Worldwide Activity Report -- February 1997
FAR035 - GP

Copyright 1997 by The Family

         Every day, in nearly 80 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.

Our neediest "neighbors"
From Dustin, Moldavia
         Most of the institutions in this country are in pretty bad shape materially and financially, so when we came here a few months ago we set out to do what we could to help. When we contacted the government officials and non-government organizations responsible for the children's institutions, however, they told us about a sector of society that is even needier than the institutionalized -- families with little or no income. There are at least 8,000 "vulnerable" families in our city alone, they explained.
         "Instead of doing programs in institutions, would you be willing to get personally involved with a few of these families?" they asked us. "Would you be willing to do all you can to help them find solutions to their problems?"
         We accepted the challenge.
         We expected to be assigned families with lots of children, who were unable to support or care for them, but our first assignment turned out to be a family of just two -- 15-year-old Valentin and his 25-year-old sister, Natasha.
         They had been raised by their mother in a small and very run-down apartment. She had died of cancer a few weeks before we met them. With the loss of their mother, Valentin and Natasha were severely depressed and not at all prepared to face the world on their own. Natasha had been a medical student until being hospitalized herself with acute diabetes. She was still in the hospital -- and had been for some time -- when we first met her. Valentin was not attending school or working. He was surviving through the charity of several neighbors who, though very poor themselves, were trying their best to help.
         Besides Valentin and Natasha having just lost their mother, their physical situation appeared hopeless. We couldn't promise to make everything better for them overnight, but we offered them our friendship and went to work on some of their most urgent needs. We brought them some desperately needed clothing, had their water heater repaired, and started fixing up the apartment.
         Valentin's outlook brightened as he helped several of us repair the kitchen floor and walls. Until we met him, his only interest had been table tennis. When my co-worker Daniel found out that Valentin was actually quite good at it and was preparing for a big competition, he gave him his own top-quality ping-pong paddle as a gift. We also took him to dinner after learning that he'd never in his life eaten in a restaurant. One of our friends in the business community gave Valentin a good job when he turned 16.
         All the while we were visiting Natasha in the hospital. Neither Natasha nor the hospital could afford the medicines she needed, so we arranged with a pharmaceutical firm to donate them.
         "You are truly the answer to my prayers," she told us after Valentin explained what we were doing to help him. She had begun searching for God a few years ago, Natasha explained, and since the death of her mother she had been even more desperate to find Him. Our counseling and reading of Christian literature with Natasha has led to a beautiful bedside ministry through which many other patients have also been comforted.
         Both Valentin and Natasha are very thankful for what we've done for them. They've had a big impact on our lives too, as we experienced some of their hardships and challenges with them, and partook of their joy as their situations improved and hope was restored to their hearts. It's thrilling to see God's love at work in people's lives!

Christmas encouragement to hostages
From Juan, Peru
         In Lima, a musical group made up of young adult and teenage Family members performed on Christmas Eve for the 140 hostages being held at the Japanese embassy by Tupac Amaru rebels. Part of their moral-boosting performance was aired worldwide by CNN. It was also reported by NHK of Japan, NBC of the USA, Telefe of Argentina, Globo of Brasil and TVE of Spain.

A kids' club with a difference
From Tom and Grace, USA
         Some of the six- to twelve-year-old kids in our neighborhood formed a club called "No Boys Allowed," and as the name implies, set out to assert their "manhood." They hung around, did car washes to raise funds and knocked on doors asking for donations. They also trashed the neighborhood and fought a lot amongst themselves -- especially the younger boys. Many of our neighbors complained about this club, but the parents weren't able to control their kids.
         In response our kids, Ava (12), Arnie (9), Andrew (7) and April (5) started their own club called TLC ("Tender Loving Care"). They spent an hour every morning cleaning up the neighborhood and picking up trash on the street. They also went around to our neighbors, especially elderly ones, and offered to help out. They cleaned their houses, mowed and watered their lawns, and even helped with some cooking. They were sometimes offered money for their services, but our kids refused, saying they had just done it for fun.
         Before long, the president of our neighborhood watch called a meeting. The topic was the neighborhood kids' clubs -- No Boys Allowed and TLC -- and everyone spoke highly of the TLC club.
         The next morning, all the kids from No Boys Allowed came knocking on our door. They had disbanded their club and wanted to join the TLC club!

Aid to the young and old
From Byron, Lithuania
         There are more than 24,000 abandoned and runaway children in this former Soviet Union republic of only three million people. It was with these children in mind that twelve other Family members and I came to Vilnius, this country's capital, in June 1996. Since then we have assisted several children's homes by arranging large donations of food and clothing from sponsors in Western Europe. We also volunteer at several childrens homes, where we have fun-filled, meaningful classes and activities with the children.
         Concurrently, we are helping the Social Security Services of Vilnius open a daycare center for the aged and handicapped. Working with Family members in Western Europe, we secure humanitarian aid in the form of building materials, medical supplies and food. We also offer loving emotional and spiritual support to the center's first members.

Ongoing relief for volcano victims
From Joy, Philippines
         Years after devastating eruptions of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 and 1992 left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands homeless, the effects are still felt by villagers in the surrounding countryside. Seasonal rains and tropical heat turn the deposits of volcanic ash on the mountainside into rivers of steaming hot mud called lahars. Towns in their path can be buried in a matter of hours. As the lahar cools and dries, the towns are entombed in cement-hard mud.
         Over the past five years, several towns have been wiped out. Surviving families still live in resettlement camps under appalling conditions. Some have little more than a tent to call home, and very little food. During the rainy season the tents are flooded and life becomes almost unbearable, especially for the children.
         Other Family relief workers and I have been visiting these camps regularly to offer comfort, prayer and encouragement. In cooperation with Manila businessmen, we also collect and distribute food and other basic necessities to the victims. There is still so very much that needs to be done before these dear people can resume normal lives!

Medical relief to rural areas
From Josh, 20, Nigeria
         We regularly assist Pro-Health, an organization through which local Christian doctors, dentists and nurses provide free medical aid to rural areas of the country. One of the most recent projects we helped with was in the mostly-Muslim village of Shendam, in eastern Plateau State.
         We began by helping to sort and package the medicine for the trip, which had been donated by companies in the United States. Then two other Family members and I accompanied 19 doctors and nurses on the long bus ride to Shendam. Hundreds of people came for treatment daily during the six-day project. Work days of 11 hours or more were the norm.
         Eve and I worked almost full-time in the pharmacy, filling prescriptions. I was also trained to give antimalarial injections, as some of the people who came in had serious cases of malaria that had to be treated immediately, but there weren't enough doctors and nurses to go around. Michael worked as an assistant in the dental clinic, where he learned to administer local anesthetics and extract teeth. In all, the doctors attended to over 2,200 patients, and performed 90 surgeries. We also passed out inspirational Hausa ("To You -- With Love") leaflets to nearly everyone in the village.
         When the project came to a close, the longumy (traditional ruler of the province) presented each of us with a traditional hat as a token of his appreciation. Later the wife of the governor of Plateau State held a dinner in honor of the medical team -- ourselves included -- at the governor's residence. Our greatest reward, however, was the looks of appreciation on the faces of those we served.

         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:

Web: http://www.thefamily.org/family
E-mail: family@thefamily.org


Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family