Worldwide Activity Report -- January 1997
FAR034 - GP

January 1997, by The Family, Zurich, Switzerland

         Every day, in over 78 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.

Abused children find love and joy
From Christina and Jered, Russia
         "The most important thing you have given these children is joy," the director of a children's home told us as we packed up after putting on a show and party for the kids. "You have given them more of that today than they have had in their whole lives!"
         The visit was part of a program that we and other young Family members conducted for children's homes in Perm, near the Ural Mountains, and six outlying towns. The children in these homes weren't actually orphans; they were either found abandoned, or were taken from alcoholic parents. As young as most of them were, they understood that their parents had rejected them and they were in desperate need of love and reassurance.
         In preparation for our visits to these homes, we had collected truckloads of goods from local sponsors: shoes, clothes, toys, school supplies, tape recorders, candy, and enough fruit and vegetables to give each home about four kilos per child.
         This was our first visit to each of these homes, and the conditions we found in several of them were much worse than we had expected. One had been open for one month, and still lacked such basics as running water and light bulbs. Many of the children had shaven heads, and others were crawling with lice. The food and living conditions in some of the homes were extremely poor.
         Our program consisted of a show that included a few songs and skits, a party with balloons and presents for each child, and as much personal attention as we could give them. The kids were all so cute with their presents. One five-year-old on Christina's lap hugged each little gift to himself as he sorted through his bag. "It's mine, it's mine!" he said each time.
         "He and the others have never received presents before," the director of the home explained.
         In a remote village of 500 people, another director showed her appreciation by treating us all to a feast of shish kabobs, during which she proposed a toast to us that went like this: "We never dreamed that people like you would come to our little village. We thank God that people like you exist, who give their lives to make others happy!" We later learned that she had slaughtered and prepared her only lamb to feed us.
         We'll never forget the children's faces, or the question that brought tears to our eyes each time we had to leave: "How soon are you coming back?" We are now collecting more supplies and attempting to find sponsors for the most needy homes.

Healed of gangrene
From Leyland and Nat, South Africa
         During one of our visits to Addington Hospital, we met a young man whose leg was about to be amputated. He was a drug addict and had been injecting into his leg; gangrene had developed and threatened his life. Having his leg amputated appeared to be his only option. As we talked, he told us that he had been praying for a change in his life. We prayed with him to receive Jesus into his heart, and also for his healing.
         Upon our next visit to the hospital, we met him in the hallway. He was walking -- on two good legs! "The Lord miraculously healed me," he said with a broad smile. His doctors confirmed that there was no medical explanation for his recovery, considering the state his leg had been in!

New lives for delinquents
From Angela, India
         Other Family volunteers and myself have been assisting at a home for delinquent boys for the last two years, but it has only been in the last few months that we have begun to see results in changed lives. More and more boys are now becoming interested in the English class which we offer, which is our main avenue of reaching and helping them. Attendance -- which is purely voluntary -- has recently grown from 15 to about 45.
         We give classes to three groups: The beginners learn to read from elementary school books and learn to write; the second group is learning spelling and phonics; and the third, most advanced group is learning grammar and cursive writing. In addition to formal class time, we also teach by means of songs, charades, skits, one-on-one conversations, art projects and more. Through these classes and the time we spend with the boys, we also try to help them reshape their values and inspire them with new goals.
         In the course of our other outreach activities, we have met a number of businessmen who are interested in taking some of these boys under their wing and employing them after they are released from the institution. Together, we hope to help these boys be happy and make good use of their lives.

AIDS patients find Jesus
From Ariana (16) and Isabel (14), Colombia
         Our latest project began when a friend whose cousin has AIDS asked us to visit him in one of the several homes in our city for AIDS patients. We found many broken people there, mostly teenagers, who were very thankful for the time we took to talk with them and pray for them. Most people in this country -- and probably the world -- despise AIDS patients and are afraid of them. People don't realize how much these poor, dying people need God's love. Few also seem to understand that by carefully adhering to a few basic hygiene guidelines, risk of infection is very slight.
         We sang several songs to the patients, Psalms from the Bible put to modern tunes, and some closed their eyes and repeated the words with us. They later prayed with us to receive Jesus into their hearts, and begged us to return the next day for a get-together with patients from the other homes.
         The next day we sang again, and everyone liked our little show so much that they insisted we do the whole thing again. Then we prayed the salvation prayer with those we hadn't prayed with the day before -- about 60 people in all. Praise the Lord! We also met the priest who runs the homes, and he asked us to keep coming.
         We visit these AIDS patients every weekend now, and give them Bible classes. Their psychologist says that we are a very good influence on them, and she wants to include us in her regular program. We're very happy that the Lord is using us to encourage and help these outcasts of society that are so lonely and need so much help.

One guarantee for happiness
From Abe and Mercy, Taiwan
         A lady whom we helped with some of her English homework some time ago asked if we could teach her English every day. She is married and has two children, so we couldn't understand why she wanted to study English so hard. It was her father-in-law, she explained. He looked down on her because she didn't have a good job, so she decided to put all her energy into studying English. If she were to graduate from college, she reasoned, she would look better in the eyes of her relatives -- especially her father-in-law.
         "Graduating from college and getting a better job is no guarantee for happiness," we explained. "What you need is Jesus. He is the only One who can make you happy. People will judge you according to outward appearances, but God sees your heart. Jesus loves and accepts you just as you are, and He can give you the security and confidence you desire."
         When she prayed with us to receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit, she just cried and cried. The Lord had given us His words of love and reassurance for her, and the unconditional love that she felt from Him at that moment was more than she had ever dreamed of, she said.

A Miracle for the Patels
From Franz and Lily, Kenya
         "When I die, Gladys will take care of you." For seven years Mr. and Mrs. Patel had both known that Mrs. Patel had cancer, and they had prepared for the inevitable. They had even hired a caretaker, Gladys, for their four children.
         Everything was set, but everything was not right. Mr. Patel is a Muslim, but didn't believe in the afterlife. How long would this agony of soul go on? Finally he became so desperate that he cried out to God for help -- and God transformed his life! "I know now there is a Heaven," he told us later, "and I received Jesus into my heart."
         A short while later, we all prayed for Mrs. Patel before she left for an operation abroad. When the doctors operated to remove the cancerous tumors, they surprisingly found the tumors were gone! Mrs. Patel had been healed!
         Mr. Patel was thrilled. He wasn't going to lose his wife after all! He began to devour everything we gave him to read about God and faith. Then he asked for more of our publications to give to his friends, whom he knew were also searching for answers in life. God's love is continuing to change Mr. Patel and his friends. They say he's a different person, and many of them want what he found!

         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


Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family