread, and they shall become a flame that shall light the way for many."
We spent more than a week in Salekhard and the Gospel was preached! It was the first time the posters were distributed en masse there and they were warmly received, many asking for extra copies for their neighbors, etc. The day before leaving for this trip, our Home had received its first copies of the poster, "The Lion, Dragon and the Beast" in Russian. In all the places we traveled, this poster aroused great interest. One woman who had received this poster and a Gospel of John, and who then prayed to receive the Lord said gratefully, "I'm 49 years old and it's the first time I have a copy of part of the Bible! Thank you for your mission which has made it possible!"
On the street in Salekhard, we met a journalist who asked to do an interview with us that day. She works for the main newspaper of this northern area. In her article she included the Salvation prayer from one of our posters. She also prayed to receive Jesus. After the interview, she contacted the TV studio for us and within a few days we had signed a contract for the broadcasting of all our KVs, TAs, and Fantastic Friends (in Russian). They congratulated us for being the first children's program on their station! We also gave a half-hour interview, including the Salvation message. As this is an oil-rich area, they have a very modern studio with their own satellite, which means these programs will reach all the villages and towns of this northern region!
"... In Places That Are Not Even on the Map.": We were able to reach people in places that were not even on the map. When you asked them the population of their village, they'd respond not in numbers of people but rather, "We have 50 yards [gardens]" or "There are 70 homes." What a testimony it was to these people that the Lord loved them so much that He would send us to reach them.
One older woman who had met us on a couple of occasions was so thankful for the literature she received, she asked if we might have something more. Along with more literature, we shared with her God's gift of Salvation through Jesus which caused her to radiate with the Lord's light and joy! She wanted to express her thanks in some tangible way, so took off her watch and gave it to Jessica saying, "You have been giving us such precious things these past two days, and I want to give you something!"
In another village not on the map, a woman and son took posters for "everybody else" in their village who we had not yet reached. One grandmother wept all the way through the Salvation prayer and said afterwards, "Thank you for bringing me joy in these last years of my life!"
God's Supply! -- "Not Willing That Any Should Perish!": Often people ask how we can make it financially. In explaining, we always bring it back to two simple verses, Mat.6:33 and Phil.4:19. This trip was again a tremendous testimony of the truth contained in those verses. We took eight different boats on this trip, two long bus rides, two long car rides -- and all were for free! In every city, town, and village our hotels and "boatels" were donated! Along with many free meals, without even asking, people regularly gave us bags of vegetables, fruit and meat or fish. This was a great help, as food prices in the far north are two to three times higher than in Tyumen. We had many boxes of heavy literature, and at each stop we were able to store it for free. All in all it came to more than $4,000 saved! He never fails as we step out by faith and trust and obey!
We called it our "not willing that any should perish" trip (2Pet.3:9). We experienced His tremendous love for each one we met, the love that made Him personally go miles out of His way to reach one woman at a well (John 4), and that today sends His children "to the uttermost parts of the Earth" to do the same. Praise His Name!
"You are as light and you shall bring life unto them! And they shall love the Lord with such ardor, such fervor! For what else have they but the Lord? They shall tell their neighbors and the word will spread" (GN 685).
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On the Road in China
(Update from Jondy [Ho], August 22:) We have been having a terrific trip (see Grapevine #1) and are enjoying it very much. Each city that we have been to has turned us on more than the one before. On our trip so far we have visited seven major cities in Eastern China. In each city we have met local people, made contacts and visited the universities to check out studying and teaching situations. We have checked on banking, communications and the postal service, cheap places to stay, local transportation, and trains and boats to other nearby cities and countries.
We have been able to get by very cheaply, on the average of $20 (US) per day for our team of four, so that is about as cheap as you can get. We have been able to stay in hotels that are normally only for Chinese at much cheaper prices. We have also been able to stay at universities for less, and with our friends for free.
We are now in Shenyang in Liaoning province in northeast China. This city has many visitors and much business with Russia, as it has direct air links with several Russian cities. We are now only nine hours by train to Harbin, China's biggest city in the north.
We have continued our trip by train, as it is the cheapest and the most comfortable for us. The only foreigners we met on the train here were two Russian families on their summer holidays. Our trip on the train has continued to be a most unforgettable experience.
Everywhere the boys go, especially walking through the train, people ask them to talk or sit with them. We got on the train at the wrong end and had to walk through nine cars looking for our seats. So many people invited the boys to visit with them that we left our seats and spent the whole five-hour ride visiting and talking with people in different cars.
We arrived in this city and contacted our friend here. He had arranged for us to stay in his father's hotel, which mainly caters to Russian visitors. The signs and everything here are in both Chinese and Russian. The Chinese we meet think we are Russian, ha! This area has the most Chinese who speak standard Mandarin Chinese, compared to other provinces where other dialects are widely spoken.
We are happy that we have also been able to continue to send and receive e-mail from many different cities and countries. This is a major breakthrough for communication and traveling in China. We sent out short letters about our travels and have had almost daily contact with our home city. Thanks for continuing to keep us in your prayers.n
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HUMOR CORNER
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The train stopped for 15 minutes at a large station in western Canada, and two elderly American ladies stepped out onto the platform to stretch a bit.
"What place is this?" one of them asked a man lounging against a baggage truck.
"Saskatoon, Saskatchewan," he replied.
As they turned away, one whispered to the other, "Isn't it exciting? They don't speak English here."
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Father Healy was an Irish priest who not only had a twinkle in his eyes, but a shrewd way with uppity people.
Once, I'm told, a young woman came to him and told him she wanted to confess to the sin of vanity.
"And why is that?" asked Father Healy. The young lady fluttered her eyelids and smiled. "Well, Father," she said, "every day I look in the mirror and tell myself how beautiful I am."
"There, there, child," said the old priest comfortingly. "That's not a sin -- it's a mistake!"
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A backwoods mountaineer one day found a mirror which a tourist had lost.
"Well, if it ain't my old dad," he said as he looked in the mirror. "I never knowed he had his picture took."
He took the mirror home and stole into the attic to hide it. But his actions didn't escape his suspicious wife. That night while he slept she slipped into the attic and found the mirror.
"Hum-um," she said, looking into it, "so that's the old hag he's been chasin'."
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Do you have any funny personal experiences, things that happened to you or your Home, that you'd like to share? If so, send them in to The Grapevine so others can partake of the fun.
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family