LATEST NEWS FLASH!--No. 246      DO/TS    2/96
--By WS Staff

NOTICE REGARDING "PATHS OF PROGRESS" FAMILY IN ACTION MAG

February 1996 by The Family, Zurich, Switzerland

(Recommended reading for all teens and YAs)

Dear teens and YAs,

         God bless you! We love you and thank God for your love for the Lord and your dedication to getting out His Message to the world! The testimonies we receive from you and your Homes prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is truly anointing you to carry on the mission of reaching this last generation with His Love. Praise the Lord!

         We'd like to give a little word of explanation regarding the "Paths of Progress" Family in Action mag which you will be receiving at the same time as this LNF. This DFO mag contains a number of testimonies we've received from Family young people around the world, who tell of the training and education that they have obtained in the Family. Much of what they have learned, like all of you, has been through the experiences they have had in Family Homes and the various ministries they have participated in. Even what to some of us may seem a rather "mundane" ministry, when translated into System terms often represents a wealth of knowledge and training that many of your peers in society at large would envy! So while many of you have less formal education than other teens or young adults your age in the System, your own experience shows that you are by no means behind in training and knowledge applicable in everyday life. This is precisely the point made in the testimonies published in this mag.

         It's possible that when reading some of the testimonies, you may feel like, "Boy, these folks are really lifted up in pride and arrogantly tooting their own horn! Where's their humility and giving the Lord all the credit?" So we'd like to explain that since the Family in Action mags are geared towards non-Family members, we requested that the writers of these testimonies present them in a way that would be impressive to the System. In the System it's quite normal for people to promote their own abilities when trying to sell others on a certain idea they want to get across. While we know that all of us -- including those whose testimonies are in this mag -- are truly nothing and a complete mess without the Lord and His Spirit and anointing, that concept is less relatable to the average outsider. So since the purpose of the mag is to describe the education and training those raised in the Family have received in terms understandable to the GP, it was necessary to "toot our own horn" a bit.

         However, we'd like to clarify that this does not mean we are encouraging our young people to go around showing off to their peers all they know or have learned or experienced! We may need to promote these things to the public to correct their misconceptions about the training of our Family teens, but it certainly won't help our pride to go around trying to impress our brothers and sisters with our superior training and knowledge. Had the testimonies been originally written for the Family's sake, solely for the benefit of you young people, a number of them would no doubt have been worded differently and expressed in a humbler tone, explaining things from a point of view more relatable to the way the Lord and Dad have taught us to look at things.

         By the same token, please try not to compare what you know or have learned or experienced with the training and experience others have had, or with those whose testimonies are published in this mag have had. While you may not have had the exact same opportunities of service as other teens or YAs you know, you have no doubt received training and learned things that they haven't. Some skills, like choreographing, or typing 100 words per minute, or playing lead guitar, are more visible and easily recognized. While other skills may be less showy, such as the ability to lovingly interact with others, or care for and teach children, or cheerfully help in any situation, or wisely answer questions while witnessing, or prayerfully help people find solutions to their problems, they are no less important. In fact, in the Lord's eyes they're usually more important. Some of the more showy types of talents and gifts may be emphasized in this particular mag because that's what the System best relates to and understands, but that does not make them more important, nor minimize the other gifts and skills and lessons you have learned. So please don't compare yourself and your abilities with others. Each of you is special in your own way, with unique training, gifts and talents for which we are truly thankful.

         May God continue to bless, strengthen, train and teach you through your many varied experiences. Keep going for Him! We love you!

         Much love,
         Your Family in Action Editors

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Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family