FAMILY UPDATE NEWS #25 -- October, 1994 DO
"I believe we've got the greatest witness of any group our size in the World! I think we're the most active, the most effective & the most fruitful witnesses on God's Earth today! Hallelujah!" ("We're the Best," ML# 1385, DB1, pg.543.)
(c) October, 1994, Home Services, Zurich, Switzerland.
(Required reading for JETTs & up. Selected portions may be shared with children younger than JETTs at the discretion of their parents, teachers or Shepherds.)
NOTICES
Christmas Mailings & Other Christmas Prep!
By WS Staff
God bless you! We hope that the last few months of witnessing have been inspiring & fruitful for your Home! In this notice we'd like to remind you that Christmas is just around the corner, & the time to prepare is now! A truly fruitful Christmas outreach takes foresight, planning & advance preparations. It's a big job & a lot of work, but will be well worth your effort when your main Christmas push comes around!
One aspect of your Christmas preparations which was not covered in the notice which appeared in FUN #23 is your Christmas mailings to relatives, sheep, supporters, contacts, neighbours, etc. We've made wonderful progress this past year in winning many new friends & strengthening old ones, & Christmas is an ideal time to bring them closer to Jesus & the Family by sending them personalised Christmas cards & feeding Christmas publications.
In order to not miss this golden opportunity, you should pray about & start organising your Christmas mailings now! Update your mailing lists; decide which Christmas cards & pubs you will send to whom; provision printing of Christmas materials (Most printers are swamped with business at Christmas time, so unless you make arrangements within the next month, you may be too late!); & start praying in & setting aside funds to cover your bulk Christmas mailings, which can be rather costly.
In addition to Family Christmas cards & the Christmas Posters, here is a list of our other GP & DFO Christmas pubs for you to choose from when putting together your Christmas mailings:
GP Tracts:
[ ] "The Coming of Jesus" (T9)
[ ] "A Prayer for Christmas" & "The Gift that Kept Giving" (T10)
[ ] "The Man Who Missed Christmas" & "My Christmas Prayer" (T11)
[ ] "The Miraculous Staircase" (T14)
[ ] "A Message from Mrs. Douse" & "The Lesson" (T14)
[ ] "The Magic of Forgiveness" & " Christmas Is Always" (T15)
[ ] Picture of Jesus with John 3:16 & "The Story of Jesus & the First Christmas" (T16)
[ ] "The Circle," "The Art of Giving" & "Why Don't We? At Christmas" (T27)
[ ] "The Man Who Wanted to Go Home", "Gift Exchange" & "Christmas Is a Time for Remembering" (T28)
[ ] "God Speaks in a Dream" (T29)
[ ] "His Presence at Christmas" (T30)
[ ] "Giving from the Heart" (T31)
[ ] "Why the Candles, Jonathan?" (T32)
HOPE, CLTP & KIDZ Mags :
[ ] "Carol's Christmas Card" (Special GP Christmas HOPE, 11/89)
[ ] "Miracle on Christmas Eve!" (HOPE #12, DFO, 12/89)
[ ] "The Cobbler & His Guest" (HOPE #21, DFO, 11/90)
[ ] "Butter & Honey", "An Exile's Story" & "The Star" (Christmas HOPE Mag, DFO, 11/91)
[ ] "The Day I Saw Him!" (HOPE #32, DFO, 11/92)
[ ] "Christmas Eve in the Nursery" (Power & Protection--Part 14, DFO, 9/94)
[ ] "One Christmas Eve..." (New DFO HOPE Mag, on its way to you now!)
[ ] "The House that Glowed" (KIDZ #71, DFO)
[ ] "Christmas Poems" (KIDZ #78, DFO)
Following is a summary of the other Christmas prep tips which were outlined in FUN #23, for your easy reference:
1. Approach companies with the idea of buying large quantities of Videos &/or Tapes to give as Christmas presents to their employees, or ask them to sponsor sets of our Videos & Tapes as gifts to social institutions. (Please be sure to fill all orders well in advance of Christmas.--December 1st would be good in most cases.)
2. Prepare your Christmas show troupe by learning & rehearsing songs in the local language, practicing dance routines & Christmas plays, & gathering & making props & costumes, etc.
3. Make your bookings for Christmas performances now!
4. Advertise your Christmas show when doing outreach or follow-up! Put together a simple album or brochure with photos of your troupe (&/or shots from previous Christmases), which you can show or give to every potential contact.
5. If you already have a well-rehearsed singing team together, it's probably best that, if possible, you avoid personnel changes until after the Christmas season.
6. Once you make bookings & commit yourselves to perform at certain events, it's extremely important that you hold true to your word. Be there, & be on time!--In fact, be early! Don't cancel your appointments unless absolutely unavoidable. If you can't make the appointment, try to arrange for a singing team from another Home to perform in your place. Remember, you're representing the whole Family, & your sample will also affect--either positively or negatively--the other Homes in your Area.
7. If you've made appointments months in advance, we suggest you call to confirm your appointment & other details several weeks prior to the scheduled dates.
We're praying for you & your preparations. May you have the most inspiring & rewarding Christmas season ever! We love you!
Good News Regarding Movies Rated #1 on Early Movie Lists!
By WS Staff
We have received a number of questions from the field regarding movies which were rated "#1" in the early Movie Lists which appeared in Heavenly Helpers #5 & subsequent "Movie Update Lists". Some of you have asked if these movies which were approved before the '92 Movie Fast could be re-rated, while others have asked if WS could simply give "blanket approval" to watch all movies which were formerly rated #1.
After reviewing the situation, we realised the following points: First of all, our rating system has changed considerably over the nearly ten years since the early movie lists were published.--Our movie review council & process have changed, the criteria by which we judge whether or not movies are watchable has changed, the age-group divisions have changed, & the content of the accompanying movie descriptions has changed.
This matter is further complicated by the fact that some movies which were rated #1 when they first appeared on Family Movie Lists have since been re-rated "not recommended", after being re-watched & prayerfully reviewed. Also, some Family Members have expressed serious concerns about the ratings of a number of former #1 movies which we have not had time to re-watch. For example, it is doubtful that under our present rating system the movie "The Savage Is Loosed" would be rated for OCs, or "Quintet" would still be deemed watchable. The purpose of the movie lists is not to restrict or deprive you, but to spare you & our dear children from wasting your time on meaningless movies, or, worse yet, experiencing the ill effects of the wrong kinds of movies. We are sorry, but we cannot vouch for all of the ratings on these old lists, & until these movies can be reviewed, we feel it is better to be safe than sorry!
The good news is that we are making progress in re-rating the movies from the old lists. Ninety movies formerly rated #1 & 54 movies rated #2 are included in the new Revised Movie List #4, which you should have received by this time! Add the 55 movies in Movie List #4 which were not on any previous lists, & you have 199 more movies to choose from than you did last month! Praise the Lord!
We hope that these new ratings & accompanying movie descriptions will be a blessing to you in your movie selecting & viewing, & we hope to have more movies re-rated soon. Please pray for us as we pray, counsel & compile the next update. Thank you & God bless you!
Police Raid in Panama Erroneously Linked to the Family
On October 2, Agence France Press (AFP) and several Latin American wire services reported that 38 children were taken into custody following a police raid on a "Children of God" house in Panama. The main charge appears to be child abuse. However, there are presently no Family Homes in that country, so any reports that link this raid with us are incorrect. One possible explanation is that, over the years, a group of ex-Family Members calling themselves "Enviados de Dios" ("Those Sent from God") has lived in Panama & distributed bootlegged Family lit and tools. This group could possibly be involved.
If this erroneous AFP report has been or will yet be printed in your area, the following points should provide your Home members with appropriate answers in the event that they are asked about this incident in the course of their outreach or other outside business:
> There are presently no Family communities in Panama. An offshoot group of ex-members of the Family may be living there & could possibly be involved. If that is the case, they are in no way presently associated with the Family. News of this incident came as a total surprise to our worldwide Christian fellowship.
> Although many other Christian & non-Christian groups use and benefit from our literature and audio-visual materials, this doesn't mean that they are actual members of our missionary association.
Daddy/mate wanted
Hi! Do you believe that God can use anyone?--Even you?--Even me? My name is Victory (formerly Rosie). I'm 25 years old, a Libra, & have two very wonderful, energetic & happy children--Michael (4-1/2) & Joanna (3).
We've prayed specifically for a daddy & mate this year, & believe the Lord will do it! We're off to Thailand in mid-November to spend as much time as we can on the field! We're quite human, but we really love Jesus. If you feel led to join us or at least make contact, please don't hesitate to write! Our address: c/o Claire, P.O. Box 1671, Macquarie Centre, Australia 2113. Mail arriving after we leave for Thailand will be forwarded. Much love and prayers, Victory, Mikey & Joanna. xxx!
COMMENTS & REACTIONS
Thoughts on Teen Church Ministries
By Seek, USA
I wonder if we could accomplish the same thing with the churches [as we have with our fancy show troupe & electric band] if we just had teens & YAs that were really on fire, singing with acoustic guitars, giving testimonies & telling their life stories? I think it would have a bigger impact than our live band & concert.
After our first concert, I asked the youth pastor for an honest evaluation of our programme, & he told us that it was almost as if there was a glass divider between us & the audience.--We hadn't really made a connect with the people. The pastor who hosted the next concert wrote that he really liked the show, but wished that we would have told more about ourselves. At the third concert, the youth pastor said that as much as he appreciated the concert, the question & answer time he arranged afterwards was the real hit; hearing our testimonies of living by faith & travelling for the Lord all these years. The churches have had plenty of show biz, but they rarely find people who really know what it's like to live by faith or can teach them how to witness.
I think some of the churches would just flip if our teens were to go there & not just do a show, but work with their teens, doing outreach in the city & teaching them by the clinical method.
The churches are really looking to us for help & direction & training, & there's a wide open door for it! We don't even realise what we have to offer from our years of training until we make contact with these church pastors & see what babies they are spiritually. Yet some of them sincerely seek our help & guidance. I feel the time is right to step into that role, but I don't think we can do it with concerts alone. We need to go in with a broader programme & work with them in a very sincere, heart-felt & Spirit-led way.
(Mama:) I wholeheartedly agree with the conclusions Seek came to, that the public will receive our teens with acoustic guitars telling their life stories or engaging in question-&-answer sessions much better than the more traditional entertainment" of bands & all the trappings of a formal program. This is virtually the same thing that the sociologists pointed out to us about our young people's participation at the ASR conference. The Lord keeps trying to steer us back to the simplicity" of the Gospel, which is supposed to be one of our trademarks. People are interested in us & find us appealing because we are different, not because we are like them.
Our simplicity, our boldness, our willingness to have the faith to try anything & to change at a moment's notice are all things which make us very different from the System, & which attract them to us. Our conviction, way of life & witnessing are other qualities they don't have & don't often see, & which they would like to hear from us about. They would prefer a demonstration of our spirit rather than our natural musical abilities, which can't really compete with the System anyway. The churches already have all they can manage in the way of musical entertainment with all of the latest songs, song writers & great Christian musicians, etc.
So if we are going to have a show troupe & band, it seems like it should be used only as the bait (if any is needed) to get our foot in the door & to be able to give our Message.
Our Shepherd's Love for All!--A Sample of Genuine Christianity!
Reaction to "The Un-Cursed Sons of Ham," ML# 2928, GN 597, from Sharon (formerly Sara D.), South America
Dear Grandpa, your beautiful sample of being such a loving & new-bottle Shepherd speaks so powerfully in this GN.
While reading this GN, the Lord quickened to me some very precious memories of seeing you personally witness to all kinds of people during the beautiful "Days of Heaven" that I lived with you.
I recalled the many precious black folks to whom you witnessed in South Africa, including waiters, delivery boys & the dear maids who cleaned our apartments in Capetown. And remember the two servants, Matthew & Yanem, who came with the house in Sri Lanka? You were so sweet with these & all the other precious local people you met & witnessed to while there.
I remembered your daily walks to the central plaza in Tenerife, where you witnessed & ministered regularly to dear Julio, the teen with Down's syndrome who readily received the Lord with you & who loved you dearly.
I recalled your witnessing to the Zarabanda group (see "The Operator," ML# 700). Though homosexuals, these young men were very receptive to the spirit of David & your loving sample & witness.
In Tenerife, you taught us to be equally winsome in our witness to the lesbians, including the German lesbian couple who were our next door neighbours. You also encouraged us all, men & women alike, to witness to the few homosexuals whom we met in our days there together.
Sweet Grandpa, you set such a wonderful example of witnessing "in season & out of season." You witnessed to young & old, rich & poor, black & white, & those from every type of background & occupation--from the drunken mailman, Ignacio, who came to your window every day at the house in Tenerife, to the city fathers, mayors & police officials. This left a very deep & lasting impression on me!
Thank you for being such a beautiful example to all of us of a real missionary!--A lover of all lost souls, "without hypocrisy & without partiality" (Ja.3:17). "The Son of man came eating & drinking, & they say, `Behold...a friend of publicans & sinners.' But wisdom is justified of her children" (Mat.11:19).
EUROPE
* GREAT NEWS FLASH! VICTORY IN THE BARCELONA CIVIL CASE! Spain's Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of the Family, upholding the Court of Appeals' decision in the Barcelona civil case! Praise the Lord for this powerful answer to the faithful, fervent prayers of the worldwide Family! What a victory!
* HIGHLIGHTS & STATS FROM EUROPE'S SWIFT INITIATIVE. The European Shepherds compiled the stats from their SWIFT teams & sent these, along with a summary of victories won, to all their D.O. Homes prior to the Europe-wide Harvest Jubilee Celebration which was held on September 25th. Following are edited excerpts of that message:
You'll be thrilled to know that over the three main months of summer, we sent out about 200 SWIFT teams, or an average of 610 people on the road each month. A total of 28,675 people received Jesus into their hearts & 15,241 were baptised with the Holy Spirit. Thank You Jesus! Almost 380,000 people received a personal witness--twice as many as last summer. We also gave out over 800,000 pieces of lit & had a mass witness of 5.9 million, excluding media witness, which totalled another 126 million! In August alone, the European Family was featured on 13 TV shows & 12 radio broadcasts, plus numerous newspaper articles. They distributed about 7,400 Tapes & 6,140 Videos. August was Europe's best month for tool distribution since the last Christmas season!
Teams witnessed at the big Euro Woodstock Festival held in Hungary, & at the annual Jarocin Rock Festival in Poland. Other teams reached teens in Amsterdam, Belgium & other major Western European centres. As a result, a number of precious potential disciples are now on the line. Singing teams visited & cheered up old folks, orphans & refugees in several countries; plus several SWIFT teams witnessed & ministered in Croatia.
Almost every D.O. member in Europe had at least two weeks of solid witnessing this summer, & most had an opportunity to go on the road with their families. Whether it was through tool distribution, personal witnessing, clowning, puppet shows or performances, the SWIFT teams showed that Europe can be reached with the Gospel, & Family Members young & old can have a lot of fun doing it! It was mostly the kids, JETTs & teens who were the star witnessers!
* SWIFT TEAM REPORTS: From Murmansk, Russia (above the Arctic Circle!): Our second night in Murmansk we found a discotheque where lots of kids were hanging around. Amongst the many drunks, we also found many sheep & 14 of them got saved! Over the next few days we postered & followed up on Mail Ministry sheep, & found three of our Outside Witnessers (Catacombers) with whom we had long ago lost contact. They were very thankful to see us! They've been faithfully witnessing & now have their own mail ministry. They place ads for pen pals in various newspapers & send Posters to everyone who writes in. We gave them copies of the newly published GP Daily Might & Treasures in Russian, & arranged to send them more lit.
*
From the Arkhangelsk (Russia) team: We did four performances: one at a little orphanage, two for students of a high school & one at a youth detention centre. The vice-warden of the centre was so impressed with our work that he invited us to his home, where he & his family all got saved. We also followed up on some sheep that were first met over two years ago. One girl is especially potential. We led a total of 172 people to the Lord during this trip!
*
From the Kirgistan (one of the Muslim Asian republics of the CIS) team: For one week we stayed free of charge at an exclusive summer resort located on the shore of Lake Isicul, the second deepest & cleanest lake in the World. While there we gave a concert & showed the Russian Kiddie Viddies to the children staying there. Altogether 70 people prayed to receive the Lord! We also had a very good opportunity to meet many interesting professionals from the city where our Home is located--people we may not have been able to meet & witness to at home. We gave a special interview & sang two songs on the national TV station, & when we visited our friend at the national radio station, she told us that our children's audio Tape (the sound track from KVs 1 & 2 in Russian) was being broadcast all day long that day, which happened to be International Children's Day.
*
SWIFT teams also reached parts of Russia & other CIS republics which had never before been visited by Family Members!
*
From Praise Grin, Denmark: As a Home, we asked the Lord to give us some new disciples & Catacombers during our SWIFT outreach. While singing with the children at a walking street we met a 14-year-old boy who prayed with me to receive the Lord. He immediately started to witness & pass out tracts & Posters with us, & now seems quite serious about being a catacomb disciple until he is old enough to join fulltime.
The same day we also met a drug addict who had seen us on TV & was very happy to find us. He went with us to our coffeeshop, where he received Jesus & was filled with the Holy Spirit. He also now wants to join!
* UPDATE ON THE RUSSIAN WORK. From Daniel Mountain, Russia: A babes camp was held in Siberia, after which more disciples joined full-time & others returned to their home cities to help continue to get out the Message. The Catacomb Work continues to flourish!
* LATEST NEWS FROM THE EE MAIL MINISTRY: The EE Mail Ministry has been a major investment over the past few years--both in terms of personnel & finances--but we are very inspired to see the lasting fruit it has borne.
Personal follow-up on Mail Ministry members this past summer helped bring many of these dear sheep closer, & many of them are now potential disciples or good friends who can help open other doors. In fact, many of our present top nationals first established contact with the Family through the mail.
The pioneer team to Yerevan, Armenia, stayed with & were provided for by a faithful MM member during their entire trip. She also went witnessing with them & introduced them to some precious people.
The team that went to Georgia met with several MM members who are now eagerly witnessing.
A team that visited MM members in Hungary reported, "We were a bit surprised to see how important the Family is to many of these sheep who had never met us in person, but who feel very close to us through the letters we exchange. We have actually become their best friends by just giving them the Word."
A preacher in Romania's Apostolic Church said the "Meet the Family" mailing was a turning point in his life. "This is what I have always wanted to do," he said. "I've dreamed of making a Christian community who will live according to the principles you described in your Statement."
One of our MM members in Russia had an article printed in a local newspaper in which he tells about getting saved with the Family & the correspondence we have had with him since. What makes this even more remarkable is the fact that he still proclaims himself to be a Communist.--Ha!
* MORE FULFILMENT OF "RUSSIA & THE ECONOMIC CRASH"? From the Family in Russia: Last March, Dad said in "Russia & the Coming Crash" (ML# 2924, GN 595) that the ACs may bring their money to Russia to make her prosper. Total foreign investment in Russia in all of 1993 was $300 million. This year it's running at nearly $500 million a month!
* FAMILY WITNESSES AT "EURO WOODSTOCK"! From Victor F., Hungary: Euro Woodstock was a five-day music festival which was held in a large park on the Danube River, beginning August 20th. Like the original Woodstock of the '60s hippy era whose 25th anniversary it commemorated, this festival was geared to hippie-type young people.
It was a golden opportunity to reach so many searching young people with the Message. Some of the young Romanian, Bulgarian & Hungarian disciples from our new Babes' Home were on our team & they loved it!
We postered, witnessed to individuals & small groups, & sang to the sheep we met. We emphasised the Endtime Message in our postering, & got out thousands of copies of "Endtime News" & "Watch out for 666".
Each train that arrived at the local station brought hundreds more young attendees, & we had a team outside the gate to greet them with Posters. Inside the grounds we set up a tent, did skits, had Holy Ghost samples, passed out free sandwiches & did lots of witnessing.
During the festival we got out over 20,000 Posters & "Somebody Loves You" tracts, & led about 100 young people to the Lord through personal witnessing.
* MEDIA COVERAGE CONTINUES IN BRITISH ISLES. From Gideon & Rachel Scott: A crew from BBC TV spent three days at our Home, doing interviews & filming for a 16-minute "day-in-the-life" feature story about the Family. They also went on a witnessing trip with the bus team, filmed the Family witnessing on the streets & interviewed people who had been witnessed to. Broadcast details have not yet been announced.
We received overwhelmingly supportive reactions to the tabloid TV programme featuring the venomous backsliders, the Padillas, which was aired in August. A number of parents of Family Members have since written letters of support.
Rachel squared off against Sylvia Padilla on the popular Sunday BBC religious affairs radio programme, delivered a positive witness & refuted the false allegations of our enemies.
Other newspaper articles appeared in local papers, including the newspaper from the town where the Padillas now live. This article included an interview with the Family & quite a few paragraphs refuting the Padillas' allegations.
* SHOW TROUPE/BUS TEAM NEWS: From Ricky & Elaine, England: We were very warmly received at a church we went to. The pastor & her husband have visited us several times since, & they have asked us to perform with some of their folks at a prison where they minister. They also want us to teach personal witnessing classes to their members & take them out witnessing. They plan to use our Videos for Sunday school each week so that parents will get a chance to see them & get copies for their children. Several members of this church have told us that the Lord showed them they should support us.
We've been featured in several newspaper articles, & a letter to the editor, written by YA Chad, was also published.
The bus attracts lots of visitors daily, & we never know what will happen next. Today we met a video crew from Scandinavia who were filming a music video nearby, & we provisioned the use of their backdrops & lights to do a photo session with our show troupe for future advertising.
* FAMILY YOUNG PEOPLE INSPIRE NUNS & STUDENTS AT A CONVENT SCHOOL! From Christine, Hungary: While on a road trip the Lord led us to a school for young girls. The nuns who teach & care for these 30 girls are all older & very precious. They loved our Videos, & received us with open arms. They took all ten of the Videos we had with us, plus four Tapes. They also loved our Posters & literature!
They were especially interested in the care & training our young people receive, as often they just don't know how to handle the girls in their care, or how to lead them to the Lord. They were very thankful for our counsel.
The next week we received a very sweet letter from the sister in charge begging us to return as soon as possible, & to bring any other materials we might have. When we returned they got all the girls together to watch the Family Presentation Video, & afterwards I gave my personal testimony about how I became a missionary to Siberia. Some of the girls were almost in tears & asked how they could become missionaries too. The nuns were thrilled that these girls suddenly had a desire to serve Jesus, as they had been trying in vain to get them turned on. One of the biggest problems in their order--& in the Catholic Church as a whole--is that very few of the young generation are becoming nuns & priests. They really respect the fact that we are so young, yet so dedicated to serving the Lord!
* TAKING TIME TO LOVE & AID THE AGED: From John David & Libby (Now in Heaven with Jesus.--See "Libby's Homegoing," GN 603.), England: Recently, two of us met the coordinator for a local volunteer organisation. She gave us the name of a 93-year-old man, & asked us if we would volunteer to drive him to visit his 85-year-old wife once every two weeks. She lives in a nursing home about half an hour's drive from their house, where he still lives.
The first time we drove him to visit her, we met the staff at the nursing home. They were very sweet, particularly the owner & his mother. They were holding a birthday party the following week, & invited us to bring the children to sing.
The birthday party went extremely well. The 93-year-old & his wife were thrilled, & couldn't stop talking about the children. She had been having bouts of depression, but was in much better spirits after the party. We had made extremely large print copies of the song, "Into My Heart" which were easily readable by the elderly people, many of whose eyes are quite weak. Members of the nursing home staff sat next to each of the elderly residents & sang the song with them. It was a very touching experience & a number of people were visibly moved.
Members of our Home have since met the woman who coordinates activities between volunteer workers & the social services department, & we look forward to a regular ministry to some of the elderly in our community who are in need of our love & Jesus' love.
* NIGERIAN TRIBAL KING MEETS THE FAMILY & RECEIVES THE LORD! From Luke & Meekness, Poland: We were heading home when suddenly we saw what is a very unusual sight in this country--a group of six or eight black men dressed in suits & ties. In their midst was another black dressed in a purple robe with a white vest & a tall, shiny cap studded with many small gems. He also carried a fancy silver cane.
This unusual procession stopped only a few metres from us, so we approached them & struck up a conversation. We soon found out that they were all from Nigeria. As we gave them all Posters, the man in the robe didn't take one. Instead he motioned to one of the other men to take it for him. We continued our conversation with one of the other men who seemed most interested, & when we explained that we were missionaries, the man in the robe began asking us questions about our work.
"What do you do back in Nigeria?" Meekness asked him.
"I am King Oni of Ife, " he said matter-of-factly. (Editors note: Apparently he is the king of one of Nigerias 250 tribes.)
"You certainly look like a king!" Luke said after a moment of stunned silence. This statement seemed to please him, & he broke out into a grin.
From that moment on we had a very warm & candid conversation. We showed him our photo album & explained more about our work. He asked how we support ourselves, & when we told him, he asked for our address, which we were more than happy to give to him.
Before we parted we explained that we had something very special to offer him. "It's a prayer which we like to pray with all of our new-found friends," we told him. Then he prayed with us for Jesus to give him the gift of Eternal Life. Praise the Lord!
PACIFIC
* FAMILY ORGANISES SUMMER CAMP. From Jimmy, Joanna & Tabitha, Taiwan: This past summer a close friend asked us to assist him in an experimental youth camp project with a two-fold purpose: to teach the children as much English as possible, & to train them in the ways of love, consideration, & cooperation. None of us had any previous experience working quite like this with non-Family children, so this offered lots of new challenges!
To give an example of how the camp was organised, the first week's programme involved 18 campers whose ages ranged from eight to 14. They were divided into three groups, & each group was assigned three counsellors--one was a Family adult & the other two were university students. Two Family children also acted as assistant teachers for each group.
Before the camp began, we gave the student counsellors leadership & childcare classes which we put together from the MOP, Daily Breads & Raise 'Em Right. We explained that we all needed the supernatural love of Jesus to do the job right, & they all readily received the Lord. Later, all the campers also received the Lord, as did a reporter who was visiting & an academic who came to observe. (Editor's note: Incidentally, this academic helps prepare textbooks which are used in all of Taiwan's high schools. Please pray that the Lord will guide this man's future work in such a way as to prepare many young hearts to receive Him.)
The Kiddie Viddies & Treasure Attics were invaluable in teaching the camp children, of course. We took parts from each Video & categorised them under the different values that we wanted to emphasise in each class, & followed each viewing with a little pow-wow.
We also taught the children several songs such as "The Time to Be Happy", "Rolled Away" & "I'm Inright, Outright (Happy All the Time)" & they loved them! The inspiration level was so high during the singing of these songs that all who attended had a great time, including parents, friends & the visiting reporter.
SOUTH AMERICA
* LATE NEWS FLASHES FROM ARGENTINA! The political commission of the Argentine congress voted unanimously to proceed with the full parliamentary hearing in which Marquevich is being accused of abuse of power in connection with a number of cases, most notably the one which he brought against the Family last year. Should the hearing go through, Marquevich may be forced to resign from his position as a federal judge. If that happens, Marquevich will lose his immunity & could face criminal charges for unlawful imprisonment of Family Members. The fact that the political commission (made up of members of parliament from all of Argentinas main political parties) was unanimous in its decision seems to indicate that Marquevich has lost the backing of his political allies.
One of our lawyers in Argentina recently wrote a book which includes a short section about our case. On its first day in the bookstores, the book sold 10,000 copies.
One of the women who shared a cell with five Family women during the persecution has been released from prison & is now living in a TS Home in Argentina. She has already made a video interview in which she testifies about how the Lord & the Family changed her life.
* UPDATE ON ARGENTINA JAIL & "CONSIDER THE POOR" MINISTRIES: From Sam & Rosa, TSers: We are continuing to share large quantities of provisioned food with a home for street kids which a dear lawyer friend helps sponsor. On a recent visit we met a precious 20-year old, E., who opened up his heart to us & seemed to be very interested in our way of life. He reminded us of the precious new disciple won after the persecution who had been an orphan & finally found a family! Meeting E. helped us reflect on how, despite the horrible way this country treated the Family, the Lord still loves their outcasts & has sent us to help the prisoners & street kids!
Rosa was also able to begin visiting Heidi, the American girl who was one of the four inmates who for three months shared a cell with our Family women during last year's persecution. She is very thankful for the visits, & remembers our girls fondly. On the first visit, she asked for a Bible, which Rosa took her the following week. Before Rosa's first visit, Heidi had written, "I hope the Family will not be like other people who say they'll visit me, but never come." Lord help us not to fail His sheep! "Your love didn't fail us, Lord; help our love not to fail others" (ML# 639, DB1, pg.88).
* CHURCH MINISTRY UPDATE: From Miguel, John, Sara & Angel; Brazil: Andre bumped into a prayer circle of evangelicals who gather for lunchtime Bible studies & fellowship. He has now gone back five times to give classes & pray with them. The Word Basics & Tapes are going like hotcakes! They've also invited our teens to sing at their church.
* PUPPET SHOW WINS NEIGHBOURHOOD TO JESUS! From Jose & Gloria, Paraguay: During the recent nationwide Children's Day celebration, we invited the whole neighbourhood, as well as some other friends, to our Home for a puppet show. We went to every house in the neighbourhood inviting people, & put a big sign on our gate advertising our free show. Most of our neighbours came, including fathers & mothers, grandparents & all. At the end everyone prayed to receive the Lord. As they were leaving, we also gave each child a Poster & some special treats we had provisioned. Since most of our neighbours are poor, this meant a lot to them.
* HOME HELPS LOCAL SCHOOLS. From the South American Shepherds: One Home in our Area has come up with an interesting new witnessing method: They invite classes from local schools to make field trips & spend the day at their large property. The children bring their own picnic lunch & the Home provides a changing room & toilet facilities. When a kindergarten visited recently, Home members put on a meaningful "Chiqui Show" (puppet show) for them. This same Home also conducted a parenting seminar which was greatly appreciated by all who attended. This interaction with the local schools also gives the Home ideal opportunities to explain & offer our Videos & Tapes to the schools' administrators & teachers.
* "ALIVE" PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR IS A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY. (Editor's note: Although the movie "Alive" is not rated for JETTs or teens due to some particularly graphic & gruesome scenes, & some adults who have seen it wish they hadnt for the same reason, we think you will all be inspired by this testimony.) From Miguel, Uruguay: Twenty years ago, an airplane crashed in the Andes with a team of young rugby players from Uruguay. They were on their way to represent their country at a match in Chile. Many of them were from the upper class & attended the most prestigious university in the country. Of those who lived through the initial crash, only 16 of them survived the freezing temperatures for two-&-one-half months until they were rescued. The accident made news worldwide, & eventually inspired many books & several movies, including "Alive".
We met one of the survivors, Gustavo Zervino, three years ago while going door to door in a beach resort. When we first met him, we did not know who he was & witnessed to him just as we would anyone else. He received Jesus & bought some Videos & Tapes, including "How to Win!" He has since become a good friend of the Family & has told us how much "How to Win!" has done for him & his family.
During the Argentine persecution, Miguel continued to send Gustavo letters from prison. When our landlord made the connection between us & the Family in Argentina, he told his business partner. His partner turned out to be Gustavo, who told him, "Don't worry. I know them. They're good people!" Then, of his own initiative, Gustavo visited the local authorities to put in a good word for us. "I'm glad they have come to work in Uruguay," he told them.
Once when Gustavo came to our Home, we read John 15 together. When we came to verse 13, he told us about some of his experiences in the Andes. He was just 20 years old at the time.
Gustavo was one of those who went to look for the radio which was in the tail section of the plane. One of his companions was too weak to make the trip back to their base, & Gustavo carried him on his shoulders the rest of the way. When this man died the next day, they found a crumpled piece of paper in his clenched hand. On it were these words: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
He also told us that in order to make it through their ordeal, they prohibited voicing any negative comments. At night, they prayed together, & this helped them to forget the pain.
When they were buried by an avalanche, nine others died. Gustavo was miraculously saved when one of his friends discovered him buried in the snow & dug him out, but not until he had had a near-death experience. "I felt very happy in that wonderful World, & didn't want to come back," he said.
NORTH AMERICA
* WITNESSING AT WOODSTOCK: From reports by James, Jenny, Anne & Sonny, U.S.A.: We sent a team consisting of 32 teens & their Shepherds to Woodstock '94.
When we arrived, security was only letting Woodstock staff with special passes enter the grounds. We told the guard that we were volunteers who had come to counsel the youth at the concert, as well as help in any way we could. Most of us wore matching bright T-shirts with the Family emblem & the inscription, "THE FAMILY--Making the World a better place!" When he saw our matching shirts which looked very official, he waved us through. These shirts also helped get us though many other doors during the concert.
We worked non-stop witnessing to the youth, counselling people, helping the medical staff, giving directions, & generally being an inspiration to the 300,000 people who gathered for the three-day event. We quickly became known throughout the crowd as "The Family". Again, our "Family" T-shirts were quite a witness to thousands, as everywhere we went people recognised us. Some people we talked to estimated that there must have been over a thousand of us there!--Ha!
Our overall stats included 200 souls won to the Lord, 4,000 "What Everybody Needs Is Love" & "Signs of the Times" Poster tracts distributed, over 300,000 mass witnessed to, & over 3,000 personally witnessed to or helped in one way or another.
After the festival was all over, the place was an absolute mess! We spent another five days helping to clean it up. Though this was a lot of hard work, it enabled us to follow up on the people who operated the various food tents, & they donated a lot of food to the Homes in this area, some of which went to our "Consider the Poor" ministries. We were also given a very generous gift for our clean-up labours, which put us ahead financially.
* MOTHERS SEEK FAMILY TRAINING. From Chris, Vessel & Elena, Mexico: Two close friends have begun bringing their five children over to our Home several times a week so their kids can associate more with ours, & so the two mothers can receive Family training in preparation for a kindergarten they are planning to open. They say that our kids are the brightest & best behaved kids they have ever known, & want to learn to impart those qualities to their own & others' children.
* PARK CLEAN-UP WINS FRIENDS IN OUTREACH AREA. From Rosita, Merry, Mark & Ian, USA: We spent one Saturday working as volunteers with the Department of City Parks cleaning up an area of Manhattan were we do a lot of outreach. Not only was this a good testimony to many people who had seen us there before, but the local officials were very thankful for our help & impressed by the way we worked. We all wore bright T-shirts with our Family symbol & name on them, so we really stood out. Many people asked us who we were & what we were doing, which gave us the opportunity to introduce ourselves & our Work.
* CHURCH MINISTRY UPDATE. From Megiddo, Abigail & Daniel, USA: Twice each month Silas & Lily lead the worship service (inspiration, as we know it) at a church, & each time they receive a "love offering." One week our teen singing group also performed Family songs. This also gives us an opportunity to present our tools to the congregation.
* WINDOW-WASHING WITNESSING. From Tim, Joanna & Mercy, USA: The teens in the Toronto Home really like their new "window-washing witnessing" because it's different & fun! The team consists of a small teen singing group & a couple of teen boys with their bucket of soapy water & long squeegee. They approach shop managers & explain that they are raising funds for their missionary Work by washing windows. While the boys clean the windows, the other team members sing to the shop managers & personnel. They win souls, make new friends, get out some tools & generate good support.
* CELEBRITIES RECEIVE WITNESS FROM FAMILY TEENS. From the Family in California: Actor Steve Martin ("Roxanne," & "Grand Canyon") came to our car wash last week & we had a chance to witness to him & show him our activity brochure. As we were talking, another customer who had been to our car wash before told him that we (The Family) live just like Jesus. "Oh, did Jesus wash cars too?" Steve Martin quipped. We all got a good chuckle out of that. [Editor: Next time you could answer, "No, they didn't have cars back then. Jesus washed feet."--Ha! Then you might add in a more serious tone that Jesus told His disciples to do likewise. Washing feet was the job of the lowest servants. So is washing cars, but we are willing to do it if it gets people to stop long enough for us to tell them about the Lord!] As he left, Steve Martin took a copy of the testimony sheet by the team in Croatia ("Healing Hearts in the War-torn Former Yugoslavia") to read later.
Another team witnessed briefly & gave a Poster to William Shatner (alias Captain Kirk of Star Trek).
* MAYOR WON BY VISIT. From Jonathan, Esther, Celeste & Florence, Canada: When we visited our mayor to introduce ourselves & our Work, he told us that in the seven years he has been mayor, we were the first group to do so. "Thank you for taking the time to explain your mission," he said. "If you ever need my help, please don't hesitate to ask!"
* TEENS' SAMPLE WINS GRANDPARENTS. From Ado, USA: Twelve of us made a 23-day faith trip up the California coast to hold three TS Fellowships & visit various friends & contacts. We stopped twice at the home of YA Maria's grandparents--once on our way up the coast, & once on our return. For 20 years, her grandparents were rather antagonistic towards the Family. They just couldn't understand why their daughter (Maria's mother) would choose such a lifestyle. Now, after visiting our Home a few months ago & our latest visits with them, they have become extremely favourable.
They were out of town when we contacted them about spending the night with them again on our way home, but they drove 1000 miles in two days in order to be home when we passed through their city. They were absolutely enthralled with the teens! Maria's grandfather, a retired child psychologist, wrote a letter to Maria shortly after our visit. The following excerpts reflect their new attitude towards the Family & should help us all appreciate how much the Lord has blessed us with:
"We enjoyed our visits with you & your special friends. They are, indeed, special & very nice young people. What amazed me was how much you seem to share & appreciate a common spiritual culture & a core of faith in God's Word. It is true that God's Word is ancient & hallowed, & it has been shared with each of you for all the days of your lives. Perhaps the key lies in what your parents had in common, what brought them searching for God to the Family many years ago. Whatever the magic key may be & whatever lies ahead of each of you in the years ahead, you can turn to God in gratitude for what you are enjoying at this precious moment in your lives."
MIRACLES OF SUPPLY
"I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread" (Psalm 132:15).
From Daniel Mountain: When our team of four needed to raise round-trip airfares from Moscow to the Armenian capital of Yerevan, as well as sponsorship for the Videos & Tapes, we originally planned to approach a few Armenian friends in Moscow. The Lord had a better idea!
I was called to a meeting in another country, & incredibly enough learned that my father would be in that country, & even the same city, at exactly the same time! He has always been very supportive, so when we met I asked him to fully sponsor our trip to Armenia. He gave a generous donation to cover it, & also gave an additional gift to the overall Work. Later that evening he took me to a casino & gave me $200 to "win additional money for Armenia". An hour later I left with not $200, but $900! This was quite a testimony to my father!
*
From James, David P. & Anna, USA: During last month's Continental Prayer Day we prayed specifically for new contacts. That very evening a friend called to tell us that a friend of his had lots of food for us. Now this new contact calls us every two or three days to tell us he has another load of food for us. Also, the next day after we prayed the Lord gave us a dairy contact which we had been praying for for months.
*
From Sara & Crystal, USA: We called a large company which supplies bakeries, & asked for powdered milk. The manager not only gave the milk we asked for, but told us that he would also have frozen products for us the following week. When we returned, he gave us two pallets of assorted frozen products, including bread & buckets of scrambled eggs. He gave another pallet a few days later, & promised to continue to help with all the products his company handles as they near their expiration date.
Then when we took these provisioned goods to our frozen storage contact, we asked the manager if they ever have food that other companies leave unclaimed. He said it happens a lot & they don't know what to do with it. We offered to take it, & he was very happy to find a solution to what he considered a "hassle". Now whenever this happens, they give us a call & then move it to our section of their freezer. He has also given us unlimited dry storage space & refrigerator space--two other items which have been on our prayer list!
We also sent 73 request letters or faxes to prospective new provisioning contacts, & about 1/3 helped right away. Most of the others promised to help in the future.
*
From Abi, Switzerland: While on outreach one day, we passed by a sign for a swimming pool & decided to try to provision an outing for the teens. The pool turned out to belong to a very exclusive "clinic hotel" (the only one of its kind in the World) which is owned by a World-famous cardiologist. His guests/patients have included Mikhail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela, & two former US presidents.
Before we had a chance to ask to see the manager, out from the receptionist's office walked a friendly looking man whom we guessed correctly was the boss. He led us to some couches in the lounge & we explained our Work, using our photo album. He was excited about our international Work, & especially liked our Work in the EE & Russia because he is personally involved in a project to educate Russian student doctors & set up more hospitals in Russia, especially for children.
When we explained our need for a place to bring our friends & contacts for classes & seminars, he offered the use of the hotel conference rooms whenever we need them. He also told us we are welcome to use the swimming pool. Then we explained to him the need for our missionaries to sometimes take a little furlough (W&R), & he offered us free rooms, including meals, whenever we need them. He also got a Video & some Tapes for his son.
We were very inspired to see how the Lord worked it out for us to meet him, as he explained that normally he is very busy, & if we had come a few minutes later he would have been gone. As we parted, he gave us his card & it was only then that he realised we hadn't even known his name or realised he was such an important personality. We told him that we believe in miracles & he was the answer to our prayers, to which he replied that he feels very unimportant, but is happy that he can be a blessing to us. God bless him!
We promised to pray for him & this project, so please keep this precious man in your prayers. He is a born-again Christian & believes we are living in the Endtime.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Dad: Please pray with us for Dad, who for the past week has been sick with a bad cough & a very sore, inflamed esophagus which makes every swallow painful. Thank the Lord, he has still been able to get down some nourishment in the form of juice, but he has had to stop his meals of mashed potatoes & gravy altogether. This lack of energy-giving food, along with the sickness itself, has made him very weak. This is quite a setback, as he had been free from major illnesses for some time, had been able to eat good nutritious meals & had been feeling quite well, thank the Lord. Although he always tries to stay quite positive, this has been a rather discouraging turn of events for him. Of course, we know we can expect the Devil to attack Dad, but the Lord has promised us the victory if we'll fight for it in prayer. Thanks for being good prayer warriors for Dad in this battle!
2. Peter and his co-workers are presently working on a massive project that will introduce many helpful and needed changes into the Family, as explained in LNF 213. Please pray for needed strength, inspiration and wisdom as they work to complete this extremely taxing and detailed task within the relatively short time period they have to finish it.
3. Court cases: The month of October portends to bring the final rulings in nearly all of our pending court cases worldwide--England, France, Spain, & possibly Argentina as well!
Below are updates & urgent prayer reminders on what we need to pray for desperately & specifically during the upcoming weeks. "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: & if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him" (1Jn. 5:14,15).
>> Pearl's case: Pray for the judge, who is pondering Pearl's case before making his ruling, due sometime in October. Mama previously commented, "Please keep praying...that the Lord will speak to him & definitely give him some sign that we are righteous, & that the Family must be protected instead of endangered." Please continue to pray desperately that the Lord will help him to "judge righteous judgement" & allow Sammy to remain with Pearl; that all the Word & positive testimonies about the Family which he has read will speak to his heart; that he will be able to see through the lies & distortions of our enemies, recognise the truth & realise that the Family is a proper place for Sammy (& all our children) to grow up.
>> Barcelona criminal case: On September 19th, the Spanish Supreme court in Madrid heard the prosecution's appeal in the Barcelona criminal case. The prosecution is seeking to overturn the ruling delivered by the Barcelona Provincial Court in July, 1993, in which the Family was acquitted of all possible criminal charges stemming from the raids. The hearing, which lasted about one hour, went well. No new evidence or arguments were submitted by the prosecution. The Supreme Court judges are expected to announce their decision on October 19th, or shortly thereafter. Please pray that the Supreme Court will uphold the ruling by the Barcelona Provincial Court, once again clearing the Family of any wrongdoing & bringing this criminal case to a final close.
>> French court cases: After the minors' court ruled that the "socialisation" period--which includes weekly visits by social workers--be extended until March, 1995, the Family Members involved filed an appeal. On October 21st the court of appeals will decide whether to overturn or uphold that ruling. Please pray that the minors' court's ruling will be overturned & the case finally closed.
(This minors' court case is separate from the case against some Family adults which is still pending in the criminal court. In that case, the court has granted the Family members involved permission to leave the country, effectively freeing them from further judicial control.)
>> Argentina court case: Please continue to pray that the case in Argentina will be closed in our favour & that the process will proceed quickly, as, otherwise, it could drag out for many years. This will involve the Attorney General of Argentina making a formal recommendation to this effect to the Supreme Court. Then the Supreme Court will need to review our case & confirm or overrule the resolution of the Appeals court. If the Appeals Court resolution is upheld, the case will then go back to the Provincial Court, which will then need to decide whether to pursue the original case or dismiss it for lack of merit & declare the case closed. If the Supreme Court rejects the Appeals Court resolution, it means that the case will go back to Marquevich, & the 21 who were imprisoned will be ordered to go back to prison pending the final outcome of a trial in Marquevich's Federal Court.
4. Poland: The Family is launching a media push to dispel lies being spread by the Polish affiliate of ADFI & other enemies. Please pray for the Polish media teams' wisdom & anointing, & for friends who are standing up for the Family to do so with conviction. Also that the Lord will hold off any serious persecution that would hinder our fruitful ministries there.
5. ACM "brainwashing" conference in Russia: On October 20th, the St. Petersburg, Russia, branch of ADFI is holding a conference on the so-called "horrible effects of brainwashing by the cults." Please pray against any negative repercussions for our Family in Russia, that the Lord will confuse & confound the efforts of the organisers of this conference, & for the Russian media team as they take proactive measures &/or rebut ADFIs lies & allegations.
6. For the members of VOCAL (Victims of Child Abuse Laws), an organisation which leads the campaign in North America against the injustices caused by excessive & indiscriminate "enforcement" of child abuse laws. That they will have more unity amongst themselves, & that they will have the necessary finances to carry on their cause.
7. India: For the Lord to continue to protect our Family in India from the pneumonic plague (closely related to the bubonic plague), which recently struck several Indian cities, including Bombay & Delhi, where we have Homes. That none of our Members or friends there will contract this disease, that the Lord will give the Family wisdom regarding what preventative measures to take, & that Indian health officials can quickly bring the remaining cases of this disease under control.
8. Swiss sect deaths: Against negative repercussions for the Family in Switzerland or elsewhere as a result of the recent deaths of 48 members of a so-called "religious cult" in Switzerland, & five related deaths in Canada. Although the Family has nothing to do with this group & has had no contact with them, the AC media often uses such tragic events to turn the public against small religious groups in general, & the Family in particular. Please pray this event will pass without a lot of negative publicity which will hinder the preaching of the Gospel, & that it will not lead to any burdensome government inquiries into our Homes or activities.
9. Persecution of other Christians in Chile: For a colony of German Christians in Chile which is receiving severe persecution from the Chilean government. Please pray that the Lord will work on these folks' behalf & give them special grace to go through this difficult time.
(Background information gleaned from international news articles & a report from Susanna, Family Member in Chile:) Chile's Supreme Court has revoked the legal status of Colonia Dignidad (Dignity Colony) in southern Chile. The semi-closed community of about 200 German immigrants & their descendants was established in 1961.
When this group first settled in Chile, they bought land & set up farms; they have since become prosperous & self-sufficient. They are Christian (mostly Lutheran), school their own children, & have their own hospital where they treat people from the local area for free. Their school & hospital are both now under threat of closure. Their women & girls dress mostly in old-fashioned German dresses & pinafores, & wear their hair in long braids. Most of their children play the violin or other classical instruments. They are generally well liked by people in the surrounding towns who have, on several past occasions, organised mass demonstrations on the colony's behalf.
According to the Family's lawyer in Chile, who has also represented this group in several court cases brought against them by the government, this persecution originated in Germany & stems from allegations that they harboured Nazi war criminals in the past. They are presently being accused of several of the same things the Family has been falsely charged with, including child abuse.
In late September & early October, about 50 teens & young adults from the colony staged an 18-day hunger strike to protest what they called "blind political persecution." The fast was called off after a group of congressmen negotiated for the colony's school & hospital to receive government funding. This is a victory for them & civil rights in Chile, but the press & leftist politicians continue to attack them.
Several years ago, a team from the Family was on a faith trip in the area when their van broke down late at night. They went in to a restaurant to ask for help, & explained that they were missionaries. Paul Shaeffer, the founder of the colony, happened to be there. "So you are missionaries?" he said. "Let me see your Bibles." The Family Members took out their Bibles, & when he saw how worn they were, he said he believed them & invited them to spend the night with them. Mechanics from the colony also fixed the Family's van for free.
(Mama:) Regardless of any mistakes these folks may have made, I think we should pray for them. We've made our share of mistakes, too, but we sure appreciate it when other Christians pray for us; & many things that people consider to have been mistakes & wrongs on our part were not.
If our dear lawyer has been willing to stand up not only for us but for them, too, & actually win a couple of important cases for them, why shouldn't we stand up for them? No matter what they may have done in the past, their civil rights are now at stake. We want people to view & treat us sympathetically & to pray for us when we're under attack, & I think we should likewise pray for other Christians in distress.
10. Panama raid: Please pray against any attempts by our enemies to use the recent police raid on a supposed COG house in Panama to fuel more negative press coverage or attacks on our Family Homes in Latin America or elsewhere. Also, if this is another case of Christians being falsely charged, that the Lord will vindicate them, & comfort & strengthen both parents & children during this difficult time.
11. Heidi (of Peter), Australia: As reported in FUN #24 & Prayer List 21, Heidi has been diagnosed with an advanced case of cancer of the cervix. More recent tests indicate that the cancer has spread quite quickly, infecting her chest & lungs. Her condition is very serious, & her doctors only give her a few more months to live. But despite the gravity of the disease, we know that "with God, nothing shall be impossible". Please pray desperately for Heidi's miraculous healing & deliverance from this cancer, for the Lord's anointing on the doctors who are caring for her, against adverse side effects from the treatment she has begun, & for faith, strength and encouragement for Heidi, Peter & their children.
12. Angie, 4, of Jonathan (Tiras Seeds) & Priscilla in South America, has been diagnosed as having a cancerous tumour in her left kidney, which is growing quite quickly. Her doctors say that unless she is healed miraculously very soon, chemotherapy treatment & an operation will be necessary. Pray that the Lord will either supernaturally deliver Angie from this cancer without the need for chemotherapy (which is very unpleasant), or that He will raise up & anoint a good surgeon to perform the operation & administer the treatment wisely, and that it will be effective in removing the entire tumour. For comfort, faith, strength & wisdom for her parents during this time.
13. Jonathan, newborn of Joseph & Ruth (TSers), North America: Jonathan weighed only 1.6 kilos at birth & suffers from several birth defects which appear relatively minor, but could possibly be linked to far more serious chromosome damage. Please pray for the Lord to totally & miraculously heal little Jonathan, & that further tests will show no signs of chromosome damage.
14. Thai Abe: As reported in previous Prayer Lists, the Lord did a great miracle in pulling Abe through two operations for a brain tumour. He has since made remarkable progress. Although slightly debilitated, he has regained the use of his limbs & is able to walk & talk, etc. However, at the time of the operations, the doctors were not able to remove the entire tumour, & some recent seizures which Abe has had seem to indicate that the tumour is growing back. Please pray that the tumour will miraculously disappear; against further seizures, pain & discomfort; & for strength, faith & special grace for dear Abe.
[end]
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family