FAMILY UPDATE NEWS #26 -- November, 1994 DO
"Thank You for the wonderful life You've given us & the Love & the opportunities to help give Thy Love, Lord, to the whole Earth & to solve all their problems. Such a simple answer: Just You, Jesus, & Your Love. Thank You Lord!" (ML# 1064:124)
December, 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.)
Why We "Preached Sex" in the Press Release Announcing Dad's Homegoing!
--By Maria Maria #242 DFO 2957 11/94
1. Dear Family, God bless you! Following is a question that we received from one of you regarding the press release about Dad's Graduation, and excerpts from my personal answer, as well as the explanation I prepared for all of you as a result of this question.
(Excerpts from Mama's personal reply:)
2. Thank you for your question about the last paragraph of the press release. It made me realise that if you had such a question, there may be many other Family Members who will have the same one, and therefore I would want to give the entire Family an explanation. So the Lord certainly inspired your question!
3. It's hard for us to write things that at times make it difficult for our folks on the field, and we know that it takes a lot of faith and conviction and fight for them to stand up time after time for things that they wish didn't even have to be brought up. I believe you probably expressed the opinion of many of our people. However, I want you to know that I prayed and considered all the pros and cons at length, discussed them seriously, and most of all, prayed very desperately for the Lord's Will in this matter. I not only prayed desperately to the Lord, but I really cried out to Dad to please help me and show me what he wanted in this press release. In some ways, I too would have liked to have left it without the last paragraph, hoping that anyone who would read it would only have positive feelings about Dad, because I hated to think that even in his death they would criticise and condemn him.
4. So in some ways I'm sorry that we had to do this, but I very much believe the Lord--and Dad--wanted it this way. Again, thank you for asking.--And thanks so much for your sweet love and faith in the Lord and the Family and your yieldedness. God bless you as you continue your labours of love for Him.
Love,
Mama
* * *
5. Question: "If I were passing this press release on to my friends in the media, I would be very happy with it, except that I would hope to omit the last paragraph.
6. "I feel that for us to bring up the sex issue is not necessary in this press release and will detract from the main message and purpose of this announcement. Some places and people have short memories, and the Family is doing so much in their communities that they can see and be thankful for, that I don't see the necessity of bringing up the points about sex and FFing in the last paragraph. If we include this statement defending these doctrines, there is the possibility that some of those words will grab the headlines and the main points will be missed. What we don't say, they may not so easily dig out and quote. If they want to bring up this aspect, we can't stop them. But why should we help them when they will just try to twist it and use it against us? Why give them this fuel in our press release? Couldn't this go unsaid? We don't FF anymore, so why explain it if we don't have to?"
7. Answer: There are several reasons why we decided to include this paragraph, which I'll list here, starting with the most important:
8. I prayed desperately about what Dad would want this press release to say, how he would want it written. After all, it is his death and life we are describing. I felt strongly that he would not want it to sound just like he was any other pastor of any other missionary organisation, but that he would want this announcement to the public of his Homegoing to reflect the characteristics that have made this Family so different from other Christian organisations. I felt that he would be greatly disappointed if what we told the World at his death did not include a description of a very major portion of his life's work and ministry.
9. How incomplete it would be to only say that Dad's great accomplishment was to establish a soul-winning organisation without saying how he established it. In his ministry to the World, what Dad was against was almost as important as what he was for. He was the Prophet of Doom, as well as the tender of wounds. He was a castigator of evil, as well as a dispenser of the Good News. He was the unconventional radical who followed God no matter what the cost. His mission was to preach the Law of Love, and practice it, too.
10. Dad always knew we had to be different, even if that difference came at a cost. He also realised that one of the unintentional results of being different was that people would pay attention to us. Throughout the Letters, he repeatedly said, "Thank God for our sexy doctrines and sexy people! The World would have never noticed us otherwise. It's gotten us out on the World stage where people will listen to us." Not only was it Dad's calling to preach it out of conviction because he believed it, but the Lord used it to make us known. And even when the media twisted the truth or published sensational accounts about us, Dad always said, "Nevertheless, the Gospel is preached!"
11. This last paragraph on sex and FFing describes a major part of Dad's mission. It was something that he stood for. It was what made us the Family we are today. It was why we didn't sink into oblivion with other Christians, many of whom do little or nothing for the Lord, and certainly don't make any news doing it. It's something that he stood for and that we still stand for.
12. Without the controversy, we are not news. If the media has any reason to publish this press release, it is because we are controversial. So, if we give them our prepared wording, there is a chance they will not do their own. But without something controversial, there is not really much reason for them to publish news about a small Christian missionary organisation. That's not considered news. The news is that the leader of the small Christian organisation is also the controversial "sex prophet" who claimed his radical teachings came from the Bible; who not only practised them within his organisation but who also promoted sex as a means of evangelism.
13. The mystique, the reputation, still lives on and intrigues and attracts, regardless of the fact that we no longer FF. We can never be only a missionary organisation doing relief work and "consider the poor" ministries. We are believers in sex, prophets of the End, portrayers of Heaven, separatists from the World, destroyers of darkness and fighters for the Truth! And in all these, beloved, we are preachers of the Gospel and lovers and winners of souls. And it is because of all of these other things that we are the successful missionary organisation we are today.
14. The press has to have some reason for printing what they print, some reason why they consider an item to be newsworthy. I know that many times we would rather not bring up controversy, because it elicits such a violent response from our enemies. But because it is part of our Message, we are responsible to preach it. And if we don't say something about our more controversial side, in many cases the press will be sure to give the other side with all the negative info and stories they have accumulated. And you can be sure that they have quite a file! If they didn't already have one, the recent British media storm has filled many of their files to overflowing and given them some of the juiciest material yet, and it's fresh on their minds, not back in some dusty old file somewhere.--And what newspaper could resist something which they would consider so wonderfully juicy, scandalous, horrific and indescribably "evil," with a lengthy list of so-called "atrocities" covering practically every outrageous act imaginable!
15. I am not naive enough to think that a little paragraph in our press release can counteract all this or can keep them from writing their sensational stories and smears against us, if they want to--except by a miracle of the Lord. But I believe in doing all in our power to fill the vacuum with our positive interpretation of our doctrines, instead of leaving the field exclusively to the negative side. What we officially say in our press release is important, and I can see that if we present it in a newsworthy enough manner--which means juicy enough manner--they might at least be willing to quote it, since we have done the work of writing it. Remember, journalists are busy people, with deadlines.
16. When the head of the Mormon Church died a few months ago, it made news worldwide. However, the reason his death was considered noteworthy and news was because he was the head of a religious group with millions of members worldwide. With a small group like ours, the only reason that the news of Dad's Homegoing would be noteworthy is because he was very controversial, not that he was the head of a small soul-winning organisation.
17. Moreover, I feel that we would be doing Dad a great disservice if we don't include what made him the unique leader that he was. I believe we would be disappointing him if we were to leave out the reasons that God was able to use him in such a great way, and why the Lord calls him a Prophet of Doom and warning, and why the World calls him a Prophet of Sex, and no one calls him a mere pastor.
18. We put a lot of prayer into that last paragraph, and that paragraph is what points out what makes the Family radically different from all other organisations in the World. Besides, in virtually every country where we have hit the headlines and have had a lot of publicity, we've certainly had much more said about our sex doctrines than is said in this paragraph.
19. In light of all of the above, in any instances or countries where the CROs still feel that for some reason it is inadvisable to use the last paragraph, we have told them that they must operate according to their own faith, and can drop it if they feel it's necessary to do so. But, as I say, there has been a lot more than this one tiny sentence written by the media on the subject of sex and the Family. If that paragraph on sex is left off, it will probably seem like a glaring omission for anyone who knows us and what we are best known for.
20. So whether we use this press release or not, or whether we promote it or not, I'm sure the Lord will have His way and the Message will get out one way or another. We can't control what the press prints, but we can control what we give them. So we'll just have to pray that the Lord will guide them to print what He knows is needed; whether positive or negative, commonplace or controversial!
NOTICES
Thank You for Your Prayers & Pledges of Loyalty!
By Maria
My Dear Family,
I love you so much, & each one of you is very precious to me! Your love for Jesus, for Dad & for me almost overwhelms me, & I can't thank you enough for all your support, manifested by your prayers & your letters. I'm deeply touched by your pledges of loyalty to this Family & to its leadership--Jesus, Dad, me, & our appointed representatives. Most of all, I'm thrilled with your commitment to greater obedience & dedication than ever before!--To do your very best for Jesus & Dad & me. We are expecting to see you rise to the challenge of greater responsibility, as Dad's Homegoing makes it possible for each one of you to be empowered as never before.
Dad's Graduation signifies some major changes around the corner for each one of us individually, for the Family collectively, & even for the World. There are great & wonderful things ahead for us that Jesus & Dad are helping to engineer from the Spirit World, so be looking forward to seeing the answers to some of your most fervent prayers & the fulfillment of many of God's promises.
It is our goal to see each of you happy, challenged & loved in your service to Jesus, & we will do all within our power to try to bring that about. It is important to us that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus--& we--love you unconditionally, & that you can feel secure in our love, & appreciated for who you are & how the Lord has made you. Your love makes us feel so special & needed!--We want our love to make you feel the same!
Yours Forever,
Mama
The World Has Heard!
By WS Staff
As explained in our "MESSAGE FROM WS TO ALL HOMES -- 24/11/94", we had to make a change of plans regarding waiting until November 26th to tell our friends of Dad's Homegoing, & to release the news to the media on the 28th. Our original plan was to notify all of the Family (Dads "next of kin") first, so that hopefully not only you, but also our TSers & close friends, would first hear of Dad's graduation from Mama, rather than through the media.--And thank the Lord, it seems that He largely helped us to accomplish that goal, with the exception of some TSers and friends.
Here's what happened, according to a report we received from the Family in England: A TS teen there leaked the news to an antagonistic former member on the 24th, & the former member took it straight to the Daily Mail newspaper, which had been smearing & slandering us, & trying to stir up public opinion against us. The BI media team soon received a number of requests for a confirmation & details, & the story was sent worldwide by international wire services hours later! Praise the Lord! One of the first articles to appear is included in this FUN, under the heading "WORLD NEWS".
New DFO "Closer Walk Collection" Tape: "My Heart...Your Home"!
By WS Staff
We are happy to announce the release of a new "Closer Walk Collection" Tape, entitled "My Heart...Your Home", which you should receive sometime soon. This is a collection of songs from our DTD Tapes which all share the central theme of loving the Lord first & above all. This particular Tape has been a desire of Mama's heart for some time, & it is her hope that its message of true & everlasting Love will be a blessing & strength to you & to all those with whom you share it.
Although you are probably already quite familiar with these particular songs, compiled together on one Tape they portray a beautiful picture of a true-love relationship with the Lord. They also serve as a touching reminder of how the Lord's Love can bring us lasting happiness, daily fill our hearts to overflowing, & inspire us to share His Love with others.
As you listen to these songs, you will notice that all of them are sung to the Lord. These are not mere human love songs (songs to a girlfriend or boyfriend, husband or wife), but love songs dedicated to the Source of Eternal Love! So to make sure there is no misunderstanding, & to serve as a reminder, the Tape has been subtitled, "Songs of Love & Devotion to Jesus". Three of the songs--"Living Life is Loving You", "Ever So Softly" & "Your Love is What I Need"--have had a few lyrical changes made to them to help make this point clearer--that they are love songs to Jesus.
Now that "My Heart...Your Home" has been completed, we are considering the possibility of making it a GP DTD Tape, since all of the songs were-Family-written & all except "Your Love is What I Need" appear on previously released DTD Tapes. However, since "My Heart...Your Home" is obviously Christian-oriented & therefore might have a limited audience, we are not sure this Tape warrants the rather costly "extras" of a colour cover/cassette jacket & songbooklet that accompany our DTD audio Tapes. On the other hand, "My Heart...Your Home" might turn out to be a big hit with the GP, as are "Fear Not" & our other Christian-oriented Scripture Song Tapes.
So as you enjoy & share with your friends "My Heart...Your Home", please keep in mind the following question: Do you think we should make "My Heart...Your Home" a GP DTD Tape (complete with colour cover/cassette jacket, songbooklet & label work)?--Or do you think we should keep it as a DFO Tape?
Please send us your response to this question on your monthly TRF! We very much appreciate your input! Thanks so much!
God bless & keep your heart His home, as you continue in your closer walk with Jesus!
COMMENTS & REACTIONS
Dad Could Not Have Given Us Anything Better!
Reaction to Dad's Homegoing by Jondy (Hosea), 21/11/94
Dearest Mama,
I love you & pray for you! Thank you for the very kind & special way that you shared the news of Dad's Homegoing in GN 609. It is so beautiful & anointed, & it is proof in itself that the Lord is fulfilling His Word. It really is wonderful how Dad is now safe & young & happier than ever before. When I look at it all from his & the Lord's point of view, I can only be truly happy for him! There are so many positive points in favour of him going to the Other Side, that it's clear that this was the Lord's best at this time. It is hard for me to express what is on my heart, but by His grace I'll just try to share my thoughts as they come.
Thank you for all the love & care that you faithfully showed to Dad for many years. Mostly I feel for those of you who have been physically close to Dad, who now miss him most. Yet at the same time, we are all now able to feel his presence & spirit even more than when he was with us in the flesh. We know that he is alive in the Spirit, & the Lord will continue to let him help us. To prepare us all for this day, Dad spent almost three decades writing instructions for how we are to carry on.--He couldn't have given us anything better!
Most of all, Dad gave us his example of love for the lost & taught us to hear directly from God, fresh every day. Recently I was thinking about this while reading "For God's Sake, Follow God" (ML #4)--that the timeless lessons will continue to be brought to life by the Spirit as we need them. "'Tis grace that brought us safe thus far, and grace will lead us Home." Now more than ever, we have the most wonderful opportunity to prove to the World that this Work is of God by letting Him carry it on through us, & carry us on to even greater victories. That will surely disprove the liars & critics who claim that this work has been of man. Now they'll have to watch the Lord fulfil His Word through Dad's children & children's children. The Lord has given me both peace & excitement about the future--so much so that I'm sure it comes from Him. Praise the Lord!
I hope that each of you there now hear in your heart God's "Well done, thou good & faithful servant!" You truly fulfilled your callings as keepers of the Flame, & did so faithfully until the end of his physical life, when he passed on into the care of his children in Heaven. It is really a glorious achievement for which you all deserve & will receive a great reward! You preserved the Words that the Lord gave through Dad, & passed them on to us, & now his Words will "keep us keeping on" until Jesus comes back! We could never have hoped for more or better! Our enemies will never be able to stop His Words, and now they can never get their hands on the Worder. I'm truly overjoyed to realize that Dad succeeded beyond our greatest expectation. Now surely the Lord will carry on what He started through Dad!
Different thoughts have come to me about Dad now. One is that he will be able to see how all of his children & grandchildren & great grandchildren around the World are doing, & it will be so much better than videos & photos. That will be terrific for him! At the same time he has told us so much about Heaven that we can all feel very close to him, knowing how he is living & what he will be doing. Our children, especially, will be able to visualise Grandpa in Heaven as he has written so much about it & described it to us so vividly. I pray that we all can have the faith of little children, so we can taste of the reality of the Spirit World as Dad did, & as he always tried to help us experience for ourselves.
The way that you handled Dad's Graduation & passed on the news to us was truly beautiful & Spirit-led. Through all the prayer & prophecies we can see how wonderfully the Lord is carrying on. He certainly has many ways to continue speaking to us, as Dad always said He would when this time came. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for thinking so much about us & how we could gain the most from this experience.
With love & prayers for you always, Jondy
WS STATS UPDATE
Excerpts from Worldwide Family Stats Analysis of the October 1st, 1994 TRFs (Covering September, 1994)
By WS Staff
(Note: All stats totals & per-adult averages include both DO & TS Family.)
Overall: With SWIFT teams going out in many Areas, distribution & souls won made significant increases in August & September.
Distribution: After our witnessing went through about a six-month slump, the SWIFT had quite an impact, raising our worldwide distribution from what had been our lowest output in 9 years! It rose from the low of 6 million pages in February of this year, to 8.5 million in August & 8.4 million in September! Praise the Lord! This represents a significant forty percent increase over the last few months. However, even with such a large increase, we are still far below our normal distribution level of recent years.
For example, for over a decade the Family has distributed an average of about 10 million pages per month. In 1992, we far surpassed that with an average of 13.8 million pages per month. Then in 1993, in spite of major persecution, we still averaged 11.7 million pages per month. During the first 9 months of 1994, however, we averaged just 7.4 million pages per month. So far this is actually our lowest year since 1985 & could be one of our lowest years since early in the '70s!
Beginning with the SWIFT teams, things began to pick up. Now with the Christmas witnessing push underway & with the Tools Fund gift to each member of the Family, there is a renewed desire on everyones part to get out the Message in greater quantity. Praise the Lord! So we're praying that we won't lose the momentum we've gained, but rather keep forging ahead until we're back up to at least 10 million pages per month.
Souls won: Our souls won stat was also very low for the first half of 1994, but that has also recently picked up. Throughout our 26-year history, we have won an average of 57,000 souls per month. During the first 6 months of 1994, we fell below that average 4 times. February & March were especially low--about 45,000 per month. Then our souls won improved from 58,000 in July, to 76,000 in August. Then with the SWIFT programme coming to a close & the new school year beginning in the North, we still won 64,000 souls in September. Praise the Lord! We averaged about 13 souls per adult in September, which was well below our 19 per adult per month in 1992, & 16 per adult per month in 1993. To date, we have won a phenomenal 17.7 million souls, many of whom no doubt greeted Dad at his glorious Homecoming! Over a 26-year period, we have won an average of 680,000 per year or about 57,000 per month! Praise the Lord!---That's 1,900 per day, or over one soul every minute!
WORLD NEWS
(On November 24th, the Associated Press wire service sent the following article to affiliated media outlets worldwide:)
LONDON (AP) -- The leader of The Children of God, a controversial Christian sect involved in conflicts with the law across the world, is dead, his followers said Thursday.
David Berg died at age 75, said sect spokeswoman Rachel Scott, speaking from Leire, Leicestershire, in central England.
Berg has been in hiding since 1971, and Scott said she was informed of his death two days ago in a telephone call from Berg's wife, Maria. Scott said she did not know when or in which country Berg died.
"He died in his sleep, peacefully," Scott told The Associated Press, quoting Berg's widow. "He was getting weaker and weaker, he died of old age, basically."
Maria Berg would now the lead The Family, as the Children of God now calls itself, a statement said. She is to continue living in hiding, Scott said.
"I've been with this organization 23 years, and I don't know where they are," Scott said.
The group made available what it said was a recent photograph of Berg. Previous photographs of him dated from the mid 1970s.
Berg, known to his followers as Father David and Moses David, founded the organization in the late 1960s in California. It now claims 6,000 adult and 3,000 children members in 50 countries.
The group has been investigated in Argentina, France, Spain, Australia, Venezuela and Peru on charges of forced menial labor, child abuse and using prostitution to attract recruits. Members have never been convicted.
It denies all accusations, accusing cult awareness groups of campaigning against it worldwide. But the statement announcing Berg's death acknowledges that in the "late 70s and early 80s, he encouraged his followers to engage in a form of sexual evangelism, which he referred to as 'Flirty Fishing."'
The organization says it stopped the practice in 1987.
Berg's Christianity was a mix of apocalyptic vision, a return to what he believed were the religion's first century communal roots, and the espousal of free love.
"There have been serious accusations made by the anti-cult movement that members of The Family would commit suicide upon learning of their founder's death," the statement said. "We have absolutely no intention of doing so.
"As Christians, we can only rejoice that after a long and fruitful life, our beloved pastor has been called to his heavenly reward."
EUROPE
* GREAT NEWS FLASH! SPANISH SUPREME COURT VINDICATES FAMILY! From Miguel: On October 30th, the Spanish Supreme Court rejected the appeal filed by the District Attorney in the Barcelona criminal case, bringing our four-year legal battles in Spain to a final & victorious close!
In their 32-page verdict, the judges rejected all four of the counts the D.A. presented in her appeal. The verdict received extensive coverage in the Spanish media. All the main national papers published half-page articles with headlines such as: "SUPREME COURT ABSOLVES TEN MEMBERS OF THE COG SECT"--El Mundo. The main radio stations, some TV channels & many local newspapers also carried the news, as did the main Spanish wire service (EFE), which reaches all of Latin America.
Thank you, dear Family, for praying, praying & praying again for this important case!
* MEDIA STORM IN ENGLAND! On October 31, the Daily Mail, Britain's largest tabloid newspaper, ran one of the most libelous & vicious articles ever written about the Family. It was a long front-page article, based on interviews with Deborah Davis & Kristina Jones (teen daughter of backslidden Valerie Jones, Simon Peter's ex-wife, who has been fighting the Family for years) amongst others. Actually Deborah's part was a rehash of interviews which she gave over 10 years ago, edited in such a way as to make them appear recent. The most serious aspect of the Daily Mail article was that it was written to coincide with the release of a report on The Family by Scotland Yard (Britain's police headquarters), & made it appear as though it drew much of its information from that report. Later that same day, Scotland Yard issued a terse press release saying they have given a report on the Family to child welfare agencies within the British Government, the details of which would not be made public. Scotland Yard's press release also stated that the Family has never been found guilty of any of the crimes of which the detractors quoted in the Daily Mail article accuse us.
Immediately, the British Isles Family swung into action! In a matter of hours they had: 1) written a rebuttal to the Daily Mail article & printed 3000 copies; 2) held a demonstration outside the Daily Mail's headquarters, where they distributed 2000 copies of their rebuttal; 3) sent press releases to nearly 60 news agencies; 4) held a press conference at the Family Home in Dunton Bassett; 5) appeared on a number of TV & radio shows. Although some of the media reports were heavily slanted against the Family, others were unbiased or sympathetic. Gideon & Rachel (our Media Team) were also able to get in a good witness & rebuttal in a number of interviews. After the press conference, a favourable article went out on the PA (Press Authority in Britain) wire service, reaching newspapers worldwide.
A couple of weeks after their October 31 press release, unofficial word from Scotland Yard is that their investigation of the Family has been closed & no action will be taken.
* POLAND PERSECUTION UPDATE! From Veronica: October was a very big month for media witness, with three radio broadcasts, one TV show, & 16 newspaper articles. Although many of the articles had a negative slant, nevertheless the Gospel was preached.
The TV programme was broadcast on Poland's main channel. Three groups were presented--the Family, "Christians" & Hare Krishna. The part on the Family took about half of the 40-minute programme. After comments by some of our detractors, Family Members had a chance to explain our beliefs & position on some of the same issues. Professor Ciupak, an expert on New Religious Movements who appeared on the show, commented that NRMs are the answer for searching people & provide an alternative to the established churches.
We also held our first official press conference, to which we invited about 15 academics (including Professor Ciupak, who is writing a book about the Family), officials from the Ministry of Education & the Registration Office & about 50 people from the media. Our representatives, Philip & Kasia, & Gideon & Rachel Scott (who were visiting from England) exposed the Polish ADFI, & Professor Ciupak explained his study of the Family. Following the press conference, several newspaper articles appeared, mainly discussing the issue of our registration. Other topics included sex & FFing, etc. Some articles were quite objective; others were less so.
One very good article appeared in one of Poland's most controversial anti-church & anti-government weekly newspapers, & was distributed all over Poland. The author, who interviewed Family Members at one of our Homes, said that all of the accusations levelled against us are ridiculous & people should not persecute us just because we are different & small. Meanwhile, she went on, the Catholic church in this country is guilty of real crimes, but because it is so big, no one takes action against them.
This month we also sent out over 1,200 letters to officials, newspapers, academics, parents, mayors & embassies.
We held a final open house at the School Home which is closing. Some of the people from the local community were very emotional & said they wanted us to stay. A couple of Family Members also visited some of the local officials & friends to say goodbye, including the priest, who apologised that he hadn't been friendly because his bishop told him not to be. The landlord, police chief & others asked the Family to keep in contact.
* MOSCOW POLICE APPEAL TO FAMILY FOR HUMANITARIAN AID & SPIRITUAL HELP! From Paula (Faithy): After reading a newspaper article about the Family's efforts to distribute humanitarian aid, the police chief for one district of Moscow contacted us, asking for help. In a later meeting, he further explained that many police officers have been killed or disabled in their fight against the local Mafia. Due to lack of resources, their families have often been left to fend for themselves. The problem has grown to such proportions that the police department has now set up an orphanage for the children of officers slain in the line of duty. He appealed to us for material help, but also said he wants us to provide spiritual instruction. They seem hungry for the Word. Please pray for this new ministry.
* HUMANITARIAN AID RECEIVES HEAVENLY ESCORT! From Joe, Russia: Thirty tonnes of the humanitarian aid which the Family helped distribute arrived in our town, but not without a fight! The shipment was stopped en route by the Mafia, who threatened to burn up the truck unless they were paid half the value of the goods. One of the truck drivers was a Christian, & he told us later that he had prayed desperately during the several hours that they were held by the Mafia. "God was with us!" he said. "The Mafia couldn't steal the food from the truck because the two containers had been loaded with the doors facing each other. They weighed 15 tonnes each & couldn't be opened without lifting them off the truck." The Lord also kept the Mafia from carrying out their threat to burn the truck & shipment.
* SWIFT TEAM GETS ROYAL TREATMENT! A SWIFT team reported from a Black Sea resort town that they were being treated royally by the hotel where they provisioned rooms for their two-week stay. When they first arrived at the hotel, the management gave them what almost amounted to a "red carpet" welcome. Other hotel personnel were so impressed that they concluded that our team was a United Nations delegation.--Ha! Actually, the hotel received guests which were even more important than United Nations delegates; they were privileged to serve ambassadors of Christ's Kingdom! "We are ambassadors for Christ" (2Cor.5:20).
* UPDATE FROM ALBANIAN PIONEERS! From Italian John, Albania: The past few months have been very fruitful & encouraging! The national live-outs have been growing so much. When we had to leave Albania for a time, they did a wonderful job in our absence by continuing to faithfully take care of the sheep, going out witnessing & having regular Bible classes with their sheep. When we returned, we found an indigenous church. This greatly encouraged us all, as this has been one of our goals since starting to pioneer this country.
We now have six live-outs, ages 17 to 19, who are a very great help in everything we do. They translate the Word, provision, witness, help with JJT, etc. Two of them who are over 18 are begging us to let them join fulltime. We are taking it slow, however, in order to give their parents more time to understand & appreciate the positive change in their children & the good that will come from their decision to serve the Lord with us. Family ties are very strong here, education is idolised, & the older generation is quite conservative. Most of our live-outs' parents don't mind them becoming missionaries, but want them to finish university first.
We also have about 17 Catacombers. Three times each week we hold meetings which are usually attended by 25 to 30 people.
We now visit a hospital at least once each week. People have responded with such heart-touching comments. Our hospital ministry is also very appreciated by the doctors, & one of the youngest doctors attends our meetings regularly.
PACIFIC
* SUPER SITE FOR CHRISTMAS PAGEANT! From a Home in Taiwan: The events & promotion manager of a large department store chain booked our singing group to perform at one of their stores, which is newly opened & very large & luxurious. When we also asked about using their plush 13th floor auditorium for a performance of our Christmas pageant, he said that he would have to check to see if it was already booked. "You won't believe this," he said when he returned, "but the only day in December that the auditorium is available is the 25th!" When we explained that we would like to use the auditorium for free, he was shocked. (It normally rents for nearly US$3600 a day!) After we explained more about our Work, he agreed!
AUSTRALIA
* LIBRARY-TO-LIBRARY TOOL DISTRIBUTION! From Aaron, Abi & Angela, Australia: Our library-to-library ministry has been booming with 147 Videos & 157 Tapes distributed so far! We began following up on the libraries that have bought our tools to find out what the public's reaction has been, & one of the main libraries says that the Videos & Tapes are "always out". Another local library which has had a set of Videos for a couple of years told us that one of the KVs has been checked out 66 times, which they say is excellent!
ASIA
* RENOWNED CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST APPLAUDS FAMILY MATERIALS & STANDARD! From a Home in SEA: For the past year we have been ministering to one of the most respected child psychologists in this country. He has a radio programme that is aired nationwide several times each week to an audience of between two & three million people. He recently did a one-hour radio show live from our Home, during which he referred to our materials, our Home standard & our children. He later informed us that the radio station received quite a few phone calls inquiring about the Family. We have since been invited by this man to conduct a series of seminars which he would like to sponsor.
* DISASTER RELIEF! From a Home in SEA: For three weeks, two adults & two teens from our Home joined local volunteers in relief efforts in a fishing village which was devastated by a recent tidal wave.
After helping with the initial clean-up, getting to know the local people (very simple fishermen & their families), listening to their problems & assessing the need, our little team prayed with the villagers for God to supply their needs. Then our members travelled to the nearest city to solicit help from the business community. Several days later they returned with 75 new fishing nets, 600 pairs of children's shoes, enough milk for all of the children in the village for several days, 1000 notebooks, school bags & other school supplies. A close friend of the Family also arranged donations of hundreds of pairs of plastic sandals, more fishing nets & plastic sheets--all basic necessities for these villagers.
Our hard-working, dedicated teens were loved & admired by the local volunteers. The teens also received a crash course in the local language & customs, as the other volunteers spoke little or no English.
* SEA FAMILY FEATURED IN TV "SPECIAL"! A local cable network broadcast a 90-minute programme on the Family which included a live panel discussion with five Family Members--nationals Nina & Pat, & foreign members Tommy, Angelina (YA) & Jonas (YA), all of whom speak the local language fluently. Two Family singing groups, one comprised of young children & the other YAs, performed. In addition to the live segments, the programme included pre-recorded footage of three different "consider the poor" programmes--a home for the elderly, an orphanage & a drug rehabilitation centre. All in all, it was an excellent representation of our work. The programme was also rebroadcast later.
NORTH AMERICA
* FAITHY VISITS MOTHER EVE! Between her projects in Russia & Japan, Faithy recently visited Mother Eve in the U.S. Mother Eve was still in the hospital at the time, having dislocated her hip in a fall one month earlier (see Prayer List 21:156). Mother Eve was very touched & encouraged to see Faithy, whom she hadn't seen for a number of years, & they had a very fruitful visit. The Lord had provided a private room for Mother Eve in a beautiful hospital/rehabilitation centre where she received excellent treatment. Mother Eve, in turn, witnessed & ministered to many of the hospital staff, as did Faithy during her visit. The hospital even provided Faithy a room at the hospital so that she could stay overnight with Mother.
From Faithy: Mother was instrumental in pioneering the Family's present fruitful work in Houston. When a new Home there, Mother introduced them to a man who made it possible for the Family teens & YAs to begin their own weekly television programme on his station.
Mother Eve continues to love Dad & has stayed faithful, proclaiming openly that she believes he is a prophet. She has even suffered personally for taking a stand for Dad & the Family, & not compromising on this with the churches. She & Stephen David, Adria & their family recently got thrown out of their church by the Chinese pastor & his wife, whom they had worked with & been very close to for seven years, because Mother & the others refused to give up their contact & relationship with the Family. God bless them! Sam Warner & a group of backsliders visited the church & filled the pastor & his wife with lies about the Family, & informed them of Mother's contact with the Family. Mother told the pastor & his wife, "I'm sorry, but I still believe that they are of God, & I still believe that Father David is a man of God. I cannot cut my friendship with them." This cost them their church ministry & a large part of their support, but the Lord took care of them.
Over the years, the Lord has used Mother in a fruitful church ministry & she's brought many people to know & love the Lord. She & her team have been very faithful in their personal soul-winning & Scripture memorization, & they are a real sample of living by faith. They & their 10 children have remained extremely active. All of their children are involved in their ministry, right down to the very youngest. They've also been a good sample to church people of how to raise their children, home school them, get them to memorize Scripture & get them to serve the Lord. They have shown the churches that it can be done, & the Lord has continued to bless them for their faithfulness to carry on what they learned from Dad! God bless them!
* SOLAR TEMPLE NEWS ECLIPSE! Shortly after the Family faxed Gordon Melton & Massimo Introvigne's press release concerning the Solar Temple tragedy to every major media outlet in the U.S., the story disappeared from newspapers & newscasts there. What a miracle! "Certainly we have cause to celebrate & congratulate one another," Dr. Melton told Family Members.
* ACADEMIC IMPRESSED WITH FAMILY'S "ROLLOVER" PROGRAMME! From Marc: A religious historian commented enthusiastically on his recent visit to our Washington, D.C., Home. He said he felt he "got a good reading" on the feelings of our young people, & was impressed with the different steps that have been taken by the adults in the Family to help them become mature, responsible co-workers. He said our ability to train our young people by sharing responsibility with them is "absolutely unique" among religious movements, & he is fascinated by this aspect of the Family.
* FAMILY SPOTLIGHTED AT CSA CONFERENCE! From Ahlai: In early October a team from the Family attended a conference held by the Communal Studies Association (CSA) on the theme "Family Community Life in the 18th, 19th & 20th Centuries". The Conference was held at the historic Oneida Mansion in upstate New York.
Two papers on early communities were presented, including one on the Oneida commune of the 1850s which based its practice of sexual sharing on some of the same Scriptures that Dad has used to explain the Law of Love. Next, CSA president Dr. Gordon Melton brought things up to date with his very interesting paper "The Law of Love", which summarises the history of the Family, our beliefs, FFing, etc. & likens our communities to the Israeli kibbutzim. This is one of the most factual, well-documented & intriguing studies of the Family ever written.
The second day included a panel discussion on the Family, led by Dr. Susan Palmer, who also presented her paper "Heaven's Girls: Women in the COG/The Family". This study chronicles the development of the Family & also goes very thoroughly into our past FFing & women's role in the Family. She includes quite a few colourful testimonies in her paper, which kept the conference lively!
Next, three of our YAs spoke on "A Day in the Life of a Family Community--Music, Schedules, Education & Teens Growing into Leadership!" We told them that against the backdrop of Dr. Melton's lengthy paper on the Law of Love, & Dr. Palmer's lengthy paper on FFing, we would cover three main elements of Family life: 1) scheduling & sharing the workload, 2) education & childcare, & 3) elected leadership & our teens' & young adults' growing role in leadership.
YA Daniel used large visual aids of the daily schedule & a daily planner to present a typical Family Home's daily schedule & explain how we share the workload.
YA Shanti gave a very lively report about our education & childcare which included personal testimonies about her love for the children & her participation in "Family Fun" Videos. She also explained a typical Home's scholastic schedule & the age breakdown of our children's groups. Her presentation was sprinkled with quotes from the Statements, Raise 'em Right & Good Thots.
YA Jason talked about leadership in the Family, including the teamworking principle, elected leadership, & the increasing role of our young people in positions of responsibility. He also gave his personal testimony about deciding to serve the Lord fulltime at the age of 15 while at a Teen Camp, & explained that at various points in his life, the examples of different Family adults who were truly committed to the Lord & His Work had greatly influenced him to strive for the same level of commitment.
The YAs also sang two songs, "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" & "How the World Has Changed". The latter helped to underscore a major point which we wanted to make: that the Family is built on the Bible & true Christian values.
Members of the audience said later that they learned about aspects of the Family that they had never heard about from either academics or the media. They also commented that the YAs' presentation was vibrant & spontaneous, which was just what they wanted to see.
* SCHOOL USES FAMILY TAPES FOR RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION! From David & Victoria (TSers), Mexico: This month we found out that the Catholic school which our kids attend has the Family's kids' Tapes. The Mother in charge asked her teachers to have all the children learn a few of the songs. It was also really special & touching when more than 200 kids had their first communion in church, & they all sang, "Into My Heart". It was so beautiful that we will never forget it.
* FAMILY HOME SCHOOLING PAYS OFF! From Daniel & Becky (TSers), USA: The home-school year is finished for two of our girls. Claire, who finished 6th grade, did especially well. She scored at 12th grade level in all subjects except math; another proof that the early education she received in the D.O. Family was the best there is!
* TS FELLOWSHIP NEWS! From James, Jenny & Anne: During our October visits with Homes in Eastern Canada, James & Anne held a TS fellowship at the Home of Rose, Isaiah & Fe, Mark & Love, which is located in the country about half an hour outside Ottawa. They have a beautiful setup for home schooling their 16 children.
The fellowship was on a Sunday afternoon, & almost all of the TSers from the area attended. We had inspiration, introduced everybody, shared testimonies & some of the kids performed. After communion, we fellowshipped in small groups, then enjoyed a delicious chicken dinner.
* * *
From Kanah, USA: Seven of us travelled by motorhome to the TS fellowship in Albuquerque, New Mexico--Steve Tall, four YAs, one teen & myself. When we arrived in Albuquerque, we went to Comfort's Home. God bless Comfort, she faithfully feeds her disciples the Word, & follows a basic training course she designed for them.
The next day was very busy. Our team led devotions & inspiration for the Home. It was the first time the new disciples of Comfy's Home had seen such a large Family inspiration. One 17-year-old, Richard, had just gotten saved & he joined their TS home that night. They have known him & been feeding him for two years. His mother was there also, & she was so thankful for the help that Comfort has been to him. She & other mothers often come to Comfort for prayer & counsel.
Steven & Rejoice's Home, along with Comfort's team, were busy making provisioning pick-ups in preparation for the two-day fellowship.
That night we travelled together up to the meeting site, which was in the mountains, over an hour from the city. It was very beautiful & had all the facilities needed for this type of meeting. A sweet elderly Christian couple & other elderly relatives live there & use it for a music camp. They like to have young people on the property. The camp staff did most of the cooking for our group of 50 from the food the Homes provisioned.
We had a feeding devotions for an hour each morning with the preteens on up. Meanwhile, the children had a special activity with one of our teens. There were a lot of good reactions to the Word time, & some were moved to tears.
We had a dance night which went well & was very inspiring for all. We heard a lot of positive comments from teens & adults as well, & all were thankful for the fun interaction & Family spirit. Many TSers have told us they really miss the inspirations & music now that they are on their own. We also had fun Gypsy dancing at one of our inspirations.
Next we attended a two-day fellowship of the TSers in Southern California, held at a beautiful campground near a lake. Families travelled from Yuma, Arizona, & San Diego, Los Angeles & El Centro, California, to attend. To our surprise, Mateus travelled all the way from San Antonio, Texas, & he picked up Spring of John & her boys in El Paso. These Homes are in another area, but since they had heard about it, they seized the opportunity to fellowship with other Family Members here.
Everyone was very precious, & during our time there we were able to talk individually with many of the TSers. We also had inspirations & nice meals together. A highlight of the fellowship was when Paula (Bithia), who came with Eden, gave her testimony, which was very encouraging for the TSers.
* MIRACLE MEETING! From Jondy (Hosea) & Ruthie: We were in Los Angeles, & needed to apply for new visas for our Eastern mission field. After a long search, it was 4 p.m. when we located the visa office, & the phone book said it closed at four. We phoned ahead & the man agreed to stay open for us if we would hurry. We ran through the streets to the new address, jumped in the elevator & started up to the visa office. All day it had seemed like everything was going so slow! Little did we realise that all of the seeming delays were part of God's amazing planning for what happened next...
The elevator stopped on the 2nd floor & a woman stepped in. The moment she saw us, a look of shock crossed her face. Then, before the door could close, she jumped out!
"Jill!" Jondy shouted, as he held the door open.
Jill stepped back in the elevator & stared at us in disbelief. Mouths wide open, we stared back. Years ago, Jill, her husband Joseph & their two children lived with us in Macau. They had changed fields, left the Family, moved to L.A. & eventually separated. Joseph had stayed in touch with us until a couple of years ago. That very morning we had discussed trying to contact him while we were in L.A.
We explained that we were dashing to the visa office, so Jill quickly wrote down her phone number. "I'd like to meet you when you're done with your business. I'll wait downstairs in the lobby," she said.
Our paperwork went very smoothly--quite a contrast to the run-around we got from the office in another city where we had first applied. We now realise this was all part of the Lord's plan to make sure we met Jill.
Back downstairs, we met Jill & she invited us to a nearby restaurant to talk & pray with her. Her son Jason, now 18, is in prison awaiting trial on charges which could lead to life imprisonment. Jill didn't tell us any other details, but was very desperate & said she had been praying & crying out to God for help, especially the day before we met.
We spent an hour with her in the restaurant, which actually closed while we were there. The Korean employees, who are Christians, saw that we were praying & Jill was in tears, so they allowed us to stay. We prayed, received verses for her & Jason (Job 14:7-9; Isa.58:6-12, etc.), & talked about her relationship with the Lord & His unfailing love for her.
There was no denying that we had met by a miracle in answer to her prayers! Jill works on the 10th floor of the building to which the visa office had just moved. She had stepped out of the building for a few minutes & was on her way back upstairs on another elevator when it stopped on the 9th floor & then, for no apparent reason, went back down to the 2nd floor. There she stepped out & pressed the button for the next elevator up. When the door opened, there we were! On our first day in a city of millions, He brought us face-to-face with this sister who was so desperate for prayer & help!
We arranged with Jill to try to visit Jason in the high security prison where he is being held. We also talked with Joseph by phone, & he was thrilled to hear from us. He knew nothing about TS status, fellowships & mailings, & wants to join as a TSer right away. He hopes their daughter Christina will also want to come for fellowships. Our daughter Faith, who is travelling with us, talked with Christina & they want to get together while we are in L.A. Joseph explained that Jason had become involved with a gang at school, & drifted away from the Lord & his parents. For the past month that he's been in jail, he's been reading his Bible again.
Perhaps the Lord is also preparing the hearts of other former Family Members to renew fellowship, as we've seen in our other encounters with other ex-members on this miraculous trip. Romans Chapter 11 talks about olive branches which were once cut from the tree being grafted back in. His Will be done!
SOUTH AMERICA
* MEDIA BATTLES & VICTORIES IN CHILE! In early October, a controversy involving a Family Home on the outskirts of Santiago was the subject of a number of TV & radio newscasts, & articles in some of Chile's largest national newspapers. The articles quoted the priest & mayor of the small town where the Home is located as saying they were "fearful of the Family's presence" there.
This priest & his bishop appeared to be the instigators, & the local mayor soon sided with them. The mayor later charged the Family publicly of being guilty of "irregularities with the children."
Around the same time, a professor & self-proclaimed "expert" on the Family, Juan Daniel Escobar, conducted a three-hour radio program in which the Family was the main topic. Escobar admitted on the radio that he is in contact with Jose Maria Baamonde (head of an ACM group in Argentina, who was instrumental in stirring up this persecution). Andres TSer phoned in & was interviewed on the programme. He explained that he was a friend of the Family & set the record straight by explaining that various respected academics have done detailed studies on the Family & all have come to the same conclusion: The accusations levelled against us by Escobar & others like him are totally unfounded. He also explained that the Family had been vindicated by the appeals court in Argentina.
In the midst of all these articles & radio shows, MegaVision, a large national TV network, came to the door of the Home several times asking for interviews. Once, the teens & JETTs sang for them & did an interview. They answered very well about home schooling & the socialisation issue, & gave a well-rounded witness. The reporters spent over two hours at the Home, were witnessed to, interviewed neighbours who spoke very well of the Family, & left with a positive impression.
The director of the school which is located next door to the Home also stood up for the Family in a very good article that came out in one of the papers.
The MegaVision programme came out strongly in favour of the Family, & after the broadcast the Home's phone rang off the hook with friends calling to pledge their support & congratulate the Home Members for their good interviews.
The Family's lawyer was very inspired with the Family's counterattack & repeated his offer to receive the press in his office. He has since done a 40-minute interview with a TV news channel & told the press that he is going to begin a legal process on behalf of the Family's children whereby if they suffer in any way, including psychologically, from this scandal, those initiating the scandal & any media outlets that repeat it will be legally accountable. A crew from MegaVision waited all morning to interview our lawyer at the court when he went to file this legal motion. In a subsequent TV news interview, the chief of immigrations said that they had investigated the Family & found nothing amiss. The mayor has since backed down, claiming that the press had misquoted him. However, one reporter has the mayor's statements on tape & has asked our lawyer to represent her in a defamation suit against the mayor. Although he is not ethically permitted to represent both us & her, he was happy to refer her to another competent lawyer.
Several days later a city councillor for the city of Santiago went to the Home unannounced to express his support. He explained that he first met members of the Family in Venezuela in 1978, but had lost contact until now. Only because of the recent publicity was he finally able to locate the Family again. The children in the Home sang for him, & he was in tears. He also referred the Home to the city councillor of the area in which the Home is located. This man visited the Home the next day & also expressed his full support.
The pastor of a small Protestant church who helped the Family after the Argentine persecution also expressed his support, & organised five churches to hold a prayer chain for the Family during the height of the media attention.
TESTIMONIES OF SUPPLY
From Gentleness, Italy: When Charity phoned the owner of a frozen foods company, he said he would like to help our work, but wanted to meet us first. The next Sunday he & his wife visited. Before they left, they offered to help not only with frozen food, but also with a freezer. In the course of our conversation, we mentioned that our Home is in desperate need of a vehicle, & straightway our new friend suggested that he & his friends could buy us a van.
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From Bart, Paz & Mercy; Venezuela: The Lord encouraged us with a tremendous kick-off in our new ministry as the area's Provisioning Home. As our first priority, we were asked to furnish a new Home which was just opening. Within less than a week, He provided a new US$2500 living room set, new dining room set, bunk-beds, sheets, stainless steel pots & pans, carpets, persian blinds, etc.
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From Area Shepherds of a semi-closed SEA country: In the last six weeks the Lord has answered our prayers for more monthly supporters. Three friends pledged sizeable monthly donations, another lady gave several hundred Dollars toward playground equipment for the children & we received other large donations in the form of cash, furniture & clothing.
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From John, Ester, Juan & Joao; Brazil: One of our friends who paid our entire rent last month did so again this month & promised to do so again next month!
Besides tithing to our Home, a close friend helped us with our monthly bulk shopping & personal needs this month. We also received an anonymous donation of $500. Praise the Lord!
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From Juan, Maria & Happy; Brazil: One man bought 100 Videos to give away at orphanages, & paid nearly $5000 for them. Our Video distribution went up from 127 last month to 245!
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Solomon & a team from the International Video Ministry recently returned from a four-day trip to northern Japan where they filmed Millennial scenes for the video production of "The Lion, the Dragon & the Beast" (Endtime Scripture Song Tape). They witnessed & provisioned all along the way, & the Lord miraculously supplied for free all the locations, costumes, & special props such as horses, blacksmith & blacksmith shop, antique sword, as well as hotel accommodations. He even provided a hot-air balloon & pilot, delivered directly to the film site! The Lord also supplied the use of professional equipment & many thousands of Dollars worth of studio time.
PRAYER REQUESTS
(Because Prayer List #22 will reach you very soon, Lord willing, we are including only the most timely prayer requests in this FUN.)
British Isles Court case: For the judge, who is expected to give his ruling in late November or shortly thereafter; that the Lord will put it in his heart to allow Sammy to remain with his mother in the Family. For the media team who are gearing up for extensive media coverage which is expected to follow the judge's decision.
Brazil: That a court case involving a Home in Brazil, that has been dragging on for a long time, will come to a speedy end, with the Family completely vindicated. Please specifically pray that the Lord will do a miracle & make a way for them, & the other Homes in Brazil, to continue to home-school their children.
Chile: For the Family's protection, & for strength & wisdom for our media representatives during the current controversy about us. Please pray that this will not develop into any serious persecution or harassment of the Family; for our lawyer's conviction & wisdom in handling the situation; that our enemies' plans will be defeated & the Family vindicated.
Pakistan: For several weeks there have been shootings in the streets of Karachi between political, ethnic & religious factions. Pray for peace & calm, & against the political factions that are trying to stir up trouble. Also that the present government & police will handle the situation wisely; that the violence will not escalate, but that things will return to normal; & for the continued safety of the Family.
Paula (Faithy), who has been under a great spiritual attack because of the very important project she is currently working on: For strength, encouragement, & continued anointing for her work.
For Jill, Joseph, Jason & Christina, that the Lord will have His perfect way in their lives in answer to their prayers; also that He will continue to work in the hearts & lives of other former members to restore them to Family fellowship &/or fruitful service for His Kingdom.
Pablo del Campo, South America: For healing from malignant melanoma (skin cancer); that the Lord will strengthen him, & give him faith & courage in this battle for his healing.
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family