FAMILY UPDATE NEWS #10 -- December 1993. DO
         "Thou shalt sweep across the face of the Earth & thou shalt proclaim My Name unto all nations, & then shall the End come!" (MOP 28:6)

LATE BREAKING NEWS! ALL FAMILY MEMBERS IN ARGENTINA HAVE BEEN RELEASED!! On December 13, the Appeals Court ordered the immediate release of all 21 adult members & the remaining 97 Family children from the prisons & institutions where they had been detained for 104 days!
         The court also ruled that the case was not within Judge Marquevich's jurisdiction. Police Commissioner Juan Carlos Rebollo, who worked with Marquevich on the case, was jailed on charges resulting from abuse of authority in the manner in which he conducted the raids!
         Thank you, dear Family, for your unceasing prayers & public outcries which encouraged & sustained our Argentine Family throughout their ordeal & prevailed against seemingly insurmountable odds! More details coming in FUN#11!

ARGENTINA
* JUDGE REAPS WHAT HE SOWS. In a wonderful answer to prayer, the Commission for Impeachments (a watchdog committee of the Lower House of the Argentine parliament which keeps an eye on the judicial system) has opened hearings on five separate petitions from various sectors for Marquevich's impeachment. The committee's quick action shows that they are taking this seriously, TTL!

* LAWYER/FATHER COMES TO OUR DEFENSE. At the first hearing of the Commission for Impeachments, a prominent lawyer who is the father of two national sisters gave a powerful speech in which he blasted Marquevich. This man has not been particularly favourable over the years, but the persecution is bringing him closer. The Family has visited him several times & he now strongly supports us. In addition to his speech before the commission, he wrote a formal letter calling for Marquevich's impeachment & enclosed testimonies from Family members in prison.

* IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS HIT THE HEADLINES. The headline in the popular newspaper, Cronica, declared, "Judge Investigated by Children of God." The article announced the start of the hearings against Marquevich & pointed out that there are a total of five petitions for his impeachment, so there are also others out to get him! "The performance of this magistrate [Marquevich] also motivated an international investigation by two American constitutional lawyers [Albert Blaustein & Barry Fisher] who . . . [questioned] if his performance could be considered religious persecution of an ideological nature," the article stated. It also mentioned that the American lawyers, who went to Argentina to investigate, will lodge a complaint with the United Nations in December concerning violations of the Family's human rights in Argentina. (See exciting sequel under news from Russia.)

* MORE CHILDREN RELEASED. Flor & Lazaro's kids were released to Lazaro in the beginning of November. Lazaro, who is a TSer, has faithfully stood by the Family & is giving strong, clear testimony in our defense as a favorable former member. The children are with him at his mother's house. Mercy & her two children, plus Ben & Hannah's teens, Cristina [16] & Milagro [13], were also released.

* REST FOR RELEASED FAMILY MEMBERS. Dad & Mama expressed concern that Family members being released from prisons & institutions be given sufficient opportunity to recuperate from their ordeal before returning to the front lines. A new Home was set up for this purpose, which is called "Descanso" (Rest). There they are able to get restrengthened through the Word, Family fellowship & physical rest.

* IMPRISONED MEMBER'S MOTHER JOINS THE FRAY. Canadian Claire's mother, who is a justice of the peace, flew to Argentina & met with our lawyers. She has since been very active in the struggle to free Family members. GBH!

* FAMILY DEMONSTRATION IN SYDNEY MAKES NEWS IN ARGENTINA. The Australian Family's demonstration during a World Cup soccer match with Argentina was reported in the Buenos Aires newspaper Clarin (circulation: 800,000) on November 1st. The article quoted two of our signs, "No Religious Freedom in Argentina" & "Better Conditions for Eight Imprisoned Missionaries", & referred to others which labelled Judge Marquevich "corrupt" & "an executioner". The article also mentioned the brutal & degrading gynecological examinations given to one of our young girls on Marquevich's orders.

* FAMILY MEETS WITH PRESIDENT OF APPEALS COURT. We have had two meetings with the president of the Appeals Court, where our protests were lodged.

* SILENT DEMONSTRATION AT JUSTICE MINISTRY MAKES NEWS. Following counsel to keep knocking on doors & not be intimidated by the ongoing media blackout, the Lord led the Family to do a silent demonstration in front of the Ministry of Justice. In an interview with the press, one of our lawyers explained that those demonstrating were the parents of children still held in institutions, despite the fact that the parents are not being prosecuted. Articles which appeared in the newspapers Cronica, La Nacion & Pagina/12 included photos of our signs. One read, "GIVE ME BACK MY CHILDREN" & another, which pictured Flor & her baby behind bars, asked, "TILL WHEN?" The interview also appeared live on TV news.

BELGIUM
* AN INVESTIGATION OF THE FAMILY in Belgium was officially closed for lack of evidence of wrongdoing on our part.

COSTA RICA
* ANTI-FAMILY ELEMENTS IN COSTA RICA are trying to pass a law prohibiting foreign members of the Family from entering the country. As Costa Rica has always been quite free & open, we would like to ask for prayer against the passage of this law!

ENGLAND
* SOCIAL SERVICES INVESTIGATORS VISITED PEARL'S HOME in response to a request from the judge hearing her case. Three inspectors from the local Education Authorities spent most of one day observing classes, interviewing teachers & students, & evaluating our educational program, methods & teaching materials from top to bottom. The officials came very well-prepared with a battery of in-depth questions. Those involved said later that they felt the entire Family's educational system was under scrutiny, not just their local situation.   Being liberal thinkers, the investigators did not agree with some of the Biblical principles we teach our children, but the teachers stood their ground & explained that as parents we have the right to train our children according to our religious beliefs. The inspectors respected this & overall they seemed favourably impressed. A high point was the JETTs' performance of their as-yet unfinished play "Scrooge's Christmas". The inspectors were overwhelmed that the JETTS & OCs had done the entire production on their own without any adult involvement, & commented, "This play alone speaks volumes for your children." A visit by social workers also went very well.

JAPAN
* ARGENTINA PROTEST ACKNOWLEDGED. A Tokyo Home reports: "Last month our JETTs & teens wrote letters of protest to various authorities in Argentina for our Family there. . . . [In reply] we just received a registered letter from the Minister of Justice of Argentina. His letter was somewhat noncommittal, but it shows our message is being heard in high places. PTL!

MEXICO
* THE LORD CONTINUES TO RAISE UP NEW LAWYERS & give the Family favourable media coverage in Mexico. Their media team is making tremendous progress in meeting new contacts & cultivating the ones that they already have. A press release was published in a highly respected newspaper, & two other positive articles appeared. One editor who published a biased report about the Family, fearing a lawsuit, was literally trembling in his boots when our media team called upon him at his office.

* OUR ARGENTINE "REFUGEE" YAs had an audio interview with CNI, the Spanish affiliate of CNN, & lined up interviews with other TV networks & newspapers.

* AN EMINENT LAWYER, who is a friend of the Family, was fascinated when he read a copy of the Argentine lawyers' petition calling for Marquevich's impeachment. Now he wants to write a similar letter of protest to the Argentine authorities & have it signed by the lawyers of his bar association.

NORTH AMERICA
* THE LORD HAS GIVEN US FREE HOUSING in three cities, which is making it possible for the Homes there to focus more on ministering to old friends & winning new ones. In one city, the 14-year-old son & 21-year-old daughter of their landlord want to join. In another city, the JETTs won the hearts of the owners of a large computer school, who visit frequently & help us. This precious older couple have invited the whole Home to spend Christmas with them.

PHILIPPINES
* THE ONGOING SENATE HEARINGS ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE FAMILY have provided a wonderful avenue for the message to be heralded. In mid-November the Family was summoned to a "closed session" of a Senate committee to view & explain the dance videos, which were stolen by Priebe & then made available to some authorities by our enemies.
         A close friend of the Family met with our spokespersons before the hearing to personally pray with them. He then returned to his office where he continued to pray fervently. In a vision, he saw the Senate hall filled with devilish spirits ready to war against the Saints. Then he saw us enter the room, followed by a host of Angels & Heavenly helpers. The atmosphere was dark & foreboding, but as he kept praying, the Family began radiating light & wielded big swords. In another picture similar to one described in "Prayer Power", he saw a beam of prayer being focused on a mirror & bouncing back into the Senate hall, flooding it with light.
         Meanwhile, in the Senate hearing, the videos were declared unsubstantiated evidence & the committee chairman pointed out that they were obviously edited & tampered with. This potential defeat was transformed into a resounding victory.
         The next day we were on the front page of almost every paper. The headlines were sensational--all mentioned sex--but coverage was the fairest that we have ever received there. There was not a single distortion worth writing a rebuttal about.

* TWO OF OUR DEAR FRIENDS FROM OUR ORIGINAL DF MINISTRY wrote open letters on our behalf in which they unequivocally refuted the lies of our enemies concerning our former ministry to the military in the Philippines.

RUSSIA
* U.S. LAW PROFESSOR MEETS FAMILY IN RUSSIA. Following his trip to Argentina, Professor Blaustein travelled to Russia to participate in the writing of their new constitution. By a Godly coincidence, our Russian lawyers were helping to host the foreign delegation of which he was a part. The Family attended a lecture which he gave, & afterwards thanked him for speaking out in our defence in Argentina.

SCANDINAVIA
* THE DIRECTOR OF A MAJOR DENOMINATION'S RESEARCH INSTITUTE in Finland (& probably the number one authority on NRMs in Finland), met the Family at an international conference in Budapest. After receiving mailings, he has begun to stand up for the Family in Finland.

THAILAND
* ATTACKING INITIATIVE RESULTS IN MAJOR MEDIA COVERAGE. An impressive article was published in the country's second largest daily newspaper, with a circulation of over five million. This paper originally published a number of small negative reports concerning the Argentine raids. The Family followed up on the foreign news editor, & he published a large cross-section of our press releases. This editor is also a respected columnist, & is very interested in our explanation of CAN & the Argentine situation. A number of other newspapers have also been extremely receptive.

USA
* SOME FAMILY MEMBERS ATTENDED A RECENT CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY THE CULT AWARENESS NETWORK. This was a powerful testimony to those present that we are "normal people" & open to dialogue. A number of people loosely affiliated with CAN commented that they were thankful for the interaction.

* TEENS SAM & GENAI, who had recently been released from institutions in Argentina, appeared on "Telemundo", a popular Spanish talk show in Miami. The audience & MC were very biased & antagonistic, but Sam & Genai stood their ground. They boldly answered the accusations of the disgruntled former members who also appeared on this show, one of whom was their older sister, Cherish. Their mother, Amy, also gave a beautiful explanation of our former FFing.

* PARENTS OF THOSE IN BONDS IN ARGENTINA have been pleased to have contact with the Family in the U.S.. We are keeping them apprised of the situation & all that the Family is doing worldwide to secure the release of their children & grandchildren. These parents are now contacting the State Department & their Senators & Congressmen, & asking them to take action.

* A SOCIAL SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE VISITED OUR HOME IN SAN DIEGO after a neighbour complained that our kids were not attending school, etc. The social worker was very impressed when shown the classrooms, & moved to tears by the children singing.

* THE FAMILY IN HOUSTON met a very sincere Christian, Brother Thomas, who owns several television stations. Brother Thomas met Dad & his children, then known as "Teens for Christ," thirty years ago, & was profoundly impressed by their dedication & love for Jesus. He was very happy to meet the Family again & speaks glowingly of the effect Dad had on his life.
         He's heard all the lies about us which other media have published, but refuses to believe them. Instead, he invited our teens to appear on his Christian TV show. Prior to filming, the team had a prayer meeting & "loving Jesus" inspiration with his staff. On two one-hour shows, the Family sang, told testimonies, & then showed 15 minutes of the Family Outreach Video. Mother Eve came on at the end of one show to explain about the beginning of the Family.
         Brother Thomas declared on TV that Dad is a prophet of God who prophesied the present condition of the U.S. over thirty years ago. He praised Dad as one of the sincerest Christians that he has ever known. He ended one show by playing the tape of Dad singing "My Anchor Holds", where he breaks out in tongues & interpretation. Later Brother Thomas asked us to be sure that Dad gets to see the tape of the show. "I want him to know how I feel about him!" he said.

PRAYER REQUESTS

WORLDWIDE:
         1. That the whole world will hear of the victories won in Argentina & give God the glory!
         2. For ongoing contact with academics & other professionals who are doing studies on the Family or writing & speaking in our defense.

ARGENTINA:
         3. For the security of the Homes in Buenos Aires, that the children & adults who have been released will get quality Word time & good rest, and that the Lord will give the parents & other adults wisdom in dealing wisely & gently with the problems caused in the children's lives by the incarceration. That the love & Word therapy will speedily overcome any lingering fears & other negative effects.
         4. For the speedy impeachment of Marquevich.

AUSTRALIA:
         5. For the continued exposure of our enemies' illegal actions in conducting the Sydney raids.
         6. For our legal team as they prepare for the Melbourne case, which is due to begin in late January.
         7. That the attempt by the other side to bring in "star witnesses", Priebe, Dupuy, Mene, Miriam Padilla & Abigail Berry & others to testify against us, will collapse!--And that, in fact, their whole case will collapse, & that God will help His little David to slay the mighty Goliath as we come in His name & in the power & might of His Word & prayer.
         8. For a close friend who is going through a trying period.

ENGLAND:
         9. For those involved in Pearl's case, which is due to go to court in mid-January.

COSTA RICA:
         10. Against the passage of a new law that would expressly prohibit foreign members of the Family from entering the country.

FRANCE:
         11. For the quick & victorious resolution of remaining proceedings involving Family members.
         12. For the Lord's continued judgements on those responsible for the persecution.

THAILAND:
         13. Continued open doors & favourable media coverage.

USA:
         14. For the Lord to heal a dear academic friend of ours, who suffers from a diseased thyroid gland; for her to be able to trust the Lord & not worry, & that she will get the type of treatment that she & her husband have the faith for. Also, that the Lord will provide the new housing which she & her husband need.
         15. For the reconciliation ministry to former members; for their receptivity, & for love & wisdom on the part of the Family members involved.

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family