the grapevine
Issue #17
April 15, 1997
DO/TS
Copyright 1997 by The Family
Suggested reading age for this publication is JETTs and up. Parents or shepherds may read with or allow portions to be read by younger ages, at their discretion.
The Grapevine consists of news and views from Family members, and is not intended to reflect WS policy.
think deep
It's not true that nice guys finish last. Nice guys are winners before the game even starts.
The Grapevine
PO Box 4938
Orange, CA 92863 USA
e-mail: grape@ibm.net
kidbits
new arrivals in NACRO ...
* Joelean, born to Raquele (18).
* Baby (no name or sex given) born to Ahlai and Ibzan. -- Mexico
* Daniel, born to Mary PI and Steven on January 8th.
* Gabriela Maria, 6th child, born to Meekness and Gideon on January 9th.
* Andrew, born to Clarissa and Ben on January 10th.
* Katrina Straightway, born to Phoebe Soleil and Simon on January 22nd.
* Amira, born to Mercy and Daniel on January 29th.
* Carlo Samuel, 5th child, born to Joy and David on February 11th.
* Carissa Michelle, born to Davina (of Marc and Serena) on February 12th.
* Baby boy (no name given) born to Maria Clara and Apollos on February 14th.
* Jamie, born to Clara and Paul on February 15th.
* Robin, 9th child, born to Joy and Tim Streams on February 23rd.
who's expecting?
* Arrow (Alyssa) pregnant with number #1.
* Ester (of Eric the Red), pregnant with #9.
* Heaven (of Aaron), three months pregnant with #2.
* Sharon (of Abe), pregnant with #10.
-- courtesy of Dawn, NACRO
more little darlings from EURCRO ...
* David James, born to Talitha and Anthony. -- South Africa
* Nicole Angela, born to Praise and Ray. -- Hungary
* Shakira Yasmine, born to Jane (former member, Ray's eldest daughter). -- Hungary
* Baby boy (no name given), born to Jessica and John. -- Russia
* Anna, 1st child, born to Russian Nadia and Andrew. -- Russia
* Ester, 1st child, born to Czech Sophie and Polish Janek. -- Slovakia.
-- courtesy of David, EURCRO Office
world news
"Ain't no sense sittin' on the fence"
Japan
(Compiled from reports from the PACRO office:) The CROs and VSs in the PACRO area, as in other parts of the world, have held various JETT, teen and YA meetings over the past months, at which they showed the Summit videos and the US Delegates' Meeting videos, and had open discussions and pow-wows. These gatherings have been a great help in inspiring the young people, and have strengthened many in their commitment as disciples.
Recently, the Lord led the CRO shepherds to talk with several young people in Japan who have been "sitting on the fence" for some time -- not living up to the Family discipleship standard set down in the Charter, yet still living in a Family Home -- to help them come to a decision and make a commitment as to what direction they want their lives to take. They've visited a number of Homes where they showed the delegates' meeting videos in which Peter gives the young people a challenge to take their service for the Lord seriously.
In the last couple of months, about 20 young people in Japan (YAs, seniors and juniors) have decided to leave the Family and pursue other lifestyles. As a result, others who were a bit directionless or unmotivated have rededicated themselves. While it's sad that the other young people chose not to serve the Lord full-time, on the overall, because most of them had been just sort of "hanging around," their leaving has borne good fruit in the Homes as it has strengthened the ranks as the Charter standard has been applied.
Before visiting a couple of these Homes and talking with the young people, the Lord gave the following counsel to the CRO and VS shepherds:
(Prophecy excerpts:) I see their hearts are crying out for understanding. Ask Me for discernment and I will help you to understand their hearts, for they need someone to reach out to them, to listen to their frustrations and their fears.
The standard must be clear for all to see. My banner must be held high. They must choose to which degree they will follow Me, how much of their heart and their body and their spirit they will give Me. They need help in making this choice. So give them a listening ear.
It's so important for My weak and struggling soldiers to see the standard held high, that it hasn't fallen, that the army hasn't been defeated, but that it's marching forward. Raise the banner high! Sound the bugle! Rally the forces! The day of march has come! This is a volunteer army. I will not draft anyone. I need volunteers who will give their lives and hearts cheerfully and willingly to Me. But know this -- we will win the battle! Victory is certain!
*
I am calling you to go in and to gently and lovingly, but firmly and with conviction, raise up the standard of the Word and of My Charter. Present all the options, but also challenge them to "choose ye this day whom ye shall serve." No matter which path they choose, try to part in peace and in love, reassuring them of your love and of My love. Yet make it very clear that there are two different paths, and that they must walk completely on one path or completely on the other. It will be a relief to those who are dedicated, who want to get back on board, and it will also be good for those who are simply sitting on the fence. (end of prophecy excerpts)
From around the world ...
-- Responses received at our GP Family e-mail address
[Note: Here are just a few of the many e-mail responses we have received. Requests for more literature, tapes, videos and information were received from many more countries, including Peru, India, Japan, Spain, Norway, Italy, etc.]
USA -- Well, it certainly has been a long time! I left the Family during the chaos of the Administration Revolution in the late '70s. Aside from the usual hysterical news reports on TV from time to time, this Web search is the only time I've heard anything about you. Has David really died? How are the "Mama Letters" Maria has been writing? Cheers! I await your reply curiously. -- Michael
Brazil -- My name is Flvia. I'm 17 years old and I love the Family. I found your internet page very beautiful. I got to know about the Family last year here in Porto Alegre. I met Clay, Brook, Glory, Jeremias, Tiago, Priscila ... and I found your work wonderful!
USA -- I'm 19 and a college student writing a paper on your church. Are you the same Family that practiced Flirty Fishing? Do members of your church have to work within the church? I've heard that Flirty Fishing was banned back in 1987. Is it possible to receive copies? I need one for my report. Thank you for your openness and cooperation. -- Drey
South Africa -- Greetings to you in the blessed Name of our Lord. We purchased one of your videos for our children today. It is great and the children love it! Keep up the good work. Do you have a magazine available?
USA -- As a person interested in communal life issues, I have always been impressed with the longevity of the Children of God/Family. What ever happened to Jeremy Spencer, who I understand joined you in the early 1970s? -- Rod
(no location) I received your missive the other day -- shoved into my hand as abruptly as a picked pocket -- by a woman who immediately disappeared into a car and drove away.
I should congratulate you on writing the least offensive proselytization material I have yet to read. But the manner of its presentment felt very much like a violation. Are you so ashamed of your message that you must force it into someone's hands by surprise and then leave suddenly, forestalling further comment or conversation? Are you afraid of what might be said back to you?
(After writing her an apology, she wrote back:)
Wow! That was more than I expected. Thank you for kind words and consideration. I've met many Christians and evangelists, but few walk the walk as well as they talk the talk. You have my admiration. Blessings on your path, Nicole
Canada -- Wow!!! I thought I'd browse the net and put in Dad's name -- eventually ended up at the Family homepage. My heart jumped when I saw our symbol. I lost touch with the Family years ago. I joined in Munich in 1976 and later moved back to Canada.
I'm totally out of touch. I miss you all. I'd love to hear which direction the Family has taken. The Family and Dad taught me how to love and enjoy love freely. I'll never forget that. I'm so happy I found you. -- Kurt (formerly Job Provisioner)
-- courtesy of Eden, USA
legal and media
USA
(From Marc and Claire:) For the first three days after the "Heaven's Gate" suicide hit the news, the coverage was 90% ACM, with every ACMer crawling out from the woodwork, warning the public of the "dangers" of "cults" and "mind control," etc. However, after the first three days, the tide turned. The word "cult" began phasing out, and the articles started emphasizing more how rare such a mass suicide is, and how those who participated did so of their own choice. We believe this change is due greatly to the efforts of the academics, as they have fought to put this tragedy into perspective and take the anti-cult rhetoric out of it.
Gordon Melton was quoted in Time magazine, and in a lengthy article in the Santa Barbara Times, as well as an interview on ABC's Nightline. All of these were quite positive [in the sense of not lumping all new religious groups together with "Heaven's Gate," and not labeling them all as dangerous cults]. He is still in the midst of doing interviews, though the story is obviously fizzling out and hasn't been in the papers lately. From what we know, the Family wasn't highlighted at all throughout this media attack, unlike some other NRMs.
pioneering
Togo
(From Paul and Lilas:) French-speaking missionaries -- Paradise Togo is waiting for you! The Lord gave us a very vivid dream about Togo as a wonderful, sweet and receptive land of abundance and we're looking for a team to work there with! Do you feel Togo calling you? Write us via the EURCRO office. Here are some details about this special field:
* Free visa -- unlimited stay for French, Italian and Andorran nationals! Free three-month stay for EEC countries, USA and Canada.
* Has the most renowned university of Africa.
* Lom, the capital, is becoming a kind of "African Geneva," as many diplomats and African leaders meet there.
* Temperature 22-30C degrees throughout the year.
* Population: 3.5 million.
* Good roads throughout the whole country with highways all along the South-West African coast.
* French-speaking country, surrounded by other French-speaking countries for faith trips.
* Sweet, welcoming people.
[text box: Togo is a small country of western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea, between Ghana and Benin and under Burkina Faso. It became a French colony in 1922 and gained independence in 1960. Lom is the capital and the largest city. French is the official language.]
China study Team
China
(From Sofia [17, of Ben and Dove], Patrick [18, of Kevin and Marie], Faith [19, of Ho and Ruth], Andrew N. [22], Abi [23, Polish] and Angela [25, Hungarian]:) We want to give you a little peek into the exciting, new and challenging life we have begun here in China! Four YA/SGAs who had been studying here have graduated and are now speaking and reading Chinese and ready to help other teams reach the country. A whole new team of on-fire brave pioneers have come to take up the challenge of studying and learning to be a witness here in China.
Usually foreign students have to stay in dormitories, as the apartments are reserved only for teachers, but by a miracle the Lord worked it out for us to rent an apartment on campus. We are part of Ho and Ruthie's team, but live separately to avoid suspicion. We take care of our own finances, cooking, maintenance, and home life. It's so exciting and challenging. This is the time and place to put our training into practice!
Living here is different than living in other Homes. We often eat our main meals out, as it's fun, cheap, and gives us pleasant opportunities to get accustomed to Chinese food and to make friends. Since Abi has been here for a while, she has sweet Chinese student friends who pop in often, and the dedicated Christians are eager to hear our testimonies.
School started on February 24th, and our mornings are busy at the university. Three of us are just starting our first term. One interesting thing is that all the foreigners are given Chinese names. All of us came with funds to start studying for the first semester, plus to cover the cost of our food and rent for a while. If any of you would like to support and help our team of young people here, your help is greatly needed and appreciated. We'd like to continue the ministries our former team started, such as witnessing to and caring for the sheep we have on the line, a "music corner," primary school teaching, and whatever else the Lord has up His sleeve! Pray that we will be in tune! We love you! "Zai jian!" (Good-bye!)
brotherhood
Belgium
(From Mary Mom:) We had 55 JETTs and junior teens (DO and TS) attend our camp from Belgium, France, Holland and England. The camp was held March 3-13. We had planned to have around 30 kids come, but once the news was out, the kids came pouring in!
The staff and room shepherds were mostly teens, YAs and SGAs, along with two adults. I was very impressed with the staff and room shepherds that the Lord raised up for this camp. They were such loving samples to the kids, working so hard to keep up with all the kids' demands. They were loving, patient, fun, outgoing, communicative, and amidst all that, were faithful to uphold the standard of the Family in a very palatable way.
The most beautiful aspect of the camp was to see the kids grow to love and trust us and open their lives to us. -- From many of them being closed, sometimes bitter, hard, critical and unloving, or fearful and withdrawn, they blossomed into happy, loving, outgoing, expressive and receptive gentlemen and ladies in just a few days with so little effort on our part. Walls broke down pretty fast as the Lord's love flowed out to each one of them. In fact, the kids were even willing to stand up for us! One boy who visited the camp on a weekend walked into the boys' room and proudly stated his position: "The shepherds here suck!" The boys in the room unitedly retorted, "Lay off, man! The shepherds here are cool!"
The Lord showed us at one point to ask the kids if they would like us to hear from the Lord for them individually. Lots of them signed up, and they were so respectful and quite in awe at what the Lord would say to them personally.
It was encouraging to find out that amongst our families of kids attending, about six families will soon be going to mission fields: Madagascar, Ghana, India, Russia, Romania and South Africa. The kids of these families were quite excited and had something to look forward to.
It seems many people look at these kids as problems because they only see the outcropping of the pollution that they are partaking of (System influences through school, music, videos or outside friends). But inside they are so much the Lord's kids. They long to be fed, to be loved, listened to and trusted. I believe there's lots of hope for good fruit if we stay on the attack and do all we can for them.
USA
(From Abi and Ezekiel:) Two camps were held in San Antonio for OCs in the Central US Area during late March and early April. Each camp had about 25-35 OC (DO/TS) attendees, with each session lasting approximately six days. Frank, Sara, Cristina and Elise (Central VS team) helped with the organization and running of the camp, along with other young people in the area (Darren, David, Julie, Joy, Heidi, Crystal and others), who helped as Room Captains, staff, etc.
Additionally, small seminars were held parallel to the camps for the parents/teachers who came from the Homes. Some of the seminar topics were: discovering the benefits of using the CVC, tips on using CLE, ways to have more fun and variety with the children in witnessing, education and Word teaching. We also had some neat show-and-tell sessions on our Family pubs and educational materials.
The goal was to give the parents/teachers a time of heart sharing and prayer with others, especially on things which are coming up with the kids in the Homes and they are being faced with, as well as help in finding the answers they need from the Word and or hearing from Him.
(From Ahlai:) Jessica and I recently visited the Homes in the Northeastern US to show the delegates' meetings videos. Though all the classes were feeding, the three sessions on the topic of worldliness caused some of the most stirring reactions. One repeated prayer request was against System books. It seems the Homes are doing pretty well when it comes to video viewing, but the standard seems to drop when it comes to time spent reading library books, mainly Agatha Christie or other mystery novels. As many confessed, quite a few man-hours are spent reading these books. All the teens made this confession willingly and asked for prayer. Several cited the convicting article (see Grapevine #10, Novels and the like) regarding time spent reading System books; that if that time were applied to reading MO Letter volumes, you could read through several volumes easily.
The adults also prayed against inroads of worldliness in the form of becoming lazy in spirit; becoming too attached to provisioned goodies or such stuff; going overboard in acquiring educational materials beyond what is needed; getting too settled down, etc. Thanks to these videos, one of the main hazards of this field is being addressed and resisted.
(From Dust:) A JETT camp will be held in Montreal from April 15-20, which Miguel and Meeky (VSs), Vas and myself will be attending.
studio news
EAS
(From the European Audio Studio [EAS] Team:) Our studio Home recently moved to a new location, which slowed down productions a bit, but we are now getting settled in. We've finished building a new and bigger studio in our garage, from all provisioned supplies.
We've had a few new arrivals: Nat and Lara from Brazil, and Jason (Jonas Inspiration) and Mimi from Russia. Our studio team now is: Ben G., Tim Hungarian, David Hungarian, Nat, Lara, Jason and Jonathan French.
Ben G. and Nat work on the production of FTTs. David H. helps with guitar work, and is an on-fire witnesser and provisioner. Jason is our main male lead vocalist, who also gives most of our catacomb classes along with those rock'em sock'em inspirations. Lara (now expecting!) is our female vocalist and studio secretary. Jonathan is our computer genius and technician, and Tim H. takes care of our local language production and helps with FTT songs when able.
Besides that motley crew, we have Katrina (of Jonathan) who does scheduling/kitchen overseer, Mimi (of Jason) is our CC teamworker, Claire (of Tim) does provisioning and follow-up, Tabi Hungarian does outreach and provisioning, Eden (of David) does childcare/homecare and is a terrific cook! So there you have it -- "that banana there"; without each and every one, the studio work would suffer.
Our Home has a catacomb ministry, with catacombers coming over twice a week for classes. We're also helping to get a club for our sheep off the ground. It's a lot of fun and helps us keep the vision of why we are here and what it's all about. We love you!
France
(From David [of Joy] France:) Thanks to the Lord and Mama and Peter's vision for mass marketing our wonderful tools, we want to set up a French studio to translate and produce more of our tools in French.
The Lord has given us a small but efficient team. At presently we are: David (technician, singer, musician), John B. (singer, technician and musician) and Tim (secretary). Some of our brethren are already translating, but we urgently need more translators, and in time, visiting singers and musicians!
We want to catch up on as much material as possible! --Treasure Attics, Fantastic Friends, Countdown to Armageddon, Coloring the World, etc. What we need the most now are translations! If any of you reading this have a burden to translate songs or parts of the latest GP tools into French, please contact us via your CRO office. We can supply you with original scripts.
There are French speakers around the world in all sorts of countries, and we want the Family to benefit from these new translations in French. We are out to reach the world -- at least a good part of it: France, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, much of Africa, Vietnam, Madagascar, Pondichery (India), Mauritius, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Tahiti, New Caledonia, and other French islands, as well as the educated people and high society folks in Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, etc.
We also need funds for the purchase of studio equipment, so any gifts and donations are more than welcome! Please send your gifts via the EURCRO Continental Office designated for French Audio-Video Family Productions. Thanks for your support and prayers!
what's up?
Prophecy faith trip
Chile
(From Sam [of Leilani, SGA, CRO]:) Our trip to Pucon (a city outside of Santiago) was absolutely incredible! Before hitting the road on a faith trip, we heard from the Lord to see what plans He had for us. The Lord did everything that He promised -- above our wildest dreams.
We made it a priority to have a rock'm sock'm devotions every morning, taking time in the Word, praying and hearing from the Lord for the day. We held hands and got prophecies just like in the early days at Huntington Beach, and the Lord gave us detailed counsel on what we should do daily. He told us how to go about our witnessing, who we should talk to, what our tactics should be, etc. On one occasion He was quite specific, telling us we would have a drummer helping us that night -- and sure enough, we got one out of the clear blue sky.
One of the most beautiful testimonies from this trip is that the young people who went are now firm believers in prophecy! We're flipped out with what the Lord did, and our whole team is completely sold on witnessing and our way of life.
We held Holy Ghost samples every night on the main street; we did skits and had daily Bible classes with the young people we met the night before. One night we had a bonfire on the beach and gypsy-danced with about 20 sheepy young people. One brother shared his personal testimony, and an SGA who had recently returned from Russia shared testimonies, which flipped the sheep out. We have a few potential disciples as a result.
The Lord even gave us a special treat: The teens got to climb a snowcapped volcano -- one of the few active volcanoes in the world that you can actually climb and look inside the crater to see the burning lava. A church got us all the snow equipment we needed, and paid for a tour guide. This same church paid for all our food and transportation, including bus tickets to return to Santiago. God bless them!
Psychiatrist convention
Karachi
(From the Karachi Family:) We received a call from an eminent doctor who had seen our children perform at a function for handicapped children during Christmas. He turned out to be the president of the Pakistan Psychiatrists Organization, and the 11th International Psychiatrists three-day conference was about to take place in a five-star hotel, attended by over 500 doctors from Pakistan and other countries including the UK, US, etc. He explained that he was preparing a special dinner and musical evening for the conference, and that he wanted our singing team to be the main part of the show. In his own words, "When I saw them that day they were the only group that really had the spirit! I think it would be great for all the psychiatrists to see!"
We had only four days to prepare, but the Lord came through with a powerful 45-minute performance. There were over 900 people in attendance -- mostly psychiatrists, along with their families. The sound equipment was first class, and three video cameras rolled from all angles. The theme of the conference was "Healing and Peace," and Gideon scripted and narrated the show to include many meaningful quotes. Samaria sang "Peace" and "Reach for the Sky" which brought tears to many. Aaron concluded with "St. Francis' Prayer" off the new FTT, which was very powerful. It was a wonderful way to meet many new people, and also a wonderful witnessing opportunity for the children.
"Sweet angels, who are you?"
Hungary
(From Romanian Rebecca:) Here is the result of just one of the thousands of letters sent out in our Christmas mailing to our MM (mail ministry) members in Romania!
Touched deeply by the message of the Christmas mailing, one MM member took it to his pastor, who promptly read it to his entire congregation! At the end, each person wanted a personal copy of the Reflections, so the pastor photocopied one for everyone! Later, one of the church members traveled across Romania and took the Reflections to his relatives. These people took them to their pastor, who also made photocopies for his whole congregation.
One of the members of this second congregation lent his copy of Reflections to a very poor family. This family gathered together on Christmas Eve, and, having no food on their table other than a little bread, decided to read the Reflections together. As they were reading, a 26-year-old man from the village, knowing how poor they were, decided to bring some food to this family. In his own words, this young man relates to us what followed:
"I peered through the window and observed the whole family gathered around the table reading something. I went in and was invited to read along. At first I couldn't understand the joy which seemed to pour out of each person in the room, but as we read on, the same joy filled my heart too. Sweet angels, who are you?
"Thanks to your messages of love, that night I was to find that there is something that rises above this material world. I came to these poor people with my arms full of food for them, yet they were so much richer than I! They had a joy I had never known, because of the love of God you shared with them. Can you help me bring this joy to others? I've been to churches, yet was always left cold with no love. Since that evening I'm just floating on yours and God's love! I don't know who you are, but I know Whose you are. I know you've got His love, and that is enough for me to follow you until the day He'll take us Home."
Thank you for your prayers for our precious MM Members in Romania.
He always supplies
India
(From Marie Claire and Jonathan [Abel]:) We were thrilled with the news of the upcoming area seminar for our senior teens, YAs and SGAs, especially that they would get to partake of the life-changing videos we have been hearing so much about in the New Wine. Being far from where the meeting was to be held, the main obstacle was the big expense to get there. We heard from the Lord and received verses about flights, flee as a bird to your mountain, etc. We knew the Lord was going to do something.
We approached an airline that sometimes gives us free tickets to the northeast, but our friend felt the trip could not be justified with the airlines he works for. We had three other airlines to try, and the seminar was fast approaching, so I prepared the request letters for these companies.
One day we had a very feeding time with one of our friends, Mr. B., on a follow-up visit, and afterwards, he asked if there was anything that he could do for us. We had other important needs and projects for the Home, and since I was planning on approaching other airlines for the tickets, I didn't plan on mentioning them, but I did mention the program the teens were to attend. Before we knew it, he said, "Don't worry about the tickets, I'll get them for you!"
Family foretold
China
(From Noe, Joy and Alfred:) When visiting Taiwan to raise funds and follow up on friends, the Lord led us to Christians from several different denominations who were willing to help us with donations to reach China, even without knowing much about us personally. Their heartfelt burdens to see the Gospel preached in China, combined with meeting us and hearing our testimonies, motivated them to help us.
Four of them are Catholic bishops who were kicked out of China 25 years ago. Others are from the local church of Watchman Nee's denomination. Watchman Nee apparently prophesied about the Family about 45 years ago -- almost 20 years before the Family came into being -- saying something like, "When the Family comes to China, we must help them to reach this country; they have what we need, and we have what they need."
(NEE, Watchman -- Chinese evangelical of the 1960s who was imprisoned for a time in Red China on false charges. Later released, he became a well-known Christian and author. He was fairly revolutionary and preached at the churches, trying to get them under conviction for their neglect of the lost and their failure to evangelize the world. -- Good Thots.)
find-a-friend
-- Former member, Lauren (in the US military), urgently needs to get in touch with her father (Steven or Joe Hugs) who is in the Family. Please contact EURCRO for Lauren's phone number.
-- Lisa and family are looking for Solomon (Gorden) from Seattle, USA. He married an Indian girl and has a twin brother. Please help me find him. Add: Elisabeth Fischbacher, L'auberge 214A, 2713 Bellelay, Belgium. Tel: 032/484.9442.
-- Dawn (of Dan) is looking for Peter (a.k.a. Hezekiah, last in Belgium) and Waters and Talitha. Add: S. Braaten-Paquet, P.O. Box 453, Cottonwood, AZ, USA 86326.
-- Joan River Phoenix, contact Jasmine. Add: P.P. 42, 1215 Medvode, Slovenia.
-- Vicky (of Matt), contact Angie Wind. Add: Pf. 30, 2626 Nagymaros, Hungary.
-- (From BI Media Home:) Harry Doran (Family name: Michael, left the Family in 1990) is seeking to regain contact with his former wife, Maria (Lupitha Sheridan), now possibly married to Peter. Add: Harry Doran, 139 Tentham Street, London SW18 5DH.
-- Roger would like to get in touch with an old friend, formerly Ramoth Blessed, last heard of 15 years ago in India. Roger's address is: 5 Glendene Ave., Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 1BH, England.
your views on issues
Cool talk
Kenya
(From Paul:) Woe, yo, y'all there! This is "dude" from planet Earth, Milky Way, starbound with some awesome low-down c'min straight from the far out. -- Or in case you did not understand, this is Paul from Kenya and I have a question.
There's a lot of "cool talk" in the pubs lately [i.e., Zine, Grapevine], and I'm wondering where this is leading us? Is this the new wave in the Family? Within a year, will all our younger generation be talking in this new language? I've never been to the US, but I understand this is the way that the lower class speak there, and the language of much of the commercial black music.
Do we really want to promote this kind of talk amongst our children? Will System people outside the US be able to relate to our kids if they talk like this? What kind of a sample is it? Is it going to be "in the house" to talk like this or will you be labeled as out of the house?
We had a visit from a relative who lives in the States, who is black. Their 11-year-old boy's vocabulary had an occasional "cool," but that was about as far as it went. He came across as intelligent and articulate, but his vocabulary was not peppered with "awesome," "far out," "in the house," "ultra violet," "dude" and all the rest of it.
Don't get me wrong! I'm all for using that kind of language if it's going to win someone to the Lord, or if it's used as an exception rather than the rule -- you dig? But as a constant stream, it becomes corny and maybe rude (at least that's my non-American opinion). What if, "Excuse me, could you please pass the salt?" is replaced with, "Hey man! Send down the shaker!" in our Homes at meal times?
Is this truly speaking the language of the youth around the world? Or is it being imposed by a lobbying minority? Whatever happened to the Family's stand against being cool (as in "worldly")? Is it still lukewarm? Or has it been warmed up a little? -- Ouch! I've probably hit a hot one here so I'll sign off for now. Love ya lots!
Just passing through?
USA
(From C., [17]:) Most young people don't mean to be rude or ungrateful in any way, but it would be good if they realized that their "living off a Home," so to speak, can and does take its toll on a Home.
It can be very difficult to have young people stay in your Home and expect to be given meals, a place to sleep, fellowship, and partake of the nice things that go on in the Home, while at the same time expecting to go out fundraising while in the Home and keep 100% of everything they make, without considering the Home's needs. It makes the Home feel awkward if the young "passers-through" don't offer to help with dishes, JJTs, etc. It seems some people have the attitude that they can just mooch off a Home during their stay, and then leave without having offered any help the whole time they were there.
Dad said throughout the Letters that when we visit Homes we should have the attitude of servants. -- "How can I be of help?" (Not to say that all young people who visit Homes have a wrong attitude or haven't read the Letters, but it does seem to be a problem.) If that wasn't bad enough, they sometimes criticize the way the Home runs, creating a little disunity. -- And we're supposed to be cool with that? -- I don't think so!!
Sometimes the young people passing through these Homes need to raise their fare back to where they came from, and I don't think there are any Homes that would deny them the right to do a little fundraising, as long as they turn in a certain percentage to cover costs. More than anything it's the attitude you have while visiting. Couldn't we all just have a little more common courtesy and appreciation? I think it would help a lot.
Appreciation revival
Thailand
(From Ammi [of Markus]:) It can be quite easy to take each other or other Homes for granted, and maybe even more so since the Charter. Perhaps we all need to be quicker to thank other Homes or brethren who help us in some way or who share their blessings with us. When we hear of a Home that provisioned a large quantity of something or who has a good contact, it's easy for us to mention that we have a need or that we could sure use some if they have any to spare. But then we haven't been as quick to send a sincere thank-you note or card for their kindness, or to share what their donation helped us to do for the Lord. Perhaps we could use an appreciation revival for all the ways that our Family Homes help and serve one another!
Care for the sheep
Romania
(From a female [17]:) I have seen that many brethren don't really care about their supporters or sheep. For example, if the contact doesn't help abundantly and faithfully, and I pray for the Lord to bless them and touch them, the room is sort of silent. But if the person is helping abundantly, everyone will really "amen" the prayer and talk respectfully about that person. By their attitudes, it seems they are not interested in praying for that person who isn't giving as much.
Some look on contacts as income; they drop off something for them to read every once in a while and witness to them on their visit to collect funds. Sadly, they lack the love that Jesus has for them, and they don't really fight for them in prayer or make time to see them if they ask for help.
I thought it was the Lord Who gives the increase. On some days not much happens in the way of financial blessings, yet on other days He gives it to us on a silver platter. I think we need to remember our priorities: Love is the most important thing, and all the rest will follow. I haven't felt the burden of finances heavy on me because I saw that according to the Word it didn't have to be. God will supply if we obey His Word!
What I make it
Africa
(From M. [27]:) What this Family is and how it looks is what I as an individual make it! All my actions, attitudes and decisions contribute to what makes up the overall picture of the Family. So, what can I do to make the Family a better and happier place to be, where others will feel at home? I thought to first start with myself: Try to minimize negative influences (fighting my NWOs) and maximize positive influences (be more loving, understanding, compassionate and forgiving). It's easy to complain and say "things are getting worse," but I believe it's up to each one of us. "Even little bits of love can go a long way." That quote touched my heart and checked me: What am I doing for others?
Smoking doesn't = Charter
Somewhere
(From Someone [18]:) I wonder why some of us pick up a cigarette and start smoking as if the Charter didn't exist. (See Grapevine #13, Rumor Mill.) I don't want to look down on others, but I just took a sec to put myself in their place. I can understand how reading novels and listening to System music can be a temptation, especially with the sugar coating of knowledge and soft, sweet music. But smoking?! -- It makes your breath stink, it ruins your health and lungs, and it colors your teeth. Thinking really hard about it, I can't see any pluses to it at all -- except that it's cool in the world. And what kind of a plus is that?! We're supposed to be different and unique, and that's how we're cool?! If it doesn't benefit us, isn't that a good enough reason not to do it?
rumor mill
Q: Someone once told me that Grandpa had bodyguards. Is this true? And if so, does Mama have them too when she goes out (which we know is very rare)? -- Asking in Asia
A: Of course Family members always went with Dad to assist him, particularly as he got older and needed more help getting around. However, they certainly couldn't be considered "bodyguards" in the sense that people normally think of. The same goes for Mama, although she doesn't go out very often.
-- When the kids were watching "Burn Free # 2," one of them asked why they never show the face of Jesus. Chris (6) replied in all seriousness, "To keep His security!" -- courtesy of Gabe (15), Turkey
-- In the middle of winter, Marie Clair (4) asked, "Mama, can we go to the beach and swim?" I replied, "But it's very cold out there." Marie answered, "It's okay. I can wear two bathing suits!" -- courtesy of Johnny Newman and Joan, Japan
-- When mommy calls for school time, Benji (nearly 2) runs in excitedly, shouting: "Oh! Cool time, cool time!" -- courtesy of Philip and Meekness, Namibia
mama's mailbox
(Editor's note: Unless we have received prior permission from the author of the letter, only initials will be used in this section.)
From Ashley (secretary, who helps to answer Mama's mail)
Hi, dear Mama,
You know, I was just wishing this morning that there was some way we could let the worldwide Family know what becomes of the personal letters they write to you. If only they could see how much you put into these letters -- how carefully you listen to each and every one of them, how you weep when you hear their heart cries, and how you pray desperately over each one -- I think they would be so touched and certainly very encouraged.
Of course, it's impossible to respond to every single letter that comes in, as much as I know you'd like to. Perhaps people don't realize that even when they don't get a personal response to their letter, they can be assured that you've listened to it and that you're praying for them, and often you ask some of us to pray for them as well. I'm astounded by the amount of prophecies and personal answers we are able to send to people, and I'm sure it's a great blessing to them. But if everyone knew how much you know about them personally and how you pray for them when they're going through rough spots in their lives, they would know that they're not alone in the fight, but that their queen, their king, and those in their household are fighting right alongside them.
I admire you so much, Mama. You have given your entire life for us, despite the personal sacrifice and strain on you physically, spiritually and emotionally. I feel so secure knowing that we're being led by such a prayerful and diligent shepherdess -- and that our king Peter is the same way.
From Daniel Arrow (SGA), Russia
Dear Mama,
Lately I've been spending a lot more personal time with Jesus. It has been so strengthening and has been changing the way I look at things. When Letters with a lot of prophecy would come out, I read them and believed them, but they didn't move me or excite me all that much. It was almost a task; something I needed to read to stay in the Lord's will. I tried to like them, but when I'd see how much others were getting from them I knew I was missing something.
I was a late bloomer as far as the Loving Jesus revelation, but now that I've opened my life to Him in a much deeper way, it's made His Words come alive! I've been re-reading GNs like "Go for the Gold" and "Affection Time with Jesus." It's amazing how clear they are now. The questions that I had last time I read them are gone. The little nagging doubts have vanished and I'm sold! I now see what others have been raving about for a long time. I found the key that set me free: Fall in love with the Author, and His Words take on a new dimension.
I was wondering if I should write this up, or if it was something personal that I should keep to myself. I asked the Lord and He said, "Don't you secretly like it when you have a date with someone, and you hear later from someone else that the person you were with told them how great it was and what a nice time they had with you? It makes you feel good, doesn't it?" I guess the Lord likes it when we spread the news of how wonderful He is. It might help other people to see that they are missing out on something great!
letters to the editor
I'd like to comment on the article "Not just 'here for the beer!'" (see Grapevine #11). I agree with the points made about the two categories of young people in the Family at the moment -- those who are getting behind and pushing in the right direction, and the others who are on the other side of the fence and are here for the wrong reasons, or just here for the ride, so to speak.
But concerning the reason presented as to why young people are slightly hesitant to embrace leadership roles (afraid of being called "brown-nosers" or "kiss-asses," or being gossiped about), my opinion is simply that leadership is truly a big responsibility! You have to uphold the standard constantly. Since you are in the spotlight, you don't have as much freedom as a young person of the same age minus the title would have. If my opinion is wrong, I am open for helpful feedback.
Perhaps the labels people have given you aren't given out of pure unlovingness, but instead due to the way they see you now, as compared to how you were before you had a position of leadership. I think you've just gotta push ahead. Just don't worry about the opinions of men and continue on the way the Lord leads you, and you will slowly but surely prove yourself as a true leader.
-- Solly (19), Taiwan
I thought the comment from the two young males about alimony (Grapevine #10, pg. 10) is, sad to say, the typical attitude of many young Family males. A lot of you boys don't, or don't want to, understand the responsibility of a child being born.
This isn't about money or whose decision it was to have sex. -- It is about one of God's creations being brought into the world through you. Believe me, if He cares for what happens to the littlest sparrow, He definitely cares about that little child and will also hold you responsible for his or her care and welfare.
I understand that some boys are not in a position to pay alimony. Personally I'm not all-out for that idea and I know a number of girls who aren't too hot on the idea either. But hey, haven't we grown up our whole lives to believe that there are things more important in this world than money? For example, loving and outgoing concern, and emotional and moral support toward the mother and child.
Anyhow, this type of immature behavior many teen boys have concerning sex and pregnancy will end up turning against them if they don't show more responsibility. All good things in life have a price to pay, and sorry, but credit doesn't work. To have liberties you've gotta count the cost.
-- senior teen, Western Hemisphere
I want to applaud the Grapevine for its list of who is expecting, delivering, etc. We print monthly shiner lists of the witnessers -- so it's great to see that we are rewarding those who lay down their very lives to bring new life into the world.
-- Fe (23, of Valiant), USA
Name - age - location?!
Just a little plea to the world. Let's not let the Grapevine become an anonymous publication. It's one thing if you're throwing out a controversial subject, writing personal things or have your article published in one of the "initial and age" columns. But please, let's not riddle the other sections with pseudonyms, aliases, a.k.a's or what have you.
After all, what do you have a name for? -- It's to identify you! C'mon, it's a whole lot more convincing and definitely more credible if it doesn't look like you're trying to hide something!
-- Someone in the Milky Way vs. Mike (17), Thailand
letter from the editor
In response to the above article (see "Name - age - location?!), thanks for writing in, Mike -- our feelings exactly. To make it clear, the only "initial and age" sections of the Grapevine are Mama's Mailbox and the Open Forum column. Mama's Mailbox is anonymous because the portions of your letters which Mama submits to this section are personal letters to Mama, not intended for publication. The Open Forum section often deals with sensitive issues, therefore our policy is to ensure your anonymity, unless you say otherwise. If you don't mind your name printed in the Open Forum section, then you must tell us! Similarly, if you write Mama a personal letter, but don't mind that it be published in the Grapevine with your name, then you should make a note of that in your letter.
Any other articles you send in for the Grapevine we will use your name on. If you're sending in a view on a hot issue and would prefer your name not be mentioned, then let us know. We promise to abide by your wishes. It is helpful to know, though, if you are married, male or female, your age, etc., as it sheds more light on why you may have that opinion. But we can't identify you further if you only put an initial. -- Please don't leave us all wondering!
Last but not least, you may have noticed that some Grapevine articles consist of comments and suggestions from your TRFs, some of which get passed on to us. Since you didn't send these comments in designated for possible publication in the Grapevine, we try to be less specific in how we credit the authors of these articles. If the topic is slightly sensitive, we automatically substitute the name with an initial.
We just don't want to take a chance by including someone's name on an article if they might prefer anonymity -- especially since they may not have expected their comment to be printed! We don't have time to check with each person, so keep this in mind when you see initials scattered throughout the other sections of the Grapevine. It may be that these articles were not sent to our e-mail or postal address for publishing. Thanks!
-- Jenna (22), Grapeland (would be more specific if I could, ha!)
tying the knot ... and the new life it brought!
Coming home after a long day or from a trip out of town for a few days is a thrill. My son sees "dad," and lights up with a beaming smile, not to mention all the sound effects and cuddles that come along with it.
Thinking back several months to when Salem wasn't yet born, or back even further to when Sara and I first got married 1- years ago, life was very different.
I like action, being involved, and doing things, which is largely my problem. When younger, I majored on physical ministries, and later was involved in shepherding. In more recent years I have operated the PA equipment for the Heart to Heart team here in Thailand. I like what I do and am challenged by the technical difficulties we face in our job, as well as knowing that the sample through our programs is reaching tens of thousands.
Besides being involved with operating lots of buttons, faders and flashing lights, I am starting to realize the importance of taking time to care for and show concern for our precious children.
The Lord did something special in my life -- which at first looked like a stone, but turned out to be bread. My wife went on a one-month trip to Bethlehem for a series of shows which resulted in a terrific witness.
But lo and behold, I was to step into full-time care of Salem, working in the nursery and caring for three other babies as well. It was a dramatic change, but I was surprised how enjoyable it ended up being! It brought out a tenderness that couldn't have been brought out by machines.
I have a weakness of being too busy for the Lord, but as I slowed down, I found I had Him more on my mind. It wasn't that I had extra time -- my time was completely packed with all that goes into caring for babies. But the Lord seemed more present, perhaps because I was listening more.
All that to say: Yes, being married and having children is binding. It requires commitment and sacrificial giving, but it's exactly what I needed. The rewards and the joys that have come from it cannot be compared with the independence that I had perhaps treasured before.
-- Aaron Martin (SGA), Thailand
I'm an SGA (probably one of the oldest ones around -- just turned 28!) and have been behind the "Muslim veil" for 10 years now. I'm married and have four children. My husband, also 28, was not raised in the Family.
We first met when we were 18. At the time I was determined to stay single, feeling that my calling was to help other families with their children. I was also heavily involved in outreach. Steve was a new disciple who had recently joined in India and had come to Pakistan due to his visa situation.
I admired Steve for a lot of his qualities -- faithfulness, diligence, love for the Lord and the sheep, etc. -- but apart from the fact that we were both the same age and British, we had nothing in common.
He is a Taurus, I'm a Leo. (Mama and Peter's sample encouraged us greatly!) He was brought up all his life in a boys' boarding school, and has a very "proper" background. My upbringing was that of the hippie "flower power" generation until my parents and us children joined the Family.
Quite by coincidence (?!), we kept ending up in the same Home, which was amusing. We'd often be paired up for outreach, but found it difficult to communicate. A year passed and we began to have dates (due to logistics I was the only one he could date in the Home). In those days, a date usually meant going all the way and almost instantly I began showing signs of being pregnant. I was pretty shocked, as I had been one of those people who "never got pregnant." Ha!
Due to being in a Muslim field and all the Home's contacts knowing me quite well, I knew I had to either get married or move. My first impulse was to take off! The truth was, I knew Steve wasn't "in love" with me, and it hurt my pride to think he would feel I was expecting him to take care of me. I wanted him to know I could take care of myself. Ha! Plus, my idea of a husband was someone who would want to marry me because they were "in love" with me.
My shepherd at the time gave me some very wise counsel. He cautioned me not to act impulsively or make a decision I'd regret. He also shared how my first responsibility was to my unborn baby. How would my decision affect her? When she was old enough to ask where her daddy was, and my answer was "he wasn't my type," would that be a good enough excuse in her eyes?
To make a very long story short, Steve and I decided to go on a three-month trial period, fell in love and got married. During our six years of marriage we've been through a lot of ups-and-downs and have needed plenty of help and counsel, but I can truly say we're crazy about each other. I think it would have been the greatest tragedy if I'd missed my handsome, green-eyed Irishman due to my pride. He's now become an incurable romantic! Our four daughters adore their daddy, and he's a wonderful father.
I could go on and on, but all that to say: Girls, give those boys a chance! Even if you're not "in love," you never know what the Lord could do!
-- Ruth (of Steve), Pakistan
ideas and tips
Praise time reminder
I bought a timer and hooked it to the tape recorder with praise songs. It goes off three times a day and has helped keep us faithful with our praise times!
-- John Malachi, Erick the Red and Esther, Mexico
"Roll" that gold
The children had the idea of passing out tracts on roller blades! We adults were at first a little skeptical, but to our surprise they really got into getting the tracts out! It's proving to be a fun and inspiring witnessing method, and helps us get our needed get-out.
-- Andrew, Annie Grace and Maria, USA
Newsletter advertising
We produce our Family newsletter every two months on good quality paper, and it looks professional. We allotted pages for local businesses to advertise on. They pay for the advertising -- so our newsletter gets the message out and raises funds at the same time!
We approached a large, multinational oil company here for advertising. While looking through an older newsletter, they saw their largest competitor occupy the back page of our newsletter, the price of which is $500. They phoned us up the next day and asked us to please save the last page for their advertisement. Another friend agreed to help us with $1,000 worth of advertising in our next two newsletters.
-- From Aaron (17), Pakistan
movie ratings
Movies Rated for Senior Teens and Up
PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, THE (1996) **
Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love
Drama/character study based on the controversial life of Larry Flynt, creator of Hustler girly magazine. Although we do not agree with most of the views of this man or his magazine, still it is a good portrayal of someone being a fighter and standing up for their cause. The events and characters as portrayed are factual, but the film downplays the degrading treatment of women that Hustler is famous for.
MASK, THE (1994) **
Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz
Action-comedy based on the comic book classic about a mild-mannered bank clerk who finds an ancient mask with magical powers which turns him into the embodiment of his own fantasies. An imaginative film with a rather zany script, delighting some and repulsing others -- definitely controversial. Some found lessons on accepting yourself and being happy with who you are, and some found only foolishness. The concepts of talismans and spiritual possession could serve as a springboard for discussion. Not suggested for repeated viewing.
** (From Jenna: Because these movies were controversial [though most thought they were watchable], those responsible for this column asked the Lord whether we should include them or not. Following was the Lord's answer.)
PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT
(Jesus speaking:) If My children view this movie, they must have the understanding and knowledge of how ones such as this man choose to give their lives to the prince of the power of this world in order to obtain the riches and success that he claims. The portrayal of the life of this man is not entirely accurate. I mete out My judgments slowly and surely, and all will be weighed out justly in the end.
The prince of this world offers men their dreams, their desires -- the high ride on the wave of fame and popularity. If they will sell their souls and give their bodies over unto his will, then he exalts them for a time. Yet every wave breaks and crashes, and the rocks upon which the prince of this world dashes his victims bruise, batter and scar for life.
Larry Flynt has given himself unto the keeping of the Evil One. He has chosen to receive of his riches and his pleasures, while believing and accepting delusions as the truth. Outwardly he appears to men to be successful, industrious, clever and witty. But who has made him into this? Is his power and glory coming from his own hand, or from the hand of a dark one behind him who turns his head and pulls the strings of his life? What man can know the torment of spirit and the unhappiness which he must conceal in his heart? None can know these things, for he conceals this within himself.
Yet I have mercy, patience and forgiveness even for this one, who chooses not to retain Me in his thoughts. In this world he shall reap the fruits of his sowings. In the life to come he shall be taught, trained and reshaped, as shall be all My wayward children. (End of prophecy.)
THE MASK
(Dad speaking:) You have to be really mature to get the message and the meaning out of "The Mask." You have to go through quite a bit of the guy being ridiculous and silly and unrealistic. Nobody turns into a guy with a green head and has that type of supernatural powers. It's pretty silly. I think especially young people would have to be pretty deep spiritually to wade through the surface silliness in order to get the message -- to just be yourself, and to be loving and thankful for the way God made you, which is real success.
This movie was found very subjective to personal opinion, so it's controversial. One man's meat is another man's poison. So remember, you as a Home must decide whether it's worth watching or not. If you think it's going to have a bad effect on you, then don't watch it. And for God's sake, as with all movies, pray a cleansing prayer afterwards. Don't let the System seep into you! (End of prophecy.)
Movies Rated for Junior Teens and Up
ABYSS, THE (1989, 1996)
Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Tense sci-fi drama about an elite oil-rig crew that becomes involved in a perilous under-water operation to rescue a sunken nuclear submarine. Some violence. If possible, see the newer "special edition" version, with 27 minutes extra footage which makes the plot -- and the ending in particular -- much clearer. Beware of foul language.
JANE EYRE (1996)
William Hurt, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Zefferelli adaptation of the classic novel by Charlotte Bronte. Drama/character study, with sweet lessons on love and overcoming obstacles.
Movies Rated for JETTs and Up
FOOLS RUSH IN (1997)
Matthew Perry, Salma Hayek
Romantic comedy about a one-night stand with long-lasting results. Fun and entertaining, with lots of good lessons.
DANTE'S PEAK (1997)
Pierce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton
Special-effects drama about a vulcanologist trying to convince his superiors that a long-dormant volcano is about to erupt. Young or sensitive viewers beware of an unpleasant part involving a hot spring.
D3: THE MIGHTY DUCKS (1996)
Joshua Jackson, Jeffrey Nordling, Emilio Estevez
The teenage hockey team is back for more exciting action as they start as freshmen at a prestigious prep school. Some bad behavior can be pointed out, but also contains good lessons on humility and learning to give others the benefit of the doubt.
RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983, 1997)
Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Conclusion of the "Star Wars" trilogy. It is helpful to have seen the first two parts before this one, or it may not be so understandable. As with the first two movies in this series, a new edition has been released, with some new footage and updated effects. Entertainment only.
Movies Rated for MCs and Up
MAC AND ME (1988)
Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Ward
Fantasy/sci-fi about a young extra-terrestrial who escapes from a government lab, and his friendship with a young crippled boy. Some moments may be tense for young viewers.
Movies Rated for All
ZEUS AND ROXANNE (1997)
Steve Guttenberg, Kathleen Quinlan
Sweet story centering around the friendship between a dog (Zeus) and a dolphin (Roxanne). One underwater scene involving a submarine could be frightening for small children, and may need to be fast-forwarded.
Non-Recommended Movies
GHOSTBUSTERS (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver; 1984)
GHOSTBUSTERS II (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver; 1989)
GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE, THE (Animated; 1986)
LONG KISS GOODNIGHT, THE (Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson; 1996)
babymania
-- by Jaz, Free Zine country
There is a certain spirited teen (oops! -- YA now -- just turned 18!) that I live with who may be familiar to some (!) of you. She is now known to all as Keana, formerly Techi. Before I go any further, let me just explain something about Keana, a spunky girl and wonderful friend. Some of you might wonder why she doesn't surface very much with info about herself, and now her son, Trevor. The bottom line is that she is a bit shy! It's just that having spent so much of her life in the spotlight, so to speak, she feels a bit awkward about it, and would rather keep away from it for now.
I guess I said all that to help you appreciate the following piece of news as the veritable treasure that it is: a mini-interview with Keana! -- Since we thought that you'd probably be interested in hearing what's goin' down with her and her little man. Hope you enjoy it!
Q: I wonder if you could tell us a little about Trevor - how old he is, what he is like, etc.?
A: He's a year and three months now. As far as what he's like, ever since he was born he's been more of the serious type, I guess. But then some of the time he gets real goofy and foolish, so that's really fun to watch. He's super ticklish, too, so that always gets him to laugh. He's getting to be much more fun now in some ways, cuz he can do more, and communicate better and interact more -- you know, have play-time with me, play hide-and-seek of sorts, and we run or crawl around the living room trying to catch each other, etc. His greatest love is still cars, though. -- Real ones, toy ones, cars in books, on TV, whatever. I guess he'll probably be talking in sentences soon, too, cuz he can say a lot of words. -- Or at least try to make the sounds and all. At least he can usually get us to understand what he wants, which is nice, and then doesn't yell, which is very nerve-wracking!
Q: What is it like for you, being a mother? Is it what you expected?
A: Well, to tell you the truth, I had no idea what to expect at all. All my life there weren't many little babies around to take care of, so I never had any experience doing that -- which I think is the only way to really find out what it's like. But not even that does it completely, though, as unless you take care of that baby full-time, have sole responsibility and sleep with him every night, you still have no idea what it's like to have your own. But at least you're a bit more aware.
So my personal advice to anyone planning to have a baby, is to make sure you know what it's like first. Of course the Lord will help you, and there are usually others around who know what they're doing, but it would've helped me, I think. Cuz anyone who's had a baby, no matter how much they love their kid, will tell you it's a complete and total sacrifice, and it's tough! Of course, everyone's been doing it since the beginning of time, and that's the way the Lord made it to be, but my point is, if you find out what it's like before, you will know what to expect, which will make it easier. Oh great, now I'm sounding like a big experienced mother, but anyway
Q: How does your schedule work? Do you have help in taking care of him?
A: Yes, I do!! Actually I have quite a bit of help -- about four hours a day regularly, plus some folks help at other times too, like for outings, etc. It's a super blessing, just to be able to get my other work done on the Zine, etc. Cuz when you're with babies this age, they need constant action and need to always do new things, and you have to always have new ideas and all. That's why I'm super thankful for the people around here that help me with him.
Q: What are some of Trevor's outstanding personality traits?
A: I guess I'd have to say one of the main things you'd notice is that -- well, to put it mildly, he's a very strong-willed little boy. (He's a Capricorn with Capricorn ascendant and Leo moon!) And yikes, I suppose it's not all his fault, as I don't really know much about discipline so far, so God help us all! But he's very sweet and loving as well, and he can be very cuddly and he likes to blow kisses a lot, and give hugs and all, so that's real cool. He's actually a real smart kid. He's very good with his hands, and has good coordination for stuff like building towers, stacking toys, and putting anything small into anything big enough to hold it, etc. He also really likes making noise -- unfortunately for me! But it's cute. He'll get his little toy hammers, one in each hand, and go around the room banging on anything he can find! He knows almost all the animal noises now, so he'll make them whenever he sees one in a book or on a video. And he's doing real good at learning colors and shapes as well.
Q: Can you think of a couple little stories that are funny, cute or outstanding in some way about Trevor?
A: For about an hour every day, Olivia and Trev are with Jaz and Alex's four-month-old Kimberly (during their time with Korie), and she sits in her walker watching them while they play, or they'll watch a Treasure Attic or Kiddie Viddie. One day Trev had given Kimberly a toy car to play with while he was pushing her in her swing. (Trying to indoctrinate the little girl into liking cars -- since, after all, they are the best kind of toy!) Anyway, after a while he decided he wanted the car back so he could play with it. But he didn't want to just grab it away, cuz he really likes Kimmy, so he asked "please" by clapping his hands, and gingerly took it away while watching to see if she'd cry, then when he saw she was fine, took it to the floor to play with it himself. Sweet, huh?
Another time, on a special occasion, we told the kids we were having "hot dogs" for dinner. Trevor said, "doh," which is the word that he uses for "dog"! We looked at each other and thought, "Oh, no!!" -- I guess he thought we were talking about real dogs! But I guess what could we expect? Eeek!!
backtracking
N.U.T.s (see Grapevine #12, "Many are cold -- few are frozen") = New Ural Team
I'm wondering ...
Q: We read in one of the pubs that there was no such thing as a "senior teamwork" member or a "main shepherd." I had a question about this, as in our area there are quite a few Homes that have senior teamwork members, or one person who has more authority than the others. For example, they make most of the decisions in the Home, or the other teamwork members can't make decisions without checking with the "main" one. Is this right or is it okay in certain circumstances and situations? -- a male SGA
A: There is no mention of a senior teamworker in the Charter. All teamwork members have equal authority and voting power. The idea of teamworks is for the whole teamwork to counsel together and agree together, not for one person to have the authority or run the show.
Of course, some shepherds have more experience than newer teamwork members, but nevertheless they should all work together and each member's views should be respected and contributions considered. One member's vote has no more clout than any of the other teamwork members' votes.
In the case of Service Homes, however, which are under the auspices of the CROs, the CROs have the authority if they deem it necessary to appoint the entire teamwork, or certain members of it who might carry the final say, as they are responsible to the CROs for the running of the Home.
Q: I read with interest the Open Forum comments as to whether men who had fathered a child should help support the mother to be, and the children. With so many different backgrounds, personalities and lives, there are equally as many different facets to this question, as came out in all the different reactions. My question is this: If we have an open forum like this and most reactions tend to go a certain way, are we going to do something about this or leave it at that? -- M. (female adult), Europe
A: The Open Forum section in the Grapevine was started because Mama and Peter desired to create an avenue whereby they could get feedback from a cross section of Family members on a given topic. The questions put forth as Open Forum discussion topics are all matters which concern Mama and Peter, and which are being brought before the Lord in prayer, in order to obtain His solutions for the benefit of you, our dear Family.
So in answer to your question, yes, these topics being brought out are being discussed and prayed about by Mama and Peter, and often the CROs and other shepherds. The final decisions on these matters will be according to what the Lord reveals to Mama and Peter, which may or may not be in accordance with what the majority of those who respond to the column express. Nevertheless, Mama and Peter very much appreciate and are thankful to be able to avail themselves of your notes (and they read each one!) explaining how these things affect you personally in your day-to-day life. Your feelings and ideas play an important part in their prayer and counseling, which is the reason for these Open Forum discussions. Thanks for being willing to help make our Family a better place -- together!
notices
Is being "cool" good or bad?
WS Pubbers
We've received questions from some of you regarding the usage of the word "cool" in our Family pubs: "Wait a minute! It used to be bad to be 'cool,' but now it's 'cool' to love Jesus, and I'm hearing that a lot of things about Family life are 'cool.' Did I miss something?"
If you look in the dictionary, you will see that the word "cool" has many meanings, but the two definitions for this word which are most commonly used in our Family pubs are as follows:
1) lukewarm; neither warm nor very cold; marked by indifference, disdain, or unresponsive
2) excellent; first-rate; groovy; neat; far-out
Years ago, when Dad used the word "cool," it often carried a very negative connotation of being worldly, lukewarm, nonchalant, detached and not on fire for the Lord. It was with this meaning in mind that Dad blasted and exposed the "cool" guys, in Letters such as "The Appeal of the World on Our Teens" and "Our Teens -- The Devil's Target!" etc.
However, more recently, the term "cool" in our pubs has been used with the second definition listed above, that of meaning "excellent," as in the expression, "That was cool!" which could be otherwise said, "That was really neat!" The Lord has repeatedly used this word in recent prophecies, and it has been scattered throughout the pubs (i.e. "It's Cool to Love Jesus," meaning that it's far-out to love Jesus).
The meaning which the Lord is now referring to when using the word "cool" is not the same definition as when Dad used it in times past. Depending on the context in which it is used, it should be pretty evident which way it is meant. It is also a very popular term in the world again, so, in a way, it helps us relate to the youth, which is probably why the Lord has used it in some of the recent tracts.
now that's funny!
A rather well-proportioned secretary, Kate, spent almost all of her vacation sunbathing on the roof of her hotel. She wore a bathing suit the first day, but on the second she decided that no one could see her way up there, and she slipped out of it for an overall tan. She'd hardly begun when she heard someone running up the stairs; she was lying on her stomach, so she just pulled a towel over her rear.
"Excuse me, miss," said the flustered little assistant manager of the hotel, out of breath from running up the stairs. "The Hilton doesn't mind you sunbathing on the roof but we would very much appreciate you wearing a bathing suit, as you did yesterday."
"What difference does it make," Kate asked rather calmly.
"No one can see me up here, and besides, I'm covered with a towel."
"Not exactly," said the embarrassed little man. "You're lying on the dining room skylight."
-- true story, courtesy of Jasmine, Zine country
ws news
Tour of the HCS
(Compiled from Peter's reports to Mama during the time of his visit to the HCS:) I spent a day touring the HCS, starting with the children's groups and working my way through the staff departments, like kitchen, base, staff, etc., and ending with the costume, make-up and graphic arts departments. In each department they showed us where they work, what they do and how they do it. Each one here is so precious and dedicated, so many "little people" -- but big in the Lord's eyes -- who are helping to make the kingdom stand. -- The faithful childcare workers, the cooks, the staff and helpers, the secretaries, etc. Without each of these dear ones the HCS and its production departments would not be able to function!
The next day I zeroed in on the ministries: the filming departments, offices, audio studios, etc. What a production!
Joanna (Celeste, 22, of Happy [Simon Peter]) is now working on the scripting for the Family Funs. Gabe Iowa and David (15, of Margie and Paul) work on duping GP/DO audio and video masters for the centers worldwide. Noah (20, of James and Ahlai) works in one studio on editing DO videos like Family Fun. He showed us a "Praise Time" video that he just finished editing, which was super good. Next to him is Jeff's (18, of Thad and Cherish) and Mike D.'s (17, of Jerry and Vicky) studio, whose job is to create and final mix the audio for the DO videos. Philly (20, of Elia and Phoenix) and Jeff take care of the audio sweetening for the GP videos, as well as create songs for the Treasure Attics in another studio.
The ones who edit the GP videos are working on the EMV (Endtime music video) right now. It's amazing how much work has and continues to go into this mega-production! Just to give you an idea, there are 30 frames per second, and when it comes to computerized special effects, sometimes it can take from five to ten minutes to edit just one frame! These guys are technical wizards and it's amazing what they can do! Godfrey (21, of James and Ahlai) and Philly (20, of Elia and Phoenix) are the two main editors for the EMV. Suzy (19, of Ezra and Ginny) helps with some of the artwork on computer, and Chris Mountain (Peepers) oversees the editors and is the chief technician, and does a lot of the graphic arts.
Although they explained to us how it all works, most of it went over my head as it's so complicated, but it is fascinating! They don't have to spend as much time editing the DO videos, but for the GP ones they have to add lots of special effects to make it appeal to the System, so it's a lot more work. "That banana there!"
After that we visited the Treasure Attic studio and met with Solomon and some of the others on the TA team (Phil [24], Miguel [19], Samson [adult], Jasper [19], Dave Handy [18] and Ben [18]). They are now in the middle of a big push, trying to film the dialogue for five different Treasure Attic shows at the same time. They have to film at night when the Home is not using so much electricity, as they draw so much power for their lights and equipment.
Next we visited John Listen's studio, who showed us his high-tech operation for producing and mixing the audio tapes. He gave us a demo on how it all works and it was very interesting. It's all digital now and they do most of the audio producing and mixing on computer. Jerry P., Martin, Andrew V. (23) and Francesco (21, of Crystal Lily) each have a studio. They work in separate booths, as that way they can get a lot more done, but of course, in counsel together about their various projects.
God bless the staff team here! James (from our Home) helped in the kitchen from 4:00 to 7:00 the other day, and commented that it was a lot of work. He helped cut up about 40 kilos of beef, washed three boxes of potatoes and two crates of lettuce! -- Not exactly a small Home, ha!
There are over 140 people here at the HCS, and I've had some time to talk with just about everybody. One day I had a full talk-time day, with scheduled appointments with 14 people, followed by a dance that evening. (For your interest, during the seminars -- the peak of the month's meetings -- there were over 175 people here!!)
We're planning on filming a Loving Jesus inspiration with all the musicians who are here for the music seminar. Also tonight they're holding home elections. There are 14 different teamwork members (which includes trainees) that comprise the HCS School teamwork, who oversee the Home and Home ministries side of things. -- Not including the IVM teamwork who oversee all of the ministry work (not including JAS, which is yet a separate little team), with 74 voting members -- a large percentage being young people! Wow!
Apparently most of the young people have the gift of prophecy. They have a "prophets committee" that meets regularly to pray about questions that people in the Home turn in. They get quite a few questions, and so are busy getting answers, God bless them! (end of excerpts from Peter's reports)
Peter also held a meeting with the children, as well as with the YAs/SGAs, and a couple of meetings with the entire HCS, in which he discussed the topic of prophecy, among other things.
After his visit to the HCS, Peter spent three days with Gary, discussing, praying and hearing from the Lord regarding the GPU, and their working relationship with the IVM and music departments, and the myriad of business details and decisions to be made on those fronts.
Now, Peter and team are off to their next location! Check out the next Grapevine for more details!
Studio seminar
Another inspiring feature of Peter's two-week HCS stopover was a studio musicians seminar held from March 29th to April 3rd, attended by musician/technician representatives from each of the Family's music studios around the world. Attending were: Margie (CRO), Timothy (IVM), Barry and Windy (WS music coordination team), Jerry Paladino, Martin, John Listen, Francesco, Andrew V., Philly, Jeffrey, Mike, Godfrey (JAS and IVM audio team); Jonas, Benji and Tim Hungarian (EAST team); Byron and Vas (DC team); Michael Piano and Andrew (TAS); Jeremy Spencer, Emanuel (BAS team); Pedro, Clara, Mark T (PAS and BLAST).
The main purpose of this seminar was to pray and hear from the Lord together regarding the future direction our Family music should take, as well as discuss other studio issues. The Lord poured out lots of counsel to the musicians, which, Lord willing, will have exciting results, as they catch the songs that He's cascading down from Heaven! A number of workshops were also held, so the studio representatives could share tips and ideas, and gain experience from one another.
(Excerpts from Peter's reports to Mama:) We had planning meetings almost daily during the seminar to assess where things were going. I don't think the seminar would have gone as well had not Jerry, Martin and others been involved.
The seminar was divided into two main categories: the technical and the spiritual aspects. I took the first three meetings, and mainly tried to highlight the spiritual side of things. The Lord gave a beautiful keynote address in prophecy, which had so much in it, which we followed with a discussion on the need to draw closer to the Lord and get answers, and receive songs from Heaven in prophecy.
On the technical front, a meeting was held in which the musicians critiqued a song or two, and a couple more meetings explaining how they record music and the different steps that they go through. Everybody was able to share their ideas. Yet another meeting was about song writing and producing the songs that are sent in from the field, and how to make each one the best it can be.
All the visiting musicians were able to go into the JAS studios to learn how their equipment works, and the benefits and how-to's of each piece of equipment.
I was able to have a meeting with the young musicians one evening, as I wanted to give them an open forum opportunity to speak up if they were having difficulties working together with the older musicians, etc. Generally they said no, they don't have any problems with them, and they enjoy working with the older musicians. They said the adults are easy to talk to, are open to their ideas, and they take the critiquing of their songs much better than they, the SGAs, do!
The major blessing of the seminar was that it was spiritually feeding for everyone. It was a challenge for each musician to realize that it was their responsibility to be leaders in the realm of Family music. -- That they have a responsibility to stay close to the Lord, to be living the Word, living the Law of Love, living all of the New Wine (the Loving Jesus revelation, praising the Lord, hearing from the Lord in prophecy, etc.). Also, that if they were going to get the right message for the Family, if they were going to receive from Heaven the songs that the Lord has promised to pour down to them, that they were going to have to be "on board" in each of these spiritual areas and giving it their best shot. It was beautiful to see everyone really take it on board, especially the younger musicians.
It was wonderful for them to be able to have that time together. It "broke down the walls" between the different studios. When everyone got to know each other and see how much we all love the Lord, realizing that we're all in this together, forging ahead and trying to supply the music for the Family, it wiped away all their inter-studio comparing. I think everyone will work and communicate better now, and the Enemy's device to divide and get them to compare will no longer be there.
I gave a talk about getting songs in prophecy, getting totally tapped into the Spirit and letting the Lord give the songs however He wants to. I think we're going to see much more music -- much better music! And because we were able to accomplish so much on the technical side, including getting some extra equipment for some of the studios, I believe we will also be seeing better quality music. (End of excerpts from Peter's reports.)
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Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family