FAMILY UPDATE NEWS # 16 -- March, 1994. DO
"When God throws all His power & support behind us, we are invincible & we are a majority!" (ML# 2888:34.)
March, 1994, Home Services, Zurich, Switzerland.
(Required reading for JETTs on up.)
Dear JETTs,
God bless you! Grandpa & I love you dearly! We have been thrilled to hear the wonderful testimonies that have been sent to us from around the World telling us about the terrific job you JETTs did as our 1993 Family Birthday Prayer Warriors!
We are so proud of you! Thank you so much for being faithful & for accepting the challenge with such enthusiasm & determination. We had faith in you & knew you could do it, but from all we've heard, it seems you did even better than we expected! PTL! It thrills us to hear of how you went over & above the call of duty, how you had initiative & took your job so seriously, how you faithfully followed the pubs WS had supplied for you, & how you inspired the children to pray, through your own sweet, on-fire samples.
We & the whole Family appreciate you & the very good job you did! We know you're probably already seeing & will continue to see the wonderful results of your efforts!--The Lord will answer your prayers! Praise the Lord! "Your prayers can do mighty things & change the course of history!" (MOP 97:41.)
We love you! God bless & keep you safe, happy & close to Jesus!
Much love,
Grandpa & Mama Maria
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NORTH AMERICA
* OUR JETTs STAND IN THE GAP. In tribute to all of our JETTs worldwide, here are excerpts from one North American Home's report about the tremendous job their JETTs did during the Birthday Fast. We are already receiving many more glowing testimonies. Thank you again, JETTs, for a job well done!
From the Home's adult MC/OC Shepherdess, & teen/YA JETT Shepherdesses: "We were exceptionally impressed at the way in which the JETTs took care of the children. We gave them a few ideas on how to keep the kids' attention, & keep things moving, & a few tips on discipline & behaviour. In an hour they had the whole outline planned out! They organized the entire three days amazingly. They just took the ball & ran with it! They came up with tremendous ideas, & were faithful prayer warriors & diligent Shepherds. They teamworked & handled the discipline of the children very well. When we got together with the JETTs at the end of each day to go over how things had gone, they had the most inspiring & exciting testimonies to share! It was inspiring to see them blossom before our eyes!"
* CHRISTIAN CANDIDATE SEEKS JETTS' HELP. A born-again Christian who is running for mayor of his city has asked the JETTs in the local Home to help in his campaign by singing songs about the Lord. He also wants to present the Family to the local Chamber of Commerce.
* FELLOWSHIP WITH DISCIPLES OF WILLIAM BRANHAM. When Brother Thomas heard from the Houston Family that William Branham once prophesied over Dad (Read the thrilling account in "Millions of Miles of Miracles!", ML#897:27-53.), he was eager to take them to a church which an old friend of his pastors. This church belongs to a small denomination which was founded by a disciple of William Branham. The Houston Home reports:
"Everyone we met was very friendly & loving, & greeted us with warm hugs. We were immediately impressed by the love they have one for another.
"While our adults were in an adult meeting, our teens & YAs attended Sunday school classes with kids their ages from the congregation. The Sunday school teacher was impressed with our teens & the fact that they are so strong on memory work. Then everyone attended the main service, which started with a lot of singing & dancing.--And they know how to rock out! At this church everyone enters in--teens & parents alike--singing, dancing & praising the Lord wholeheartedly!
"After a number of songs, we did a show for about 30 minutes. The meatier the songs, the more they liked them! Then Brother Thomas explained about the Family, Dad & the persecution we receive.
"After a moving sermon by the pastor & fervent, whole-hearted prayer by the entire congregation, the pastor prayed a very sincere prayer for us & took up a `love offering' for our work. These dear folks are not wealthy, but were very generous! God bless them! After the service, many folks wanted to know more about us. The pastor was so impressed with the teens that he asked them to sing at his daughter's 15th birthday party."
* PHOTO TIP: A U.S. Home writes: "We found a simple, cheap way to make enlargements of photos for albums & displays. For just $1.00, we had an A-3 size colour xerox made from a standard size colour print. It's almost as sharp & colour-perfect as a photo enlargement, but instant & much cheaper."
* BRANCH DAVIDIANS ACQUITTED OF MURDER CHARGES: (From a Washington Post news service article, February 27th, by Sue Anne Pressley:) On February 26th, in what defense lawyers called a victory for religious freedom, a jury in San Antonio, Texas, rejected conspiracy murder charges against 11 Branch Davidians in the deaths last year of four federal agents.
Seven defendants were convicted of lesser crimes: five were found guilty of aiding and abetting voluntary manslaughter of federal officers, which carries a maximum 10-year sentence. Two others were convicted of firearms violations. Two others went free immediately, & two, who are in the U.S. illegally, will be deported to their home countries.
The verdicts, which came in the fourth day of deliberations, fell two days short of the one-year anniversary of the Feb. 28 gun battle between agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms & followers of David Koresh. Throughout the seven-week trial, defense attorneys had challenged the government's use of force in the case, claiming the Branch Davidians had been attacked in their home near Waco by an overzealous law enforcement agency.
Defense attorneys had long maintained the government was trying to whitewash its role in the initial shootout, the deadliest day in U.S. law enforcement history, and in the decisions during the standoff that led to the final fire.
The defense team of 16 attorneys, including some of the state's most high-powered criminal lawyers, based its case largely on a single piece of evidence--a call from the Mount Carmel compound to the emergency 911 dispatcher on Feb. 28, three minutes into the shootout. On that tape, Koresh adviser Wayne Martin, a Harvard-educated lawyer, frantically pleaded with a county sheriff's lieutenant for a cease-fire, repeatedly yelling, "They're shooting at children and women in here.... Tell them to call it off!" Only after 32 minutes had passed was the dispatcher able to make contact with the ATF to arrange a cease-fire.
The defendants--10 men and a woman--faced the possibility of life in prison without parole if the jury of eight women and four men had convicted them on all counts.
The prosecution's star witness, former Branch Davidian Kathryn Schroeder, may have ended up helping the defense by rejecting the notion that the sect had devised a plan to kill ATF agents. Schroeder testified against the Davidians in exchange for a lighter sentence but stunned the courtroom by smiling warmly at the defendants as she identified their roles in the gun battle.
In an emotional statement, freed defendant Clive Doyle described his release as "a somewhat hollow victory." With tears streaming down his face, sometimes unable to speak, Doyle, 52, said he could not help thinking about the losses of his friends and relatives in the initial firefight and in the subsequent April 19 fire that destroyed the sect's compound and ended its 51-day standoff with federal authorities. Doyle's daughter died in the fire.
Woodrow "Bob" Kendrick, 63, the other defendant freed, said through his tears that he is "still proud to be a Branch Davidian."
SOUTH AMERICA
* LEGAL ACTION HALTS DISTRIBUTION OF BAAMONDE'S NEW BOOK. Our lawyers in Argentina filed a law suit against Baamonde, charging that claims made about the Family in his latest book are libelous. The book has now been withdrawn from circulation, despite a great deal of publicity & promotion on the publisher's part, & our lawyers are pressing for damages.
* WE'RE STILL BIG NEWS IN ARGENTINA! Thanks largely to the 90-minute prime time TV dramatization entitled "Uncondemned: the Children of God" (reported in FUN #14), January turned out to be the greatest month of witnessing yet! This program was one of a four-part series covering Argentina's most important legal cases of 1993. The underlying themes of this series were corruption in the Argentine government, & its use of repression to deal with social "problems"--two messages that Dad & Mama had hoped the Family there would be able to get out after their release!
* MORE GOOD FRUIT OF TV SHOW: A few days after the airing of "Uncondemned," a 19-year-old drummer from a rock group showed up at our door. He'd seen the show & was desperate to find us. He loves the Lord but was asked to leave his church for failing to comply with their hair & dress codes. He was inspired to hear our testimonies about how the Lord kept us while in prison, & is now thinking about joining.
A middle-aged sociologist who home schools her child also came to our Home after seeing the show. Ten years ago she attended one of our Meaningful Meetings & never forgot us. She too has received persecution for home schooling her son, so when she saw how successfully we defended ourselves on this issue, she came to us for counsel.--One more evidence that others are now looking to us for leadership. Not only are we the Lord's spiritual vanguard for the Last Days, but in the field of home schooling we are the Latin American pioneers.
* FAMILY WELCOMES ARGENTINE REFUGEES. More of those who had been jailed in Argentina arrived safely in Chile, just in time to spend the Fast in sweet fellowship with their new temporary Home.
ASIA
* TEACHERS OF TOMORROW: At the end of January, the national director general of an important international agency visited the Training Centre in Thailand. He was favourably impressed, & gave a speech expressing how thankful his organization is for The Family's help in that country.
The Thai DF Home was visited by a woman who oversees a home for retarded children at which the Home recently performed. She brought doctors & psychologists with her, & filmed the entire visit. They were overwhelmed with our home schooling & children, & asked us to send some of our national teachers to their institution to help train their teachers.
EUROPE
* MEDIA COVERAGE & OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION IN EUROPE: In late January, a negative article by a reporter who visited one Home prompted other media coverage in that European country. As a result, the social services and the school authorities felt obligated to conduct an investigation. So far, they have been considerate and understanding. The Home went on the offensive with demonstrations & rebuttals, which resulted in lots of positive coverage on television, radio & in the papers. The Family there has received many calls from the media & individuals who have, for the most part, been very supportive. A priest & a journalist were among the first to stand up for us.
* HIT DOGS HOWL IN BULGARIA! At the beginning of February, following a mass mailing informing one thousand media outlets, government officials & friends that the Family is leaving Bulgaria, we were in the national news for several days. Our open letter to the authorities contained a warning message to that country, that repressing religious freedom & persecuting us & other Christians would result in God's judgements, & was reported in all major newspapers (front page of some), & nearly all TV & radio newscasts. Most of the coverage was negative & sensational. (Some branded us as "the most dangerous group in the country!") Others were fairer in their coverage. In any case, we delivered our souls!
* FAMILY JOINS MARCH FOR PEACE IN ITALY. In mid-February, the Italian Family joined in a "March for Peace" organized by different organizations. The Family gave a speech explaining the persecution we are receiving and warning of the AC conspiracy to de-Christianize the World. They also made good contacts for further follow-up, & were invited to help in a refugee camp in Slovenia.
* SOCIOLOGIST WANTS TO JOIN: A 28-year-old Eastern European sociologist, who is doing a study on the Family, stayed at one of our Homes for a week. He joined in as if he were one of us, doing JJT, attending Home meetings & going witnessing.--He even went on a postering trip to another town! He later told us that he wants to join the Family & be a missionary in Russia!
* REPORTER STANDS UP FOR THE FAMILY. An Eastern European reporter who has done several good articles about us was invited to a meeting of Protestant leaders. There she spoke out about her visits with the Family. "As far as I can tell," she said, "the Family is more Christian than all of you put together!" After the meeting, some people congratulated her, while others gave her the cold shoulder.
* FRUIT THAT REMAINS IN RUSSIA & EASTERN EUROPE: Of all the Catacombers we have won to date in Russia, 2/3 are still with us, either as live-in TRF disciples, live-out disciples, or faithful Catacombers. PTL!--Fruit that remains!
To-date in EE we've distributed 30.6 million Posters, won over 365,000 souls, & distributed over 275,000 Gospels of John (a total of 289 million pages distributed). We've witnessed personally to 2.7 million, & 885 million en masse!---Over three times the total population!
* FAMILY PERFORMS AT "BOYS TOWN" & MEETS FOUNDER. The Rome Combo did a show for Boys Town in Rome. (This is the original Boys Town which inspired the 1938 American movie "Boys Town," & many similar projects worldwide.) The Irish priest who founded the school, now 81, lives in Rome. Our JETT girls sang & danced to a variety of songs. All those present were very touched, particularly the priest, who sang along with the traditional songs. After the show he gave a beautiful speech, saying, "Although many famous people have visited & performed here, the dedication & fire that you (the Family) portray in your service to the Lord is something we have never seen before!"
AUSTRALIA
* MEDIATION TALKS FAIL, MELBOURNE CASE GOES TO COURT. After a week of bargaining & a last-ditch effort on the part of the convenor to persuade H&CS (formerly CSV) to soften their position, the mediation attempt fell through. The Melbourne case returned to court on Monday, February 28th.
The Family legal team reports: "Although some of us were a little disappointed that the talks had failed, we know that the Lord is in control, & it is now apparent that He didn't want us to go that route. Also, when we do win the court case, the public will know a compromise wasn't reached, & there won't be any doubt that the accusations are false. We had a prayer meeting with the Homes the night before the talks fell through, & everyone was in agreement that we would rather go through with the case than compromise on major principles. It's inspiring to see the Family so united & willing to go through this fight!"
ANSWERED PRAYER:
The Colombian Family expresses their thanks for everyone's prayers for those who were involved in the recent traffic accident. The Lord has done many miracles & the teens continue to recover speedily! Juan Andres has no more fever, has recovered the use of his right side which was paralysed for a time, & has begun walking! Everyone was released from the hospital in time to spend the Fast at Home, TTL!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
WORLDWIDE:
1. For the safety & security of Dad, Mama, & their staff.
2. For our lawyers.
3. For our contacts with government agencies: that they will treat us with the same objectivity as they would other citizens, so our missionaries will be able to go about their job of preaching the Gospel for as long as possible.
COURT CASES:
4. Melbourne case: For our lawyers & Family Members as they prepare & make our opening arguments & applications, & that the judge will be fair & rule in our favour on these requests which could have a major bearing on the final outcome of the case.
5. Pearl's case: For Pearl, her legal team, & the witnesses who are being called to testify on Pearl's behalf.
6. French court case: That the minors judge in Aix will not decide to impose more socialization activities, & that the judge investigating the criminal case will close the case altogether.
ARGENTINA:
7. Libel suit against Baamonde: that the charges made by our lawyers will stick, & that the court will award damages to the Family.
8. Our lawyers, doctors & other professionals who are helping us during the ongoing legal proceedings: for their strength & wisdom, that they won't become weary in well-doing, & for the Lord to reward them openly.
9. That the Argentine Supreme Court will reject the D.A.'s appeal of the appeals court ruling; for a clear vindication of the Family & speedy resolution of the case.
10. For those involved in the possible case with the provincial court.
11. For all those involved with the media, & for more openings to proclaim the Truth.
12. Supply: for their provisioning team.
13. For more Family Members to be able to leave Argentina soon.
14. Against attacks by elements within the Catholic church in Argentina which are spreading to other S.A. countries; for the Lord's wisdom in knowing how to counter these attacks.
ELSEWHERE IN SOUTH AMERICA:
15. Continued prayer for complete recovery of those injured in the Colombia traffic accident.
16. For an official investigation in one country to come to a speedy conclusion, & that it will result in better understanding between the government & our Family there.
AUSTRALIA:
17. For the healing of a lawyer friend, who has been diagnosed as having cancer of the bowels.
EUROPE:
18. For the social services investigation of the Family in one European country to come to a close, as it could have a major bearing on our future in that country & far-reaching effects for the overall Family. That the Family will be able to use this publicity to get out the Message & win new friends & supporters.
NORTH AMERICA:
19. For all our academic friends, lawyers & other friends who are being a tremendous help to us.
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family