Worldwide Activity Report -- December 1996
FAR033 - GP

December 1996, by The Family, Zurich, Switzerland

         Every day, in over 70 countries spanning the globe, 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 the Family members involved.

Uganda: Forgotten suffering
From Franz and Lily, Kenya
         We recently returned from a three-week trip to Kampala, the capital of neighboring Uganda. That country, the tenth poorest in the world, has suffered terribly in the past twenty years. Civil war has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands, and that and corruption have almost totally wrecked the economy. Now AIDS is rampant, making orphans of many thousands of children. The poverty and hopelessness are staggering. Little mention is made of all this in international news, but it's a desperate situation.
         A hotel owner, who provided us with free accommodations and meals for most of our stay, put us in touch with a needy orphanage which cares for 400 children. When we contacted those who run the orphanage, they said they had just prayed for someone to come and help them. That orphanage became our main project while there.
         We were able to find sponsors in the business community who agreed to donate many of the most urgent needs of the orphanage, as well as free medical service for the children. We even found one man who was looking for an orphanage to help support on an ongoing basis.
         It's just a start, but the staff and children at the orphanage are very encouraged.

Miracle healing
From Heidi, Italy
         I met little Adriano at the cancer clinic for children where I work. He was so sick that he couldn't talk or move; he could only stare out of his stillness with big dark eyes that seemed to say, There is no hope. My heart broke for him and his mother, who stood vigil at his bedside.
         One night I couldn't get my mind off Adriano, and lay awake praying for him. He had slipped into a coma four days earlier, and his doctors didn't expect him to regain consciousness.
         When I walked into Adriano's room the next morning to see how he was doing, his mother jumped to her feet. "He woke up! He woke up!" she exclaimed. "He's even talking!" I was overwhelmed to the point of tears.
         I explained to Adriano's mother how I had prayed desperately for him in the night, and she thanked me over and over. She was convinced that her boy had been healed through a miracle of God in answer to prayer -- and so was I!
         Adriano has now started to walk and eat normally again, and is responding well to therapy. He still has a long way to go before he is fully recovered, though, so we are continuing to pray for him. Would you please pray for this dear boy too? Thank you!

Love to lean on
From the Eastern Europe Mail Ministry Office
         Following are translated excerpts of a letter we received from Kazimierz, a 39-year-old prison inmate in Poland who has been writing regularly.
         First of all, I would like to thank you for the letters you sent me recently. As you can see from my return address, I am now in the prison hospital. My illness has progressed so much that I have open wounds on my legs which are not healing. I am waiting for an operation now, the third one on my legs. I am afraid of this operation, and that I might lose my legs. Prayer is a great comfort in my suffering, and helps me stay sane.
         Thank you for remembering me. Now, like never before, I am in great need of the strength and comfort I find in the Gospel publications you send me. I am very thankful for your support, as right now I have nobody I can depend on but you and the Lord.
         I sometimes get very depressed when I think about how I wasted my life before I came to Jesus. I lost my wife, my children, my family, and got a long prison sentence which will not end for another seven years. Yet I can't help but thank the Lord who found me here, behind prison bars, and who loved me in my lowest state.
         I am sharing your literature with all I can in this prison, and give your address to other inmates because I believe you can help them as much as you have helped me.
         Your brother in Christ, Kazimierz

Healed of deadly food poisoning
From Christina, Japan
         "Please pray earnestly for our two daughters," one of our closest friends pleaded over the phone. The children had contracted the O-157 strain of E. coli bacteria which had already claimed 11 lives and sickened more than 10,000 people -- mostly children -- in this country over the past several months.
         The family had been on a vacation trip when the children became deathly ill after eating an obento (box lunch) on a ferry. Both girls were hospitalized. Minori, just two years old, was in extremely critical condition -- beyond what is considered the point of no return in such cases -- and on life support. Her four-year-old sister was in stable condition.
         We immediately gathered everyone in our home and prayed desperately for the girls, especially Minori. We also contacted other Family members around the country to ask them to pray as well. My husband then traveled to the city where the children were hospitalized, in order to personally pray with, counsel and comfort their parents and grandmother, who had also gone to help.
         We were later informed that at the time we started to pray for the girls, Minori's blood count stabilized. Then she slowly began to regain her strength. The miracle of healing had begun! By the next day, she had made marked progress. About a week later she was released, and within three weeks both girls had completely recovered. This wonderful answer to prayer greatly encouraged their parents' and grandmother's faith -- and ours!

Saved -- through a secondhand tract!
From Claire, teenage Family member, Brazil
         "This paper saved my friend's life!" a woman exclaimed when I offered her a Somebody Loves You tract. I was shocked!
         "Do you sing?" she asked.
         "Yes, I do," I nodded.
         "Well, of course you do!" she quickly added. "You sang in such-and-such restaurant with some other girls, right? You and another girl came to my table and gave me one of these leaflets and told me about your work. Later I gave that leaflet to a friend who had so many problems and was so depressed that he wanted to kill himself. He read your leaflet and changed his mind. He has since moved to another city, but he phoned me from there to say that he was happy. He also said that if I ever met you again, to tell you that your message saved and changed his life."
         I was overwhelmed with the wonderful realization that the Lord had used us to save someone's life -- literally!
         Worldwide, the Family distributes over one million pieces of Gospel literature each month. How many other lives do you suppose have been saved?

"Keep holding tight to Jesus!"
From Rejoice, Philippines
         One very hot day, my son and I stepped into a shop to buy some bottled drinking water, and he handed the sales lady a copy of our To You! -- With Love tract. "Does God love me?" she asked glumly.
         "Yes, He does!" we answered. "Whatever our troubles may be, no matter how heavy our burdens may be, God loves us! He loves us so much, in fact, that He sent Jesus to help us. During our most difficult times, Jesus carries us and holds us tight. It's we who sometimes let go of Him."
         At that, the saleslady, who turned out to also be the owner of the shop, began to explain her problems. Her husband had passed away recently, and she was left with a lot of debts. On top of that, she had just received notice from municipal hall that all the shops in that area were going to be demolished. "What am I to do?" she asked. "This shop is my only source of income."
         By the time we finished our conversation, she had decided to plead her cause to the mayor's office. We prayed for her, bid her farewell, and parted with these words: "Keep holding tight to Jesus! Whatever happens, don't let go!"
         Five days later we dropped by to say hello and see how she was doing. As soon as she saw us, she lit up and excused herself from the customers she was with. "The Lord answered your prayer!" she told us excitedly. "I can keep my shop! The first official I talked to said he couldn't do anything, but the words, `Keep holding tight to Jesus,' kept ringing in my ears. This renewed my determination. I appealed to higher authorities, and my request was granted!"

Transformed!
From Emma, age 20, and Corrie, age 14, Russia
         When we went to visit a close friend, she wasn't there, but her best friend, Olga, was. When she realized we were the Christians her friend had told her about, Olga began asking us different questions about God and His ability to protect His children -- questions which were rather unusual for a first meeting. She went on to tell us that her husband had started to drink, and at times seemed almost psychotic. He would change from a gentle, loving husband, to a violent monster. To add to her fears, she had found an unexplained weapon in their home. "I'm so desperate, I'm willing to try anything," she said.
         We told Olga about the power of prayer, and what it has done in our lives. Then we encouraged her to be honest with her husband and tell him how she felt. We prayed with her, and assured her that the Lord was able to change her husband and their situation.
         Then we bumped into Olga a couple of days later, she threw her arms around us, and hugged and kissed us. She said she had taken our advice, told her husband how she felt, and listened to what he had to say. As a result, he had stopped drinking and their relationship was much better already. She told her husband that we had prayed with her, and they both credit the Lord with changing their lives. Now they want to learn more about God, the Bible and prayer.

         The Family is a non-profit, volunteer organization. Each of the activities you have just read about were made possible through donations from businesses, associations and concerned individuals. If you would like more information about The Family, or if you would like to help sponsor Family volunteers or projects, please contact us at one of the addresses below:

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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