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

         Every day, in over 85 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.

         [Picture caption] In from the cold. Street children enjoy a hot meal and party hats at The Family's recently-opened center.

Family opens day center for street children
From Genty, Mark, Sonny and team, Russia
         In our city there are many homeless children who by day roam the streets and at night sleep in the city sewers, the only warm place they can find. Some are orphans; others were driven from home by drunken, abusive parents. Until we opened a day center for them in February, they spent their days sniffing glue and stealing.
         Any project is difficult to begin, and this one was no exception. We renovated part of the building the center is in ourselves, and several construction companies are helping us make more improvements as we go. By opening day the center was still not fully set up. For the first week we had no hot water, and the kitchen sinks took even longer to be installed. For the first couple of weeks we barely had any food to feed the children, or other basics.
         Despite all of these difficulties, we were elated to finally have a place to bring these children. A restaurant donated a nice meal for the children who came to the center on opening day, and all of the local newspapers and TV and radio stations came to report on the event. Now that the center is running, people in the city are responding to our appeals and bringing needed supplies.
         We take turns working at the center, spending our days with the children, feeding them and doing various educational activities with them. Volunteers from local universities also help us care for the children.
         We are especially happy that three of the children have already quit sniffing glue and started going to school. Of course, we don't allow any glue inside the center, but many of the children still sniff glue after they leave. We have also started checking into each child's personal situation by visiting their parents or other relatives, if they have any. If not, we contact the orphanages where they used to live to work out their papers and get them a place to stay.
         Please keep our work with these dear children in your prayers!

Slum project progress
From Catherine and Consuelo, Brazil
         When we began our assistance project in one of So Paulo's slums over a year and a half ago, one of our main goals was to get the government to install a sewer system and pave the road that runs through the neighborhood.
         After much prayer and persistant petitioning by members of the homeowners association which we helped organize at the project's onset, the local government has finally started the work. The main part of the open sewer has been filled in, and the workers are waiting for the seasonal rains to slow down so they can finish the job. Then the local officials will work with those of the neighboring county to pave the road that runs through the neighborhood and forms the boundary between the counties.
         We also started a health program for children from newborn to 15 years old. Each month we weigh and measure them, and chart their progress. With the added incentive of lollipops for whoever comes to the clinic, we have been able to register 85 children. When we see that a child is not gaining weight as he or she should, we help the mother find and correct the cause--usually worms or improper diet.
         We also plan to work more closely with the local health department to improve health conditions in the neighborhood. The mothers tell us that the overall health of the children has greatly improved due to our regular donations of milk, fresh fruit and vegetables, and other staples.
         Although the steps we are taking seem simple and small, we know they will make a big difference in the long run. "Little is much, if God is in it!"

Aid to native Americans
From Hope, USA
         My co-workers and I recently collected 100 boxes of new and good quality used clothing for needy families on Navajo and Hopi reservations in Arizona, and three of us made the nearly 1,700-mile round trip from Denver to deliver them. The project was a real team effort between us, other Family members in Arizona, and the many sponsors of the project--some of whom we met along the way, like those who donated gasoline and motel rooms.
         At the Navajo reservation, Jack Whitehorse met us where the road tapered off to a snow-covered trail, impassable in our U-Haul truck. Then he ferried part of the shipment to the cinderblock church he built some years ago in the heart of the reservation, from which the clothing will be distributed. Jack keeps a card file with the needs of everyone on the reservation.
         Next, we traveled to a Hopi village on a high mesa--one of the picturesque flat-topped elevations with clifflike sides which are common in that part of Arizona. There we met up with Hopi friends Ernel and Joyce, who had offered to distribute the rest of the shipment to the Hopis. We were received with traditional Hopi hospitality, including a sampling of their traditional bread made with blue cornmeal and ashes, hot from an outside oven. What a great experience!

God's mysterious ways
From Micah, Japan
         When a company offered to donate 6,000 pairs of running shoes to our work, we accepted--even though we had no idea at the time what we would do with so many shoes!
         A short while later, Andy, a Family member who does volunteer work in Siberia, made a trip to Japan and stayed in our home. In passing, I asked if he needed a pair of running shoes, and proceeded to show him the shoes that filled two large tents in our back yard. Andy looked at all those shoes and nearly started to cry.
         He and his wife previously had arranged several shipments of humanitarian aid to institutions in their adopted city, he explained, and just before their trip to Japan they had been given a new list of most needed items. At the top of the list--shoes! Andy said that when his co-workers prayed with him for his trip to Japan, his number one prayer request was to be able to bring back shoes. And here we were, sitting on the answer to their prayers! Before long, the shoes were loaded and on their way to Siberia.

Transformed!
From Andrew, teenage Family member, Philippines
         For the last two years, we've been visiting prisoners in the maximum security section of the New Bilibid Prison, the biggest prison in the country, where many inmates have life sentences or are on death row. During this time, the 30 or 40 inmates who regularly attend our group sessions and Bible studies have really changed.
         Inspired by our example of caring for them and our constant encouragement to think of and do things for others, the inmates came up with the idea of having a Sunday school for children who visit their fathers in the prison on family day, which is Sunday. With just a little guidance from us, they organized the first week's Bible stories and games. Some of our regular sponsors donated snacks for the kids.
         It was wonderful to see these inmates doing something to change their part of the world--their fellow inmates and their families. One touching scene: A daddy with his young son on his lap, both all smiles as they raced to finish their puzzle before the others. Just imagine, a man covered with tattoos and scars, serving a life sentence, now acting just like a little kid himself as he enjoyed the Sunday school! Thank God for His wonder-working power!

No-lose giving
From Isaac and Ruth, Burma
         Our work at a school for the blind took an interesting turn when a company here began marketing a small "talking" watch to promote their brand name. What great gifts those watches would make for the 100 blind children, we thought.
         We sent a fax to one of the company's directors, who we'd met a few months earlier, and he responded that they would indeed like to help. He also said that he and some others from the company would like to accompany us on a visit to the school, and asked if we could teach them to interact with the blind children. So on the appointed day, a large group which included their foreign managers came to our house for a briefing. We offered some tips on relating to the children, and gave each a copy of some appropriate "talk time" questions, in case any of them got stuck.
         The visit went very well, and they all had a meaningful and moving time with the children. They were so impressed by the school band that they asked them to play at an upcoming golf tournament they were sponsoring.
         Oh yes, the company not only donated the 100 watches we had requested, but also gave the school a large cash donation and treated the children to a beautiful dinner. Everyone came away a winner!
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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