Worldwide Activity Report -- April 1996
FAR024 - GP
April 1996, by The Family, Zurich, Switzerland

Every day, in nearly 70 countries across six continents, full-time Family volunteers work to bring hope, happiness and God's Love to others. Following are some highlights of their recent activities and experiences, as reported by Family missionaries.

Helping impoverished families
From Samuel and Serena, Peru:
         We received an invitation from a wealthy family in a northern city of Peru, to assist them in a project of helping the poor of their area. About 10,000 people live in the area, mostly in shacks, without drinking water, drainage, electricity or health services. Before leaving Lima, we approached a leading clinic and asked if they would like to donate supplies and medicines towards this project, which they gladly did.
         We remained in northern Peru for one week, distributing medical supplies and personally ministering to some 1,200 people. We distributed our color posters with their uplifting messages, and time and again saw these put in a place of prominence in the homes we visited. Every day we would come out of the little house where we were staying to encounter people who had not yet received one of these posters, waiting to ask us for one. The family who had invited us was thrilled with all that was accomplished in the lives of these people.
         It touched our hearts to see how thankful these poor families were for the help we offered. We also found in them a great hunger to learn of spiritual things, and the hope of a future beyond their present desperate circumstances. Grown men cried as we told them about Jesus and His free gift of eternal life, and almost all of those we talked with gladly accepted Him as their Savior.

Aid distribution to Bosnian refugees
From David, Sara and Tamara, Slovakia:
         On our second visit to a Bosnian refugee camp we were able to present the refugees with thousands of donated items; in all, we transported and distributed one ton of new and secondhand clothes and toys, as well as food. The refugees thanked us many times over. When at one point they learned that we were unpaid volunteers, they raised a spontaneous cheer.
         The situation for most of the refugees is quite desperate: While their homes and livelihoods in Bosnia have all been destroyed, they also have no future here in Slovakia. They are housed in a former Russian army base, and are quite cut off from the local community. "Nobody comes to visit us besides you," we were told by one person.
         Hearing the refugees tell their life stories is heartbreaking, and even difficult to fathom for those who have not lived in Bosnia. A quarter of all Bosnians belong to mixed Serb-Bosnian families, and they fear that if they were to return to a divided former Yugoslavia, one parent or the other would not be accepted in the community. Even here in Slovakia, husbands and wives from mixed marriages live in separate camps, including those who have children. Despite the Dayton peace accord, it is evident that finding a lasting solution to the many problems will take a great deal of time and continued effort. Meanwhile, for these who have lost so much, the pain runs very deep.
         After distributing the relief supplies, our young people put on a musical performance and distributed our color posters with their messages of hope and faith. We also talked deeply with many of the refugees for a long time. These visits have left a lasting impression on all of us, and we hope to return often.

Brightening the lives of the elderly
From Abel and Marie Claire, Calcutta, India:
         At a local home for the elderly, we did a musical program and reading about the positive side of growing older. The residents listened attentively to the songs and were encouraged by the anecdotes and passages we read to them from Family publications. We also told them how the purpose of this life is to prepare us for the Hereafter, and explained how to get to Heaven. They loved it!
         Afterwards, as we mingled and got to know them, each person in the home thanked us for coming and told us how much they appreciated the songs. One request we heard over and over was, "Please pray for us!" -- something which we are more than happy to do!
         Many of these elderly people have no families to provide for them, so we also inquired about their material needs. We have since petitioned some of our friends and local businesses to help with providing these needed articles, and many are happy to contribute. As in so many of the situations The Family is involved with, these elderly people had needs, and others had the means and a willingness to give. All that was needed was someone to make the connection -- and that's where we came in! It's wonderfully rewarding to see how far a little love, prayer, thoughtfulness, and encouragement goes in brightening the lives of these dear senior citizens, who often go unnoticed and feel forgotten and unloved.

Encouragement for Chernobyl victims
From Charlene (17), Ukraine:
         Ten years after the tragic nuclear reactor accident in Chernobyl, residents of the area are still living with its destructive legacy. We recently visited Ivankov, a town about two hours from Kiev, which lies in what is considered the area worst-affected by the disaster. We had been invited by the Red Cross to perform at the Cultural Center during the Invalids' Day celebration.
         During our time there we met and talked with many of the local residents, including a number of children who now have debilitating illnesses as a result of exposure to the radiation. We sang songs of love and encouragement to them, and afterwards many of the victims prayed with us to receive Jesus' Love. They were comforted to know that one day they will have rest from all their suffering and problems, in Heaven with Jesus.
         In appreciation, some of the handicapped children gave us little framed pictures that they had made for us. They were especially touched that we had come only out of love for them, and performed for free. Their teacher told us that it was the first time that anyone had come to their town to do a show for them. She said, "Your performance was wonderful! It was just what both the parents and children needed: a universal message."

Helping handicapped children
From Mary, Pakistan:
         With the help of local sponsors who purchase sets of our educational children's videos so that they can be donated to needy causes, we have been able to reach out to many in this country. To this intent, we recently went to an institution for orphaned children who are mentally and physically handicapped. Appalled at the conditions in which the children and staff were forced to live and work, we offered our services. We scrubbed down and repainted the entire place, apparently the first time it had received such needed maintenance in years!
         The mother of a handicapped girl we met elsewhere introduced us to the principals of another school which her daughter attends, where all the children are from well-to-do families. The principals were thrilled to learn about the educational videos and other teaching tools which The Family has produced and which we use with our own children. They were particularly interested in our early reading program. At their request, we held two seminars to instruct their teachers in these teaching methods.
         In these and other situations in which we find ourselves, we are continually reminded of the unique contributions we can make to the people in these institutions, both rich and poor alike. We are committed to trying to help these and other needy causes in any way that we are able.

Music as medicine
From Susana, David and Andres, Paraguay:
         A man who had bought some of our children's music tapes some time ago related to us the following story:
         For the last three years his seven-year-old son had been having neurological treatment, and had been unable to sleep soundly. He had been prescribed strong sleeping pills, but these caused him to wake up crying, very agitated and uneasy. Then, a second doctor recommended that the father dim the lights in the room and have his son listen to our children's music tapes. When the father tried that, the boy relaxed, went into a restful and deep sleep, and has been sleeping better ever since!
         "I am sure that your music is divinely inspired!" the grateful father told us.

For more information:
         Visit The Family at our Internet Web site: http://www.thefamily.org/family
         E-mail: family@thefamily.org


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