the grapevine
(Issue #44; June 15, 1998.)
kidbits
Miracle, 2nd child, born to Ester on January 25.--Brazil
Baby boy (no name given) born to Sharly on February 7.--Taiwan
Kristia Jade, 1st child, born to Jessica on February 19.--Chile
Vincent Edward Valiant, 12th child, born to Ruth and John on February 19.--Japan
Richard Arrow, born to Heidi and Gideon on February 21.--Pakistan
Kevin Angelo, 7th child, born to Maria and John on February 28.--Brazil
Baby (no name given), 6th child, born to Silvia and Marcelo on February 28.--Argentina
Aline Batista, 7th child, born to Clara and Joao on March 3.--Brazil
Amanda, 1st child, born to Ana and Daniel on March 4.--Brazil
Christopher Daniel, 2nd child, born to Mexican Ruth and Gabriel on March 8.--Brazil
Baby (no name given), 1st child, born to Rebecca Amor on March 11.--Ecuador
Nikolas, born to Christiana and Micha on March 12.--Germany
Gabriela, 1st child, born to Cristal Love on March 14.--Brazil
Juan Francisco, 6th child, born to Maria and Abner on March 31.--Paraguay
Beth Anne, 1st child, born to Becky and Sam on March 31.--Hungary
Casandra Roan, 1st child, born to Joni and Vas on March 31.--USA
Abigail Naomi, 4th child, born to Olivia and Jonas on March 31.--USA
Samantha Jane, 3rd child, born to Gloria and TJ on April 1.--USA
Alexandra Sacha, born to Lily on April 2.--Canada
Alen Jeffrey, 2nd child, born to Vicky and Timothy on April 3.--USA
Francis Robert, born to Claire Moon and Francesco on April 4.--Taiwan
Audrey Kristine, 2nd child, born to Ruth and Timothy on April 6.--USA
Sara, 6th child, born to Liberty and James on April 6.--Italy
Kento, 5th child, born to Sunshine on April 6.--Japan
Samuel Lee, 1st child, born to Abi and John Tall on April 7.--Hungary
Svietlana, 2nd child, born to Russian Luba Merryheart and Ilia on April 7.--Russia
Katrina, 4th child, born to Polish Ela and Cephas on April 8.--Poland
Juliana Belen, 3rd child, born to Priscila and Jonathan on April 9.--Chile
Arthur Knight, 1st child, born to Victoria on April 10.--Brazil
Nadia Alina Victory, 1st child, born to Romanian Angela and Daniel on April 12.--Romania
Jasmine, 9th child, born to Hannah and Belte on April 16.--Japan
Baby (no name given), 5th child, born to Clair and Peter on April 16.--Japan
Alyssa Nichole, born to Mary and Sam on April 18.--USA
Laticia Monique, 1st child, born to Florence and Caleb on April 21.--Japan
Karina, 5th child, born to Daniela and Pedro on April 22.--Paraguay
Michael Cloward, 10th child, born to Maria and Gabriel on April 23.--Japan
Esther, 5th child, born to Maria and Paul on April 25.--Romania
Kristian Samir, 2nd child, born to Meekness and Ben on April 26.--Botswana
Nicole Love, 1st child, born to Joana Love on April 26.--Brazil
Sean Garey, 1st child, born to Rosita and Piper on May 21.--USA
think deep
Victory loses its value unless we use it as a means to even greater ends.
tidbits
new laborers - March/April 1998
Francesco (21, Albanian) and Sara Free (19, Albanian) joined in in April.--Albania
David Willing (South African) and two sons, Joshua (5) and Toni (2), joined in April.--South Africa
Techi (16, of Barz and Sara, FM) joined our Home this month. She's such a blessing!--Paz, Parmenas and Sara, USA
Grace (new disciple) joined our Home in April.--Jasper, Love, JP and Kathy, USA
Our new disciple, Mark, completed his 20-day trial period! We had taken him in by faith during his trial period even though he had a debt of over $6,000. Thank the Lord, today he received a tax return cheque for over $6,000!--Lamb, Mark and James, Australia
Josh and Kadee (19) joined our Home this month. Josh was born in the Family, and his family became FM when he was about 12. He went off on his own for a couple of years, and the Lord led him to Kadee. She is very precious, and together they decided that they wanted to serve the Lord. They came from Utah and stayed for 20 days in a trailer on our property to see if they wanted to join fulltime. They really believe in the Family, are hungry for the Word and are good witnesses. Those first 20 days were a test for them and us, as they had to stop smoking, give up their independence, etc., and we had to stand up for our convictions and not compromise. The Lord really blessed, as since moving in they have been such a big blessing, and so positive, willing and yielded.--Patrick, Christina and Joanna, USA
brotherhood
Romania
(From EURCRO:) A delegates' camp was held in Constanta, Romania (on the coast of the Black Sea) from May 30 till June 4. Approximately 70 people attended from the SEEC countries--50% of whom were young nationals who joined the Family during the past year-and-a-half; the other 50% were older nationals, YAs, SGAs and FGAs.
Hungary
(From EURCRO:) An EE Family Camp in Budapest, Hungary, is scheduled to run from June 10 to June 14. Invitations have been sent out to all Homes in Poland, the Ukraine, the Baltics, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Albania--some 750 people in total (though not all will attend, of course)!
USA
(From Simon, CRO:) A three-day YA/SGA meeting was held in Atlanta from May 17 through 20. Approximately 50 YA/SGAs attended. Some of the GNs we studied were: "The Year of the Bottom Line," "The Spiritual Health Revolution," "Quiet Time," and "You Are what You Watch." The new GNs were the catalyst that made these meetings so successful. Some mentioned that they had very seriously thought of leaving the Family until the Lord got through to them via the New Wine. TYJ!
Mexico
(From Jason:) In the middle of May, we hosted a double-header Family Camp in Monterrey, Mexico. Due to the large number of Family Homes requesting to come from both Mexico and the US, we had to split the camp into two three-day sessions which were held one after the other, making for an action-packed week! A total of 350 brethren attended, approximately 100 of whom were families from the US, including many who plan to answer the call to move to Mexico this year, PTL!
The theme of the Camp was "Our Goals for 1998." We also watched some of the videos Peter made in Western Europe on the subjects of unity and being open to shepherding. We had the Homes fill out several questionnaires on the subjects of "Our Children's Education" and "Computer Awareness and Education," as well as a survey which was prepared by our Service Center team on our distribution tools. We discussed ideas and ways to challenge the young people in our care, and the importance of our kids getting both the spiritual and academic training guaranteed them in the Charter.
A special thanks to dear Ruth (of Ben) for her labors of love in finding the camp site and setting things up for us!
India
(From the Rose Garden Home:) We held a far-out JETT and junior teen camp in Bangalore last month! Twenty JETTs and junior teens attended. Each of the four days was filled with exciting classes in the morning, and in the afternoons there were talk times, get-out and games. In the evenings we had different activities, far-out prophecy times and a fun dance!
Spain
(From unknown:) In April, 60 CM, FM and ex-members gathered together in a beautiful campground in Southwest Spain for four days. Some came from as far away as Switzerland, Germany and Portugal. We shared testimonies, poured out our hearts, prayed for one another, sang and fellowshipped. Some of these people hadn't had any such fellowship for nearly fourteen years and were delighted to be back together again.
Pakistan
(From the Pakistan Homes:) Delegates representing the three Homes in our area met for two days to discuss area goals, projects, problems, etc. It was very unifying and the delegates returned home with various points to be voted on by their respective Homes. We are looking forward to doing so again in four months time.
Japan
(From Marie Claire:) We just ended our senior teen meeting, which was held from May 24-30. Over 60 senior teens showed up. We showed the Apollos Bible classes, which everyone enjoyed. We also gave other classes and read some GNs: "You Are What You Watch," "Eat Right" and "Dump the Dirty Language." These classes really hit home, and when we took prayer requests afterwards, every single person had a request. They didn't just repeat the things from the GN, but added their own weak areas, such as novels, System music, etc. The classes on forsaking all and being missionaries really turned them on and convicted them. A good handful of them really caught the vision, and about 10 or more asked us to hear from the Lord for them then and there as to what they should do with their lives.
At the end of one meeting we gave an opportunity for them to ask for the gift of prophecy. I thought that most of them had had prayer for this before, so when I said, "Anyone who has never prayed for and received the gift of prophecy before, please come up to the front and we'll lay hands on you," you can imagine my surprise when over 80% of the class came forward! Right after the prayer to both receive and use the gift of prophecy, we asked for volunteers to hear from the Lord, and we got about ten or so right away--GBT! About half of these teens had never received a prophecy before, and the few others said that their gift was a "baby gift!" I was so impressed by their willingness.
(From Sam, VS:) We hosted a one-day get-together for the YAs and SGAs in the Tokyo and Chiba area. Forty young people attended. The main two classes were "Forsaking all" and "Missionaries." We went around the room one by one and had each person tell us three things: 1) What has the Lord shown you to do? 2) Have you heard from the Lord on it? What did He say? 3) What are you doing about it? Compared to our last meetings, it seemed everyone had more of a vision and knew where they were going. Over half of them told us that the Lord had told them to go to the mission field, and were already raising their fares, PTL!
conferences
>> England - (May 9) INFORM conference on "New Movements Within the Christian Church."--Gideon and Rachel
legal and media
USA
(From Marc and Claire:) "Heaven's Harlots" - As you can tell by the title, the Lord is allowing our message via FFing to be highlighted again! An ex-member, Miriam Williams (formerly Jeshanah Dancer of Ginnethon, the drummer for the Paris Show Troupe) writes a book about her experiences in the Family, with emphasis on FFing. In her final conclusions, it's obvious that she's been well-connected with the ACM, as she speaks of Watchman and tells his story from their perspective.
One prominent academic who had read the book told us that it was pretty much "good news" for the Family, since it is very clear throughout that Miriam entered and left the Family of her own volition, and that she states that she personally had not witnessed any sexual abuse of children in any of the communities she lived in. She tells many beautiful testimonies of lives changes through FFing and outreach in general.
Despite the negative comments and conclusions made throughout the book, in general we feel that this book couldn't have been more positive coming from a former member.
CBS - We were been contacted by CBS' "The Public Eye--With Bryant Gumbo" to participate in an eight-minute take they're doing on Miriam Williams' life, her book and the Family. The Lord indicated that we should participate and proclaim the truth. The interview was quite hostile, covering issues of FFing, child abuse, etc. We were able to refute many of their lies and make some strong points. Please pray for the editing of this segment.
Howard Stern - Miriam Williams was also interviewed by Howard Stern, who hosts a call-in radio program in New York. From all reports we received, Stern was not too sympathetic to her.
Novo Religio - We received a visit from John Bozeman (graduate student and close associate of Jeff Hadden) who asked if he could speak to us, to gather data for an article he is writing for Novo Religio, a journal on new religions. His article will be on changes in the Family since the implementation of the Charter.
moving missionaries
Willing and Cherish are now on the mission field of Taiwan, going into China within a few days.--Home in Canada
Two more of our kids went to the mission field! TYJ! Our 16-year-old, Shad, went to Nigeria and our 14-year-old, Crystal, is in India for the summer. We're sure proud of them that they love Jesus and want to serve Him on a foreign field.--Tim and Joy, USA
The Lord opened the door for us to go to South Africa. Our live-out paid for all of our tickets.--Steven, Mary and Tim, USA
Simon and Trust and family made it off safely to the Philippines.--Home in USA
Timothy has left for Taiwan. We are thankful that he has this opportunity to serve the Lord. Abner will be leaving shortly for Mexico.--Marie, James and Esther, USA
pioneering in the Gambia
--the adventures of an SGA couple with three small children and one on the way!
(Excerpts from Comfy's log to family and friends:) We're in Africa now, the Gambia! We arrived here from Canada at the end of February, 1998. Jo and I have three girls: Laura Michelle (4), Kimberly Annette (3), and Mariah Jordyn (1 ). In late June we'll have a new arrival. We are living with Michael and Peace (Jo's parents) and their three youngest children. Rachel, a very sweet 15-year-old, came along with us and has been an incredible blessing. A total of 10 more young people are coming to join us here shortly, along with two children.
It was a miracle we made it here, and a lot of hard work! We booked our tickets by faith, as we still didn't have the total amount of funds needed. Some brethren gave us donations, God bless them, and that made it possible for us to pay for the tickets on time.
The plane that we took from New York to Dakar, Senegal, was alive with action all night as all the Africans got together in groups in the aisles, and talked and laughed. It was a true taste of the friendly African life! In some ways it was more like taking the bus in Mexico than a plane, as everyone was all over the aisles, having a great time like one big family, ha! The flight from Dakar to Banjul, the Gambia, was only half an hour long. We got off feeling like we had arrived in Heaven! Of course we looked like we had come from somewhere else, ha! Jo's dad (Michael) was there to greet us, and we got through immigrations easily.
I haven't been out a lot yet, but have learned a few things about the people here--like when they call you boss, like "nice boss," they mean beautiful woman. Another funny thing was that while we were walking, a lady yelled out to dad, "Tell your wife I like her booby!" Then I found out that booby means dress!
The biggest bill they have here is D50 (currency name: Dalasis) which is worth $5, so people have to carry a lot of bills with them. So when we pray for big stacks of money we really mean BIG stacks of money! The Gambia has a lot of rich people, and there are so many possibilities here for supporters and doing big things! Please pray for us, as we have quite a few on the line. The Gambia is on the list as one of the countries in the world where banks don't guarantee that your money will reach you. As a result, we've had a bit of a hard time getting donations sent directly here, so it's a matter of prayer.
Practically everything is imported here, so although it's not expensive, it's about the same price as in Canada. Children's things are hard to find, especially clothes and shoes! I have a sewing machine, so I'm also praying for lots of material to sew the girls some summer clothes and baby clothes, as well as curtains for the house.
We'll be learning a lot about Muslims, as the country is about 90% Muslim. There's a lot of tourism here, which along with peanut farming is their major source of income. The gasoline here is very expensive--over $3 per gallon!
Michael and Jo will, Lord willing, be going upriver soon on a trip with the Red Cross. There is so much potential here, and once it gets rolling it will be incredible! Jo and I are so happy to be on the field. It's like a renewal of spirit just to be here and see the need and know that we are in God's will. Our girls are so happy too, and love it here.
We've been here now for about three weeks, and it's great! The kids around here are really sweet too. We go to the local school twice a week to either sing with the kids, help with their medical care, or to just spend time with the kids. We went today, and our kids sang. It's sad in many ways, because the local kids don't get taught anything and things are not well organized.
Today I held a sweet baby boy for a long time, and he just soaked up all the love. I took him and his seven-year-old sister to our house, and gave him water. I've never seen a baby drink so much water before! The poor thing was dehydrated, it seemed! He drank about three full cups of water right away. I also put baby cream on his skin, which was very dry, and I had to really put a lot on. It's sad to see these kids so dried out. They get a lot of sickness and parasites because they don't drink enough water, and their diet is often very poor. The baby was so much more chipper after having some water and cuddle time. I gave the baby a little shirt as his was nothing more than a rag. I am praying about a way to help the mothers and children alike with some sort of training, and I am also hoping to eventually get a place set-up to bring them.
The area we live in is called Kololi; from here you can walk to two main tourist areas. It is nice down there, with all the restaurants and hotels, but you also get hassled a lot by the locals who sell things and guys who want to be your "friend." Most of them don't bother you so much once they realize you live here and don't have any money.
The weather has been very nice and only gets "too hot" some days. Of course I'm sure that it seems hotter to us tobops than to the people who have lived here their whole lives. I'm not really sure how to spell tobop as it's in Wolof, and Wolof has no written form--only spoken. Tobop is what they call the white people.
Another interesting part of living in the Gambia is Serekunda, the market area. That's the best place to shop, as it is the cheapest, and around where we live is more expensive since it's in the tourist area. If you're brave enough to explore the market, it can be a lot of fun. The market is a bunch of little shops and stalls swarming with people. You have to stay out of the way of all the vehicles and bicycles going down the very narrow road in between! There's a high accident rate here, so you have to be prayerful and careful when driving, and even more so when walking.
Right now if you could see our Home, this is basically what you would see: packed suitcases lined up against the wall, furniture (the little we have) in the garage, the walls being scrubbed, floors shined, cupboards being emptied out, and a lot of hustle! Have you guessed what we're up to? Yes, we're moving! Today we signed a year contract for a beautiful six-bedroom house about a 20-minute walk from here. (They moved in mid-April.) The yard is much better suited for the coming monsoon, as it has a nice pavement all around instead of a lot of sand (otherwise known as mud during the monsoon). It is a two-story house, and when you stand out on the balcony you feel the breeze from the beach.
There are a lot of places to go to on roadtrips, and as soon as the rest of the team gets here, then off we go! Well, not me, as I'm great with child right now--soon to deliver. We found a place to have the baby nearby. The doctor is Egyptian, and is very sweet. He said he'll only charge $150 for the birth. Speaking of bills, our electric bill for a month came to a grand total of $3.38! The phone bill is way up there $90 for two months! The water bill is $16. Thank God the bills aren't very high here, but boy, I'll tell you, we're sure thankful as we don't have much to work with right now.
Saturday is family day. So you don't think we just lie around under the coconut trees all day, our weekdays are filled with witnessing and outreach! Jo finally found a place to play basketball, although he has to take the bus and walk a ways to get there. He's played soccer with the local guys on the beach as well, who now all call him "strong man." The little kids around here call him "Mr. Mintie" because he hands out little mints when he goes out.
English is the official language here, but a lot of people don't really speak much English at all and they're very hard to understand. Jo and I went out the other night, and this group of schoolboys (about OC/JETT age) were yelling at us in their newfound English (or so it sounded): "I like your pants!" "I like your shoes!" "I like your socks!" "I like your hair!" "I like your wife!" Ha!
On Sunday (and now even more often) we get a lot of visitors for Bible classes. We have a lot of people who come very faithfully; they are very easy to teach and very hungry for the Word. They are mostly from Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. One man in particular, Charles, from Nigeria, soaks up every drop of Word; he is especially interested in the Endtime classes. He has said that he'd "rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than dwell in the tents of the wicked," so he asked us if we would let him do our laundry and maintain our yard for us in exchange for food and Bible classes. He's not low class at all, but very respectful and educated. It is so rewarding to have such sweet sheep to pour into!
One thing we're all working on here is spirit stories. Fanny (10), Hannah, Rachel and myself are all working on some. We get a lot of prayer time here, which is teaching us all the value of it and makes me wonder how I lived on less before!
One experience we've had here is when the hamattan blows in! We got away from the Canadian snowstorms only to come to a new dimension in the world of storms--sandstorms. They usually last about 2-3 days, and it is a sight! The sky is brown, like the smog over Mexico City. When you go outside, you can feel the gritting of dust between your teeth. If you don't shut your windows, then you have a miniature desert to sweep up. Since being here we've had about four hamattans.
The kids are doing really well and are loving it here! They all especially love going out witnessing. Mariah says "he'o" to everyone she sees now, and is getting to be bold like her older sisters. Soon they'll be singing together. Wow, what a trio! Talk about power! Who will be brave enough to take them all out at once? Yikes!
Tonight is Saturday night, the night when we get benechin to eat! That's a favorite with all of us. It's a Gambian dish served in a big bowl and eaten with the hands. The main part everyone likes is the rice, which is spiced up and takes all day to cook. It's very oily, but with natural oils. You take a handful, and squish it all up and then eat it. Sound messy? It is, but we all have a lot of fun digging in! Ha! We should get a picture of that someday!
We are a bit limited with all the things that need to be done here due to only being four adults, but wow, it's going to be exciting to see this country explode with all the fire power coming in the young people that will be here shortly! It helps us to keep plodding on day by day when we look ahead and see the possibilities for the future! West Africa is opening up and is a time bomb waiting to go off! We're praying for more pioneers to come over to Africa, as it is a great and needy mission field!
notices
Accessing Web sites
WS
(From WS:) It has come to our attention that in some areas, people are under the impression that for security or other reasons, they are not supposed to log on to the Family Web sites. We wanted to clarify that there is no WS policy to this effect. It's fine as far as we're concerned to access the Family Web sites from your Home, unless for some reason in your situation your Home feels it would be better security not to.
Kidz Biz notice
FC
(From the Kidz Biz team:) Greetings! Thanks to you parents who send us witnessing testimonies. We really appreciate them, and know from the thanks we've received that the kids also enjoy seeing their testimonies and those of other kids pubbed.
We have one request--if the adults could please try to let the kids write the testimonies as much as possible. That way Kidz Biz remains "news by kids, for kids." When the testimony is written by an adult, it's often on too high a level for the younger kids to understand. Sometimes it's hard to get a child to write, so maybe you could guide them, give them ideas of what to say, and just help and encourage them in getting the story written. That would help a lot in our using their articles for Kidz Biz. Thanks for taking your time to write us!
babymania
--by Jaz
Veggie Victories
When you have a three- or four-year-old who has an aversion to those delightful mealtime staples called vegetables, chances are that some form of prayer, discussion, reasoning, rewarding, cajoling (sometimes ad infinitum) will remedy the situation. At least, it always has for me in the past, as that was the age group I usually took care of.
What I was not prepared for was what to do when my then-fourteen-month-old suddenly developed an aversion to them. The timing also happened to coincide with her great "self-feeding" attempt. So whereas before I could skillfully wedge a piece of veggie in between a piece of meat, noodle or other delight, she would now sort through her mealtime selection and carefully pick out anything green and set it aside. (If one accidentally made its way into her mouth, she would also carefully eschew it--just following her own interpretation of the Scriptural injunction, I guess! Ha!)
I asked the Lord what to do about this, and here's some of the tailored counsel He gave me for Kimberly (ask Him for specifics for your child!):
* It would be good if you went to meals a little before the rest of the people come, because then you can have plenty of time to prepare her food and make sure it's well-balanced and has everything that she needs. When you have the pressure of the baby right there, it's more of a tendency just to grab whatever is closest, but that can sometimes cut corners that would be better left on.
* Select one vegetable at a time, and give that to her for a few days in a row. When there is a fast turnover, she becomes confused and never has time to get accustomed to any one thing. Think carefully and you will realize that it is not just vegetables that she spits out, but any sort of foreign food that she is not accustomed to. The foods that she eats are the ones that taste familiar and that she enjoys.
* You cannot force her to eat anything, for that will only turn her off to it all the more. You just need to be patient and persistent. She does not consciously think that she dislikes any particular food; she is too young for that.--And that's why these habits are best formed at this age, when the will and the sense of taste are still malleable. An older child who is not accustomed to new things and strange tastes is much harder to ease into it, for he often has his mind made up and does not like to be confused with the facts!
* Take careful note of your preparation; you can even try different things. Take a little time ahead to prepare the vegetable in different ways. Chop it up thinly and fry it, or cook it till it's soft and mash it, or mix small pieces of it in with her other food. But also give her a little taste separately at each meal, and gradually she will become accustomed to the taste and will eat it.
* Another method you can use is to add a sauce to it, if there is one that she likes. But then also alternate so that it doesn't become the only way she eats her food, with this sauce. A little is good, as long as it's for the purpose of training and introduction. But that can easily become a habit that is even more difficult to break. (End of prophecy tips)
Thank the Lord for His good counsel and simple solutions! Here are some other thoughts and tips on cultivating veggie-lovers, which I pray will be a blessing and help to you. Remember that each child is different, and what will work for one will not necessarily work for another.
* One really good tip that I recently experienced firsthand is the "eating by example" method. Of late, peas have been anathema in Kimby's diet (although she used to love them when she was younger). The other day, six-year-old Sarah (who Kimby adores) was sitting next to her at lunch. Sarah was eating her peas, and I pointed out to Kimby how much Sarah was enjoying them. Immediately, Kimby started eating her own peas! And today Daddy was eating some broccoli, and after I pointed that out, Kimberly also began working on her own!
* I've also really found the good fruits of not giving up on vegetables just because she's not eating them. It's been at least a few weeks that she hasn't touched her veggies, but I still put some on her plate every day. I figured maybe she'd get used to the way they look and forget she didn't like 'em, ha! Well, every day she looked at her celery and then put it aside. Then after a while she started sinking her teeth into the corner, but just once and that was all. Then today--victory!--She took two bites! I'm sure it's just further progress from here.
* One important thing to remember is that vegetables give important nutrients, and if your baby is fully weaned (as Kimberly is), then they need those vitamins. So if they are not eating many vegetables, make sure that they are getting plenty of fruit, so that they stay healthy.
And before we close, here's an article someone pulled off the Internet which is loaded with tons more practical tips and good advice!
EAT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Fruit is sweet and kids like it. Vegetables have strong flavors and many kids refuse to even try them. Here are ideas to help you tempt reluctant kids:
Start young: Introduce a variety of vegetables and fruits from the time your kids begin solid foods.
Don't force kids to eat any foods; keep offering it and encouraging them to try it.
Keep fruits and vegetables washed, cut up and ready to eat in the fridge.
Set a good example. Seeing you eat squash will tempt your child to take a taste.
Visit a farmer's market to show kids the variety and color of produce, and let them choose some vegetables to take home.
Let kids grow their own. They are fascinated by watching seeds turn into plants. Even if you only have a flower pot in the kitchen window you can grow vegetables. Easy to grow are: sprouts in a jar, parsley, radishes.
Let kids help. Even two-year-olds can tear lettuce for a salad, and wash produce. My sister has her two-year-old peel cloves of garlic!
WHAT ARE THE BEST FRUITS AND VEGETABLES?
VITAMIN A RICH - These are the yellow and orange (and some green) fruits and vegetables. Offer at least one serving a day of: carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, broccoli, apricots, peaches, dark green lettuce, cantaloupe, spinach, mango.
VITAMIN C RICH - Offer at least one serving a day of these: citrus fruits and juices such as oranges or grapefruit, kiwi, papaya, green peppers, strawberries, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, potatoes, blueberries.
CRUCIFEROUS - Offer these vegetables from the cabbage family several times a week: bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, greens like kale and Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts.
SOME WAYS TO INCLUDE FRUIT AND VEGETABLES AT EVERY MEAL:
Breakfast:
Juice (orange, prune, grape). Serve only those that are 100% juice.
Mix carrot juice with orange juice. This is somewhat sneaky but most kids never notice (1/4 cup carrot juice to 1/2 cup orange juice).
Serve unsweetened applesauce.
On hot or cold cereal: raisins, bananas, blueberries, dates, peaches.
Top pancakes, waffles and French toast with fruit instead of syrup.
Lunch:
Serve crunchy raw vegetables (jicama, carrots, bell peppers, green beans, cherry tomatoes, celery)
Let kids dip their vegetables in mild salsa, bean dip, salad dressing (these can be packed into small containers for lunch boxes).
Dried fruits last all day in lunches: dates, figs, dried apples, prunes, dried apricots.
Snacks:
Make smoothies: Mix a banana, 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/2 cup orange juice in the blender. (You can also try other fruits and juices.)
Offer fruits for dipping in natural unsweetened yogurt: strawberries, bananas, apple, peach, and plum slices.
Freeze bananas and grapes for refreshing snacks on a hot day.
Make tiny popsicles in ice cube trays out of fruit juice.
Supper:
Serve vegetables as the first course, when kids are hungry.
Add vegetables to all of your casseroles and soups.
Add grated carrot or zucchini to spaghetti or pizza sauce.
Serve a fruit salad with dinner.
Include vegetables as pizza toppings: bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, spinach.
Add fruits to green salads. You'll be amazed at how romaine lettuce will be eaten when mixed with strawberries, cherries, orange or mango slices.
Mix new or less-liked vegetables (like Brussels sprouts or asparagus) with those you know they like (such as corn, peas, green beans or potatoes).
Offer fruit for dessert.
(Author unknown)
what's up?
April fools
Ivory Coast
(From Josue and Mary, Phillip and Priscilla:) Do you want to hear about God's sense of humor? On April 1, the teens and I (Josue) were in town witnessing. Before coming back home, we cooked up a story for an April fools joke to tell the rest of the Home.
We told them that we had we met Family brethren in town, John and Rose, with their two boys, and that they were coming from Ghana to visit us the next day. They had come to work in Abidjan, and they were staying in a hotel. That was our story, and LHU, we shouldn't have told things that weren't true, as the rest of the Home got so excited about it and then were so disappointed!
But listen to who were April's fools! Five days later some people knocked at our door. We opened the door to a couple with two boys. It was John and Rose, and they were coming from Ghana to start a Home in Abidjan. Ha! The Lord got the last laugh!
Talk about miracles
Middle East
(From Samara:) Four of us young people had gone out on our W&R to look around and do some shopping. On our way home (which was semi-late) we found out that there were no more buses going back to our city; the only transportation willing to take us would charge an astronomical price.
We sat on the curb just waiting, when this young local guy walked up and out of the blue said, "Oh, are you going to such-and-such place (where we live)?" We responded that we were trying to. He then took us to a bus, and once we were all in he told us that the bus driver had doubled the price. We said that we couldn't pay, so he proceeded to pull some money out of his pocket and paid for us. We thanked him profusely, and soon we started on our way.
About 50 yards down the road we stopped at a traffic light and this same young guy ran across the road and put his hand in the window and handed us a piece of paper. We waved and said "thank you," thinking it was probably his phone number; however, it was quite a large donation!
One of the teens said, "Man, he must have been an angel!" LHM, I was like, "Right, well let's watch him disappear!" All of us turned around and he was gone! Whoa! Talk about miracles! It was so inspiring, as well as convicting that these things still happen.
Faithfulness pays off
Pakistan
(From Stefan and Peter:) Mr. Z. is a faithful friend who lets us use his office as a place where people can contact us via messages. One night he invited us to a family gathering where Peter met C. from Canada, who happened to be very friendly. After further follow-up, C. gave $1,000--something we had been desperately praying for, as we only had 1/3 of our budget. He has since come over and met the larger family (I have 9 kids!) and is well on the way to becoming a good friend and potential long-term pledger.
Give a gift
France
(From Meek, 17:) I recently visited a Home in France that does a lot of singing. I wanted to be part of their group, but it didn't work out that way. I felt like I wasn't doing much for them besides helping out with the daily chores, etc. We got together one evening, and we decided to try to receive a little something for the kids in the Home. I thought it wouldn't be possible at first, since I don't know their three kids all that well, but I knew by faith that I have the gift of prophecy and that the Lord would do it if I just gave it a try. He spoke to each child in three beautiful short prophecies. I knew it was just the Lord! TYJ!
What's in a name?
SPALIM
(From Ezekiel 34:) Liza, the spirit helper speaking at the end of GN 785 ("Wham, Bam, Junk the Punk"), has a very significant name. Although in English it's a pet name for Elizabeth, in Spanish (pronounced leessa) it means the lists or arena where jousting tournaments were held, as well as the combat itself. It's still used in expressions such as entrar en liza, meaning "to enter the fray." Note also its rhyming word paliza (although with a different origin), meaning a beating or thrashing.
Tool competition
Russia
(From Rufina and Angel:) We received an invitation from the director of the Siberian Fair to participate in the largest educational fair in Russia. He asked us to have a stand with our English and Russian videos. The fair was indeed a big one, with 40,000 people attending it over a period of four days. There were many academics, teachers, educational workers and students, as well as representatives from branches of Oxford University and Benedict schools. Lots of tools were distributed, and people had very positive reactions about our tools!
Just before the fair ended, the organizers of the fair approached us to ask if we wanted to compete for the gold medal, which is given to the organization with the best materials. We didn't think we would win, but we still participated in it so that more people could see our tools. Well, the Lord did it, and Aurora Productions got the gold medal for having the best video materials at the fair! The medal was so big and heavy that when Angel went to receive it, it almost dropped out of her hand, ha! They also gave us a diploma stating that we had the best tools at the fair; this document is now helping to open many doors for distribution of the tools here.
Later we heard that sometimes people at the fair bribe the organizers in order to get the gold medal, as it really means a lot. So it was indeed a miracle to get it!
Second chance
Pakistan
(From Mary Heart and teens:) One of our friends slipped away to Australia to get his MBA (Master of Business Administration) without getting saved. We prayed for him often, and were quite convicted that we had not been more on the ball. Recently, after one whole year of being away, he came to visit his mom and stopped by our house for a short while. We talked about the spirit world (he had had several "spooky experiences"), the Endtime, etc. Right when he was about to leave, we offered to pray for him, which led into him saying the salvation prayer!
Here in Pakistan we usually leave the "Son of God" part out, but always end with "in Jesus' name." So he repeated everything fine till we came to "in Jesus' name." He paused, we all held our breath, and hallelujah--he said it! Wow! Officially, Muslims aren't allowed to pray to any spirit, as they have very specific written prayers! Thank the Lord for a second chance!
Free e-mail service
Estonia
(From Andres Heavenman:) I heard about a free e-mail service offered by GEOCITIES. It's paid for by advertising. That means you receive occasional e-mail offers for certain products. I've been signed up with them for two weeks, and have received two ads for computer equipment. This may be more secure than a local e-mail address. It can either forward your mail to any e-mail address in the world, or you can log on directly through the Web and get your mail. There seem to be positive security implications of having an e-mail address that's not linked to a Home address. According to a teen hacker, it is the largest free e-mail service in the world.
You can check it out on http://WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/members/. Yahoo (http://WWW.YAHOO.COM/) also offers free e-mail, but it doesn't forward your e-mail. That makes it necessary to log on to their Website and use their built-in mail program, which is much slower and more complicated.
(From the WS computer department:) This sounds like a good idea for some situations, but you have to have an Internet account to get in and check your mail in most cases. If you have an Internet account, the service usually comes with e-mail anyway. This service will allow you to have more e-mail accounts if you need them, and they don't point directly to where you live. This doesn't mean that they are totally secure, though, as authorities could easily check it out and find where you forward to or log in from. Some hackers can do the same, though most people cannot. So, in some cases it can be a very helpful and useful thing to have. There are also other services that offer the same deal.
open forum question
With more people going to foreign fields, Mama and Peter would like to know how they are managing for home support. Here are a few questions:
Are most people going with pledges of support, or just with landing funds, or solely by faith?
Are most Homes' support pledges from other Family members, either CM or FM? Or are they from outsiders, and if so, what type--churches, relatives, people you met while witnessing, etc.?
How long did you know and cultivate these people before obtaining pledges from them?
Do you find that those who do pledge support usually come through with it, or have you found it difficult to tie people down to a continued commitment to send support?
movie ratings
Movies Rated for Junior Teens and Up
TOM JONES (1998)
Max Beesley, Samantha Morton
Three-part mini-series: Screen adaptation of Henry Fielding's bawdy novel about a young man's misadventures in 18th-century England. Humorous and entertaining, with a wide cast of characters from highborn to lowborn, from villainous to virtuous. Contains good points for discussion.
Movies Rated for JETTs and Up
DEEP IMPACT (1998)
Morgan Freeman, Elijah Wood, Tea Leoni, Robert Duvall
A giant meteor is on a collision course with Earth. Good portrayal of people's reactions during times of crisis. Emotionally charged and intense in parts.
MRS. BROWN (1997)
Judi Dench, Billy Connolly
Historical drama about the alleged twenty-year relationship between Queen Victoria, after the death of her husband, and John Brown, a groom at Balmoral Castle. Shows the human side of royalty.
WILD AMERICA (1997)
Brad Renfro, Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Adventure/drama based on the true story of three young brothers who set out on a trip through the wilderness to film animal documentaries. The boys' bad examples and sometimes unwise behavior makes it unsuitable for younger audiences. The eldest of the brothers later produced a well-known documentary series by the name "Wild America."
Movies Rated for All
BLUES CLUES (Series)
Steve and Blue, the puppy
A cute, simple and edifying preschool video series that presents a curriculum similar to "Teach Me Time." Good for little ones up until about seven years old. Available on Direct TV, Nickelodeon channel.
movie reviews
Deep Impact
(Jesus speaking:) This movie does stir up your emotions, but it is good for those who view it, as it makes them think about their loved ones, and if they were to die today, what have they done with their lives? Were they kind, loving, unselfish, without strife or malice? It is good to occasionally check your heart and ponder these things. What would you do if you were in a similar situation and circumstances? It shows that when things get serious, people are compelled to take a good look at their lives, and want to right any wrongs and do the right thing. (End of prophecy.)
Wild America
(Jesus speaking:) This is a sweet movie of brotherly love, and of the older brothers growing up and learning to take responsibility. The downside of this movie is the somewhat unrealistic portrayal of My creations. They were protected from great harm while out observing the animals and photographing them. But My children must know not to wander into such dangerous territory, for their very lives are precious, reserved unto Me for great and important callings in the Endtime, and even now. Therefore they must abide by the safety rules that they have been taught.
However, when they are in danger, if they call out to Me, I will not fail to save them, just as I did not fail to save these young ones who unwittingly fell into dangerous situations. I will always protect My children, those who call unto Me.
The attitudes of some of the folks in this movie are not right, but because of the overall story and the love that they had one for another, I would allow it to pass. It brings out the true values of life--that the most important thing is not money, or even fame, but loving one another. It should be brought out that the cruel and somewhat bullying attitude of the older brothers was wrong, as well as the very worldly attitude of the girls in this movie. (End of prophecy.)
Christmas to Remember booklets
--reviews from you!
SACRO
(From Juan:) Last December the Christmas to Remember booklets (in Spanish and Portuguese) went like hotcakes all over South America! The only thing we regret is that we didn't print enough of them! We printed 50,000 for the whole area, and by mid-December most Service Centers had already run out and could not fill some of the orders that were coming in. In some countries we were not able to offer the books to our precious FMs, who by the way are very good distributors of tools. Seeing how well the books went out last Christmas has helped to increase our faith, and this year we'll be printing twice as many Christmas story booklets.
We've seen the tremendous potential that our books will have. Of course, the Lord and Dad already told us this, so we shouldn't be surprised. Not only do they carry a beautiful message, but they are outstandingly profitable financially, since they can be produced relatively cheaply, yet the Homes receive substantial donations when distributing them.
We received all types of testimonies about how our Family distributed the books, ranging from the typical one-to-one sale on the streets, to stoplighting, Christian schools, Christian book stores, stands in Christmas fairs, etc.
When we took a sample of the booklet to different companies, such as banks, newspapers, telephone companies, etc., to see if they would like to purchase them in larger quantities (to give as gifts to their employees or customers), we got many positive answers, but sad to say we were a little too late to make it for the Christmas season last year, as most companies plan their Christmas distribution some time in June or July. So this year we've been making appointments earlier in the year, and DV we'll seal deals with several companies who will send a Christmas booklet to all their customers as a gift. The possibilities are endless!
NACRO
(From Ezekiel:) The Christmas to Remember books were very well received in Mexico and everyone loved them. It was a very easy tool to get out, and the whole stock printed by our Mexico Service Center was completely gone. One brother in our area, Sam (of Sara) ordered 10,000 Christmas books and got most of them out almost single-handedly during Christmas, the last couple thousand in January and the first part of February, PTL!
The new Christmas storybook is a terrific witnessing tool! So far we've distributed about 2,000 copies and we hope to reach our goal of 3,000 by January 6, which is when the Christmas season ends in Spain. The fruit has been tremendous!
--Miguel, Esther and Dulcinea, Spain
I love to get this out at Christmas, especially to people who are not churchy and need Jesus presented to them in a fresh style.
--Esther Spark, USA
In India many people are very spiritually-minded and love to hear stories, especially stories with meaning. They are into a lot of philosophy, but what we have to offer them is better!
--Faithy (SGA), India
The Christmas story books sold like hot cakes! It would be nice to have something like that for the whole year.
--Sol, Primavera and Marcos, Chile
We were able to sell the new Christmas booklets to the largest book store in our city. These kind of products are quite easy to sell to the bookstores.
--David, Freya and Tender, Japan
The new books revolutionized our Christmas outreach. People on the streets seemed to take them more readily than audio tapes, and would help with higher donations than for posters.
--Samuel and Joy, England
I have been giving the Christmas booklets to the children at the hospital where I am working. Two days ago a young couple called and asked me, "Is there something magic about this book? Since you gave it to my little son, he doesn't want to stop looking at it and we have to bring it with us wherever we go. Who are you?" I witnessed to them both, and now they want our videos!
--Dust and Heidi, Italy
We found the Christmas to Remember booklets very easy to distribute, and well received by the people. Several shops happily agreed to distribute them for us.
--Lynn, USA
Since the Christmas books are such a wonderful witness, we wanted to make it as easy as possible for sheep to contact us after receiving a book. A lot of counseling and prayer went into this subject--deciding whether we should have a GP follow-up phone number or not. We were concerned about goats calling and wasting our time, and other people calling at all hours of the day and night. The Lord told us in prophecy that printing a phone number on our lit was definitely according to our own faith. At the same time, He wanted us to know that His line is open to all, and that He always picks up the phone whenever a sheep calls, no matter what hour it is.
We decided to go ahead and have a GP follow-up number. We had another phone line brought in, which we all agreed would be only for sheep calling in. In other words, when that phone rings, we know it is a new caller who has received our lit. Next we opened a GP box and a GP e-mail address. Next we printed up a follow-up label with our phone number, address and e-mail address, along with a note that if they write, we'll respond right away.
We were tempted to wonder whether the expense was worth it, but the Lord kept encouraging us that even though the phone and stickers cost money, He would more than repay because our motive was to make it easy for the sheep to contact us. On our first day out distributing books, two sheep called our GP phone before the book distribution team had even returned home. It was such a encouragement and confirmation that we had followed the Lord. This month we received many calls from sheep.
--Micah, Merry and Faith, Japan
I'm wondering ...
WANT ADS
Q: If someone gets a burden for some country they've never been to and they don't know anyone there, how do they find out what Home they'd fit best in, and who needs them? As it is now, when you apply for clearance, the form wants to know what Home you're going to--but sometimes you don't know. But then you're kind of stuck because you're supposed to already have clearance when you put out a want ad.--Kylie, Australia
A: (From WS:) This dilemma was discussed at the Summit. It's been agreed that the CRO offices will now publish want ads even if your clearance papers are still in the works. Those publishing such "pre-clearance" want ads should mention in the ad that their clearance hasn't come through yet.
school with the pubs
--by Sharon, FC
Input needed! How about everyone sharing some helpful teaching tips via the Grapevine? We'd love to hear them, as we're all always looking for new ways to enhance our kids' schooling and keep them in the Word!
Here's some schooling news from FC: We try as much as possible to center the kids' devotions and schooling around the Word--the new mailings and other pubs. Julie used recent Grapevine articles on Africa to teach geography to our MCs and OCs, using an atlas and encyclopedia. They learned basic facts about the African countries, about their flags, basic history, and languages spoken. The same could be done with the Zines, FARs and FSMs. Julie also teaches the New Wine twice a week by summarizing the newest GNs for the kids. The kids write out key quotes in their Word notebooks, and often draw a picture about one of the aspects of what they learned.
Meg reads key parts of the Grapevines, Zines and FARs to the kids while they eat breakfast, redeeming the time! Maggie reads through the Junior Daily Breads with them and oversees their other CLE schooling of math and language arts. Serena (15) just made a devotions series from the "Way Out There" FSM. The children drew pictures of what she read to them about the spirit trip. She or Angel (12) also have a weekly class with them to read through the Heaven's Library issues together.
Sharon is continuing a long-term revolutionary Bible study on the Book of Acts, following the chart pubbed in the Bible Curriculum chapter in the new Dito Book. We include other studies from the Gospels on the Holy Spirit, pioneering, etc., as well as studies on our present New Day weapon of hearing from the Lord personally, just as Paul and the disciples in Acts did.
Inspirationalist Cliff took them through a full study of Psalm 119, and helped them mark all the cross-references in their Bibles. We are planning a new Endtime study next. As YA Evye takes them through the Bible in Pictures book, they are making their own notebook of labeled drawings and Bible notes.
Artsy Jacques is teaching them social studies and history once a week, giving them Grandpa's viewpoints on these issues. Maggie teaches science once a week, bringing in the Word and MLs as well. We basically follow a textbook, but whenever possible we refer to the Word. Maggie just read the "Eat Right" GN with the students, followed by a nutrition study from the CCHB and Kidz Mop.
In our devotions we try to include writing and note-taking, memory work, dictionary definitions, using reference books, oral and written tests or quizzes for review, and, oh yes!--Our latest push: public speaking, so that the students give oral answers in complete sentences, (without the "you know, like, ... anyway," ha!).
So it's a team effort, and lots of fun, and we learn along with the kids as we share the Word at school time throughout the week. LY!
find-a-friend
Mike (a.k.a. Miguel/Allen, of Josue in Brazil), some of your old pals would like to get in touch with you. E-mail: CBearries@aol.com.
David W. (21, of James and Faith) is looking for Mexican Leila K. (22 or 23, possibly in Brazil). E-mail: Famout@aol.com or Mexservice@aol.com.
David Newheart (formerly John) would like to contact American Leah Red and Italian Andrew and Mercy (worked with you in New Delhi). E-mail: Manna14136@z.zgs.de.
Mark and Faithy (India) would like to contact Stephen and Joy (France); Valiant Switzerland and Chris and Tabitha (Scandinavia). Add: Mark Ramesh, 213 Swapnalok Complex, S.D.Road, Secunderabad 500003, India.
Ruth would like to get in touch ASAP with anyone who is working regularly in Cuba. We have a mail ministry and often receive letters from there. E-mail: ParkPlaceH@aol.
Clara Brazilian wants to contact Peter and Ela Polish, and Joana Hungarian (of Richard). E-mail: oasis14@ibm.net. Add: CP 37625 - 22642-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Angelo (16) is looking for Amador and Ann who moved to the US in 1994. We lived together in Bari, Italy. Add: Fam. Gargiulo, Brahmsstr. 75, 8003 Zurich, Switzerland. E-Mail: skywalker@span.ch.
Kathleen (formerly Nadia Scribe) would like to contact Joseph Daniel who used to be in Budapest, Hungary, in the early '90s before going to Russia. E-mail: mh@tkb.att.ne.jp.
German Mary would like to contact Brazilian-Japanese Praise and Tim Lens, last heard of in Romania! Also German Joanna who joined us in Calcutta and then went to Japan. E-mail: family@players.donetsk.ua.
Claire Stiener and Malika (Joey), we miss you and love you! Please write us (Tim and Joy) at e-mail: Busterhome@aol.com.
Jonathan and Celeste would like to get in touch with Joseph and Rosemarie. E-mail: JonVan777@aol.com.
Esther (of Sammy and Paulo, Brazilian), Felipe and Victoria (Brazilian), Esther and Osea DF (of Assu, Brazil), Peter and Maria German, please contact Ruthy (Belgian) in Puerto Rico. E-mail: sjprfam@juno.com. Add: PO Box 193678, San Juan, PR OO919-3678
Nina (SGA) is curious to hear from a friend last seen in Taiwan some eight years ago when we were 15 and 16. David (SGA), if this rings a bell, drop me a line at e-mail: Chip 03@Glasnet.ru.
mama jewels on weakness and being positive
--to a young staff member
(Mama:) Thanks for your prayers for my eyes and against headaches. You were mentioning that you don't know why the Lord hasn't healed my eyes completely yet, but you know, my weakness is really the greatest strength that I have, and I'm very thankful for that. I know that if I were healed I'd be doing a lot of stuff that I shouldn't be doing--spending time using my eyes to go here and there, researching referance material that I probably shouldn't be wasting my time on, reading news magazines, watching movies and all kinds of things that I just don't have the time for with all I have to do. Neither do I need that input from the System, because I need to be looking to the Lord and not outside influences.
I was thinking about one of my GN interview questions: "What are your greatest strengths?" I was thinking, "I don't know! I don't think I have any strengths--except the strength of weakness!" But thank the Lord for that. The Lord's been very consistent in explaining to me that weakness is my greatest strength, so I don't want to try to get out from under some light afflictions that are helping me to stay real close to the Lord.
Anyway, it's not so bad and I've been exercising out in the fresh air a little more on the stepper and on the exercise bike, weather permitting. I know when you all pray for me it really does help and I feel much stronger. Or if I feel headachy and very weak and I ask for prayer, the Lord almost always uses your prayers to help take those feelings away. So thank You, Jesus!
highlights from SACRO
--Summit 1998 feature article
(The following excerpts were taken from one of the Summit meetings, in which each of the CRO teamworks gave a 30-minute presentation. Please bear in mind that these aren't comprehensive outlines of all that's been going on in each area--just some highlights of what's happened since the last Summit meeting in 1996.)
The SACRO area includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba and the Caribbean Islands.
The SACRO teamwork is Juan, Lynn, Victoria, Pedro, Mark, Sam and Carmen.
Teamwork changes
Juan: Since the last Summit, one of the biggest changes in our area was the change in our CRO teamwork. Dear Ezekiel and Sunny went to North America; Andrew was part of the SACRO teamwork also, and had just left to join the NACRO team prior to the Summit. The Lord never fails to supply our need, and we were blessed to get new teamworkers after the Summit, when the Lord showed us that the young people have it to help shepherd the different fields.
The Lord supplied dear Sam (24, of Leilani) and Carmen (25, of Juan) to join our teamwork. Last but not least, Mark recently joined our teamwork, making us God's number--seven CROs for South America and the Caribbean Islands. One amazing thing about it--although we didn't plan it, so all credit goes to the Lord--is that the majority of our CRO teamwork are nationals. I can say this because Carmen and Sam have both lived all their lives in South America, even though they have American passports. Carmen was born in Costa Rica, and Sam lived his youth in Colombia and Venezuela.
Spreading out/prophecy communication
Prior to Summit '96, most of us used to base close to each other; that way we were constantly meeting and counseling together. After Summit '96 we changed that so as to be able to train more of our VSs in various fields, so that no one in the field would feel neglected and each field would receive more equal visitation and attention. Almost all of our VSs are also nationals, young and old, which has been inspiring for everybody.
We are so thankful for the gift of prophecy and learning to hear from the Lord, as that was perhaps one of the biggest changes that we had in our area--learning to bring our questions before the Lord. Although we were all in different areas and were not able to directly counsel and meet with each other, we have our own connection with the Lord and hear from Him about the different responsibilities each of us has.
Thanks to the means of communication that the Lord had supplied, we would check with each other through phone messages and share the direction the Lord was giving us in prophecy. It was amazing how "in the mouth of two or three witnesses, a lot of things were confirmed," yet without any of us knowing the others were getting the same direction from the Lord. That was extremely encouraging, because we were a bit apprehensive about having to operate separately more.
Mark joining our CRO teamwork brought about a change in our CRO office. Because Mark has been living in the office for the last five years, we now have what you might call an "office" CRO traveling the field, personally getting to know the people and seeing the reactions and responses that are sent from the field from a firsthand perspective. That is a tremendous victory.
In South America there are
162 CM Homes - 2060 Charter Members
97 FM Homes - 564 Fellow Members
SACRO Office
Lynn: I work behind the scenes at the office, and we do what most of the behind-the-scenes offices do: We process the phone messages and the TRFs--which involves the comments and suggestions, answering the TRF questions, logging and compiling stats and finances. We coordinate much of the CRO area's operations and business, process clearances, handle Charter infractions, publish announcement and want ad bulletins, the monthly local prayer list, and the Common Pot "share the know."
We have a large finance-related ministry, which includes the issuing and administration of Home loans, WS gifts, special gifts transfers, pioneer gifts and HER funds. We also coordinate communications circuits, our area's video library and the ABM offices, and help oversee our seven PPC/Service Centers. Much of what we do is in three languages (English, Spanish and Portuguese), as many of our nationals don't speak English, so this requires translating back and forth in these languages.
Another important aspect of our office is that we train office personnel. Since Summit '96, we've sent to WS our executive secretary--now an SGA--who is being a great blessing in her new place of service. We then sent our newly trained YA stats man to NACRO. We sent another secretary trainee to NACRO. We also trained a YA national in stats work, who has recently gone on to "greater jobs." We have three other young people in training now. After our newly-trained executive secretary mentioned above moved on, we trained a new executive secretary to take her place, but she recently moved on to BRALIM, to help fill the need for extra office help since Paulo's graduation. We're now training more young people as office trainees, and we're oftentimes in the market for new potential trainees.
Juan: Aside from that, Lynn helps to coordinate all the messages that go to us CROs, and our other communications. She's like a communications hub which makes our job easier. Instead of us all communicating with each other, though we sometimes need to, she is the communications hub and the one who distributes all the messages and knows what to send us, reminds us about messages that need replies, and a lot more. She's a wonderful girl!
LIMs
Juan: We also have two full LIM operations going in our area--Portuguese and Spanish--that do a tremendous job in South America. When Mark joined our team, the Lord gave him the burden to help us supervise one of the LIMs--BRALIM. So here he is to tell you about it.
Mark: The LIMs are pretty big Homes, about 35 people in each. That's the translators, the NPCs (who print the mailings both in English and Spanish or Portuguese), and all the support staff that goes with it. They have a vital job in SACRO because so many of our national Family rely on the mailings in Spanish or Portuguese. Apart from that, they also translate all the GP/DFO material so we can minister to the field.
Each of them had to move within the last two years, which for them is a massive operation. They also have to continue keeping up with their deadlines.--The GNs and other pubs keep coming! So they're moving with one hand and translating with the other, and printing the pubs at the same time. It was a big victory for each of them to get into bigger and better housing.
One of the major victories for the LIMs is getting out the HomeARC in Spanish and Portuguese. We have a CD with the HomeARC in Portuguese, Spanish and English. It's encouraged the Homes to get computers too. (Editor's note: Some members of the SACRO office were instrumental in the production of the Portuguese HomeARC, though of course the credit for the translation of all the pubs included in the Portuguese ARC goes to BRALIM.)
SPALIM also got the Web site set up in Spanish. It's been up for about six months, and we've gotten a lot of responses already. Now that we've finished the Portuguese ARC, we want to begin work on the Portuguese Web site, DV.
Apart from the GNs, FSMs, and all the childcare material that gets translated weekly and monthly, the LIMs also have major pushes on getting all the books into the local languages; Daily Bread 10, 11, 12, From Jesus-With Love, Volumes 1 and 2, To Jesus-With Love, Volumes 1 and 2, etc. It's a massive job just to get all those into the local languages. At BRALIM we've just set up a department with the newly-arrived CRO office's ex-executive secretary. She will be training and working with three junior teens, some of whom are the daughters of the translators, and they'll be pushing to get the books into the local languages, compiling them and doing all the final-checking and everything else. That's one of the goals for next year--to see how many books we can get out by the next Summit.
We have also set up field translation bases, because there are massive amounts to translate and not enough translators. We have several field translators who also contribute, their main ministry being to help with translations from their field Homes, and they have done a tremendous job. We couldn't have done it without their help!
Another push was getting our young people trained in key ministries within the LIMs. To train a translator takes years, but the Lord raised up a YA and a senior teen, and they are both now key members of the translation teams, translating GNs, and we're real thankful for them. We're looking and praying for the Lord to raise up even more of our young people to take on that ministry. Now we have young people in the layout departments and in our NPCs.
SPALIM has put out two Praise Time books in Spanish, with local songs and poems.
Training nationals
Juan: Thank the Lord for the Word, because that's what's been helping to train our nationals. The Lord's been miraculously raising up our nationals through the Word in their own languages, because in South America many do not speak English or their understanding of English is limited. So having the Word in the local language has contributed greatly to the training of our nationals. Through the work of our translators, we're also able to help the works in Mexico and North America, because a considerable percentage of the tools distributed in North America are in Spanish. Our LIMs also help with the translation of our audio tools.
Witnessing push/CTPs
Carmen: One of the beautiful fruits of CTP ministries is that whole areas get involved in them, or at least several of the Homes in each city, which helps to bring unity.
In Chile there is a prison ministry where they've been ministering to a lot of boys, and all the Homes participate in that, as well as a ministry to the blind. The wonderful thing is that it draws the older and the young people together. The older people can help train the young people in follow-up and winning disciples.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Homes have a work in a major slum. You may have seen some of it on the LA News. That has been a tremendous project because a lot of young people have been involved not only in the witnessing, but also using their skills--teaching, filming, picture taking, guitar playing, whatever. They get a chance to shine in their skill and at the same time are pouring out. They've gone to the city council, they've put in a road, they've paved the place, they've put in running water, they built the sewage systems. They got all the boys out there digging and they got all the young people of the favela (slum) digging, and they put in a sewer system.
They are helping a 13-year-old girl from the slum who just had a baby and lives alone in a tiny room with a dirt floor. She doesn't know anything about training children, so they are able to help her learn how to train a child, and strengthen her walk with the Lord. They give Bible classes to the women, teaching them how to train their children, how to clean their homes, how to prepare food, wash laundry, everything. They also have a ministry with the children there. It's really been very fruitful, and a lot of young people participate.
Tito (CM), who is a medical doctor, lives in Lima. He takes trips into the interior and takes young people with him; he'll even take sheep with him that they're winning. It's a wonderful opportunity to strengthen sheep--just bring them with you on a faith trip! At the same time he does minor operations, delivers babies, whatever he can do in the time he's there. He's also helped to train some people in midwifery.
For awhile, Claire (CM member from US/Mexico area) came down to Peru with her father, who is an acclaimed surgeon from the States, and he was doing volunteer work in the Peruvian interior. They brought with them some other people, one, an important person from an international aid organization, and a bunch of machines and equipment to donate to hospitals because of our witnessing to them, and our giving them the vision to help the hospitals in the country that are so poor.
Support via tools
Sam: The Lord has led us to train the young people in witnessing just as you would train them in translating or any other ministry--so it can be a specialized ministry. We've encouraged them in CTP ministries, tried to spearhead and emphasize tool distribution, and other witness-related ministries.
We try to lead the way and encourage our young people to support themselves through witnessing, fundraising and getting out the tools--the things that are very useful if they ever have to pioneer or open their own Home.
Maybe two years ago if you looked at a Home with a few couples with their teens and children, you would usually see the teens and children staying home, taking care of the house and cleaning so the adults could go out witnessing. Well, it's changing to where the teens are the ones who go out. We've come up with different methods that have helped in this such as busking, tapenessing at gas stations, etc., which have been super fruitful. This also gives way for the adults to do other things like mass marketing, etc.
We have to attribute this to hearing from the Lord. It's really neat, because before we go on faith trips or out on big witnessing attacks with the teens, we hear from the Lord and He tells us exactly what to do. It proves to them that prophecy works, because the Lord does just what He says!
When "Releasing Our Spirit Helpers" came out during Christmas time, we started calling down the spirits, and it doubled or tripled our efforts in the witnessing, and thus the amount of funds they bring in. Some of the young people who thought they were losers in the sense that they couldn't get out the tools or couldn't witness, are now some of our top shiners!
That is one of the main thrusts of the Latin America News video, which is to encourage people to get out witnessing and to see that it's fun and it really works. People are really getting turned on to witnessing.
Juan: Since there were some changes at the RAD (Rio Audio Department; formerly BAS), they had to begin supplementing their income. They went out one weekend and distributed 145 CDs. That weekend brought in a net income (after putting aside seedcorn) of nearly $1,700--and that was only because they were rusty! The amazing thing is that South America is really a poor continent! Although the Family may not eat steak every day--though they do eat a lot of meat--they live, I would say, amongst the top 10% of the population of South America. Most Homes live by faith, and all glory and honor goes to our Lord because it's a miracle how He takes care of us all!
Studio work
Pedro: A dream come true has been to put our GP audio tapes onto CDs, which has tremendously increased our tool distribution in South America. On CD we have Fear Not, Great Adventures 1 and 2, Best Friends, Coloring the World, Power Tower, Christmas Treasures (an adapted version) both in Portuguese and Spanish, Rescue, New Life, and another local Portuguese CD. Ritmo Sin Fronteras (the Latin CD) was also produced last year. It has become our biggest seller--8,000 CDs in the last three months! Micah and Pethuel's studio (known as MAPAS) recently produced the country music CD Follow On which is from their band "Friends."
Fantastic Friends and Countdown to Armageddon are in Spanish and Portuguese, along with all of the Treasure Attics.
For the Family, we recently produced Para Ti, Jesus in Spanish and Portuguese, made up of loving Jesus songs originally written in those two languages, which we released at the time of the Feast. We've also produced Labor of Love and Psalms and Chapters on CD in Spanish for the CM Family.
[Editor's note: Information on how to order these CDs will be published in an upcoming Grapevine, Lord willing.]
FED productions
Victoria: We've been concentrating on early-learning materials for our kids, because in visitation we're seeing that teaching this age of children has become a lost art. There's not a lot of System material available for people who want to teach their kids, and what you can find is very expensive. So we've been working on things like picture facts, since parents and teachers spend a lot of time trying to find pictures, paste them on cardstock, etc. We've done all that work for them; on the back there are eight to 10 facts on each picture. We have sets in English, Portuguese and Spanish. The first set has 100 laminated picture facts. Wouldn't you like to have a set for your kids?
[Editor's note: Ordering information on the above-mentioned FED materials will also be published in an upcoming Grapevine, Lord willing.]
We also worked on coloring the baby quotes on computer. These are available also in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Where possible, we tried to change the art to some of the new art that is coming out from FC so that the kids can get some of the new pictures. So these are all available to the Homes. Our main goal is to try to get material into the parents/teachers' hands to make their job easier.
We worked on the WND book, which will be coming out on the CD for the CVC course. We made TA coloring books and Great Adventure coloring books (for the Homes to sell with the videos).
We were able to research and find a video high school course for our Portuguese Family, which is a blessing. A lot of them weren't able to do the CVC because some are not well-grounded in English and they also need to be fluent in their mother tongue. We've researched books for our local Family both in Spanish and Portuguese. We've also been working on the TA guides, which come with teacher's reference material, also to be sold as GP tools. The kids watch these videos over and over again, and there's so much material in them, these guides provide a springboard for many other studies based on the videos. God bless ASCRO who had the first Kiddie Viddie guides; we borrowed their idea!
South America's monthly stats are about
-- 30,347 souls
-- 224,597 tools (45,796 posters, 10,585 tapes, 4,521 videos, 163,695 tracts, etc.)
-- 118,566 personal witness
During the past 12 months:
-- 35 CM new disciples have been won
-- 23 FM new disciples have been won
-- 4 Former Members changed to CM status
-- 23 Former Members changed to FM status
-- 130 FMs changed to CM status
-- 59 babies have been born in SA, or about 5 per month
[Note: Based on a year's average]
cute kids
Johnny (4) asked me, "How do you say 'shutters' in Danish?" Since I've lived outside of Denmark for the past 24 years, I've gotten quite rusty on some words. I replied, "Oh, dear, I really don't remember!" Johnny promptly began to pray, asking the Lord to please help me remember. He then quickly opened his eyes and said, "So, how do you say it?" I still didn't remember, so I said, "Well, I don't know yet." Johnny then turned around to walk away and said, "Well, I guess it takes time to hear!"--Gentleness, Italy
When Mike (3) was being taught to say Auntie and Uncle to everybody, he would get them mixed up a lot. One night during dinner we had a visitor over, who Mike heard was a sheep. Dad and Mom entered the room with G. (sheep), and Mike said: "Uncle Mommy and Auntie Daddy, can I sit with you and Uncle Sheep?"--Chella T., Russia
Franchesco (7), in a thoughtful mood asked, "Mom, why do we call the adults 'grown-nuts'?!" Ha!--Annie, California
mama's mailbox
Dear Mama,
I have a little testimony from last December about how one paragraph from a Letter helped me to make progress in overcoming the generation gap. The YAs were scheduled to have a big dance here at the HCS. I had thought of dropping by the dance, but these negative thoughts hit me--how everyone would be trying to be "cool" and exclusive, and sitting around in cliques in the darkness.
That day, however, I read this excerpt from "Dad's Christmas Message for 1997," paragraph 67: "Reach out, all of you, and take new steps to grow in love and give your love to one another. His Gospel is love. Will you live it?" It hit me hard how bad my attitude was. I was looking at the young people as if they were a different race or something, instead of my family, my brothers and sisters. They are the continuation of the Revolution for Jesus, and they (the second generation) and we (FGAs) are the only Family we've got; we've got to make it work!
So I went to the dance. The Tokyo Studio Home band did a set, and most everybody got up and cheered and really was supportive. During a couple of dances, YA girls pulled me out on the floor (Why did they pull me? Because I'm a musician, not a dancer, ha!), and they were so free and sweet and smiling, and really encouraging. Everyone was very inclusive. Later, Cesco asked me to play sax on a song he was going to perform. I came out wearing a long shaggy wig (like Kenny G.) and was greeted with screams. TTL, I had a great time, and it all started from reading that one quote.--Thanks, Dad!
--John Listen, Japan
Dear Mama and Peter,
I wanted to comment about how happy and fulfilling it was for me to help an SGA couple lead the recent Family Camp in Mexico. I feel like everything I can do to support them is so important, and there is such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and being in the center of the Lord's will like I've never known.
One thing I really appreciate about the SGAs I've met in leadership is that they have a lot of personal conviction; at the same time they don't seem to be very sure of themselves, and they are very open to the counsel of the adults around them. That makes adults feel very useful and needed, which is something that we first generation adults really appreciate.
I recently saw the new movie "The Man in the Iron Mask." By the end of the movie I was sobbing. I could really relate to the older Musketeers who after the battle were sort of limping, although they had fought a good fight and had been a convicting sample to the young king and younger Musketeers. It was beautiful to see the mutual respect and admiration of the two generations in that movie.--The older ones willing to lay down their lives in service to their young king, and the younger ones with great admiration for the older generation and respect for their past feats and accomplishments.
I think our new generation of leadership also has the advantage of learning from our mistakes, and I can see them consciously trying to avoid some of our pitfalls, which I believe is very wise and will help them to be miles ahead.
Although some of our teens, YAs and SGAs have left the Family, we have also produced a generation of new leadership, which I believe can help lead us all to victory. I could never keep up with them, but I do hope to be able to be there to help make their way easier and to support them in any way that I am priviledged to do so.
--an adult woman, Mexico
grapes of thankfulness
A big, warm and heartfelt thank-you (though somewhat belated) to a very special person and his very special kids who took in our two teens while they were waiting to move on to their new location. We know it was a sacrifice for you and we could never thank you enough, dear Ferry and kids!
--Bride Home, Romania
When we were hungry, she fed us; when we didn't have a house, she took us in. She shared everything with us and went out of her way to help us. We want to loudly applaud Lisa from Holland. Great is her reward in Heaven.
--Timothy, Daniel Starfield and Philipp, Europe
We'd like to thank David and Love in Cincinnati for their help to Ruth when she made a week-long trip to San Francisco. They took phone calls from Ruth in San Francisco, and sent us e-mail messages to help us make important decisions. It was definitely "above and beyond the call of duty!"
--Tommy and Ruth, Philippines
A big THANK YOU to all Homes that sent us a donation.--Marc and Pandita, France; US4016; Willing and Mary; Charity Newheart; Service Home, Hungary; Tim and Davida, Moldova; Tommy and Claire, Russia; Ufa teams, Russia; Sam and Slava, Romania; JA020; Phil and Izzy, US. And if there's anyone else we're forgetting, sorry. We're still thankful. All this together was just the amount we've been needing!
--Lisa, Eva and Nina, Russia
a peek into mama's home
--junk food
(From Nicole [19]:) Haven't all the new GNs been a blessing? There's so much coming out that it's even hard to keep up sometimes. Thank the Lord for His rivers of Word that never run dry! In light of the recent message Dad gave on the subject of "junk food" (see "Eat Right," ML #3180), Mama thought it would be interesting to tell you a bit about what we do in our Home.
When I first came I was quite surprised to see how high the standard of healthy food is. I'm not a person who likes whole wheat flour. I really have a hard time with brown rice, and eating brown bread is not my favorite--and to my surprise, a lot of people here have a hard time with it too! That's the truth! See, we're not perfect, ha! But as a Home we try our best to keep the standard high, and as a kitchen deacon, it's my responsibility to make sure I'm doing my best to feed our Home what's healthy.
There were more decisions to be made when it came to baking, and what kind of flour, sweetener, etc., we would use. As a Home we decided to stick with the healthy ingredients, and the Lord blessed us by supplying good healthy flour. I can't say I've gotten a complete victory over "healthy" stuff, but knowing what bad eating can lead to, as well as having the responsibility of other people's health in my hands, I've really had to ask the Lord for help to do my best to follow the rules and maintain a high standard, though it's not so easy sometimes.
We also try to keep our snacks healthy by not eating too many sweets (a lot of us seem to have "sweet tooth" problems, so it's something we have to be on guard about). Often we'll vary our snacks, eating popcorn or something savory. But believe me, we definitely enjoy desserts when we have them! It's not like we're deprived of all sweets; we do have those kinds of snacks often enough but we try not to go overboard. Due to Peter's heart condition the cooks must also be mindful of what is cooked; things can't be too greasy or unbalanced. So we're more geared to that kind of cooking.
All of these "little" things have taken some time for our shoppers to work out and find, checking out the best prices and making contacts, explaining things to people, etc., but it has really paid off. We do have to be mindful of the money the Lord has supplied, but He seems to always bless us when we try our best to do what is right.
your views on issues
Don't gossip or criticize
South America
(From an adult:) Since we are striving to close the generation gap and the New Wine from the Feast is so heavy and radical along these lines, I wanted to share something that happens, at least here in our city, that I believe somewhat hinders this new movement.
I've noticed that when a 20-year-old is turning 21, people start teasing them about becoming an adult, like, "Watch out, because now all the adults are going to be after you!" It's insinuating that the adults have a "dirty old man" spirit, whereas in reality, most older adults are very leery of approaching SGAs; it would have to be a real mutual agreement and appreciation for one another for anything to happen.
The gossip factor really hinders this sort of thing a lot, too, especially if people are looking at certain relationships in the flesh and not in the spirit of what the Lord is trying to do in the Family. I realize that these new ideas are quite radical and deep in the spirit, but even if you don't have the faith for something, let's at least not hinder anyone who does want to make a step in that direction by criticizing or teasing them. Gossip kills the spirit and intimidates people.
I have heard of several instances where people wouldn't do certain things which were definitely allowed in the Charter and according to the Law of Love for fear of gossip and teasing. Even if the person who gossips isn't someone that is so respected in the area, it doesn't matter. Just the fact that the act is being judged or talked about in an immature or out-of-the-spirit way makes it difficult to burn free in the Lord's love. How are we going to make progress and keep that revolutionary spirit of love if we hinder one another like that? Also, I have noticed that others don't really stand up to gossips and people teasing. In this case, not saying anything makes you a part of it, sad to say. Let's lift up the standard of the Law of Love.
Long or short hair?
Location unknown
(From Michael B.P.:) Is long hair for women a Family doctrine? Here's the other side of the coin: I'm a real fan of women with long hair. I think it's just beautiful. But if not ?
I know a sister who had beautiful long hair when she joined. Yet after eight kids and many years in the tropix she simply didn't have as much hair as she did when she was 17. She just couldn't manage to get her hair nice anymore; the ends split and it never looked nice. One day she got a pretty short haircut. We were totally amazed how much nicer she looked. Her face looked beautiful, her hair has a new shine and looks much healthier, and she doesn't have problems with split ends anymore.
My wife is 37 now, and for a few years she's had shoulder-length hair. It looks nice, and she feels more comfortable. One of our little girls always suffered when we combed her hair, as it hurt her, and she didn't want to comb it herself. The final solution was a haircut. I didn't like the idea too much, but now she's always got her hair combed nicely. What a victory! I've seen quite a few little girls in the Family whose hair always seems to be messy (though often a good brush and conditioner help).
Many older women just look much nicer with their hair a bit shorter! Some can have it down to their bottom; others have to cut it once it reaches a certain length. A wise man once said: Every case has to be judged by its own merits. Let's face it, we're not teens anymore. We may be teens at heart, but the outward man and woman ages.--Yet aging hair can be cut off, TTL! That often makes the never-aging smile look even younger than before. I think the doctrine should be: Hair should look nice.--Long and pretty, medium and pretty, or short and pretty. (Editor's note: This is one of those personal appearance issues which should be brought to the Lord in prayer.)
Exchanging food
USA
(From R. [female SGA]:) In one Home that I was in, we received a lot of junk food via our provisioning. We agreed as a Home that we shouldn't eat it, but we were in a bit of a tight spot as to how to get what we needed via provisioning and not bring home a lot of junk without offending our contacts. Some of our contacts were able to start giving us more healthy foods after we explained our need. But some depended on us to pick up whatever they had available that they needed to get rid of--large freezer storage companies, etc., who would give us everything from chicken to sugar popsicles. They knew we didn't like to eat junk food, but they needed us to pick it up and do something with it--that was our part of the bargain in getting the free food.
We made the decision as a Home to put the Lord on the spot and stop eating the junk food, even if we had to just pick it up and throw it away. We did pray, though, that the Lord would show us if we could put it to some good purpose, and also that He would supply the good quality foods that we needed.
We went to a nearby homeless mission and offered them some of the junk food we couldn't use, and they agreed to trade it for wholesome foods which they couldn't use. We found out that because the regular dependants of the shelter didn't like the whole wheat bread, vegetables, plain unsweetened yogurt, etc., the shelter didn't know what to do with them, and were therefore very glad to trade them with us! We were able to work out a regular agreement, and they gladly took and appreciated our white bread, pastries, sugary and processed foods, etc., while we enjoyed the nutritious and healthy goods that they gave us in exchange.
Shot of the Spirit
Location unknown
(From Anonymous:) Our Family music is not always perfect, but it's the best and it thrills my soul. I don't like when some people tear Family music apart and analyze it, sort of "constructively criticizing" the songs which the Lord gives us. The funny thing is that these folks are usually musically talented people, and it sort of puts the rest of us "dumb, simple fans" on a lower level, because I just want to enjoy it and get a shot of the Spirit. I don't want to hear that "they should've played that lead this way, or made that drum drill a lttle longer." Granted, sometimes these things are true, but who cares? I certainly don't!
If these guys are really that smart, then instead of wasting their time, they should get down to business and write some really good songs and send them in--that would be constructive. Getting songs from the fifth dimension is a learning process, so let's be easy on the poor guys who are trying their best. The truth is that there are many FTT songs that are great! Thank you, dear musicians, for the work you are doing!
Evolution experience
Belgium
(From Paloma:) My story dates back to when I was 17 or 18 years of age, before I joined the Family. One day I was reading an article on evolution and, God help me, I started to wonder about it. I gave it space and it grew quite rapidly. I thought, "Yeah, who says God exists?" That's amazing in itself, considering the fact that I had already had several spiritual experiences. Anyhow, I got so deep in thought about it that by the time I went to sleep that night I had put God somewhere behind me. I remember going to bed heavy-hearted.
The next morning I was feeling the same. I can't remember saying anything to my mum, no "good morning"--nothing. I moved about very slowly from the second I got up, moving to the mirror in our everyday living space. My mum talked to me constantly, most of the time with her back to me. I put down my toilet bag and looked slowly up into the mirror. I did not see myself. I saw a monkey, weird, ever so weird; it was freaky! I grasped my face and felt my skin, closed my eyes and thought, "It's my skin but I see (as I slowly opened my eyes again) a monkey!" I exclaimed, "Oh no, my God! Oh no! God, help!" As I said this, my mother turned and looked back at me. I looked down and she continued her work. When I looked up just seconds later I saw my face was normal again. She said a few moments later, "You know, I could have sworn I saw a monkey a little while ago."
I said, "Lord forgive me! You do exist and never will I doubt You again." Evolution is definitely a gigantic lie. Thank You Jesus for loving me so much to hold on to me that tightly.
ask-a-midwife
--by Rose Midwife, USA
Q: Why do some babies take pacifiers or bottles naturally, and others refuse them? What do you do with a baby who screams a lot and wants to nurse all the time, but refuses a pacifier or bottle?--Julie (of James), mother of twins, Pakistan
A: Most babies would take pacifiers, but we think they are spitting the pacifier out when they suck it; therefore we wrongly assume they don't want the pacifier.
When a baby nurses, he sucks like a dog laps water--with his jaw--and pulls the rest with his tongue as the dog does the water. With a pacifier or a bottle, the baby sucks the way we suck out of straws, with the cheek muscles. Therefore when he tries to "nurse" the pacifier, in essence he spits it out, and we think he doesn't want it.
If you hold the pacifier in the baby's mouth for him for the first week or so, he should soon learn the different sucking technique and it will work fine. It's best not to start a baby on bottles until he is a well-established nurser (about six weeks of age), because if he gets the milk from a bottle and gets full he will stop nursing, as the suck required to nurse is much harder work than sucking a bottle or pacifier.
Pacifiers are okay to give most babies at birth, as they don't receive nourishment from them; once the baby is hungry, he will still work the breast. If your baby does stop nursing once he has the pacifier, just take it away for a couple of days and he should do fine. Also a baby after six weeks doesn't normally like the bottle as much, because he'd rather have the closeness he gets through nursing.
support-a-missionary
Mari and her two children are raising funds to go to Kenya. They are in Brazil and still need more than half of their fare. If you can help, a little will go a long way! Send donations via SACRO.
If you would like to help give new life to Russians, please send a donation to the St. Petersburg Home, Russia RU003. Contact the Home at family@thefamily.spb.su.
National is pioneering his closed and forbidden country of the CIS. Needs your support. Send gifts to "Forbidden" - RU003, St. Petersburg. For more information contact: family@thefamily.spb.su.
thanking
--for your spirit story contributions
Lily (of John, China), Matthew and Claire (China), Anna (Philippines), Claire (EURCRO), Justin (NACRO), Samara (16, of James and Sarah, ME).
IMPORTANT: Please note that from now on the Heaven's Library team will be sending a message of receipt to all story contributors. Thus, if you send in a Heaven's Library story and don't receive a message acknowledging that the Heaven's Library team has safely received your story within a month, then you should assume that your story was lost in transit and re-send your story! Thanks!
tip of the day
Have you ever tried to download a file from the Internet only to be cut off just before it's finished and lose the whole thing? Frustrating, isn't it? Not only is it a waste of time, but money too! Here's something that might help: http://www.getright.com/get.html.
Log on to this on the Web, and you can get a working demo of a program that saves your downloads as you download them so you can continue where you left off if you get disconnected. It's almost a megabyte, but it's worth it.
--Paul, Kenya
Double CD Offer
--from DC Home, USA
Embrace/Dancing with Jesus (Loving Jesus #2; 2 CDs)
Open for Love/Desiring You (Loving Jesus #1; 2 CDs)
Price: $10 per set (of 2 CDs) + shipping costs
$1.75 for First Class mail (within North America)
$3.50 for Priority Mail
$4 International
Send your orders to:
CD Project
5223 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. Suite 170
Washington, DC 20015, USA
Make your check or PMO out to: The DC Family
(Cash in US $ is okay; send at your own risk, in a double envelope.)
ideas and tips
Business card notes
I find it helpful to write all the information I can on the back of a potential supporter's business card after I've talked to them. I keep the card in a safe place or add the info to a simple computer file of important friends and potential contacts. It helps to use this information on your next meeting with them. For example, you could ask how their children are doing and use their names. I believe this shows special concern and touches their heart.
--David, Ruthie, John, Nadia, Taiwan
18 goals wheel
Idea: A wheel on a card with the 18 goals for 1998, with quotes from the Mop and verses in each section. Each day you spin the arrow and work on the specific goal it's pointing to when it stops. (If it's between two goals, then you make a special effort in two areas that day). On the other side of the card you glue the summaries of Family goals for 1998 which you can read that day (the section you need to work on). Or if the push of the day is "hearing from the Lord more in prophecy," pick a "hearing from the Lord" promise, etc.
--Joan, Indonesia
now that's funny!
The Year's Best Actual News Headlines (yes, they are real!)
1. Include Your Children When Baking Cookies
2. Something Went Wrong In Jet Crash, Expert Says
3. Police Begin Campaign To Run Down Jaywalkers
4. Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted
5. Drunk Gets Nine Months In Violin Case
6. Survivor Of Siamese Twins Joins Parents
7. Iraqi Head Seeks Arms
8. Prostitutes Appeal To Pope
9. Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
10. British Left Waffles On Falkland Islands
11. Lung Cancer In Women Mushrooms
12. Eye Drops Off Shelf
13. Teachers Strike Idle Kids
14. Clinton Wins On Budget, But More Lies Ahead
15. Enraged Cow Injures Farmer With Ax
16. Plane Too Close To Ground, Crash Probe Told
17. Miners Refuse To Work After Death
18. Juvenile Court To Try Shooting Defendant
19. Stolen Painting Found By Tree
20. Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years In Checkout Counter
21. Killer Sentenced To Die For Second Time In 10 Years
22. Never Withhold Herpes Infection From Loved One
23. War Dims Hope For Peace
24. If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last A While
25. Cold Wave Linked To Temperatures
26. Deer Kill 17,000
27. Enfields Couple Slain, Police Suspect Homicide
28. Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge
29. Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
30. Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge
31. New Study Of Obesity Looks For Larger Test Group
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true accounts during Summit '98
--by Eli, FC
One night after midnight, my back was hurting me, so I decided to go sit in the Jacuzzi. I had been there alone for about 15 minutes when all of a sudden two 19- or 20-year-old girls popped in.
They said, "Hi! Who's that?"
I said, "Eli."
They just sort of said "Oh," like maybe they didn't know me, and then sat down, putting their legs in on the other side of the Jacuzzi. It was dark so I couldn't really see them very well. It was the day that everyone was arriving for the workshop meetings (70 attendees), so a lot of new people had come that I'd never met before.
The two girls started talking away instantly about their boyfriends Stevie and Joshua. One of the girls' names was Jessica, and I think the other's name was Ruth. So they were going on about their boyfriends, and about how Jessica knows that Joshua really has deep feelings for her. She explained that when he goes to the dances, he always dances with the other girls and doesn't hardly come and say anything to her, but he looks at her and he has let her know that he has deep feelings for her, etc.
I kept on trying to chime in the conversation, trying to say things out of "Male and Female" that they could relate to. "Oh yeah, well, you know, that's the way guys are, isn't it?" But they really wouldn't let me in their conversation; they just kept talking on a mile a minute.
I thought, "Man, these teens are really teens, but I guess boyfriends and girl/boy relations is where they're at!" They were really into this topic nonstop.
Then after about five minutes I looked up and I saw these two red glows in the dark coming from their mouths and I realized that they were both smoking! My instant reaction was to introvert and just pretend I didn't see it, so as to not cause any waves. I didn't want to act like an old-bottle FGA or something, I wanted to kind of try to "go with the flow" or at least not jump the gun in my reaction, have a little grace about the matter, etc. I looked again, and sure enough they were smoking away on cigarettes. I sat there for a minute or so, then thought to myself, "Boy, what kind of a lukewarm guy am I? Am I just going to sit here and not say anything? Can't I at least stand up for my convictions, at least find out what's going on in as unobtrusive a manner as possible?"
So finally I spoke up. I tried to do it lovingly and not like a condescending FGA, but I just said, "Are you guys really sitting there smoking?"
They answered back, "Oh yes. I mean, both of our parents agree with it. And what's wrong with it anyway? I mean, I've talked it out with my mother and she knows I smoke; she allows me to do it and it's fine. So, what are you talking about; are you coming from a health point of view or what?"
I thought, "Boy, these teens are really full of their subject, firing right back without hesitation and capable of defending their individual choices. Whew, their parents actually gave them permission? I don't know how far in the Family they are, but they're sure on a long leash."
I said, "I can understand that your parents gave you permission to smoke and all that. That's fine as far as people having free choices and being able to decide what they want to do and how they want to live their life; and if your parents have given you permission to smoke, then that's really their decision, I guess. That's at least one side of the picture. But," I said, "as far as being in the Family, what do you think about what the Charter says about smoking?"
One of the girls answered back, "Well, you know, it's just a matter of individual choice." I thought, "Man, they're really taking the independence that the Charter gives and running with it, making such a solid stand on the issue of free choice, instead of on the responsibilities!" She went on, "If a person chooses to live a certain way, then that's his choice and he can do what he wants." Then she added, "But as far as like the family what family are you talking about? It's okay with my family if I smoke. I've talked it out with them."
That's when I suddenly started to realize that maybe I was on a different planet than they were, and they weren't Family members! Then she said, "And as far as the Charter I don't know what you mean when you say 'Charter,' but it's my individual choice, and everyone can live life the way they want to." And then she went on talking and talking, and thankfully didn't press me to answer what I meant by "Family" and "Charter." She just kept talking. Then slowly, I started to really get the point that maybe this "Jessica" and "Ruth" talking about "Joshua" and "Stevie" just weren't Family members after all, and I sort of embarrassedly began slinking away from the conversation and withdrawing myself back to my little corner of the Jacuzzi, ha! But my one saving thought was that at least I had spoken up, and as lovingly as I could, whereas if I wouldn't have said anything perhaps I wouldn't have found out the truth of what was going on. Perhaps. Ha! Oh well, it gave me a good reason to laugh at myself.
(Editor's note: The Summit was held in an area which shared the recreational facilities with nearby condominiums.)
ws news
"Welcome home" play
When Peter and his team returned home from the Summit, we all got together (Mama and Peter included) for a special welcome home dinner and evening of fellowship. The home team had prepared a rather elaborate mini-theatre production as entertainment, which we all thoroughly enjoyed!
The play was set in the olden days--when castles and kings and queens were commonplace. The king and queen of the land symbolized Peter and Mama. The entire story would be too lengthy to retell, but in brief, the king had gone off to war, and word spread around the kingdom that he was soon to return.
There were various discussions between some of the young men and the wise old sage of the land, as the young men questioned why the king was the one leading the troops at the forefront of the battle. Was it not foolish to endanger his health and the entire kingdom? What if he was lost in battle? The young men longed to go to battle and fight for their kingdom, yet they had been chosen to stay behind. The sage divulged the secret of their king and queen's wisdom and that unearthly glow which they possessed--their dependence on their God and their obedience in following whatever He asked of them. Likewise, the young men were called to keep the home fires burning, and their being willing to remain back from the battle and give support through their prayers enabled those who fought to be victorious.
The set (our living room) was complete with a makeshift castle, a mini-carriage which brought in the spoils of battle when the king returned, ladies in waiting, small crowds of people waiting to hail their returning king, etc. All participants of the play were dressed for their parts: beards, white hair, peasant attire, etc.
In conclusion, when the king returned and the lovely queen awaited his embrace, he brought with him an armload and carriage full of reward which their God had granted them as the victors of the battle--sheaves--the souls and lives strengthened and saved!
The entire script, which was quite lengthy, and had to be memorized by those performing the play (another major feat!), was received in prophecy. It was beautiful and had the few of us left in the audience in tears!
look for
(Mama:) A soon-coming series of five tremendous parenting GNs on the care and spiritual training of the most precious treasures we possess-our children! These GNs will be accompanied by a terrific FSM called, "Spiritual Weapons for Little Warriors" (FSM 330), I know you'll find these pubs very interesting and encouraging. For a sneak preview of the FSM, it contains prophecies from some of our children; a testimony from a pioneer family who used prophecy with their children as they were growing up; and one young mother's account of using prayer, the Word and the Charter in the training of her small children. It also contains a very good reading list.
When reading these articles, if any similar testimonies that you have experienced or tips that you've found helpful come to mind, please be sure to write them up and send them in, so that we can pub them for the benefit of all. We love you!
KIDDIE ideas and tips
Prophecies for kids
It's such a blessing to receive prophecies for the children, not only when they are sick or are going through it, but they've found it very encouraging when we would get personal prophecies as gifts for them on their birthdays.
-John, Sara, Tim and Tabitha, Czech Republic
Concordance quiz
We made listening to the Wild Wind praise tape a quiz game for the JETTs/OCs. They listened to a song and then found the verses using a concordance. This taught them how to use their concordance and was a fun way to have devotions.
-Stefan Newheart, Pakistan
Kiddie witnessing tip
Write down each foreign line you want the kids to learn on a card (one line per card) for each child. Give it to them when they go out. This gives them a chance to look over the cards when talking to people if they forgot how to say the line. Then give commendation and rewards to those who learn the lines. Progress charts can be made which will encourage the students.
-Peter P., Japan
Included with this file:
Peanuts and 'n' Raisins
Caption1: Seth (5) had been told that his YA sister Autumn was coming for a visit. Evidently, he misunderstood:
Caption2: Mom, when are Adam and Eve coming?
Caption3: Don't you mean when is Autumn coming?
Caption4: I'm sure Auntie Paloma said Adam & Eve.
Caption5: Do you think they'll wear clothes?
The New Daz
Caption1: Uncle Haz feels a little bit blue as he stands in a long bathroom queue
Caption2: But he can't help confessing that communal life's blessings
Caption3: Outnumber trials 60-to-2!
Caption4: Get well soon, Haz. We're praying for you!
Caption5: I got this prophecy for you
Caption6: We love you! Would you like some soup?
Item: cards from the kids.
(End)
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family