Worldwide Activity Report -- May 1998
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Copyright 1998 by The Family

         "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone, everywhere," Jesus told His followers. Every day, in nearly 80 countries, Family missionaries share Jesus' message of hope and love with many thousands. Following are some highlights of their recent activities and experiences.

         [Picture caption page one] Love from above. A woman in Tunzigo, Mexico, pauses to read one of the many thousands of tracts that The Family distributes each month.

         [Picture caption page two] Spellbound. Schoolgirls in Armenia are captivated by the Lord's love in a Family poster about their guardian angels.

The ripple effect
         Witnessing--sharing your faith with others in person or through Gospel literature--has been likened to a stone that is thrown into a pond: We see the initial splash, but sometimes fail to appreciate the far-reaching effects of the ripples the splash sends out, as they radiate across the pond. As the message of God's love spreads from hand to hand, mouth to mouth and heart to heart, it reaches thousands upon thousands we may never meet--and a few we do....
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From Jenny, Brazil
         One woman got in touch with us after she found one of our tracts in her house. Apparently another member of her family had left it lying around. The woman said she had been going through very rough times, but was wonderfully encouraged by that tract. She went on to explain that she had reread that tract many times since, and it was what kept her going. When we offered to send her some other literature, she replied, "Yes, please do!--And please send me more of those beautiful tracts so I can give them to all of my friends, some of whom have asked to photocopy the one I have."
         Another woman we offered a tract to said, "I have been trying to find the group who prints these for a long time! I received a handwritten copy from a friend, and wanted to find out more."
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From James, Canada
         In a nearby city, I met a woman who had gotten saved after reading a tract that she found on the ground!
         "I just love this!" she exclaimed when I offered her a "True Love, Forever Love" tract. "I opened my heart to Jesus, like it says, and He has helped me so much! I keep my copy on my mirror now, and I read it every day!"
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From Samaria, Pakistan
         I was talking with a secretary who I had just met, and before long our conversation turned to the Endtime. I was surprised at how much she knew, and how closely her understanding of various details of Endtime events coincided with what The Family teaches. Finally she said, "You know, I read all this in Treasures! It's a beautiful book, which you really should read!"
         "That's a Family publication!" I told her. "How did you get your copy?"
         "When I started working here, I found it in the drawer. The previous secretary changed jobs, and left it here," she answered. "I took it home to read, and when my husband saw it, he was fascinated. Now he's reading through it a second time. He kept his faith to himself before, but now he doesn't miss an occasion to talk to others about the Bible. He says that since he read Treasures, he can speak intelligently about nearly any subject, any time, and enjoys telling others about the Lord!"
         (The Treasures book is a unique collection of Bible-based articles on a wide array of subjects that are vital to the Christian who desires to progress spiritually and share the Lord's love with others. To order your own copy, write to the e-mail address at the end of this publication.)
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From Christina, Taiwan
         While my husband, Marcus, and I were on a two-week trip to mainland China, we had a chance to meet a man with whom one of our co-workers has been corresponding for some time. He had an amazing story!
         When he was nine years old, his father was killed in the Cultural Revolution. As a teenager he became an acrobat, joined a Chinese circus, and traveled with the circus to different countries. While staying with a Vietnamese family in England, he found a copy of our "Somebody Loves You" tract in Chinese in their basement. He was down and out at the time, but the message in the tract was just what he needed. Before he returned to China, he contacted The Family and they led him to pray to receive Jesus as his Savior. Now he longs for Christian fellowship, and wants to do something for his fellowman.

A little love and a listening ear
From Phil, Marie and Amy, USA
         We first saw Jennifer sitting alone on the sidewalk of a busy street in downtown Sacramento. We were passing out Family posters and tracts at the time, and one of us offered her one. Jennifer immediately barraged us with so many questions about what we were doing and why, that we could hardly get an answer in edgewise. On and on she went. We listened patiently. By and by, she told us all of her problems--how she had been abused by her husband and forsaken by social services, how she was now homeless and utterly discouraged about life. This went on for 15 or 20 minutes.
         Once she had gotten everything out, we were able to tell her that we were sure God could help her, even in her seemingly hopeless situation. And as we sympathized with her and explained more about the simple love of God and His promises to us all, she changed before our very eyes. Hope was rekindled. It's so true that just a little bit of love goes a long, long, way!

Out of the darkness
From Christine, France
         It was Ricardo's last chance to make it in school. His parents had enrolled him at the same Christian high school that our seventeen-year-old son, Gabriel, attends. Ricardo played in a Black Metal rock group, took drugs, dressed in Satanist T-shirts, and had a bedroom full of macabre posters.
         Gabriel befriended Ricardo, and as opportunities arose, Gabriel told Ricardo about the Lord, the Bible and the dangers of the occult--but was Ricardo listening?
         Then one morning Ricardo surprised Gabriel. "Guess what!" he announced. "I stayed up all night reading the Bible, and now I am a Christian. This morning I filled two big trash bags with my Satanist T-shirts, posters, music CDs and occult books, and dumped it all in the garbage!"

Every day is someone's last
From Nat, Russia
         Michael and I bundled into our little Lada sedan and left on an errand. We were chatting about things that I can't remember now, but I will never forget the scene we came upon just three blocks from home.
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         A police jeep is parked up on the sidewalk next to an apartment building, and three policemen are standing around. What's happening? As we roll past, I still haven't figured it out.
         Now I can see behind the jeep. It's a woman, lying lifeless on the frozen sidewalk. Perhaps there's another body. The woman is dressed, but without a coat or other winter clothes. Her face wears a odd expression. I have seen it before, somewhere, since coming to Russia. It's a peaceful look, like the struggle is over.
         A second later, it's behind us. Then a sudden sadness takes hold of me. I remember where I've seen that look before. It was on the face of a young man--maybe 18 or 19--who was shot outside our apartment when we were living in Moscow.
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         The next day I passed the spot again, and I saw two men. One had a large tripod, the other a camera. They looked like a TV crew.
         "What happened?" I asked.
         "A woman jumped from her fourth-floor balcony with her two daughters. The mother and one of the girls died. The other survived and is in the hospital."
         The next day, the story was in the newspaper. The mother was single, unemployed, alcoholic. Her daughters were from two different men. Had she ever heard about Jesus, I wondered.
         I made a mental list of others who had met untimely deaths.
         There was Lucky, the Nigerian, who wasn't so lucky. He owned one of the most popular discos in the city. We had met him briefly and told him about our work. He was interested, and we gave him some literature. A few months later, the Russian Mafia met him outside his apartment and shot him dead.
         Then there was the Finnish businessman that Magda had spoken with. He died of alcohol poisoning.
         There was also the Russian businessman that Jan met and witnessed to. Another Mafia killing.
         Vika, a secretary at a company that donated goods to our work last year, drowned.
         Such is life--and death--in present-day Russia. Every day could be our last chance to tell someone about Jesus' love, because it could be their last day. We are pressed to do the best we can, to reach as many as we can, while we can.
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         The Family is a nonprofit, volunteer organization. Each of the activities you have just read about was 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, including any of those mentioned in this issue, please contact us at one of the addresses below:



Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family