FSM 255 / FN364 Witnessing Adventures!--No.4
Copyrighted May, 1994 by Family Services, Zurich, Switzerland
PICKING UP THE PIECES!
From the Lima Family Ministering in the Aftermath of the Peru Bombings!
Miraflores, the swanky suburb of Lima, Peru, is both a bastion and playground for Peru's rich. Secluded in their own little world and absorbed in their worldly pleasures, many turned a blind eye to the poverty, suffering and other problems that plagued their country. Then Shining Path guerrillas struck at the very heart of their world. Miraflores was rocked by a car bomb at one of the busiest times of day. Two buildings were demolished, 20 people were killed and over 100 were seriously injured.
--Only hours later, the Family was there. As Dad has said, "There's going to be a great reaping of souls in this Endtime, a tremendous harvest! [When they see the System falling apart around them], people will be terrified and confused. It's going to tender people's hearts and make them more receptive and more desperate, more anxious for answers. We will be the most needed people in the whole World, the most sought-after because we have the answers, we have the Truth, we have the Message of Salvation. Hallelujah! TYJ! `But the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits' and `they shall instruct many' (Daniel 11:32,33). We will be the most brightly shining lights we have ever been!" (DB1, ML#1099:7,5,11,15)
Inspired by these quotes from Dad and promises from the Bible, our witnessers went forth to share God's Love with these frightened souls. Our Family Homes in the area mobilized as many teams as they could, and our teens led the charge.
In the past, the wealthy class of Miraflores had been generally unresponsive to our attempts to reach them with God's Word, but He used these events to change their attitudes dramatically. Our teams found only desperate, broken people, eager for our witness, and ripe and ready for Salvation and the Endtime Message. In the first two days alone, our teams of mostly teens distributed almost 5,000 Comfort and Endtime Posters and 3,000 Poster-tracts, winning 470 souls in the Miraflores area.
The testimonies you are about to read were only the beginning of the Family's ministry to a terrorized city. The bombings continued for months. At first, the targets had been government and military facilities, but when the Shining Path guerrillas began targeting civilians, and the attacks became more widespread, frequent and indiscriminate, everyone's life was affected and our witness went further than it ever had before.
In one week, 27 bombs went off! Many of them were in places where the Family frequently witnesses or does business, and along roads which we use daily, yet the Lord protected us miraculously! "A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee!" (Psalm 91:7). In direct answer to the Family's prayers, the Lord also caused many bombs not to detonate, and the leader of the Shining Path was captured after a search that had gone on for over ten years!
On our way to the district in Miraflores where the large bomb had gone off, our taxi was stopped by the police, who were very rude until we showed them the Posters and Tapes. We explained that we were going to give them to the people at the bomb site, and their attitude changed completely. The same thing happened when we got to the area that had been bombed.--The guards wouldn't let us into the restricted area until we showed them the Posters. Then they waved us right through. PTL!
The people were very shaken. The streets where the bombs had exploded were roped off as people had come from all over Lima to see what had happened. Many of them may have come more out of curiosity than serious concern, but once they saw the devastation, they were sobered and thoughtful. Nearly everyone we encountered was very respectful and deeply touched that we were there and giving out something as appropriate and meaningful as our Posters. It was a very special witnessing opportunity.
Within minutes, such a big crowd had gathered around us to get the Posters that we couldn't pass them out fast enough. People were so desperate! One team distributed 500 Posters in ten minutes, as people left their stores or whatever they were doing to rush to get them. Even the people in fancy cars with dark windows pulled over and asked for copies. Nearly everybody stopped to read them right away and many people came back asking for another title or more copies to give to friends and relatives.
We only had a short time for personal witnessing, but we met a lady who lived in one of the bombed buildings with a small crowd gathered around her. We had seen her on TV the night before, nervously recounting the whole story of the blast, and how she had struggled to free her father and daughter who had both been badly hurt. We approached her and explained we were missionaries, concerned for her and the others like her who were suffering from this tragedy. When we gave her a "Peace in Midst of the Storm!" Poster, she said, "You're like Angels, coming to us at this time! I know it was the Lord Who protected us! Although we lost material goods and were injured, we're still alive and we can be thankful for that!" She then prayed to receive Jesus with us.
One lady standing next to her, a white-haired older woman, prayed with us, too, and then started crying uncontrollably. When we asked her why she was crying, she said, "Because I'm so touched to see people like you out here helping others!" This woman turned out to be a prominent woman who is the administrator of one of the apartment buildings destroyed by the bomb.
Another lady told us that her husband had been working just a few meters from where the bomb exploded--but that he had been unharmed because she had prayed! With tears in her eyes, she went on to tell us that she was watching TV when the first news flash about the bombing appeared. She immediately fell to her knees and prayed that the Lord would protect her husband--and He did! She knew that her husband's safety was a miracle! He cares for His Own!
We met four boys on the street, one of whom was all bandaged up. They stopped to talk, telling us how the injured boy had been close to the bomb when it exploded and had been hurt. The four of them were so shaken up and so scared that they had just been to church. We prayed with them and they all asked Jesus into their heart. The injured boy also told us about a clinic where there were 51 other wounded people, all victims of the bombing. We decided to go to them right away.
There were three police cars and about a dozen secret police and guards with machine guns in front of the clinic. We knew that only the Lord could get us past such tight security! We prayed and asked Him to make a way for us to get in to minister to the victims. He showed us to go around to the other side of the building where we met a nurse who gave us the name of the lady in charge of the clinic, and who then helped us through security. That was the first miracle--just getting into the place!
It turned out to be a Seventh-day Adventist clinic. When we told the head nurse that we are Christian volunteers and asked if we could go around to encourage and comfort the injured, she said, "Yes, of course, please go see all the people." She even sent a nurse to escort us. Although we weren't able to spend a lot of time with these injured people that afternoon, at least we were able to give them all Posters to read. As soon as they got them, they started poring over them. Again, many people asked for extra copies to give to their friends and relatives.
The next day we went back to follow up on those we'd met at the clinic, to try to lead them to Jesus. When Margie asked one man if he had prayed the prayer at the end of his Poster, he said, "That's the first thing I did after I read it." We met another Christian woman whose baby was really sick. When we laid hands on the baby and prayed for her, the mother exclaimed, "We have the Great Physician! He has to heal her!"
More bombs had gone off the night before, and another lady told us that when she first heard them she was frightened. But then she read the Poster we had given her and peace came over her.
The head doctor, who was making his rounds, as we made ours, turned out to be a friend who has known the Family for years and has delivered many of our babies. He was touched to see that we were there trying to help the people. Twenty-five of the bomb victims got saved that day in the hospital.
One girl said that after having lived through the bombing, she knew that God had some good reason for her to still be alive. She knew that she couldn't go on living the way she had been.
We also prayed with relatives of some of the casualties, including a lady whose son had just died. She was nearly losing her mind over it. As we were talking, her daughter joined us and both of them prayed with us.
These and many others were really touched when we assured them that this time is only for a moment. Soon there will be no more pain or sorrow or tears for God's saved children, and they will be reunited with their loved ones who have gone on before them. "Ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man will take from you" (Jn.16:22). Hallelujah!
While personal witnessing in Miraflores, we saw two policemen sitting in their car, so we went over to their car and offered them Posters. They were touched that we had taken the time to give them the Message. We also witnessed to a big truckload of policemen--most of them just young men--and gave them all Posters. We said, "This is a Message of peace and there is a prayer on the back. It will help you! Please read it and pray the prayer!" They just grabbed the Posters and began reading them like they were rare treasures!
A guard from a bank across the street from where we were witnessing came over and asked us to come over to the bank and pass out our Posters. There were lots of other policemen in the bank, as all the banks had been targeted by the terrorists for further attacks. The bank guards and police stationed there were all really desperate and hungry, realizing that they were on the front line. We gave them Posters and they instantly started reading them. When witnessing in front of banks previously we had avoided the guards, but that day they were so open, begging us to go right into the banks and witness to everyone.
One policeman in particular was very open with us, explaining that he is part of a group of policemen who get together from time to time for prayer. He could see that they had to make a choice between getting bitter or accepting what God was doing with an attitude of faith. Still, when others asked why the Lord was allowing all this suffering, he didn't have an answer to give them because he didn't understand it himself. "Here I am, a policeman," he said, "and I want to serve others, but I have this fear myself that any time I might die. I don't know what to do." He prayed with us and said that the Poster we gave him had just the answers he needed to take back to his friends, to encourage them that the Lord can bring good out of even what seems to be a tragedy.
One very wealthy lady was helping some of her neighbours evacuate their homes when I met her. "This is a Message of peace for you," we ventured, not knowing what reaction to expect. "Our only hope now is Jesus!"
"That is just what I needed to hear," she said, as she grabbed and held onto the arm of the one who gave her the Poster. Then she continued, "I've been shaken up by what I've seen. Two of my friends have died and the rest of us are completely demoralized. Until you said that, I didn't know what to think!"--And she gladly received the Poster.
In the morning we had offered a Poster to a well-dressed man in his 40s who had refused it. When we saw the same man in the afternoon he took it, saying, "What is this? How can there be peace in the midst of all this war and destruction?"
"We have peace and feel safe inside," we said, "because we have Jesus! We found that peace when we asked Him to come into our hearts."
He then began opening up and said, "I was thinking that if I had been one of those people who died in that building, if I hadn't made my confession to my priest, I'd be burning in Hell right now. You mean to tell me there is a way that I can have peace without confessing to a priest?" We then explained how he could pray directly to Jesus and ask Him to forgive his sins, come into his heart, and give him His free gift of Salvation. After we talked, he bowed his head and prayed.
Before leaving he said, "Thank you for that peace and Love that you've given me. Now I'm ready to face death. I don't have to fear or worry about it any more."
We met another intellectual and very well-to-do young man in a fancy store who might not have been as receptive under normal conditions, but under these circumstances was very open. The shop is his mother's, and he lives in the same neighbourhood. When he heard the blast, he ran from his house toward the shop to see what had happened. Everyone was screaming and there was debris and broken glass everywhere! It was a desperate situation. When he got to their shop, however, he found that it had been spared. The shock wave hit it from such an angle that only a few window panes were broken. He had many sincere questions, and later prayed with us to receive Jesus and now wants Bible classes. Theirs was one of the few stores that had already fixed their front window and he said he would be happy to hang our "Why Worry?" Poster there for all to see.
It wasn't only the upper class that were touched by our witness. "You're the first people who have ever given me anything," a poor vender told us when we gave him a Poster. "Lots of people come here and hand out things and talk to people, but nobody ever cared enough about me to talk to me. I'm nothing."
We told him that we cared and Jesus cares, and he prayed with us to receive the Lord. TYJ!
We gave a Poster to an elderly lady who sells things on the street. As soon as she saw what it was, she exclaimed, "Yes, yes, yes!" Then she stood up on the street corner and began preaching to the passing crowd, saying, "We only remember Jesus in times of disasters, when we have lost something! When we are dancing, we forget Him!"
At a time like this, it didn't even matter that some of us couldn't speak the language well enough to be skilled witnessers. If all we could blurt out was, "Do you want to go to Heaven?" people would grab us and just beg us to tell them how.
The parents of Ruth, one of our disciples, live very close to where the bomb exploded, and theirs was among the very few houses in the whole area that didn't have its windows blasted out. Her mom's greatest concern after the explosion was not being able to find their copy of Treasures, which Ruth's younger brother had borrowed and never returned. She knew she needed to turn to the Word at a time like this. She was quite desperate for that book!
The mother and sister of another national disciple, Gloria, also have a house and a travel agency within a few hundred meters of where the bomb went off. The windows of both of their houses, as well as their business, were shattered, and her mother and sister were quite shaken up. Her sister had never been favourable, and had recently stopped talking to Gloria altogether after having been exposed to a backslider's doubts and lies and bitter complaints. When Gloria called her mother to see if they were alright, her sister grabbed the phone and asked in desperation what they should do. This was quite a dramatic change in her attitude, and gave Gloria a wonderful opportunity to minister to her family.
We also followed up on a former landlady who had been very favourable until she also got infected by the lies of the same backslider. When we vacated her property, she had been unreasonable in her financial demands, despite knowing that we are missionaries living by faith. Having been the owner of two apartments totally destroyed in the blast, her attitude changed dramatically towards us! She was very broken and desperate, asking us to visit her soon.
As we approached a young man staring at a pile of rubble, he looked up and immediately recognized us as the Family. He turned out to be an old friend of Peruvian Elias, and the rubble was what was left of an apartment building where he had been visiting friends just one hour before the blast. His friends had been killed instantly. He was really thinking about life and the meaning of all this. Elias, he said, had forsaken a life of wealth and ease much like his own, and now for the first time, he was starting to understand why. We witnessed to him about the futility of living for material things, how they can disappear instantly in a bomb blast, and he prayed with us to receive Jesus.
Nearly everyone here is Catholic. Many have no concept of how the Bible can be a source of comfort and strength in times of trouble. We read Psalms 91 and 46 with some of them, who listened spellbound.
This witnessing experience of helping so many needy and desperate people was beautiful. It also helped us all to appreciate what Heaven on Earth we have, and to thank the Lord for the firm foundation He has given us in His Word. Even as their World goes to pieces, God's Word stands firm and our World draws closer! Praise the Lord!
* * *
INNER CITY WITNESSING!
From Michael (of Peace), U.S.A.
Across the bridge lay New York City, and the nine of us--six teens and three adults--were on our way to visit some of our friends at their places of business in the city.
One lady, after a Bible class, led us to the cafeteria and let us sing to all of her factory workers during their lunch break. The teens sang two or three songs, then witnessed to and prayed with all 40 to receive Jesus! They were mostly Black and Hispanic people, who really flipped out at the teens' musical Message. One big Black lady got up and started dancing in the aisles. Everyone smiled and laughed and clapped their hands and enthusiastically received our Endtime Posters.
As we filed out of the factory, a lady in her forties came down the sidewalk toward us.
"Hi!" I said as she passed. "I'm Michael. Would you like to hear a song?"
"I'm Wandy," she said, "but I don't sing too good!"
"You don't have to sing," we assured her. "We'll sing to you!"
The teens sang two or three songs and the music just rang out throughout the neighbourhood. Heads started popping out of windows, and before we knew it there were quite a few people watching and listening. Wandy was thrilled by the music. Then we made a circle, put our arms around her, and she prayed to receive Jesus so sweetly. It was quite a testimony to the whole street.
A security guard, who had come out of a nearby building to see what was going on, turned out to be a Christian who really loves the Lord. He promised to look after Wandy's spiritual growth.
Going on from there, we passed by two men sitting in chairs in front of a bar. They saw the teens' guitars and asked for a song. As these men looked a bit rough, the teens weren't sure what to do.
"My name is Victor and this is Rocky," one of them said. "We're gangsters."
"Give 'em some money, Victor," the other one piped in. "You got lotsa money!"
Victor pulled out a wad of bills, peeled one off and handed it to the teens.
The teens sang "It's Gonna' Take a Lot of Love to Turn This World Around." By this time a couple of other men had come up and were talking amongst themselves.
"Shut up yous guys and listen!" Rocky scolded them. "These words have real meaning. I go for it."
"Why don't you pray with them, Tim?" someone suggested.
Tim stepped bravely forward and asked them if they wanted to go to Heaven.
"We're all goin' to Hell!" Victor said. "We don't know nobody Up There. All of our friends are goin' to Hell."
"Yeah, that's right!" Rocky confirmed.
At that, a bald-headed man stepped out of the small crowd that had gathered, and walked right up, pointing at Victor.
"See dat man? He's definitely goin' ta Hell. He's carrying a gun!"
He proceeded to poke Victor's T-shirt, exposing the form of a hand gun underneath. Tim, however, just kept right on with his witness, challenging them to receive Jesus.
Once again Rocky told the other men to shut up and listen and that he, for one, was going to pray with us. He also encouraged Victor to do the same. The teens all put their arms on the men's shoulders and prayed with them.
"There, now I feel better," said Rocky. "How about you, Victor?"
Victor smiled, "Yeah, I'm okay!"
We gave them some Posters and it really touched all our hearts to see these tough men humbling themselves to receive the Lord like little children.
We also met lots of teens and young people that day. New York is proving to be a very fruitful witnessing ground. The need is enormous, and we're just getting started! But we've come this far by faith, so there's no turning back now! Praise the Lord!
PRAYER REQUEST: Inner-city witnessing teams: for the safety and protection of teams ministering in New York and other dangerous inner-city situations, and for lasting fruit from their ministries.
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"IN NOTHING TERRIFIED!" (Phil.1:28)
From Timothy Wood, 19, U.S.A.
As we were leaving a large university, where we had been witnessing all day, two "punker" girls caught my eye. They were sitting against a wall looking very bored. Rebecca and I began talking with them, and when we found they were receptive, we started giving them a Bible class right there on the sidewalk. It was going real well, when all of a sudden I heard a deep voice right behind me say, "What the Hell is this?"
I turned around to see this real big punker standing there with a group of his friends. He must have been at least 6'4" and was acting and talking real strange! We found out later he was on drugs.
When I explained to him that we were Christians and that we were telling people about Jesus, he got real mad and started yelling obscenities at me.
"Yeah? Well I'm a `boot-ist' and I'm going to kick your face in!" he threatened.
I was still sitting on the sidewalk, and I'll have to admit I was pretty scared at first. I could tell he wasn't bluffing! But I sent up a quick prayer, and the Lord showed me to just act calm and try to talk to him. "I'm sorry if I've offended you," I told him. "That's not what we are trying to do, and we aren't here to argue with you either. But no matter what, we are going to keep telling people about Jesus because that's our job, whether you like it or not!"
After this, he calmed down quite a bit. I think he was surprised that I didn't get real freaked out or run away. He shouted a few more obscenities at us, but didn't bother us any more. We've gone back to that street many times and we've never had any further trouble with him. Thank the Lord!
The happy ending of the story is that by a miracle we met the hungrier of the two girls again in another city, and she was very happy to see us.
She said, "I was on drugs the night you talked to me, and the next morning I couldn't remember anything you said, except that it was something about Jesus. It made me feel so peaceful. Tell me again."
We witnessed to her and she got saved! Now we're following up on her.--A victory out of seeming defeat!
The biggest lesson I learned through this experience was to "pray without ceasing", but also not to be intimidated when people come on real strong. We can't let the Enemy scare us out of doing the job we're commissioned to do. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Mat.28:19).
PRAYER REQUEST: Youth sub-culture witnessing: for protection, wisdom, discernment and lasting fruit for teens and adults who are reaching "punkers" and other drop-out types in many countries worldwide.
* * *
P.I. PERILS!
From Harmony, 23, Pacific
I arrived in the Philippines when I was 13 years old. We were two families travelling and working together--a total of four adults and twelve children, of which I was the eldest. Almost immediately, we headed down to the southernmost island of the Philippines, Mindanao. This was a totally different world from metropolitan Manila, or even the provincial areas of the northern Philippines. One of the biggest differences was that Mindanao was a major battlefield for the guerrilla warfare that was being waged between the Philippine Army and the Communist rebels, known as the NPA (New People's Army).
The rebels would hide out in the mountains, and then come down suddenly and ambush cars on the country roads, or hold up busloads of people. The city we lived in was fairly peaceful with very little rebel activity, but bombings and open fighting were regular occurrences in the countryside and other nearby cities.
We lived there for 4 years and won many precious friends--from sweet, simple market contacts to city fathers, members of the press, civic leaders, doctors, dentists, etc. Between our two families, we had a show group which performed in schools and hospitals and won thousands of souls. As the months went by, we all really fell in love with the people and the country. Mindanao became our home, and as we faced the daily dangers and difficulties, we looked upon them more as challenges than sacrifices. The Lord really seemed to bless it and our witness went a long, long way.
One of our closest friends was Bert, a well-to-do businessman who owned a logging company, with many camps throughout the island. Most of his workers and their families lived right at these camps located in the mountains. That was also where the NPA rebels hung out, and of course, terrorized everyone who didn't openly support them. They extorted money from the rich, like Bert, to pay their expenses. For this reason, Bert had his own private army for protection. The rebels would often ambush his men and there was actual warfare between them.
On several occasions, he invited us to sing and minister to his workers and their families, sometimes 100 or more people, up in his mountain camps. Of course, it was a dangerous trip and dangerous while there, but he always made sure that we were escorted by his army--actual soldiers dressed in camouflage suits with ammunition belts and carrying huge guns. We rode in the same vehicles that he used for transporting his men to and from the camps, which were the same type of vehicles that everyone in that area used. They had no sides, just rows of seats from one side of the bus to the other. That way, in case of ambush everyone could jump out and dive for cover at a moment's notice.
It was always a very precious time of witnessing, as these sweet people were quite broken and desperate to hear about Jesus--living so near to the danger of ambush or outright attack. Many of them received Jesus on these occasions.
Once Bert took my father and another brother to witness in a nearby town that is a stronghold of the Muslim separatists. As always, they were travelling in a caravan with several cars full of armed guards. They were leaving for home when a woman carrying a small child stepped out into the middle of the road, as if she was begging, and tried to stop them. Bert, knowing how these people operate, sensed that it was a setup for an ambush, so instead of stopping, he gave the signal to get out of there as fast as they could. Shots were fired at them as they sped out of town! Later Bert received death threats warning him, "Don't bring those foreigners here again, or else!"
Throughout all of these perilous situations, the Lord protected us and kept us and helped us bear much fruit for His glory, TTL! He is so faithful to care for His Own!
* * *
TOP GENERAL RECEIVES JESUS!--AND OUR STATEMENTS!
From Chris and Susanna, Latin America
"We have an appointment..." I said, handing the guard my I.D. card.
"...with the general," the guard said, finishing my sentence for me. "Please come right this way, we've been expecting you."
At the next checkpoint, he handed my I.D. to another guard and said, "They don't need a pass." Turning to us, he motioned in the direction of the stairs. "If you know the way, please go ahead."
When we arrived at the general's office, we were immediately led into an elegant waiting salon. Five minutes before our scheduled audience, a colonel led us into the general's private office where the general greeted us warmly. After the usual small talk, he asked about our plans for the future, what we do and how we live. This was the opening we had prayed for. As we showed him our photo album, Susanna stood by his chair pointing to the pictures one by one, as we explained our missionary work and communal lifestyle. Although our children have performed for this man on several occasions over the years, this was our first chance to really witness to him and explain our greater family--the Family! Thank the Lord for such a golden opportunity, and for the general's sweet response!
At the appropriate moment, we mentioned that our small international group suffers persecution, and that we have recently prepared some Statements to explain ourselves and our situation to our friends. We said, "Since you have always been so kind to us and our children, we would like for you to have the first copies." We gave him "Our Statement of Faith" and "The Heritage and Home Life of Our Children."
He asked who would attack us and if we had any problems at the moment. Susanna explained that our last problems in this country had been a long time ago. She said, "It was because a 30-year-old single mother had joined our group, after which her influential father had us investigated. No wrongdoing was discovered, of course, so nothing came of it."
We also mentioned that the Family in another Latin country was presently under an attack by the press, and that we believed it could spread to his country very soon.
We were also able to inform him that our main antagonist works for a certain organization which, we discovered, has also tried to malign him. When we made reference to the international media and those behind them, he covered his head with his hand and said, "The international media are a bunch of spiders that reach down and grab you and try to entangle you in their web! Don't pay any attention to them! If you have any problems," he reassured us, "just call me and I'll see what I can do. I'm not on very good terms with the President at the moment," he continued jokingly, "but I'll see what I can do." During the course of our conversation, he repeated his offer of help two more times.
We were also able to show him some Heaven and Endtime Posters, as well as the "Daily Food" containing the article, "Jesus?--Or Marx?", all of which we left for him to read.
"Although I was brought up Catholic," he said, "I'm very liberal concerning religion. "
As the meeting drew to a close and we stood up to leave, twelve-year-old Timothy boldly spoke up and said, "The Bible says that Jesus is standing at the door of your heart knocking. If you open to Him, He will come in and give you Eternal Life. Would you like to pray a little prayer with me? All you have to do is repeat after me, OK?" The general repeated the whole prayer, stopping only once to ask Tim to repeat a line, so as to make sure he got it right. He finished his prayer on the verge of tears.
"You're a good missionary!" he said to Timothy with a smile.
We thanked him and parted, praising the Lord for this tremendous answer to prayer! This was truly a dream come true, as this had been one of our heart's desires, to get a chance to witness personally to this very meek and precious man and "get him in!" Thank the Lord!
PRAYER REQUEST: For the general to grow closer to the Lord, the Word and the Family; for any future contact with him; and for those ministering to him.
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MINISTERING TO THE FIRST LADIES!
From Stephen and Susanna, Latin America
One of our dear friends, C., has begun using our Word Tapes and adult music Tapes in her special ministry of witnessing to the wives of heads of state of many countries around the World! As a close aide to the First Lady of this country, C. accompanies her to many official functions, both here and abroad, and she's a faithful witness wherever she goes! God bless her!
In the past three months she has distributed over 80 Word Tapes. Last month she took a trip to a number of other Latin American capitals, visiting the First Ladies and giving them our Tapes. This month she spent two weeks in Europe, attending a conference of more than 60 First Ladies from all over Europe and Africa, where she distributed Word Tapes that she took with her especially for that purpose.
She also gives our Tapes to the First Lady of this country, and from C.'s accounts they have had quite an influence on her, giving her faith and courage in the face of the major political unrest this country has been besieged with in recent months. Shortly after there was an attack on the Presidential Mansion, the First Lady testified on the news that the Lord had given her courage throughout this ordeal. And it was a miracle of God, she said, that neither of the two bombs planted on their roof exploded during the night of the attack.
We also had an opportunity to meet the First Lady's business manager again, who told us that he knows that the Lord also protected him as he helped to defend the First Lady and her family when her residence was attacked. Miraculously, though bullets flew all around him, his life was spared. We had never had the opportunity to speak to him in a personal way before, but this time we were able to lead him to receive Jesus. He also heartily agreed with everything we shared with him about the Endtime. When we gave him the Tape "Peace in the Midst of the Storm," his face just lit up and he was so happy.
He said, "The First Lady has this Tape, and I've often wanted to listen to it, but I never had the opportunity."
It's just wonderful to see how the Lord is using dear C. to get the Message, via our Tapes, into places where we otherwise may never have had an opportunity to witness. And it looks like this is just the beginning! Praise the Lord!
PRAYER REQUEST: For C., and the Lord's continued blessing upon her unique ministry.
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REACHING THE TOP IN ROMANIA!--A Dream Come True!
From Rebecca, Romanian national
The other night the Lord gave me a special dream that only a few days later was to actually come to pass! In my dream, I entered a very luxurious and ornate shop, knowing there was someone there that the Lord wanted me to meet, but I awoke before I saw their face.
Then, just a couple of days later, I saw the exact same building that I had seen in my dream! I was unable to stop at that time, but knew the Lord had someone very special for us to meet there. The first chance we got, Christina and I made our way back to that building and found that it was indeed a shop. Another detail which I distinctly remember from my dream was that when I went to enter the shop, the door opened by itself. You can imagine my amazement when, just as I was reaching for the knob, the door was opened for us by a doorkeeper! It is unusual for shops here to have doormen, and only the fanciest ones do, so when this happened, all doubt or hesitation vanished from my mind.
From the size of the shop, the number of employees and the elaborate interior decorating, this business was obviously run by someone very wealthy. We found out later that this was the office of a man who is said to be the richest person in the country, owning a whole string of very prosperous and high-class stores. We also noticed quite a few other important-looking people waiting their turn to see the director. It took quite a step of faith for us two little "nobodies" to approach the receptionist for an appointment to see him.
"May I see your identification, please? What firm do you represent?" she asked. Being just a couple of simple missionaries, we had no official identification. All we had were the Posters, so that's exactly what we gave her to pass on to her boss, along with the brief message: "Jesus loves you!--Do you have a few minutes to spare?" A moment later, to our surprise and the secretary's dumbfounded amazement, the director stepped out and said he would like to see us immediately!
He was casually dressed and in his late 30s or early 40s. I didn't really know what to tell him, so I just came straight out and asked him, "Do you believe in God and Jesus?"
"Yes, I do," he answered, "just like most other people in this country."
Understanding that probably meant that he had been raised with a churchy concept of religion, I asked, "Would you like to have Jesus in your heart?"
By the way he answered, "But I have God in my heart," it became apparent that he was battling to make a commitment.
We backed off a bit to give the Lord a bit more time to work on him. We talked about him and his life, the problems and fears and worries he faces. Then I told him about my dream. Though he was shocked that such a thing could happen, he believed me. I told him that God had a very special plan for him, which is why He had sent us to meet him.
We listened as he poured out his heart about his difficulties and loneliness, and he listened intently as we gave him verse after verse to encourage and strengthen him with God's answers. Before any of us realized it, we had been with him for over an hour.
Finally, I came back to my original question, "Would you like to receive Jesus into your heart?"
Again he replied, "But I have God in my heart, isn't that enough?"
"No," I told him, "you need Jesus!" He paused for a moment and then, with tears in his eyes, prayed silently to ask Jesus to come into his heart!
Immediately, he offered to help our Work in any way he could, and demonstrated his sincerity by giving us all the money he had in his drawer--quite a large sum. Before leaving, we asked him for his phone number, but he insisted that we just come by and that we visit him as much as possible, assuring us that there was no need to phone for an appointment.
He was so thankful that someone had finally taken the time to talk to him about something besides business and money. He could see clearly that our sole purpose for meeting him was to give him the spiritual help he needed! God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform, and we can certainly see His hand in engineering this situation to help us begin reaching the top in this country!
PRAYER REQUEST: For this dear man and those ministering to him; for the Lord to lead us to others who need our help and are likewise in positions where they can greatly further His Work, not only in Romania but the rest of Eastern Europe as well.
Copyright 1996 The Family